Trio of Panthers named ACC Players of the Week

The ACC Players of the Week for Week 5 were revealed by the conference on Monday afternoon, and Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett was honored, as was Pitt lineman Gabe Houy and Pitt linebacker John Petrishen.

Pickett put on a dominant performance in Pitt’s 52-21 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, completing 23 of his 36 pass attempts for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Pickett also ran the ball for 21 more yards, bringing his total for the day to 410 yards from scrimmage.

Blocking for Pickett at right tackle was Houy, who allowed zero sacks during the game and was part of a Pitt offensive line that paved the way for 580 yards of total offense. That included 181 rushing yards and 399 passing yards, as Nick Patti threw for 10 yards in relief in addition to Pickett’s 389 yards.

And on defense, Petrishen came up with five tackles, including 1.5 tackles for losses. But he stole the spotlight from the Pitt offense early, as he picked off Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims and returned the ball 33 yards for a first-quarter score to give Pitt a 14-0 lead.

Pitt led the conference in ACC Players of the Week in Week 5, as the program had three honorees. Wake Forest came in second, with two, and Clemson, NC State, North Carolina and Virginia all had one apiece. In total, five Panthers have been honored as ACC Players of the Week this season, with Pitt safety Brandon Hill getting the nod after Week 2 and Rodney Hammond being honored after Week 4.