Five Key Takeaways From Pitt's Win vs. Stanford

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers handled business on the road in the 35-20 win over the Stanford Cardinal this weekend.

It wasn't a pretty win, but a win is a win. With that said, there were some impressive performances, along with some disappointing ones from the Panthers.

Boosie Turner Milestone Game

True freshman running back JaKyrian "Boosie" Turner had the best rushing performance of any Pitt running back in over a year.

Turner's 127 rushing yards made him the first Pitt back to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game since Oct. 12, 2024, when Desmond Reid did in the 17-15 win over Cal. Turner's 127 yards were also the most by a Pitt back since Reid's 148-yard performance in the 28-27 win over Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 2024.

"Boosie is a football player," Pat Narduzzi said. "He's tough. He's physical. He was Desmond Reid 2.0."

Turner has taken over as Pitt's No. 1 running back while Reid has dealt with his injuries throughout the season, and has been effective in his role. Turner has led the Panthers' offense in rushing in five of the last six games. He is now up to 399 rushing yards, six touchdowns and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

Mason Heintschel's Turnovers

It was an uncharacteristic game from Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel. The true freshman had more turnovers than touchdowns for the first time in his career, with four total turnovers, three of which occurred in the red zone.

Heintschel threw two interceptions in the end zone and fumbled on the Stanford 3-yard line. His three turnovers effectively cost Pitt at most 21 points, and also led to two Cardinal scoring drives, which accounted for 14 of its 20 total points.

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

"Offensively, gained a lot of yards, but we can't turn the ball over in the red zone three times, down the goal line three times," Narduzzi said. "Just can't have it. That's probably the most disappointing thing, but we'll live and learn from that. Again, young quarterback. He's got to learn how to just take what they're giving you and not try to force things and try to get touchdown passes and try to make those plays."

The road struggles continue for Heintschel. He now has 765 passing yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions in three road starts this season. However, he has excelled at home, passing for 746 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions in two starts.

Pitt's Run Defense Does It Again

It was business as usual for Pitt's run defense. The group may be banged up, but they appropriately handled a struggling Stanford offense by forcing a total loss of -10 rushing yards in the win.

That number includes sack yards, of course, but even excluding sack yardage, Stanford's offense had 36 rushing yards and averaged 1.64 yards per carry. The Panthers' rushing defense also climbed from 13th to sixth in the national rankings.

Here are some more buzz numbers from the front seven: Pitt totaled 57 yards on tackles for loss, five sacks and 46 sack yards for a total of 103 yards lost in the backfield.

The Panthers Are In CFP Contention

The ACC is completely up in the air after a hectic weekend of college football. But Pitt survived by defeating Stanford, making its path forward evermore clear. And remember, conference champions still earn an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.

Dec 4, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) holds up the championship trophy as head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on after winning the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Panthers are now tied for second place in the conference standings with a 5-1 record. The good news is that Pitt plays the team it is currently tied with in two weeks — No. 16 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets suffered their first loss of the season to NC State this last weekend, a team that Pitt dominated 53-34 just two weeks ago.

Pitt also has No. 18 Miami left to play on its schedule. The Hurricanes, who appeared to be running away with the conference just a few weeks ago, now sit at 2-2 in the ACC. Miami has lost two of its last three games to Louisville and SMU.

This bye week could not have come at a better time for the Panthers. They will have a week to rest up and prepare for No. 10 Notre Dame and the remaining ACC schedule. And even if the Panthers were to lose to the Irish, it won't hurt them in the conference standings either.

Pitt's Playoff Chances

If Pitt wants its best chance to make the Playoff, then it must first beat both Georgia Tech and Miami. It is very unlikely that a team with two conference losses will make the ACC Championship this season.

Next, the winner of the Louisville-SMU game on Nov. 22 would likely still need at least one more ACC loss, depending on how Virginia finishes. This is because Louisville would have a head-to-head tiebreaker if it finishes 7-1 in the ACC with Pitt, and SMU would have a higher winning percentage against all common opponents if the Mustangs beat Louisville and finish with a 7-1 conference record.

Virginia is currently 5-0 in the ACC, and if it goes 8-0, then only one 7-1 team would make the championship. But if the Cavaliers drop to 7-1, then the tiebreakers would have to be reevaluated.

And, of course, the final step for Pitt to make the College Football Playoff would be winning the ACC Championship.

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