Pitt Squeaks Past Delaware With Starters Sidelined

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Less than an hour before Pittsburgh kicked off against Delaware at Heinz Field on Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi still wasn’t sure who his starting quarterback would be. Regular starter Kenny Pickett had suffered a shoulder injury the week before against UCF and though he returned to star in that upset, he didn’t practice much in the week leading up to the meeting with the Blue Hens. When the final decision was made, Pickett was out and redshirt freshman Nick Patti was in. With Pickett and more than a half-dozen other starters on the sidelines with injuries, the Panthers were in for an unexpectedly close battle with the Blue Hens. Trailing in the fourth quarter, Patti directed an eight-play, 90-yard drive, finding Taysir Mack in the end zone from 12 yards out to put Pitt in the lead for good for a closer-than-expected 17-14 victory. Patti and Mack utilized a connection built during the week of practice to hook up five times for 124 yards, including a crucial 48-yard completion on a third-and-17 to keep that scoring drive moving. Patti finished 23 of 37 for 271 yards and two touchdowns while making his first career start, but a poor decision on a first-half interception let the Blue Hens into the game. After a Patti was picked off on a pass thrown right to Blue Hens defensive back Tim Poindexter, Nolan Henderson passed 7 yards to Gene Coleman II to tie the game. When Pitt receiver Maurice Ffrench fumbled in the third quarter to give Delaware another short field, Henderson hit Jourdan Townsend with a 5-yard score to give the Blue Hens a four-point lead. That’s when Pitt’s offense found a much-needed spark in the fourth quarter to turn the tide of the game.