University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Boot and Foot: How Chadha and Russo Became Pitt's Silent Weapons
9/24/2026 2:55:00 PM | Football
Antonio Chadha doesn't think about distance. He can't afford to.
That mindset was put to the ultimate test on Sept. 5, when Pitt lined up for a field goal as time expired in the first half against Miami (Ohio). The kick would travel 58 yards, tying Ben Sauls (2024) and Alex Kessman (2020) for the longest field goal in program history.
"I don't really think about the distance beforehand," Chadha said. "I'm just kind of locked in on staying prepared mentally, no matter what the distance is. I try and have the same kick every time."
Miami (OH) had a timeout in its pocket, and everyone in the building knew an icing attempt was coming. Chadha stood on the sideline waiting to get called back out, and by his own account it barely registered as a distraction.
The snap and hold were clean, the kick was true, and once the ball cleared the crossbar, the magnitude of the moment started to sink in — though not right away.
"It didn't really register with me until after the game, just because I'm locked in on the game," Chadha said. "Looking back, obviously tying the school record — it's an honor at a great program like Pitt. And to have that be my first-ever field goal at this level, it's really special."
Head coach Pat Narduzzi wasn't shocked by the leg. He'd seen it in practice, where Chadha had already flashed the kind of range that made the record-tying kick feel less like a surprise and more like a formality waiting to happen.
"I didn't really want to make his first kick in Acrisure Stadium be from 58," Narduzzi said. "But he handled it well and he's got confidence. I've got guys on the sideline saying, 'I love Antonio.' Even before he kicked it, there's confidence in that locker room for him to go hit it from 58."
Chadha, a walk-on who transferred in from Western Illinois in January, hasn't missed since.
He followed the record-tying kick with makes of 28, 42 and 34 yards against Central Florida and Syracuse, and he's a perfect 11-for-11 on extra points entering Saturday's home game against Bucknell.
It's the kind of consistency that comes from a self-imposed standard most people would find exhausting.
"I never want to end practice on a miss. Always have to end on a make," Chadha said. "It's more than just the ball going through the uprights. It's the actual kick itself — the process leading up to it."
That standard was forged in a summer-long competition with fellow kicker Sam Hunsaker. What could have easily turned into a tense rivalry instead became a friendship, with Hunsaker remaining one of Chadha's biggest supporters.
"Sam's such a great kicker, and I really owe him a lot of credit because he pushed me to be my best," Chadha said. "Sam is one of my best friends off the field too, and I'm happy that even now in practice, he's always pushing me to be my best."
A Different Kind of Pressure
While Chadha has been living in the moments everyone sees, Gabe Russo has spent his fall doing the job nobody notices unless it goes wrong.
The Idaho State transfer, who arrived at Pitt in January after a Second Team All-Big Sky season, has punted 13 times for 577 yards, landing five inside the 20-yard line and forcing opposing return units to defend the entire field.
His signature moment came in a downpour against Central Florida, where a routine punt operation becomes a nightmare of wet leather and bad snaps.
Narduzzi didn't hold back his admiration, delivered with his usual dry humor about the physical demands of the position.
"Just catching the snap — you just sit there and pray," Narduzzi said. "From 14 yards back, that thing's spinning. No disrespect to Gabe, but he ain't an athlete like a receiver catching a snap. He dropped two inside the 10-yard line. Those are big plays which give your defense a chance in a coming-out situation."
That precision was built the hard way. Russo grew up playing soccer and didn't touch a football until high school. He didn't even intend to become a punter, but a special teams coordinator who'd played Division I ball happened to be at his school and got him coached up fast.
"When I first went out there, I was kicking it like a goal kick in soccer," Russo said. "I had no idea. It was bad. But I had a really good coordinator, and pretty quickly he got me squared away."
He may have got into it late, but he's holding himself to a standard that leaves little room for satisfaction.
"There's stuff to clean up, but it's gone pretty well, in my opinion," Russo said. "Last game I put one on the two. We're supposed to be aiming for the eight-yard line, so if the gunners don't get it, that's on me every time."
Despite his self criticism, he has continuously put the Panthers in good positions.
Every punt that pins an opponent deep forces that offense to drive nearly the length of the field, giving Pitt's defense a long runway to force a mistake before the red zone is even in play. It's no coincidence that a defense playing with that kind of field-position advantage has held opponents to just 11.33 points per game this season.
