Orange Fall at No. 19 Pitt to End Roadstand

The Syracuse football team fell to No. 19 Pittsburgh, 41-13, to end its three-game roadstand on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium.

The ‘Cuse (5-2, 2-2 ACC) defense held the Panthers (7-0, 3-0 ACC) offense, which is averaging 481.3 yards per game, to 217 total yards. But five takeaways from the Panthers’ defense – three of which were returned for touchdowns, was the deciding factor.

Kyle McCord completed 35 passes for 321 yards, setting a program record with his seventh-straight 300-yard passing game of the season. The swarming Pitt defense contested a number of McCord’s passes, making five interceptions, four of which were tipped balls that the Panthers came away with, and three were returned for scores in the first half.

Freshman wide receiver Emanuel Ross had a career-best 78 yards in the air in his second collegiate appearance. Jackson Meeks and Trebor Pena also added 53 and 51 receiving yards, respectively.

After the first quarter, the Orange faced a 17-0 deficit after the Pittsburgh defense turned three first-quarter interceptions into two touchdowns and a field goal.

The Panthers then extended their lead to 24-0 with a touchdown on their opening drive of the second quarter, and just before the half, their defense returned a third interception for a touchdown to make it 31-0 at the break.

Syracuse opened the second half with an 18-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to get itself on the board. McCord and the Orange offense converted three fourth downs on the way to a one-yard rushing score from the quarterback. ‘Cuse attempted a two-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful, making the score 31-6.

The Panthers tacked on 10 points to start the fourth quarter, holding a 41-6 edge with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Syracuse added seven points to its total with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended in a Dan Villari two-yard rush. The score was the first of his season.

Neither team scored the remainder of game, as Pittsburgh went on to earn its 41-13 win.

‘Cuse returns home for its first game at the JMA Wireless Dome in 35 days on Saturday, Nov. 2 against Virginia Tech. The game’s time is to be announced. Tickets are on sale now at Cuse.com/tickets.