Pittsburgh linebacker Rasheem Biles (31) returns an interception for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
From Mirror, wire reports
PITTSBURGH — Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis and Braylan Lovelace returned first-half interceptions for touchdowns and No. 19 Pittsburgh breezed past Syracuse 41-13 on Thursday night.
Pitt improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1982 behind a defense that harassed Kyle McCord from the first snap and never relented. The Ohio State transfer threw picks on each of Syracuse’s first three possessions, with Biles and Louis scoring on two of them. The other came with linebacker Brandon George lying on his stomach and plucking a deflected ball out of the air just before it hit the ground.
“Our offense has been good, but the defense has taken over the game the last few weeks,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi told ESPN in an television interview after the game.
The Panthers were hardly done. Lovelace weaved 33 yards for a touchdown with 1:12 left in the first half after another ill-advised throw by McCord to put Pitt up 31-0, making the Panthers the first team since Southern California in 2022 to have three pick-6s in a game.
The defense was so dominant it hardly mattered that the Panthers’ high-powered offense was rarely on the field. Eli Holstein passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns, but also left in the fourth quarter after taking a hit at the end of a designed quarterback run.
Pitt — picked to finish 13th in the new-look ACC in August — improved to 3-0 in the league and remained in the mix for a spot in the conference championship game as November begins.
“I tell our guys all the time that we are playing for ourselves, for our families, but we are also playing for those former Pitt players who are proud of what we are doing here,” Narduzzi said.
McCord finished 35 of 64 for 327 yards with five interceptions as Syracuse (5-2, 2-2) hit its first major speedbump under first-year head coach Fran Brown. The Orange dominated in time of possession (41:12 to 18:48) and total yards (327-223) but were undone by McCord’s mistakes and an inability to tackle Pitt defenders as they raced to the end zone.
The takeaway
Syracuse: It wasn’t just the interceptions that doomed the Orange, it was the penalties. Syracuse was flagged eight times for 70 yards, including a roughing-the-passer call in the second quarter that wiped out an interception in Pitt territory that could have gotten the Orange back in the game.
Pitt: The Panthers relied heavily on first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s uptempo offense while winning their first five games. The defense, long Pitt’s calling card during Pat Narduzzi’s 10-year tenure, has returned to form, though plenty of challenges remain if Pitt wants to return to the ACC title game for the second time in four years.
Poll implications
Expect the Panthers to rise a bit next week when the new poll comes out Sunday. The Orange were second among teams also receiving votes this week but expect the number of their supporters to drop.
Up next
Syracuse: Hosts Virginia Tech on Nov. 2.
Pitt: Is at No. 22 SMU on Nov. 2.