Think there will be a point of emphasis on the running game this Saturday? That’s the theme in today’s stories.
One of the most troubling statistics from Pitt’s 41-13 season-opening loss to Florida State was that the leading rusher was not junior running Isaac Bennett, nor was it freshman running back James Conner. It was freshman wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who gained 54 yards on his three end-around carries.
The rushing attack never got rolling as Bennett and Conner, the lead ballcarriers for Pitt this season, only had nine carries apiece for 35 and 34 yards, respectively.
Chryst admitted after the game that the running backs did not get as many carries as he would have liked because his team had to play catch-up against the Seminoles. Getting them in more of a rhythm this week will be a focus as Pitt prepares for New Mexico.
“We weren’t very good on first down [against Florida State],” Chryst said. “We need to stay ahead of the chains. That will help. We were bad on third downs. If you convert more than 25 percent of third downs, then you get more kicks at the can. We need to sustain drives.”
The running game showed promise in the first quarter. In addition to the Boyd sweep of 18 yards, Bennett broke a 10 yard run and Conner had two runs for 9 yards. The problem was, after those first two drives, Bennett and Conner only had 36 yards on the ground for the rest of the game.
OC Joe Rudolph saw plenty of problems for the anemic running attack beyond Pitt quickly getting buried on the scoreboard.
“The biggest thing is lack of consistency,” he said. “That’s been the big talk (in position meetings). Really appreciating the (play) you are in and how important your job fits it, never knowing if it’s the piece of the puzzle that’s going to create a big play.
“We have been hammering them about being consistent, about finishing, about doing their job and doing it through the whistle.”
Rudolph said there was plenty of blame for everyone. Pitt carried 27 times for 96 yards (3.6 yards per attempt) in the loss.
“There were times, the tailback, we could have been better with the reads,” he said. “There were a couple times it was blocked pretty well and we just got outside it. There were a few times I know a tight end, the same thing, didn’t detail it up, and I’m sure it flows over to the offensive line.”
Failing to heed those directives resulted in undesirable down-and-distance situations and a 25 percent third-down conversion rate (2 of 8).
New Mexico with a poor run defense (103d in 1-A after 2 games) should at least help the confidence levels.
More is also needed from the O-line.
The Pitt offensive line kept its mistakes to minimum, even though all five players are either first-year starters or were playing another position last season. Quarterback Tom Savage was sacked three times, but Chryst blamed only one of them on an assignment error.
“I thought we did some good things, and some things we can improve on,” Chryst said. “Each guy can apply that. If you take each guy, there are four or five plays each guy would want back. And there are four or five where you can say, ‘If that’s who you are, we are going to be in good shape.’ ”
Redshirt freshman tackle Adam Bisnowaty said line coach Jim Hueber’s film-study meetings were surprisingly calm in the days following the game.
“It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Bisnowaty said. “I thought we played pretty well for it being a young offensive line.”
Bisnowaty said details such as moving one-half step toward the rusher or better hand placement would have helped.
“We all know the plays,” he said. “We have to get the little details.”
The devil, naturally, being in the details.
I will be very curious about the O-line and run blocking. At least in the first quarter when Pitt was trying to run the ball, it sure seemed that there was more success on the outside, rather than running in the middle. Was it just the FSU D-line being stouter, getting more penetration versus the run at the DT spots? How much of it is weakness at the center and tackle spots?
The game is also at 12:30, which is 10:30 am Mountain Time. So that might help a little in keeping the Lobos sluggish. Not that any coach would say that publicly.
…it will mark the Lobos’ first game in the Eastern time zone since a 34-14 loss to North Carolina State in 2002. Pitt coach Paul Chryst downplayed the significance of a western team playing an early-afternoon game two time zones from home. “All those things are real and you have to address them, but it doesn’t carry over,” he said. “You have to go play the game.”
Just take it one game at a time. Right?
Let’s hope a 60 minute dose of Bob Davie is just what the doctor ordered to instill some confidence on both sides of the ball.
New Mexico better be a cakewalk or we’ll see a six win season at best.
