Pitt Extends ACC Win Streak to Three with Sloppy Win at Syracuse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Coming off the heels of a road upset win at Florida State, Pitt continued its ACC roadtrip up north in Syracuse looking to stack its third conference win in a row.
With a short-handed defense, Pitt walked out of Syracuse with a 30-13 win thanks to another opening score on offense and a pivotal punt return touchdown from Kenny Johnson at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Pitt (5-2, 3-1 ACC) entered the game without the ACC leading tackler in linebacker Rasheem Biles, who also leads the Panthers with 8.5 tackles for loss, along with starting defensive end Blaine Spires.
The Panthers then suffered another blow in the first quarter when linebacker Kyle Louis, a returning All-American, left the game after taking a knee to the head.
As the Pitt linebacker corps relied on Nick Lapi and Cameron Lindsey to step in, the Panthers defense held its own. Syracuse totaled just 212 yards on offense and 76 yards on the ground. Pitt recorded two sacks and forced three interceptions.
Lapi, a redshirt senior in his first collegiate start, and Lindsey paced the Panthers with seven tackles and two tackles for loss apiece.
In his third collegiate start, Syracuse (3-4, 1-3 ACC) redshirt sophomore quarterback Rickie Collins continued his turnover-prone ways. Entering the game, he had tossed five interceptions to just three touchdowns. On his first pass of the game, he overshot his target and it was picked off by Tamon Lynum.
With solid starting field position, Heintschel took off on third down and showcased his wheels on the opening drive as the seas parted. Heintschel went straight up the gut and scored on a 36-yard run untouched. It was the third game in a row for the Panthers with an opening-drive touchdown.
While the offense struck quickly, it was nearly non-existent for a large portion of the game and put itself behind the sticks often with 10 penalties. The offense also punted the ball six times, including a trio of three-and-outs.
Heintschel did not help the cause either as he tossed the third interception of his career in the first quarter. He tried to force a pass down the middle of the field, which allowed Davien Kerr to step in front and come up with the interception.
A return of 34 yards put Syracuse in prime position on the Pitt 12. Two plays later, Collins went play action and hit Darrell Gill Jr. on a quick slant for an 11-yard touchdown to tied the game at 7-7.
Pitt received a major lift right before the first half expired. As Syracuse punted the ball away, Kenny Johnson opted to field the kick and attempt a return. With ball in hand, Johnson made a cut to dodge a few Syracuse gunners and off he went as he took the punt 66 yards to the end zone to put the Panthers ahead 17-7 with just two seconds remaining in the first half.
As woeful as Pitt’s offense was on the night, including seven sacks allowed, Syracuse’s offensive performance was even more dreadful.
Pitt stuffed the ground game and kept former Pitt running back commit Yasin Willis off the map. The sophomore registered 21 yards on 14 attempts for a 1.5 yard per carry average.
Needing a spark on offense, the Orange trotted out freshman quarterback Luke Carney to start the second half. His night ended after just two drives that went 12 yards on nine plays.
Syracuse’s fate was back on Collins’ shoulders. He threw his second interception on a shot down the sideline. With Lynum in coverage, the ball bounced up and was easy pickings for safety Kavir Bains-Marquez, who returned it 57 yards to the Syracuse 18.
Trey Butkowski’s third field goal of the night extended the Panther lead to 23-7.
Despite the struggles from Collins, the Orange persisted and orchestrated a 12-play scoring drive that went 65 yards. It was capped on a 12-yard completion to Emanuel Ross.
Syracuse then hit Pitt with an onside kick that caromed off of Abe Ibrahim and was recovered by the Orange. However, the Orange moved backwards and punted the ball away.
The Panthers added a late touchdown via a 1-yard run from Juelz Goff.
Heintschel finished the night 13-of-24 with 143 yards, no passing touchdowns and an interception to go along with 23 rushing yards and a score.
Pitt returns to Acrisure Stadium next Saturday for its homecoming game against N.C. State with kick off set at 3:30 p.m.
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