Do Pitt's signs of maturity in 2-0 start signal success for 2021?

Midway through a four-game nonconference season that looked soft enough for Pitt to handle, the Panthers are handling it.

But what does it mean?

Pitt has scored 92 points, tied with the 2009 and 2014 teams for the largest offensive output in the first two games since 1988. That year, Mike Gottfried’s team opened by beating Northern Iowa and Ohio State, 59-10 and 42-10, before finishing 6-5.

But do the first two games represent a signal that 2021 will be the best season of Pat Narduzzi’s seven at Pitt?

Don’t forget: He started 2-0 three other times, and never found a way to win more than eight by the end of the season.

But in many ways, the 2021 team appears to be different. It could very well end up 8-5. College football offers no guarantees when the game is played with a ball pointed on both ends by kids barely into their 20s.

But the 41-34 victory at Tennessee on Saturday revealed a few clues that Pitt may know how to overcome — not just handle — adversity.

First, it should be pointed out that there are players well out of their teens making big plays for Pitt. Linebacker John Petrishen and wide receiver Tre Tipton, both 25, made two of the most important plays of the game — Tipton by downing a punt at the 3 in the second half and Petrishen with a fourth-down tackle for loss that ended a Tennessee drive in the red zone.

There also seems to be more maturity among the working class, those men on the offensive and defensive lines who get their hands dirty. Pitt collected five sacks, all by linemen Habakkuk Baldonado (two), Calijah Kancey, David Green and Keyshon Camp.

And, of course, there is poise and productivity under center where Kenny Pickett is making plays with his arm, legs and will to win.

What was more impressive? His 285 yards passing, 66.7% completion rate or the 6 yards on his two fourth-down carries that gave Pitt a two-touchdown lead late in the third quarter?

He threw for only 85 yards on six completions in 13 attempts after halftime, but the defense and, finally, the Pitt run game had Pickett’s back.

Pitt’s ground game — something it will need as the season progresses and the weather worsens — was out of sync for much of the game. The longest run by a back was 8 yards by Izzy Abanikanda, and it occurred in the fourth quarter while the Panthers were running out the clock with a one-touchdown lead.

“We had to wear them down a little bit,” Pickett said, “but (the offensive linemen) showed up on that last drive when we needed them.”

Plus, he was sacked only twice, although he ran from the pocket on numerous occasions.

“Stayed really clean,” he said. “Anytime I was scrambling, I was trying to free a guy up down the field.”

Pickett also was helped by his pass catchers, who dropped only two passes (Taysir Mack and Vincent Davis), according to Pro Football Focus, after totaling four against UMass.

It will be interesting and instructive to watch how Pitt and Tennessee go through the rest of their seasons. Will the Volunteers make some noise in the SEC in coach Josh Heupel’s first season?

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes he beat a good team.

“That’s a talented, athletic (team), runs fast,” he said. “That’s a very good football team we beat. They will win a lot of games this year.”

Narduzzi, his staff and players will spend a good portion of Sunday studying video and trying to figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong and what portions of the game can be used for building blocks. Meanwhile, they will start preparing for Western Michigan (1-1) in the third nonconference game Saturday at Heinz Field. The Broncos lost at Michigan, 47-14, but defeated Illinois State, 28-0, on Saturday while allowing 57 total yards and four first downs.

Did someone say “trap game?”

Pickett said defeating Tennessee “builds confidence for the team, validation for all the hard work we put in.”

He knows it’s only one victory in a game that will do nothing to decide the ACC Coastal championship, which is the real prize.

“It really doesn’t mean too much in the grand scheme of things,” he said.