Pitt’s Perfect Record On The Line Against SMU Preview.

PITTSBURGH — No. 18 Pitt Panthers will go to Dallas to play against No. 20 SMU Mustangs in Week 10, marking their initial meeting in the ACC.

Uncertainties surrounding the quarterback position.

Both teams entered the week with a lack of clarity regarding the starting quarterback. During the Week 9 road game against Duke, SMU’s redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Kevin Jennings sustained a significant hit to his lower body in the fourth quarter.

Jennings concluded the 28-27 overtime win over Duke, however, the injury he suffered led SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee to declare to the press that his starting player may not begin against Pitt.

According to sources that spoke to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Jennings plans to attempt to play against Pitt later this week. He has not practiced fully this week due to limitations and requires full clearance for contact before participating in the game.

If Jennings is not cleared to play by game time, Preston Stone, a redshirt junior quarterback at SMU, will serve as the backup and start for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs began the season with Jennings and Stone, but Jennings ended up securing the position. In the 2024 season opener, Stone threw four touchdowns, passed for 346 yards, and had one turnover- an interception- against Nevada.

Jennings solidified his position as the Mustangs’ starting quarterback with his impressive showings in 2024. His total touchdowns, including three rushing and 10 passing, are 13 while his passing yards amount to 1,549.

He has made a total of 10 turnovers (five interceptions, five fumbles) — with five of those occurring in the Mustangs’ previous match against the Blue Devils, which included three interceptions and two fumbles.

Eli Holstein, a redshirt freshman quarterback for Pitt, also got injured in the fourth quarter last week, similar to Jennings.

Holstein hit his head on the ground after running out of bounds, forcing him to leave the Week 9 game against Syracuse, which ended in a 41-13 win.

Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi stated that his quarterback was okay after the game, but did not announce that Holstein would be the starter in his initial press conference, sparking speculation that he might not play in the upcoming weekend.

Narduzzi confirmed on his weekly radio show that Holstein will be playing against the Mustangs, putting an end to all previous speculation.

Holstein’s performance in the 2024 season has decelerated after a rapid beginning, he has only amassed 241 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, both achieved against Syracuse, along with two interceptions, both obtained against Cal in Week 7.

However, this weekend’s game wouldn’t feature two top-20 teams if the Alabama transfer hadn’t made crucial plays to assist Pitt in securing victories against West Virginia and Cincinnati at the beginning of the season.

Which SMU events should you keep an eye on?

SMU’s top-20 ranking and 7-1 record can be attributed to its skill in dominating the running game on both offense and defense. They are first in the ACC for both rushing offense (No. 23 in FBS) and rushing defense (No. 5 in FBS).

Senior running back Brashard Smith is the top performer for the Mustangs running attack, accumulating 745 yards from 117 carries and scoring a total of 10 touchdowns (nine rushing and one receiving).

He had an outstanding performance in the 66-42 win against TCU in Week 4, scoring four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and accumulating 151 yards (127 rushing, 24 receiving) on 20 touches.

Jennings is the second-highest rusher on SMU’s team and also happens to be the quarterback. This season, he has accumulated 329 yards rushing, averaging 40.1 yards per game. His ability to run fast might be impacted this week due to not being fully recovered from the lower body injury he is managing.

This weekend, Jennings will probably have to throw the ball more than he usually does due to his injury. Fortunately, there are many choices available to him on the Mustangs team, with six receivers having accumulated at least 150 yards and three exceeding 250 yards this season.

Senior wide receiver Roderick Daniels ended up as the top receiver for SMU last weekend, gaining 153 yards with only two receptions. One of Daniels’ receptions resulted in an 81-yard touchdown while the other was a 72-yard catch to advance SMU to the one-yard line. However, SMU was unable to score a touchdown after making this catch, as Duke caused a turnover on downs.

The Mustangs have also utilized Daniels in their running game, with him accumulating 156 yards on 40 carries and scoring two rushing touchdowns in the current season.

Given SMU’s strong run defense, allowing just 88.4 yards per game, Holstein must perform well for Pitt to win in Dallas. SMU’s passing defense is ranked 11th in the ACC, allowing 238.6 yards per game, so the redshirt freshman quarterback needs to capitalize on this weakness.

However, the ACC ranks Mustangs second in interceptions this year, totaling 12. When Holstein played against the Golden Bears, who have 14 interceptions, they capitalized on the inexperienced starting quarterback.

Junior safety Moses Ahmaad is the top interceptor for the Mustangs this season with three interceptions. Ahmaad is tied with two others, including Pitt’s redshirt sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis, with three interceptions, which is the second highest in the ACC.

The defensive end group is at the forefront of SMU’s top-ranked rushing defense in the ACC. Together, Cameron Robertson and Isaiah Smith, both juniors, have accumulated a total of nine tackles resulting in a loss. Meanwhile, seniors Elijah Roberts and Jahfari Harvey have garnered a total of 12 tackles leading to a loss. This group has accumulated 21 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, which makes up 44.7% of SMU’s total tackles for loss this season.

SMU leads the ACC in penalties with an average of 79.9 yards per game, while Pitt only averages 60.4 penalty yards per game. Pitt enters this game with the least amount of time controlling the ball compared to other teams in the country, only possessing it for 23:51 out of a full 60 minutes. SMU is quite typical in this aspect, holding onto possession for an average of 28:56 per game.

History of Pitt versus SMU

SMU and Pitt’s most recent encounter was in 2012, where SMU emerged victorious with a 28-6 win in the BBVA Compass Bowl held in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2012, Paul Chryst coached Pitt for the first time and guided them to a 6-7 record. Pitt football’s final game in the Big East was a 28-6 loss to SMU before transitioning to the ACC in 2013.

The standout game between the Mustangs and Panthers occurred in the year 1983. SMU emerged victorious over Pitt with a score of 7-3 in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic held in Dallas, Texas. After ending the season without a loss (11-0-1), SMU proclaimed itself a Co-national champion with the victory. Pitt ended the season with a record of 9-3 during head coach Foge Fazio’s inaugural season with the team.

The 1983 game featured four players who would later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pitt bench featured three players: quarterback Dan Marino, offensive lineman Jimbo Covert, and linebacker Chris Doleman. Eric Dickerson was part of the SMU sideline as one of the running backs. The game included a total of 14 NFL draft selections from 1983, with nine coming from Pitt and five from SMU.

Before the 1983 and 2012 matchups, the couple had met four additional times in Pittsburgh prior to 1950. Pitt emerged victorious in the inaugural game in 1938 with a 34-7 score, drew the second game 7-7 in 1940, secured a win in the third game 20-7 in the same year, and experienced its initial defeat to SMU in 1948 by a score of 33-14. The game taking place this week marks the inaugural occasion of SMU hosting Pitt.