Pitt's Mason Heintschel throws for 423 yards and 3 TDs as the Panthers roll by N.C. State 53-34

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Heintschel set a freshman school record by passing for 423 yards and Pittsburgh pushed its winning streak to four by racing past North Carolina State 53-34 on Saturday night.

The Panthers (6-2, 4-1 ACC) are unbeaten since Heintschel replaced Eli Holstein following a loss to Louisville in late September. Heintschel completed 28 of 48 for three scores, including an 84-yard strike to Blue Hicks in the third quarter that blew it open.

“Mason's making plays and guys are going to rally around those guys that make them look good,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.

Hicks finished with four receptions for 120 yards. Kenny Johnson added seven catches for 112 yards and a 10-yard score late in the second quarter in which he shook off a tackle, spun, and then fended off a Wolfpack defender while diving across the pylon. Johnson, who absorbed a hit to his right shoulder as he scored, did not play in the second half.

A week after slogging their way to an ugly victory at Syracuse in which they surrendered seven sacks and committed 13 penalties, the Panthers were considerably sharper against the Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3), who have dropped four of five.

Pitt scored on four of its first six possessions of the first half and each of its first four of the second half, with Heintschel looking perfectly comfortable running offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s up-tempo attack.

That was never more evident early in the third quarter when the Panthers had a first down at their own 16. Heintschel looked at how the Wolfpack lined up and knew he and Hicks were about to connect on the longest passing touchdown by the Panthers at Acrisure Stadium since they moved there in 2001.

Heintschel let loose a rainbow that Hicks ran under before racing away from the defense to give the Panthers a 40-21 lead they never came close to squandering.

It's telling of Heintschel's development, however, that he was more concerned afterward about the mistakes he made, notably getting a little too greedy at times instead of checking the ball down to open receivers.

“There were a lot of plays that we left out on the field, a lot of things we need to clean up,” Heintschel said. “We'll take that and get better. It’s great, the accolades and all that stuff, but I just want to win.”

The victory kept Pitt in the thick of a wide-open ACC but also came at a potentially high cost. Panther running back Desmond Reid, an all-conference player a year ago, exited late in the third quarter with an apparent left leg injury. Reid missed two games earlier this season with an injury to the same leg.

Narduzzi said afterward that Reid told him he was “good” but said the team will have a better idea on Monday about Reid's availability going forward.

Hollywood Smothers, the ACC's leading rusher, darted for a 65-yard touchdown in the second quarter but finished with just 86 yards on eight carries as the Wolfpack spent most of the afternoon trying and failing to keep pace with the Panthers.

CJ Bailey passed for 225 yards and three scores for N.C. State and wide receiver Teddy Hoffmann lobbed a 59-yard touchdown to tight end Justin Joly — who limped the last 20 yards after tweaking his left leg — on a double-pass, but the Wolfpack lacked the firepower to keep up.

Pitt center Lyndon Cooper spent three years at N.C. State before transferring to the Panthers before the 2024 season. The senior captain appeared postgame surrounded by the rest of the offensive line.

“We know what type of o-line we got in this room,” Cooper said. “I’ll take these five guys over anybody in the country. This game was personal to me. My guys had backed me up.”

N.C. State: The defense remains a problem, particularly the secondary, which didn't look any better a week after giving up 342 yards in a loss to Notre Dame. Smothers has been one of the ACC's biggest surprises, but he's not much of a weapon if the Wolfpack are constantly chasing the game because the defense can't consistently get stops.

Pitt: A Panther-centric podcast started giving away hoodies with the phrase “Heintschel for Heisman” on them last week. While that's a non-starter this season, Heintschel's precocious play has given the Panthers a Kenny Pickett-like jolt, and Pickett ended his college career by earning a trip to the Heisman ceremony after a record-setting final season in 2021.

N.C. State: welcomes No. 7 Georgia Tech next Saturday.

Pitt: travels to Stanford next Saturday.

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