I’ll spare everyone the half-hearted attempts at fake news on April 1. That sort of thing is way too tired to waste time. No Pederson fired. No Dixon changes mind and takes the USC job. No new stadium down in Panther Hollow. No return of the Pitt Script. No NCAA investigation.
The downside is there isn’t much going on at the moment for Pitt. Rushel Shell is maintaining radio silence. Isaac Bennett and Malcolm Crockett were expecting to take advantage of the opening.
“It’s something I’ve been preparing for,” Crockett said. “I knew my time would come. Now it’s here, so every rep, every second, I’m just going to go hard to the fullest and eventually try to start.”
Both saw limited action in 2012. Bennett had 29 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns. When Shell was suspended for the season opener against Youngstown State, Bennett ran for 42 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries backing up Ray Graham.
Crockett gained 50 yards on 12 carries last season and served as Shell’s backup in the BBVA Compass Bowl, rushing five times for 18 yards.
Bennett and Crockett described themselves as similar running backs, hard runners with a little bit of speed.
“I’m trying to work on my quickness a little bit, and he’s a little quicker right now,” Bennett said. “But we’re both competitors out there on the field.”
Pitt coach Paul Chryst acknowledged the similarities, but appreciated the differences.
“I think each guy’s different,” he said. “I think the similarities are that they both run hard. I think they like the game.
“I think Malcolm, I think he can continue to learn to tempo his runs a little bit. I think he’s sometimes just one speed. They just seem to have a little bit different style. I don’t think I’ve got to figure out exactly what it is, so I don’t spend a lot of time trying.”
Crockett, however, hurt his leg in the second scrimmage. And Demetrius Davis is also hurt.
That’s opened the door for another running back.
That left the ground game in the scrimmage to one scholarship back — junior Isaac Bennett, who continues to run hard and show some cutting ability — and senior walk-on Desmond Brown.
Brown, the brother of Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, said he appreciated the workload, especially when Chryst matched the No. 1 defense against the No. 2 offense.
Actually, he would have accepted more, he said.
“I was up for the challenge,” Brown said. “I don’t know why he stopped (practice) so soon.”
“Guys like that,” coach Paul Chryst said, “especially in a scrimmage where there are winners and losers.”
Meanwhile on the defense, there is competition with a purpose.
Starters will have competition, and even if they win the job, they can’t get too comfortable. In an ideal world — House’s world — complementary players will push for playing time.
Through the first three weeks of spring drills (nine down, six to go), House’s ideas are taking shape, largely because of injuries to players at or near the top of the depth chart — which was the point in the first place.
House and coach Paul Chryst don’t want to be caught in November with injured starters, underdeveloped depth and a winning season on the line. Better to find replacements now and get them ready for the fall.
“You would like to play a lot of guys at a lot of positions,” Chryst said. “It means you’re deep, and you can.”\
Hopefully House’s world will also include being able to better recognize what opposing defenses are doing. Even when they are running a no-huddle offense.
Against Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl, there was one particular drive which, perhaps as well as any drive the Rebels had this past season, exemplified how and why Hugh Freeze’s hurry up, no huddle, spread option offense can be effective if run properly. It took just five plays, spanned 48 yards, and ate up a mere 71 seconds of gametime, and resulted in a touchdown that gave the Rebels a two score lead midway through the second quarter.
During this drive, the Rebs were in a hurry up situation, and did not even need to huddle because, get this, they ran the exact same play for the entirety of the drive. No, seriously, it was literally the same play, run five times in a row, and Pitt was unable to stop it due to the quickness with which the offense set up, the good decisions made by quarterback Bo Wallace, and the execution of all eleven Rebels on the field.
And somewhat based on this game Matt House is now the DC. I will not panic. I will not panic. I will not overreact. I will not overreact. I will not engage in snap negativity. I will not engage in snap negativity.
The QB competition continues. Both guys have had good and bad days. Savage had a bad day on the second scrimmage.
Tom Savage: 5/18, 149 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Chad Voytik: 12/17, 110 yards, 1 TDAs you can tell from the stats, it was a rough day for the passing game, especially for Savage. Just looked like his timing and reads were a little bit off today. Voytik has looked really solid and improved the past two practices, and it will be interesting to see next week if he can continue it.
As expected this competition will not be resolved before the end of spring. It’s not necessarily Savage’s to lose, but he probably still has the inside track.
Alert me when we’re one of the last 2 or 3; otherwise, there are more than enough things to report about than that … makes us look so desperate.
Savages numbers are a bit concerning… hopefully it really was just a ‘bad day’
Every year I used to pull an April Fools Day prank, on my father-in-law. One year after recieving a $10,000 IRS penalty, I whited out our company name and typed in his name. After that my wife didn’t let me do them anymore.
Trib has an article on House and defense today. (link to triblive.com)
You wonder if the pressure will get to Savage that this is his last shot… the fact he is not getting better as time goes on…?
