I saw someone on one of Pitt’s message boards talking about silent snap counts and how the OTs struggled to get back in time against Georgia Tech. I brought this up as an issue after the Virginia Tech game. But, I think it may go deeper than that. I think the offense struggles in an environment with any type of noise, which is every away game thus far except for Duke, because that stadium was emptier than even the worst Pitt fan’s nightmare. When I looked at the stats, it gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe the offense can turn it around against Notre Dame.
I’m also going to leave out the FSU game because I firmly believe they’re the best team in the country right now. This is a little bit of selective statistics, but we can’t judge Pitt against FSU. I’m rooting for Stanford against Oregon this weekend so FSU’ s guaranteed a title shot if they win out. I hope you join me in that so as many FSU players go pro as possible to knock them down a peg. Someone forge Jameis Winston’s birth certificate. Back to Pitt!
At home+Duke, the offense has averaged 423.5 yards and 37.25 points per game. That’s a top 30 offense points-wise. On the road minus Duke, the offense has averaged 258.7 yards and 13.3 points. Those numbers would be one of the worst in college football, along with the likes of Purdue and UConn. This is quite the contrast and perhaps the difference isn’t early season vs. late season, it’s home vs. away.
Pitt started off the season at home three of the first four games. This was followed with three road games out of four. Now, the season closes as it opened. If this is correct, the offense can get on track this week in a friendly environment. I’m probably wrong and it’s more that Virginia made the blueprint to beat the offense and everyone else is just copying, but at this point, I think we all need a glimmer of optimism to hold onto.
By contrast, the defense thrives on the road (minus Duke, again). Yardage wise it’s almost identical: 348.8 ypg at home and 333.3 ypg on the road. Points-wise, however, is a big difference. At home/Duke, the offense is allowing 27.3 ppg. On the road? They’re only giving up 21.3 ppg. It’s odd, because GT was almost the exact statistical average of our offense and defense on the road. (21-10 vs. 21.3-13.3).
Like I said, it’s probably not a home or away game thing, but I just wanted to toss out a little hope that maybe, just maybe, the offense can play well against Notre Dame, UNC, and Miami.
Me too Justin…I wish I wish I wish…
Unfortunately Notre Dame doesn’t have to wish. They will completely own both sides of scrimmage and much like in the FSU game, there is no way of overcoming that.
Now if we can only somehow exchange the players from Old Dominion & New Mexico for the players who will be in the Notre Dame uni’s……
I am kind of shocked the line is only PITT +5
They’ve must of not seen our offense lately.lol
Especially our dynamic… inches per carry running game.
Seemed to work a little last week !
Now what former Pitt offensive player can we get to offer halftime advice to Chryst and pals.
EMel: look at the past 5 results between Pitt and ND and you’ll see exactly why it’s +5.
wbb: not necessarily. it means the players aren’t experienced enough to play without verbal cooperation.
It was written this prevents us from going deep. True. But how about using screens, shuffle pass etc. ?
I am a broken record but it is our scheme. We are handing the ball off way too deep for the talent of our O Line. Our RB’s take the ball and run 5-6 steps just to get to the line. We need some quick hitters occaisionally.
These genius’s never change the formation much.
Take a page from Pitt’s past, move the GD RB’s up closer to the line of scrimmage for as you suggested ‘quick hitters’.
It seemed to work for Johnny and Tony in the ’76 Sugar Bowl.
@ Justin: past results do not predict future results. As stock market bettors and football bettors will attest to. Wish it was that easy cous.
You know this is college football.
Men in motion prior to snap count might be something for the genius’s to look into as well.
Sheesh most boring college offense since the Duke game I’ve seen in college football.
i think everyone that hadn’t left was fully asleep by mid 3rd quarter.
(see Pitt couldn’t do anything offensively for most of the game and neither could UVA, commonly known as a Snoozer)
H2P
There are always some positives in a loss. The fact that they made adjustments and had a strong third quarter was huge in my opinion. Boyd being used as a possession receiver, shows that he is growing and getting better. Savage looked more confident throwing shorter or intermediate passes.
Aaron Donald played even better which doesn’t seem possible. Darryl Render took advantage of his additional playing time, between him and Donald, 18 tackles by interior linemen, wow. Grigsby played well, bodes well for the future.
We still lost, got gouged by a fullback, gave up too many passes and got fooled by a punter. Couldn’t score or defend when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. Got beat on a ridiculous pass when it mattered most. worst of all can’t run the football.
So what have we learned….
Still waiting for the game that Pitt wins that we have no business doing so. This one would be my pick for such an occurance.
Read that Tony Dorsett has not been invited to speak to the team prior to the game yet. I sure hope that that invitation is in the mail! This coaching staff has to learn how to build a fire under this team and begin injecting some emotion into the process. You would think a gameday team visit by TD would be a no brainer, but Bashful might be too shy to ask him.
In the Pitt locker room the sign likely says–Execute well today.
That’s the difference between winners and Pitt.
