The 2016 Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh football game was a regular-season college football game between the Syracuse Orange and the Pittsburgh Panthers, played on November 26, 2016, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game held the record for the most combined points scored in an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regulation game with 137 total points, breaking the previous record (136 points, set in a 2007 game played between Navy and North Texas) by a single point. The record was broken on November 5, 2022 when the SMU Mustangs defeated the Houston Cougars 77–63 for a combined 140 points. Oddly, this game aired on Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE-TV's main signal, while the one between Michigan and Ohio State aired on ESPN2 and on the This TV digital subchannel the station had at the time.
Before the game
Syracuse With first-year head coach Dino Babers in command, the Syracuse Orange entered their final game of 2016 with a record of 4–7, 2–5 in ACC play. The Orange had experienced ups and downs throughout the 2016 season, with peaks including wins against seventeenth-ranked Virginia Tech and rival Boston College a week later. However, the lows of the season tended to outweigh the highs, as the Orange defense had allowed at least 20 points in all but two games, and the team had suffered blowout losses at the hands of nationally ranked Louisville (No. 13), Clemson (No. 3), and Florida State (No. 17). The aforementioned loss to Florida State was Syracuse's seventh of the season, which put a bowl game out of reach coming into their final game.
Pittsburgh Under second-year head coach Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh entered this game 7–4, 4–3 in ACC play, having clinched a bowl game berth the week prior. The Panthers entered their final regular-season with a few very impressive wins on their schedule, namely an early-season win against eventual Big Ten champions Penn State and a road win against eventual national champions Clemson. These two victories proved to be the only two against ranked opponents, however, as they lost at home to No. 25 Virginia Tech on October 27. The Panthers offense had been doing its job throughout the 2016 season, scoring no less than 28 points in each of their previous 11 contests.
Rivalry series
Coming into the game, the Pitt–Syracuse series stood 37–31 in favor of Pitt, with three ties; previously, the highest-scoring meeting in the series was a 45–28 Syracuse win in 1998, totaling 73 points. Pittsburgh had won the last three matchups; furthermore, Syracuse's last victory in Pittsburgh against the Panthers came in 2001, as their two victories in the series since then had come in Syracuse.
Game summary
Game information Game TimeWeatherKickoff: 12:31 p.m. EST End of Game: 4:14 p.m. EST Duration: 3 hours, 43 minutesTemperature: Wind: W 13 mph Weather: Cloudy with showersGame officialsJ. Heaser (referee), M. Wilson (umpire), T. Lynch (linesman), D. Short (line judge)D. Bell (back judge), C. Clougherty (field judge), G. Hocker (side judge)Sources:
Scoring summary
Game statistics
Team statistics StatSyracuse Pittsburgh First Downs 38 20 Rushing 14 12 Passing 21 7 Penalty 3 1Total Offense 668 644 Rushing 228 393 Passing 440 251Rushing Att–TD (Avg.) 45–4 (5.1) 40–6 (9.8)Passing Comp/Att (TD–Int) 43/61 (5–1) 9/19 (4–1)Fumbles–Lost 0–0 1–1Penalties–Yards 7–50 7–64Punts–Yards 6–268 3–129 Avg per Punt 44.7 43Time of Possession 35:42 24:183rd Down Conversions 9/20 7/114th Down Conversions 4/4 0/0PATs–Attempts 7–9 10–11Field Goals–Attempts (Long) 0–0 0–0
Game leaders Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Zack Mahoney 43/61, 440 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT Rushing Moe Neal 8 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD Receiving Amba Etta-Tawo 13 receptions, 178 yards, 5 TDPittsburgh Passing Nathan Peterman 9/18, 251 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing James Conner 19 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD Receiving Jester Weah 4 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD
Aftermath This game was Syracuse's last of the season, as they finished the 2016 campaign with a 4–8 record. Pittsburgh improved to 8–4 and accepted an invitation to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Panthers were favored by five, but lost to Northwestern, 31–24 and finished their season with a record of 8–5.
See also 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game, the record-holder for longest NCAA Division I football game, one of five to reach at least seven overtimes. 2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, the previous record-holder for highest scoring NCAA Division I regulation football game, totaling 136 points. 2012 Baylor vs. West Virginia football game, the highest scoring game between two ranked teams in FBS history, with 133 combined points. 2018 LSU vs. Texas A&M football game, the record-holder for highest-scoring game in FBS history, with 146 combined points. This game also reached seven overtimes. 2022 Houston vs. SMU football game, the current record holder for most points in an NCAA Division I regulation football game, with 140 points
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