Pitt Rout NC State 53-35 Amid Injuries

Pittsburgh routed NC State 53-35 at Acrisure Stadium, handing the Wolfpack a second straight road blowout and dropping NC State to 4-4 (1-3 ACC) as Pitt’s offense overwhelmed them. True freshman QB Mason Heintschel passed for more than 250 yards in the first half and repeatedly connected with junior WR Kenny Johnson, who had 112 yards on seven first-half catches but exited after a helmet-to-helmet hit and was seen sidelined with his arm tucked. Both teams entered the game with notable availability issues: Pitt’s star linebacker Rasheem Biles was ruled out for a second straight game and Kyle Louis was a game‑time decision, while NC State was missing Sean Brown and AJ Richardson and listed right guard Spike Sowells out with Anthony Carter Jr. a game‑time decision. NC State still produced early explosive plays — Justin Joly and Hollywood Smothers scored early — and Smothers entered the matchup with 739 rushing yards and six TDs, but the Wolfpack could not contain Pitt’s offensive surge. Coach Dave Doeren said the bye week was used to get healthier and correct execution, though injuries remained a limiting factor. Separately, Syracuse opened a preseason exhibition at Buffalo with a heavily revamped 11-new-player roster that coach Adrian Autry called his best in three years; JJ Starling and Donnie Freeman returned, Naithan George was added at point guard, and freshman Sadiq White did not play due to an upper-body injury.