When Brian O’Neill first started playing offensive line for Pitt as a redshirt freshman, it took a while for him to not get jittery about the situation.
Timid, jumpy, with an internal monologue of “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh” — that was O’Neill.
But when Kenny Pickett came into the huddle late in the third quarter Saturday against No. 20-ranked N.C. State at Heinz Field, at least from the left tackle’s perspective, the freshman quarterback could not have seemed more at ease.
“I think he handled it great,” O’Neill said after Pitt’s 35-17 loss. “He came in and was like, ‘What’s up? Let’s go.’ As a lineman, you’re kind of excited about that with a freshman coming in. He doesn’t care about the moment. He didn’t get all rigid and scared and nervous; he let it fly. That’s kind of how he is. I give him a lot of respect for that.”
That particular series didn’t go well for Pickett or the Panthers, as they went three and out and never got back within one score of the Wolfpack, which moved up to No. 16 after the win. But the first play of his next drive could have been disastrous.
He dropped back, looked left and threw a pass that nearly gift-wrapped a pick-6 for N.C. State defensive back Dexter Wright. But it clanged off Wright’s hands and into the waiting arms of Pickett’s man, Jester Weah, for a first down. Through it all, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound New Jersey native who could be Pitt’s quarterback of the future kept his cool.
“I think Kenny’s gonna be a good football player,” said coach Pat Narduzzi, who inserted him in place of starter Ben DiNucci with the game in the balance. “We’re gonna need him somewhere. I didn’t want his first action coming when he has to go in there [because of an injury]. We got a lot of confidence in both those guys, we had a lot of confidence in Kenny back in camp, and you can see he did some nice things out there, made some nice throws, had a couple nice scrambles, and he’s only gonna get better.”
In comeback mode, Pickett completed 5 of 13 passes for 61 yards, and added 18 yards rushing over three possessions. His worst moment was an overthrow of Rafael Araujo-Lopes, who was so open that he might have scored. But three of Pickett’s completions were first-down receptions for Weah, who shrugged off any concern about finding a rhythm when the quarterbacks are shuffling in and out.
“I wouldn’t say it’s tough,” Weah said. “I support whoever’s in there behind the center, and I feel comfortable with whoever’s leading the way.”
Weah said he thought DiNucci played well, but that Pickett “had a great game, as well, for how young he is.”
As for Pickett himself, he was excited for the opportunity and looked forward to reviewing the film, but admitted he still has a lot to learn.
“Blitz pickup, the speed of the game, protection schemes,” he pointed out. “Really, just getting experience under live fire in the game.”
Narduzzi gave no indication as to who enters this week of practice atop the depth chart, and simply said Pitt (2-5, 0-3 ACC) needs to keep progressing at that spot. If he does opt for Pickett on the road Saturday at Duke (4-3, 1-3), the player O’Neill called “a really mature kid” will feel more ready for it.
“It’s a load off my shoulders,” Pickett said of his de facto debut. “Just getting the experience of being in there in a live game is crucial for me and my development. I learn from every play, learn from every snap and go from there.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: October 15, 2017, 5:17 p.m.