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September 30, 2016

Football Notes, 9/30

Filed under: Football — Chas @ 7:32 am

Not feeling a coherent picture of the stories today. It may be my own incoherence from the cumulative effect of a sustained, massive allergy attack this week — and cocktails of assorted medicine I’ve been using to combat it.

Previously the ACC announced it was pulling out of Charlotte for the ACC Championship game in response to the ongoing fiscal suicide that is North Carolina law HB2. As expected, the game has been relocated to Orlando.

Pitt’s offense working on the four-minute drill? Sure.

It may seem counterintuitive to place much blame on the offense considering it scored 36 points, rushed for nearly 300 yards and won the time-of-possession battle by roughly 22 minutes. But it’s a team game and the offense sputtered in the fourth quarter, when football’s version of keep-away was desperately needed. A week earlier at Oklahoma State it was a similar story.

“If we get one more first down at the end of the game, it’s over, and we know that,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We talk a lot about our four-minute offense. The last few weeks we have focused on it. We probably have to throw the ball a little better.”

I’ve been over this. And I never expected Narduzzi to admit that the playcalling was as much at fault — and not because they didn’t pass more. It still annoys me to see the attempt to shift all the blame to the execution.

Puff pieces on Freshman RB Chawntez Moss.

Moss has earned a spot in the rotation with starter James Conner and backups Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison. He has only nine carries for 55 yards, but his 6.1 average leads all backs.

Moss said the rotation is determined through performance and situations.

“If you’re hot, you’re staying in,” he said. “But for that (North Carolina) game plan, they wanted to use me particularly more so outside because I’m a little bit faster, a little bit quicker.

“They like to use James in the goal line because James is, you know, Big James. They like to use (Ollison) in certain situations because Q is more knowledgeable about the offense, like the no-huddle type stuff.”

Note, even Moss knows he’s better right now running outside in space. Which makes having him take a run up the middle late in the UNC game that… No! I’m letting it go. I swear.

And some things regarding linebackers Saleem Brightwell and Sean Idowu.

The story of this season is yet to be written, but Idowu does allow himself a moment to reflect on his wild ride from a walk-on into the middle of Pitt’s present and future plans.

“Sometimes, I still look back on it and (say), ‘Look where I’m at after all this time,’ ” he said. “Before every couple practices, I’m just like, ‘Whoa.’ ”

Brightwell said he was nervous in the first quarter, but he settled down after tackling Switzer.

“I just started playing football like I’ve been doing my whole life,” he said.

Both credited Caprara, who is expected to return Saturday against Marshall, with constantly offering encouragement when they came to the sideline.

“He was one of the most amped people for the game,” Idowu said. “He was on the sideline, making corrections. It was like having another coach.”

Mostly, Idowu and Brightwell were there for each other.

“During the game, I was on him,” Idowu said. “I kept reminding him, ‘Hey, man. This is what we wanted. It’s time to go.’ ”

Idowu has played more, but Brightwell had a big impact in his first game against UNC.

Nice story on Tyrique Jarrett and the work he puts in off the field to stay on the field as much as possible.

As for tomorrow’s game against Marshall. The Thundering Herd got smacked around by Louisville. Not that it would have made a difference in that game, but they were without their starting QB. He’s going to be back for the Pitt game. Guess what? He can throw the ball.

Marshall coach Doc Holliday confirmed during Tuesday’s press conference that [Chase] Litton would practice this week and is on schedule to play this Saturday at Pittsburgh (2-2). The non-conference game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Heinz Field, which doubles as the home for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Chase has got a lot of games – he’s still young going into his second year – but he has a lot of games under his belt,” Holliday said. “He is our quarterback … has experience there and getting him back is going to help a lot.”

Litton put up impressive numbers – 722 yards and 10 touchdowns – in two games this season before the injury. He is one of three quarterbacks – along with California’s Davis Webb and Texas Tech’s Pat Mahomes – who have at least four touchdown passes in every start this season. Litton is averaging a touchdown pass every 7.3 throws.

Admittedly the opponents in those two games were Morgan State and Akron, but still something to watch.

Marshall head coach Doc Holliday compares Ejuan Price with Baltimore Ravens DE Elvis Dumervil.





Funny how one game can really change the fortunes of a football team. Narduzzi and Pitt narrowly lost the opportunity to make Pitt football relevant again.

The rest of the season offers few such opportunities. Winning the next four games aren’t a given, but won’t change the trajectory of the program. Beating Miami, while a good thing still doesn’t raise the bar that much.

The only game on the schedule that would raise National Eyebrows is Clemson and chances of an upset there are slim to none.

