Pitt needs the yards and touchdowns through the air, and the sharp, snap decisions that set Kenny Pickett apart from most quarterbacks.

But his worth to the No. 23 Panthers goes far beyond the stat sheet.

Early Saturday evening at Heinz Field, Pickett showed 60,594 patrons and nine NFL representatives why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He threw for 302 yards, two more touchdowns and no interceptions while Pitt (6-1, 3-0) flexed its muscles against six-time defending ACC champion Clemson (4-3, 3-2) in a 27-17 victory.

It marked the first time Pitt won six of its first seven games since 2015, coach Pat Narduzzi’s first season.

Those are just numbers, and so many other quarterbacks can and will achieve similar feats. Pickett took it many steps further.

With the need to maintain control of the football at critical points in the fourth quarter, Pickett ran for two first downs on third-and-8 and third-and-7, diving at the end of both plays to move the sticks. Along with freshman running back Rodney Hammond Jr.’s 11 carries for 66 yards (all after sitting for three quarters), Pickett gave Pitt the push it needed to bury Clemson.

Let Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis tell you what Pickett means to the team that is leading the ACC Coastal.

“The first thought that comes to my mind is ‘Man, he’s a winner,’ ” Dennis said. “If our head leader is doing all of that for us just to fight for that extra yard, if he’s doing that, I can do a little bit extra for him.

“I think everyone else sees it as well. Kenny is showing everybody, ‘All right, it’s time to fight.’ ”

Pickett has been around too long — five seasons and 43 starts — to let someone else nail down one of the biggest victories in recent Pitt history.

“I told coach Whip (offensive coordinator Mark Whipple), ‘Just keep the ball in my hands. I want to go and do it myself.’ ”

The first run was a scramble, but the second was a play designed for Pickett.

“Those guys up front did a great job, and it was a great call, too,” Pickett said.

When Pickett wasn’t completing 25 of 39 passes, five Pitt players gained 162 yards on the ground for a total of 464 against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. Pitt’s yardage and point total were the most Clemson’s defense has allowed this season. N.C. State also scored 27, but the game went into a second overtime.

Prior to the game, coach Pat Narduzzi made a point of praising Clemson for its smothering defense, and that’s how it looked — but only for the first quarter.

Pitt recovered from a slow start and scored twice within the final 3 minutes, 18 seconds of the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Pickett, who broke a Pitt record by reaching 879 career completions, was sacked twice and Clemson recorded six hurries in the first half. Eventually, he found rhythm with his pass catchers, who were having trouble getting open in the first quarter. He also found Jordan Addison and Taysir Mack for 23- and 39-yard touchdown throws.

Earlier, Clemson seized a 7-0 lead, and Pitt tight end Lucas Krull lost a fumble at the Clemson 35-yard line. The future didn’t look good.

But Pitt shut down Clemson’s offense, with six pass breakups throughout the game and an interception by cornerback Damarri Mathis at the Pitt 5-yard line in the first quarter.

The decisive blow was an interception by Dennis on a shovel pass by Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei that he returned 50 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter.

The call was a blitz, and Dennis had a clean shot at Uiagalelei that he didn’t need. The flip landed in Dennis’ hands, and he had nothing but turf between him and the Pitt student section.

“I’m going to set it straight here,” Dennis said, crediting defensive coordinator Randy Bates’ call. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Dennis said film study of two of Pitt’s previous games against Clemson told him to watch for the shovel pass.

“That was, actually, a play I missed at Tennessee a couple times,” he said.

After securing the ball, the rest was easy.

“My main thought was, ‘Don’t fall.’ During fall camp, I had a pick and the first thing I did was fall. I said ‘Man, if I ever get this chance again at Heinz Field, I know not to fall.’ Running all alone, (he’s saying), ‘Please, don’t fall. Please, don’t fall.’ ”

That was Pitt’s only touchdown in the second half — Sam Scarton kicked field goals of 44 and 34 yards — but the ground game secured the victory in the fourth quarter.

Narduzzi took a bit of glee in knowing his previously maligned ground game was responsible for keeping the opponent’s offense off the field.

After an 11:28 drive last week at Virginia Tech, Pitt held the ball for 7:56 to end the game.

“That’s two weeks in a row that you questioned the run game, asked about the run game,” he told reporters. “When we want to run the ball, we can run the ball. O-line is doing a heck of a job, tight ends, running backs. Shoot, the receivers are getting blocks, too.”

Or, as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, “They kicked our butts, as simple as that.”

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