My Checklist by Paul Chryst
- Good, solid play by new QB
- No turnovers by said QB
- Offensive Line pass blocking
- Offensive line run blocking
- Positive yardage on every play by running backs
- Crisp routes and safe passes
- TE involvement
- Defensive Line pressure
- Linebackers to the ball
- Defensive back’s more aggressive play
- Deep kickoffs for touchbacks
- 2nd and 3rd string playing time
- Keep Boyd in on all punts returns regardless of the score (Memo to self: What was I thinking?)
I took some time before writing this article so that fans could come down from the Saturday imbibing (myself included) and the euphoria associated with a 62-0 score in favor of us good guys. It was a beautiful day for football, albeit stifling hot, the crowd was enthusiastic and the staff and players were more than ready to start the season. And so they did in fine fashion with impressive performances across the offensive and defensive boards. The units did well, the individual players, especially Voytik, Conner, Boyd, Galambos, Mitchell and Durham, did well and the staff used the lopsided score to get almost everyone who has an outside shot of having to play at some point this season some experience.
That last point may be the most important to me as we have seen over the past 10 years that it was like pulling teeth for the head coach to substitute liberally so as to get the underlings ready to play. At the very least it gives everyone in the locker room a vested interest in the outcome of the game and in looking toward the next week’s match.
Every other media article and broadcast will start off by mentioning our opponent’s lower level of FCS competition as if that somehow mitigates the impact of the win. While that will, and should, give us pause when looking at the schedule and predicting future results, in no way does it lessen the feeling I have about a blowout win. We know all too well the feeling we PITT fans have when remembering what has transpired over the years against teams of lesser talent; the surprising and disappointing losses and the won games that were embarrassingly close.
That feeling has no place in our emotions on this Sunday morning. The game we played yesterday has no resemblance to those other games. So, we take the satisfying win, revel in it for a day or two then turn our attention to the upcoming Friday evening when our Panthers visit the Eagles of Boston College on their home turf.
The nuts and bolts of the game are as happy-making as the final score. Aside from two rather negative plays; Weatherspoon’s lost fumble and Boyd’s dislocated pinkie finger, the rest of the game ran smoothly and the players had a chance to show their skills, some in new starting roles and others as backup players and on Special Teams. I singled out five players who really stuck in my mind as I went to sleep last night but we have a roll call of success stories.
Our RBs carried the day with James Conner continuing in his beast mode by acting like a 16 lb bowling ball against a duckpin defense. He kicked in 153 yards and four TDs before my bladder was half full with smuggled Capt Morgan and Coke. He also showed exceptional balance and footwork inside the scrums. Last year it was all bull work, this offseason the staff really emphasized that he lose some bulk weight and put on more muscle which he did. It showed in his elusiveness and his speed around the end of the LOS on that 60 yard run. Anybody still doubt that he runs a legit 4.4 40?
True freshman Chris James also had a fine day running the ball in his first college game including a very nice 18 yard TD run (one of his two TDs). Isaac Bennett and Rachid Ibrahim did well with both backs having over a 5.5 ypc with 91 and 32 yards respectively. Our QBs shook out their legs also with Voytik running twice for 11 yards and Trey Anderson twice for 14 yards. Great ground game all around and I’m positive it was most satisfying for the OL kids whose level of success mostly comes from other’s statistical production. Here’s a look at C Artie Rowell talking about the OL and the game.
The passing game was well done too with the staff limiting Voytik to short passes sprinkled with a couple of intermediate passes, one of which was an accurately thrown out pattern, and that strategy resulted in a total of only 84 passing yards (don’t panic at that number, it worked out well). Most importantly, he completed an outstanding 77% (10/13) along with two TD passes. A drawback is that he averaged only 6.5 ypa which will have to rise in the future and I think it will. One note about that, Voytik rolled out on some plays where he was supposed to attempt passes from the pocket and in doing so he missed some open receivers 15-20 yards downfield.
The good news is that he completed the passes anyway; the other news is that he really has to maintain a bit more discipline so that he can stay in his pocket, use his whole check down process and pick up even more passing yardage. That will come in time I’m sure. If anyone has a subscription to the Pitt Live Wire pay site please watch Chryst’s long post-game press conference. He says a lot of interesting things especially “Chad looked composed but looked a little fast on some plays” that ‘fast’ meaning rolling out too soon. He said almost the exact same thing when discussing Voytik after a practice in camp.
Voytik’s not a one way or another QB; neither a pure “Running QB’ or a pure ‘Pocket QB’ but he has to be able to do both well. Once that happens and he gets total confidence in both approaches the sky may be the limit.
