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Fran Brown didn’t sugarcoat it. After falling to SMU on Oct. 4, he harped on Syracuse’s missing identity. The Orange sorely lacked urgency, tone and toughness.

So at halftime against the Mustangs, Brown’s message to defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson was dire. The Orange trailed 24-3, prompting the head coach to challenge his staff to find the missing cohesion. They answered the call, allowing just seven second-half points despite the loss.

“This is a results-based business, right?” Brown said after the SMU game. “We gotta be able to take care of that.”

Against Pitt Saturday, the Orange again needed results. The Panthers entered on the heels of an upset over then-No. 25 FSU, their first ranked win in nearly two years. The result was far from a complete picture. Yet, it seemed Syracuse finally found a glimpse of its identity.

Despite falling 30-13, Syracuse’s (3-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) defense excelled with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss on Mason Heintschel and Pitt (5-2, 3-1 ACC). It was the most sacks SU has recorded in a game since Sept. 8, 2021, against UAlbany. But if the Orange still lose, what does it matter?

“Individual and unit-wise, it’s cool,” SU defensive end Kevin Jobity, who had a career-high three sacks, said postgame. “But it feels so much better if we have zero sacks but win as a team. That’s the goal.”

Syracuse’s pass rush has been a weak spot this season. Before Saturday, the Orange ranked at the bottom of the ACC with just eight total sacks. They hadn’t recorded more than three sacks in a game so far, failing to notch multiple sacks in four of their first six games.

But against Pitt, the unit came alive. Aside from an early rushing touchdown, SU pressured Heintschel in the backfield all day.

It was second-and-10, and Pitt was set up at its own 24-yard line. Five Syracuse defenders crowded the line of scrimmage, facing six Panthers linemen and Panthers halfback Desmond Reid in the backfield. Though the Orange were outmatched, Heintschel’s pocket collapsed just seconds after the snap.

Reid struggled to block SU linebacker Gary Bryant III. Pitt center Lyndon Cooper let defensive tackle Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff blow right past him. Heintschel scrambled in desperation, looking for a receiver before Fuentes-Cundiff and defensive lineman Chase Simmons collapsed on him. The quarterback was brought down for a loss of six yards, setting up a third-and-16.

“We gonna go after the quarterback,” Brown said. “(We) want to compete, want to make sure we go after the quarterback. That’s something we’ll do.”

One play later, when Denis Jaquez Jr. closed in on Heintschel, he was ready. The true freshman signal caller released the ball over the middle milliseconds before Jaquez raised his arm. Heintschel’s pass landed in a zone filled with five Syracuse defenders, resulting in a Davien Kerr interception.

With Kerr’s pick and a Darrell Gill Jr. touchdown, SU had evened things up. But with Pitt’s offense surging, the Orange’s pass rush would need to hold firm in the second quarter.

It did just that. The Panthers set up at the four-yard line with 12 minutes left in the half. Pitt deployed four linemen, sent tight end Jake Overman in motion and parked Ja’Kyrian Turner in the backfield. Turner rolled out right, and as Heintschel pulled the ball in and raced forward, an attacking Jobity stood in his way. With Heintschel then shifting outside the pocket, a crashing Devin Grant charged for his first sack of the season.

“We talked about it all week. We did pursuit drills. There was a lot of things that we were doing in practice,” Brown said. “Just really trying to have an identity on defense.”

Momentum was leaning toward the Orange. Then came the offense’s stumble. Rickie Collins, chased off his spot again, couldn’t sustain a drive. A quick punt reversed the rhythm SU had just built.

Once again, the defense tightened its grip.

Facing a third-and-11, Syracuse safety Berry Buxton III played over the middle. Buxton’s charge toward the quarterback forced Reid and left guard Ryan Carretta off their assignments. The result was a scramble of miscommunication, and Jobity capitalized, shooting the gap and wrapping up the quarterback before he could break forward.

“I was very impressed with the defense because even when we weren’t able to get points on offense, they just continued to go out there and play and play and play and play,” Brown said. “Those guys were able to compete and still kept fighting.”

With three sacks entering halftime, the Orange had already tied their season-high.

In the second half, SU’s defense continued to fire. As its offense weakened, though, and Luke Carney entered in for Collins, its defensive efforts mattered less and less.

Jobity recorded another sack on a third-and-9, forcing Pitt to settle for a field goal to extend its lead to 13. Roughly five minutes later, a third-and-6 turned into a fourth-and-12 as Jobity met Heintschel again. SAM linebacker Jamie Tremble joined the party soon after, but it was too little too late.

For Brown, it wasn’t the result he wanted. But amid the noise of another loss, the Orange finally showed a defense with an identity.

“I would say we showed flashes today,” Grant said postgame. “I’m excited. We took progress. But as I stated before, there’s still more to be done. I would like to see no points on the board.”

Published on October 19, 2025 at 2:59 am
Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_