Know the Enemy 2024: Pittsburgh Panthers football

A friend answers our questions

credit: calbears.com

We asked our friend to answer some questions about Pitt football, and Stephen (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) graciously answered the call to be our go-to expert for the upcoming matchup.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some answers were edited slightly for clarity. Any additional input provided will be clearly denoted with “WFC:” at the start.

Is it legal to eat a sandwich that doesn't have French fries in it?

If you want to do that, fine, but please keep it in your own home so innocent children can be spared from your degeneracy. 

What would you recommend to a traveling Cal fan to get the full Pitt gameday experience (include places to go, best traditions, things to eat, etc.) and why?

Drinking in a parking lot underneath an overpass is as quintessential a Pitt tailgating experience as you can get. It's not The Grove at Ole Miss or the pristine campus that Virginia has in Charlottesville, but it's ours. You can see and feel the city buzz around you and the views from the south end of the stadium out onto the river on a nice day are hard to beat. 

If you're not the tailgating type, head downtown where there are plenty of good bars and restaurants to enjoy, then take a leisurely stroll across one of the bright yellow bridges to Acrisure Stadium. The light rail from Steel Plaza, Wood Street Station, or Gateway is free and a convenient way to get across the river. 

I can't tell you how many times I turned on the TV and mistook Pitt for Cal. (Our Joe Roth jerseys look just like something Pitt would wear) Have you ever mistaken Cal on TV for Pitt, or did we spend too much time on the Pac-12 Network?

If you haven't seen them before, look up Pitt's throwback uniforms from the 2016-18 seasons. Now those looked almost identical to the Joe Roth alternates Cal has. While I haven't confused them myself, I don't blame anyone who has. 

When did the phenomenon of the Pitt chaos vortex start?

You could look back to 2002 when the Panthers took down No. 3 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, but that ended up being a pretty good Pitt team, actually (9 wins and a No. 19 ranking in the final AP poll). There are a couple of other good and bad moments that embody the chaos vortex (a 2003 loss to Toledo while ranked in the top 10 followed by another win over a top-five Virginia Tech team, a 41-38 win over ranked Notre Dame in South Bend in 2004; etc.). 

But it really began with the famed 2007 win over West Virginia, so-called "13-9" because of the iconic final score. Pitt, four wins in the pocket, took down then-No. 2 West Virginia in the final game of the regular season and denied its hated rival their best shot at a national title in program history. The Mountaineers completely and inexplicably collapsed against a bad Pitt team and that game has been the inspiration for more modern upsets over No. 2 Miami in 2017 and No. 2 Clemson in 2016, plus a handful of other unexpected wins over ranked opponents since. 

What has been at the root of the great start?

Pitt's reimagined offense under Kade Bell, the wiz-kid coordinator Pitt pulled up from the FCS ranks, has been transformative for individual players and the program. Alabama transfer Eli Holstein's big arm and sound decision-making as a runner and passer also stand in stark contrast to Pitt's largely abysmal quarterback play a year ago. The defense has been improved and clutch in big spots but still has a long way to go before it's ready for primetime. The offense deserves most of the credit for the 5-0 start. 

Which unit of your team are you most concerned about?

The safeties returned three veterans with starting experience but they haven't been particularly good in coverage this year. The corners are replacing three multi-year starters and have held up fairly well despite some early hiccups against a slew of run-first opponents. There is plenty of talent, but the Panthers need their safeties to stop surrendering big plays and force some turnovers of their own. 

The main thing I 'know' about Pitt is that Narduzzi hates offense, but Pitt seemingly has figured out how to move the ball pretty well this year. What has happened on that side of the ball that has been successful so far this year?

I think the "Narduzzi hates offense" trope is a little overplayed. He has an idea of how to play offense that he thinks is most effective and complementary to how he plays defense. Over the past two years, his preference of offensive style was proven to be ineffective and he deserves credit for recognizing that (either on his own or because of some strong pushes from those around him) and then making wholesale changes to the offensive coaching staff. Those changes have certainly yielded fruit. The additions of Holstein, Reid and fellow transfer Poppi Williams at wide receiver have helped too. 

Which player on offense should Cal fans know about?

Desmond Reid leads the ACC in all-purpose yards per game and ranks fifth in total touchdowns, with the average yards gained on his six scoring plays being 35 yards. He has three touchdowns of 45 yards or more in four games this season. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound transfer from FCS Western Carolina is listed as a running back on the roster but has made waves as a rusher, receiver, and returner this season for the Panthers. 

Which player on defense should Cal fans know about?

Linebacker Kyle Louis is in his first year starting for the Panthers and has quickly become a candidate for first-team All-ACC. He ranks seventh in the conference in tackles, sixth in sacks, fifth in tackles for loss, and is tied for fourth in interceptions. Pitt lacked splash plays on defense a year ago and Louis is filling that void expertly so far. 

Who’s one under-the-radar or X-factor player who could swing this game for you?

Safety Javon McIntyre played arguably the best game of his starting career against North Carolina. If the Panthers are going to contain Jaydn Ott and Nyziah Hunter, who is extremely underrated in my opinion, McIntyre will need to be a sure tackler, solid in coverage and maybe even bait Fernando Mendoza into a poor decision or two. 

What does Pitt need to do to win the game?

Pitt needs to continue to hit on the explosive pass plays that have terrorized opposing defenses for the first five games of this season and quarterback Eli Holstein, who has been largely good at protecting the football, will have to navigate an opportunistic Cal secondary without turning the ball over. Solid tackling against Ott is a must on defense and the defensive line will have to be better at pressuring Mendoza without blitzing. 

What does Cal need to do to win the game?

Mendoza will need to operate this offense efficiently, but methodically. If Ott and the offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and time of possession, it will give Holstein and company fewer cracks on offense and perhaps make him more desperate to hunt big plays, where the secondary can exploit his youth for turnovers. 

How do you see the game going?

I see something similar to what happened for Pitt last week at North Carolina unfolding. Pitt and Cal will keep the score within one score going into halftime, but the Pitt defense, which has been excellent in second halves this year, will give their offense enough time to pull away late. That said, the Bears are too solid on defense for this to be a blowout. I predict a 33-20 win at home for the Panthers.  

We don't condone violence at W4C, but we like this question as an opportunity for folks to air it out. Whom do you most want to punch in the face?

Whoever decided to give Pitt so many night kickoffs in 2022 and 2023, my first two seasons covering the football team full time. Some of those 3:00 am bedtimes started to add up. Although, whoever makes the schedule may have already learned their lesson, because Pitt hasn't kicked off before 3:30 p.m. yet this season.