Win Over NC State was Personal for Pitt Offensive Lineman

The Pittsburgh Panthers had a dominate win over NC State, ending with a score of 53-34. While it was a total team effort that led to the win, it was personal for one Pitt player.

"This game was personal for me," said offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper. "I tell my story a lot about what happened to me at my other school."

History at NC State

Lyndon Cooper, now a redshirt senior, played for NC State from 2021-2023. He transferred to Pitt for the 2024 season and has been a reliable center since. The specifics of why there's tension now between Cooper and his former team isn't exactly known. It should be noted that Cooper fell out of NC State's rotation at the end of his final year with the Wolfpack after dealing with injuries.

The feelings were mutual for Cooper and NC State. Apparently, NC State had put up Cooper's face all over their locker room and the D-line room, presumably for motivation.

"They had 60+ transfer comes out of that school, but when it came to Coop, they wanted to make it a little personal," Cooper said in his press conference. "So I wanted to make sure we knew it was personal."

Offensive Explosion

After a win over Syracuse where the offense was pretty mediocre, Pitt was looking to bounce back on both ends of the ball. The offensive line was especially in need of improvement, as quarterback Mason Heintschel took a whopping seven sacks in the Syracuse game.

"Even though we got that win, none of us were happy with that win. When we got [Heintschel] in the backfield, we got to protect him at all costs," Cooper said.

Thankfully, the offensive line stepped up this game. Heintschel took zero sacks and was given plenty of time to make a play every possession. And make plays he did. Heintschel threw for 423 yards, a Pitt record for a freshman quarterback.

Offensive linemen are never the ones to make electric or attention-grabbing plays, but they deserve as much credit as anyone else on the offense for Pitt's 53 points. There's a night and day difference when the offensive line gives their quarterback the time to make plays.

Heintschel, head coach Pat Narduzzi, and wide receiver Blue Hicks all mentioned how they knew this game was personal for Cooper in their respective press conferences. "I didn't really know the backstory, but when it's something personal for Coop, it's personal for all of us," said Heintschel.

Running back Ja'Kyrian Turner — Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja'Kyrian Turner (25) runs the ball against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Working as a Unit

Cooper walked into his postgame press conference with four of his fellow offensive linemen (who refer to themselves as the "O-block") standing behind him. When asked why, Cooper answered "without them I ain't nobody. We're one unit, there's no individuals in our room."

Pitt center Lyndon Cooper brought out the entire starting o-line for his postgame press conference.

It was a personal win for Cooper, who began his collegiate career at NC State. pic.twitter.com/tdcannhf7D
— Nathan Breisinger (@NateBreisinger) October 26, 2025

The game against Florida State earlier in the season saw some trash talk against Pitt's offensive linemen. While not perfect, the offensive line has proven their strength and talent throughout the season.

"I'd take these five guys over anybody in the country," Cooper said.

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