Isaac Bennett obviously wasn’t complaining about getting to carry the ball thirty times on Saturday. What was also nice was seeing how the rest of the team was so happy for him to make the most of being the workhorse.
“He’s just the type of guy you want to have on your team,” Pitt quarterback Tom Savage said of Bennett.
“Obviously, with James coming out doing what he did, a lot of juniors could kind of put their head down. [Bennett] always has a smile on his face. He goes out there and loves the game. It couldn’t happen to a better person.”
Bennett was abruptly made the featured back in the spring when Rushel Shell started his drama. He looked sure to be the featured back, and all was well until getting hurt early in training camp. He missed a huge chunk of it, and freshman James Conner earned the coaches trust to share the load. Conner then earned more carries in the games, making Bennett the starter in name only after a couple games.
And as you would expect from a guy who has put the team first, he isn’t saying anything but positive things no matter what happens next.
Even though he didn’t play, Conner was in uniform Saturday and is expected to return to action this week when Pitt travels to Navy. Pitt coaches have been adamant all season, even when Conner was getting most of the work, that the distribution of carries is determined on a week-to-week basis depending on who is running better.
After Bennett’s showing, that decision likely will be a bit tougher.
“I just do my part,” he said. “If they want to give me the ball, I’m glad to take it and get some yards to help the team. I’m looking forward to [Conner] coming back next week.”
On the other side of the ball, since ODU threw the ball a lot with a QB that can run, Pitt essentially stayed in a wide pass defense most of the game. One that kept their best linebacker off the field.
Rather than play with a traditional alignment, Pitt used mostly nickel and dime packages, which meant as many as six defensive backs on the field.
As a result, cornerbacks Titus Howard and Trenton Coles got more playing time, while [Todd] Thomas stayed on the sideline.
“It wasn’t like Todd doesn’t have the speed or wasn’t ready if something were to happen,” Chryst said.
“We just thought we were better off with some more [defensive backs] in there. If something would have happened, then we could have leaned on the linebacker corps a little more.”
I am not buying into any conspiracy that Thomas was kept off the field by the coaches as an ongoing payback for training camp. It was simply a DC that hasn’t used Thomas in passing coverage, and did not prepare any differently this week. Consequently, when he realized that he was going to have to stay in those defensive formations all game, he never changed his personnel or game plan to utilize Thomas. Incompetence/inexperience is the much more logical conclusion.
And yes, this weekend against Navy, Thomas may not leave the field once on defense. As well as the following week.
Now, fast-forward to Pitt’s next two games at Navy on Saturday and Georgia Tech Nov. 2. The Midshipmen and Yellow Jackets play ground-oriented, option offenses that treat the forward pass almost like it’s against the rules. Navy (3-3) averages 304.2 rushing yards per game; Georgia Tech (4-3, 3-2) leads the ACC with 304.4.
Pitt’s defense is allowing an average of 136 yards on the ground, fifth in the ACC.
“Todd will probably deserve an ice bath over the next couple weeks,” Congemi said, “because he will be asked to play more in the run (schemes).”
Chryst didn’t make that promise, but he is aware that coaching staffs must make regular adjustments to keep up with the different offenses that dot the college football landscape.
“It’s been happening for a while now,” he said. “A lot of people are doing a lot of different things. It does make each week of preparation its own entity.
“That’s where it’s hard. You clean up one thing, and that’s against one style, and some weeks not much carries over.
“Other weeks there are more direct carryovers. Good football coaches are adjusting to the people they have.”
I really think it couldn’t have worked out better that Pitt faces Navy and GT back-to-back. To not have to change the basic approach on defense for consecutive weeks can only help. Especially when they have to travel to Atlanta.
But first it’s the Midshipmen. Navy lost a toughie, when the kicker giveth and taketh.
[Nick] Sloan first drilled a clutch, career-long 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in regulation to get the Midshipmen to overtime against Toledo, but then he missed an extra point in the second extra session that led to Navy’s 45-44 defeat.
That leaves Navy 3-3 on the year. They took out Indiana in Bloomington (which Penn State couldn’t do) but got throttled by Duke. They have a deal in place to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, but they still need to go at least 3-3 the rest of the way. Pitt isn’t a “must win” but it’s close.
Against Navy:
Important to get the lead early to prevent
clock draining option and make them
throw the ball. Pitt needs to score early
and often.
I was treated great by the Midshipmen and the faculty. Not so warmly by the participants there from West Point and the Air Force Academy. I left very impressed by the Naval Academy for its willingness to listen to other opinions. My respect for the Academy has grown since my nephew attended, graduated and is now a Navy jet pilot.
