No. 19 Pitt pulps Orange in historic defensive 5-interception showcase

On Thursday evening, Pitt (7-0, 3-0 ACC) took down Syracuse (5-2, 2-2 ACC) 41-13 in a conference matchup at Acrisure Stadium that held high season implications. With this victory, the Panthers remain unbeaten, their first 7-0 start since 1982.

The Panthers went into this game looking to continue their historic season, while the Orange, with only one loss, hoped to keep its season alive in a tightly contested ACC race. 

The story of the game followed Pitt’s defense as it broke records and squeezed the life out of the Orange offense. Pitt tallied four sacks, five interceptions and held the ‘Cuse rushing campaign to only six total yards.

In tandem with the Panthers’ offense that produced two touchdowns and a special teams unit that found the back of the uprights twice. Pitt came into this matchup as 5.5 point favorites yet handily defeated Syracuse in a 28-point margin of victory.

The first quarter marked murky waters for ‘Cuse while Pitt’s defensive sharks chomped down on a healthy dose of Vitamin C. The Panthers picked off the Orange on three separate occasions — two returned for a touchdown — marking the first time the blue and gold picked up multiple pick-sixes in a game since 2022.

Pitt started with the ball, going three and out and setting up the defense for its first interception of the game by sophomore linebacker Rasheem Biles, which he promptly returned for six, the first Pitt linebacker to do so since 2021. A kick from senior kicker Ben Sauls went through the uprights, and Pitt took an early 7-0 lead to open the scoring.

Biles posted a stellar performance with 12 total tackles and a sack on top of his pick-six. Pitt’s defensive unit as a whole nicked four sacks and five interceptions.

One drive later and the Panthers found themselves with their second pick of the night, this time from senior linebacker Brandon George.

The offense, now set up to redeem their first drive, fell short — Holstein and company still finding their footing for a long night ahead. 

However, Pitt landed close enough for Sauls to knock in a record-breaking boot that etched his name at the top of the Pitt football record book for most consecutive field goals made with 14. Pitt went up 10-0.

The ball was back with the Orange, but the sharks were still hungry — and hunting for history. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis smelled blood in the water and picked off McCord for the third time of the night, bringing it coast to coast for six more and the second pick-six of the game. Sauls was cash and the Panthers went up 17-0. 

With the ball back in their hands, Syracuse put together a solid drive, but flags held them back. After converting on one fourth down of the drive, its second attempt went mute, and the Panthers took over. 

The Orange tallied eight total penalties adding to 70 total lost yards. Syracuse was 6-7 on fourth-down conversions with Pitt forcing the team to snap 20 third downs on the night in which ‘Cuse was able to convert six.

The next Panther possession ended when redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein found junior receiver Censere Lee up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown pass. This play, plus an extra point from Sauls put the Panthers up 24-0.

The Syracuse-led offense with senior quarterback Kyle McCord at the helm struggled to find their stride alongside a pressuring Pitt defense that relentlessly threw pass breakups, blitzes and big defensive stands their way.

On its next offensive drive, the Orange scraped together a nice drive, yet flags and a sack from Biles put the ball back in the Panthers’ paws.

With time winding down in the first half, the teams traded punts that set up yet another Pitt pick-six, this one coming from linebacker Braylan Lovelace, who put the Panthers up 31-0 right in the face of the student section. 

With this play, Pitt continued to make history as it became the first FBS team of the season with three defensive touchdowns in a half.

Pitt’s defending side of the ball continued to dominate, and the Panthers wrapped up last-second antics from McCord and the Orange, heading into the locker room with a comfortable lead. 

With the ball and a chance to turn its slow start around, McCord led the offense down the field for a 73-yard drive, capped off with a rush from the quarterback to erase the shutout and tack on six. McCord ended the game with 321 total yards

An attempted two-point conversion was blown up by the relentlessly ravaging Panthers, giving Holstein and friends the ball back with a convincing cushion that led to a punt and Orange offense try. 

Pitt came up with another interception, its fifth of the night. The game marked the first time the Panthers have reached an interception total this high since 2008. This time the ball fell to Phillip O’Brien Jr off of another tipped pass. 

Holstein then found Raphael Williams Jr. for a 29-yard touchdown pass to finish a three-play offensive drive that lasted only 52 seconds. Sauls was good on his try and the Panthers led 38-6 with 14:54 left to play.

After a hard hit off of a rush, Holstein exited to the sideline after a 108-yard and two-touchdown performance. After a junior quarterback Nate Yarnell led three and out, Pitt trotted on Sauls to attempt a 57-yarder — which he nailed, one yard short of his own personal and school record from last game against Cal.

Syracuse responded with a drive of its own to cut the lead to 28 with just over seven minutes left in the game.

With the ball back, ‘Cuse marched down the field, but held to just a field goal that it missed. Yarnell and the offense came back on, played out the rest of the convincing Pitt win, and let the final minutes wane as the Panthers stayed undefeated and reeled in their seventh victory on the year.