Error-prone Pitt falls hard in 1st loss of the season at SMU

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

The Panthers put an embarrassing collection of errors on display 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 entered the game one of six undefeated teams in the nation. Meanwhile, No. 20 SMU (8-1, 5-0) stated its case as a legitimate contender for the ACC championship in its first season in the conference.

SMU moved into a first-place tie 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 over the first seven games, Pitt’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense was unable to establish any rhythm. It was the third consecutive game that the Panthers fought on offense.

Coach Pat Narduzzi was so desperate to trigger some offense that he allowed Caleb Junko to try a pass from punt formation on fourth-and-10 from the Pitt 25-yard line in the third quarter. The completion to tight end Gavin Bartholomew gained only 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 deficit at intermission since 2020, after making mistakes of several varieties.

• There were a series of missed tackles — something a coach can’t excuse — that led to opportunities SMU turned into points and 299 yards of total offense in the first half.

• SMU running back Brashard Smith ran 71 yards for a touchdown when the defense could not prevent him from cutting back 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 with 161 yards on 23 carries. Jennings was comfortable in the pocket through most of the game, completing 17 of 25 passes for 306 yards.

• SMU amassed 467 yards of total offense against a Pitt defense that likes to call itself sharks. There were multiple times during the game when Mustangs players mocked the Panthers by flashing their “shark” hand signal.

• With Terrence Enos making his third career start as a replacement for left tackle Branson Taylor, who was lost last month to a season-ending injury, quarterback Eli Holstein was too often swallowed up in the pocket. He was sacked three times among SMU’s six tackles for a loss. He was also hurt 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 holding Pitt running back Desmond Reid to 49 yards on 13 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Holstein finished with 248 yards through the air, completing 29 of 47 passes. He threw his only interception in the fourth quarter when a pass deflected off Reid’s hands and was picked off by Jonathan Magill in the end zone.

On the next snap, SMU punctuated its victory, inflicting more pain on the Panthers when Jennings and tight end Matthew Hibner connected on an 80-yard touchdown.

Problems emerged early — on the second snap of the game — when Jennings flipped 5 yards 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 raced to the Pitt 32 for a 43-yard gain.

Five plays later, SMU grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by LJ Johnson with only 2 minutes, 41 seconds ticked off the clock.

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

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

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