11/12/2021 football Edit

Krull's heroics sparks Pitt's win over North Carolina

Jim Hammett • Panther-lair

Staff

Sometimes in football you know you have something before the ball is even snapped. Kenny Pickett had a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Krull against North Carolina in overtime as the rain was pouring down on the Heinz Field turf.

Krull was matched up on the outside on one-on-one coverage, he made a slant towards the end zone and Pickett hit his big senior tight end at the goal line and he made a contested catch.

That crucial red zone play put Pitt in the lead, and the defense closed out the game for a 30-23 victory for Pitt over North Carolina. The No. 21 Panthers improved to 8-2 on the season following the victory.

“As soon as I saw (Krull) go low, we saw the coverages they were in, we hadn't really shown him that play,” Pat Narduzzi said after his team moved to 5-1 in ACC play on Thursday night. “He was running a slant and I thought, ‘Oh, it's going to be a touchdown here.’ And there it was.”

Krull and Pickett connected for the biggest play of the game, one that has been a long time coming according to Pitt’s star quarterback.

“It’s something that we’ve been practicing for a really long time,” he said of the touchdown throw. “It feels great after you put a lot of work in like that and I’ve probably thrown that to him a hundred times, not even exaggerating. So to have it in a moment like that, that’s why you work hard that’s why you put the hours in and he made a great play too.”

Added Krull, “That’s just a play we’ve been oiling up for months and it’s a perfect opportunity to use it.”

Krull was one of the many heroes in Thursday’s win over North Carolina, but it did not start out that way. On Pitt’s fifth play of the game the big tight end dropped a pass on what would have been a first down. Krull has had multiple drops in recent weeks as well, a lingering issue for Pitt's tight end.

That play did not deter Pickett from going to him, however. In fact after the drop, he found Krull on Pitt’s next two plays for gains of 3 and 21 yards. After his initial drop, Krull hauled in all four passes thrown his way after that. He finished with four catches for 51 yards and the game-winning score.

“Lucas is incredibly talented and I wanted to make sure he knew I was targeting him this game and I think he knew that coming in,” Pickett said when asked about that first dropped pass. “It was great to get him a lot of touches, lot of catches. He showed up, stepped up, and did a great job.”

“You've got to rebound,” Narduzzi said of Krull's response to the early adversity. “You have to have a short memory. And he made a couple of big plays early.”

Krull came to Pitt as a graduate transfer from Florida. He was expected to be a big part of the offense in 2020, but an injury sideline him for every game but one last season. After scoring four touchdowns in Pitt’s first three games of this season, the senior tight end saw his production dip while dropping more passes than he would like.

Krull feels that his career, season, and his performance on Thursday comes down to one word: perseverance.

"Everything I’ve done is bouncing back whether it’s from an injury or something like that,” Krull said after the game. “At the end of the day you play in the game and drops happen. You’ve got to play the next play like Coach Whip always preaches and that’s what I did.”

Pitt’s offense ranked first in the country heading into Thursday game averaging 45 points a game. The Panthers scored just 23 in regulation and struggled throughout much of the second half.

Krull said the confidence never wavered as group, just like it never did for him personally on Thursday.

“We knew it,” he said of the overtime touchdown. "We said we’re going to get the ball and score. We never had a doubt. There’s never a confidence issue with this offense.”

That team-wide confidence after a slow start not only propelled Krull to make the biggest play of his career, but also for Pitt to secure an important home win in November.