That is why the UNC game meant so much to the program and why another fourth quarter collapse was so devastating.

It pretty much spells another wasted year for Pitt Football. More empty seats at Heinz and more recruiting disappointments.

Sorry to be so negative, but while an eight and four season might salve some of the wounds, it will be another season of what might have been.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 7:49 am

So if you moved Brightwell to strong safety, and Whitehead replaced Lewis, would the increased athleticism, overcome the inexperience?

How much worse could the pass defense get?

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 8:00 am

GC….couldn’t have said it better myself. Pitt’s season of hope effectively ended with that soul crushing loss to NC. Now we are just hanging on for the ride.

Comment by Dan 72 09.30.16 @ 8:50 am

gc… works for me.

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 8:52 am

Without question Caprara brings a lot to the table in terms of Experience, Leadership and Toughness.

But with the way Brightwell played in his first outing, taking him off the field would seem to be the LAST THING you would want to do.

Besides, Lewis looks to be the REAL Weak Spot in the Secondary.

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 8:56 am

Bottom line… seems having Caprara and Brightwell on the field at the same time would make sense.

But so far, something making sense doesn’t seem to be the OVER-RIDING factor with Narduzzi.

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 8:59 am

@@@@@

The king of negativity Ron Cook of the PG
never misses an opportunity to take
a shot at Pitt. See today’s paper. This guy
should move to Happy Valley.

Comment by JR 09.30.16 @ 10:50 am

Chas, we did the very same thing vs PSU also … blow a big lead and no offense in the 4th quarter .. but since we won, few made a big deal of it

Comment by wbb 09.30.16 @ 10:52 am

ACC championship game has ONLY been successful in Charlotte.

It was a bust before in Florida and will be again.

Another instance of political correctness insanity gone a muck.

Enjoy the Women’s/Girls bathroom in Orlando ..perverts.

Comment by Emel 09.30.16 @ 10:56 am

Charlotte was also targeted last week by out of town Soros paid agitators.

That criminal needs arrested.

Comment by Emel 09.30.16 @ 10:58 am

The Good Guys win tomorrow at Ketchup Bottle.

(is that made in da Burgh anymore or did Theresa move that down to Mexico)

Pitt 52
We Are Who 41

Comment by Emel 09.30.16 @ 11:01 am

Yep GC. You nailed it. The only way you put the genie back in the bottle and regain the enthusiasm that was building after the PSU win is to run the table – dream on. Sadly, that would NOT have the case had Pitt beaten NC (they could have lost a game or 2 but the buzz would have still survived to a degree).

Sorry for beating a dead horse (I realize I am in the minority on this but I am still seething) but that is exactly what Barnes did with the Stallings hire. There was so much anticipation when Jamie left (taking the high road as he did), that Pitt was on the verge of making a statement to the world that they were all in in all sports and planned to be a factor in both football and basketball in the ACC. Then they pay Barnes search firm buddies mega bucks to find a coach anyone one of us could have located for free in the unemployment office in Nashville. The only thing that has happened to generate any type of hype since that fateful day was beating the Nits. Then last Saturday happened. Pitt just can’t out of their own way sometimes and Barnes at the wheel will only perpetuate our misery.

Comment by wally 09.30.16 @ 11:24 am

I don’t get it. After a 3 pt win over PSU, all of a sudden we are a Top 20 team! Really!

We were underdogs the last 2 weeks .. and we lost. Yes, we could have won but we also could have lost to PSU.

I don’t know what some of you are sniffing but if we end up at 8 and 4, then we are on schedule IMO

Comment by wbb 09.30.16 @ 11:34 am

Wow, I just read that “Lewis is the real weak spot in the secondary”…. We are ranked about #125 in the nation in pass defense yardage. Thank about that… To single out Lewis is NUTS, when Maddox and Webb are getting beat like rented mules on a regular basis… Yeah, I wish one guy was clearly the biggest culprit… Good one.

Comment by 1618mt 09.30.16 @ 11:41 am

wbb – Amen. No one will listen to you though. It’s fine to be upset with the last two games. Lots of mistakes to go around that lost the games … bitch about the play calling all you want. Open game and fair criticism. The throwing in the towel on the staff and season is just not logical. They are in game two of season 2 when it takes even the good coaches about 3-4 years to make an impact … with a heavy slant on 4 years.

Come up with a list of coaches who are very successful in years 1 and 2? Very very rare.

