Takeaways from Pitt’s victory in Chapel Hill

No. 22 Pitt football has broken the curse and defeated UNC in Chapel Hill for the first time in program history. In the process, the Panthers have secured their first 5-0 start since 1991. 

While Pitt made plenty of mistakes throughout the game, the team was fully in control for most of the game and did enough to outlast the Tar Heel attack. A handful of explosive offensive plays and clutch stops from the defense were the deciding factor against UNC.

Kyle Louis: Defensive MVP

I’ve stated that Pitt’s defense has played subpar this season, although they improved against the Tar Heels, particularly in the passing game. While the defense as a whole needs to improve, the linebacking corps has kept the ship steady. Of that shining group, redshirt sophomore Kyle Louis has shined the most.  

Louis has arguably become the face of the 2024 Pitt defense through his solid play and bombastic on-field persona, characterized by the “Landshark” celebration that has become a common sight at Pitt games. 

Louis has recorded 17 tackles, two interceptions, two sacks and a forced fumble. While not quite a game-changer, Louis has provided critical plays throughout the season that kept the defense afloat. 

In the UNC game, Louis tallied a crucial sack on a UNC fourth-down attempt which sealed the game for good. Louis did something similar in the West Virginia game, picking off senior quarterback Garrett Greene to give Pitt the win. 

If Louis and company can keep up their “bend-not-break” ways and continue to provide clutch stops, the Panthers will keep living the high-life.

Defense gives its best performance

While the games against Kent State and Youngstown State were better performances on paper, the fact that this performance came against a fellow Power Four team makes it the most impressive. 

Going into the matchup,questions about how Pitt’s defense would respond to the offensive attack of North Carolina arose, but they stepped up and took some pressure off the offense. 

What ultimately decided this game was Pitt’s defense holding UNC to two-for-six on fourth-down attempts, three of which came in Pitt territory. The biggest of those stops was a 19-play, 81-yard drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock, yet resulted in no points for the Tar Heels.

With a Pitt offense that can score in a minute or less, those kinds of drives are backbreakers for the opposition and are a huge factor in why the Panthers find themselves undefeated and ranked No. 22. 

The secondary pitched in its best performance of the season yesterday, holding UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell to 24 of 45 passing, 269 yards and one touchdown. 

While Criswell’s numbers don’t quite jump out, holding the two-time transfer to an average 5.9 yards per attempt is exactly what Pitt needs to keep the opposing offense at bay, especially when redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein is still slinging for the Panthers. 

Desmond Reid, receiver or running back?

Despite the win and great performance from the offense, junior running back Desmond Reid was underwhelming running the ball.

Reid is still an amazing athlete and has greatly contributed to this team’s success, arguably more so than anyone not named Holstein. Saturday was no different — Reid contributed 200 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. But 155 of those yards came from the air, as opposed to 55 yards on the ground. 

In his last two starts, Reid has only tallied 81 yards on 26 carries, a paltry 3.1 yards per carry and zero rushing touchdowns. As a receiver, Reid has gained 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns in those same two games. 

While the offense should still feature Reid as much as possible given his skillset, it seems that it is in the Panthers’ best interest to make him the second-string running back and feature a returning senior Rodney Hammond as the feature back now that he has returned to play. 

Hammond is much more built as a “bell-cow” running back who can carry the ball 20-30 times a game, as opposed to Reid who does his best work out in space. 

Regardless, Reid’s presence has added yet another weapon to offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s arsenal and should continue to provide plenty of big plays for the Panthers this season.