Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 14 of 20 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score to lead Pittsburgh to a season-opening 55-0 win at home over Austin Peay on Saturday in the only nonconference game of the season for the Panthers.

Pittsburgh (1-0) dominated from the start, scoring touchdowns on its first six drives of the season to take a 42-0 lead at halftime before playing backups in the second half in preparation for ACC games the rest of the year.

Daniel Carter opened the scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run with 9:18 left, and then following a 68-yard pass to Shocky Jacques-Louis, Pickett scored on a 6-yard run with 5:37 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0 Panthers.

Pittsburgh took a 21-0 lead with 1:36 left in the first quarter on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to DJ Turner, and then went up 28-0 with 11:56 to go in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Vincent Davis.

A 10-yard touchdown run by Israel Abanikanda and a 1-yard touchdown run by Todd Sibley Jr. in the second quarter rounded out the first-half scoring and created a situation where both teams agreed to play two, 10-minute quarters in the second half instead of 15-minute periods.

In the first half, Pittsburgh outgained Austin Peay, 420-92, and had 18 first downs to three for the Governors (0-2).

The Panthers made it 48-0 with 6:45 remaining in the game when Sibley blocked a punt and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown and then took a 55-0 lead with 3:10 left on a 4-yard touchdown run by Davis.

In the midst of a three-game season because the Ohio Valley Conference decided to postpone fall sports, Austin Peay will conclude its season with a game next week at No. 20 Cincinnati.

--Field Level Media