This is how we are going to see the staff use Voytik in the main for this season. He’s surrounded by highly skilled position players, especially some receivers who can convert a reception into big yards after the catch. His job is to get the ball to them with limited turnovers, which he did perfectly yesterday, with the occasional deeper throws to keep everyone honest. As the season progresses we’ll see matches where Voytik will attempt 25+ passes and if he can keep the same quality play we saw yesterday he’ll be very effective. Personally I was hoping he’d go long on a pass or two just for form but we can’t complain with how things went for him as a 181.97 Passing Efficiency rating is great.
Because of that shorter passing game yesterday none of our WRs really stood out statistically although Boyd’s TD catch was another highlight film bit. Slot receiver Ronald Jones led all receivers with 3 catches for 33 yards with Garner and Boyd having two receptions each. My pick for future big things, Chris Wuestner, was the first WR off the bench and pulled in one catch, while Scott Orndoff had a short TD catch in the back of the end zone with a bit of nice footwork involved.
The nice thing about seeing Jones on top of that list is just what we discussed in the paragraphs about Voytik’s game above. That short-intermediate passing game has a great slot receiver to go to this season. Toss in Boyd’s great route running and there are two speedsters right there who can turn short passes into long plays. I suppose you could compare Jones’ current role to that of Cameron Saddler’s a few years ago but we’ll see way more production out of Jones than we did Saddler.
As to the defense, well… what do you say except that they were so effective that it got to the point, for me anyway, where they were just out there to get the ball back so the offense could keep doing their thing. But it truly was a defensive performance for the ages. Just for ego strokes, currently we stand 1st nationally in total defense; 1st in scoring defense; 2nd in 3rd down conversion defense (1 for 11); 5th in passing defense and 7th in rushing defense. Actually it’s hard to believe that any teams were ahead of us in some of those categories. Considering that our offense is 3rd nationally in scoring and 6th in rushing the ball this week’s practices will be a throwback to 1981 when Head Coach Jackie Sherrill used to end his practice sessions by pitting the nation’s #1 Offense with Danny Marino against the nation’s #1 defense led by Hugh Greene… (sigh… if only that were true today!)
Let’s look at some of the team’s units and kids who jumped out by virtue of their good play. The Defensive Line was superb as it limited the Blue Hens rushing total to 26 yards (NCAA official stats) for a .9 ypc average. DE Dave Durham grabbed a sack and was in the backfield on a few other plays while DT Darryl Render and NT Khaynin Mosley-Smith shut down the interior. All of the DL played well as did their replacements.
Our linebackers were fast and accurate in their tackling. Veterans WLB Todd Thomas (with an INT) and SLB Anthony Gonzalez filled gaps quickly and didn’t let RBs turn the corner of the line of scrimmage for positive yardage. I paid very close attention to MLB Matt Galambos (INT also) in the middle and saw that he played at the same level he did during camp – always around the ball and quick getting there. The 2nd string LBs really impressed with Mike Caprara leading all tacklers with five total and four solos.
The DBs showed up also and most importantly the backup DBs saw a lot of action. FS Ray Vinopal was a good field general and kept the LBs and DBs in the proper schemes and positions; CB Reggie Mitchell had an eight yard loss Blitz sack on a 2nd and 7; SS Terrish Webb had an INT and Ryan Lewis had six total tackles.
An interesting twist was that CB Avonte’ Maddox played as much as and had more tackles than Lafayette PITTs. That is going to be real interesting to watch as the season unfolds as true FR Maddox was the defensive star of camp and the staff absolutely loves him. We just might see a change at starter there sometime down the road but either way a good problem to have. A point to remember here is that all these tackle numbers are a bit misleading as Delaware only ran 46 offensive plays so no one player was going to have 10+ tackles on the day.
You have to think the coaching staff left Heinz Field yesterday feeling good about how camp ended, the game preparations for Delaware, how well the game planning worked out and then how well the individual player’s produced out on the field. I’d be shocked if things didn’t go just how they expected it to.
So now we circle around to the opening part of this article in our assessment of the win against our FCS opponent. I stated that the level of opponent shouldn’t take any joy away from our feelings for the outcome of the day. However, and not to be hypocritical, I also believe we really do need to factor that in when discussing just how good the 2014 Panther football team is. Regardless of how well we played yesterday there are still lingering questions that the game just didn’t, and really couldn’t, have answered.
“Just how good are we?” is the main question and we truly won’t know the answer until we play a FBS fellow ACC conference opponent Boston College. I feel better than I did at 11:55 yesterday morning but won’t feel knowledgeable either way until 10:30 or so Friday night.
