Let’s face it. Syracuse hasn’t been a ton of fun to watch on the gridiron over its five-game losing streak. It’s a good thing hoops are back. But a game at Yankee Stadium is certainly at least a little bit revitalizing, isn’t it? Well, the ACC’s most stoppable force in Pittsburgh is ready to take on the ACC’s most movable object in SU. Playing in the House that Jeter Built makes this an appealing game, but it will be a slugfest and then some. You know about the Orange, but what about the Panthers?
SEASON/PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This is without question the worst season fans in Western Pennsylvania have endured in recent memory. Pitt has been a mainstay in bowl games, being eligible for postseason play every year since 2007 with the exception of 2017. This season has been beyond subpar for the Panthers as they sit at an abysmal 2-7 with the wins coming against Wofford and (somehow) Louisville. Pitt still has three games left to play and it already knows it won’t be lining up the pins in December. The Panthers reshaped to a defensive-minded team after Kenny Pickett left, but there isn’t a game-changing offensive weapon this year like Izzy Abanikanda was a year ago. Not the program we’re used to at all.
HEAD COACH PAT NARDUZZI
With the exception of maybe Mario Cristobal after his blunder against Georgia Tech, no coach in the ACC has further fallen from grace than Narduzzi. The difference between the two is that Pitt’s bench boss’ issues lie off the field. After the Panthers’ 58-7 blowout loss in South Bend on October 28, Narduzzi all but called his players not good enough. The reaction from players on social media was a sight to behold. Nonetheless, Narduzzi has still been very successful for the most part over his nine seasons at the helm. He likely won’t go anywhere anytime soon, but this season is at minimum a wake-up call.
QB CHRISTIAN VEILLEUX
Bringing in Phil Jurkovec from Boston College and plugging him as the QB was such a disaster that he is now a tight end. In stepped Veilleux to a very difficult situation, and he’s risen to the occasion. The Ontario native’s first start was against now-11th ranked Louisville, and he delivered with a big upset. The following week, Veilleux threw for over 300 yards and two scores against Wake Forest. He’s since had to deal with two of college football’s elites in Notre Dame and Florida State, but Veilleux has shown some skill running an offense.
RB RODNEY HAMMOND JR.
How does one go about replacing Abanikanda? The current-day New York Jet rushed for over 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns in just 11 games last season. Even without Abanikanda, Pitt’s rushing attack still ate the Orange alive, and it was spearheaded by Hammond. The Virginia native’s numbers this season aren’t overly impressive as his 338 rushing yards leads the team, but he put up 124 yards and a touchdown in his first career start against SU last season. Hammond knows how to beat the 3-3-5, which is the last thing Rocky Long and company need.
DB DONOVAN MCMILLAN
McMillan is listed as a defensive back, but plays more like a linebacker- almost like Justin Barron’s role as the rover. The Florida transfer has been a magnet for ball carriers this season with a team-leading 75 tackles, 18 more than the player in second. This is with not having a single tackle in the season opener against Wofford. McMillan has had some remarkable individual game efforts as well- 18 tackles against West Virginia, 12 against Virginia Tech, 10 against Florida State. Not too shabby.
LB SHAYNE SIMON
If this is a name that rings familiar, it should. Simon had himself quite the day when the Orange and Panthers squared off last season. The Notre Dame transfer had a career-high 1.5 TFL, making life miserable for Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and the SU offensive line all game. Simon has taken his game to another level this season, tallying 6.5 TFL and four sacks, both of which are career highs. In a season without a ton of positives, Simon’s development has been a big one.
This is not the Pitt team we’re used to seeing, but we can’t deny the facts. The Panthers have won five straight and 18 of 21 against the Orange, and Narduzzi is 7-1 in his career against them. Pitt still plays a blue-collar brand of football emblematic of the city it represents, which means it will always be a tough go against them.
