TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
The Pitt Panthers host the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday in a matchup between the MAC and ACC. First-year Chippewas head coach Matt Drinkall got a win in his first game at the helm, defeating San Jose State 16-14.
Pitt opened the 2025 season with a win in the first City Game since 1939, beating Duquesne 61-9. In contrast to Drinkall, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is entering his 11th season at Pitt. The consistency of Narduzzi on the Pitt sidelines has built a strong defense that sends players to the NFL. The win over Duquesne improved Narduzzi’s season opener record to 10-1.
Offense: RB Desmond Reid showed against Duquesne why he was an All-American All-Purpose player in 2024. Reid rushed 8 times for 66 yards and 1 TD. In the return game, Reid returned a punt 88 yards for a TD. QB Eli Holstein threw for 215 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT while also chipping in 41 rushing yards.
Defense: All-American LB Kyle Louis led the Panthers’ defense as usual. Louis finished with a team high in both tackles with 6 and sacks with 2 against Duquesne. The Panthers held the Dukes to just 208 total yards and 37 rushing yards.
Offense: The tandem of RBs, Nahree Biggins and Trey Cornist combined for 201 rushing yards and 1 TD. The Chippewas rushed for 236 yards against San Jose State in Week 1.
Defense: DB Kalen Carroll led the Chippewas in tackles in Week 1 with 7 and also had a pass broken up. LB Dakota Cochran also had 7 tackles. Both will be relied upon to help slow down Pitt’s balanced offensive attack.
The Pitt offense is healthy and looked to be in mid-season form last week against Duquesne. The defense was stout, as to be expected from a Narduzzi-coached team. Drinkall’s run game was very good against San Jose State, but they will not have the same success against Pitt. The inability of Central Michigan to throw the ball against Pitt will hurt the Chippewas’ chances of success. Drinkall will try to slow the game down, but Pitt will cover the 21.5-point spread. Pitt wins 47-16.
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