MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Pitt's defense is undoubtedly its strongest asset as it tries to avoid dropping three straight games when the Panthers take on Miami Saturday at Noon in Hard Rock Stadium. Pat Narduzzi has made it abundantly clear his defense will stick to its strengths by focusing on stopping the run and rushing the passer while trusting its secondary to win one-on-one battles.
But what could be the biggest turning point for Pitt is if Kenny Pickett can be the spark that quarterbacks the offense to its most complete offensive performance against an ACC opponent.
Pickett suffered an injury against Boston College last Saturday at Alumni Stadium that forced him out of the second half. But he would limp his way back onto the field and lead Pitt to a fourth quarter game-tying field goal drive and throw a touchdown pass in overtime to give Pitt a chance to complete a late comeback.
That showing inspired Narduzzi to call Pickett a 'warrior' after the game. He wouldn't specify whether Pickett would start, but Narduzzi did indicate he 'felt good' about where Pickett was Thursday.
Pickett's toughness to come back and perform well didn't just inspire his head coach, as players including guard Bryce Hargrove could attest.
"Kenny's play is inspiring," Hargrove said Wednesday. "You see him limping to the huddle but then he turns around and scrambles for a clutch first down. That's what's inspiring, he's so competitive and a great teammate. "I definitely was surprised. It inspired me and lit a fire up under me on that last drive. A guy is out there hurt and he's still giving it his all. You have to respect it."
Pickett's been more than just an inspiration to Pitt's offense, he's been the straw that stirs the drink.
Pitt does average 31.6 points per game, ranking eighth among ACC teams and being much better than the 21.5 points per game last year that ranked the Panthers next to last. But take out the 55-0 beatdown of FBS opponent Austin Peay and that average drops to 25.75 points per game, which would drop the team to 12th in the ACC.
The Panthers may very well need another 30+ point performance when facing Miami's quarterback D'Eriq King, which means Pickett could very well have to carry the offense as he has all season. His 277.8 passing yards per game and eight touchdowns are both third best in the ACC.
Pickett's doing all that with little presence in the running game as Pitt averages 124 rushing yards per game, ranking 13th in the ACC. That's also with Pickett taking up more than 19 percent of the Panthers' rushing yards, as he is second on the team with 119. His five rushing touchdowns leads the team, and is the second most in the ACC.
Most of those come from quarterback sneaks, something that Hargrove feels good about when you ask him.
"We love those QB sneaks," Hargrove said. "Every time coach calls that we're prepared to convert and we use the mentality that the work we've done in the weight room is better than anyone else. So that's how we approach the line each time."
Between the sneaks and the running, Pickett is exposed to a lot of hits. Whether that's a good idea with him being banged up or not is a good question. But Narduzzi explained earlier this week that Pitt is willing to live with Pickett playing his own style of football.
"Yeah, I mean, Kenny is a tough guy," Narduzzi said Monday. "Last week some people thought when he got targeted (in the NC State game) that it was a head, but it was actually he had the wind knocked out of him, just so we're all straight there. I don't know if I mentioned that to you last week. You know, when he got banged up, it was on a quarterback scramble. There's nothing else you can do. You'd like him to maybe throw it away if he doesn't like what he sees, but I wish he'd just stay in the pocket and throw the ball because he had a guy wide open even on that play over the middle, if you go back and look at the videotape. So it's just kind of hanging in there."
Pickett is certified tough, but Miami's defense is very athletic. Miami, like Pitt with Jaylen Twyman, is missing a key defensive lineman who opted out of the 2020 season in Gregory Rousseau, who projects as a first round edge rusher in the 2021 NFL Draft.
But the Hurricanes still have talent that should alarm the Panthers in defensive end Quincy Roche. Although Roche only has two sacks on the season, his explosiveness is a challenge for any offensive tackle to face. Al Blades Jr. is an exceptional college cornerback with two interceptions on the season already and will be playing in the NFL someday.
Facing Miami doesn't seem to have rattled Pitt, and that's good. Because the Panthers need to come into this game confident and keep their heads up to watch for the different challenges Miami's defense brings as the game continues.
Narduzzi said that his team's maturity has given him confidence to trust what he's seeing in practice.
"I don't think we've ever had a bad week or a bad practice," Narduzzi said Thursday. "But we've had average practices where we wonder how strong the focus was. Like on Tuesdays we have new installments into the offense that can be challenging, but then Wednesdays it gets better and Thursday is what we call 'perfect Thursday.' Our kids get locked in and focused that day. It's more of the seniors that have made our practices better than they were last year. I just like the maturity of the senior leadership. We've got a senior-led football team where the captains do a good job and the seniors do a good job. They're mature enough to know how you practice and the detail you need when you practice because you play like you practice."
We'll see just how detail oriented Pitt has been this week today.