The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

By Chris Gates | The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

It’s officially game week.

After an offseason of roster turnover, transfer portal additions, training camp reports and speculation about what this Pitt team could become, we finally get to see the Panthers play an actual football game.

Pitt opens the 2026 season Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against Miami (Ohio) at Acrisure Stadium, and while the Panthers will be significant favorites, this isn’t necessarily your typical season-opening matchup against an overmatched MAC opponent.

Miami is one of the better programs in the Group of Six. The RedHawks have invested heavily in their football program, have an experienced head coach in Chuck Martin and have assembled a roster with legitimate talent.

That makes this a worthwhile opening test for Pitt.

It’s also a test the Panthers should pass comfortably.

Miami (Ohio) Is Not Your Typical MAC Opponent

If there’s one thing Pitt fans should understand about Miami going into Saturday, it’s that this is a program that has made a legitimate investment in football.

The financial disparity between Power Four and Group of Six programs has only grown in recent years, and MAC programs tend to operate near the bottom of the resource pool in major college football.

Miami is trying to separate itself from that pack.

The RedHawks have reportedly invested significantly in building their roster and have been aggressive in the transfer portal. That comes on top of the stability Martin has created during his tenure.

Miami has consistently been one of the better programs in the MAC, and its recent defensive production in particular is impressive. The RedHawks have regularly ranked well nationally in scoring defense and have accumulated 107 sacks over the past three seasons.

So this isn’t a team Pitt should overlook.

The betting line reflects some of that respect, too. Pitt is favored by 16.5 points, which is a healthy number, but nowhere near some of the massive spreads you’ll see when Power Four programs play lower-level competition early in the season.

There’s a reason for that.

Miami has talent.

The bigger question is whether all of that talent is ready to come together in Week 1.

Miami Has a Major Question at Quarterback

The biggest development surrounding Miami this offseason happened at the most important position on the field.

Quarterback Thomas Gotkowski suffered a season-ending injury, leaving Kansas transfer David McComb as Miami’s starter.

McComb is intriguing. He’s 6-foot-4, has good size and athleticism and appears to have the physical tools Miami wants at the position.

What he doesn’t have is experience.

Saturday will be McComb’s first college football game. In fact, it will be his first start in a football game in nearly two years.

That’s an incredibly difficult assignment for any quarterback, and it becomes even more challenging when the opponent is Pitt.

For all of the questions surrounding Pitt’s defense this season, we know what Pat Narduzzi wants it to do.

• Stop the run.
• Pressure the quarterback.
• Create negative plays.
• Force mistakes.

An inexperienced quarterback making his collegiate debut is exactly the type of situation Pitt’s defense should be able to attack.

But first, the Panthers have to earn that opportunity.

Pitt Has to Stop the Run

Miami probably doesn’t want McComb throwing the football 30 or 40 times Saturday afternoon.

The RedHawks have an experienced offensive line, multiple talented running backs and a quarterback they will presumably want to ease into the game.

That makes Miami’s offensive approach relatively easy to anticipate.

• Run the football.
• Stay ahead of the chains.
• Avoid obvious passing situations.
• Don’t make McComb win the game by himself.

And that puts Pitt’s rebuilt defense immediately under the microscope.

The Panthers lost a lot from last year’s defense, particularly at linebacker. Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles are gone, which means players like Braylan Lovelace and Jeremiah Marcelin will have to assume much larger roles.

There are similar questions along the defensive line.

Pitt has players like Sean FitzSimmons, Zach Crothers and Jaeden Moore who have played and flashed potential, but the Panthers need some of those players to prove they can handle larger and more consistent roles.

Miami should give them an immediate opportunity.

If Pitt can control the line of scrimmage and shut down Miami’s running game, everything changes.

Instead of McComb handing the ball off on second-and-5, Pitt can put him in third-and-8.

That’s when Narduzzi and defensive coordinator Cory Sanders can start dialing things up.

• Make an inexperienced quarterback diagnose pressure.
• Make him get the protections right.
• Make him process Pitt’s defense quickly and accurately.
• Make him throw the football under pressure.

If Pitt consistently gets Miami into those situations, this game could get away from the RedHawks.

Pitt’s Offense Should Have Opportunities

The matchup on the other side of the football might be even more favorable for Pitt.

Miami has traditionally played good defense under Martin, but the RedHawks are replacing a significant amount of personnel along the defensive line and in the secondary.

Linebacker appears to be the strength of the defense.

That turnover elsewhere creates an intriguing opportunity for a Pitt offense that has generated significant optimism throughout training camp.

