PITTSBURGH — Pitt entered the game against Syracuse undefeated, ranked 19th in the final AP poll, and it still felt like the Panthers had to prove they meant business.

A 41-13 win over Syracuse, perhaps the best defensive performance of the college football season, was certainly a statement. Pitt dominated a conference opponent with a single loss on national television and goes on a bit of a break a week before its biggest game since 2021.

It was a good night at Acrisure Stadium.

“A damn good defensive performance,” Pat Narduzzi said after the win. “I mean, I don’t care how we win, offensively, defensively. We have great coordinators, great coaches and great players. It's a tribute to the entire coach and playmakers.

“We talked about how 'start smart' was our deal this week. We wanted to start smart. We knew Syracuse was similar to us as a football team. They won games and came up short and won some games. We kind of thought they were very similar to what we were. I was just talking about how we need to start quickly and be smart, just get all the details done. Precise execution was, so to speak, our offer. We definitely did that.”

Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) October 24, 2024 Photo by David Hague/PSN

Best linebacking corps in college football

Pitt can throw five or six balls at linebacker and the unit doesn't seem to miss a beat. The talent and depth of the linebacking corps is truly impressive.

Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, Brandon George, Braylan Lovelace and Jordan Bass combined for 32 tackles (18 solo), four tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions (three returned for touchdowns), one pass breakup and three quarterback hits.

It's a young unit behind George, who, to be fair, is a new starter, and Narduzzi pointed to development under linebackers coach Ryan Manalac.

“I mean, it’s called development,” Narduzzi said. “That’s called coaching. As we know, Coach Manalac is doing a great job with these Sharks. Sharks were on the attack today. Jaws would be proud of what happened out there today.

“Again, we knew in spring ball. I mean, Kyle Louis was our best linebacker in spring ball. You could ask anyone on offense or defense. Kyle Louis was dominant. He remains dominant. Biles is right there with him. Lovelace, in the last two weeks this guy also left the stage. Brandon George continues to play solid inside.”

Louis (60 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one touchdown) and Biles (52 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception and one touchdown) seem legitimate All -American candidates to be.

And George is a reliable leader on the inside, to which Lovelace and Bass contribute greatly.

Ben Sauls has NFL reach

Pitt had some good kickers during the Pat Narduzzi era, but he's confident in who was the best.

“He’s the best I’ve ever been with,” Narduzzi said. “I would imagine he would be ready for Lou Groza. They should just give it to him mid-season. From 57 or 58 it is automatic. It doesn't matter where you place it. He’s been outstanding all season.”

Sauls scored on both field goal attempts against Syracuse, increasing his consecutive field goal attempts to 14 – a program record. He practiced 49 and 57 yard attempts and all of his point-after attempts.

I admit I was skeptical that Sauls could drill a 57-yarder into the open end zone at Acrisure Stadium, but the shot hit the spot. His leg is almost limitless.

He practiced all 12 field goal attempts (58 yards long) and all 32 point-after attempts. When Pitt crosses midfield, the Panthers are within striking distance of putting points on the board.

Kickers aren't selected in the NFL Draft every year, but Sauls has all the tools to be selected by an NFL team.

Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) October 24, 2024 Photo by David Hague/PSN

What's going on with the offense?

Long term I'm not worried about Eli Holstein, he'll be the starting quarterback at Pitt for several seasons, but I'm mildly worried about the rest of this season.

If Pitt wants to achieve its goals this season, it needs the Holsteiners from the first five games of the season. He didn't look like that in the last two games. And he was a little better against Syracuse than he was against Cal, but it wasn't really a bounce-back – and he got hurt.

“Eli will be fine,” Narduzzi said. “He's in there, smiling, happy and jumping around. So we'll be fine. Just added as a precaution. Kept him outside. At first we just thought he had dirt in his eye. It was a little more than just dirt, but he’s fine and happy.”

Holstein completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 108 yards and two touchdowns, but he just didn't seem comfortable. The game moved too quickly.

Holstein has completed 138 of 215 pass attempts (64%) for 1,808 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions this season, adding up to 286 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and three touchdowns on the ground. He was excellent, just for a sophomore. But Pitt needs him to calm down and make the throws asked of him — especially against SMU.

It was a strange game for Pitt, at least offensively, as he didn't have much rhythm. Pitt scored on defense, and when it didn't, it played a game where Syracuse wanted to take advantage of possessions.

It will be important to establish the running game for the future by getting Desmond Reid (just 11 against Syracuse) touches and using Rodney Hammond Jr. and Daniel Carter.

There are no serious concerns yet, but now it's up to the offense to match the defense's performance. If it can? Danger.

The next biggest chance of the season

Pitt has not played a ranked versus ranked matchup since Week 2 of the 2022 season against Tennessee.

If No. 22 SMU sends a good Duke squad this weekend, next weekend's matchup between Pitt and SMU in Dallas, Texas will be huge. It's a matchup that will generate College GameDay hype and will include conference and national storylines.

“Another overall victory for the team,” said Narduzzi. “On to the next one, SMU. Big game in Dallas. I look forward to it.”

It's a big game, the biggest in years. The ACC is still described as a three-team race between Miami, Clemson and SMU. ESPN gives Pitt a 2.4% chance of winning the conference, putting it well behind the three teams mentioned above.

A win against SMU would go a long way toward establishing Pitt as a legitimate conference (and playoff) contender. And make the November matchup against Clemson even bigger.