The Pitt defense defeated Syracuse en route to a 41-13 victory and a 7-0 start

Pitt entered its game Thursday night hoping to put pressure on Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord and force him out of his comfort zone.

As it turned out, McCord was the least comfortable man in Acrisure Stadium almost from the start of Pitt's 41-13 win. He threw five interceptions – four in the first half, three returned for touchdowns and one that set up a field goal. He has thrown a total of 11 pitches this season.

The Panthers' three pick-6s marked just the sixth time an FBS team has accomplished the feat since 2000 and the first since USC did it against Rice in 2022. Pitt is the third ACC team in 20 years to record three defensive touchdowns in a half (Boston College, 2006 and Miami, 2018).

The Syracuse quarterback, whose presence in the game helped attract scouts from 14 NFL teams, was sacked four times and sacked six times. He completed 35 of 64 passes for 321 yards. Before the game, he was the second-leading passer in the country, averaging 360 yards per game.

Also in attendance was former Pitt All-American wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who was honored as a member of the College Hall of Fame's Class of 2024. Fitzgerald spoke to the team before the game.

“I just told them to play hard,” he said. “We have proven that we are one of the best teams in the game. Three interceptions in the first quarter. Come on, who could have written this script? This is a hungry group.”

The loss dropped the Orange to 5-2, 2-2 in the ACC, while No. 19 Pitt started 7-0 for the fifth time since 1929 ('29, '76, '81 and '82). The Panthers are 3-0 in the ACC and tied for second place with SMU and Miami. Clemson leads with a record of 5-0.

Meanwhile, quarterback Eli Holstein completed 11 of 15 passes for 108 yards and touchdowns to wide receivers CJ Lee and Poppi Williams. Holstein, who was replaced by Nate Yarnell at the start of the fourth quarter, became the third Pitt quarterback to win his first seven starts, joining Rick Trocano (seven in the 1977 and 1978 seasons) and Dan Marino (nine, 1979). In the first half, Pitt defensemen caught one fewer passes (four) than their teammates on offense (five).

The win also marked Pitt's fourth win this season against a team the Panthers defeated in 2023 (Cincinnati, West Virginia, North Carolina and Syracuse).

On Syracuse's first possession, McCord threw an interception into the arms of Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles, who returned the Orange's fourth pass of the game 35 yards for a score. It was the first pick-6 by a Pitt linebacker since Sir Vocea Dennis in 2021 against Clemson, but it was just the beginning.

The Panthers put pressure on Syracuse's passing game on their next possession when they surrounded tight end Oronde Gadsen with three players. Safety Javon McIntyre made a play against Gadsen, cornerback Ryland Gandy threw the football in the air and linebacker Brandon George caught it inches from the turf.

Pitt was lined up at the Syracuse 44 but settled for Ben Sauls' 49-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 8 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first quarter. Sauls managed a 57-yarder in the fourth quarter, the second-longest in school history. The field goals were the 13th and 14th in a row for Sauls, a Pitt record spanning two seasons.

Before the end of the first quarter, linebacker Kyle Louis intercepted a pass on third down and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. The surprising turn of events gave Pitt a 17-0 lead with 6:23 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers scored in a more conventional fashion in the second quarter when Holstein and Lee combined for a 20-yard score at the end of a 65-yard drive.

Pitt kept the pressure on McCord, and linebacker Braylan Lovelace intercepted another pass and returned it 33 yards for a score and a 31-0 halftime lead.

Syracuse opened the second half with an 18-play, 73-yard drive that lasted 9:34 and ended with a 1-yard sneak by McCord. Pitt didn't make its first play until 5:22 into the third quarter.

The result extended Pitt's winning streak to six Thursday night, while Syracuse has lost 11 straight at Pittsburgh.