Start up front.

Pitt enters the season with an experienced offensive line. Four seniors and a junior are expected to anchor a group that has spent considerable time playing together.

Against a Miami defensive front trying to incorporate new personnel, Pitt should have an advantage.

That needs to show up Saturday.

Pitt should be able to establish the running game with Ja’Kyrian Turner while also giving Mason Heintschel time to operate in the passing game.

And if the offensive line does its job, this could be our first opportunity to see just how explosive Pitt’s offense really is.

How Fast Is This Pitt Offense?

One of the themes that emerged throughout Pitt’s offseason was speed.

Offensive coordinator Kade Bell reinforced that again this week while discussing some of Pitt’s playmakers and casually referencing their track times from high school.

That’s not insignificant.

Pitt has quietly assembled a group of skill players with legitimate speed.

• Malik Knight brings a combination of size and speed at wide receiver.
• Censere Lee gives Pitt another explosive option.
• Turner brings speed out of the backfield.

There are still plenty of questions that need to be answered.

• Can the receivers consistently create separation?
• Can they run crisp routes?
• Can they catch the football?
• Can everyone execute Bell’s offense at the tempo he wants?

Being fast doesn’t automatically make an offense good.

But if Heintschel has time to throw Saturday, Pitt should have opportunities to test a Miami secondary that’s incorporating a lot of new pieces.

And that’s what I’d like to see.

This is probably not a game where Bell empties the playbook with UCF coming to Pittsburgh next week. Pitt can afford to keep things relatively vanilla.

But we’ve already seen what Bell’s offense can do against teams when Pitt has a significant talent advantage.

You don’t necessarily need exotic play-calling if your athletes are simply better than the guys trying to cover them.

Miami Is Still Trying to Put Everything Together

This is ultimately what makes me feel pretty comfortable about the matchup.

Miami may become a very good Group of Six team this season.

The problem for the RedHawks is Pitt gets them in Week 1.

Approximately two-thirds of Miami’s roster has been with the program for one season or less. The RedHawks added 27 transfers and 28 freshmen this offseason, meaning nearly half of the roster is new.

Even Martin has acknowledged what that means.

He has called Miami a “work in progress” and said the RedHawks aren’t a consistent football team yet.

That’s completely understandable.

But it’s also a difficult situation when you’re opening the season on the road against a Power Four opponent.

Miami has a new quarterback. New receivers. Significant turnover on the defensive line. Significant turnover in the secondary. Transfers are being incorporated throughout the roster.

Meanwhile, Pitt has experience in some of the places where it matters most in this matchup.

The Panthers have veterans along the offensive line. They have veterans along the defensive front. They have an established quarterback in Heintschel and an established running back in Turner.

And they’re playing at home.

What Pitt Needs to Do to Win

The blueprint isn’t particularly complicated.

Stop the run.

Make McComb beat you. Pitt should want an inexperienced quarterback making his first collegiate appearance throwing the football as often as possible.

Win up front offensively.

Pitt’s experienced offensive line should be better than Miami’s rebuilt defensive front. If that advantage doesn’t materialize, that would be one of my bigger concerns coming out of this game.

Create explosive plays.

We’ve heard about Pitt’s offensive speed throughout the offseason. Now it’s time to see it. Get Turner, Knight, Lee and the rest of Pitt’s playmakers into space and make Miami’s defense defend the entire field.

Don’t let Miami hang around.

Miami is too good and too well coached to treat this like an FCS tune-up. Pitt doesn’t need to score 35 points in the first quarter, but it also doesn’t want to spend the afternoon giving a good MAC team reasons to believe it can pull an upset.

Pitt fans have seen that movie before.

Prediction: Pitt 51, Miami (Ohio) 17

I don’t necessarily expect Pitt to blow Miami out immediately.

In fact, I could see this being a relatively competitive football game early.

Maybe Pitt leads something like 24-10 at halftime. Miami runs the football effectively enough to put together a couple of drives, and its defense makes Pitt work for things while everyone settles into the first game of the season.

But over four quarters, I think Pitt’s advantages become too much.

The Panthers should be better along the lines of scrimmage. They have the more experienced quarterback. They have explosive athletes on offense. And as the game progresses, Miami’s massive amount of roster turnover should become increasingly difficult to overcome.

Eventually, Pitt pulls away.

The 16.5-point spread isn’t enough for me. I expect Pitt to cover it comfortably and start the 2026 season with an impressive win.

Prediction: Pitt 51, Miami (Ohio) 17.