We’ve got a special guest to help us preview the Syracuse-Pittsburgh game. Obnoxiously Pitt Girl is a Pitt alumna and member of the Sickos Committee and she agreed to answer our questions about a rivalry that has had its fair share of Sickos moments.
TNIAAM: After the losses to West Virginia and Louisville, did it surprise fans to see how Pitt has responded the last two weeks?
OPG: I can only really speak for myself, but for me the answer is yes, and I think I am not alone in that.
I was inclined to think that the loss in the Brawl didn’t actually say all that much about the team because it’s such a “throw out all the record books” kind of rivalry, even considering the fact that WVU had just lost to Ohio and had clear problems. 13-9 happened in this rivalry; Pitt blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to go to OT and lose with the last play being a bizarre pass to no one probably isn’t even in the top five for Weird Brawl Outcomes, though I haven’t done the research.
Then the Louisville loss happened, and it had me feeling like Pitt was really bad, especially since it was the second game in a row where the Panthers let a sizable lead slip away. To add insult to injury, they actually did it TWICE against the Cardinals! Pitt went up 17-0 in the first quarter just to let Louisville tie it by halftime, then proceeded to take a 27-17 lead in the third but still find a way to lose 34-27. Then-QB Eli Holstein looked particularly bad in this game, with three picks. I think a substantial reason Pitt ultimately lost is that the offense left the defense out to dry via these turnovers and a general inability to move the ball late in the second half.
I therefore went into the BC game expecting it to be embarrassing and ugly even if Pitt won, and then Mason Heintschel came out and Pitt looked like a whole new team with him at QB. That in and of itself was surprising enough, but the fact that Pitt managed to continue to look pretty good and find a way to win against Florida State in a very hostile Tallahassee is even more so; I expected us to put up a fight but ultimately lose to the Seminoles.
All that to say, I am starting to Feel Hope and Think Thoughts About How We Could Maybe Get To Charlotte, which is extremely dangerous. I am ready to be hurt again.
TNIAAM: With our own quarterback struggles, Orange fans want to know if the change to Mason Heintschel is the reason for the success, or do you think the change was a wake-up call to others on the team?
OPG: I really do think the QB change has been the not-so-secret sauce here. Heintschel is young – he’s a true freshman – but he is able to improvise and run the ball much more effectively than Eli Holstein did, which is helpful since Pitt has some injury concerns at OL. Heintschel’s ability to make something out of nothing, elusiveness in the pocket, and willingness to scramble have been able to keep the Panther offense on the field to the point that the opening drive against FSU included three fourth down conversions and took more than eight minutes off the game clock. Between that and his clear will to win, he reminds me of the last Pitt quarterback to get a start as a true freshman in a lot of ways.
(For those of you who don’t keep track of somewhat obscure Pitt quarterback factoids, the last Pitt QB to start as a true freshman was none other than Kenny Pickett.)
TNIAAM: Desmond Reid dominated the Seminoles and now faces a Syracuse defense which has been lacking. How does Pitt look to get him the ball as often as possible?
OPG: Des Reid is officially listed as a running back, and he is a great runner who hits hard despite standing 5’8” and weighing 175lbs, but in OC Kade Bell’s ‘play fast score faster’ offense, he does just about everything. You will often see him targeted as a receiver, to the point that he was actually Pitt’s leading receiver against Florida State, with 155 yards and 2 TDs on 8 catches. It’s worth noting that he also plays on special teams and has racked up 105 yards and a TD on five punt returns so far this season. Though we have yet to see him throw a pass, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it happens at some point. Honestly, I think the only thing Desmond Reid maybe can’t do on a football field is stay healthy, as he has had some injuries that have kept him off the field in both 2024 and 2025.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 11: Runningback Desmond Reid #0 of the Pittsburgh Panthers on a long running play during the second half of the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 11, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) Getty Images
TNIAAM: Last year the Panthers were the one team to shut down Kyle McCord. How does this year’s defense compare?
