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Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein (10) is hit by a group of SMU defenders as he throws during the second half in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
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5 takeaways: Pitt fumbles massive opportunity against SMU

AP Photo/Gareth Patterson

5 takeaways: Pitt fumbles massive opportunity against SMU

The Panthers had a chance to deliver a statement and couldn't have missed worse

DALLAS — After a stellar start to the season, No. 18 Pitt (7-1, 3-1 ACC) will be kicking itself for the days, weeks and months following a 48-25 loss on the road to No. 20 SMU (8-1, 5-0 ACC) on Saturday night. The Panthers’ record now has its first blemish — a big one brought on by sloppy, uninspiring play. Dreams of competing on a national stage will be put on pause while this team recovers. 

Here are five takeaways from an ugly loss for the Panthers in the Lone Star state:

Massive moment missed

Everything was in front of the Panthers when they arrived undefeated, staring down the barrel of their biggest game of the season. And while they waited for kickoff, No. 10 Texas A&M, both No. 11 teams Clemson and Iowa State, and No. 17 Kansas State lost to unranked teams.

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There was an opportunity to make a major leap forward in the rankings and race for national respect, and they fumbled it. Pitt looked unprepared from the jump, and the magic it had discovered in remarkable comebacks against Cincinnati and West Virginia didn’t materialize this time.

SMU running back Brashard Smith, right, is brought down by Pitt defensive lineman Jimmy Scott during the first half in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
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The odds that these Panthers would end the regular season undefeated were always slim, but to take a loss in this fashion, on this stage, at this point in a chaotic college football season is a swing and a miss for a program eager to prove it can hang with the biggest players.

The lofty goals they had earned the right to dream of are all of a sudden drifting out of reach. To make a run at the ACC championship game or College Football Playoff, the Panthers will now need to be flawless down the stretch and count on help from others.

Plenty of blame to go around

Pat Narduzzi has learned from the postgame debacle at Notre Dame last year, when he called out his players after a 51-point loss in South Bend, Ind. After a defense he had designed surrendered 48 points, the most since that Week 9 defeat at the hands of the Irish in 2023, Narduzzi said several times that he shouldered the blame for this loss. But there was plenty to be shared.

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The offense scored just three points through the first 44:24 of game time. The defense tackled poorly and played undisciplined football in key moments. And even the massively improved special teams units missed a 47-yard field goal and netted an average of 31.2 yards per punt.

Narduzzi wasn’t wrong. A loss of this magnitude does fall at the feet of the head coach, but blame for it should be shared far and wide.

Tackling, tackling, tackling

The tone for this game was set right away when Rashad Battle thought the second play of the game was over well before it was. He failed to finish a tackle on SMU wideout Key’Shawn Smith, and it led to a 43-yard gain that set up a touchdown on the game’s opening drive.

Battle was promptly benched, but his replacements didn’t fare much better. Both Ryland Gandy and Tamon Lynum made the same mistakes, forcing Narduzzi and the defensive coaching staff to reach for Tamarion Crumpley, who had yet to play meaningful defensive snaps during his Pitt career, while the game was still in reach.

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Pitt was credited with 15 missed tackles on Saturday night, three times more than a week ago against Syracuse and the second-most of the season. SMU ran up a quick 21-3 lead, and the first three touchdown drives were all kick-started by missed tackles on the perimeter.

The problem trickled down to the rest of the defense, and it was Pitt’s undoing in an ugly loss.

Streak over for Sauls

Pitt kicker Ben Sauls had converted a school-record 15 field goal attempts in a row before finally hooking his second attempt of the night from 47 yards out. It certainly doesn’t diminish what he’s already achieved this year, and he should still be a candidate for All-American honors at season’s end.

But perhaps his missed kick should have been the first sign that nothing would go right for the Panthers at Ford Stadium on Saturday night. Even their most reliable weapon, a veteran with impervious nerves and an unimpeachable track record, failed them. Sometimes it just isn’t your night.

Offensive line needs to grow up quick

Pitt’s offensive line, undermanned with starting left tackle Branson Taylor out for the year, once again struggled to adequately protect quarterback Eli Holstein. He was under pressure on 20 of his 57 drop-backs against the Mustangs, according to Pro Football Focus, despite his opponents blitzing just 13 times.

SMU was able to create pressure despite rushing only four linemen on most plays. It allowed the secondary to drop seven in coverage and blanket Panthers receivers. Pitt was unable to create advantages with its skill players because the offensive line was unable to handle its one-on-one matchups.

There are few obvious solutions for the Panthers up front on offense. If there was a major upgrade at any position waiting on the sidelines, he would be playing by now. But Pitt has to roll with the lineup it has now, even when its best five players aren’t playing very well right now.

First Published: November 3, 2024, 12:11 p.m.
Updated: November 4, 2024, 4:24 a.m.

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Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein (10) is hit by a group of SMU defenders as he throws during the second half in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.  (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
AP Photo/Gareth Patterson
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