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Pitt defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado celebrates a sack against UCF in the second half Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
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Pitt's 'relentless' front-four bullies UCF in upset win; more observations

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Pitt's 'relentless' front-four bullies UCF in upset win; more observations

Jaylen Twyman waved his arms wildly as he hobbled off the Heinz Field turf, begging for noise from the Pitt student section. As if he didn't do enough to set off the crowd seconds earlier.

Pitt clung to a one-point lead over No. 15 UCF when Twyman stood up Knights guard Cole Schneider on third-and-13, swatted the 312-pounder to the side and wrestled quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the grass as he tried to escape the pocket. Twyman, the Panthers' budding star at defensive tackle, couldn't be out on the field for UCF's hook-and-ladder prayer. But he had done his job. Really, Pitt's entire pass-rush did.

UCF's quick-strike offense received deserved praise in the buildup to Saturday. Pat Narduzzi called the Knights "explosive" earlier in the week, and a significant reason why was their prowess in protection. Through three games this year, UCF allowed one sack. In 2017, when the Knights burst onto the scene and dubbed themselves national champions, they let up 13 sacks in as many games.

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But they failed to keep Gabriel upright against Pitt's front-four.

Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem and players celebrate after a tug of war competition during a Pitt football conditioning session on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2019, on the South Side.  (Andrew Rush/Post-Gazette)
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"There was all kinds of pressure," head coach Pat Narduzzi said of his pass-rush, which logged six sacks. "We needed a relentless effort out of those guys, and our guys just kept coming back."

Under Narduzzi, Pitt is now 6-0 when it records six or more sacks. The Panthers didn't hit that single-game total in 2017 or 2018. But after securing six sacks vs. Ohio in Week 2, Pitt did it again two weeks later — a telling feat.

When Rashad Weaver and Keyshon Camp went down with season-ending knee injuries, questions surrounded the depth of Pitt's defensive line. That's no longer a concern. Patrick Jones had a sack on UCF's opening drive and combined with Deslin Alexandre, Weaver's replacement, for another to open the Knights' final series. Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt's primary reserve d-end, took down Gabriel once. And then, of course, Twyman came up with his seismic stop as the seconds ticked toward a Pitt upset.

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Twyman, who now has 5.5 sacks on the season, has grown into a problem on the interior. But he's surrounded by guys who aren't half bad themselves.

Blitzing linebackers helped out on Saturday; it was Saleem Brightwell's pressure that forced Gabriel's first interception, after all. But the defensive line, injuries be damned, was perhaps Pitt's most reliable unit through three games. That continued in Week 4.

"We pride ourselves on playing together, playing for each other. When those guys went down, we have to do a little extra for them. I always tell myself to do it for those who can't," Alexandre said. "We work so hard on our pass rush. And tonight, the hard work paid off."

Delaware head coach Danny Rocco has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area.
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Danny Rocco, Delaware coach and Fox Chapel alum, returns home to face Pitt

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Injury report

Pitt's lucky it has Delaware upcoming and not an ACC opponent. Because it wouldn't be a shock to see a Panther or two miss next weekend's contest.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Tre Tipton definitely won't play against the Blue Hens. He might be out for the season with a lower leg injury, per Narduzzi. "We're still evaluating that, and we'll see," the coach added. "He's got to make some decisions."

It should be noted that middle linebacker Elias Reynolds, who started against Virginia and Penn State, did not play against UCF, either.

And during the game, hoo boy did Pitt pick up some knocks. The following players had to at least leave the game for a brief period due to injury: Alexandre, Twyman, quarterback Kenny Pickett, wide receivers Maurice Ffrench and Dontavius Butler-Jenkins, cornerbacks Damarri Mathis and Jason Pinnock, linebacker Kylan Johnson and defensive tackle Amir Watts.

Mathis and Pinnock, two of Pitt's three starting corners, were not in for UCF's last-ditch drive. Ffrench's left knee was twisted on a fourth-quarter catch, but he returned. So did Pickett (shoulder), Butler-Jenkins, Watts and Johnson.

