The day’s practice schedule was broken up into warm-up drills, then live full tackle drills, a scrimmage with the referees calling penalties (and lots of them), full 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills, finishing up with short yardage situations including red zone plays. During the punting drills Winslow was getting the ball 40-45 yards downfield consistently and on the two directional punts I watch both went inside the 10 yard line and were downed.
Kevin Weatherspoon was the sole punt returner today as the staff had Boyd only warm-up with some drills early on then sit out the live action parts. In the kickoff drills Maddox, L. Pitts and Ibrahim were on the receiving end and did OK. Maddox is fast as hell and is turning into a valuable guy for the team this season. Again, Boyd was our leading KO return man last year and would have been back there this scrimmage also if he wasn’t resting.
Something that jumped out at me during these special team drills is that the kicking and coverage squads were populated mostly with players who are starting at other positions. Apparently Chryst is not screwing around with special teams play this season.
Blewitt was down today with a .500 success rate. He made four FGs, including a 52 yarder and missed four. Not much to say about that except let’s hope that it was an off day and not the norm for him.
In discussing individual offensive units and players let’s first understand two things; First is that a scrimmage is in essence a tryout for the 2nd and 3rd string positions and secondly, if the offense doesn’t improve by giant steps in the next 14 days we are going to be some very disappointed fans. You can point to the old saw that in camp “the defense is always ahead of the offense” but right now that’s an excuse. What we saw from the sidelines was not pretty and centered on the QB position.
It no big secret that Chryst will name Voytik as the starter before the Delaware game and that’s probably going to be the right choice in the end, but the truth is that Voytik hasn’t locked up that position based on his fall camp play. Each practice I’ve attended Voytik has been hesitant, has missed some reads his outlets and has been up and down with his accuracy. This especially happens with any sort of pressure in front of him. IMO It isn’t a case of nerves or inexperience at this point; it is just where he is on the growth chart toward being a starting QB. I’m not exactly sure where he should be on that chart, but where he is isn’t a feel-good making place.
Now with that said, Voytik also made some good plays today, especially in his rolling out and his hitting some nice passes in the drills outside of the scrimmage. Two notable plays during the scrimmage were when he hit Ibrahim out of the backfield on the right side with a nicely led swing pass and Ibrahim went for 19 yards; another was a pass in the flat to Ibrahim which he ran in 58 yards for a TD. Voytik had a some other nice throws also, but the problem is that he’d follow up a good completion with two botched throws and look too inconsistent for a productive starting QB.
He’s got some time still but overall let’s keep our fingers crossed that he has a productive two final weeks of camp with strong improvement before we get into the regular season. We might slide by Delaware if he stays playing at this level but not Boston College I think. We’ve seen stranger things in football than a big jump in play by someone so I’m of the mind that what we see now isn’t necessarily what we’ll see on August 30th. He’ll get better and settle down more.
Anderson played pretty well out there today with some quick, accurate passes and more completions both in the scrimmage and in the live drills. While he was hit and miss with his passes at times, he did make some very nice plays also. He hit Boyd down the left sideline for a big gain, helped out by what are becoming routine great catches by #23 as Boyd leaped over two DBs for the grab; he hit Wuestner on a deep out pass that was a fastball and perfectly thrown and he had a long, cross-field pass into the right end zone to Wuestner that was ruled a bobble (maybe) by the ref.
His best scrimmage plays were a slant to Jester Weah who was blasted by a LB yet held onto the ball to pick up a long yardage 1st down and a couple of nice completions for 11 and 25 yards to Challingsworth. Anderson’s stats would have even been better as I counted at least three dropped passes by his receivers on well placed throws.