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 09.30.16 @ 11:43 am

To me, the two losses still feel like this is a Pitt team that was good enough to be in the game against some pretty good teams but not quite good enough to win it. If most of the defensive recruiting under Chryst on defense was never quite good enough – which was a criticism of his tenure on this site – the results of the Oklahoma State and UNC games shouldn’t necessarily be surprising. With guys like Caprara, Galambos, Jarrett, Maddox, Lewis and Webb still in the mix because of their experience, we’re still seeing the fruits of that recruiting.

I get the frustration over what could have been in each of those games, but sometimes it’s just an accurate reflection of where the team really is right now. It sucks, but in Year Two of a new coach’s tenure, this is where a lot of other programs that eventually made that leap found themselves as well.

My hope is that things start to change as this season wears on. As the team and season evolve, I’d like to see some younger players start to find their way into the lineup. The next three games will tell the coaches a lot about how much better some of the upperclassmen can continue to be, particularly those that have Narduzzi recruits behind them on the depth chart. I get the sense that this staff won’t hesitate to burn redshirts where it decides it must.

Starting next season, Pitt’s defense will have the likes of Whitehead, Hamlin, Miller, Ford, Brightwell, McKee, Stocker, Camp, Pine and – hopefully – Wade, Ambry Thomas, etc. in the lineup as regulars. If we keep seeing that defense getting torched like this on a regular basis, then it will be time to worry about Narduzzi’s ability to get Pitt to make that leap.

Comment by Stoosh 09.30.16 @ 12:16 pm

1618mt…have you seen a Pitt Game this year?

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 12:19 pm

I’m with 1618mt. You can’t just single out Lewis. The secondary has collectively stunk. Even Whitehead has been disappointing this year.

PittofDreams did you watch the Ok St game? Maddox had one of the worst days I’ve ever seen watching football. The kid he was on most the game had 300 yds receiving and then he was on the kid who caught the last long pass and he fell, leaving him wide open.

Lewis has been bad. Absolutely. But Webb was awful against NC this past week. No one is without blame for the dumpster fire that the secondary is…

Comment by Pap76 09.30.16 @ 1:06 pm

Exactly Stoosh … the defensive recruiting the last few years un PC stunk on ice … no speed at all except Maddox. Both DBs and LBs.

PC left us quality offensive starters — no doubt but the large bulk of the defensive talent right now are Duzz’s recruits … meaning that they are very young (and also injured …. Hamlin, Hill and Hendrix)

Comment by wbb 09.30.16 @ 1:20 pm

I suppose I did single out Lewis, but that was not the intent. If we had others to replace Webb and Maddox then I would suggest that as well. My suggestion was how do we keep Brightwell on the field when Caprara is healthy. I do think Lewis has been slightly worse than Maddox, maybe more than slightly.

But take your pick, replace Whitehead with Brightwell and use Whitehead to replace A, B or C.

I also think it is funny that many seem to think our backfield will be better next year with all the new young guys.

I don’t see how when we loose Jarrett, Soto, and Price on the line and a big problem already is our lack of pressure.

And by the way, 8-4 is far from a given, just the best possible outcome left.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 2:11 pm

POD – The Lewis premise is ludicrous. Really not even worth discussing. He at most represents about a third of the problem. Seriously, what have YOU been watching??

Comment by 1618mt 09.30.16 @ 2:28 pm

GC – A lot of people have suggest Whitehead to CB, I’m not qualified to judge whether he has those kind of coverage skills or not, but at this point I’d be willing to try just about anything.

Comment by 1618mt 09.30.16 @ 2:36 pm

No where did I say that Lewis was the only problem in the backfield. Or that my suggestion would be a panacea and solve all problems. It was a suggestion how we get one more talented player on the field and perhaps get a more talented (TBD) player at one of the corners.

To interpret this as meaning that somehow I blame Lewis for the poor pass defense is ridiculous. He is one of many deficiencies and it is not just the d-backs. Our linebackers can’t cover downfield and our scheme is designed to stop the run.

I also think that Narduzzi and Conklin are doing a poor job with what they have.

Three defensive time outs is poor coaching and shows a lack of faith in the offense, the strength of the team.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 2:43 pm

By the way, there is no Lewis Premise, at least not by me.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 2:44 pm

What I do know is that Whitehead is the best athlete on the team, and to use him as a run stopper might not be the best choice. Would he be the best CB on the team? Why not find out, obviously the two we have are getting scorched routinely.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 2:48 pm

Truth be told, I was WAY out in front of criticizing Narduzzi’s Defensive scheme.

Goes back to last year’s Notre Dame Game when he refused to acknowledge that a little Safety HELP might have made a DIFFERENCE with Maddox getting torched by Fuller.

