Unprepared Pitt Falls to Syracuse at Yankee Stadium

The Pitt Panthers exhibited little readiness and paid the price against the Syracuse Orange.

PITTSBURGH -- Pat Narduzzi's comments after the first quarter epitomized this contest for the Pitt Panthers, stating that the Syracuse Orange's offense was "totally different than what we practiced all week." The Panthers' lack of preparation emanated throughout their 28-13 loss to the Orange at Yankee Stadium, marking yet another low point in a season defined by them. Syracuse threw the ball just four times and it became evident it was intent on featuring the ground game, yet the Orange were still able to record 382 rushing yards and thus take complete control of the game. Pitt's offense wasn't any more impressive as they turned the ball over four times and never showed the makings of a thriving unit. 

Syracuse gashed Pitt on the ground during its first drive, picking up 39 yards over its first two plays of the game and ultimately finishing things off with a five-yard touchdown from Garrett Shrader to Maximilian Mang that gave the Orange a 7-0 lead right out of the gate. The Panthers' offense couldn't get off on the right front after a first-down early in the series and were forced to punt, giving Syracuse possession at its own 14-yard line. 

Shrader and LeQuint Allen picked up where they left off as they combined for 27 yards on three carries to open the drive, but the Panthers later recovered a Shrader fumble and set themselves up in Orange territory. Pitt worked its way into the red zone and settled for a 35-yard goal field goal that cut Syracuse's lead to 7-3. 

Syracuse mixed in different variations of a wildcat offense throughout the game, seemingly throwing off the Panthers at times. That wasn't the case during the Orange's ensuing series, however, as Pitt's defense hunkered down and forced Syracuse's first punt of the game. On the other side, the Panthers' offense wasn't fooling Syracuse in the slightest as they went three-and-out. 

The Orange stuck with their unorthodox approach on offense upon getting the ball back and even involved Shrader as a receiver, but it all crumbled rather quickly. Dan Villari fumbled on what would have been a first-down conversion, pushing Syracuse back behind the line to gain for a 4th-and-1 opportunity. The Orange, opting to go for it, were then called for a false start on a quarterback sneak and had to punt it back to the Panthers. 

A strong return by M.J. Devonshire gave Pitt good starting field position in Syracuse territory and the Panthers eventually advanced into field goal territory, arranging Ben Sauls for a 50-yard try. A false start was called on the attempt, however, leading Pitt to reconsider and send out the punt unit. Syracuse's offensive woes also persisted, resulting in another punt and subsequent touchback. 

The Panthers' first explosive play of the game came on the opening snap of the next drive as Christian Veilleux connected with Bub Means for a 65-yard gain that situated Pitt inside the red zone. Konata Mumpfield punched it in on a 10-yard reception soon after, supplying the Panthers with a 10-7 lead with 2:30 left in the second quarter. 

A three-and-out by the Orange gave Pitt a chance to extend its lead with 36 seconds left in the half, which it capitalized on as Sauls hit a 33-yard field goal that made it 13-7 going into halftime. 

The Panthers marched into Syracuse territory on their first possession of the second half before a Veilleux fumble was recovered by the Orange and halted any momentum on Pitt's end. Villari and Allen traded carries and pushed Syracuse deep into Panther territory before Shrader broke off a 21-yard touchdown run that provided the Orange with a 14-13 lead. 

Pitt responded by going three-and-out, granting Syracuse possession at their own 38-yard line after a punt. A 38-run by Villari carried the Orange into the red zone, where they turned the ball over on downs after Allen was stopped inside the one-yard line.

The Panthers couldn't celebrate that stop for long, though, as Veilleux was picked off by Jayden Bellamy, who returned it for a touchdown to make it 21-13, on the second play of the ensuing drive. It didn't get any better for Pitt's offense either, as Veilleux botched a read-option and lost a fumble at the Panthers' own 34-yard line. 

The Orange wasted no time maximizing on their good fortune as Villari took a 27-yard run to the house and lengthened their lead to 28-13 with 14:19 left in the game. Pitt looked to turn its fortunes around as they inserted Nate Yarnell in relief of Veilleux on the ensuing series, but it didn't yield results as the Panthers went three-and-out. 

Syracuse followed that up with a 12-play, 54-yard drive that took over five minutes off the clock, though a missed 38-yard field goal kept the door cracked open for a Pitt comeback. As if things couldn't get any worse for the Panthers, Rodney Hammond Jr. was ruled to have fumbled the ball in Orange territory following a replay review, effectively ending Pitt's chances. 

Syracuse ran out the clock during its next possession as it clinched its first ACC victory of the year and sent the Panthers home with major questions to answer moving forward. 

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