After important bye weeks, QB showdown could materialize for FSU, Pitt
One didn't finish his last game, which was a blowout loss. The other hasn't played in nearly a month.
But after both teams enjoyed a very important bye week, there's a chance Florida State and Pitt fans could see quite the quarterback duel this Saturday when the Panthers arrive at Doak Campbell Stadium (4 p.m. ET, ACC Network).
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Travis is definitely going to be leading the Seminoles' offense into action, and it looks like there's at least a chance senior Kenny Pickett might be behind center for Pitt.
“Yesterday, he didn't take many snaps," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said after Thursday's practice. "Joey Yellen took most of them. Then today, all of a sudden, he looks a little bit better. So who knows? Yesterday, I was thinking Joey [Yellen] is the guy. Today, Kenny was like, ‘Hey coach, I feel a little bit better.'”
That's not exactly exciting news for a Florida State defense that has struggled all season.
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Pickett sustained an ankle injury against Boston College on Nov. 10 and hasn't played since. In his absence, the Panthers have fallen into a bit of a tailspin, losing to Miami and Notre Dame by a combined margin of 76-22.
When Pickett was healthy, he was enjoying an impressive senior season. In the Panthers' first five games, he was completing 60 percent of his passes and averaging 277.8 yards per game. Pickett also is athletic enough to keep defenses honest; he's the Panthers second-leading rusher.
The three-year starter entered this season on the "watch lists" for virtually all of the national quarterback awards.
"I think Kenny Pickett's one of the top quarterbacks in the country," FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. "I think he does a really good job."
While it was Narduzzi who raised the possibility of Pickett playing on Saturday, the coach later clarified that he wasn't sure if it made sense to throw the senior back into action with only one real day of practice.
“It’s kind of risky, but we'll see where it is,” Narduzzi said. “Today is only Thursday, but you get scared putting a guy out there without a whole lot of reps. ... We'll see where that thing goes.”
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