There can be no denying Pitt is going to have its hands full Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech’s offense.
The No. 15 Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1 ACC) boast the nation’s top offensive attack, averaging 496.7 yards, and are led by a Heisman Trophy contender in dual-threat quarterback Haynes King.
But, defensively, Georgia Tech has been far less elite, potentially creating opportunities for Mason Heintschel and Co.
“Offensively, we’ve got a great challenge,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It starts up front with our line and their defensive line. We have to protect our quarterback and be two-dimensional.”
Whereas Pitt’s defense ranks 32nd nationally in yards per game (325.2) and ninth against the run (90.3), Georgia Tech defense ranks 103rd in total defense (409.2) and 95th against the run (166).
More opponents than not have run the ball with near impunity against Georgia Tech.
The ACC’s worst team, Boston College, which came within a breath of dealing a crippling upset to the Yellow Jackets last weekend, rushed for 175 yards on 26 carries.
N.C. State, which won 48-36 over Georgia Tech, rushed for 243 yards, the most allowed by the Yellow Jackets this season.
The list goes on: Virginia Tech rushed for 186 yards, Wake Forest for 210, Clemson for 174.
Overall, opponents are averaging 4.6 yards per carry against Georgia Tech.
But just how much the Panthers (7-3, 5-1) can exploit remains to be seen.
In particular, the backfield personnel available to Narduzzi for Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff has yet to be determined.
Desmond Reid, after leaving last weekend’s contest versus No. 9 Notre Dame with an apparent ankle injury, was listed as questionable on Thursday’s initial player availability report.
It was another tough break for Reid in an injury-riddled campaign. Initially going down Sept. 13 during the Backyard Brawl, Reid missed Pitt’s next two games against Louisville and Boston College.
Returning to action against Florida State on Oct. 11, he dominated, catching eight passes for 155 yards and two scores, adding 45 rushing yards.
But a week later, Reid was out again, missing the Syracuse game. Versus N.C. State on Oct. 25, Reid played but departed in the third quarter with an injury, which kept him out of Pitt’s following game at Stanford.
That led into last weekend against Notre Dame, which Reid started before again going down and leaving.
With Reid’s status uncertain, Narduzzi is bracing to utilize another committee approach with freshmen Ja’Kyrian Turner and Juelz Goff.
AP
Pitt running back Juelz Goff (8) crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA football game against Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Syracuse, N.Y.
“(Turner) has shown what he can do,” Narduzzi said. “Juelz Goff can go, and we’ll see where (Reid) is.”
Regardless of who’s running the ball for Pitt, Saturday also looks to be a favorable matchup through the air for Heintschel as the Yellow Jackets are allowing 243.2 yards per game, 103rd in the nation.
Coming off of an offensive clunker versus Notre Dame, Pitt hopes to get back to basics against the Yellow Jackets in a game with ACC title game implications.
A win keeps alive Pitt’s hopes (still contingent on help from around the conference) of appearing Dec. 6 in Charlotte, N.C. Georgia Tech punches its ticket to the title game with a win.
To go punch-for-punch with the Yellow Jackets, Pitt’s offense will need to actually get into a flow. Part of that will pertain to possessing the ball for longer, as Notre Dame dominated in that department, 35:17-24:43.
For the Panthers, getting back to playing fast will be a key.
“I feel like if we play with a bit more tempo, the ball’s more in our court and we kind of control when the get-off is coming,” center Lyndon Cooper said. “If they have an idea when the get-off is coming, it plays into their hands, so we might play a little bit more tempo this week.”
Pitt also struggled on third downs a week ago, going 0 for 13, the first time this season no third downs were converted.
That was a particular emphasis in practice this week, especially how to give a better account on third-and-long, which was Pitt’s primary third-down scenario against the Irish.
“We always work third-and-medium, third-and-short, but there was a little more emphasis on third-and-long,” Narduzzi said. “We hope we’re not in third-and-long. We go into every game hoping we’re not in third-and-long. You look back and say, ‘What could we have done better a week ago?’ We need to get more third downs working. … We’ve got to block them up and keep our quarterback clean.”
Pitt has vowed not to let the loss to Notre Dame snowball.
To achieve that, it will take a far better offensive effort, one players believe they have in them come Saturday.
“We all know we took a pretty devastating loss last week, and we know we’re a much better team than that,” Cooper said. “We’re onto the next team, which is Georgia Tech.”
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
