A game that encompassed an entire season

If you were to combine every story of Pitt football’s season so far — James Conner’s return to stardom, Quadree Henderson’s emergence as a do-it-all scoring threat, the leaky pass defense, an inability to put teams away — you would get Saturday’s game versus Syracuse.

In a football game that saw 165 total offensive plays, 20 touchdowns and 1,312 combined yards, Pitt’s 76-61 win over Syracuse embodied the Panthers’ season in just about every way.

Star running back James Conner, possibly playing his last game at Heinz Field, had a near-perfect send-off with 115 rushing yards that sent him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Like the Pitt legends who came before him, Conner now shares a piece of history alongside the likes of Tony Dorsett, LeSean McCoy and other Panthers with multiple 1,000-yard years.

And Pitt’s pass defense — falling short of covering yet another NFL-ready wide receiver in Syracuse’s Amba Etta-Tawo — gave up five touchdowns and 178 yards to the wideout, even with the Orange’s backup quarterback Zack Mahoney throwing him passes.  

With chaos on both sides of the ball, Pitt and Syracuse earned one of the most bittersweet achievements in the record book — the highest-scoring contest in major college football history.

Even head coach Pat Narduzzi seemed conflicted at the postgame press conference, somewhere between fulfillment and frustration, “puppy” and “rottweiler.”     

“I’ve never been in a game like that. I don’t ever want to be in a game like that again,” Narduzzi said. “Half of me is jumping for joy for what our offense did out there today. The other half makes me sick.”

And almost as soon as the game ended, the Conner question was raised: After Pitt’s to-be-announced bowl game this season, would the redshirt junior with NFL prospects go pro?

“I’m not sure yet,” Conner said. “I’m a redshirt junior right now. I’m going to finish out strong with this bowl game and then make a decision after that. Right after the bowl game, I’ll make a decision.”

Quiet and looking pensive after the game, Conner’s performance Saturday left little question to his legacy at Pitt — if anyone doubted that his story would carry on past his tenure as a Panther. That’s what Conner said his aim was after his Pitt career — to be remembered as someone who made an impact on the University.

“That’s my job is to run the football and they gave me a scholarship to score touchdowns,” he said. “So, when [the University talks] about someone who has made a positive impact, I hope they mention my name. That’s my main goal.”

Out on the field, kicker Chris Blewitt, perpetually either hero or scapegoat, made nine straight extra point attempts, before ricocheting one off the crossbar in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Henderson, slippery as ever, had a career-high 257 all-purpose yards, even with Syracuse avoiding kicking to him late in the matchup. Potential All-American defensive end Ejuan Price added six tackles and a sack to his resumé.

And with only one of the Orange’s touchdown drives lasting over 10 plays, Pitt’s defense often gave up yards quickly, and with little fight — putting pressure on quarterback Nathan Peterman’s offense to make plays on nearly every drive, even as the Panthers neared 70 points.

The dizzying score aside, the chilly, sparsely-attended event saw a few other bizarre moments.

Three of Pitt’s touchdowns came on the first play of a possession. Syracuse sent three free kicks out of bounds, replacing its kicker midway through the game. And Narduzzi tasked offensive lineman Brian O’Neill — he of the two rushing touchdowns on two career attempts — with a passing play, but he couldn’t find anyone open and tossed it away.

“The instructions were very clear. If he wasn’t wide open, throw the ball away,” O’Neill said. “He wasn’t wide open, so I threw it away.”

Still, Narduzzi and several Pitt players made similar statements after the game — a win’s a win. Especially on Senior Day, when Pitt fans watched mainstays such as Peterman, Blewitt, Price and tight end Scott Orndoff play their last regular season contest at home.

“It was a good way to go out on Senior Day,” Peterman said. “To score that many points, with a great offense and a great team effort, it was pretty crazy. I’m just kind of at a loss for words because I’m just so thankful for my teammates and the opportunities God has given me here at Pitt. It’s a little sentimental.”

Despite a three-touchdown effort, Conner wasn’t smiling after the game. The redshirt junior was likely already looking ahead to the bowl matchup — and the decision looming afterward.

“I don’t know what everyone else is doing, but I’m not celebrating,” Conner said. “I’m happy we won, but we have to keep it going, we have to get better. Offense has to get better. Defense has to get better. Everyone has to get better.”