As for those who weren't in there at the end, it'd be an issue if Pitt went without Mathis and/or Pinnock for more than a game. Both have played exceptionally well for the Panthers through four games.

In their place on the Knights' final series, Erick Hallet played nickel corner while Therran Coleman worked on the outside opposite Dane Jackson.

The final drive

Props to Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple for his audacious play-calling with the game in the balance. But he was pushing the right buttons before dialing up the "Pitt Special," too. The Panthers' game-winning drive was crisp in its entirety.

Vincent Davis, Pitt's freshman running back, picked up 16 yards and a first down on two quick carries to get things going, taking the pressure off Pickett and his hurting shoulder. Then, Pickett found Ffrench and tight end Will Gragg for back-to-back, first-down completions before facing a fourth-and-5. Pickett's hard count, though, was enough to draw UCF defensive lineman Brandon Wilson offsides for the automatic first down.

Now 30 yards from pay dirt, Whipple had maybe his most underrated call of the night. With four wide receivers, two on either side in tight alignment, three of the four ran routes to the sideline. But Mack, working in the slot and matched up with a safety, ran a deep cross. It was too easy for Pickett, who hit Mack for a 19-yard gain, setting up the Panthers with a first-and-10 from the 11.

And everyone knows what happened three plays later on fourth-and-3.

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Kessman redemption

What a whirlwind two weeks it's been for Pitt placekicker Alex Kessman.

Last Saturday at Penn State, Kessman clanked a late-game, 19-yard field-goal attempt in the Panthers' 17-10 loss. Many would argue he shouldn't have been in the position to begin with, but that's neither here nor there. This weekend at Heinz Field, Kessman drilled 60-yard field goals in warmups, an encouraging sight ... only to miss field-goal attempts from 34 and 41 yards out against UCF.

The redshirt junior did finish on a high note, converting the go-ahead extra point after Pickett's "Pitt Special" touchdown catch. You could tell the PAT meant a lot to the Panthers, too, by the way they embraced Kessman on the field.

Still, Pitt might need to reassess its placekicking situation at some point this year. Kessman’s made 3 of 8 field-goal attempts through four games — and he's 16 for 25 since the start of the 2018 season. It's tough to kick at Heinz Field, but that clip won't cut it.

"Kessman had a really rough time with field goals. We've got to get that straightened out," Narduzzi said. "But I told him after that second miss: Don't worry about it. You're going to kick the game winner. And he did kick the game winner, whether it's an extra point or not."

Quick hits

• Hats off to backup quarterback Nick Patti. The redshirt freshman, who got the nod over fifth-year Jeff George Jr., was forced into action when Pickett left with his shoulder issue. Patti connected with Dontavius Butler-Jenkins for a 6-yard touchdown, which would have been cool for the second-stringer regardless of when it happened. But the timing was important. The Knights rattled off 31 unanswered points, and Pitt needed a response. The Panthers got it from their backup QB.

• For the second week in a row, Todd Sibley Jr. was not utilized on offense. The one-time co-starter with A.J. Davis did not receive a carry at Penn State or vs. UCF. Instead, it's been A.J. Davis, Vincent Davis and V'Lique Carter handling the workload. The trio had 103 rushing yards on 22 carries (4.68 ypc) against the Knights.

• Aaron Mathews did it all. The senior from Clairton threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Pickett. He blocked a punt in the second quarter that Wendell Davis scooped and scored. And he hurdled a dude with ease on Pitt's opening scoring series. Mathews, who's played in 42 games at Pitt, hasn't had a bigger one in his collegiate career.

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Quotable

"It's a special moment. They don't come often. I've got a lot of love and respect for the people who stayed and stuck it out. I saw a lot of people leaving early, which pissed all of us off a little bit, that our own fans were leaving early. But it is what it is." — Kenny Pickett, on Saturday night's home crowd.

John McGonigal: jmcgonigal@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jmcgonigal9

First Published: September 22, 2019, 2:47 p.m.

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