Of all Pitt’s units, the defense could leave last weekend’s defeat to No. 9 Notre Dame with heads held the highest.

Not that any players did in the aftermath of a 37-15 defeat.

While the Panthers picked off quarterback C.J. Carr twice and had a few stands to force turnovers on downs, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Not to mention, allowing a 56-yard Jeremiyah Love touchdown run and 175 yards on the ground in total to the Fighting Irish left players far from satisfied.

“A loss like that, when they were able to run the ball like that, as a defense, it’s embarrassing,” defensive lineman Isaiah Neal said. “We have to clean it up. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in any other phase of the game, but we as a defense have to be better at stopping the run. They were able to get too much on us. … It’s a reminder of what can’t happen.”

Neal and his teammates are aware of the chatter outside Pitt’s locker room in the aftermath of falling to Notre Dame.

In snapping a five-game winning streak, it was a rough start to the home stretch of the season, which concludes with ranked league showdowns against No. 15 Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta and No. 14 Miami on Nov. 29 at home.

Already there is speculation that Pitt (7-3, 5-1 ACC) could drop both games and finish the season with an identical 7-5 record as in 2024, which featured a brutal second-half collapse.

Unsurprisingly, players are pushing back against that prospective outcome.

But to avoid it, a potent Georgia Tech offense and run game must be handled this weekend at Hyundai Field.

“A loss is adversity, and it’s how we’re going to bounce back,” defensive tackle Francis Brewu said. “That’s what we’re saying to each other. We’re going to bounce back. We ain’t letting that happen again, and we ain’t getting embarrassed again. As a defense, we take stuff personally.

“We’re real close, real tight, real aggressive — we feel like us allowing (Notre Dame) to run the ball on us as much as they did, we took that as an embarrassment. We’re all real prideful. We’re mad, and we’re ready to take it out on Georgia Tech.”

The Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) barely escaped with a win last weekend against the worst team in the ACC, Boston College, and suffered their first loss of the year Nov. 1 to unranked N.C. State.

Regardless of its recent games, Georgia Tech boasts the top total offense in the nation, averaging 496.7 yards per game and 7.47 yards per play.

“They’re the No. 1 offense in the country,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Not the No. 2, not in the ACC — they’re the No. 1 offense in the country that we’ve got to go down and face. It’ll be the greatest challenge of the year for our defense to go down there and face all the different stuff they do.

“They’re very multiple in personnel, multiple in formations and just really good. … Their quarterback is special. Haynes King is really good.”

King, a dual threat, is in his sixth season and third with the Yellow Jackets.

Haynes King and @GeorgiaTechFB deserve all the buzz ???? pic.twitter.com/MDLX7Iop73

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 18, 2025

He has completed 72.7% of his passing attempts (184 of 253) for 2,259 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Narduzzi is paying particular attention to King on the ground, as he leads Georgia Tech in attempts (148), yards (803) and touchdowns (14).

King’s 89.7 rushing yards per game rank 25th nationally, and he is the only non-service academy quarterback in the top 25 in that department. His 14 TDs are tied for third.

“He’s going to carry the ball,” Narduzzi said. “He’s their leading rusher. The tailback is not the leading rusher — (King is) the leading rusher. That’s crazy. He’s got 148 carries. That might double any running back carry. I’ve never seen a guy so tough. For a quarterback to play like a tailback and also throw like a quarterback, that’s different.”

Last week, Boston College kept King in check on the ground, limiting him to 53 yards, but he threw the ball with impunity, finishing with 371 yards.

In the loss to N.C. State two weeks ago, King still finished with 511 all-purpose yards (408 passing, 103 rushing), but Georgia Tech’s defense — one of the worst in the FBS — let up nearly 50 points to the Wolfpack.

“(King is) special, and they’re certainly using him to those capabilities,” Narduzzi said. “… I’ve never seen so many formations. They’ll formation you to death, so you’re working and walking through a million formations this week. But the No. 1 thing is to get lined up. No. 2 is to read your keys, play fast and tackle well. Those are the keys.”

For Neal, Pitt’s weekly film study and preparation might change, but the same effort and intent is required once the ball is snapped.

“Everybody has to do their job,” Neal said. “It’s that simple. … You have to go get the man across from you, be aggressive and be physical.”

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