Two of the best days in college football were when they beat Notre Dame recently. So, I relate to what Paul Chryst said about the respect we all should have for them as players and future defenders of our country.
Having said all of that, H2P. Sink the Midshipmen!!
I sure hope for his own sake and for the benefits that he can provide for his offspring if he is successful on the football field in the future, that Shell figures out for himself ASAP that he deserves NOTHING and he has to earn EVERYTHING. Sooner that he internalizes that mindset the quicker he can become more successful in anything that he hopes to accomplish in life.
Hanlon’s Razor: Never assign to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. This is the best position to take regarding House not using Thomas.
Thanks. And, was it last year that the dumbshits at Heinz Field played music while the Navy alma mater was being sung/played? My guess is that the Navy team has not forgotten that. Not smart to piss off future Seals.
H2P. Sink the Midshipmen!!
It would be great to play a home and away with both academies. It is on my bucket list to see Pitt play a game at both.
Just wanted to say that you made a pretty convincing argument regarding the Thomas situation.
First thought this should be a solid win, no problem. Figured that since Duke beat Navy solidly, why shouldn’t Pitt?
However… there were those three turnovers by Navy.
Would be great to think we’ll see Bennett and Pitt’s run game pick up right where it left off against the “Bill Goat” Defense.
But this game has all the makings of the perfect setup for the return of Tom Savage. Remember? The one who launches perfect missile strikes to Mssrs. Boyd and Street.
Time for Tom to show he can still GIT-R-DONE!
You hit the nail right on the head. As long as TT follows the rules and stays healthy, the stupid decision made by the defensive coaches will not be repeated.
I believe Pitt will win this week, but don’t see it being any easier than the painful way we survived ODU. This isn’t criticism, but simply acknowledging that Pitt’s talent level and coaching are not good enough, yet, to cruise to victory against any teams on its schedule.
We need a W this week. Given the team’s erratic performance
the remainder of the schedule presents a huge challenge
to reach 6 wins.
Allthough young, still vivid memories of the ’75 Army game. Pouring down rain the whole weekend, stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in White Plains.
55-10 or 55-20, not clear, but we pounded them. Remember getting into a small fender bender on the Tappan Zee bridge by Tarrytown. (Sleepy Hollow).
Was at the game, 45-10 when Dorsett broke the record. Remember the players rushing onto the field in the end zone?? That was in ’76. Still have a key chain that a local car dealership made. It was a large yellow record (lp), that had two cracks in it (broken record) with the yardage and game on it.
Have been to Navy many times since and recently, would love to get back up to West Point, that was the last time I was there.
Both beautiful places, absolutely beautiful.
My Dad also got us to the ’76 Sugar Bowl, still have the ticket stubs. Can still hear fans yelling the whole time in a southern drawl, “how ’bout them dawgs”!!! It was chilly and wet for that in N.O. too. My Dad was always mad at one thing. We went on this Bayou tour, about 7 hours, on an open cover boat, like the goodship lollipop. Freezing and wet. Promised us alligators, never saw one. Saw grave after grave above ground, that was about it.
Still don’t know how my Dad pulled this off, we weren’t of money, pinching pennies. Still don’t know how my Mom let my Dad pull this off.
Good memories.
My gut tells me that we will win this week, but I expect that it will be closer than I’d like it to be.
New Mexico, 1st offensive play, Savage throws an interception to give the Lobos a short field and all of the momentum straight away.
Duke, Pitt special teams let a punt to be run back and go for a TD which permits Duke to hang around long enough to make it close at the end.
VT, EIGHT SACKS, need I say more?
ODU, Pitt’s defense WILLINGLY plays without their most athletic player because his position doesn’t fit into the nickle scheme opted for by the DC to contain their talented QB. (Disagreed with House’s entire defensive gameplan to contain Heinicke, in the 1st place, BTW).
And in general, Mininmal use of Pitt’s talented TEs in the short passing game, resulting in making our passing attack more predictable as the season progresses.
In spite of these(plus others) issues, we’re still winning the games that we should be winning. The Navy game is another one of those, so I’m of the opposing viewpoint and I’m expecting another ugly hard fought win by the Panthers.
Main reason why. This year’s team fights for a solid 60 minutes and have repeatedly overcome their own ineptitude in many of our wins. That’s a huge intangible that allows those ugly wins to materialize. Of course, that also avoids creating the even uglier loses that us Pitt fans are all too familiar with from bygone seasons!
at GT, ND, UNC, at Cuse, Miami
Now, all of these schools except Miami are somewhat similar to us .. neither much better nor worse. (Note that ND has made a big drop from last year)
I would save all definitive comments about this team until the end
Interesting, Spirit et al think we may not win another game, Matt N et al think we can run the table. The problem is they are both right. That is why we play the games.
