PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh spent most of the year letting winnable games slip through its grasp.

Antwuan Reed wouldn’t let another one get away.

The senior cornerback returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown with less than 3 minutes to play to lift the Panthers to a 33-20 victory over Syracuse on Saturday and end Pitt’s roller coaster season on a decidedly up note.

“This is the way we’ve wanted to play all season,” Reed said. “We picked a good time to come through with a game like this because we needed to get this win for the seniors.”

And for defensive coordinator Keith Patterson, whose father died earlier in the week. Patterson’s unit responded by forcing six Syracuse turnovers and consistently coming up with big stops whenever the Orange threatened.

“I’m sure my dad would have something to critique me on today,” Patterson said, jokingly. “I’ll miss that.”

The Panthers (6-6, 4-3 Big East) became bowl eligible for the fourth straight year with the win, a victory in itself following an enigmatic fall in which Pitt — picked to finish second in the Big East in the preseason — would look dominant one week and dismal the next.