Pitt Spring Practice #7 March 28, 2015
Scrimmage # 2 was held today and below are the videos, stats and quotes from today’s practice session. This is the last full scrimmage until the Spring Game on April 18th at Highmark Stadium in Station Square.
Video: Saturday Scrimmage Highlights
Some things in that film jumped out at me that might not have been referenced in the quotes below. You’ll notice that this scrimmage saw a lot of TE use as receivers by both Voytik and Bertke. #81 rsFR Tony Harper is a TE who looks bigger than the listed 6’2” & 220 and who presents a large target and #83 Scott Orndoff is as much like a TE/H-Back hybrid as he is pure TE and I think we’ll see him some more in that H-Back role this season.
Even though Orndoff is 6’5” & 260, the perfect size for a college TE, his ability level and quickness allows a staff to set him back into the backfield (almost) and either act as a alternate Fullback with Parrish, but to also drop into pass block and/or release for swing passes out in the flat.
Anyway, from seeing the videos this spring it looks like we may see some of that in the fall. Holtz, on the other hand, is a bruiser who is very hard to take down after the catch. You get him the ball on a 3rd and long anywhere near the sticks and he’ll move them.
I have been touting #37 rsFR RB Quadree Ollison on here since the moment he set foot in fall camp last year. Watching those practices and scrimmages (ah, the good old days) you could see his talent level was right up there with Chris James. Actually Ollison might have been better in camp but the staff went with James for their own reasons.
In a conversation with RB Coach John Settle in mid-camp last fall he told me that the decision on who to redshirt would go down to the final practice before the season started. If you look back at Ollison’s offer sheet you see it is pretty impressive with 12 other FBS schools wanting him including PSU and Wisconsin.
I kind of expect to see a lot of Ollison this season because since it is almost automatic that James Conner goes in the draft (short RB shelf life) we need Ollison’s size , he is up to 6’2” and 235 now) and speed to complement James’ semi-bowling ball running style.
There has been a lot of camp talk about #30 JR MLB Mike Caprara lately and apparently this staff likes undersized linebackers who have heart. Kidding there, he is a kid who set tackling records (350) at his Woodland Hills HS and has a nose for the ball.
Pitt Scrimmage Quickie Statistics
Huh, some interesting stats pop up here but let’s put our thinking caps on and remember that it is only spring and we have four months before the real deal in Fall Camp even starts – that is when the rubber really meets the road. So…
Ollison comes in with 97 yards on 14 attempts for a 6.9 ypc. A lot of that was gained in one breakaway ramble where he went for 64 yards. James didn’t fare so well with 37 yards on 13 carries for 2.8 ypc. #7 rsFR QB Adam Bertke put on quite a show with going 15 of 29 with 1 INT and 3 TDs. He put up 218 yards passing for a great 14.5 yards per completion and a decent 7.5 yards per attempt.
On the receiving side Boyd was his usual good self but there were a few interesting stats here: rsFR Elijah Ziese had 5 catches for 43 yards and Ollison had 38 yards on 4 receptions out of the backfield. On the defensive side LBs #3 Nick Grigsby led all tacklers with seven while his brother #4 Bam Bradley came in with six and both kids had a Sack TFL apiece.
Here are the transcripts of the post-practice interviews and links to the video on the Pitt Live Wire
Coach Pat Narduzzi on players; saying there is a fine line between lack of execution and a lack of intensity: Video: Coach Pat Narduzzi
“Well, if they don’t execute there is two reasons: trying to not execute or do they not know what they are doing. The first thing is the knowledge. It’s hard to execute when you don’t know what you’re doing. Then, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s hard to be intense about it because you can’t do it full force.
Those two go hand-in-hand. That’s why we talk about playing with intensity, effort and toughness. But you have to have the knowledge. If you don’t have the knowledge, you can’t have any of that. That’s why these classrooms are so important.”
