Pitt notebook: Linebacker SirVocea Dennis catches breath quickly when offense scores in seconds

SirVocea Dennis thought for a second or two before giving a firm, “No,” to the question:

Does Pitt’s offense score too quickly?

Pitt scored seven touchdowns in its 52-21 victory against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Three came at the end of 33-, 15- and 39-second possessions by the offense. A fourth was an interception return by senior linebacker John Petrishen.

“(If) you put points on the board, you put points on the board,” said Dennis, who directs traffic from his middle linebacker position. “We’ll just go out there and keep fighting.”

If Dennis had trouble catching his breath before he returned to the field, it didn’t show. He was responsible for 2 ½ of Pitt’s 10 tackles for a loss.

Actually, Pitt won the time of possession stat, 34 minutes, 40 seconds to 25:20.

Just like the ‘movies’

Petrishen’s interception helped set a tone, giving Pitt a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.

“I felt like I’ve seen that in my mind 1,000 times,” he said. “It felt like a movie playing out.”

Petrishen said he could feel momentum swing from the offense to the defense at different points in the game.

“We really help each other get in a groove,” he said. “When we do our job and they do their job, we feel really powerful.”

Petrishen and defensive tackle Keyshon Camp each recorded 1 ½ TFLs.

Complementary effort

Jordan Addison and Taysir Mack were quarterback Kenny Pickett’s chief targets. Addison caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown and Mack five for 121 and a score.

Addison gave a good example of how they help each other.

“When I’m in the slot, they kind of fear my speed a little bit,” said Addison, who has nine touchdowns among his 29 receptions while averaging 18 yards per catch.

“Actually, one play that (Mack) caught over the middle, I told him, ‘Get open. I’m going to run (the defenders) off.’

“And I did that, and he made a big play. I feel like we complement each other really well.”

“It’s good to have a lot of continuity and trust,” Pickett said. “It’s a lot of work and preparation. It just doesn’t happen by accident.”

Addison, who has six catches in each of the past four games, drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone that led to Pitt’s last touchdown in the third quarter.

“It’s either a touchdown or a PI, I feel like, when I put it up to Jordan in the end zone,” Pickett said.

By the numbers

Pickett threw touchdown passes to four receivers — Addison, Mack, tight end Lucas Krull and fullback Daniel Carter. … Pitt scored touchdowns on five of six trips inside the red zone, increasing its success rate this season to 80.6% (25 of 31). … Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs caught six passes for 125 yards, but he ended up with minus-10 yards on 10 carries