On this week's Peak at the Panthers, Cale Berger and Chris Peak share their biggest takeaways from Pitt's 55-0 win over Austin Peay last week, and preview the Panthers' ACC opener against Syracuse coming up on Saturday.
Cale and Chris were both impressed by how decisively the Panthers beat the Governors last week, securing the largest margin of victory since head coach Pat Narduzzi arrived in Pittsburgh. With Pitt's close calls with FCS opponents in the past, the guys noted how Narduzzi wanted to make a statement and leave little doubt to start 2020.
Cale also mentioned how well the Pitt offense played, scoring touchdowns on their first six drives of the game. The Panthers struggled to finish drives in the endzone a season ago. Their 30 offensive touchdowns last season was third-worst in the ACC. While Austin Peay's defense was clearly not as talented as the units they will face in the ACC going forward, Cale still felt it was encouraging to see Pitt exercise some of their offensive demons from a year ago.
Looking ahead to Pitt's match-up on Saturday against the Syracuse Orange, Chris feels that the key for Pitt will be eliminating mistakes, specifically penalties. Pitt was one of the most penalized teams in the conference last year, which consistently hurt them on both sides of the ball.
Staying on the topic of self-inflicted mistakes, Cale believes the key for Pitt on Saturday will be avoiding turnovers. Syracuse is one of the best teams in the nation at forcing takeaways. The Orange have recorded a turnover in 26 of their last 27 games, and safety Andre Cisco is the active FBS leader in career interceptions with 13.
Kickoff between the Panthers and the Orange is at noon on Saturday, with Panther Pregame beginning at 1:00 AM on 93.7 The Fan and the Pitt Panthers Radio Network.