I like the talent on this team even though we are so young through out the two deep. I feel that we have enough talent at the skill positions to really put some points on the board if our defense can do their job. Just for comparison:
In 2012 we put up 26.6 PPG (72nd nationally) with 20 FGs (16th). 6-7 record.
In 2011 we put up 24.2 PPG (83rd nationally) with 21 FGs (16th). 6-7 record
In 2010 we put up 26.3 PPG (67th nationally) with 18 FGs (21st). 8-5 record
In 2009 we put up 32.1 PPG (21st nationally) with 23 FGs (4th). 10-3 record (w/ Dion Lewis’ 1800+ yards on the ground).
So Chryst’s offense last season was right in line with the previous two seasons and previous two HCs. I think we’ll be better than 26 PPG this season if we have a balanced attack that can move the football downfield in a consistent manner, which I think is possible given our talent level.
They went for the juggler immediately after the interception and when we got the ball back after their TD tying it at 7-7, that was when for SOME ODD REASON (nobody asked PC about this I don’t believe) he put Ibrahim in and that was a 3 and out from our 20 yd line. FSU took control of the game after that, going 80 yards in 4 minutes for a TD, 14-7.
The next Pitt series was the last time we moved the ball and scored in 1rst half, going 70 yards in 11 plays in 4 minutes. Boyd had his first 20 yd run, Connor ran for 10 yds and Bennett for 5, rest were passes.
FSU then went 80 yds in 14 plays in a killer drive of 7 minutes to make it 20-10.
PITT got the ball with 2:13 at the 20yd line, for some reason we called a timeout with 2:08. They stopped Bennett on a short run and called timeout at 2:03. And then the play that killed any chance we had. Savage throws another pick in Pitt territory at the 40.
They got the ball completed 2 passes of 36 & 23 yds for another TD, 28-10 right before the half, Game Over !!
Pitt only had the ball 4 times in the 2nd half, punted twice and turned the ball over on downs near the end and had the FG drive.
We weren’t going to run the ball much down 31-10 as they scored on their 1rst possession of the 2nd half, or 31-13 or 34-13.
So yea I think you’re looking at it wrong Carmen.
The 2 Savage picks in the 1rst half killed us.
Especially the one that resulted in 28-10 right before the half ended.
They have to step it up this week, cause if New Mexico can run the ball, they can control the clock.
As we don’t want to get behind, which only puts more pressure on Savage and I’m not sure he’s up to the task of making throws, when trailing and under pressure at this point.
Very important that the D, gets some early and often 3 and outs against the Lobos.
And we run the ball effectively and then dictate when WE want to throw it. Not them !
Throw out the Gardner Webb & Temple games and we only avg’d 22 ppg.
And that was with Buffalo, YSU, Uconn, USF.
While New Mex & ODU might be akin to Gardner Webb & Temple (or YSU even though we lost), you’d be hard pressed to find 4 teams on the schedule as weak as Buffalo, YSU (or Temple) Uconn or USF.
1) Pitt’s offensive line is HUGE and pretty athletic compared to last year. They will be called upon to pound New Mexico and open lanes for the backs.
It’s also a great oppportunity for the line to fine tune their timing against a team they should dominate at the point of attack.
2) The other more troubling reason for the run game to be emphasized is Tom Savage.
It seemed bvious against FSU that Savage suffered from tunnel vision that left him oblivious to defenders who were only too glad to oblige by picking off the ball (or nearly picking it off in the one case).
First, there’s Savage’s account which includes a little harmless fingerpointing by blaming one or two of the intercepts on miscommunication (i.e. the receivers running the wrong route).
In today’s Trib, Savage sees it as totally fixable.
“Even after the picks, there was never, ‘What the heck am I doing out there?’ I knew what happened on all of them. I know how we could adjust and improve from there.”
However, Offensive Coordinator Joe Rudolph says while Savage did some “great” things, there seems to have been a little someting else going on as well.
“There are some times where we can make better decisions and be smarter.”
Prior to FSU, it was pointed out that while at Rutgers, Savage showed himself to be susceptible to interceptions and sacks. That in fact is what the stats from his freshman and sophomore years show… and it was no secret among Savage’s critics in Piscataway.
While communication can be improved, getting someone to change the ills of their ways from the past is much more difficult.