Lest anyone think I’m down on Voytik, and I guess it could read that way, The Post-Gazette’s Sam Werner has a very good and detailed account of the drills and scrimmage (with stats) today in his Red Shirt Diaries (always a good read but especially today) and has hit the bull’s eye on Voytik’s play with this description:
“As you can see in his numbers, Voytik looked OK at times but definitely missed his share of throws. His statistics are aided greatly by a 58-yard touchdown swing pass he threw to Rachid Ibrahim on the final play of practice. Take that attempt out, and he’s 11 of 26 for 145 yards, no TDs and one INT. That’s not great. The biggest thing Voytik has to work on is his accuracy when he’s throwing the ball more than 10 yards downfield. There was one play today that stands out when he had Manasseh Garner wide open down the middle for the field, but overthrew the ball slightly and put it over the wrong shoulder so Garner couldn’t make the catch. The deep ball will never be Voytik’s specialty the way it was with Tom Savage, but he needs to at least be able to hit open guys down the field for this offense to be as explosive as it can be.” Please check out the rest of Werner’s scrimmage article as he really paid attention…
So, above I make a comparison between the two QBs based on their play today but I don’t mean to imply that Anderson was great and Voytik sucked, it wasn’t like that. It was more like both QBs played average at best football today and that is worrisome at this stage of camp. But this is also what we at the Blather have been stating about Voytik after every practice we have watched over the last two years; Voytik’s arm isn’t what some fans want it to be and the offensive game plan will have to be shortened to accommodate that. Questions about ‘…his accuracy when he’s throwing the ball more than 10 yards downfield’ is something you don’t ever, never, not ever want to hear about a QB.
The wide receivers were on and off also. With Boyd and Jennings sitting out and the staff giving the 2nd and 3rd stringers more work the top three receivers were RB Ibrahim with that big 58 yard TD catch, then WRs Wuestner and Challingsworth. Both Wuestner and Challingsworth were on the field a lot and made the most of their opportunities and they will both get some good PT this season.
Weatherspoon was also a busy guy today with his play in the two deep as the 3rd WR with Boyd and Garner and then his punt return work. He ran precise patterns today and made a couple of catches on poorly thrown passes during drills. The nice thing about Weatherspoon, other than the fact that he’s a 5th year hard working senior, is that he is a smooth athlete with his ability to grab the ball and quickly turn up field. Ronald Jones caught a slant pass that went for nice yardage and he’s a very quick kid who will be in at WR sometimes and put back to receive KOs also.
The TEs weren’t too involved in the passing today and I think that is because the staff knows who their two starters are going to be. They were active blocking in the running game though.
I watched the offense with a mindset of trying to formulate a solid three deep set of running backs if there was going to be a game tomorrow. With that I saw nothing that changed my mind that it will be the same three guys we ended last season with. Conner is by far the most productive and the most powerful. He’ll be the go to guy.
Bennett has put on a lot of muscle and is listed at 210 lbs however it looks like he weighs more but maybe because it’s on a 5’11” frame. Either way he was quick off the handoff in drills and didn’t look like his injury was holding him back. Let’s remember he’s coming off a productive 800 yard, 4.7 ypc season and should be even better this year. Ibrahim also made some plays and averaged around five yards a carry in my estimation. All three returning RBs have a good sense of their blocking role on pass plays and what to do when released into a pattern, as Ibrahim showed as the leading receiver yesterday also.
Everyone wants a bright shining young star in the backfield and this season are looking at James to provide it. Personally I don’t think that’s going to happen but he’ll get playing time. Both he and Ollison had their good moments out there and made some eyes open. Ollison in particular had a string of carries where he picked up three straight first downs. He’s a good RB as is James but they are both true FR. At this point I’ll say one of them will be a 4th RB and the other will be held in reserve for a possible redshirt. If I had to bet right now I’d say James is ahead of Ollison. How much either will actually play will also depend on what the staff ends up doing with Conner at DE over the course of the season.
One RB to keep an eye on for the 2015 season is Jameel Poteat. He made a move in the open field against a young LB that put the LB on the ground. Poteet did that right in front of the Offense’s side of the field and the kid’s went wild.
About that offensive line… Well, I might as well say it. If they were playing at their best yesterday we’ll have some problems moving the ball. Again it is the chicken or the egg question in that were they that bad or the DL that good? Regardless of what I said above about individual RB’s good plays and because I’m certainly not going to talk about every unsuccessful runs the backs had, the OL didn’t get any sort of push off the ball to open up running lanes.
I’m sure if you counted up the run yardage you’d find we averaged below 4.0 ypc. The run game just wasn’t that effective or consistent in any way. I did see the TEs making some good blocks on the sweeps; Holtz in particular slammed a DE down letting the RB pick up about ten yards.
