Pickett, Addison, lead Pitt to first 10-win regular season since 1981

Pitt came out looking shaky early on against Syracuse in its regular season finale Saturday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The Orangemen orchestrated a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and then held Pitt's offense without a first down for the Panthers' first three drives of the game.

Syracuse came into the game with a purpose, as its 5-6 record meant a win over Pitt would make the team bowl eligible. Just one quarter in with the Orangemen up 7-0 and the Panthers without a single first down gained on offense, it looked like the game could've been Pitt's third letdown game of the season.

But the rest of the way, Pitt left no doubt in a 31-14 win. It was a dominant win in a week where a loss wouldn't cost the Panthers any ACC ground as they clinched the ACC Coastal division last week and had their ticket punched to the ACC Championship Game. But the win still carried plenty weight to it as the Panthers finished their season with a 10-2 record, making 2021 the first ten-win regular season for the program since 1981.

"It's been 40 years since we've done this," Pat Narduzzi said when asked after the game about getting a tenth win. "It was the eighth time in Pitt history to get ten wins in a season. Our kids played their hearts out today. Syracuse, give them credit because they've got a good football team. Dino Babers has done an outstanding job. Our guys made some great plays today."

Pitt's playmakers got to work down 7-0 with 11:54 to go in the second quarter, Kenny Pickett took the field and led the Panthers on an eleven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that finished with a touchdown screen pass to Rodney Hammond II. 

Two plays later, Pitt's defense got Pickett the ball back with Erick Hallett II forcing a fumble that SirVocea Dennis would recover. Then six plays later Pickett would float a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison to give Pitt the 14-7 lead that it would not relinquish.

The Panthers would score 28 points before Syracuse would get back on the board. That was led by Pickett's completing 28 of 38 for 209 passing yards, four touchdowns and only one interception. He was joined by Addison leading Pitt with eleven receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

"We had a conservative game plan for Kenny today," Narduzzi said. "We've got a big game next weekend coming up in the ACC Championship Game. Kenny's outstanding. He's our guy and we'll keep riding with him. We're glad he's back."

Pitt won the game by playing its own brand of football. In a game where Syracuse brought the ACC's top rushing offense that averaged 230.1 rushing yards per game against the ACC's top rushing defense in Pitt's average of 98.1 rushing yards allowed per game, the Panthers dominated. Syracuse ran the ball 30 times for only 25 yards, averaging less than a yard per carry.

Once the run was taken away, the Panthers brought their patented pass rush to bring down Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader down five times, bringing their season total to 46 sacks this year, good for the second-most in the country behind Oklahoma State's 47 sacks. 

That's Pitt's brand of defense that Narduzzi has cultivated to be staple in the ACC. It was the 22nd game under Narduzzi that the Panthers have recorded at least five sacks, and the sixth time this season to achieve that feat. This season, the Panthers are 6-0 when they reach the mark of five sacks.

Meanwhile, Pickett and Addison had great nights. Both were announced as finalists for major awards last week with Pickett for the Maxwell Award for most outstanding college football player and Addison for the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in the country. Finishing with a strong winning performance to the regular season only padded their resumes to win each of their awards.

Pickett finished the regular season with 40 touchdown passes, setting the single season record as he passed Dan Marino. He also tied Marino's Pitt record of 79 career touchdown passes. Pickett already  holds all-time Pitt records for passing yards, completions, total offense, touchdowns responsible for, most passing yards in a game, most passing yards in a season, most 300-yard passing games, and most rushing touchdowns for a quarterback.

Pickett, who decided back on Dec. 15, 2020 to return for a fifth-year with Pitt on the NCAA eligibility waiver, has made the most of his final NCAA season and still has two huge games left to put an exclamation point on his work.

"Probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, second to coming to Pitt," Pickett said after the game when asked to think back about his decision to return for another season. "I'm proud and grateful for this team. I'm excited to get to this championship game now."

Addison now has 17 touchdown receptions on the season, the second-most in ACC history behind DeAndre Hopkins' 18 touchdowns in 2012. Addison still has the ACC Championship Game and most likely a big bowl game ahead. That means he has a god chance to pass Hopkins, who got his final two touchdowns in 2012 during the Chick Fil-A Bowl. His 17 receiving touchdowns is now second to only Larry Fitzgerald's 22 touchdown receptions in 2003, a Pitt record. 

After Wake Forest's win over Boston College today, the Demon Deacons clinched the Atlantic Division to set themselves up as Pitt's opponent for the ACC Championship Game at 8 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 4. in Charlotte, N.C.

"Wake Forest is awesome," Narduzzi said of the Demon Deacons after the win over Syracuse. "They do a great job and have a great football coach. We're going to have to play our best. We've got two ten-win teams going into Charlotte. It'll be a great football game."

"It will take everybody," Pickett said after the game when asked what it will take to beat Wake Forest next week. "The whole entire team has to have our best week of practice. We've got to have our best week of preparation, and give everything we've got."

Pitt has set the stage to continue its campaign of making history. The Panthers have already become the first team to win multiple ACC Coastal division titles since they joined the conference in 2013, and now has a chance to become the first ACC program not named Clemson or Florida State to win the conference since Virginia Tech won the ACC in 2010.

In addition to Pitt matching its 1981 regular season win total, Pitt has the chance Saturday to win an eleventh game during a season, which would be the fifth time in program history. If the Panthers pull off the win against Wake Forest, it would not only be their first ever ACC Championship, but also the program's first conference championship since Pitt won the Big East in 2010. 

A win would also set up the Panthers with the opportunity to earn a twelfth win this season, a feat only accomplished once by the program in its 1976 national championship season. A lot rides on how Pitt plays in these postseason games as it will also get a bowl invite regardless of its fate next week.

But for Narduzzi, winning the ACC Championship Game would bring a major bowl game opportunity for Pitt and the chance for the program to plant a flag in the ACC as a team that should be respected moving forward. The biggest respect to be gained with that kind of success doesn't come from opponents, but from potential future recruits who might look at Pitt as the rising program in college football where they can make their mark and grow into major NFL draft picks.

Before any of that, the Panthers have to take down Wake Forest next Saturday and finish what they've started.