No. 22 Pitt escapes Cal and improves to 6-0 for the first time since 1982

PITTSBURGH — The hallmark of a good football team is finding ways to win football games. Pitt should have lost to Cal on Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, but against all odds, the Panthers found a way to win.

Eli Holstein had by far his worst performance as a Pitt quarterback, but was saved in the fourth quarter by a strong secondary defender and some luck. It wasn’t a win many would want to look back on, at least not offensively, but it’s a win that pushes the Panthers to 6-0 for the first time since 1982.

Holstein completed 14 of 28 pass attempts for 133 yards and two interceptions, Reid managed 120 yards and both offensive touchdowns and Pitt managed enough to escape with a 17-15 win over the Golden Bears.

Pitt recorded six sacks and 11 tackles for a loss and held Cal to a 40-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter that ultimately went wide and gave Pitt the win. It wasn’t a great performance and it certainly didn’t get off to a good start.

Pitt won the opening throw, decided to take the football and did nothing with it. It was a half in which the offense couldn’t maintain its momentum.

Cal wasted no time, traveling 75 yards in 10 plays for its first score. Jaivian Thomas, starting in place of the injured Jaydn Ott, ran 21 yards – untouched – to the end zone on the Golden Bears’ first possession.

Pitt couldn’t stop the Bears on third downs of any length.

But the Bears couldn’t keep the Panthers under control forever. In a half where Eli Holstein appeared to be a step behind, Desmond Reid stepped up – of course. Reid stormed into the end zone from five yards out for a 7-6 lead and exploded for a 72-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-1 play deep in Panthers territory for a 14-6 lead .

Pitt continued to increase its lead despite an inconsistent offensive performance. It helps to have Ben Sauls, who set a program record with a 58-yard throw early in the second quarter to extend the lead to 11. The only other points in the half came from Cal, who made a 39-yard field goal of their own.

Pitt made defensive adjustments at halftime, leading 17-6 and holding Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the Golden Bears at bay. Kyle Louis and Braylan Lovelace managed to get the passer home, the Panthers forced the Bears to punt out of their end zone and had a chance at the Cal 31 midway through the third quarter.

And Holstein threw an interception in the end zone. It looked like a miscommunication between Holstein and Konata Mumpfield, but it was a pass he shouldn’t have thrown. And on the next possession, he did it again, firing a ball into triple coverage while trying to make a play on 3rd-and-19.

Without those defensive adjustments, which forced three three-and-outs and held the Golden Bears to -3 yards, Pitt would have been in trouble.

But the defense couldn’t last forever. Cal opened the fourth quarter with a six-play, 78-yard touchdown drive. Cal went for two, but was two behind and was stopped shortly after. Pitt continued to struggle offensively and the defense did the rest, forcing Cal to settle for a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter to take the lead.

Coe’s 40-yard throw sailed wide with 1:50 left and the offense had another chance to tie the game. But it didn’t work here either. So it fell on the defense.

And the defense, as it has done all season, stepped up when it mattered most to secure the unlikely win.

Pitt (6-0, 2-0 ACC) has another bye week ahead of it, its second and final one of the season. Syracuse will make a trip to Acrisure Stadium on Thursday, October 24th.