Of course, it is NOT just Lewis. But if you’re going to take someone OFF the Field in order to get some NEW Blood in the Game… it would be Lewis.

And that was what gc suggested above.

My main point is that Brightwell needs to be ON the Field somewhere. And probably so does Caprara.

So where does Brightwell go?

Don’t even know if he can run or cover well enough to play Strong Safety. And realistically speaking, at this point of the Season a Position Switch is not something you would normally consider.

But a loss to Marshall… and EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is up for discussion.

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 3:22 pm

That’s what I get for agreeing with gc. Haha

Comment by PittofDreams 09.30.16 @ 3:26 pm

@JR I don’t particularly care for Cook, but you should chill on today’s article. All that he is basically saying is that the Pitt defense has shown to be porous. I don’t know how you get the PSU booster angle either since he starts the article by speculating that Franklin will be gone by the end of the season.

“It’s enough to make you wonder how many yards and points Pitt would be giving up if Narduzzi weren’t such a defensive genius.”

I don’t know how anybody could argue against that given the number of points and yards surrendered to FBS opponents since the Navy game. Pitt’s D has been shredded.

I still find it amazing that people believe that disappointment about not beating OSU and NC makes people whiners because Pitt wasn’t expected to win and people expected Pitt to end the season 8-4. So because expectations were/are lower, it’s okay to lose those games. Those were both winnable games with a competent pass defense and good game management.

Comment by Barvo 09.30.16 @ 3:53 pm

I like Brightwell & would like to see him get more playing time, but moving him to safety mid season would probably be a disaster. He has been at linebacker his whole time here & knows the plays from that position.

Comment by Nick 09.30.16 @ 4:35 pm

Maybe Nick, but it’s football not rocket science. He played some safety in high school. Plus how much worse could it get, 440 yds given up through the air. Narduzzi’s scheme supposedly much simpler than House’s.

We have seen lot’s of blown coverage even though we have 3 seniors in the backfield.

Very few passes have been broken up by good coverage.

Comment by gc 09.30.16 @ 5:35 pm

Any change in the defensive backfield is worth a try, getting kids from intramurals should be considered. Not sure if it is lack of talent or inability to learn assignments, but this is the least effective bunch I have ever seen at this level. If nothing changes you need to start looking at the people putting them out there.
Opposing teams must look forward to game planning against this bunch.

Comment by Jimbo 09.30.16 @ 8:56 pm

Blame the defense all you want — perhaps they deserve it but Pitt played not to lose and it backfired. For all the defensive mistakes the offense was keeping Pitt in the game until they went into a conservative play selection. I’d like to see a more balanced attack. If Pederman can’t deliver a medium to long pass Coach Narduzzi should give the backup a few snaps. Given that Marshall is a non-conference game Pitt has a chance to experiment.

Comment by MariettaMike 09.30.16 @ 10:40 pm

MM, I agree that the fourth quarter offense is a bigger and more fixable problem than the defense.

I don’t agree that the problem is Peterman, how do we know that he can’t throw a 20 yard pass when they never let him throw one.

Will they use the fourth quarter turtle offense again this week. It does make for exciting finishes. For our opponents.

Comment by gc 10.01.16 @ 8:22 am

1. Pitt, with its superior athletes, rolls up a 3 TD lead over Marshall, which can’t stop the rush.

2. Knowing Pitt will rush to kill the clock, Marshall puts 9 men in the box and somehow stops Pitt’s rush.

3. Because they are behind late, Marshall throws on every play. Pitt puts even more emphasis on stopping the run, blitzes, and gives up long passes.

4. Pitt loses a close game.

5. HCPN declares the defensive scheme works, if the players just executed properly.

6. Rinse and repeat.

Comment by 66Goat 10.01.16 @ 8:52 am

@gc re Peterman, “how do we know he can’t throw a 20 yard pass?” I’ve been waiting for one for 16 games. I’ve come to the conclusion that since 2 OCs have seen him in 2 full fall workouts and one spring practice (not to mention his UT experiences), he is not reliable enough on those throws. I sure wish we could have 1 game where he could burn a D with a bunch of them. If nothing else, it would sure loosen up future opponents’ D’s.

Someone be above stated, if NP can’t make the throws, maybe we try someone else (do we have anyone who can?)

Comment by Savannah Panther 10.01.16 @ 9:09 am

Savannah – yes, his name is MacVitte.

We may see Aaron Mathews chuck one past 20 yards (like T.Boyd) before NP even attempts one.

