'Cuse Drops Road Opener at Pitt

Thursday, September 17

Pittsburgh, PA

7:30 PM

Syracuse University

1-2 , 0-2

Pittsburgh

3-0 , 1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Syracuse	0	10	0	3	13
Pitt	7	10	7	3	27

Postgame Notes

9/17/2026 11:12:00 PM | Football

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Pulling within a touchdown at the break, Syracuse football could not complete the rally Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium, dropping a 27-13 decision at Pittsburgh in the first road game of the season for the Orange.

Syracuse (1-2, 0-2 ACC) had 347 yards of total offense, including 142 on the ground. Ahmad Miller led the Orange rushing attack with 78 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry Thursday night. Steve Angeli completed 13 of his 25 attempts for 161 yards. Amari Odom spelled the starter and went seven-for-seven on passing attempts.

Antoine Deslauriers backed the Syracuse defense with six total tackles, including half a tackle for loss while adding a pass breakup. Nissi Ogbebor had six tackles as well, including two solo efforts. Davien Kerr picked up an interception.

Pitt (3-0, 1-0 ACC) stayed unblemished on the season with its third-straight home game to start the year. Mason Heintschel completed 10 passes on 23 chances for 123 of Pitt's 368 total yards of offense. The Panthers ran for 245 yards, led by Damon Ferguson Jr. with 102 and La'Vell Wright piling up 81. Heintschel, Ferguson Jr. and Wright all scored rushing touchdowns.

Syracuse heads into a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 3 at another longtime foe, UConn. Game time in Storrs is slated for noon. The Orange return to the JMA Wireless Dome on Oct. 17, ending a three-game road swing. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/tickets.

Pitt struck first with a nine-play, 63-yard drive. Justin Cook converted a third-and-3 with a 23-yard run to the Syracuse 33, and after the Orange defense forced three straight incompletions, a personal foul gave the Panthers an automatic first down at the 16. Mason Heintschel hit La'Vell Wright for five and Censere Lee for nine to reach the 2, and Wright scored from there with 3:16 left in the first quarter.

Two Syracuse penalties turned a Pitt three-and-out into a second touchdown. Heintschel misfired on three straight snaps, but a pass interference call gave the Panthers new life at the Syracuse 49 and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the 34. Damon Ferguson Jr. gained two, then broke free up the middle for a 32-yard touchdown with 12:38 on the clock.

The Orange answered with their deepest trip of the half. Steve Angeli found David Clement for 12 yards and a roughing the passer penalty tacked on 15 more, moving 'Cuse to the Pitt 48. Angeli then went deep left to Umari Hatcher for 34 yards down to the 14. Ju'Juan Johnson ran for four, but the drive stalled at the 10, and Tripp Woody's 29-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
Pitt moved back into Orange territory on a 25-yard completion to Carson Kent, a 15-yard Wright run and an 18-yard Heintschel scramble to the Syracuse 22. Braheem Long Jr. limited a quarterback keeper to three yards, a third-down pass was dropped and a Panther false start backed the offense to the 24, where Antonio Chadha connected from 42 yards with 8:06 remaining for a 17-0 lead.

An out-of-bounds kickoff set Syracuse up at its own 35, and the Orange marched 65 yards on 10 plays for their first points. Hatcher opened with a 28-yard run to the Pitt 37, Ahmad Miller followed with gains of seven and five, and Angeli hit Hatcher for 24 yards down to the Pitt 1. Three plays inside the 5 went backward, but a fourth-down pass interference call kept the drive alive at the 2. Three snaps later, Miller went left for a two-yard touchdown with 3:28 to play in the half.

Davien Kerr set up the final points of the half, stepping in front of a pass intended for Ferguson Jr. at the Syracuse 37 and returning it four yards with 52 seconds left. Angeli found Darius Johnson for 13 yards and Justus Ross-Simmons for 25 more down to the Pitt 21. Three incompletions and an eight-yard sack pushed the Orange back to the 24, but Shay Barker drilled a 42-yard field goal as the clock expired to make it 17-10 at the break.

Syracuse opened the second half with the ball but managed just eight yards on three plays, as Ahmad Miller's four-yard run and a Steve Angeli scramble left the Orange short on third-and-3, and Jimmy Gregg punted 43 yards to the Pitt 24.

Pitt needed just four plays to answer. The Panthers ripped off three straight runs to the right side for first downs, as Damon Ferguson Jr. went for 18 to the Pitt 42 and then 33 more to the Syracuse 25 before La'Vell Wright picked up 16 to the 9. Mason Heintschel finished it himself on a quarterback keeper from nine yards out with 11:15 to play in the quarter. Antonio Chadha's kick made it 24-10, and Pitt covered 76 yards in 1:59.

The Orange put together their longest possession of the day on the ensuing series, running 11 plays over 5:19 to reach the Pitt 28. Miller carried four times for 32 yards on the drive, including a 20-yard burst on third-and-2, and Shavane Anderson Jr. added a 13-yard run to move the ball into Panther territory, but an eight-yard sack by Sean FitzSimmons and a delay of game penalty pushed Syracuse back to the 41, where Gregg punted 29 yards and Zyian Moultrie-Goddard downed it at the Pitt 12.

Syracuse's defense pinned the Panthers deep and forced a punt from the Pitt 25, with Tunmise Adeleye's 10-yard sack and a Jartavius Flounoy tackle for loss holding Pitt to 13 yards on seven
Syracuse carried a drive into the fourth quarter and appeared to be building something, as Ahmad Miller ripped off an 11-yard run to the Pitt 40 for a first down. On the next snap, though, Raion Strader jumped a Steve Angeli throw intended for Cole Weaver, intercepting it at the Pitt 30 and returning it three yards.

The Orange defense gave the ball right back. A holding penalty on the Panthers' first snap backed them up to their own 23, and Braheem Long Jr. and company held Pitt to seven yards over the next three plays before Gabe Russo punted 52 yards to the Syracuse 16, where Demetres Samuel Jr. returned it two yards.

Pitt's second takeaway of the quarter came three plays later. Miller lost two yards, an Angeli throw to Umari Hatcher fell incomplete and Braylan Lovelace picked off a deep pass intended for Daunte Bacheyie at the Syracuse 41 with 11:29 to play.

The Panthers turned that one into points. La'Vell Wright converted a third-and-3 with a three-yard run and followed with a 12-yard carry to the Syracuse 19, and Damon Ferguson Jr. added four more to the 15. The Orange defense held from there, forcing incompletions on second and third down, but Antonio Chadha was good from 34 yards with 8:16 remaining for a 27-10 lead. Pitt covered 26 yards on eight plays in 3:13.

Amari Odom took over at quarterback and led the Orange 71 yards on 11 plays. Odom found Darius Johnson for 22 yards on third-and-4 to move the ball to midfield, and Ju'Juan Johnson followed with a 10-yard run for another first down at the Pitt 44. Odom then hit Ju'Juan Johnson twice more, for six and nine yards, to reach the 29, and a pass interference penalty on Strader gave Syracuse a first down at the 14. The Orange could get no closer than the 12, where Shay Barker connected from 30 yards with 3:08 to play to make it 27-13.

Pitt ran out the clock from there, picking up first downs on a 10-yard Mason Heintschel keeper and an 18-yard completion to Bryce Yates before Heintschel knelt at the Syracuse 18 to end it.