Alex Kessman’s big day keeps Pitt in game with Syracuse

Despite Pitt’s loss to Syracuse on Sunday, the Panthers had a few bright spots. One of those was Jordan Whitehead, who I named the Panther of the Game for his work on offense and defense.

But the work of kicker Alex Kessman shouldn’t be forgotten. Without him, the Panthers wouldn’t have been able to keep things as close as they did. Kessman had a big game, making both of his extra points and, more importantly, all three of his field goals.

What was impressive, obviously, was the distance on those. None were gimmes as he connected from 42, 49, and 56 yards. Those nine points were key for Pitt and literally kept them in the game until the final seconds.

Kessman has really turned into a bit of a weapon for Pitt after a shaky debut here he missed both of his field goals against Youngstown State. Since then, he’s made six of his eight kicks, and have hit on two of three from 50 yards and beyond. That doesn’t even include the 49-yarder he booted Saturday, either.

Hopefully he can remain this consistent for Pitt. The great thing is that he’s only a freshman and Pitt could presumably have the kicking job locked up for three more years.

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