If you think about it this is it for Voytik as well… if he can’t get the starting job now, and he is not PC’s guy… he is going to be the next Anderson locked in the backup role… so this kid is playing for a lot too…
Shell… I don’t know… the longer he has to ‘think about it’ the less attractive he is… so is his plan to blow off the rest of Spring ball and think his teammates will be thrilled to see him in the Summer? He ain’t Revis, this ain’t the Jets… and PC ain’t Rex…
Savage while having the much coveted “cannon’ is not the lock many seem to think so. He had one somewhat decent season in 2009. His stats were as follows:
149 of 285 (52.3%), 2211yds, 14tds/7ints & 35 sacks. Pros: Cannon & PC. Cons: He aint no Russell Wilson, mmobile, sack prone and he has not played live game action in three years.
Please don’t get me wrong in respect to Savage because I want him to succeed as much as any panther. He will have to work his tail off and improve considerably to get the spot.
I’d also wager that the defense in this scrimmage was geared towards stopping the pass. Maybe that’s why Saveage’s reads were off. If you look at the rushing numbers they are pretty solid. Note Voytik’s totals 6 for 49 and a TD. He also completed 70% of his passes at a 10 yd average. Again it was the 2nd / 3rd team defense but those numbers will move the chains if he can move up in class. Not ready to anoint the guy but it kind of makes me a little giddy!
RUSHING
Isaac Bennett: 24 car, 103 yards
Malcolm Crockett: 4 car, 5 yards
Desmond Brown: 30 car, 141 yards, 2 TD
Chad Voytik: 6 car, 49 yards, 1 TD
I wonder if a big part of Shell’s decision is frankly he was not getting warm vibes from teammates because of how he went about his business… no matter his talent level.
But hey, good luck to the young man and if this is where is head is at better off parting ways.
As for QBs good points above, It is just if I was Voytik I would be worried if I don’t get the starting job. PC’s first QB will be a redshirt 2nd year player with a new recruit coming in as well… just wondering…
will be interesting summer camp now to watch the Pitt backfield!
As for the RS situation have heard it is Arizona and not AZ State. Rich Rod and ASSOCIATES perhaps…
good luck to him but just go so we can build
are team. but no AZ state or WVU any were else
is ok.
Sam Werner ?@SWernerPG
Rushel Shell has decided to transfer from #Pitt, team source confirms. Will meet with coaches tomorrow to determine list of schools
is like this with his new team i think bad things will happen for him to bad.
my bet he ends up years from now knowing he should
have stayed he is screwing his life up.
and i am not saying this becuse he is leaving
but he lacks the speed to be a top back.
Marissa Pursley ?@_rissarozay13 1h
Sitting here looking at my beautiful daughters wondering how someone could ever consider leaving #Selfish #somethingsneverchange !
As anyone with kids knows, they are a work in progress and sometimes the hardest thing to do is make life difficult for them. You do that so they will understand consequences.
One way or another RS will learn.
Former top WPIAL recruit Rushel Shell has decided to transfer. In my opinion, at this point, it’s for the best. On the field, Shell was injury prone, out of shape, and was having trouble learning how to be an all around running back. Even if he did physically got better and ran for a lot of yards, it was clear that mentally he does not have what it takes to be a feature running back. Being a cancer on the team would negate a 1,200 yard season. The Panthers are better off with Issac Bennett and Malcolm Crockett combining for the same 1,200 yards, and being great teammates,
Pitt will be better in the long run. I know maybe people think that the team will be worse off this year, but we don’t know that for sure. When people think of Shell they are thinking of a 1,200 yard rusher this season who will always be there to get the tough yards. The reality is quite different. He’s proven that he’s not somebody that can be counted on and for that reason he was never going to be what Pitt fans think he will be.
Bottom line, there are many reasons why a kid would transfer, and most of them are for understandable reasons. However, I see no good reason why Shell would transfer. One cannot say that it’s because of his home life because Pitt is already the closest school to home. And one cannot say it’s because of playing time because he was already a starter. He didn’t leave to help his NFL stock either. His NFL stock will be damaged, not to mention his personal reputation. That means Shell leave for petty reasons and somebody like that is better off not being in the program because cancer spreads.
She was the Dapper Dan woman of the year the same year Paterno won the counterpart.
Funny isn’t it? As it turns out, Agnes had more balls than Paterno.
Pitt should offer McConnell. Less than equal chance she takes it, but the offer needs to be made.
After that, it is anyone’s guess.
So let me see if I have this right.. he wants to go to AZ — alone — where the sun shines, the girls are half naked (strike that, 3/4 naked), party campus with 0 academic expectations… Oh, and he will be off the football field for a year… perfect place for a young father looking to develop an NFL career..
Hey, I bet Chryst and staff are relieved and happy… let’s me honest, as per above this guy was going to be a pain in the ass and never produce… now Chryst doesn’t have to be the bad guy who torpedo’d the local ‘next Dorsett’ player with two kids… addition by subtraction.
finally, we now KNOW for a fact that any coaching staff that goaded him along are true scum of the earth… any mature man knows that this move is not at all in the best interest of this young man in need of structure and help to grow up.
Good luck RS.
