Pat Narduzzi is certainly no neutral observer, but that hasn’t stopped him from beating the drum for quarterback Kenny Pickett.
"I think he is the most underrated quarterback in the country." @CoachDuzzPittFB on why you should watch out for @kennypickett10 ?#PackerAndDurham pic.twitter.com/WcevCg7Vf2
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 16, 2020
Appearing on the ACC Network’s “Packer and Durham Show” on Wednesday morning, Pitt’s coach called Pickett “the most underrated quarterback in the country.”
He also put out the word for NFL scouts.
“He’s a leader. He’s smart. He’s got all the intangibles you want in an NFL quarterback,” Narduzzi said. “How people are sleeping on Kenny Pickett, I have no idea.”
Pickett recorded 300 yards of total offense, completed 70% (14 of 20) of his passes and compiled the ACC’s best passing efficiency rating last Saturday during Pitt’s 55-0 victory against Austin Peay. He was not one of the four ACC quarterbacks — Louisville’s Micale Cuningham, Miami’s D’Eriq King, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Georgia Tech’s Jeff Sims — nominated for the weekly Manning Award.
On Saturday, Pickett completed 14 of 20 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 23 yards and a score.
“Kenny put the ball where it needed to be 99% of the time,” Narduzzi said after the game.
Pickett led the ACC and was fifth in the nation last season with an average of 24.1 completions per game while finishing second in passing yards per game (258.2).
Last season, Pickett completed 289 of 469 passes (61.62%) for 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also threw nine interceptions.
He also led three fourth-quarter comebacks last season, giving him a total of five. That’s the most by a Pitt quarterback since Dave Havern’s five during the 1970-71 seasons.
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