Mason Heintschel’s record-setting performance leads to ACC, national recognition

PITTSBURGH — Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel’s record-setting performance during the Panthers’ season opener earned him multiple accolades.

Pitt Athletics say he earned ACC Quarterback of the Week, alongside national recognition on the Manning Award’s Eight Stars of the Week and the Davey O’Brien Great 8 lists.

Heintschel completed 31-of-41 passes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception, tying Pitt’s single-game record and establishing a new ACC single-game record.

Heintschel accounted for 476 yards of total offense, contributing nearly 74% of the Panthers’ 646 total yards in the season opener. He became the first FBS quarterback since LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019 to throw for at least 450 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception in a single game.

Heintschel distributed his seven touchdown passes among seven different receivers, making Pitt the first FBS team since Western Kentucky in 2022 to have seven distinct players catch a touchdown pass in the same game.

Across the ACC during Week 1, Heintschel led all quarterbacks in passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense. His 453 passing yards surpassed the conference’s next-highest total by 23 yards, while his seven touchdown passes and seven total touchdowns responsible for led the ACC by two. He also paced the conference with 31 completions and posted a 224.76 passer-efficiency rating.

Behind Heintschel’s performance, Pitt led the ACC during Week one with 646 yards of total offense and 480 passing yards. The Panthers also set conference highs for the week with seven touchdown passes, 34 completions and 21 passing first downs.

His selection to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 officially places him on the award’s Midseason Watch List. First presented in 1981, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award annually recognizes the nation’s top college quarterback.

The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, is presented annually to the nation’s outstanding quarterback and is the only major quarterback award that considers postseason bowl performance in its voting.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week will be selected from the eight honorees and announced Wednesday.

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