Pitt Football: 3 takeaways from ACC win at Syracuse in Week 8

Pitt football went to New York and dismantled Syracuse on Friday night. What did we learn about the Panthers in their Week 8 victory on the road?

Defending ACC Coastal champion Pitt went to the Carrier Dome on Friday night hoping to claim their fifth win of the season. Syracuse, sitting at .500 in the standings, harbored dreams of claiming their first conference win of the year and clawing one step closer to bowl eligibility on their home turf.

The Panthers had a field day against the Orange, teeing off regularly on the Syracuse quarterbacks as they racked up nine sacks. The result was a 27-20 victory on the road that put Pitt right in the thick of what is quickly developing into another crowded Coastal race this season.

Up 24-6 at halftime, Pitt held on to victory to head back to Pennsylvania one win away from ensuring themselves a postseason trip. Syracuse, meanwhile, charged back in the second half to make the game far closer than it looked like it would be after the first 30 minutes. But, needing a touchdown in the final two and a half minutes, hope died when a strip-fumble was reversed on review and Pitt was able to run out the clock on what turned into a much narrower win.

Two teams that came into the season with plenty of promise are surging in radically different directions. Here are three things we learned from the close call that worked out in favor of the Panthers on their trip to upstate New York.