Lots of questions about playing the younger kids at the Dave Wannstedt press conference yesterday. This of course led to stories about playing the underclassmen.
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has increased the playing time of several freshmen and recently opted to break the redshirt of two others to try to improve the Panthers’ fortunes. So far, 11 true freshmen have played and nine will continue to play as long as they are productive.
The fact that Wannstedt is giving more playing time to freshmen doesn’t mean he’s giving up on the season. He said that yesterday in his weekly news conference and said the areas he has used freshmen have all been areas of need — the offensive and defensive lines and running back.
He said the freshmen who have played have earned it and in most cases have improved the production at their respective positions. Pitt (2-4, 1-1 Big East) will play host to South Florida (3-2, 1-0) Saturday at Heinz Field, and Wannstedt said the players who get into the game will be the ones who give the Panthers the best chance to win.
“The upperclassmen know that we are being fair,” Wannstedt said. “We’re doing everything we can to win every game. There is no set amount of time that the freshmen are going to play, and I’m not playing anybody that I don’t think is giving us just as good a chance to win. I would never put a guy in there and jeopardize losing the game.
“If I wasn’t confident that they had the ability and they understood what we were doing, I wouldn’t play them.”
The article makes a very clear point that former Coach Harris’ recruiting classes from 2002-2004 have hardly paid huge dividends.
The Panthers signed 49 players in 2002 and 2003, which is the group that ordinarily would make up the core of the team because they are the players in their third or fourth year in the program. But only 19 of those players are on the Panthers first- or second-team offense or defense, 22 if you count specialists.
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The class of 2004 (sophomores and redshirt freshmen) — Harris’ final class — is shaping up similarly. There were 27 players in that class, yet only 11 have contributed thus far.
The article observes that of the 11 true freshmen playing this season, 6 were signed by Wannstedt.
A big issue for Coach Wannstedt after the Cinci game is something that has been problematic for the Pitt defense for some time — poor tackling.
The day after the Cincinnati game, Wannstedt and his staff watched the videotape and noted every time a defender failed to wrap up a ballcarrier.
“We added it up,” he said. “Cincinnati had (312) yards of offense. There was close to, maybe over, 100 yards in missed tackles. We gave up too many yards defensively after contact.”
Wannstedt pointed to a screen pass that picked up double-digit yardage after two players missed tackles. In another instance, cornerback Josh Lay was trampled when he tried a single-arm takedown on 225-pound running back Bradley Glatthaar.
“We’ve got to work on the fundamentals,” linebacker J.J. Horne said. “The surface was kind of slippery (because of rain), but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to stay balanced, move our feet and keep gaining ground, and get to our target.”
Horne made six tackles (five solo) and broke up a pass, and was named defensive player of the game by Pitt’s coaching staff. Two of the team’s two four tacklers Saturday were safeties — Tez Morris (10 tackles, six solo) and Sam Bryant (five, all solo).
The surface is definitely no excuse. Poor tackling has been going on for some time. Some of it is simply a lack of speed by the defensive player to close and stop the ball carrier. A lot of it is plainly being out of position or trying to hit rather than wrap-up and tackle. A lack of fundamentals that goes to the coaching. That falls on Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads.
Another bright spot, though he didn’t get many opportunities was Terrell Allen returning kick-offs, along of course with Revis on punt returns.
