No. 19 Pitt and Syracuse meet for the 80th time, a high-stakes prime-time showdown

Updated Oct. 23, 2024 3:18 p.m. ET

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh and Syracuse have faced each other regularly for more than a century. Yet rarely, especially this century, have they met with such significant stakes.

The 19th-ranked 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.

Halfway through the season, both remain legitimate contenders in the super-sized ACC. That particular goal could wind up out of reach for whoever ends up 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 has the Panthers off to their best start in 42 years.

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

It's a word that could be described to what Syracuse has done of late following a pair of narrow one-score wins on the road, though Brown has a different word in mind.

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

Air Raid, Part 1

Brown's mission at Syracuse has been sped up by the arrival of quarterback Kyle McCord.

The Ohio State transfer is second in the country in yards passing, averaging 360 yards a game. The team Pitt will face in front of a primetime audience hardly resembles the one that pulled away for a win in the Bronx last fall.

Syracuse relied heavily on the “Wildcat” formation and ran the ball 65 times and threw it just nine times in that contest. Given the way McCord is playing, the ratio might be the other way around this time.

“He throws darts. He’s accurate. He’s smart. He knows where to go with the ball,” Narduzzi said of McCord. “He will be the best quarterback that’s walked in to play us in this stadium in a while.”

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 coming over from Alabama. Holstein is in the top 20 in the country in total offense (sixth), passing yards (13th) and touchdown passes (15th) despite a sluggish performance in a 17-15 win over California on Oct. 12 when he completed just 14 of 28 passes for a season-low 133 yards and two picks.

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

“He's slick, (difficulty) just washes right off of him,” Narduzzi said. “I mean, he’s confident. He’s resilient. ... He’s got a short memory.”

Easy ‘Des’ it

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

He's also hardly a stranger to Brown, who like Reid played at Western Carolina. Brown, however, stayed a Catamount during his college career. Reid parlayed his talent and his relationship with Kade Bell — who called plays at Western Carolina before being hired by Narduzzi last December — into an opportunity with the Panthers. The results have been dazzling.

“I think he’s got a bit of that Catamount blood in him,” Brown said. “He's always been a good football player. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s tough.”

Prime advice

Brown exchanged texts with Colorado coach Deion Sanders recently, the Hall of Fame defensive back that now goes by “Coach Prime” telling Brown to “take care of the little things and don’t allow them become big things.”

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

“That was on me," Brown said. "I thought the kids put themselves in a great position to win that game and I blew it at the end.”

To that end, Brown hasn't changed much in preparation for Pitt while coming off an extended break because Brown believes there is reward in embracing the daily grind and focusing on the little picture, figuring the big one will sort itself out along the way.

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