Miami’s upset in Pittsburgh ‘came down to two big stops.’ True freshmen made both of them
On Kenny Pickett’s 55th and final pass attempt against the Miami Hurricanes at Heinz Field, James Williams finally got the mistake he had been waiting for.
Williams, one of two freshmen starting at safety for Miami, sat deep in a zone near the goal line while the No. 17 Pittsburgh Panthers drove to try to take the lead in the final minutes. He stayed locked onto Pickett’s eyes. Too many times Saturday, the quarterback baited him, but this time he was right where the ball went. Pickett threw behind Jordan Addison and Williams dove for a game-winning interception.
“I’ve been waiting on that play all game,” the rising-star safety said. “I was quiet, I was humble, I was focused and waiting for that throw.”
The interception gave the Hurricanes the ball at their own 2-yard line with 3:43 left and they ran out the clock to win 38-34 in Pittsburgh.
In the first half, it was a shootout. Miami (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) went into halftime with a 31-17 lead, and the Hurricanes and Panthers (6-2, 3-1) combined for 665 total yards.
In the second half, it came down to three stops and Miami’s two freshman starting safeties delivered two of them. Williams’ interception effectively sealed the game for the Hurricanes, but fellow safety Kamren Kinchens made an equally big play at the start of the fourth quarter when he sniffed out a trick play, covered Pickett as a receiver and forced Pittsburgh into a field goal.
“It was evident in the first quarter that the game was finding a way to get stops and turnovers,” coach Manny Diaz said. “It kind of sort of came down to two big stops.”
Kinchens and the Pitt special
Williams, at this point, is a fixture in the starting lineup. The 6-foot-5, 224-pound defensive back had started for four straight games alongside fellow safety Bubba Bolden until Bolden opted for season-ending surgery earlier in the week.
Saturday was Kinchens’ first, although the 5-11, 200-pound defensive back has been part of the rotation since Week 1. Saturday was the first time the Hurricanes started both of their highly touted freshmen without Bolden there to keep everything organized.
The result was a monster first half for Pickett, who has emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender this season. The senior threw for 307 yards in the first and finished with 519. On his first drive, Pickett converted on a pair of third downs — both were coverage busts, Diaz said — and led the Panthers to a quick 7-0 lead.
“At first, it was going fast,” Williams said. “There was a lot of tempo, a lot of movement. We had to get our feet in the dirt and get focused, get marinated into the game and we got comfortable, we got used to the tempo.”
By the end of the third quarter, Pittsburgh had cut Miami’s lead to 38-31 and was driving to take the lead. At the Hurricanes’ 5-yard line, the Panthers tried to catch the inexperienced secondary with a trick play, reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles’ “Philly Special” in Super Bowl 52. Pickett motioned into a tight end’s spot, and Pittsburgh tight end Lucas Krull took a handoff and tried to throw to Pickett. Kinchens, though, read the play and stuck with Pickett.
Krull looked to Pickett, saw he was covered and had nowhere to go. His third-down pass was incomplete and the Panthers settled for a field goal with 13:55 left.
“We have practiced that play. We did not practice that play this week,” Diaz said. “That’s just Kam is a very heady guy, smart football player and he was Johnny-on-the-spot right there.”
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James Williams picks it
Kinchens finished with four tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass break-up on the second play of Pittsburgh’s next drive to help force a three-and-out. Williams led the Hurricanes with nine tackles and six solo tackles, then helped win the game by killing the Panthers’ final drive.
Pickett had Pittsburgh in Miami territory with a chance to potentially win the game with a touchdown and the Panthers were rolling. They had three passes of at least 19 yards to get inside the 25 before defensive end Deandre Johnson — with the help of initial pressure from freshman defensive tackle Leonard Taylor — sacked Pickett back to the 31.
One more time, a freshman safety was in the right spot. Williams intercepted Pickett and the Hurricanes picked up their biggest win of the year.
“They’re locked in like veterans,” cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. “They just showed you why they’re the best duo of freshman safeties in the nation.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 6:06 PM.