On his scrimmage highlights:
“There are all kinds of things. I thought our defense did a better job stopping the run. To me, the highlight as a coach is you better be able to run the football. I thought James (Conner) maybe didn’t get as many carries as you want him to. [Qadree] Ollison had a good day. I think he may have had 100 yards rushing. [When you run nearly] 130 plays, things add up.
We will try to gauge how many yards per attempt and how many against the [first team]. We will really break this down like you wouldn’t believe as far as all our goals and attempts. Main thing is, last scrimmage the first play of the game was a touchdown—like a 65-yard run—and today it wasn’t.
That’s the first thing I see. I think defensively we did a pretty good job of stopping the run. To me, if you can stop the run on defense, you’ve got a chance. I know that’s been a weakness of ours. To me if I see some of that and I know that if we are stopping our offense running the ball like they’d like to, then we’ve got a chance.”
On if defensive end Rori Blair has the ability to play all three downs:
“No doubt about it. Rori is a great kid. He’s on the ground too much. We had a couple special teams (drills) and he was on the ground a few times. I’m like, ‘Rori, you better get up!’ We have the defensive linemen wearing knee braces now. They hate it. It’s slowing them down a little bit, so they don’t have as much speed.
Like I told them, we are trying to protect the investment because they have never worn knee braces before. On game day they don’t have to wear them, but we can’t afford to lose any player in a practice situation.”
On the playmakers on offense keeping the defense’s intensity up:
“I think when the defense is playing well against the weapons that we have on offense, it gives the defense a little bit of confidence. I also think it is a humbling experience for the offense if they don’t make the plays they want to. Tyler [Boyd] had some great catches. He had a circus catch on the sideline. I was like ‘Holy cow, I’m glad he’s on our team and we don’t have to defend that guy.’
He had a circus catch, and really a couple of them. Chad [Voytik] had some great throws as well. [Adam] Bertke had a nice day today too. It’s good to see our backup quarterback, he’s getting meaningful reps with the [second team] and might have thrown for a couple hundred yards really.
Like I said, we started off with some third downs in the red zone and kicked field goals. I think we kicked 12 field goals and I don’t know what the stats on making them or not making them would be. I thought [Chris] Blewitt did a good job as well.”
On the depth chart becoming clear:
“After we watch this tape it will be. There was some hammers coming down here and there. But I would imagine the competition is good when there’s somebody’s breathing down your neck. We always talked to our guys about you better be looking in the rearview mirror at who that guy is behind you. Sometimes it’s a reality check when somebody moves ahead of you. So, I think there’s a few of those and, who knows, we might move it right back after this scrimmage.”
On linebacker Jamal Davis II possibly playing defensive end:
“No, Jamal’s a linebacker for sure. He’s got great athletic ability. He’s still a baby, I mean he’s still a puppy as we call them. He’s too young to say he would be a defensive end. He’s athletic enough that you want to find a place for him to get onto the field. So we have toyed with maybe on our third-down package of putting as many athletes as we can on the field. Maybe (he) could be a third-down defensive end. He’s a linebacker right now for sure.”
On Dennis Briggs adjusting to cornerback:
“He’s got the ‘wow’ factor. Dennis Briggs has been a pleasant surprise. We’ve had our eyeball on him all through Fourth Quarter Program. What’s been most impressive about Dennis is his knowledge. He picked it up almost like a natural and he’s playing a little bit of nickel back and he can blitz, too. So he’s been very, very impressive here. I think he missed two days [while with the offense]. So he’s had five days on defense. I think we moved him maybe day three or day four.”
On the competition at nickel back:
“There’s competition everywhere. Malik [Henderson] has really been impressive for a true freshman. Usually those guys start off pretty good and then all of sudden as soon as too much information [comes], information overload and all of a sudden they crash and burn. But he has stayed pretty good and he’s a football player. He has some natural things to him that I really like.”
On coming out of the scrimmage healthy:
“You know, we really did—130 plays and we try to teach our kids to play fast, move your feet and never be loafing around. I think that really helps our kids when they are flying around to the football. I think we did come out really healthy.”
