Error-prone Pitt falls hard in SMU's first loss of the season

After raising expectations inside and outside the program throughout the first two months of the season, Pitt stepped onto the national stage Saturday night full of hope. The result wasn't pretty.

The Panthers made an embarrassing collection of errors in a 48-25 loss to SMU at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.

The No. 18 Panthers (7-1, 3-1) looked nothing like the team that came into the game as one of six undefeated teams in the country. Meanwhile, No. 20 SMU (8-1, 5-0) declared itself a legitimate ACC Championship contender in its first season in the conference.

SMU tied for first place with No. 5 Miami (9-0, 5-0), while Pitt is fourth behind No. 11 Clemson (6-2, 5-1), which lost to Louisville 33-21. The top two teams at the end of the regular season advance to the conference championship game.

After averaging 40.9 points per game through its first seven games, Pitt's rushing offense failed to find a rhythm. It was the third straight game in which the Panthers struggled on offense.

Coach Pat Narduzzi was so desperate to spark an offense that in the third quarter he allowed Caleb Junko to attempt a pass from punt formation on fourth-and-10 from the Pitt 25-yard line. The completion to tight end Gavin Bartholomew gained just 3 yards and led to Collin Rogers' 27-yard field goal, his second of the game for the Mustangs.

Pitt fell behind 31-3 at halftime, the Panthers' largest halftime deficit since 2020, after making mistakes of various kinds.

• There were a series of missed tackles – something a coach can't excuse – that led to SMU turning chances into points and totaling 299 yards of offense in the first half.

• SMU running back Brashard Smith ran 71 yards for a touchdown when the defense couldn't stop him from returning into open space. Before the end of the first half, Smith caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kevin Jennings and added an 18-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Smith finished the game with 161 yards on 23 carries. Jennings was comfortable in the pocket for most of the game, completing 17 of 25 passes for 306 yards.

• SMU totaled 467 yards of offense against a Pitt defense that likes to call itself the Sharks. There were several times during the game where Mustangs players taunted the Panthers by showing their “shark” hand sign.

• As Terrence Enos stepped up for the third time in his career to replace left tackle Branson Taylor, who was sidelined last month with a season-ending injury, quarterback Eli Holstein found himself in the pocket too often. Among SMU's six tackles, he was sacked three times for a loss. He also hurried twice and the SMU defense broke up two passes – all in the first half. Holstein also lost a fumble that led to Smith's touchdown catch.

Overall, SMU recorded eight tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries and broke up eight passes, while Pitt running back Desmond Reid rushed for 49 yards on 13 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Holstein managed 248 yards through the air and completed 29 of 47 passes. He threw his only interception in the fourth quarter when a pass deflected off Reid's hands and was intercepted by Jonathan Magill in the end zone.

On the next snap, SMU cemented its victory and caused the Panthers even more pain as Jennings and tight end Matthew Hibner scored an 80-yard touchdown.

Problems arose early – on the second snap of the game – when Jennings took a 5-yard flip to wide receiver Key'Shawn Smith on the sideline. Pitt cornerback Rashad Battle covered Smith and thought he threw him to the turf. But Smith kept his balance and rushed to the Pitt 32 for a 43-yard gain.

Five plays later, SMU secured a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard touchdown run by LJ Johnson just 2 minutes, 41 seconds into the game.

Before the end of the first quarter, Sauls hit a 44-yard field goal, extending his Pitt record streak of good attempts to 15 over two seasons. The streak ended in the second quarter when Sauls missed from 47 minutes.

On SMU's next possession, it appeared Pitt had stopped the Mustangs on third down near midfield, but Hibner stopped a tackle attempt by cornerback Tamon Lynum and turned the play into a 22-yard gain to the 30-yard line. Pitt line.

Instead of an SMU punt, the Mustangs kept the football and took a 14-3 lead 45 seconds into the second quarter on a 3-yard reverse run by Roderick Daniels, who crashed into the end zone over safety Donovan McMillon. That score was followed by a 23-yard completion from Jennings to Kelvontay Dixon on third-and-18.