PITTSBURGH — Pat Narduzzi likes field goals. Really.
Pitt’s coach is pleased, of course, when Alex Kessman boots the football through the uprights, and Kessman has given him plenty of reason to smile over the past four seasons.
He holds the school record with 64 field goals, including 18 of 24 attempts this season and 12 of his past 13.
But no matter how long they are, field goals only count three points. And in many games, settling for three instead of tallying seven can lead to defeat. In the 30-29 loss to N.C. State, Kessman kicked three field goals — two no longer than 29 yards.
With three field goals, Kessman gave Pitt a 9-0 lead early in the second quarter of the 47-14 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday. But the Hokies answered with a touchdown, erasing most of that lead.
“We didn’t finish those drives early,” Narduzzi said. “That score could have been a lot better for us.”
Pitt eventually asserted its dominance, outscoring Virginia Tech, 38-7, the rest of the way.
Kessman accounted for a career-high 17 points, kicking four field goals for the fourth time in his career. He hit from 22, 30, 52 and 53 yards.
The latter two increased his career mark from beyond the 50-yard line to an NCAA all-time best 66.7% (12 of 18). He broke the record previously held by Arizona’s Max Zendejas (60.7) from 1982-85.
Long drives
Eventually, Pitt scored five touchdowns on offense on drives of 75, 65, 99, 79 and 80 yards. The 99-yarder was Pitt’s longest since the 2016 Penn State game.
“It’s called execution,” Narduzzi said. “They said all week, it’s not about them, it’s about us. It’s about what we do.”
Tough road trip
Narduzzi said the team was covid-free last week, but he suggested the 16 absences Pitt reported for covid-related concerns stemmed from the game at Florida State on Nov. 7.
“We got hit with covid coming back from Tallahassee (Fla.), somehow, some way,” he said.
Pitt played without three starting offensive linemen, giving tackles Matt Goncalves and Carson Van Lynn and guard Blake Zubovic their first career starts. Still, Pitt ran for a season-high 152 yards.
“Personally, I was more worried about playing the game than I was with guys down,” senior defensive end Rashad Weaver said. “I had confidence in whoever was going to be out there.”
Narduzzi said there was some concern among players wondering if the Virginia Tech game would be played.
“I think a lot of kids were looking at each other (saying), ‘What are we doing? What’s going on? Are we going to play this game?’ There was a lot of indecision.”
The last two games are on the road at Clemson next Saturday and Georgia Tech on Dec. 10. The Clemson game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on national television (ESPN).
Don’t forget the D
Perhaps lost in the swell of points was the stingy play of Pitt’s defense.
Virginia Tech entered the game averaging nearly 263 yards on the ground to lead the ACC. The Hokies finished with 156. Virginia Tech converted only four of 14 third and fourth downs.
The turning point occurred in the third quarter with Pitt holding a 26-14 lead. The Hokies had first down at the 4, and a touchdown would have put the outcome in question.
But Pitt took over on downs when linebacker Phil Campbell and safety Damar Hamlin filled a hole on fourth down from the 1, stopping quarterback Hendon Hooker for no gain.
Halftime adjustments, perhaps?
Pitt has shut out four opponents in the second half — Austin Peay, Syracuse, Florida State and Virginia Tech. But that’s not the most impressive statistic to emerge after halftime.
Pitt hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter since N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary hit Emeka Emezie with 23 seconds left to beat the Panthers, 30-29, on Oct. 3. Disclaimer: Boston College scored a touchdown in overtime the following week.
Hamlin at Heinz
Hamlin led Pitt with 11 tackles, playing both free and strong safety whenever Pitt needed an experienced hand at those positions. Brandon Hill, who had replaced Paris Ford at strong safety, was not at the game.
Hamlin played his 47th game (39 starts) for Pitt, but it was his last at Heinz Field as a collegian.
“I’ve been playing at Heinz Field since I was a sophomore in high school (Central Catholic),” he said. “I just hope and pray I have some games here at the next level.”
Where Pickett stands
While missing two games with a serious ankle injury, Kenny Pickett is still 15th in the nation in passing yards (2,003).
He is only the fifth player in Pitt history with 8,000 career yards of total offense (8,149), joining Alex Van Pelt, Tino Sunseri, Tyler Palko and Dan Marino. With two games left and 7,579 yards passing, he has a legitimate shot to reach 8,000 through the air.
Pickett directed an offense Saturday that amassed 556 yards from scrimmage. Pitt also reached 500 against N.C. State (503).
Number to contemplate
Quirk in the schedule or something more significant? By winning at Florida State, 41-17, and defeating Virginia Tech, 47-14, the Panthers have won consecutive games by at least 24 points for the first time since Dave Wannstedt’s penultimate team did it twice in 2009.