On who earned the Blue Jerseys, given to the scrimmage winners:
“The defense won the blue jerseys this week. It’s good to see it back and forth.”
On progression in the secondary:
“I think Reggie Mitchell is doing a great job. We are still looking for that guy in the boundary. Jevonte [Pitts] and Pat are battling hard. We’ll see, it’s still a battle and we will have to look at the tape today to find out. After a very good scrimmage, we will be really able to tell some things depth chart wise after today. But you know, Tuesday’s a different day. You are only as good as the last practice.”
On players seeing a new opportunity:
“I would hope so. When I first came in here, the first meeting I had was it’s a fresh start for everybody. So I hope they all have taken that to heart. Same thing with Michael Caprara. I mean there’s another guy, I don’t know how much football he’s played in the past. The word I got coming in here was he felt like he didn’t have a chance to play.
He’s a great football player and I’m really impressed with what Mike’s doing as well. So there’s a few of those guys from what I’ve heard and I didn’t watch any tape or don’t know how many reps they’ve had. There’s some guys that haven’t played a lot of football in the past that we need a lot of good football out of.”
Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney on the scrimmage: Video: Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney
“Our defensive showed up today. The offense had a tough go of it. The defense had more energy. We had enough positive plays to build upon, but we had too many negative plays. We were behind the sticks the whole day. We have to stay in front of the sticks because it is hard to call a game when you are behind the sticks the whole time. Hats off to the defense today. We will go back to the drawing board and correct all of our mistakes and build on it.”
On what stuck out about the offense:
“Tyler [Boyd] made some plays on vertical balls, as usual. James [Conner] had a couple of nice screen plays. I though Chris James made a couple of nice plays on inside runs. I think the linemen made some nice plays down the field on some screen plays.
But I don’t think the offense had their ‘A’ game today. I think we were a little off. I don’t think Chad [Voytik] or Adam [Bertke] had their ‘A’ game so I have to do a better job of putting them in position to be successful.”
On James Conner in the passing game:
“James Conner has the ability to do whatever James Conner wants to do. He has tremendous balls skills and I like what he can do when he has the ball in his hands. James has the ability to be a good pass protector. He is big and physical and we don’t have a lot of complexity in our system so I will look for him to do that.”
On the defense today:
“They came out with a better attitude. They were ready to roll a little more than we were. They made some big plays and got some enthusiasm and they kept that going. We would get a little momentum and then couldn’t build on it. We weren’t there today. It just felt like we weren’t clicking on all cylinders.”
Linebackers Coach Rob Harley on Mike Caprara: Video: Linebackers Coach Rob Harley
“He is a guy who plays with a lot of energy. He is a guy we have had play multiple positions. We had him in the middle early on and saw a chance for him to be on the field. We look at the depth chart every day and it is fluid. Guys don’t just get a starting spot, they have to earn it. The depth chart is fluid and we tell them that every day. It is awesome because it is built in competition.
Our goal is to get the best 11 players on the field and we feel like Mike may give us a chance to do that and he hasn’t let us down yet. All 14 of my guys have stepped up to the plate, and he is one guy who made major strides today.”
On moving players to new positions:
“It starts in the classroom. It’s about making sure they know where to line up. You look at a guy like Jameel Poteat who came from running back, Dennis Briggs who was a running back and is now playing corner. You start with them in the classroom and then it is throwing them out there with a sink-or-swim mentality—go line up and if you make a mistake, just go run around and see what you are about.”
On Bam Bradley:
“The competition is so heavy. It is big time right now. I don’t know if he has taken a step back, but other guys are making plays—Mike Caprara being one of those guys. Bam is in the mix. You have a defensive head coach. He has created an atmosphere of pure competition. I think it stunned a couple of people early on, but they are rising to the occasion. I look forward to have six to eight people in the mix. He is one of those guys who is starting to push and starting to understand the standard we want to set on defense.”