Chryst and Rudolph worked miracles with Sunseri last year and to Tino’s credit he showed himself to be pretty coachable in response to their efforts to make him a better quarterback.
We’re going to find out if Savage is equally as coachable.
However, there is this to consider. Despite the success in dramatically reducing the number of interceptions and inreasing the number of completed throws, there was one major deficiency in Tino’s game that remained unfixable. All of Chryst and Rudolph’s expertise and attention of detail could nver rescue Tino from his inability to perform his best when the pressure was on and the game on the line.
Again, the near impossible task of trying to change the inner-most aspect of a person’s psyche.
The Defense is going to have to do their job first. If that happens we win this one going away. If not, then my friends we’re going to be seeing a team going forward that has a lot of very basic problems without a whole lot of answers fourthcoming as the season unfolds.
I know there has been a lot of talk about the running game. But maybe the entire offensive philosophy used by Chryst is just becoming outdated (Of course it worked at Wisconsin when you got to play against teams stuck in the mud in the Big 10). But look at the rest of college and even the NFL, it’s all about spreading out and creating mismatches.
Connor’s problem is he does not have RB instincts that Schell had. He does not show an vision or cutback ability but he is strong.
He can get 3 to 4 if the line can give him a crease. He can run through arm tackles at the line of scrimmage that Bennett turns into lost yardage.
I do not think Connors is the long term solution especially after Savage and Street are gone and are passing game reverts back to trying to find lanes for Volchik to see (nobody mentioned the benefit of Savages height that allowed the quick over the middle slants that a Tino or Volychk physically cannot throw unless the offensive line “pancakes” their opponent.
Connor will be a nice short yardage back next year to complient the kid from Buffalo or hopefully Shai
I think we’d all love to see Wisconsin hammer ASU.
Tino was coachable to the extent that his decision making improved. Outside of that we all know the story.
Matt House gets a 2nd chance this week. Don’t embarrass yourself Matt!!!
It’s kinda funny now to see angst about Chryst’s offensive philosophy. Two years ago, there was a lot of outcry about how Pitt’s personnel, the city’s “blue collar” mentality, the weather, and everything else about the program was just not right for a spread, left-lane, pedal-down offense.
AP is right, there is more than one way to be successful – a big, bruising line and strong run game can also create mismatches. O’Brien’s pro-style passing game up at Pedo St. is actually working well at the college level – especially having a bonafide pocket passer like Hackenberg. Whatever the philosophy, you have to commit and get the right talent to make it work. Pitt is not there yet, but at least they appear to be matching recruiting to style.
I think of all units, we will see the most improvement as the season progresses in the offensive line, provided they stay healthy.
In 2012 he threw for 872 more yards, had almost a two yard increase on his Yards Per Attempt average (which is a huge gain) and his yards per completion also jumped up his yards per completion rate from 10.6 to 12.8 – which was one of the best YPC rates in the nation and an increase of 2.2 yards over his 2011 YPC.
No one wants to believe it because almost every PITT fan hates him, but Sunseri had a super productive year at QB for us in 2012. I don’t think Savage is going to get anywhere close to that production with the exception of his Yards Per Completion maybe because he hits deep passes.
Pittisit – Bennett certainly is fast and was a sprint champion in HS. He can move with the ball, don’t let the FSU game color your opinion of him too much – he’ll be productive for us. He won’t be a star in the mold of McCoy, Lewis or Graham, but he’ll bet productive.
Conner can cut back and his vision is fine. Again, you are making a lot of assumptions based on watching Connor carry the ball nine times… against one of the best and fastest defenses in the country.
Funny how all the PITT fans seem to be on the Conner bandwagon now – I wrote about how good he was in an article last month and people seemed to think he was too big, too slow and ran too much upright, also that he’d be better at DE than at RB.
I don’t think your assessment of Savage is justified at this point. I am not saying you are wrong- we don’t know yet after only one game. I just don’t think you can come to the conclusions you have come to based on the opening game against a team that had us completely overwhelmed.
