Turns out, the Pitt Panthers of 2017 did have a complete game in them.
They just saved it for a rainy day.
Darrin Hall rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Ben DiNucci managed the offense well enough for the second week in a row and Quadree Henderson broke a scintillating 75-yard punt return for a score that helped Pitt push aside Virginia, 31-14, Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field.
The Panthers (4-5, 2-3 ACC) have now answered a two-game losing streak with a two-game winning streak, and how they did it was just as encouraging that they did it.
“Probably the most consistent game the whole way through, offense, defense and special teams,” DiNucci said.
The formula that worked last week did the trick again on a dreary day on the North Shore, with Pitt establishing the run early and stopping it on the other side of the ball. That opened up the air a bit for DiNucci, who responded with 134 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-18 passing with one interception. Perhaps most notable, he again never gave way to freshman backup Kenny Pickett.
“Overall, it’s a win,” Narduzzi said. “He operated the offense. … The plan is, if Ben’s clicking and doing things right, then we’ll continue to go.”
Those first points of the game were set up by middle linebacker Saleem Brightwell’s interception and 16-yard return to midfield. Hall picked up where he left off from his record-breaking day at Duke, scoring from 14 yards out midway through the first quarter, then running hard the rest of the way.
Next, it was DiNucci’s turn, and he found Jester Weah, who did the rest of the work by breaking tackles en route to a 19-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
But the play of the day was a sight for sore Pitt eyes, a vivid reminder why Quadree Henderson was a consensus All-American last season as a specialist. His 75-yard punt return for touchdown in the second quarter was a dazzling display, squirming through fast-closing holes, eluding defenders and escaping their grasp until he got to the right sideline. He walked a tightrope from there, tip-toeing inside the 5-yard line and finally into the end zone to make it 21-0 with 6:14 left until halftime.
“For some reason, they kicked it back across the field,” Henderson wondered aloud. “Me being a playmaker, I knew they were all to my left and nobody was to my right.”
And nobody was stopping him. It was the second return score of the season for Henderson and the seventh in his three-year career. One more, and he’ll tie the all-time NCAA record of eight, held by nine former players.
ACC teams should know by now that kicking to Pitt’s Quadree Henderson is a mistake: https://t.co/PdsuzOYN6d pic.twitter.com/ZW3WeyTBzQ
— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) October 28, 2017
Virginia (5-3, 2-2) got on the board with a little more than a minute left in the first half to make it 21-7 at the break, but Pitt avoided another disastrous third quarter, in which it had been outscored, 69-20, coming in. Instead, it shut out Virginia until the fourth.
“We feel ourselves getting better every week, and we feel ourselves bringing more intensity every week,” said linebacker Elijah Zeise. “We’re definitely starting to find something. … We kind of just buckled down and said, ‘Hey, we’re not going to let them score.’ “
Qadree Ollison, who threw some key blocks in his newish fullback role, exploded for a 25-yard touchdown scamper to give Hall a break from scoring and the Panthers went ahead 28-7 midway through the third. They finished with 176 yards rushing on 40 attempts, with Ollison adding 47 plus a 16-yard catch and run.
Pitt bent but rarely broke from there, keeping the Cavaliers mostly in check. Shane Roy and Rashad Weaver sacked Kurt Benkert on back-to-back plays in the third quarter before Virginia was able to generate any second-half momentum. Roy stepped up big again late with penetration on fourth-and-goal from the 1, the Cavaliers trying to make it a two-score game under the five-minute mark.
Overall, Pitt’s defense had three sacks and held Virginia to just 5 for 15 on third down — what Narduzzi called “money down, because that’s when you get paid” — and 1 for 4 on fourth down. Brightwell led the way with 10 tackles, in addition to his pick that helped set the tone.
The Panthers move into their off week with spirits high, climbing back into contention for bowl eligibility with three games left. When they return to the field, they’ll play host to last-place North Carolina (1-8, 0-6) for some Thursday night football at 7 p.m., Nov. 9.
It’d be tough to deny Pitt seems better-equipped to reel off a third consecutive win than it did this time two weeks ago.
“They’re still puppies,” Narduzzi said of his group. “They don’t bark real loud right now. They’re growling a little bit.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: October 28, 2017, 7:32 p.m.