Makes me wonder what PC’s huddle talk is right before the game. “Offence, execute today. Defense, prevent the home run score. Um, isn’t there a third part of football? Whatever. Everyone execute today so we can have a neat game to analyze in the film room. Execute on 3.”
It all comes down to the O-line, and ours is really bad. That is what is dictating the play calling right now, and I don’t think people seem to realize how much that limits what they can resonably expect to succeed with. You can’t run misdirections and counterplays and trickeration if the defense is three yards in the backfield on every play. Hopefully, it is simply an issue of inexperience and not a lack of talent. Time will tell on that.
I prefer to call the negativity frustration
on the part of Pitt fans. We want this program
to win really bad!
2003 ok.
Whatever the reasons, the facts are, that over the last 5 years, with three different head coaches, coached by three different staffs and systems in place, utilizing four different quarterbacks under center (if you include Kevan Smith’s minor contributions in the 2008 game), Pitt vs. Notre Dame have had their games decided by an average difference of 4 points, with two of those contests not decided until after multiple overtimes.
This ND team, just like Ga Tech last week and Navy before them is a BEATABLE TEAM. Question is when does this young team decide that they are all going to get off of their collective a$$es to play one complete game on both sides of the ball?
Call it missed assignments, lack of execution or just plain bad luck, if you prefer, but Pitt is overdue for some good fortune.
If we get the turnovers going in our favor, we have to capitalize on those opportunities with touchdowns and we have to eliminate our own miscues that have resulted in effectively beating ourselves over the last two weeks.
Notre Dame would be the perfect opponent to get all of the frustrations created over the last two games out of our collective systems. Pitt historically has played ND close, thats why the spread is only Pitt+5.
One opportune TD coming out of nowhere, a pick 6, a punt runback for a TD or a short field ND fumble that we immediately stick into the endzone could spell the difference in such a narrow spread game.
Will Saturday be the night, we’ll see soon enough. We can do it! But to accomplish that we have to take a page out of the Notre Dame playbook and “Play Like Champions”! Hail to Pitt!
And in BB, I cannot recall us winning a close NCAA game.
Believe I predicted this kid would be the next Larry Fitz back in August. And I think we haven’t tapped into 50% of his abilities yet.
Would like to see Tyler moved around the field more pre-snap to cause confusion in the enemy defense. Would like to see him initially line up in the backfield and throw him some swing passes or screen passes, as a solution to all the blitzes.
There is so much you can do with this kid than just line him up as a traditional WR.
We beat Xavier one year in a close game. Might be another one or two.
VCU in 2007
Wisconsin in 2004
Also beat Oklahoma State one year by 8 in the 2nd round.
We we only remember the losses, but that’s pretty common among fan bases unless you have tremendous success like somebody like the Steelers.
The more Tyler Boyd touches the ball the better. He should be getting the ball all the time.
All 3 went to Final 4
By my count there are 12 Seniors, 9 who are starting and 16 Freshmen, 4 who are starting, including special teams. That’s just really incredible. It bodes well for the future, but damn.
Or maybe Temple 19, Pitt 13 at Pitt Stadium in 1986 when Paul Palmer ran for like 200 yards in a downpour.
Or maybe Temple 24, Pitt 21 at Pitt Stadium in 1987 when Temple stunk and Pitt blew a 14-0 lead and Todd McNair ran for like 250 yards.
See a trend????
Anyway we could have an ACC team in the National Championship game this year. Which would great benefit our much maligned conference.
Florida State is now # 2 in the latest BCS standings
And in the 6 computer rankings used to form the computer ranking they are ranked #1 in 5 of them, ahead of Alabami.
Yet the political human polls have them at #3.
Something fishy with that.
See if FSU’s #2 holds up if Oregon beats #5 Stanford this week. Stanford’s BCS average is only .7930
They are LOUD as the local Notre Dame fan only goes to one game every two years. As most of those folks are not traveling (many do) but the local ND fans that can’t afford to make a trip to South Bend will be the ones screaming.
I still remember my Aunt Helen taking me to my first Pitt game vs ND when I was 10 years old. Pitt Stadium was packed but very quiet…right until the ND band came onto the field. To this day, I have never heard such a cheer. Suspect there were 30,000 ND Fans that day.
Hopefully we can get a win since we got robbed last year.
This is a game where we NEED to PLAY WITH SOME EMOTION. That should be a given based on the opponent and a full Heinz field. Plus we need a win or I see the season going into death spiral mode.
We better not come out flat like last week and like ODU.
The hiring of Ed Bozik as AD. Pitt football hasn’t been the same. Posvar hand picked him. Didn’t Nordy hand pick Stevie as well? The incompetence continues.
Not sure why we didn’t try more deep balls against GT but I said before the season that for our offense to have any success Savage had to go deep at least two time each half.
I think we’ll see a close game Saturday as stated above regarding the line. Who wins is a toss up but PITT does seem to get up to play ND each year.
Has recent results have rendered the O vs. P debate moot?