Although there is no word on the status of Kenny Pickett’s left ankle — practice, of course, is closed, and coach Pat Narduzzi wants to keep Miami’s coaching staff guessing — there is something else that can’t be questioned:

The value of Pitt’s quarterback goes far beyond his ability to move the football forward, and he leads the ACC in average total yards per game, 301.6.

When Pickett was running with a distinct limp on an ankle that needed medical attention but still converting two fourth downs on his own in overtime Saturday, teammates watched in awe.

“It was definitely something that inspired me, that lit a fire under me for that last drive,” left guard Bryce Hargrove said. “The guy’s out there hurt, and he’s out there giving his all. You have to respect it.”

There is no greater bond in football than that which ties together a quarterback and his offensive linemen. Maybe that connection is a bit stronger at Pitt because Pickett has been the unquestioned starter since late in the 2017 season.

Perhaps it’s an intangible element that will help carry Pitt through a rugged gauntlet of opponents, starting with Miami on Saturday, followed by Notre Dame on Oct. 24 and Virginia Tech and Clemson next month. (That’s two-thirds of the remaining schedule.)

Pickett has not had the benefit of a strong running game since Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall ran out of eligibility New Year’s Eve 2018 after the Sun Bowl loss to Stanford.

Whether it’s on the sideline at Hard Rock Stadium watching somebody else take snaps or in the Pitt huddle barking instructions, Pickett stands among the most prolific passers in Pitt history. With 6,965 passing yards, he needs only 35 to become the fifth quarterback in Pitt history to throw for 7,000. Alex Van Pelt, Dan Marino, Tino Sunseri and Tyler Palko are ahead of him.

But another statistic might mean more to Pickett: He leads the Panthers with five rushing touchdowns, four of them 1-yard sneaks.

He’s become a master of the short plunge. He converted the second overtime fourth down by launching himself off his gimpy left ankle while running back Vincent Davis appeared to brush it while shoving Pickett from behind. But Pickett remained in the game to throw a touchdown pass to Taysir Mack.

Hargrove said linemen love it when offensive coordinator Mark Whipple calls the quarterback sneak. They have trust Pickett will score, but they also treat the play as a badge of honor.

It was the legendary Joe Moore, an assistant at Pitt, Temple and Notre Dame for 20 years, who said, “There’s no greater joy in life than moving a man from point A to point B against his will.”

That’s what Hargrove meant Wednesday when he told reporters, “We go in with the mentality that we put in more work in the weight room this off-season than anybody else did.”

They hope to carry that line of thinking into Miami.

Pitt’s offensive line donned a new look at Boston College, with All-ACC center Jimmy Morrissey moving to right guard and junior Owen Drexel getting his first start at center. Pat Narduzzi said it was done to give injured right guard Jake Kradel a chance to heal. But there also is a line of thinking it put Pitt’s best five offensive linemen on the field at the same time.

Drexel, a junior from Montclair, N.J., didn’t say Wednesday if the configuration will remain intact. But he was grateful for the opportunity.

“Borbs (line coach Dave Borbely) talks about trust a lot,” he said. “It meant a lot to me that he had trust in me to stick me in there, especially moving an All-ACC center to guard.

“Playing next to Jim, with Jim, behind Jim, I learned a lot from that guy. Biggest thing I can say about coming to Pitt is I learned from him.”

Now, the next question to be answered is this: Can the offensive line play well enough to help Pitt recover from back-to-back one-point losses?

“We’re pretty fired up,” Drexel said. “We talk a lot about how we’re two points away from being 5-0 and we’re a (darn) good team still and we believe that and we’re going to go out and play like we are.”

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