PITTSBURGH — For the first time in Pitt football program history, the Panthers have swept their non-conference schedule after taking care of Youngstown State on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
Up until 1993, Pitt played as an independent. However, since joining the Big East (1993-2012) and then the ACC (2013-present), the Panthers have never secured a flawless out-of-conference slate in 30 years.
It also comes as the first time since 2000 that Pitt has started 4-0 in a season. That year, the Panthers dispatched Kent State, Bowling Green, Penn State and Big East foe Rutgers. The lone non-conference loss came against North Carolina in November of that season.
Pitt achieves the feat after cruising to a 73-17 win over the Youngstown State Penguins. It’s the highest point total for the Panthers since hanging 77 on New Hampshire in 2021 — a season in which the Panthers went on to win the ACC and collect 11 wins.
Quarterback Eli Holstein has been a critical factor in Pitt’s success as he went over the 1,000-yard passing plateau on the season against the Penguins. On Saturday, Holstein went 16-of-24 passing for 247 yards and three passing touchdowns. He also ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
Pitt compiled 644 yards of total offense against YSU, which is tied for the fifth most yardage in a single game since Pitt beat Syracuse 76-61 in 2016.
The opening month of the 2024 season has started with a bang as the Panthers defeated Kent State 55-24 and then followed that up with two fourth-quarter comeback wins over Big 12 teams.
In Week 2, Pitt defeated Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry after trailing by 21 points. Holstein and company led an impressive comeback and was cemented off the foot of Ben Sauls with a 35-yard field goal for a 28-27 victory.
The following week, Pitt took down rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. The Mountaineers looked as if they would win their second consecutive game in the series before Pitt scored the final 14 points in less than five minutes for a 38-34 victory.
After a bye week, Pitt turns towards ACC competition when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Oct. 5 after a season in which the Panthers went 2-6 in conference play.
H2P!
H2P!!!!
It’s not like they scheduled cupcakes either, pretty good wins against Cincy and West Virginia!
I was telling my son the same. Two wins against Big 12 teams and one a rivalry. Plus we won comfortably the two we should. Interesting to see if we can break the top 25 this week.