Pitt QB Approaching Notre Dame with Mature Mindset

PITTSBURGH - It's safe to say that Pitt Panthers freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel hasn't played in a bigger game than the one coming up this weekend.

It's not that Heintschel didn't play in big games during his time at Clay High School (he helped the Eagles win the division for the first time in 42 years) or that road contests vs. Florida State and Stanford weren't important, but this weekend is different.

Pitt is hosting No. 9 Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium in what is likely to be the first sellout of the season. College GameDay will be in town, with thousands and thousands expected to descend upon the North Shore, and even the ACC Huddle crew will make an appearance. A big, ranked vs. ranked matchup on national television with the chance to garner some national respect.

The stakes are high, but Heintschel hasn't been preparing any differently.

Approaching Notre Dame the Right Way

Heintschel spoke to former NFL head coach (and Pitt assistant) Jon Gruden last week, and the Super Bowl-winning coach touched upon the massive matchup between the Panthers and the Fighting Irish.

Gruden asked Heintschel about how he's getting ready for the Notre Dame game.

"I think the big thing is just sticking to my preparation, and I pride myself in putting in a lot of work throughout the week to be ready for these types of games and this is a big game for us," Heintschel told Gruden. "But we're just going to stick to what we do, and I think with the way our offense schemes and the way our offense plays, I think we're one of the best offenses in the country.

"I'm a big believer in putting the ball in my hands, I think pressure is everything, but pressure - I say this a lot, pressure makes diamonds. You gotta put the ball in your quarterback's hands to go out and win games, and I think I'm up for the challenge for sure."

Heintschel has demonstrated a maturity beyond his years since arriving on campus over the winter, and it's that maturity and poise that's won over his teammates. He's been a leader since he stepped foot on campus, bringing the freshman class along with him, and now he's the leader of the offense. And he's not just leading - he's thriving.

He's completed 118-of-184 pass attempts (64.1%) for 1,547 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, adding 143 yards and a touchdown on the ground. And if you ask Heintschel, most importantly, the Panthers are 5-0.

"I think that's a really big thing for me, trying to stay level headed and trying to put as much as I can on myself," Heintschel said. "I'm trying to be great, I'm trying to be perfect, and that's a tough thing, but when you strive for perfection and you come up just a little short, I think that's still a really great effort and a really great improvement. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I think there's a lot of things I can grow with and get better.

"As a young guy, there's those mistakes that happen and just trying to learn from that and grow as much as I can. Those turnovers in the red zone can't happen, that's me trying to do too much and just trying to make the extra play when you gotta live to fight another down. That's something that coach Bell and I talk about a lot about, just trying to take that next step and be more efficient as a quarterback."

Heintschel is coming off the worst game of his young college career, turning the ball over four times in a win against Stanford, and he's been hard on himself. Pat Narduzzi said that Heintschel was in the building at 6:30 a.m. watching film this morning.

"We're trying to get as ready as we possibly can, so just in here watching film and trying to break them down as much as we can," Heintschel said during the bye. "Bye week, but we gotta great ready for this one. This is a great team, and this is gonna be a tough one for us."

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