I am not sure it is fair to say that Savage is interception and sack prone and question whether he can change those things based on his performance against FSU. Basically no aspect of our team was comparable to what FSU had on the field. The fact that he only threw two interceptions and was only sacked three times is actually pretty good considering how over-matched we were. This isn’t to justify the interceptions, but it is to point out that we are a team that was ranked somewhere in the 50s coming against the 11th ranked team, and this was the outcome that should have been expected.
What will tell the story on Savage (and other areas of the team) will be how he competes against inferior opponents, like the one this week, and how he competes against evenly matched or slightly better teams. If you had told me that FSU would only get three sacks in the game, I would have told you that you were crazy. Two of those sacks came in garbage time down 41-13 in the fourth quarter when we had no choice but to try to air it out. So all in all, I am pretty happy with that. I would like to see less interceptions, but I suspect he won’t see the kind of pressure he did against FSU from many other teams.
You also said, “However, Offensive Coordinator Joe Rudolph says while Savage did some “great” things, there seems to have been a little someting else going on as well.
“There are some times where we can make better decisions and be smarter.””
I don’t know if you are suggesting that this quote means that, deep down, the Pitt coaches aren’t happy with Savage. That is how it reads to me (what you said), and I apologize if that isn’t what you were saying. But I don’t see there being anything out of the ordinary about this quote. Savage made some mistakes and the coach said he could improve, despite doing some things well.
Anyway, just think we need to be fair to this team, as a whole, and measure them against more balanced odds. Do they dominate teams they should dominate? Do they beat teams they should beat? How do they play against teams around or slightly above their talent level? Those are better ways to measure this team than how they did against FSU.
Bennett and Conner will be adequate behind the big line, but will never make anyone forget Graham, Lewis, or the incomparable Shady. It is early but they don’t appear to be the kind of guys that can pick up 150 against a stout team.
Let’s hope they work the bugs out in the next three before the going gets really tough again.
As always they better take them one at a time.
Problem is, Chyrst isn’t moving the chess pieces around during the game. He doesn’t wear a headset during the game. So Joe Rudolph is doing all the chess piece moving.
Nobody has replied to this, imo PC needs to be wearing a headset and calling the plays. That was what he was known for at Wisky. His biggest asset is being wasted.
We only scored a TD on the scripted first series of plays. PC scripted those no doubt.
That is why Tiny’s stats improved in 2012. Terrible teams with just terrible defenses. Even though we lost to 2 of those terrribe teams.
Naturally if you play the ‘Little Sisters of the Poor’, you’re going to put up some good stats.
Will admit the TD’s to Int’s ratio was very good.
Tiny would rather take a sack than risk a pick.
Plus he knew only way he’d be taken off the field(as he was in 2011) was by throwing picks.
But that led to no risk, no reward type offense of dinks & dunks and a whole lot of Ray Graham and Shell.
This is a huge game for Pitt & Savage. Defense needs to step up and we need to get the offense in gear if we’re going to win any games in the ACC this year.
And the kid’s name is Voytik, I don’t understand why you insist on butchering this kids name.
The kid stuck with Pitt, and helped keep that class intact after Graham bolted. Least we can do is spell his name correct. Besides we don’t get many 4 star recruits !
At Rutgers, he completed about 52 percent on 368 passing attempts with 16 TDs and 10 INTs and was sacked… get this… 49 times!
Said it before prior to the season… with such a great arm there may be reason why Savage found himself without a home for two years after leaving Rutgers.
And no, I was not implying that the coaching staff is secretly unhappy with Savage at this early stage. As the quote for Rudolph goes, the other thing going was bad decisions and the need to be smarter.
But I do know that back in Piscataway Savage had his critics who were convinced he had difficulty reading a defense and was prone to bad decisions.
I hope Chryst and Rudolph are able to get him to a better place. Anyone who has seen him throw a football in person knows “beautiful” is probably the right adjective that does his passes justice. The kid has a GREAT arm.
We’ll see.
He completed a hell of a lot of passes between the 10-20 yard range which is why his YPC was so high.
As an example – everyone’s fav QB Geno Smith’s YAC was over 1.5 yards less than Sunseri’s. Tino was equal to Bridgewater’s YAC.
You play the games in front of you and that’s what he did. Pansies or not we need to give him some credit for how he produced offensivly.
to worry abought something make it the D becuse if it keeps up as it is we are screwed.