Defensive End Rori Blair on the new coaching staff: Video: Defensive End Rori Blair
“They are great. I like how they have simplified things. They are doing good things with the offense too. The offense is doing great.”
On his development from year one to year two:
“Honestly, we can all get better. We just need to keep working and learning the plays and get better as a team.”
On the scrimmage today:
“We played as a team today. I was where I was supposed to be today and we played well as a defense.”
On being a three-down player:
“Coach wants me to use my speed, go out there and make a play. I have always been a smaller defensive end, so adding a little more weight will give me a little more of an edge.”
Quarterback Chad Voytik on today’s scrimmage: Video: Quarterback Chad Voytik
“It was alright. The offense didn’t move the ball as well as last Saturday. We learned a lot and I think it was good for us. If we can learn from it and come back it will be good for us.”
On his scrimmage highlights:
“I had a few. I know the third pass of the game was a touchdown to (Zach) Challingsworth, a fade route. It was nice to get the scrimmage started like that.”
On wide receiver Zach Challingsworth:
“I think he is coming around. He’s grown up a lot and is making big plays for us. So, he had a good day.” Reed on players who use Coachspeak: Go to class and fabricate your own descriptions, ‘grown up’ is for the adults to use.
On his observations of the new offense:
“(Coach Chaney) is going to throw it and he’s going to run it. Offense is offense. He is going to do the same thing as we did last year, I feel. We have James Conner at running back and everyone knows that. We are going to give him the ball because he is a great player. We have Tyler Boyd, he’s a great player, so we are going to throw him the ball. That’s our offense.”
Note: I f you want to hear and see some great footage of some PITT players with excellent and detailed commentary then watch these videos titled “Bostick Breakdown” on YouTube. Great stuff and more info than you read about in the papers.
I am hoping for a complete WR this year. No barking at the ones defending you and then dropping a big pass. No Randy Mossing it when the ball isn’t coming your way or is a run. I would love for him to work on his blocking. If he turns into a lethal blocker, than I say he is a number one pick. If he has the same numbers as last year with the same drops, I see him in the 2cnd or 3rd round. Both scenarios are conjecture.
I like him alot. I just want him to mature a bit on the field.
The Steelers of the 1st 2 Super bowls also ran approx. 67% of the time. FWIW, everyone knew how good and Swann and Stallworth despite not having the numbers that other receivers had (both in HOF.)
Scouts will know how good Boyd is and he will get properly evaluated. I remind you that Revis did not make any of the of All-american teams (only honorable mention) yet was the 14th player drafted.
I am absolutely certain that Ben Howland going to Miss St. had nothing to do with them going to a final 4 at any point in time. You had to look it up or you wouldn’t have known, so it’s obviously not relevant. It seems like you bring this up just to knock Pitt and Dixon. Not trying to attack you, but I’d like to know where you’re coming from.
I spent a lot of time walking around the Gonzaga Campus. It’s a small Jesuit local university. It has an engineering school and a Law school. I think the gym held about 7,000. It was fairly new. All the kids I spoke to were really nice. Applications are up because of the basketball team. They do manage to get some top recruits from all over the world! And Spokane doesn’t look like Santa Barbara.
Dixon should be recruiting at least as well as Gonzaga. There is so much talent on the East Coast alone. Hurry Jamie, while PITT still has a name.
I knew they were in the Final 4, as I remember the media sort of came down on them. Just had to look up the year they were in. And yea I’m getting tired of waiting for Pitt to get to the Final 4.
Just as I’m getting tired of waiting for Pitt to again become relevant in football.
If that’s a knock….. than so be it.
Thanks for the insight. I don’t doubt that you’re getting tired of waiting for the stars to align. I’m not there yet, but I can understand, brother.
H2P
1. A shot blocking center (most teams had 2 or 3).
2. A fast point guard who could shoot, penetrate, and not turn it over.
Hence, how in the heck do we not even have one decent center AND…….to come up with a point guard like #2 above we would have to combine JR and Nuke together to get one complete point guard! Yikes!!!
