By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
PITTSBURGH, PA–Make it 4 in a row for the Pitt Panthers in the Mason Heintschel Era as they defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack 53-28 during the school’s Homecoming festivities at Acrisure Stadium.
The Walk-on Freshman QB set Pitt’s freshman single-game passing record with 423 yards. He is the first ACC freshman in the past 30 seasons to throw for 400 yards and three touchdowns in a game. He is the first Pitt quarterback to throw for 400 yards in a game since Kenny Pickett in 2021.
“All right. Ask for a complete win, complete game out of our players. “Said Narduzzi. “I was happy with what we did out there today. I think it was a darn good win against a really talented football team in North Carolina State. Got a lot of respect for Dave Doeren and the program. We obviously gave up some big plays on defense. But I couldn’t be prouder of the effort of our coaching staff, of what we put on that field today. We had a starting middle linebacker today, Abe Ibrahim, who got it done inside, the snaps he was in.”
The win marked Narduzzi’s 50th ACC victory. Pitt’s 53 points were its sixth most in a conference game since joining a league in 1993 and its first 50-point conference outing since scoring 54 at Duke in 2021.
“Mason played great. And, again, he’s upset — he’s in the locker room upset that he missed some throws and missed that and could have done this better.” Said Narduzzi. “But that’s kind of how he is. He’s not worried about what he did well. He’s worried about what he can fix, and you gotta love that.”
With six wins, Pitt (6-2, 4-1 ACC) is now bowl eligible.
The Panthers led from start to finish and only allowed NC State to get as close as 24-21 in the first half, but the Panthers extended their lead and eventually ran away with the game in the second half as the team continued to respond to Heintschel’s leadership.
“You know what, because he makes plays, I guess. I mean, he’s getting the ball out of his hand.” Said Narduzzi.” I mean, he gave up zero sacks and throws, whatever, 40 sometimes. I mean, he just knows where to go with the ball. I can’t say they responded any differently. Just Mason is making plays, and guys are going to rally around those guys that make everybody look good.”
Wide receivers Kenny Johnson (112 yards, TD) and Cataurus Hicks (120 yards, TD) both surpassed 100 yards. It’s the first time Pitt has had two 100-yard receivers in a game since its 34-24 win at North Carolina on Oct. 5, 2024. Fellow receiver Raphael ‘Poppy’ Williams caught Heintschel’s 3rd TD pass and finished with 62 yards on 5 passes.
Hicks’ 84-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the longest of his career and is tied for the fourth longest in school history. His 120 receiving yards marked the highest single-game total by a Pitt wide receiver this year.
K Trey Butkowski converted nine of 10 kicks (4 FGs, 5 PATs). His four field goals are a career high and the first by a Panther with at least four in a game since Ben Sauls made five in the Sun Bowl vs. UCLA (Dec. 30, 2022).
RB Ja’Kyrian Turner led Pitt in rushing yards with 50 on 13 attempts, marking the third time this year he has led Pitt in rushing yards in a single game. He led Pitt in rushing touchdowns with two, marking his second game this season with two rushing touchdowns (also on October 11 at Florida State). His six rushing touchdowns lead the team.
“He’s a true freshman going out there getting a lot of meaningful reps. He’s athletic. I mean, you guys see him. He’s tough. He’s physical.” Said Narduzzi of his running back. “He had that one drop, Caden wanted to choke him out there. It was first down, easy completion, probably another first down. But he’s just going to continue to get better. He’s going to be special for Pitt.”
RB Desmond Reid (13 carries, 50 yards) scored Pitt’s 3rd rushing TD, but ended up missing some time during the game due to injury. “He practiced good last week. He was 100 percent going in today. Obviously not 100 percent coming out, and that’s the fear. He said he was good afterwards, so we’ll see how he is on Monday.” Said Narduzzi.
The Panthers will begin November with a trip to California to face the Stanford Cardinal (3-5, 2-3) . Their goal is to continue their winning ways and not fall into any traps as Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami awaits.
“Offensively, obviously, we were really explosive. Mason played at a high level, and that’s how you win football games.” Said Narduzzi.
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