OPG: To be fair, Kyle McCord certainly helped the Pitt defense out a bit last year by so kindly sharing the ball with them!
This year’s Panther defense is broadly similar to last year’s, though it’s a bit thin at DL right now due to injury. Fortunately for Pitt, there is plenty of talent to make up for it at LB; Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis, and Braylan Lovelace, who each had a pick in the 2024 Cuse game, have all returned. They are together doing a great job of stopping the run – Pitt ranks 8th in the nation on rushing yards allowed at just 83.5 yards per game – which is what HC Pat Narduzzi always wants to do first with his defense.
Moving into the secondary, it’s important to mention that the Narduzzi defense asks a lot of its safeties and corners because of the emphasis on stopping the run; they are out on islands frequently. As might be expected, Pitt’s passing defense is middling, at 81st overall (230 yards allowed per game and 11.23 yards per completion). Part of this is just a function of how the defense is designed, but the DB group this year is mostly pretty young, too. Sophomore Cruce Brookins is developing nicely, and senior Rashad Battle is still here too, but in general I think the secondary is, as usual, the weakest point of an overall strong unit. If I’m Syracuse, I’m looking to blow the top of the defense in the hopes of forcing the DBs to make a mistake.
TNIAAM: What other players should Syracuse fans be watching for on Saturday night?
Ja’Kyrian “Boosie” Turner is a true freshman RB who has been getting a good number of carries; though he only had 44 yards rushing against Florida State, he also had two TDs and the critical game-saving fumble recovery for Pitt late in the fourth quarter. He’s young but clearly talented, and I think we’ll see him a fair amount on Saturday night since Des Reid will likely be busy catching passes.
Pitt has receivers not named Des Reid, too! My favorite of them is probably WR Cataurus “Blue” Hicks, who torched his former team, Louisville, for 113 yards and a TD in the Pitt loss a few weeks ago. Our boy Blue has a knack for making impressive catches on deep balls, but WR Raphael “Poppi” Williams will probably get the most targets and is a solid, reliable presence. You’ll see several other receivers as well, including but not limited to WR Kenny Johnson and TEs Justin Holmes and Malachi Thomas.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to mention freshman kicker Trey Butkowski, affectionately known as “Kick Butkowski” or “Buttkicker.” He’s got big shoes to fill in the wake of Ben Sauls’ graduation, but he’s 12 for 13 on the year with a long of 47 yards. His only miss so far came in Morgantown, which we all know is a dark, haunted place.
KICK BUTTOWSKI – “Frame Story” – When the principal (Henry Winkler) accuses Kick of a crime he did not commit and threatens to expel him from school, Kick must figure out who is trying to frame him and prove his innocence. This episode of “Kick Buttowski – Suburban Daredevil” airs THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. (Photo by Disney XD via Getty Images) KICK BUTTOWSKI Disney XD via Getty Images
TNIAAM: What’s your prediction for the game and why?
OPG: I am generally not in the business of making predictions, but what I will say is this: much smarter college football analysts than me think that Pitt will probably win this game by a fairly comfortable margin. CFB Graphs projects Pitt will win by about 10 points, and so do the folks out in the desert. Intellectually, I understand why this is; Cuse is unfortunately just not the team that beat Clemson without Steve Angeli (who I really hope recovers well from his injury – he’s a delight to watch, and I always like a Spicy Syracuse against any team not named Pitt). However, I’ve spent more than a decade watching Pitt football, and my heart knows not to trust the statistics. Particularly not coming off a big road win.
I think Pitt wins, but it’s closer than the stats nerds are predicting. No matter what, I can guarantee you that I will spend a lot of time yelling at my television on Saturday.
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Thank you to Obnoxiously Pitt Girl for taking the time to answer our questions. Again you can find OPG at Sickos Committee, a collective of fans of many schools who are united in one belief: all football is good football. She is also a regular on the Committee’s podcast, the cleverly named Sickos Committee Podcast (available Tuesday and Thursday everywhere fine podcasts are sold). You can also follow her on Bluesky at @opg.bsky.social.