'Cuse and Pitt Clash Saturday
10/31/2022 4:16:00 PM | Football
Long-time foes Syracuse and Pittsburgh will battle for the 78th time on the gridiron Saturday when the Orange visit Acrisure Stadium. The Orange have faced the Panthers more than any other opponent and Saturday's game will add another chapter in the series that began in 1916.
"We have an opportunity to play a fantastic Pitt Panther team," Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said. "They are the team that has done the best job of anyone versus Tennessee, which is one of the hottest teams in the country. They have a very prolific running attack with Izzy [Abanikanda], someone that is already over 1,000 yards in rushing the football. Pat Narduzzi does a fantastic job. They are always going to play fantastic defense and run the football. We all know how the Pitt Panthers play. And we all know how Coach Narduzzi likes his teams to play in football games. So we understand that's a big task and we're excited about the opportunity. We're banged up, but we're going to try to heal up as best we can to put our best foot forward down there at Pittsburgh."
The game will feature the top two running backs in the ACC. Abanikanda is the league's leading rusher with 1,086 yards, while Sean Tucker is second with 758 yards. Abanikanda has the highest single-game rushing total this season in the FBS (320 vs. Virginia Tech) and his 17 total touchdowns lead the nation. Tucker recorded his 23rd career rushing touchdown against Notre Dame, moving him into a tie for 10th place with 'Cuse legend Jim Brown on school record list.
Abanikanda is just one of the challenges that lie ahead for Syracuse, which will play three of its final four games on the road.
"We're going to play at their place," Babers said. "They are drawing extremely well. It will be extremely loud there. Again, we're playing at a venue that we haven't had any success in since I've been here. They are a team that likes to get physical and get in the middle of it. Their defense is extremely aggressive. They have that big receiver making plays down the field. The quarterback has been getting better game after game."
Both teams will be looking to change their recent fortunes. Pittsburgh enters Saturday's game with a 4-4 record, including a 1-3 mark in ACC play. The Panthers have lost three of their last four. Syracuse had its six-game winning streak snapped at No. 5 Clemson before last weekend's loss to Notre Dame. The Orange are second in the ACC Atlantic Division standings and will close out the regular season with four league games.
"No one likes to lose, especially when you feel like you had an opportunity to win," Babers said. "I think the biggest thing is that [the players] need to understand that we lost, but we're sitting at 3-1 in the ACC Atlantic, which I see as one of the top three sides of conferences in college football. We've got four left. Last time I checked we're not tied with anyone for second place. We're sitting in second place. The team in front of us, I believe, has two more games to play. If we hold serve, who knows how this thing is going to end up when it's all said and done. Non-conference is over. We were 3-1 in non-conference, we lost to Notre Dame. Now it's all conference play. We've got one loss and we have to see how we're going to finish this thing up."
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A win for the Orange would snap a four-game losing streak to the Panthers and be their first win in Pittsburgh since 2001.
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"We have an opportunity to play a fantastic Pitt Panther team," Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said. "They are the team that has done the best job of anyone versus Tennessee, which is one of the hottest teams in the country. They have a very prolific running attack with Izzy [Abanikanda], someone that is already over 1,000 yards in rushing the football. Pat Narduzzi does a fantastic job. They are always going to play fantastic defense and run the football. We all know how the Pitt Panthers play. And we all know how Coach Narduzzi likes his teams to play in football games. So we understand that's a big task and we're excited about the opportunity. We're banged up, but we're going to try to heal up as best we can to put our best foot forward down there at Pittsburgh."
The game will feature the top two running backs in the ACC. Abanikanda is the league's leading rusher with 1,086 yards, while Sean Tucker is second with 758 yards. Abanikanda has the highest single-game rushing total this season in the FBS (320 vs. Virginia Tech) and his 17 total touchdowns lead the nation. Tucker recorded his 23rd career rushing touchdown against Notre Dame, moving him into a tie for 10th place with 'Cuse legend Jim Brown on school record list.
Abanikanda is just one of the challenges that lie ahead for Syracuse, which will play three of its final four games on the road.
"We're going to play at their place," Babers said. "They are drawing extremely well. It will be extremely loud there. Again, we're playing at a venue that we haven't had any success in since I've been here. They are a team that likes to get physical and get in the middle of it. Their defense is extremely aggressive. They have that big receiver making plays down the field. The quarterback has been getting better game after game."
Both teams will be looking to change their recent fortunes. Pittsburgh enters Saturday's game with a 4-4 record, including a 1-3 mark in ACC play. The Panthers have lost three of their last four. Syracuse had its six-game winning streak snapped at No. 5 Clemson before last weekend's loss to Notre Dame. The Orange are second in the ACC Atlantic Division standings and will close out the regular season with four league games.
"No one likes to lose, especially when you feel like you had an opportunity to win," Babers said. "I think the biggest thing is that [the players] need to understand that we lost, but we're sitting at 3-1 in the ACC Atlantic, which I see as one of the top three sides of conferences in college football. We've got four left. Last time I checked we're not tied with anyone for second place. We're sitting in second place. The team in front of us, I believe, has two more games to play. If we hold serve, who knows how this thing is going to end up when it's all said and done. Non-conference is over. We were 3-1 in non-conference, we lost to Notre Dame. Now it's all conference play. We've got one loss and we have to see how we're going to finish this thing up."
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A win for the Orange would snap a four-game losing streak to the Panthers and be their first win in Pittsburgh since 2001.
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