Kenny Pickett shines as Pitt knocks off Clemson tightens grip on 1st

Pitt needs the yards and touchdowns through the air, and the sharp, snap decisions that set Kenny Pickett apart from most quarterbacks. But his worth to the No. 23 Panthers goes far beyond the stat sheet. Early Saturday evening at Heinz Field, Pickett showed 60,594 patrons and nine NFL representatives why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He threw for 302 yards, two more touchdowns and no interceptions while Pitt (6-1, 3-0) flexed its muscles against six-time defending ACC champion Clemson (4-3, 3-2) in a 27-17 victory. It marked the first time Pitt won six of its first seven games since 2015, coach Pat Narduzzi’s first season. Those are just numbers, and so many other quarterbacks can and will achieve similar feats. Pickett took it many steps further. With the need to maintain control of the football at critical points in the fourth quarter, Pickett ran for two first downs on third-and-8 and third-and-7, diving at the end of both plays to move the sticks. Along with freshman running back Rodney Hammond Jr.’s 11 carries for 66 yards (all after sitting for three quarters), Pickett gave Pitt the push it needed to bury Clemson. Let Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis tell you what Pickett means to the team that is leading the ACC Coastal.“The first thought that comes to my mind is ‘Man, he’s a winner,’ ” Dennis said. “If our head leader is doing all of that for us just to fight for that extra yard, if he’s doing that, I can do a little bit extra for him.“I think everyone else sees it as well. Kenny is showing everybody, ‘All right, it’s time to fight.’ ”Pickett has been around too long — five seasons and 43 starts — to let someone else nail down one of the biggest victories in recent Pitt history.“I told coach Whip (offensive coordinator Mark Whipple), ‘Just keep the ball in my hands. I want to go and do it myself.’ ”The first run was a scramble, but the second was a play designed for Pickett.“Those guys up front did a great job, and it was a great call, too,” Pickett said. When Pickett wasn’t completing 25 of 39 passes, five Pitt players gained 162 yards on the ground for a total of 464 against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. Pitt’s yardage and point total were the most Clemson’s defense has allowed this season. N. C. State also scored 27, but the game went into a second overtime. Prior to the game, coach Pat Narduzzi made a point of praising Clemson for its smothering defense, and that’s how it looked — but only for the first quarter. Pitt recovered from a slow start and scored twice within the final 3 minutes, 18 seconds of the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. Pickett, who broke a Pitt record by reaching 879 career completions, was sacked twice and Clemson recorded six hurries in the first half. Eventually, he found rhythm with his pass catchers, who were having trouble getting open in the first quarter. He also found Jordan Addison and Taysir Mack for 23- and 39-yard touchdown throws.

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