PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Pittsburgh linebacker coach Ryan Manalac nicknamed his group "The Sharks” during training camp, an ode to their relentlessness and hunger.
Manalac's players have leaned into it. And on Thursday night, the 19th-ranked Panthers and "The Sharks’ in the middle of their defense sent a message to Syracuse and the rest of the ACC that Pitt's unbeaten start is hardly a fluke.
Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis and Braylan Lovelace — linebackers all — returned first-half interceptions for touchdowns as the Panthers crushed Syracuse 41-13.
“This ‘shark’ stuff is really a movement,” said Biles, whose 35-yard score just over two minutes in set the tone. “It’s really deep for us. ... It just shows how much work we put in, how good we are, ... it brings joy to us.”
They're not the only ones. The “Panther Pitt” student section at Acrisure Stadium is dotted with shark gear, including fans in full costume. They celebrated together after Lovelace's 33-yard sprint to the end zone late in the second quarter put Pitt up 31-0.
“We pride ourselves on being called ‘The Sharks,’” said Louis, who weaved 59 yards for a score midway through the first quarter. "If you come in here, you better learn how to swim.”
Syracuse (5-2, 2-2) could not as Pitt improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1982 behind a defense that harassed Kyle McCord from the first snap and never let up.
The Ohio State transfer threw picks on each of Syracuse's first three possessions, with Biles and Louis scoring on two of them. The other came with linebacker Brandon George lying on his stomach and plucking a deflected ball out of the air just before it hit the ground.
The Panthers were hardly done. When Lovelace sniffed out a screen late and raced to the end zone, the Panthers became the first team since Southern California in 2022 to have three pick-6s in a game.
“Our defense was our offense today,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.
The defense was so dominant it hardly mattered that the Panthers' high-powered offense was rarely on the field. Eli Holstein passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns before exiting in the fourth quarter after taking a hit at the end of a designed quarterback run.
Narduzzi said afterward that Holstein “was going to be fine” and held out for the remainder of the game as a precaution.
Pitt — picked to finish 13th in the new-look ACC in August — improved to 3-0 in the league and remained in the mix for a spot in the conference championship game as November begins.
“This was more like a statement game to the ACC and really to everybody,” Lovelace said. "We’re going to shine every week.”
And earn a bit of payback in the process. The Orange embarrassed Pitt at Yankee Stadium last fall while running for 382 yards. Syracuse's offense has made a major shift with McCord behind center, and the Panthers relished the chance to even the score.
McCord finished 35 of 64 for 327 yards with five interceptions as Syracuse (5-2, 2-2) hit its first major speedbump under first-year head coach Fran Brown. The Orange dominated in time of possession (41:12 to 18:48) and total yards (327-223) but were undone by McCord's mistakes and an inability to tackle Pitt defenders as they raced to the end zone.
“This has got to be the best performance all-time on this team,” Louis said. "Somebody’s got to show me something better ... We’ve got to get put on a wall or something after that performance.”
Syracuse: It wasn't just the interceptions that doomed the Orange, it was the penalties. Syracuse was flagged eight times for 70 yards, including a roughing-the-passer call in the second quarter that wiped out an interception in Pitt territory that could have gotten the Orange back in the game.
Pitt: The Panthers relied heavily on first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell's uptempo offense while winning their first five games. The defense, long Pitt's calling card during Pat Narduzzi's 10-year tenure, has returned to form, though plenty of challenges remain if Pitt wants to return to the ACC title game for the second time in four years.
Expect the Panthers to rise a bit next week when the new poll comes out Sunday. The Orange were second among teams also receiving votes this week but expect the number of their supporters to drop precipitously.
Syracuse: Hosts Virginia Tech on Nov. 2.
Pitt: At No. 22 SMU on Nov. 2.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
