Pitt kicker Ben Sauls hit a 44-yard field goal late in the first quarter to bring the Panthers within four points of SMU, and those three points were the highlight of the night for the Pitt Panthers.

Pitt was utterly embarrassed in a 48-25 loss to No. 20 SMU on Saturday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, a loss that looks better on paper than it does on the football field.

Eli Holstein completed 29 of 47 pass attempts (62%) for 248 yards with two turnovers – a performance that wasn't nearly good enough to beat the Mustangs. Overall, Pitt was nowhere near good enough on both offense and defense to beat the Mustangs.

Pitt had a chance to prove itself in a big ranked game against SMU, the Panthers' first ranked game since 2022, but the Panthers fell short – and never made it. It was a failure in all three phases, but as bad as the Panthers played, it's not the end of the world. Pitt never really had a chance.

SMU struck early and surprised the Panthers defensively.

A missed tackle by Rashad Battle that led to a 43-yard chunk play helped set up a 2-yard touchdown dive by SMU running back LJ Johnson Jr. A failed tackle by Tamon Lynum that turned a potential third-down stop into a 22-yard chunk play, continuing a drive in which the Mustangs converted three third downs. SMU wideout Roderick Jones Jr. hit Donovan McMillon for a touchdown a few plays later.

Without a 44-yard field goal from Ben Sauls, SMU would have led 14-0 early in the second quarter.

But the disastrous first half continued as Sauls missed his first kick of the season, a 47-yarder that was pushed right, and SMU running back Brashard Smith fired a 71-yard touchdown sprinter on the next play.

21-0, and Pitt needed a break. And it didn't understand it. Eli Holstein was hit on third-and-14 in SMU territory as he tried to avoid pressure and fumbled the ball. SMU recovered and marched to another touchdown late in the second quarter – a 3-yard connection between Jennings and Smith.

A 50-yard field goal from SMU kicker Collin Rogers capped the half, giving the Mustangs a 31-3 lead. And much to Pat Narduzzi's chagrin, he even taunted the Panthers with the “Sharks” hand sign.

Pitt took the second-half kickoff, made a three-pointer and failed to convert a poorly designed fake punt from its own 25 yards. But the Pitt defense held strong and forced a 27-yard field goal that extended the Mustangs' lead to 31.

And on the next drive, Pitt turned the game around again on downs, gaining just three yards on a fourth-and-4 in the red zone.

Pitt finally found the end zone, with Desmond Reid diving into the end zone from a yard out to cap a 12-play drive that featured a few miscommunications. Holstein carried the two-pointer into the end zone, making it 34:11 at the end of the third quarter. But like all night, it didn't take long for SMU to respond offensively.

SMU scored its fifth touchdown of the night on an 18-yard scramble by Smith, beat Holstein on the ensuing Pitt possession (a miscommunication between Holstein and Reid), and scored its sixth touchdown on the next play, an 80-yard catch-and– run across the middle of the field.

48-11. Ball game. Nine minutes before the end of the fourth quarter.

A few late touchdowns, a 13-yarder to Kenny Johnson and a 1-yarder to Malachi Thomas (his first college touchdown), did nothing for the Panthers.

Pitt (7-1, 3-1 ACC) will return home next weekend looking to rebound from its first loss of the season against Virginia. The timing and TV channel will be announced at a later date.