Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Football News: Draft Scout Player News

11/20/21 - QB Kenny Pickett, rSr/2022, Pittsburgh

Kenny Pickett knew a year ago. Something in the Pittsburgh quarterback's gut told him coming back for one more season offered the opportunity to do something special. Something that looked and felt an awful lot like Pitt's 48-38 victory over Virginia on Saturday, when Pickett, rising star wide receiver Jordan Addison and the 20th-ranked Panthers put to bed the idea that this is the "Same Old Pitt" for now, and maybe for good. There will be no chaos in the ACC's Coastal Division this year. Not with Pickett re-writing the Pitt record book and Addison making a compelling case that the conversation on who the best receiver in the country is starts with the skinny sophomore with video game moves and understated swagger. Pickett and Addison connected for four touchdowns, the last a 62-yard catch-and-run with 2:10 remaining that sealed a second Coastal Division title in four years for the Panthers (9-2, 6-1 ACC), a play symbolic of the inherent trust between the two that's made them one of the most dynamic combinations in the country.

Facing third-and-5 from the Pitt 38, Pickett scrambled to his right and threw a jump ball downfield to the 6-foot tall Addison, who outmuscled a defender and then raced to the end zone to put away the Cavaliers and spark a celebration at Heinz Field. "(Addison) played out of his mind today," Pickett said. "He made every play." The Panthers needed every one of them. Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong matched Pickett throw for throw, passing for 487 yards with three touchdowns and an interception after returning from an injury that forced him to sit out last week's loss to Notre Dame. Yet every time the Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3) appeared ready to steal one, Pickett and Addison would respond. - Pittsburgh/AP College Football

rSr/2022