DURHAM, N.C. — In the shadow of Duke’s storied Cameron Indoor Stadium, Jordan Addison leapt gracefully and easily into the Blue Devils’ end zone, extending the ball in his right hand as if he were laying in a finger roll.
Tobacco Road is known for its basketball, after all. And Pitt’s star receiver made Duke look every bit like a hoops school.
Addison’s 173-yard, two-touchdown performance guided Pitt to a 54-29 win against the Blue Devils on Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Panthers, a week removed from a gutting loss to Miami, moved to 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in ACC play — still controlling their own destiny with three regular-season conference games to go.
Kenny Pickett was effective, completing 28 of 43 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns while adding 57 rushing yards and a score. Pickett hit nine different Panthers, spreading the wealth even with second-leading receiver Taysir Mack and sophomore contributor Jaylon Barden staying in Pittsburgh because of injury.
In their absence, Addison continued to make his case for Biletnikoff Award contention.
Addison tallied seven catches for 171 receiving yards, 14 yards shy of securing Pitt’s first 1,000-yard season since Tyler Boyd in 2014. He hauled in a 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter and waltzed in for a 2-yard score in the third. The backwards pass by Pickett was ruled a rushing touchdown, putting Addison at 11 receiving scores on the season — most by a Pitt player since Larry Fitzgerald’s 22 in 2003.
Weirdness intensifies
Many of Pitt’s recent meetings with Duke have been odd. Aaron Donald tackled two players in 2013. The Panthers lost in double overtime in 2014. They won 54-45 in 2018 and needed a touchdown with 38 seconds to go to leave Durham victorious in 2019.
The first 18 minutes of Saturday’s contest were equally bizarre.
Duke’s opening drive, one that went 82 yards to Pitt’s 1-yard line, ended with a fumble. Pickett was stripped two series later. The Panthers denied Duke from capitalizing, stopping the Blue Devils on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. But on the ensuing drive, Pitt’s Vincent Davis ran into his own lineman and was dragged down for a safety.
As if the first quarter didn’t have enough action, Duke kick returner Jaylen Stinson dusted Pitt on an 86-yard house call in the opening minutes of the second.
Duke led 19-14 — an advantage it would never build on.
Second-quarter shutdown
Duke was on pace for 840 total yards after the first quarter. Yes, the Blue Devils had 210 yards in the opening 15 minutes. No, they didn’t come close to hitting 840.
Pitt held Duke to seven yards from scrimmage in the second quarter. Obviously, the special teams touchdown cut into that, taking away an offensive possession. But Pitt’s defense deserves credit for how it responded to getting torched in the first quarter.
Pitt sacked Duke quarterback Gunnar Holmberg five times on 18 second-quarter plays. Holmberg, who completed 13 of his first 15 passes for 152 yards, was hit and hurried all quarter. Pitt’s fourth sack knocked him out of the game, forcing backup Riley Leonard into action. He was sacked on his first dropback.
Up next
Pitt hosts North Carolina on Thursday night in a game with divisional implications.
The Tar Heels, ranked 10th in the preseason AP poll, aren’t in contention for the Coastal as many expected. But quarterback Sam Howell still poses a tough test, ranking top 20 nationally in passing yards per game and yards per attempt.
Pitt had Howell’s number in 2019, picking off the then-true freshman in a 34-27 win at Heinz Field. But the Panthers and Tar Heels didn’t play last year due to a COVID-19-altered schedule, and Howell has developed since their meeting two years ago.
In what could be a shootout, Pickett will have to outduel his NFL prospect counterpart to further the Panthers’ push for a spot in the ACC championship game.
