Opponent Preview: What to know about 2-7 Pittsburgh

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Head coach Dino Babers has beaten Pittsburgh at Syracuse just once since taking over the program eight years ago. But this season, both teams are entering the 100th anniversary of their first matchup on losing streaks. Syracuse is in a freefall, losing five straight games and not scoring more than 14 points since Week 4 against Army.

Pittsburgh is in the middle of its worst season under head coach Pat Narduzzi, with its only wins coming against Wofford and an upset victory over then-No. 11 Louisville. The Panthers have played teams close, boosted by the fourth-most sacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but have seen some of the worst quarterback play in college football. With two struggling offenses, Saturday’s game at Yankee Stadium is lining up to be a replica of the first matchup in this historic rivalry.

Here’s everything you need to know about Pittsburgh (2-7, 1-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) before it faces Syracuse (4-5, 0-5 ACC):

All-time series

Pittsburgh leads 43-32.

Last time they played

Last year’s 19-9 loss at Pittsburgh marked the Orange’s third straight loss and the last time Syracuse was ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Without Garrett Shrader — someone Syracuse might also be without Saturday once again — Carlos Del Rio-Wilson went just 8-for-23 with 120 yards passing and 34 rushing yards. Preseason All-American Sean Tucker hardly got the ball, and the offense only ran it 10 times for 19 yards.

After chewing through seven minutes on a 12-play 75-yard drive that resulted in an early 3-0 lead for Syracuse, the offense mustered just three more points in the first half. A key drive in the fourth quarter that would have put Syracuse within one or two points ended with a 49-yard field goal from Andre Szmyt to move the score to 17-9.

Following the game, more questions swirled about the outlook of the Orange’s season midst a three-game losing streak which ballooned into five straight losses. Scoring just nine points against a Panthers team that — at the time — was 4-3, signaled that the once-high-powered offense had holes.

The Panthers report

Narduzzi has helped turn Pittsburgh into a strong ACC team and has consistently put out physical teams that can pick off top teams. He’s gone to six bowl games in his eight seasons atop the Panthers. But this season, Pittsburgh is in the midst of what could turn into the worst campaign since 1998. Third downs, penalties and an abysmal offense has marred this year into a lost 2-7 season.

Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux has thrown for just over 1,000 yards at a 50% completion rate while tossing six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec is a tight end, and the backup running back tandem of C’Bo Flemister and Rodney Hammond Jr. who torched Syracuse’s defense last year has seen a massive dip in production. Much like the Orange, they’ve been thinned out by the transfer portal and are failing to recover.

The Panthers have the worst offense in the ACC while allowing the third-most points per game (28.2) in the conference. They average 102.6 rushing yards per game is the worst in the conference, with the eighth-ranked passing game in the ACC this season.

Arlo Stone | Digital Design Director

How Syracuse beats Pittsburgh

Run the ball. LeQuint Allen Jr. has been the sole bright spot on this offense that’s dwindled throughout the season. Pittsburgh allows 131.9 rushing yards per game, which isn’t a ton but allows some leeway for the Orange to chew through clock. Boston College had the ball for 42 minutes last week, as opposed to Syracuse’s 17 minutes. If the Panthers have the ball anywhere close to that long again Saturday, they’re going to win.

Syracuse needs to grind through drives and wear out a thin Pittsburgh defense. Frankly, the Orange should employ a service academy approach and throw the ball sparingly. Pittsburgh has the fourth-most sacks on opposing quarterbacks, which has led to close losses to No. 4 Florida State and West Virginia and a stunning win over then-No. 11 Louisville.

This game has been complicated by the uncertainty around the first and second-string quarterback. Braden Davis and Luke MacPhail only saw the field in garbage time against Colgate, so if they lead Syracuse Saturday, there’s no reason to throw the ball more than 10 times.

Stat to know: 30.8%

Pittsburgh has only converted on 30.8% of third downs this season, which ranks 122nd out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Syracuse hasn’t been much better, converting on 41.2% of third downs. If the Orange are able to stymie Pittsburgh drives by stopping it on third down, they should be able to control time of possession more than they did against the Eagles.

Player to watch: Shayne Simon, Linebacker, No. 32

On a defense that has been searching for a playmaker, Simon has taken the lead as not only a dynamic pass rusher, but also a solid secondary man. He’s tied with Samuel Okunlola with four sacks this season and also has 34 total tackles.

The Orange have barely completed passes over the middle, and three of Del Rio-Wilson’s interceptions came on passes over the middle of the field. Simon can act as a strong presence for the Panthers to help them against whatever passes Syracuse dials up.