Final drive’s script familiar
DETROIT — Quarterback Kenny Pickett didn’t say anything sentimental or particularly inspiring before Pitt took the field for its final drive. At that point, in Pickett’s mind, “You’re ready or you’re not.”
“I think we were comfortable in that situation,” Pickett said of the Panthers’ game -winning, two-minute drill Thursday night in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field. “We’ve been in it before.”
He’s got a point. Pitt’s 10-play, 91-yard touchdown march — one that secured the program’s first bowl win since 2013 — was the Panthers’ fifth game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime this season.
Sept. 21, Pickett and Aaron Mathews’ “Pitt Special” with 59 seconds to go capped a 12-play, 79-yard drive that upended Central Florida. The next week, backup Nick Patti found Taysir Mack for a go-ahead, fourthquarter score. Seven days later, Pickett’s 4play, 82-yard dicing of Duke’s defense gave Pitt a lead it wouldn’t surrender with 38 ticks left. Nov. 14, Pickett plowed into the end zone for the overtime period’s lone touchdown in a 34-27 triumph against North Carolina.
And then Thursday ... well, that drive further proved Pickett’s mettle when it matters most. On the decisive drive, the junior quarterback — who was “locked in, focused and ready to do his job,” center Jimmy Morrissey said — went 5 of 8 for 76 yards, picked up three first downs and connected on a 25yard pass with Mack to win it.
Pickett — who completed 7 of 10 attempts over the middle for 179 yards through four quarters — whipped a 15-yard pass to Maurice Ffrench to move the chains. Three plays later, after Ffrench and Mack logged back-to-back drops, Pickett calmly found
V’Lique Carter on a screen that barely converted the third-and-10. Three snaps after that, Pickett shuffled up in the pocket, knowing he would get hit, and zipped a 23yard strike to Shocky Jacques-Louis — one of his best throws of the season.
Shortly after, No. 8 found No. 11, as Mack’s one-handed catch took the Ford Field patrons’ breath away. But everyone on Pitt’s offense — from Pickett to the linemen to coordinator Mark Whipple — deserved credit for that game-sealing series.
Now to be fair, all those above deserve credit for Pitt’s shortcomings, too. The Panthers were sporadic at best offensively in 2019, and that was on display yet again at Ford Field with four three-and-outs and two fumbles. Some will say it’s embarrassing that Pitt, an 11-point favorite, even needed a two-minute drill against Eastern Michigan. But there is something to be said for an offense lacking in the first, second and third quarters coming alive just in the fourth.
In the Sun Bowl a year ago, Pitt had the ball at its 4, down one with 3:49 to go. It gained 21 yards before turning it over on downs and losing to Stanford. And at Notre Dame two months earlier, the Panthers trailed, 19-14, with possession at their 38 and 2:35 left in regulation. It went backwards 19 yards and never threatened to score in a missed opportunity.
“We practiced that two-minute drill so many times from last year since we struggled in that area,” Pickett said. “I think the offense had a different mindset going into this year. We’re sharper in those kinds of situations.”
Thursday offered another example of why.
Is Davis the answer?
Pitt’s running-back room will be jammed in the spring with veterans A.J. Davis, Todd Sibley Jr. and Carter (and incoming 2020 prospect Israel Abanikanda). But true freshman Vincent Davis did enough to earn the first crack at first-team snaps come March.
Davis, who had 15 total carries in four November games, matched that tally Thursday. The Florida native, a shifty 5-foot-8 back, gained 69 rushing yards on 15 attempts and chipped in a 28-yard catch. More impressive, he gained positive yardage on 14 of his 15 carries, the only tackle for a loss coming on an ill-advised sweep on a secondand-2.
Comparatively, Carter had three carries for 12 yards while A.J. Davis was stopped for negative-2 yards on his only attempt.
It should be noted that Eastern Michigan’s rush defense ranked 111th in Football
Bowl Subdivision entering bowl season. But still, Davis gained 15, 11, 4 and 9 yards on a quartet of fourth-quarter carries. That’s a bright spot going into the offseason for Pitt’s otherwise toothless rushing attack.
‘Talk with our pads’
No one saw Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III losing his mind and swinging at Pitt linebacker Cam Bright and safety Paris Ford in the waning seconds. But the Quick Lane Bowl was tense and chippy, which was apparently foreshadowed in the buildup to the game.
“There was some escalation during the week during the bowl time,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I talked to our guys several, several times about, ‘Hey, even in the pre-pregame, we’re going to shut our mouths, and we’re going to talk with our pads.’ Our kids did a good job of that.”
The Panthers weren’t totally disciplined. The six-player, 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct celebration penalty following Damar Hamlin’s interception took Pitt out of the red zone in the third quarter, an unnecessary sequence. “I wasn’t really happy with that one,” Narduzzi added.
But that infraction aside, Pitt was
penalized three times for 21 yards. It was just the third game this season the Panthers — who still rank 116th in penalty yards per game after Thursday — were flagged fewer than five times.
Glass, meanwhile, has some thinking to do.
“Absolutely zero excuse for what happened, and he knows it,” Eastern Michigan head coach Chris Creighton said. “He made a mistake and he is truly sorry for it, and I’m ultimately responsible for it. I’m embarrassed, but I love him 100%. That’s not who we want to be.”
Did you notice ...?
• Eastern Michigan used Pitt’s aggressiveness to its advantage early. The Eagles completed 11 screen or swing passes, getting the ball out quickly and catching Pitt out of position. The first seven screens and swings accounted for 66 yards and three first downs. The final four? Three yards. It took time, but the Panthers adjusted.
• Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Tyler Bentley made an impact. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder combined with Hamlin for a tackle for a loss and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. With Jaylen Twyman returning and a healthy Keyshon Camp expected to start alongside him, Bentley — who has three years of eligibility remaining — shouldn’t be anything more than a rotational piece in 2020. But Thursday was an encouraging sign for a possible 2021 starter.
• Junior cornerback Jason Pinnock was in street clothes and did not play due to injury. Damarri Mathis and Dane Jackson started at corner with redshirt freshman Marquis Williams working in as the next in line. Williams’ role would have fallen to Therran Coleman, but the former Brashear High School standout entered the transfer portal a few weeks ago.
• Alex Kessman was amped after connecting on a game-tying field goal in the third quarter. After missing a 49-yard attempt and hitting a 44-yarder earlier, the Clarkston, Mich., native drilled a 51-yarder to tie the score at 20-20. Kessman — who accounted for 10 points in his homecoming — finished the season with a 71% field-goal conversion clip (22 of 31) and a 10 of 16 mark from 40 yards and beyond.
• True freshman wide receiver Jared Wayne caught his first career TD, a 19-yard score midway through the fourth quarter. Immediately after Eastern Michigan snared a 27-20 lead on an 11-play drive, the Panthers responded with a 6-play, 75-yard series that ended with Wayne diving for the end zone.