Game Preview: Pitt Facing First ACC Road Foe

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers (3-2, 1-1 ACC) will head south to face to take on the first ranked opponent of the year, No. 25 Florida State Seminoles (3-2, 0-2 ACC).

The Panthers pounded Boston College 48-7 a week ago. Mason Heintschel made his first career start and put on a stellar performance in front of the Pitt faithful in Acrisure Stadium.

Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) leads the Pitt Band in the playing of the alma mater after defeating the Boston College Eagles at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Florida State is coming off its second conference loss of the season to long-time rival No. 3-ranked Miami. The Seminoles found themselves down 28-3 at the end of the third quarter, but were able to make it a respectable 28-22 loss at home.

This is just Pitt's second road game of the season. The first was in Week 3 against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers gave up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 31-24 in overtime.

Pitt holds a 6-5 advantage over Florida State in the all-time series. This is just the fourth time these two schools have met since Pitt joined the ACC in 2013.

The last meeting was in Pittsburgh in 2023, with the Seminoles winning 24-7. The last time the Panthers played in Tallahassee was in 2020, and they came out on top 41-17.

Injuries

Pitt's starting left tackle, Jeff Persi, will not play this week, and neither will Zach Crothers, Blaine Spires and Joey Zelinsky. Not ideal when facing a dual-threat quarterback like Florida State's Tommy Castellanos.

The last time the Panthers faced Castellanos was when he played for Boston College in 2023. They had success containing him, in large part due to the play of the defensive ends. Dayon Hayes had six tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks and broke up two passes.

The defensive ends listed currently available on the depth chart are Nate Temple, Maverick Gracio and Isaiah Neal moved from defensive tackle to end.

Desmond Reid was also listed as questionable for the third consecutive week. He was seen dressed and warming up prior to the Boston College game. Pitt has averaged 126 rushing yards per game in Reid's absence and has the 110th rushing offense.

Castellanos was listed as probable on the availability report. He was listed on the report last week and ultimately played against Miami. The ACC defines probable as "likely to play; greater than 50% chance."

Key Stats

Pitt Offense

Scoring: 31.0 points per game (12th in FBS)
Total: 423.0 yards per game (49th)
Passing: 307.0 yards per game (15th)
Rushing: 116.0 yards per game (110th)

Pitt Defense

Scoring: 19.6 points per game (37th in FBS)
Total: 291.8 yards per game (22nd)
Passing: 272.2 yards per game (81st)
Rushing: 64.6 yards per game (2nd)

Florida State Offense

Scoring: 46.8 points per game (5th in FBS)
Total: 560.8 yards per game (3rd)
Passing: 265.4 yards per game (39th)
Rushing: 295.4 yards per game (2nd)

Florida State Defense

Scoring: 20.8 points per game (46th in FBS)
Total: 304.4 yards per game (27th)
Passing: 195.8 yards per game (48th)
Rushing: 108.6 yards per game (30th)

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