Syracuse will face off against Pittsburgh on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. To get prepared for the game, we spoke with Jim Hammett from Panther Lair.

It sounds simple enough, but the offense is improved, the defense is making enough big plays, and the team is finding ways to win close games. It is pretty much the polar opposite of what the 2023 Pitt football team looked like after they finished with a 3-9 record.

Pat Narduzzi revamped his offensive coaching staff, and brought in Kade Bell from Western Carolina as the new offensive coordinator, and his impact has been noticeable. The Panthers were anemic on offense last season, but have been one of the most explosive teams in the country this year averaging over 40 points per game. Because Pitt has the ability to score, and score quickly, they are never really out of a game. The Panthers overcame a 21-point deficit on the road to beat Cincinnati, and erased a West Virginia 10-point lead in the final four minutes in previous wins this seasons.

Pitt’s defense has had some spotty moments, but really shined bright in the 17-15 win over Cal last time out. The Panthers generated six sacks and shut down the Golden Bears’ running game. Pitt has also generated some big stops throughout the year during some of those comeback bids. Plus, Pitt has a really good kicker in Ben Sauls, who has not missed a field goal yet this season (10-for-10, a nice weapon to have in close games.

Pitt’s high-powered offense is really fueled by Desmond Reid, one of the more unique offensive players in the country. Reid followed Kade Bell from Western Carolina, and his 5-foot-8 frame was a question mark coming into the season, but he put those concerns to rest right away. Reid is second in the country in all-purpose yards per game, trailing only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Reid has 494 rushing yards and three touchdowns, 341 receiving yards and four scores, plus a 78-yard punt return.

Eli Holstein is the other big name on offense. The redshirt freshman quarterback bas been brilliant, guiding the team to its best start since 1982. Holstein struggled a bit last time out against Cal, but has 1,700 yards 15 touchdowns to just five interceptions, plus 266 yards and three scores on the ground.

Pitt’s defense is led by Kyle Louis, a redshirt sophomore linebacker. Louis has 54 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, three sacks, and two interceptions this season. He is almost always around the football. Senior safety Donovan McMillon is another name to watch, he has four double-digit tackle games this season.

This is just a game I have looked at for a while and figured: high-scoring, anything can happen, and that is still kind of my read here on game week. Both teams are actually pretty fun for a change, and that is not always the case in this series. These two schools have met every year since 1955, and this is the first time in quite a while it feels like a mutually big game for each side.

I’ll give the edge to Pitt just because the game is at home, and Vegas seems to be trending in that direction as well. I believe both teams will be able to move the ball on each other, so it will come down to a big play or two by one of the defenses. Pitt’s defense is coming off its best performance of the year, so I think they’ll carry that momentum over a little bit. I’ll say Pitt 38-35.

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