As Pitt's season has played out, the bar has continued to be raised for the 6-0 Panthers, who have reached that mark for the first time since 1982. Each week has presented a tougher challenge and this one is no different against Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium.
Under first-year head coach Fran Brown, the Orangemen are 5-1 and have knocked off two top-25 teams in the process. While they do a lot of things well, this team is especially good on 3rd down, the "money down." As a team, Syracuse has converted 55% of its third down attempts which is the second-best mark in the country. But, it starts with quarterback Kyle McCord.
"He can make every throw, he's very accurate but probably the scariest part, I guess, is third down, I mean money down is critical," Pat Narduzzi said. "I mean, third and medium the guy doesn't miss. He's about 75% completion on third down and longer. I think they are either number two or number three in the country in third-down conversions. I mean, they are a top third-down conversion football so we got to get off the field on third down. They're really good and it's the whole offense, it's what they do, it's how they do it. They get guys open, they do a good job game planning."
While Pitt's secondary will be tested throughout the evening Thursday, the defensive line will need to put pressure on McCord and repeat their performance from their 17-15 win over Cal. On a night when Eli Holstein and the offense didn't perform up to its relatively high standard, the defense stepped up and recorded a season-high six sacks and 11 TFLs.
So far this season, McCord has completed 66% of his passes for 2,160 yards and 19 touchdowns, which are the second and third-best marks in the ACC, respectively. McCord also has three different receivers over 400 yards receiving, so he has plenty of options.
However, Cuse has given up 13 sacks this season and Pitt has played its best when they've been able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Their win over Cal was their most complete performance, but the defense showed up against both Cincinnati and West Virginia when it came to getting to the quarterback late in the game. Getting healthy has also contributed to the past few defensive performances.
Sean FitzSimmons returned to the lineup against North Carolina and the Panthers have tallied 17 TFLs and seven sacks since his return. Nick James also returned to the lineup last week after missing the North Carolina game and the group is starting to consistently get a push up front.
"Guys were hurt, me included, but now we're back full force and playing how we always have been," FitzSimmons said. "We've just been getting after it."
That type of performance needs to continue against Syracuse if the Panthers want to stay in the game. When both sides of the ball have played off of each other and worked in unison they've been great. How they finished the North Carolina game was a perfect example. The defense made a key stop with over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and the offense was able to chew up a lot of clock to essentially close out the game.
So while the defense needs to find a way to get off the field on third down, the offense needs to find a way to stay on it. Holstein is coming off his worst game as Pitt's starting quarterback as he completed 50% of his passes for 133 yards and two interceptions. The offense also only converted one of its 12 third-down attempts. But, Narduzzi said Holstein has bounced back this week and expects to see him return to form, along with the rest of the offense.
"I think we all forget that he's a redshirt freshman and he has a lot more football to play," Narduzzi said. "But, Eli learns every week. I mean when you look at it as a quarterback, every week you're seeing something different. You're seeing a different front, you're seeing different covers, you've got different pass concepts. He's a student of the game, he watches a lot of tape and you see him grow weekly but you might not necessarily see an improvement weekly based on what you're seeing defensively."
THE OPPONENT
Coach: Fran Brown (5-1, first season)
Record: (5-2, 2-1 ACC)
Players to watch: Kyle McCord, QB, Sr.; LeQuint Allen, RB, Jr.; Trebor Pena, WR, R-Jr.; Jackson Meeks, WR, Sr.; Fadil Digs, DL, Sr.; Justin Barron, LB, Sr.
On top of McCord, Syracuse has plenty of talented athletes and Brown has used what he has to take down Georgia Tech and UNLV, who were ranked No. 23 and No. 25, respectively, when they squared off.
McCord has spread the ball around to a plethora of receivers as three different pass catchers are over the 400-yard mark, six are over the 150-yard mark and five have caught three or more touchdowns.
Trebor Pena leads the way with a team-high 42 catches for 458 yards and five touchdowns while Jackson Meeks has caught 38 passes for 459 yards and four touchdowns. Oronde Gadsden II, a tight end, averages the most yards per reception (13.5) and has caught 32 passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns. All three average 72 or more receiving yards per game.
McCord's spreading the ball around comes from his ability to read a defense and his understanding of what is being given to him before the ball is even snapped. It allows him to make quick decisions and find his open receivers.
"We talk about his athletic ability, talk about what kind of arm he's got, how accurate he is, all that's great, but if you don't know where to go with the ball, it's a problem," Narduzzi said. "Pre-snap, he kind of will have a feel of where he likes to go and that's the key, is he knows where he wants to go with the ball and he gets it out quick."
On top of their passing game, LeQuint Allen has been Syracuse's bell cow in the backfield. He's garnered 51% of his team's carries for 458 yards and four touchdowns while averaging around 75 yards per game. He's also caught 31 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, so the Panthers need to be aware of where he lines up.
Defensively, Syracuse is around the middle of the pack in the ACC. They allow 24.7 points per game, 356.7 total yards and only allowed teams to pass for 229.2 yards per game, the 8th-best mark in the ACC.
Fadil Diggs is a player to worry about on the defensive line. He leads Syracuse in both TFLs (8) and sacks (4) and has tallied 15 total tackles this season. He only made one tackle this past week against N.C. State but also recorded two sacks against UNLV.
"He is phenomenal," Narduzzi said. "He is the guy you better know where he is every snap and they move him around."
Pitt has won 18 of its last 22 meetings against Syracuse but dropped last year's contest in Yankee Stadium, 28-13. The Panthers do own an overall record of 43-33-3 against Syracuse, but Narduzzi still sees it as a little bit of a rivalry game. That, combined with the timing of the primetime matchup makes for a special occasion.
"It's going to be a big battle between a 6-0 and a 5-1 football team Thursday night. So get your tickets," Narduzzi said.