So far the season is an enigma.
I think this team is 7 players shy of being great:
On D
One stud of each, d-end, middle linebacker, safety
On O
Two stud linemen and one stud running back
Plus one special teams demon
Since we are only losing 2 studs this year we only have to recruit those 9 guys. Easy!
That revelation puts a little more umph behind the career day that Sir Isaac put out there on Saturday. Especially considering how our running game had gone into hibernation the previous two weeks, this ODU game came just at the right time to reinvigorate that part of Pitt’s offense.
Lets keep it going, mangle the Midshipmen, Hail to Pitt!
’75 Pitt was to Army as ’13 FSU is to Pitt.
We and especially Tony Dorsett ran circles around Army.
As a postscript, if you look at youtube videos of the ’76 team how quick they were vs. all opponents stands out.
That was the first time this season (that I recall) we’ve committed to using the FB in the run game and it paid BIG dividends.
Parrish is yet another freshmen doing an excellent job to move this team forward. I hope they continue to use him, I think it made a big difference.
It took me a while to recognize big ol 31. Not a tight end number.
There is a lot of parody in talent level these days, hence the so-called upsets. Navy’s talent is much better than you think. A free education in engineering is a valuable commodity. Good athletes that are smart enough to recognize how difficult it is to make the pro’s have the brains to choose the Naval Academy. They recruit better and coach better than in the past.
Some people think Matt House is a reasonable parody of a Defensive Coordinator.
Most people think Matt House’s game planning and talent evaluation skills are not on parity with the majority of FBS Defensive Coordinators.
Just bustin your shoes GC. 😉
Hail to Pitt.
First obvious change would be to insert your second best defensive player.
That’s why I am nervous. No one can accuss Chyrst of being honest and open with the press and I hope I am wrong hiss players.
If Thomas is being disciplined I believe the fans should know why their second best player is not one the field when the scheme and players that were on the field played so terribly.
Just as I have been saying all along, I believe House chose his defensive ‘scheme’ for that particular team over having only his best personnel on the field because as a rookie HC he is much more comfortable with doing that as opposed to making adjustments in personnel… especially when his defensive decisions were actually working out given that we were up 21-10 at halftime.
But notice also that I have not been saying that I actually agree with that singular decision regarding Thomas, just that I believe I knew WHY and HOW House made the decision he did. Big difference. Really, do we believe that any DC goes into game planning disregarding an opponent’s strengths just to get one particular player out onto the field. Maybe if it was a player like Aaron Donald, Huge Green or Lawrence Taylor but Thomas isn’t so great that he can’t be sat down and kept in reserve if things go south with the gameplan.
As Chas said, I think it was inexperience more than anything else.
Now, on the flip side of that subject. Do we want a DC who spends all week teaching, practicing and drilling his defensive players in the gameplan he created for the upcoming opponent to suddenly panic and start changing all those things the minute the other team gets a TD? That TD drive ODU had was on the very fist drive of the game. Had House started pulling out his hair and changing things around in panic at that point (which if you read the open thread a hell of a lot of fans wanted him to do) I’d personally be a hell of a lot more pissed then some PITT fans are now about Thomas not playing.
I don’t want that knee jerk reaction from a coordinator and I know the defensive players who had been busting ass all week to learn and execute that game’s particular defense wouldn’t want that also, especially if it didn’t actually need to be done.
Rookie Coordinators make questionable calls sometimes and perhaps that was one of them. But like I said, the bottom line is that that modified defense played the way it should and we won the football game – so I will save my personal criticism of Matt House until he blows a decision that costs us a football game… which hasn’t happened yet.
FSU was out of our league, defensive play calling wasn’t why we lost, and no amount of strategy was going to help us win. Hell, House’s D did better than Clemson’s. And the VT loss was squarely on the offense. House’s D held VT to just 19 points, it was the Offensive that couldn’t do their part – justifiable given the opponent. But for all his faults, which have been well documented, the Defense hasn’t actually cost us a game yet.
“so I will save my personal criticism of Matt House until he blows a decision that costs us a football game… which hasn’t happened yet.”
Would also like to see the o line to continue blocking well and for Pitt to run the ball like they mean it. Get up with a couple of early scores. Clamp down on defense. Pound the rock. Pitt wins their second road game of the season.