Pitt Beats Cuse 76-61 In Football
You read that right. Pitt beat Syracuse today 76-61. Not in hoops but football. It was the highest scoring game ever in FBS history. The victory lifted Pitt to a 8-4 overall (5-3 in the ACC) final regular season record. The loss dropped Syracuse to 4-8 overall (2-6 in the ACC) to close out their season.
While offensively it seemed like an impressive display by both teams, it was really a case of two really poor defenses playing each other. A time for both teams to evaluate the defensive staff and talent as the 2016 regular season concluded.
The Pitt and Syracuse defenses combined to give up 1291 total yards in the game.
The high scoring affair started on the second drive for each team.
After both teams traded punts, Syracuse marched down the field and finished the drive when back-up junior QB Zack Mahoney ran it in for a 2 yard score. Mahoney had an amazing day of 43 of 61 passing for 440 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT.
As would be the case all day, Pitt wasted no time to tie the score.
Sophomore h-back George Aston started Pitt’s second offensive series with a 1 yard run, and that was followed by superstar redshirt junior tailback James Conner’s 5 yard run. This set up senior QB Nate Peterman’s 59 TD bomb to Pitt junior WR Jester Weah. The game was tied at 7-7.
After the Orange punted again, Peterman threw an interception that was intended for true freshman WR Aaron Matthews and deflected into the arms of Syracuse’s Corey Winfield at the Orange 33 yard line.
The Orange, though, would punt yet again and Pitt wasted no time to score again. Peterman found a wide-open Conner on a wheel-route for a 35 yard TD pass. Pitt 14-7.
As was the case the entire day, Syracuse would not quit. South Brunswick (NJ) tailback Dontae Strickland would cap an Orange 10 play, 74 yard drive that was completed when he scampered 5 yards to tie the score at 14.
Pitt then went back to work on offense. Conner ended the 1st quarter with a 12 yard run and then added a 3 yard run to start the 2nd quarter. Peterman then found Weah for 16 yards and then handed it off to Conner for a 3 yard gain and no gain at the Orange 28 yard line.
Peterman then tucked it himself for 9 yards and almost tossed a TD pass, that was broken up by Syracuse’s Winfield. Pitt superstar sophomore WR Quadree Henderson then ran a Jet Sweep for 9 yards that was followed up by a Conner 4 yard run to the Orange 6 yard line. Aston then salted the drive with a 6 yard TD run. Pitt 21 Syracuse 14.
Syracuse would then punt it back to Pitt, which would only need 4 plays to score again.
First, Conner ran it for 5 yards to the Pitt 36 yard line. Then, Henderson took another Jet Sweep 34 yards to the Orange 30 yard line. Conner then bruised his way 21 more yards to the Orange 9 yard line. On the very next snap, Conner leaped his way into the end zone for the 9 yard TD run. Pitt 28 Syracuse 14.
Conner, by the way, would go on to finish the game with 19 carries, 115 yards and 2 TDs. Henderson had 5 carries for 103 yards and 1 TD. Pitt would rush 40 times for 393 yards and a whopping 6 scores on the ground.
Syracuse, though, wasn’t done in the first half. Mahoney marched the Orange down the field on a 14 play, 68 yard scoring drive that was completed when he tossed a 5 yard TD pass to superstar WR Amba Etta-Tawo. The senior graduate transfer WR from Maryland abused the Pitt secondary with 13 catches for 178 yards and an unbelievable 5 TDs. Pitt 28 Syracuse 21.
Pitt decided, however, to score one more time before the half.
Conner first lost a yard at the Pitt 35 yard line that set up a Peterman 10 yard pass to junior WR Dontez Ford. Conner then added a 2 yard run, which set up a 18 yard passing play from Peterman to Panther senior TE Scott Orndoff. Peterman than ran it 8 more yards before missing on consecutive passes to Weah and Ford. Instead of trying a third time, Peterman took a naked bootleg run 13 yards to paydirt. Pitt led 35-21 over Syracuse at halftime.
If you thought that was the end of the scoring, that would end up being completely not the case. While the teams scored a combined 56 points in the first half, Pitt and Syracuse would go on to score a combined 81 points in the second half.
After Pitt punted on its opening drive of the second half, Mahoney threw a poorly thrown pass on the Orange’s third snap of the second half that was picked off by Pitt sophomore cornerback Dane Jackson 20 yards for a pick 6. Pitt 42 Syracuse 21.