Yet, DISH shows the Pitt-Delaware replay blacked out as “unavailable for viewing in your area”.
Maybe the athletic department can work with RTPT or whomever else controls these things to have the Pitt FB TV replays on RTPT not blacked out in the DC Metro. It not only would be good for the many Pitt fans in this area but would be a bonus for Pitt recruiting in the area.
What a stable of backs!
He isn’t the only player like that – Conner is way faster than you’d think by looking at his body type and Chris Wuestner is way faster than you’d think by looking at his racial makeup.
Come to think of it, perhaps Coach Chryst and what he demands from himself and his players, is just what the STEELERS need as to the present complacent and laid-back attitude of the current staff and players.
Now I understand the comments on the color guy, peeyew. Hard to believe a guy can get paid for that. Great tackle by 96, the freekin guy was to lazy to look up the kids name. Talked about how he used to coach, who cares. Nekked bootleg, what a joke. Very seldom identified the tackler for either side, what a joke. Absolute lack of professionalism.
Taking the rose colored glasses off, I agree that Voytik has a ways to go. Needs to be a great game manager. Does not have a pro arm by any means, but only his first game, will improve. Going to be interesting to see how he does under pressure.
Really encouraged by the O-line and running backs, yes against lesser talent, but they played well from start to finish, and have pretty good depth.
When you add Parrish and the tight ends, Conner and Co. It looks like we could have a real steamroller. Can’t wait for Friday.
Caprara and Luke looked really good mopping up, both seem to have a nose for the ball and enjoy hitting hard.
@Reed, Conner is the bomb! Power, agility and speed. What a one two punch with James. Ibrahim, a great change of pace, breaking tackles and nice in the open field. Bennett looks to be healthy as well. It looks like Ollison will get the redshirt barring a rash of injuries.
Going to be a war Friday night, a lot at stake for both programs. Good history too.
We just don’t have the overall talent to even remotely replace a loss like that.
However, my point stands as I replied to the subject in the game thread – all these PITT fans wanted Boyd back there in the returner position then as soon as something happens to him they point the finger of blame directly at Chryst. Well, again, you can’t have it both ways. If you want Boyd in that position then grin and bear it if he gets injured on a punt return.
I also understand the argument that any player can get hurt on any play so I think it is up to Chryst to make the call.
But as you say, you can’t have it both ways, except in politics.
–Watched a bit of the replay. On the final TD scored by Chris James, Gabe Roberts (No. 71) pulled from his guard spot and chopped his man down like he was a rotted tree. Nice.
–On one play I saw Rori Blair get knocked to the ground like a rag doll. He looks like he has some quickness, but not enough bulk (yet) to take on blockers.
–Still wondering – did we really score 62?
–Still wondering – did we really shut them out?
Go Pitt.
Now a little bigger test with BC this Friday
James Connor is a man out there…hope his aggressiveness doesn’t lead to to many turnovers
h2p
Maddox and others just shows that 3* players can be good players too… they lay the foundation now so that in 2015 and beyond the recruiting can look better.
I understand a lot of recruits were on hand yesterday? If so great results as well for kids to see this type of team vibe.
The other impressive thing was the aggressiveness of the total defense, especially when compared to the bend-don’t-break philosophy that was the trademark all last year. Again, even ignoring the talent disparity, the LBs and DBs weren’t waiting and reacting but instead making plays and giving the Hens no room or time to make a play.
Maddox and Galambos are young players to watch and Mitchell might be one of the biggest impact transfers at Pitt in a very long time.
As for the RBs, they all appeared to be very effective at making moves in tight spaces allowing them to break free for long gains. It helped that the OL didn’t allow the defense to put a hand on them until they were 5-7 yards past the line of scrimmage.
Maybe its just unabashed enthusiasm from FINALLY seeing Pitt destroy a team that they should have destroyed, but I’m really anxious to see if the OL and RBs can have success (albeit not as dominant) against BC.
As for Voytik/Andersen, it looks to me like Rudolph and PC want the QBs to keep moving the chains, control the clock, and not make mistakes. That will mean the passing game will rely mostly on TB, Jones, Garner, and the TEs taking 10-15 yard passes and turning them into big plays but I’m good with that because I think Pitt has the skill players to make this game plan successful.
Oh yeah, one other thing, this is and will be a very disciplined Pitt team. When Durham came off the field after his unsportsmanlike display after the sack, Coach Palermo was in his grill for about 30 seconds and believe me, he wasn’t checking to see if Durham had any cavities, but he could have.
A kick off and punt return is your first offensive play. There should be an emphasis to get a big chunk of yardage. Do you want Weatherspoons ten yard return or Boyd’s 20+ for the first play on offense.
