Pitt Coordinators Named Best of ACC in Week 5

Pitt's 41 point win over Boston College was a team-wide bounce-back. It was a bounce-back for the players, for head coach Pat Narduzzi, and for the Pitt Panthers' offensive and defensive coordinators.

This commanding win was recognized by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, who named offensive coordinator Kade Bell and defensive coordinator Randy Bates to his list of best coordinators by conference over the week.

Our @CBSSports conference coordinators of the week: pic.twitter.com/lDGZCCFFeQ
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 6, 2025

Kade Bell

After a loss to Louisville where Pitt's offense went stale for the second half of the game, many were questioning Kade Bell and if he was the man for the job. Pitt has clear talent on the roster, so it seemed inexcusable for the offense to be that bad in a game.

Bell answered back against Boston College. Pitt put up 48 points against the Eagles, having 31 at halftime. Bell gave freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel many short check downs and easy reads to get him started in his first start of his college career.

Heintschel delivered in Bell's system, putting up 30-of-41 pass attempts for 323 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Changing your starting quarterback five weeks into the season is pretty drastic, but both Bell and Heintschel deserve credit for making it work.

One area that Pitt wanted to improve on was crucial third and fourth down conversions. On third down plays, Pitt went 4-for-17 against West Virginia and 1-for-10 against Louisville, ranking No. 119 in the country.

Improve the Panthers did. Pitt went 9-for-17 on third down conversions and a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth downs. They also had a perfect 7-for-7 record in the red zone.

Bell's next challenge will be against a hungry Florida State team who's defensive did a decent job in a loss against the No. 2 ranked Miami.

This was the second week in a row where star running back Desmond Reid didn't play. Reid continues to deal with an undisclosed lower-body injury. The lack of run game has definitely limited Pitt's offensive options. Reid coming back with Heintschel continuing to impress would do a lot for the Panthers.

Linebacker Kyle Louis — Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) celebrates his fumble recovery with defensive back Javon McIntyre (7) against the Boston College Eagles during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Randy Bates

To fews' surprise, Pitt's defensive is still legit. While they haven't been perfect in the first four games of the season, the defense was keeping the team afloat when the offense wasn't getting anything going.

Against Boston College, though, the defense hit another level. Pitt's defense didn't allow Boston College to get a single point until the fourth quarter when most of the starters were pulled.

Boston College's passing game was actually ranked very high in the nation coming into the matchup with Pitt. They came into the game averaging 334.5 passing yards, and left with just 189 passing yards and an interception thrown.

The run defense also came up big, holding Boston College to just 27 rushing yards on 24 carries. The Eagles also fumbled the ball twice, recovered by the Panthers both times.

Currently, opponents average just 1.72 yards per rush against Pitt's defense, with Pitt leading the country in this stat. Pitt is the only team allowing less than two yards per rush. Texas Tech, who is second place in this stat, allows 2.29 yards per rush.

Pitt has much tougher opponents than Boston College on their upcoming schedule. This win should still be celebrated as it shows what the Panthers are capable of offensively and defensively.

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