Conclusion: Jamie clearly did well with less but it is his fault, and his fault alone that we have less then we should.
No doubt Izzo is a great coach but don’t be fooled to think it’s all about his coaching and in-game decisions. He has as much or more talent than anyone esle (which of course is also a big part of college coaching.)
Without any more info, I would have to think that this may have something to do with the Joe D incidents.
But all in all, it is more about recruiting than it is about coaching. Duke is winning with 3 freshman starters, with less than a year of “coaching”. Winning is about talent. Jamie has won an awful lot with lesser talent. Even in his best year, he only had 3 talented players and two marginal future pros. How many does Kentucky have?
He recruits a little better than our coach and has his teams working their best at tournament time. Mike Brey to me is over-rated. True, he is making a run this year, but has underperformed in most all other years in my opinion.
As far as Dokish twitter. I don’t follow the guy and don’t read his material. This goes to personality. His and mine conflict. The posters aren’t professionals and we sometimes get it wrong. Just because we get it wrong, doesn’t make you stupid or your slant irrelevant or trash. I went to his site three times. The first two times, he took writer’s to task on a subject that could never be proven one way or the other. Never went back. To diversify and grow his business, he should change his operating model and add a couple anti-dokish perspectives so that his site can achieve the proper balance to grow.
Note that Brey coached 16 years before reaching the Elite 8. He did a great job this year throughout .. from start to finish, however, he had a worse reputation than JD for his NCAA record prior to this season .. in fact, I believe this also may have been his 1st Sweet 16.
I implore you to go to Rivals MSU BB page and see how many freakin’ 4 and 5 stars are on his roster right now.
Does Dixon have any top 50 recruits coming in?
I just checked MSU Rivals .. since 2010, they have brought in three 5-stars and six 4-stars .. and for 2015, they have a 3, 4 and 5 star coming in. Now they do have some 3-stars who contribute to this team (Trice being one of them).
This is why I root for the UVa’s, Gonzaga’s, Butler’s, etc …. unless they’re playing Pitt of course
Also the fact that only a select few teams seem to be competitive year in year out.
Wisconsin has their share of 3 and 4 year players as does ND, Gonzaga and Wisconsin. Butler did a few years ago.
The problem is that Duke and KY constantly reloads, whereas, it may be a while before teams like Wisc, ND and Butler gets back to F4 or even E8
Under Dixon, this has been our modus operandi for years. The problem begins win the tourney starts and the other teams begin to pay attention to details and ratchet up their intensity to another level. We are shot at that point and can’t respond. That is where a 4 or 5 star can take over for awhile, while the support team collects its bearings.
Notice that KY didn’t panic at all against ND? They didn’t because the 5 stars knew they were better than the ND 3 and 4 stars and when things looked bleak for KY to the casual fan, the team clicked in a new intensity on the defense and took control, and yes they controlled the game for the last 5-6 minutes.
Our ceiling is not making the tournament. As currently constructed, yes, as explained above. With these new recruits coming and with the possible Diallo addition, the ceiling now becomes Elite 8 with a small chance (depending on matchups), for a final four. Go get Diallo and let’s talk!
– there is no baskeball tradition here
– Western PA and surrounding is hardly a BB recruiting hotbed
I’m not sure Pitt BB can ever reach the elite level. The only hope is to hire an upcoming coach who turns out to be elite .. and he’s lkely gone in a few years anyway. Further, it’s one thing to say that we have to hire a great prospect than actually doing it.
Pitt baseball needs to head in another direction with the coach. The baseball coach should be held to the same level as Dixon and Narduzzi. Go freaking recruit some good players for God’s sake.
Wasn’t Steve Adams & Dante Taylor, as well as Kehm Birch 5 star recruits ?
And going back, I believe Charles Smith, Jerome Lane & Curtis Aiken were 5 star recruits. Maybe Brian Shorter and Bobby Martin.
While I remember Taylor being the highest rated recruit at Pitt under JD when he verballed, didn’t remember that he was a 5 star
link to twitter.com