PITTSBURGH (AP) — Desmond Reid ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 22 Pitt held off California 17-15 on Saturday.
The Panthers improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1982 by relying on a defense that racked up six sacks on a day their revamped offense struggled. Pitt managed just 277 total yards — nearly 250 below its season average coming in — and did next to nothing in the second half.
Still, Pitt hung on as Cal (3-3, 0-3 ACC) let a couple of late opportunities slip away. Ryan Coe's go-ahead 40-yard field goal attempt with 1:54 left was a low wobbler that sailed wide right. The Bears got the ball back with 44 seconds remaining but failed to generate a first down as Pitt reached bowl eligibility a year after a 3-9 season led longtime head coach Pat Narduzzi to overhaul the offensive coaching staff.
The arrival of offensive coordinator Kade Bell and his up-tempo attack has shoved Pitt into the 21st century, but for most of a crisp fall afternoon, the Panthers defense led the way.
Fernando Mendoza passed for 272 yards and a touchdown for Cal. Tight end Jack Endries finished with eight receptions for 119 yards and a 19-yard score from his roommate with 10:30 to play, but the Bears missed the ensuing two-point conversion that would have tied the game as Cal remained winless in the ACC. Cal's three losses in its new conference home have been by a combined seven points.
Pitt redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein's electric start hit its first significant speedbump. The Alabama transfer was held in check, completing just 14 of 28 passes for 133 yards. He also threw a pair of interceptions in Cal territory in the third quarter when the Panthers were in position to extend their lead.
Still, Pitt found a way to win behind Reid — who followed Bell to Pitt from Western Carolina — and some aggressive decision-making in the first half.
Pitt opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 28 early in the first quarter. Holstein appeared intent on simply drawing the Bears offside before shifting the alignment and handing off to Reid, who darted 72 yards for a touchdown. On Pitt's next drive the Panthers let kicker Ben Sauls attempt a 58-yard field goal that the senior drilled through the uprights, the longest made field goal by a college player at Acrisure Stadium.
Cal: The snakebit Bears, coming off a late collapse last week against Miami, were often their own worst enemy. Cal was called for 12 penalties for 110 yards, including eight for 90 yards in the first half alone.
Pitt: Narduzzi bemoaned his team's lack of sacks coming in, which has been outside the norm for the Panthers during his 10 years on the sideline. The defense turned back the clock in the second half to bail out an offense that stumbled for the first time this season.
The Panthers will likely hover in the 20s when the poll is released on Sunday after an ugly, grind-it-out affair.
Cal: Welcomes North Carolina State next Saturday.
Pitt: Hosts Syracuse on Thursday, Oct. 24.
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