The OL’s pass blocking was more effective but as the QBs were still ‘untouchable’ it was hard to tell how many sacks there would have been, but at least a few would have happened. Sometimes the QBs were hurried and that resulted in the spotty passing game although both QBs do have an ability to rollout and complete passes. The personnel on the two-deep OL were rotated in as has been happening all week in practice so I do believe Chryst when he says they are still ‘looking for the best five’.
A post on the defensive side of the scrimmage is in draft stage and will go up later…
So, although not much is settled at this point we do know that Boyd and Gardner are set at WR. It sounds like playing time beyond that could come from just about anyone. Would you say that Jones would be the next on the field at this point?
Also, I’ll be interested to see how Jennings injury is handle over the next week or so. We are coming into the final week of camp before prep for Delaware and it doesn’t seem like Jennings has got that much work in due to the nagging injury.
I think Voytik can be a solid starter but he has essentially zero experience. We’re in for some painful displays, and Pitt is going to lose at least one if not two games in the first 6 that they probably shouldn’t. Maybe it’s just my jaded Pitt fan coming out, but I expect even Delaware to give us all we can handle.
On the flip side, hopefully some of the offensive struggles are indicative of a defense that may be better than hoped. Maddox’s performance is very encouraging at a position of need. Nice article in the Post-Gazette about Matt Galambos. Pitt sure has a lot of players that are easy to root for.
H2P
I have a question … reading Warner’s account, it seemed that Voytik was playing with 1st teamers on the 1st, 3rd, 5th series …while Anderson was with 2nd teamers on 2nd, 4th drives, etc. Was Voytik going against the 1st team defense while Anderson going pretty much against the back ups?
There really is no controversy as to the starting QB. It will be Voytik and they will stick with him through the growing pains of being a new starter. I have no doubt that the staff is behind Voytik 100% and if they are nervous they aren’t showing it in public. This staff is all about continual development so they probably are able to see the future with this issue way better than I can.
My report today, and ones before today, have really been about telling the fans what I see and think that doesn’t always mesh with what they want to hear or believe about where Voytik is at this point in time. I’ve got no problem at all with him starting – I was just hoping to see more polish in his game yesterday.
Jpeezy – you, and many other fans are really underestimating Chris Wuestner’s ability. He is one of the most consistent WRs and is right up there as far as speed goes, especially for a white guy. He’s no Mike Shahanah with the slow feet… he can move down field and is a great route runner with very good hands. I think most fans think of Challingsworth first because of his recruit rating whereas Wuestner didn’t have on and walked on. As I said a few days ago – Wuestner was injured his whole JR and thus didn’t get rated. He walked on in 2012 and earned a scholarship before fall camp ended.
Iron Duke – I’ll have my ‘defense’ article up soon and will address Maddox – he’s the star of the camp so far.
JAM05 – I think with Jennings’ raw talent he’ll see playing time even if he misses the rest of camp, which he won’t. I don’t see any true FR WR getting starts because they have no idea how to play the other 50% of WR which is positioning oneself to block for ball carriers then executing those blocks. Fans always overlook this but a coaching staff doesn’t. When a young WR gets that down he get major PT… and yes, Boyd did that very well coming into the 2013 fall camp. So, I expect to see Jennings rotate in depending on the play call.
That does not bode well, even for a guy who hasn’t played much. I really hope Chryst goes with the more deserving guy and not just Voytik simply because he was the higher profile recruit vs. Anderson. In fact, if Bertke is the most talented of the three, rather put him in there and have him gain hugely valuable experience for 2015 than watch Voytik chuck a bunch of int.’s and struggle through a 5-7 season.
As someone said, maybe go with Anderson this year and start grooming Bertke ASAP to take over next season. Anderson doesn’t have ideal size, but the kid strikes me as a real gamer/Tyler Palko type and could maybe gut out some wins on pure will alone.
I don’t know if that is actually a strategy on the HC & OC’s part but it is training camp and this is when you do the real repetition teaching of the players.
Nothing would make me happier than by year end, that this group can seriously state with conviction, AARON WHO?
– however, if the OL doesn’t shape up how I think (hope) it can, we can be in a world of trouble. I believe controlling the clock will be a big key for us against the better teams.
