They’re Blue (Da Ba Dee Da Ba Di)
Half down, half to go in our Syracuse Orange opponent preview series. It’s nonstop action for Fran Brown’s outfit from this point on, as after facing NC State on the road, SU has their second and final bye week.
In the first of six straight games with no time off in between, the Orange will take an early flight out to western Pennsylvania, where they will face a longtime rival – and in a real football stadium this year.
Pittsburgh Panthers
School: University of Pittsburgh
Nickname: Panthers
Mascot: ROC the Panther
#BRAND Slogans: #H2P (“Hail to Pitt”), #WeNotMe
Alternate #BRAND Slogan Suggestions: #DiscountYinzers, #WeMeansNarduzzi or “Now Our Favorite Color is Blue”
Conference: ACC
History vs. Syracuse: This marks the 69th (nice) straight meeting between the two programs, whose fans continuously swear they’re not actually rivals. Pitt leads the all-time series 43-33-3 and has been on a recent tear, winning 18 of the last 22 head-to-head meetings. Long streaks of dominance have been the norm with these programs (which is what makes any “rivalry” discussions taboo), as SU won 15 of 18 games from 1984-2001, and Pitt preceded that with an 11-year win streak. The Orange certainly hope that last November’s unorthodox victory is the spark they need to reverse the trend against the Panthers – and finally conquer the hallowed ground of the formerly-named Heinz Field for the first time since during its inaugural season.
Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Coach: Pat Narduzzi, 10th season. Last fall was easily the worst campaign in Narduzzi’s time at Pitt – outside of that debacle, his teams have reached six Bowl games, won the former ACC Coastal Division twice and the conference itself in 2021, and finished in the AP Top-25 twice. Before joining the Panthers, Pat managed defenses at Michigan State, Cincinatti, and Miami (OH), as well as the linebackers at Northern Illinois.
2023 Record: 3-9 (2-6)
Recapping Last Season:
I wasn’t exaggerating about the most recent Pitt schedule. The only silver lining I can really give is that the Panthers’ three wins all came at home, against FCS Wofford in the opener, #14 Louisville in a Homecoming upset, and Boston College on Senior Day. Their loss column includes a rally against Cincinatti that came up short, the offense failing to show up for the Backyard Brawl, three ranked losses (UNC, Notre Dame, and Florida State) and succumbing to the wonders of SU’s ThunderCat attack at Yankee Stadium.
Phil Jurkovec was Pitt’s second straight attempt using a veteran transfer QB, and unlike Kedon Slovis the year prior, this experiment didn’t work out at all. The former BC starter was an ineffective passer, completing just over 50% of his throws for 818 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He was benched after the team’s 1-4 start and saw action just once after that. Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux didn’t fare much better in relief. The rushing attack crumbled from the two prior seasons, with junior Rodney Hammond Jr. retaining RB2 numbers (547 yards, four TDs) as the primary back, and the team having less yards collectively (1,223) than Israel Abanikanda had alone (1,431) running the ball in 2022. For those doing the math, that’s barely 100 per game. The two impressive guys were receivers: Bub Means and Konata Mumpfield combined for 85 catches, just under 1,300 yards, and 11 scores. They alone couldn’t stop the Panthers from being one of the worst offenses in the country and the worst in the ACC.
The defense doesn’t deserve nearly as much blame, as they were very middle-of-the-pack against both the air and ground games. There were even a few notable performers in the secondary. M.J. Devonshire broke up 10 passes and picked off four more, one for an 86-yard TD, as one of the conference’s top corners. Donovan McMillon and Javon McIntyre (combined 190 tackles) were an effective safety duo who got left to deal with an overabundance of runners underneath. Senior LB Shayne Simon and redshirt freshman Edge Samuel Okunlola grabbed five sacks each, good enough to send the former to Buffalo (the Bills) and the later to the Buffaloes (Colorado). Ben Sauls was 11/16 on FGs with a long of 47.
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
2024 Season Outlook:
Pitt’s non-conference slate features a return trip to Cincinatti as well as home games against Kent State, West Virginia, and Youngstown State. ACC home games are against Cal, ‘Cuse, Virginia, and Clemson; conference road trips take the Panthers to North Carolina, SMU, Louisville, and BC. Weeks 5 and 8 are their Byes.
Junior Nate Yarnell will get a shot to lead after respectable numbers starting the last two games of 2023 at QB. He’ll be backed by former Alabama four-star recruit Eli Holstein, as well as three other scholarship quarterbacks. New offensive coordinator Kade Bell brought RB Desmond Reid (1,180 total yards, 13 TDs) with him from Western Carolina to compete with Hammond. He also brought along receiver help in Censere Lee (792 yards, eight TDs) and Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. (1,617 yards, 15 TDs 2021-22; DNP last season). Means was drafted by the Saints, leaving Mumpfield to be the primary target.
While Narduzzi’s defenses are typically a strong suit, there are still some spots to decide with this one. The D-Line is wide open aside from Kansas State transfer Nate Matlack at Edge. All three linebacker spots will be filled by new starters – some combination of returners and Ohio transfer Keye Thompson (94 tackles, 10 TFL and one defensive TD). Cornerback is a huge concern as Pitt was unable to get anyone experienced to offset Devonshire heading to the Raiders.
Syracuse Game Date: Thursday, October 24
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Odds of Orange Victory: 60%
Very Early Outlook vs. Syracuse:
This is another potential trap game for Fran Brown’s team, as despite them having a case to be favorites, they have to overcome the stigma of:
- Recent history of struggling out of bye weeks
- Similar struggles in Thursday night contests
- A 10-game losing streak in Pittsburgh
As much as I want to pick them to put the curse of Narduzzi to bed here, this is one of the toss-ups that has external factors stacked against them. Pitt has a manageable schedule to this point but with SMU and Clemson as two of their next three games, this is one they’ll need to zero in on. The national audience watching on ESPN will be treated to a good game either way, not at all like the bludgeoning in the Bronx last fall, and if Fran can break years of SU falling short here, it’ll be an undeniable sign of progress.