Syracuse would then punt on its next series and this led to a 1 play easy Jet Sweep 66 yard TD run by Pitt’s Henderson, who went basically untouched into the endzone. Pitt 49 Syracuse 21.
The Orange exacted a small bit of revenge when tailback Moe Neal ran it 4 plays later for a 42 yard TD scamper. Syracuse’s Cole Murphy’s extra point was then blocked. Pitt 49 Syracuse 27.
After Henderson returned the ensuing kick 18 yards to the Panthers 23 yard line, Pitt true freshman WR Maurice Ffrench ran the exact same Jet Sweep play as Henderson on the previous series for 77 yards to paydirt. Pitt 56 Syracuse 27.
The two teams would exchange punts before Mahoney capped 6 play, 45 yard scoring drive that was finished when he found Etta-Tawo for a 12 yard TD strike. Pitt 56 Syracuse 34.
Peterman would then get sacked on the ensuing series and fumbled the ball over to the Orange. Mahoney wasted no time executing a 7 play, 63 yard scoring drive that he sealed when he ran untouched 19 yards for the easy TD run. Pitt 56 Syracuse 41.
Henderson took the resulting kickoff back 30 yards and Pitt started its next drive on the Pitt 19 yard line after a 10 yard holding penalty. After Aston was stuffed for a 3 yard loss, Conner added a 2 yard run. This set up a 79 yard TD pass from Peterman to Ford. Pitt 63 Syracuse 41.
It only took 2:12, but the Orange answered that score with yet another of their own. This time as a result of another 7 play, 65 yard drive that ended when Mahoney threw a 7 yard TD pass to Etta-Tawo. Pitt’s defense again took horrible angles and missed tackles all over the field. Pitt 63 Syracuse 48.
Conner’s day wasn’t yet done. He ran it 3 more times for gains of 3, 34 and 1 yard to the Orange 6 yard line. After Peterman missed Orndoff on a shovel pass, he dropped back on 3rd and goal and tossed a 6 yard TD pass to Ford. Pitt 70 Syracuse 48.
The Orange kept fighting back. Mahoney drove Syracuse down the field yet again and capped a 5 play, 68 yard scoring drive that took only a 1:19 off the clock. Mahoney threw his 4th TD of the day to Etta-Tawo for 49 yards. Mahoney also scored 2 TDs on the ground to account for 6 total TDs on the day. Pitt 70 Syracuse 55.
The Orange would try an on-sides kick that was ultimately flagged for illegal touching that would set up Peterman to run 42 yards to the Orange 1 yard line. Conner then tacked on a 1 yard TD leap. Pitt’s senior placekicker Chris Blewitt would unfortunately miss his last kick at Heinz Field as the extra point failed. Pitt 76 Syracuse 55.
Syracuse added a final TD that capped a 10 play, 77 yard final scoring drive. Mahoney would toss one last TD pass to Etta-Tawo for 13 yards. Pitt 76 Syracuse 61 would be the final score.
Notes:
Syracuse went 16-1-1 vs Pitt from 1984 through 2001. Since 2002, Pitt has now gone 13-2 vs Syracuse. Pitt lost both times on the road (38-31 in OT in 2004 and 14-13 in 2012). The only time Syracuse has beaten Pitt at Heinz Field was the first game between the two schools on the field, a 42-10 Orange win in 2001. Syracuse is now 1-7 since 2001 at Heinz Field. Pitt now the leads the all-time series 38-31-3 over Syracuse.
For Pitt, it was the most number of points allowed in a game since losing to Notre Dame 60-6 on November 21, 1996. Earlier that same season, Pitt lost at #1 Ohio State 72-0 on September 21, 1996. A game that will long be remembered for being the all-time low point of modern day Pitt football history.
To make matters worse, the 2016 Pitt Panthers surrendered 427 total points during the regular season. The all-time Pitt record for most points allowed by a Pitt team? You guessed it: the 1996 Pitt Panthers, who gave up 430 points that year. The 1996 Pitt Panthers finished 4-7 under Coach Johnny Majors.
Coach Matt Canada and the Pitt offense was just as unstoppable as the Pitt defense was bad this year. Ironically, the Pitt offense scored the most points (509) in Pitt football history. Previous highs were in 1977 (428 points under Jackie Sherrill), 2009 (417 points under Dave Wannstedt), and 2014 (414 points under Paul Chryst) including bowl games.
