Led by linebacker Kyle Louis, improvements on defense could lead Pitt to greater heights

Not unlike every coach before him, each of his colleagues across the nation and anyone who will walk a sideline in the future, Pat Narduzzi insists on playing games one at a time.

His credo: Try to go 1-0 every week and at the end of the season, look up and assess the fallout.

Yet there he was, the coach of the 5-0 (1-0 ACC) Pitt Panthers on Saturday inside Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., coming to a definite conclusion with seven games left in the season — at least as far as voting for All-ACC linebacker is concerned. If all the ballots aren't in, the polling places should be closed, according to Pitt's coach.

He was talking about outside linebacker Kyle Louis, whose sack of UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell in the final 71 seconds nailed down a 34-24 victory that may vault the Panthers into the Associated Press Top 25.

"He's an All-ACC linebacker," Narduzzi said. "Let's just vote for it now."

That tells you what Narduzzi thinks of Louis, who certainly looks the part of one of the best, it not the best, linebacker in the ACC.

In five games, he has a stacked stat line, with 42 tackles (17 solo), 6 1⁄2 TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions, seven quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and pass breakup.

Pitt's final defensive snap Saturday and of the 38-34 victory against West Virginia (2-0 in the Big 12, by the way) were some versions of a splash play by Louis – interception and shoestring sack.

"(We) probably don't blitz him enough, probably (should) blitz him every damn down," Narduzzi said. "He's a relentless individual. That's for sure."

Louis led what became a winning effort by a defense that never surrendered the lead in the second half. Pitt stopped North Carolina on four of six fourth downs. The Tar Heels needed only 2, 6, 1 and 2 yards to move the chains and couldn't do it.

"They were getting desperate," Louis said. "They know they can't stop our offense."

Still, there were no interceptions or fumble recoveries and Louis' sack was his first since the opener.

"We still have to get four-man pressure more, felt like we missed some sacks we have to get in the future," Narduzzi said.

While watching quarterback Eli Holstein guide Pitt toward four touchdowns and 520 total yards – its third 500-plus game of the season — maybe this thought crossed your mind:

If Pitt had a better defense and Narduzzi could couple it with an offense that hasn't been under 28 points in five games, maybe he'll really have something.

What should be encouraging for Pitt fans is the Panthers are winning close games against power conference opponents – Cincinnati, West Virginia and North Carolina. The defense is making clutch plays, and Holstein has thrown three touchdown passes in all five games.

"When stuff gets hard, we have the ability to pull out a win like this. It's going to help us later in the season," Holstein told ESPN2 after the game.

The return of defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons, a Central Valley graduate, helped the front. But UNC running back Omarion Hampton still rushed for 106 yards.

Maybe that's the nature of college football in this decade. The team that can survive shootouts will be standing at the end.

Take a look at eight final scores from Saturday:

The winning teams allowed an average of 35.9 points per game, but still went home smiling.

Pitt's defense held North Carolina to 17. That should be good enough to win a lot of games.

"The defense held strong all day," Narduzzi said, noting that 17 points is the team's goal.

Pitt comes home to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday to face a California team (3-2, 0-2) that was leading Miami, 35-10, late in the third quarter before the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0) rallied for a 39-38 victory. Pitt and Miami are the only undefeated teams in the ACC.

A victory would make Pitt 6-0 for the first time since 1982. Imagine that, matching a standard set during the golden age of Pitt football.

"We're worried about Cal," Narduzzi said Saturday before the Miami and Cal kickoff. "We're on to the next. We'll enjoy this for the evening and in the morning (Sunday) get back to work."

Said Louis: "Nothing matters if we don't win a conference game. You lose to one team, that can change the whole demeanor of how your season is going to go."

He means the story of the 2024 Pitt Panthers has yet to be written. What he didn't say is this, but surely understands:

There are seven games left in the season, and that's a long time.