Meet Your Insider
Hey, Pitt fans! How's it goin', n'at? Welcome to The Cover Window! I'm Dominic Bertolucci, but around here they call me Yinz. I played linebacker back in a little steel-mill town, and these days I grade every tackle this team makes on my personal scale. It goes from "yinz," meaning a beautiful, textbook form tackle, all the way down to "yikes," meaning somebody whiffed. I blow a homemade whistle for every grade. The producers love it. Okay, they tolerate it. I travel with this team and I live with this team. When we win, I holler "Yinz SEE that?!" so loud the board op flinches. When we lose, I eat a sandwich with the fries right inside it, in total silence. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, loud and lovable.
The School in 60 Seconds
Pitt has a national championship in its trophy case: the 1976 Panthers went 12-0, and running back Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy that season. Then in 2021 under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt won its first ACC championship, beating Wake Forest 45-21 in the title game. Home is Acrisure Stadium, listed at 68,400, right there on the North Shore. The series with Miami is a long one, 43 meetings, though the Hurricanes lead 30-12-1. Dat's history, n'at.
The Coach and the Scheme
Pat Narduzzi was hired on Dec. 16, 2014. Defense is his thing, and this year's group is a "yinz" all the way. Pitt allows only 57.3 rushing yards a game, the best in FBS, and 16.4 points a game, 23rd. Opponents average 2.02 yards a carry. The Panthers have 15 sacks and 11 takeaways. The offense puts up 32.9 points and 450.1 yards a game, and its 284.6 passing yards rank 17th. Now for the "yikes" section: 81.7 penalty yards a game, which ranks 132nd. And the pass defense allows 249.0 yards a game, 115th.
Players to Know
QB Mason Heintschel: 1,304 yards, 14 TD and only 1 INT. But he tore the ACL in his right knee at Virginia Tech and is out for the season. Prayers for a full recovery, kid.
QB Corey Dailey: made his first start at Boston College and went 11 of 25 for 193 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Narduzzi said he hasn't decided who will start at Miami.
RB Damon Ferguson Jr.: 438 yards and 3 TD on 83 carries, including 119 yards at BC.
WR Cataurus Hicks: 26 catches, 500 yards, 4 TD. He had five catches for 135 yards and a touchdown at BC.
DB Cruce Brookins: a team-high 46 tackles. That's a whole lotta "yinz."
The Conference Picture
Pitt is 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, 4-1 at home and 1-1 on the road. We're not ranked. We started 5-0, including a 35-33 win at Virginia Tech, but then lost 21-17 at home to North Carolina and 27-21 at Boston College. Beating No. 1 on the road would flip this whole season around.
This Week: Pittsburgh (5-2) at No. 1 Miami (6-0)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · Noon ET · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens · ESPN. Forecast: 80 degrees, a 44% chance of storms and an 18 mph wind.
Last week: Pitt lost 27-21 at Boston College. Miami beat Florida State 43-35.
Our offense vs. their defense: this is a big ask. Miami allows only 58.5 rushing yards a game, second in FBS, and 14.0 points a game. Opponents average 2.34 yards a carry. We'll need Hicks to make plays down the field.
Their offense vs. our defense: Miami scores 48.5 points a game, the most in FBS, and it's the only team that has scored 30 or more in every game. QB Darian Mensah has 18 touchdowns, one interception and an 80.8% completion rate. WR Malachi Toney has 758 yards. Our run defense is the best in the country, but Miami's passing game is the real test for a pass defense ranked 115th.
Series: Miami leads 30-12-1.
Availability: Heintschel is out for the season. Pitt hasn't named a starting quarterback. One unofficial site reports Miami LB Max Buchanan out after knee surgery, but I could not confirm it officially. I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Who plays quarterback for Pitt, and can he protect the ball? (2) Can our secondary slow down Mensah and Toney? (3) Penalties. We can't give a team this good free yards.
And to Javi Castillo, Miami's insider: nice sunglasses, buddy. Bring 'em to Pittsburgh sometime and we'll find out if they work in the snow.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Watching in Oakland? Hello Bistro on Forbes Avenue for a quick game-day bite.
My call: Miami Hurricanes 37, Pittsburgh Panthers 18.