– on the plus side, glad to see Render and Maddox step up – much needed (looking forward to the defensive notes)
marks on a very young team with little depth. Don’t get
too excited about Bennett. A good kid and teammate however
over 200 hundred of his 800 yards came against Old
Dominion.
Sounds like a quarterback from Pitt’s no so distant past. Sounds VERY familiar….
Look, we have an untested QB, a still questionable offensive line, inexperience at WR beyond Boyd, inexperience and depth issues on the defensive line, and are paper thin at CB. That is not the makings of an 8-4 team.
I want to see progress this year from beginning to end, not necessarily in wins/losses but certainly in the play of the QB, O-line, and the 2nd WR. I also want to see the defense play more aggressively and create more turnovers. And I would love to see HCPC actually outcoach somebody this year. Has that happened yet? Maybe ND last year?
This year is prep for 2015. Next year should be the year that Pitt challenges for the Coastal. I’ll be thrilled if it happens this year, but I don’t see it.
Now if this team is learning through every game, then it will be time for them to use that early season experience to their advantage, while doing some heavy lifting to find 4 more wins in that difficult half dozen opponents thereafter.
Even though this year’s home opener is lacking the hype and star power of last year’s, it is the appropriate opponent for a newly installed QB to cut his teeth on.
Clearly rooting for him, but as I said, just want the most deserving guy to get the reins, not just the one who waited in line the longest, ala you know who.
There is no agenda for PC not to play the QB that gives the team the best chance to win
I’m not as sold as some are about that one half against Bowling Green being the level of play that we are going to see out of Voytik this season. One thing to consider about that bowl game is that the most important thing was Conner running for 164 yards in the two quarters Voytik played… that’s why we won that ball game. Hell, in that half alone Conner himself ran for eight(!) 1st downs. Take that away and we’re sucking hind tit.
Voytik played well but he’s NOT going to have that sort of running game help against ACC opponents. He needs to be able to generate scores himself and that is what some people are wondering if he can do.
And I realize that you’re a busy man, but could you make it a priority to post a little more often since I do so enjoy busted your balls on a regular basis. LOL!
Also, to bring something up that was discussed a lot last year but has been glossed over because of the bowl game, I continue to be skeptical about Connor as a legit starter at RB. He went 8 for 25. I would not be surprised one bit if 60 percent of his yards this season come against Delaware, Akron, and FIU. He wasn’t effective against average P5 defenses last year and I don’t expect that to change.
QB:Chryst as Zone:Boeheim
I really think that part of what I saw was a rookie starter’s camp problems that are repeated across college football fields everywhere.
He has arm strength to the shorter throw out patterns, just not as accurate as he should be at this stage. And yes, ‘at this stage’ takes into account the two years he’s been on Scout teams and taking snaps as the QB2 in the two-deep. We saw he can wind up and throw the ball 45 yards in the air and be accurate as he did with Boyd – it is just that he’s not going to make a living hitting 20+ yard passes. Or maybe he will and I’m off base, we’ll see… he’s a good athlete and those types adjust accordingly. We will see the TEs and RBs more in the passing game I think.
We will have to be patient with Voytik early as he gets his feet wet just like any other new QB
Conner should play, wherever the coaches feel that he will help the team the most.
How has Todd Thomas looked in camp? Haven’t heard much about him up to this point. I’m hoping he has a monster senior year. This is his last chance to make an impact and he has all the athleticism and skill to do so.
Any separation for the 3rd-4th WR spot? Seems we have a mixed and talented group competing for those two positions. I’m hoping Ronald Jones and either Challisworth, Weah, or Jennings get the most playing time out of that group. Wuestner, Ford, and Weatherspoon provide experienced depth, but little else. The others just have too much potential and explosiveness to keep off the field.
Is Avonte Maddox too small at this point to be a starting CB in the ACC? I thought he looked really small in a post Gazette pic. Sounds like he is having a very solid camp for a freshman.
Lastly, who are in the o-line rotations? The group is still young on the two deep, so I think we should get better as the season progresses. What are your thoughts on why our O-line is struggling? Is it miscommunication, blown pickups/reads, or are they getting beat physically? It is a little worrisome that they couldn’t dominate our mediocre Dline. I guess we will find out who stepped up on the defensive side of the ball in your next post.
Jpeezy