Comment by Erie Express 10.01.16 @ 9:22 am

Savannah,
Yes! The ability of our young wide receivers has been questioned since the end of last season. Against NC they caught every pass that was catchable. I too question if Peterman can make the tough throws. If you are going to run the ball then the qb should be a threat to run. Not to beat a dead horse but Voytic lost the starting job because he could’nt make the deep throws. Not that he would start but I wonder what Pitt’s record might be if he played the last series of our two losses?

Comment by T Bear 10.01.16 @ 10:19 am

Narduzzi making Marshall Quarterback Chase Litton out to be a World Beater who should be playing at Alabama.

Looks like Litton could be a good EXCUSE if things go South.

Let’s hope Narduzzi doesn’t get to use it.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.01.16 @ 10:35 am

And so far, no prediction from the Trib’s Jerry DiPaola.

That’s fine so long as he doesn’t pick Pitt. Could be the Death Knell.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.01.16 @ 10:37 am

Last week said that against UNC we were going to find out if Narduzzi REALLY can coach.

Well, today is another test.

Narduzzi under a big of PRESSURE today to show he’s up to the job.

Going up against a proven commodity when it comes to being a VERY Good HEAD Coach.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.01.16 @ 10:46 am

Barvo – the criticism’s you reference are fine. Coaches f’d up. Players f’d up. Open and fair game to question what happened.

It’s the “whoa is me” crowd that is already throwing in the towel on the team and coaches that annoy me (and others). Pitt is 4 games into year 2 of a complete make over.

That same crowd likes to point at other coaches and programs and whine that those other schools are winning, “why isn’t Pitt?” The problem with that is the coaches and programs they’re pointing to took 3-4 years to become relevant. Pitt fans don’t see that though. They just see they’re winning now and expect instant gratification.

Every time a coach leaves, it’s a rebuild. That’s the way college football works; unless you are a successful program and hire within for continuity’s sake. Even those programs don’t usually have the continuity they had hoped for.

Pitt lost two winnable games. It’s frustrating. I get that. It’s way too early to give up though.

Pitt fans hate it because they’ve been asked to be patient for 30 years. When Chryst left Pitt hanging it set the program back … again. All the stabilization he gets credited for goes out the window.

Pitt started over (again) … which means another 3-4 years until the program reaches it’s potential. That’s not Kool Aid. That’s not optimism. That’s the cold hard facts how college football works.

Basketball is an easier fix. One great recruiting class and you’re up and running. Football just takes time.

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 10.01.16 @ 11:34 am

Interesting article on the 7 most overrated schools to coach college football. Hint: The hated 3 are included.

link to ftw.usatoday.com

Comment by Jackagain 10.01.16 @ 12:21 pm

Watching OSU/Texas & ND/SYR – the defenses are horrendous…as bad as ours is I think you need to lay one or both of the last two loses on the play calling and lack of execution of the offense…one first down in either game would have won it.

Comment by markp 10.01.16 @ 2:11 pm

Paul Chryst… who by the way can’t coach or recruit… about to do battle with Jim Harbaugh.

Think we can agree the talent is pretty equal. If there’s an advantage… and there is… it goes to Michigan with strength on BOTH sides of the Ball.

Let’s see who comes out on top.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.01.16 @ 2:47 pm

TT, the frustrating thing is how we lost those games, especially the last won. Almost lost the PSU game too, because of the Turtle offense.

I understand there will be growing pains, but this is much less of a rebuild than Chryst had coming in with two lost recruiting classes and a bunch of kids that needed purged.

Narduzzi won 8 games last year with Chryst’s players. Most of them are back this year. The offense is pretty good except for the fourth quarter even without much of a passing game.

The defense seems to have taken a significant step backwards, and that is supposed to be the coaches strength. I get that he doesn’t have great players to work with, but i seems worse than it should be.

Recruiting was solid last year except for the unforeseen health issues. Still time left, but recruiting is looking fairly poor at this point.

Hopefully we get back on track tonight and Narduzzi starts learning from his mistakes.

Comment by gc 10.01.16 @ 2:54 pm

And OH… that’s right. It’s in the BIG House.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.01.16 @ 2:54 pm

gc – that’s fair criticism. PN realized that coming in too. That’s why there is such an emphasis on closing out games. The entire 4th QTR program is designed to get the team excited for the 4th QTR instead of fearing it. I agree, conservative play calling contributed to the losses and plays against that mantra. I hope it’s fixed. I think QB is the missing ingredient.

PN inherited a good offense but the best players on defense is a 6th year senior who played for Wanny and a true sophomore in PN’s first class. That’s how bad the defense is. The game by game comparisons are completely fair. I just think more time is needed to make a decision on PN himself. Some already have though.

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 10.01.16 @ 4:00 pm

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