Who looked good on the D line?
What O linemen played late as subs?
Great to get the W. However I am tempering my enthusiasm
until the results of the BC game are in the record books.
FWIW,
– Trenton Coles has enrolled at Duquesne and is eligible immediately
– Russell Shell had 37 yards on 6 carries along with 2 receptions for 19 yards vs Bama
– Robert Foster, who is 2nd tem on depth chart, apparently did not play for Bama vs WVU
Our passing game needs more vertical routes.
Best thing about the O line was take no prisoner attitude.
I think UD will have a long season.
We got out of the game with a dislocated pinky. Injury free is damn welcome.
The backers were in great position.
There is no doubt that he has talent and should move right in to the starting lineup next year
However, the vast majority of teams that have superstar Team MVP WRs or RBs don’t risk them as returners. They see the value as positional players and the risk/reward ratio and they choose to lessen exposure to injuries.
Look – if PITT starts tanking in a game, or in the season itself, and putting Boyd back there will get us points we just aren’t getting elsewhere then go do it – if it is absolutely necessary. But if we are scoring points with our offense running and throwing the ball and have good leads in games then why take the chance?
Again, it is a two edged sword. I understand the point that PITT doesn’t have the talent NOT to use him as a returner but on the other hand I also see the point that PITT doesn’t have the talent to lose him at all. If we were Alabama with a talent pool so deep it is essentially plug and play at the skill positions I’d feel differently – but we aren’t.
We are PITT with the youngest roster and filled with 3* and 2* star recruits who can’t replace what Boyd gives us as a WR & RB.
It’s obvious, how good he is, and in some bigger games, against conference opponents and such,
he could very well be the difference in these games.
There is a huge difference in field position, between having someone back there, that gets 15, 20, 25 yards and looking to possibly break one for a touchdown every time he touches the ball
as opposed to someone fair catching it or falling forward for 3 yards.
We have someone else that can change a game like that, ok, send him in.
If not, Boyd should be back there.
How big of a difference he could make back there against Iowa, North Carolina or Miami.
I watched most of FSU v. Okie St. FSU looked good but not great – there could be a bit of a hangover there. Maybe someone in the ACC gets them this year; although week one was less than impressive for ACC football, so I don’t know who that would be. And Okie St. is gonna be a very unpleasant opponent for Pitt in 2016.
If you were counting Virginia as an automatic W for the Panthers, you shouldn’t be. The Cavs out-gained UCLA and would have beaten them if not for 3 turnovers and 3 defensive TDs by the Bruins. Maybe UCLA is over-rated. But remember last year Virginia gave up 59 to Oregon just two weeks before stifling Pitt’s offense.
I read that Baylor has erected an RGIII statue…already. I’m not much of a fan of statues of anyone, but this one strikes me as utterly ridiculous. Surely the Johnny Football statue at A&M can’t be far behind. Any wonder these kids are such prima-donnas.
It’s just Green
Not Greene
If Boyd wants to be in the Heisman picture he will have to be
on the field every chance he can.
Not saying he would be trying this year but he needs to be
playing every down. Curtis Martin was the only guy we had back then and he got the ball like 60% of the time.
Boyd should be targeted 10 times a game no mater the competition, kickoff and punts too.
It is a high risk job, don’t tell me it is as safe as taking a handoff. Guys are not running at you full speed when you take a hand off.
Can you get your head taken off receiving a pass, of course you can. A poor QB can let a receiver out to dry if he throws the ball to high or late. I get it, football is dangerous, but you need to be smart about it. Why is there such a thing as a fair catch? To avoid getting creamed of course.
The play is high risk-high reward, we need Boyd to do it, just be smart about it. Limit the risk as much as possible while maintaining the potential reward.
Chryst is not an idiot when he uses Boyd, nor is he less of a man (insert invective here) when he does not.
All I saw were a bunch of guys putting in full effort until the whistle blew, right up to the final gun of the game, which was more effort than our fans in the stands put forth, disappearing, in mass, even before Sweet Caroline was sung on Saturday. I totally agree with the poster who called the fans out on that issue earlier. Man up Pitt fans, show up. Stand up, cheer it up or shut up! Easy to demand stellar performance from your team, so when they produce, you should be there raising the roof in approval until the end of the game. Shameful!
Coach Chryst has gotten this team to accept responsibility for their own destiny. The team’s play demonstrated that on Saturday. They never took their foot off the accelerator pedal. Friday will be a yardstick game for the Panthers. I will be very surprised if they fail to win that game. My gut feeling is that this team has come to play. We’ll know more after the game on Friday, but I’m betting on Pitt+1.
