Pitt's defensive front smothers Cal, posting season-high 6 sacks plus 11 TFLs

Pitt’s usually explosive offense did not show up Saturday at Acrisure Stadium vs. the Cal Golden Bears.

The No. 22 Panthers, who had averaged more than 500 yards, entering the afternoon with a top offense nationally, managed a season-low 277 in a narrow 17-15 win over the Bears.

Quarterback Eli Holstein completed just 50% of his passes (14 for 28), throwing for a season-worst 133 yards and two interceptions.

But the Panthers are now 6-0 (2-0 ACC) and off to their best start since 1982.

For that, they largely can thank the efforts of their front seven, which smothered Cal on the ground, sacking Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza six times and collecting 11 tackles for loss.

“It was just great to maybe not play well on offense and find a way to get a win,” coach Pat Narduzzi said postgame. “Defense played lights out.”

Pitt’s six sacks eclipsed the five it had in the season opener vs. Kent State, setting a new season high.

The Panthers’ tackles for loss were one short of their 12 against the Golden Flashes for most in a single game.

Linebacker Kyle Louis led the team with 12 tackles, two of which were for loss, along with a sack.

In the trenches, Jimmy Scott was a force, leading the team with three sacks and 3 1/2 tackles for loss.

Leechburg alum and linebacker Braylan Lovelace made seven tackles, including three for loss, and had two sacks.

Lovelace, starting in place of Rasheem Biles, who was held out of the contest because of injury, made a critical tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.

After Cal capped a six-play, 78-yard drive with a touchdown to make the score 17-15 with 10 minutes, 30 seconds to play, the Bears attempted a 2-point conversion to tie the game.

Cal’s Chandler Rogers, taking a pitch from Mendoza, spun away from Nate Matlack nearly 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, but his luck ran out when Lovelace wrapped around him.

Cal fails the 2 point conversion...again#GoBears #Calgorithm pic.twitter.com/9NZHbxi10G

— billie eilish ✪ (@billieeilils) October 12, 2024

“That’s who we are,” Lovelace said after the win. “Pitt defense, we like to get downhill. We play with a little bit of edge when we get downhill. You get paid to get TFLs, basically. That’s our goal every time.”

After seeing action in 11 games last year primarily as a reserve linebacker and specialist, Lovelace continues to build momentum in a strong sophomore campaign.

“I’m fired up for Lovelace,” Narduzzi said. “Braylan needed that. He’s played good, but he hadn’t played great. He had two sacks today, played the whole darn game, pretty much. … Lovelace took the brunt, and I’m happy for Braylan. He’s a great kid, great football player. He needed that for his confidence.”

In the third quarter, with Pitt clinging to a 17-9 lead, Holstein threw his two interceptions, offering Cal a chance to seize back some momentum and tie the score.

But in the aftermath of both turnovers, Pitt’s defense forced the Bears into a three-and-out.

Holstein’s second pick, a bad attempt over the middle that was returned 20 yards by safety Cam Sidney, set up Cal at the Panthers’ 40-yard line with 2:36 left in the quarter.

But over the next 46 seconds, Scott sacked Mendoza twice, including on third-and-16, for a total loss of 14 yards.

What started as a promising drive with great field position ended in a punt from the Bears’ own 46.

“Certain games, (the offense) carried us, and this game, I think we kind of carried them a little bit,” Scott said. “We’re kind of just both leaning on each other, and that’s how we win football games.”

All that said, heading into a bye week, Narduzzi likely will put a microscope on the Panthers’ secondary, which allowed 272 yards to Mendoza and was torched repeatedly by Cal tight end Jack Endries, who had eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Those struggles even prompted Narduzzi switch Javon McIntyre from free safety to star linebacker in-game.

Regardless, Holstein, who said he played “like a freshman” in a blunt postgame self-assessment, appreciated the defense’s overall effort Saturday.

“They had a great night,” Holstein said. “Our team needed a win like this. With as bad as I played, we still pulled out a win. I think that’s going to help us get wins against good teams. When your defense plays like this you’ve got faith that, ‘Hey, even if we’re not clicking, they’re clicking, going to get us the ball back and get stops.’ ”