Pitt and Syracuse meet in a primetime showdown | News, sports, jobs

FILE – Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi (left) celebrates with quarterback Eli Holstein (right) after defeating West Virginia in an NCAA college football game on Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh and Syracuse have faced off regularly for more than a century. But rarely, especially in this century, have they encountered such great challenges.

The 19th-place Panthers (6-0, 2-0 ACC) are one of the surprise teams in the country. Syracuse (5-1, 2-1) and first-year head coach Fran Brown might not be far behind.

At the halfway point of the season, both legitimate contenders remain in the supersized ACC. That particular goal could be out of reach for whoever finds themselves on the wrong side of Thursday night’s showdown at Acrisure Stadium.

Not that either program wants to talk about it. Certainly not longtime Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who gave the Panthers their best start in 42 years.

“We could have been sitting here last October 18th and been 6-0.” said Narduzzi, who oversaw a nightmarish 3-9 season last year that included a loss to the Orange at Yankee Stadium. “I loved our children last year. But this team just has a different resilience.”

It’s a word that could be used to describe what Syracuse has accomplished recently after two narrow one-point road wins, although Brown has a different word in mind.

“We use tirelessly” Brown said. “We’re on a mission.”

Air Raid, Part 1

Brown’s mission at Syracuse was accelerated by the arrival of quarterback Kyle McCord.

With an average of 360 yards per game, the Ohio State transfer ranks second nationally in yards passing. The team Pitt will face in front of a primetime audience bears little resemblance to the team that pulled off a victory in the Bronx last fall.

Syracuse relied heavily on the “Wildcat” formation and ran the ball 65 times and only threw it nine times in the competition. Given the way McCord plays, the ratio could be reversed this time.

“He throws darts. He is accurate. He’s smart. “He knows where to go with the ball.” Narduzzi said of McCord. “He will be the best quarterback to play against us in this stadium in a long time.”

Air Raid, Part II

McCord won’t be the only quarterback transfer on the field at Acrisure Stadium with pro aspirations.

Pitt redshirt freshman Eli Holstein has thrived since arriving from Alabama. Holstein ranks in the top 20 in the country in offense (sixth), passing yards (13th) and touchdown passes (15th), although he had a poor performance in the 17-15 win over California on October 12, as he completed just 14 of 28 passes for a season-low 133 yards and two picks.

Holstein said afterward that he played like a first-year starter. However, Narduzzi believes the performance was merely a blip and the sign of a quarterback who just got a little too greedy at times. He doesn’t expect a repeat performance against the Orange.

“It’s smooth, (difficulty) is easy to wash off.” Narduzzi said. “I mean, he’s confident. He is resilient. … He has a short memory.”

Just ‘De’ it

The Panthers have one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country in Desmond Reid, a 5-foot-8 running back. Reid is second nationally in all-purpose yards and has already posted three 100-yard rushing games and two 100-yard receiving games.

He is also no stranger to Brown, who like Reid played at Western Carolina. However, Brown remained a catamount throughout his college career. Reid parlayed his talent and relationship with Kade Bell — who played at Western Carolina before being hired by Narduzzi last December — into an opportunity with the Panthers.

The results were stunning.

“I think he has some Catamount blood in him.” Brown said. “He was always a good football player. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s tough.”

First-class advice

Brown recently exchanged text messages with Colorado coach Deion Sanders, the now-deceased Hall of Fame defensive back “Coach Prime” tells Brown to do it “Take care of the little things and don’t let them become big things.”

The former Georgia assistant learned some of that lesson earlier this season when the Orange lost to Stanford after a bye week.

“It was up to me” Brown said. “I thought the kids put themselves in a great position to win that game and I ended up blowing it.”

To that end, Brown hasn’t changed much in preparation for Pitt after a lengthy layoff because Brown believes there’s a reward in settling into the daily grind and focusing on the little things with the expectation that the big things will follow the path will regulate itself.

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