I’ve read where Quintin Wirginis played but I don’t remember seeing him on the field – he’s No. 58. Does anyone know if he played or not?
Go Pitt.
@Dr. Tom, winning was great, but like you say, the team appeared to be physically and mentally better prepared than any Pitt team I remember.
If this change is permanent, it will help to win more games. I do have concerns about how many times we put the ball on the ground. Something to focus on this week.
I can understand people leaving early in a blowout, when it was close to 90 degrees. I don’t understand half the students leaving when the game is still on the line. Just don’t get why would you even bother to go.
Anyway, real sports fans should want to show up to see Tyler Boyd in person, he is definitely worth the price of the ticket and is potentially our next guy to have his jersey retired. A long way to go but he certainly has the potential. With the way the running game looks, teams will have a lot more to focus on than just him.
There is NO BIGGER GAME CHANGING PLAY IN FOOTBALL than the potential on EVERY kick return for the big play. Sometimes it’s a huge return, even the supreme accomplishment of taking it to the house! But don’t discount the flip side of that play, the muff, fumble or poor judgment of fielding a punt that shouldn’t be touched or letting the ball alone that should be caught for whatever reason.
Last season our special teams play sucked! IMO, we lost two games due directly because of our STs play and it would have been three games if not for the last second Pitt timeout prior to the Syracuse faked punt that would have won the game for the Orange at the end, otherwise. That would have been the way to end our season, 5-7 with no Pizza Bowl win to build off of going into 2014. Right!
So how does Coach Chryst respond to this glaring deficiency? He puts a dedicated STs coach in place and he commits his best players to participate in ST plays to turn that weakness into a strength! For crying out loud, in our bowl game Boyd taking that kick to the house is exactly the “game changing” play that was largely responsible for our win in that game!
DEBATE CLOSED! Play to win, win by putting your best players in a position for success, then go out and play frickin football. Using Boyd for kick returns is essential to do IF you’re pulling out all the stops and are 100% invested in winning football games! He is our “game changer” player participating in the most “game changing” play in football. He stays there until somebody else proves that they can do it better than Boyd, PERIOD.
Also, you have to understand that Baylor doesn’t exactly have a glorious FB history and has been in the shadow of Texas and A&M for most of it. Thus, erecting a statute of its Heisman winner coinciding with the opening of a new stadium probably makes a lot of sense to its faithful.
Dr Tom, DEBATE OPEN – risking your best weapon winning 28-0 to an obvious weak opponent is not prudent …. and I bet there were a lot of Panther fans wondering what he was doing back there as a punt returner at that time. Heck, there was even a debate prior to the beginning of the season if Boyd should return punts at all.
If this team had more options for punt returns this probably would not be an issue being debated as Chryst would have the “luxury” of not needing Boyd on punt returns.
I believe the bet sometime last winter was, “I’ll bet you $100.00 Tom Savage doesn’t even get drafted”.
I think the follow up bet was something like, “hell, I’ll bet $1000.00 he’s not on an NFL team on opening weekend.”
Would you like my address for the check now, or shall I email it to you??? LOL
Please, don’t do a Cosmo Kramer on me. The bet was the “levels”. “I chose not to build them”, Jerry “that was the bet”.
He may get cut next year, he may be a long time back up, who knows.
I told you a guy with a cannon will get a shot, even for a couple years to see if they can help him become an NFL qb.
Unless something crazy happens in the next couple days,
Tom Savage will be an NFL quarterback this year.
ya but, ya but, ya but. Save it, just send me the check.
Hell, I’ll buy you some beers just for the fun of it.
LOL
maybe that was real early.
93.7 just said Pitt -4
28-0 is not a win in the second quarter and even the third quarter with spread offenses. You must keep the hammer on the gas. If the Pitt players don’t think he should return punts than one of them should do better!
Let’s get to 2-0! No respect by Vegas. Quick query : What has BC done or is it just the home field advantage at this point?
Not sure why we should not be rooting for Louisville tonight?
“Baiting!!” 15 yard penalty and loss of comment.
“I thought I was wrong once, but as it ended up, I was mistaken”!:-) 🙂
Just thinking to myself…..could it be that a lot of people left the game early because Pitt’s most exiting future Hall of Famer left the game early with an injury?
Just thinking to myself…..could it be that a lot of people left the game early because Pitt’s most exiting future Hall of Famer left the game early with an injury?
Good point about Voytik staying in the pocket, this is something that would concern a coach on an otherwise near perfect day.
I wouldn’t put too much of an emphasis about who got more playing time yesterday. I like the fact that they substituted liberally but that’s about to change, probably this week.