Pitt Football Turns Back The Clock
With a narrow victory over California on Saturday, Pitt football advanced to 6-0 for the first time since 1982. The Panthers are off to their best start in 42 years. They needed a few miracles, but they made it happen. On the back of Desmond Reid, Pitt is putting the ACC on notice.
Big Conference Win Against Cal
It’s odd to see Cal in the ACC, but that isn’t even the weirdest shift of conference in college football this season. The Golden Bears had to fly the entire way to Pittsburgh, which showed in the first half. The Panthers offense looked sluggish on its first couple of drives but woke up to end the first half before sleepwalking through the second half.
Electric running back Desmond Reid was the star of the show in Pittsburgh. He posted 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 rushing attempts and caught one pass for 19 yards. Reid has been superb in his first season in Pittsburgh after transferring from Western Carolina. On Saturday, he wasn’t going to let the Panthers fall.
Despite losing his starting left tackle and guard, Reid broke off a 72-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter with Acrisure Stadium on its feet. On the game’s broadcast, they compared Reid to former NFL star Darren Sproles, and it’s accurate. He’s deadly in open space.
Ben Sauls nailed a 58-yard field goal before halftime that tied the record for the longest field goal in Acrisure Stadium history. The defense dominated the second half, as Eli Holstein struggled with two interceptions.
Kyle Louis and Brandon George led the way with ten solo tackles each. Jimmy Scott posted four tackles for loss and three sacks. Braylan Lovelace added two tackles for loss and two sacks of his own.
Cal’s missed 40-yard field goal late helped the Panthers secure the 17-15 victory and advance to 6-0. The win also marks Pitt’s first ACC victory of the season, with many more in store. Pitt’s defense was stellar in the second half.
Pitt Turns Back The Clock
The last time the Panthers started a season 6-0 was 1982. Dan Marino was in his final season in Pittsburgh. His go-to receiver was Dwight Collins, who caught 48 passes for 682 yards and seven touchdowns. Bryan Thomas led the way on the ground for Pitt with 884 yards and seven touchdowns. Marino finished ninth in the Heisman trophy race before packing his bags for Miami.
Foge Fazio was the Panthers' head coach, leading them to a 9-3 record and a Cotton Bowl loss to Eric Dickerson and SMU. After Fazio’s time at Pitt, he went on to be Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator before jumping around various NFL coaching staffs. He also spent his college football playing days at Pittsburgh, playing center and linebacker for the Panthers from 1957 to 1960.
Pittsburgh started the 1982 season 7-0 before suffering a loss to Notre Dame. They also went on to lose to Penn State before the Cotton Bowl loss. Now, the current-day Panthers will look to emerge to 7-0 against Syracuse on Thursday night. Coincidentally, the 1982 team beat Syracuse to become 7-0. Now Eli Holstein and Pat Narduzzi have a chance to do the same.
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