By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
PITTSBURGH, PA — When walk-on freshman Mason Heintschel took over the quarterback position last season and guided the Pitt Panthers to a 6-3 record and a bowl bid, it quickly became apparent that the young quarterback had something special.
One thing Heintschel wanted to prove in his sophomore season was that his 16-touchdown performance in just nine games as a freshman was no fluke.
After his performance against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in Pitt’s home opener at Acrisure Stadium, consider that mission accomplished.
Heintschel tied a Pitt single-game record with seven touchdown passes and threw for 453 yards on 31-of-41 passing as the Panthers rolled to a convincing 59-14 victory over the RedHawks.
“Heck of a way to open up the season. I can tell you that,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “First thing, I’m proud of our players. They did a great job mentally getting in the game. I know physically we were ready.”
Pitt finished with 646 total yards while holding Miami (Ohio) to 289 yards. The Panthers scored 31 points in the first half and added another 28 after halftime, while the defense surrendered 14 points in the opening two quarters before shutting out the RedHawks the rest of the way.
“I just think we had a better team out there today,” Narduzzi said. “Our guys made plays when they needed to.”
Narduzzi acknowledged there were still areas to clean up, particularly on special teams and with defensive alignment. The Panthers also surrendered two explosive plays that drew the coach’s attention.
“But that’s what you get,” Narduzzi said.
Heintschel Makes History
The story of the afternoon, however, was Heintschel.
His seven touchdown passes tied the Pitt record established by Pete Gonzalez in 1997. Even more impressively, the performance established a new Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record for touchdown passes.
Heintschel spread the ball around, throwing touchdown passes to seven different receivers.
Cataurus “Blue” Hicks led the Panthers with 114 receiving yards and was among the group finding the end zone. Censere Lee, Malik Wright, Ja’Kyrian Turner, Eijah Lagg and Damon Fergueson Jr. also caught touchdown passes for Pitt, which improved to 1-0.
Perhaps just as important to Narduzzi was the fact that Heintschel protected the football.
“How many turnovers did we have? Zero,” Narduzzi said. “That’s kind of what we’ve shown in scrimmages. He’s taking care of the ball.”
Narduzzi did point out a few decisions he wanted his quarterback to improve upon, including a couple of throws that could have been avoided in favor of check-down opportunities.
Still, Heintschel’s overall performance was difficult to criticize.
Panthers Find Success on the Ground
While Heintschel dominated through the air, Pitt’s running game provided another productive element.
The Panthers rushed for 166 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run by Justin Cook.
“It was okay,” Narduzzi said of the rushing attack.
Miami (Ohio) entered the game with a reputation for defending the run, having ranked 36th nationally against the rushing attack last season.
Narduzzi said Pitt’s ground game improved as the RedHawks began to adjust defensively.
“In the second half when they started loosening up a little bit, I thought the run game got a little bit better,” he said. “But that’s because I think they were sick of getting beat one-on-one trying to play man coverage and load the box.”
Chadha Matches Pitt Field-Goal Record
Pitt also made its presence felt on special teams.
Kicker Antonio Chadha drilled a 58-yard field goal, tying the school record previously established by Ben Sauls and Alex Kessman.
Narduzzi said Chadha has demonstrated the leg strength to make kicks from even farther away.
“I’ve seen him kick it from 65, so we knew he could kick it,” Narduzzi said. “I didn’t really want to make his first kick in Acrisure Stadium to be from 58, but he obviously handled it good and he’s got confidence.”
UCF Next
With the season-opening victory secured, Pitt now turns its attention to the University of Central Florida, which comes to Acrisure Stadium next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.
For Narduzzi, the challenge is simple: maintain the same level of preparation and consistency that produced such an impressive opening performance.
“When we came out of that tunnel and I came down there, that energy was great,” Narduzzi said, praising the Panther Pitt student section. “I thought it was really good.”
While an impressive opening victory naturally creates excitement about what the Panthers might accomplish this season, Narduzzi isn’t interested in looking too far ahead.
“But I’m not worried about records; I’m worried about winning football games and coming out of that game healthy, which we came out healthy,” he said.
After a record-setting afternoon from Heintschel and a dominant offensive performance, Pitt has certainly set the tone for the season.
Now the Panthers will look to build on it.
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