Pitt leads Syracuse after returning two Kyle McCord interceptions for touchdowns (live score, updates)

PITTSBURGH – The Syracuse football team will face the No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers here at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

View in-game team and individual stats here.

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Second quarter

12:30: Syracuse starts its 25 after a touchback.

RESULT: Pittsburgh 24, Syracuse 0

12:30: Incomplete pass from Eli Holstein on 1st and 10 from the 25th minute. Holstein was stopped in the backfield, but fended off a tackle and got the 5th ball. Holstein finds Lee Censere in the middle. The throw beats Justin Barron in coverage. Censere hits Devin Grant into the end zone.

13:51: Des Reid runs to the 5. Then he rushes to the 10. Pittsburgh approaches the Syracuse red zone.

14:11: Pitt opens with an option. Eli Holstein stays for 8. Pitt gets the first down with a short run and things are compounded by an illegal hand to the face from Chase Simmons.

Syracuse turnover on downs

14:51: McCord's first quarter numbers (9-for-19 for 85 yards and three interceptions). McCord's pass to Jackson Meeks was wiped out. Meeks wanted a phone call. Pitt's defensive backs are notoriously skilled, but they weren't called upon to do anything tonight. On 4th-and-6, McCord overthrew Oronde Gadsden II, who took a step toward his defender in the end zone.

First quarter

0:00 McCord escapes pressure and avoids a sack by throwing the ball in the direction of Jackson Meeks while he's in control and before his knee makes contact with him. Then McCord throws the ball to Allen for the 4. Syracuse will have a 3rd-and-6 to open the second quarter.

1:13: McCord takes a shot and completes a pass to Jackson Meeks for the 6th.

1:51: McCord to Pena for 16 yards setting up a 4th-and-5 at the Pitt 45.

2:16: LeQuint Allen runs winless. Syracuse makes Pitt pay for the pressure with a nice 12-yard pass to Yasin Willis and then converts again, but a long pass is rejected by Yasin Willis after holding. Syracuse calls another screen, this one to LeQuint Allen and this one for just 3. McCord hits Darrell Gill Jr.'s hands on 2nd-and-16, but he drops the crossing pattern. This is followed by a false start for Umari Hatcher. Now a 3rd and 21st

4:45: LeQuint Allen with a nice run on first down, overcoming a defender on the way to an 8-yard gain. Allen stuffed for a loss of 3 on second down, setting up a 3rd-and-5. McCord takes the first down conversion with a pitch-and-catch to Trebor Pena.

6:23: Syracuse starts at its 25 after a touchback. After the kickoff, a Pittsburgh player is on the ground. It was defenseman Josh McCarty.

RESULT: Pittsburgh 17, Syracuse 0

6:23: Another Pittsburgh interception, this time by Kyle Louis. This is also returned for an interception, this one going 51 yards. First time since 2022 for Pittsburgh with two interceptions returned for a touchdown. McCord came into the game with 6 interceptions. Now he has 9.

6:42: Syracuse calls a timeout on 2nd-and-12. McCord's throw is behind Hatcher and is incomplete.

7:51: Syracuse gains 2 yards on first down. Incomplete in the second part. Joe Cruz at right on this drive. Cruz hits Oronde Gadsen over the seam for a first down, putting SU into Pitt territory.

8:28: Syracuse begins this possession at its 25 after a touchback

RESULT: Pittsburgh 10, Syracuse 0

8:28: A Pitt screen pass results in a loss of 3 yards. Pitt brings back 5 after a run by Rodney Hammond. Holstein throws behind his receiver on third down and Pitt's excellent kicker comes into play. Ben Sauls is good from 49 meters. He scored 13 consecutive goals, which is a new Pittsburgh record.

9:58: Des Reid rushes 9 yards on first down and then plows two yards up the middle for a first down.

11:31: McCord's pass hit the ground in the backfield against a heavy rush, followed by a LeQuint Allen run for no gain. The 3rd-and-10 pass flies high into the air and lands in the hands of Brandon George. Second interception for McCord.

11:58: Syracuse begins this drive with a 6-yard run by LeQuint Allen, followed by a 4-yard run for a first down.

12:47: Syracuse starts its 25 after a touchback

SCORE: Pittsburgh 7, Syracuse 0

12:47: McCord throws high to Emanuel Ross. Then his fourth pass is intercepted by Rasheem Biles and returned 35 yards for a touchdown. Pitt converts the extra point. He is the first linebacker since Christian Brothers Academy product SirVocea Dennis to return an interception for a touchdown.

1:37 p.m.: McCord's first pass was passed to Umari Hatcher and could have been intercepted. McCord escapes a sack and throws it to Jackson Meeks in a scramble situation. Syracuse gains 10 yards.

1:43 p.m.: Pittsburgh punt. Trebor Pena returns to SU 23.

3:00 p.m.: Pitt starts its first drive after a touchback from its 25. Marlowe Wax starts for the Orange. Des Reid runs for 2 yards on first down, followed by a bad pass from Eli Holstein that could have been intercepted. Syracuse forces Holstein to scramble on 3rd-and-8 and he gains 1 yard.

Before the game

Pitt wins the coin toss and decides to go on offense first

Syracuse sends its offensive line (except center J'Onre Reed) as game captains.

Update 6:15 p.m: Linebacker Marlowe Wax and slot receiver Trebor Pena will play tonight, the school said.

Wax, a preseason All-ACC linebacker and one of the team's best defensive players, would make his first appearance since suffering a lower leg injury in the team's season-opening win over Ohio.

His return can be seen as a pleasant surprise after coach Fran Brown said earlier this week that Wax was unlikely to play this week.

Pena, who leads the team in receptions, didn't finish in the Orange's 24-17 win at NC State on Oct. 12. Brown expressed doubts about his playing status earlier in the week by saying Pena could not practice, alluding to a concussion and an unknown injury.

The game between the two Northeast rivals is likely to be the biggest between the two since at least 1991, when both teams competed in the national polls midseason.

Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0 ACC) will look to stay undefeated. Syracuse (5-1, 2-1) is looking to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race and beat its third AP Top 25 opponent (at the time of the game). The Orange hasn't achieved this feat since 1998.

The Panthers appear to be more vulnerable than their record suggests, needing to win two of those games on dramatic comebacks and a third on a missed field goal attempt by California. Still, Pitt has the most recent history between the schools (16-3 in the last 19 meetings) and Syracuse hasn't won at Pitt since 2001.

Known for its consistent blitzing under head coach Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh ranks fourth in the ACC with an average of three sacks per game.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord has been excellent against the blitz this season, ranking second overall in the conference in passing yards, but he is expected to be without Trebor Peña, who leads the team in catches.

Peña was unable to practice Tuesday after suffering a blow to the head in SU's last game against North Carolina State. He thrives when it comes to the types of throws needed to beat blitz attacks.

The status of two of Pittsburgh's offensive players (left tackle Branson Taylor and left guard Ryan Jacoby) is uncertain. Both left the Panthers' last win over Cal with injuries and did not return.