The Pittsburgh Panthers throttled the New Hampshire Wildcats 77-7 Saturday at Heinz Field in Pitt’s highest scoring game since 1926.
Super senior quarterback Kenny Pickett was sensational, completing 24 of 28 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns.
Sophomore receiver Jordan Addison composed 179 of those yards and three touchdowns on just six receptions.
Pickett added a one yard score on a quarterback sneak, the 17th rushing touchdown of his career and the most by a Panthers quarterback.
Even with the starters sitting most of the second half, the Panthers managed to break their all-time single game yardage mark with 707 offensive yards. The previous mark was 654 yards, set against Virginia Tech in 2018.
A week after giving up 517 yards to Western Michigan, Pitt’s defense held the Wildcats to just eight first downs and 160 total yards.
The Panthers didn’t allow a conversion on third or fourth down as New Hampshire went 0-11 and 0-1, respectively.
The Panthers defense, for their part, outscored the Wildcats offense. They opened the scoring by forcing New Hampshire quarterback Brody Edwards into committing an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety. Senior defensive back Damarri Mathis added to the lead on the next drive, returning an interception for a touchdown.
The Wildcats lone score of the afternoon, a four yard touchdown pass from Edwards to receiver Sean Coyne, came after a 70 yard gain by running back Carlos Washington Jr. that accounted for nearly half of New Hampshire’s yardage.
Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple finally had a chance to get his running game going as the Panthers ran away with the game. True freshman Rodney Hammond spearheaded the effort with 17 carries for 100 yards and three touchdowns, Pitt’s first 100 yard rusher this season.
Israel Abanikanda added 13 carries for 75 yards and a score, and starter Vincent Davis II had seven for 50 yards.
Kicker Ben Sauls was Pitt’s No. 1 kicker to start the game, but he missed a pair of extra points in the first quarter and was relegated to kickoff duty. Redshirt sophomore Sam Scarton was perfect in his stead, making nine of nine extra point attempts.
The Panthers are 3-1 and will begin ACC play next Saturday, facing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta at noon.
