Sorry about the lack of open thread and Sunday posting. Last minute work stuff pulled me away all morning Saturday. By the time I got home, it was after 2pm. My wife was nice enough to DVR the game for me, which I had failed to do. Otherwise I would have missed out on having a glimmer of hope, before it was extinguished.

I can’t say I was expecting a win, but I wasn’t expecting that second half either.

I don’t know if I can really pull one common theme for the game. Such a disappointing performance.

Another week, another QB ripping Pitt apart. There is an argument to be made that Pitt has faced a lot of good QBs this season. That still doesn’t excuse all of the QBs basically having their best passing game of the season against an FBS school.

While guiding Miami to 51 points, the most the Panthers have given up in a game under Narduzzi, quarterback Brad Kaaya was clinical in picking apart the Pitt defense, completing his first 13 passes en route to throwing for 356 yards and accounting for five of his team’s six touchdowns. It marked the fourth time in nine games Pitt has allowed an opposing quarterback to throw for at least 350 yards. As a team, the Hurricanes finished with 534 total yards, making them the fifth opponent to rack up at least 400 yards against the Panthers this season.

That doesn’t even hit on the fact that Miami had scored 20 points or less in their previous four games (all losses), so it wasn’t like this was an opponent that was piling up points and yardage coming into the game.

At this point, I am not sure Cornerbacks Coach, Renaldo Hill will be back next year. I know the spot is a weakness. I know that depth is minimal. I get that the scheme has changed. But the regression at the position over the last two years is absurd. It goes beyond all of that to what they are being taught in practices. This group wasn’t terribly different from last year, sans Lafayette Pitts, yet the difference has been dramatic. It is only getting worse, because teams see the tape and are throwing more and more. At some point you have to ask about the coaching.

Depth on the defense was always going to be an issue this year, but the injuries to Shakir Soto and especially Tyrique Jarrett were devastating. When Jarrett was lost, Miami was able to actually approximate balance on offense with the running game. They didn’t have any presence on the inside and it meant even more attention could be paid to DE Ejuan Price.

Because the defense is so porous, any mistakes on offense become that much more glaring. There were three glaring ones in three of the first four possessions of the second half. The fumble by Henderson on the second play of the half, Peterman’s interception in the endzone on what had been a solid drive, and Jester Weah with a drop on what should have been a big passing play. It isn’t fair, but if the offense isn’t nearly perfect, there is little hope for Pitt in these games.

The first 20+ point loss under Pat Narduzzi. And with a trip to Clemson this week, it is not hard to envision the second, and a 3-game losing streak.

Right now, this Pitt football team reminds me a bit of the Pitt basketball team from 2013-14. It isn’t a bad team, but it isn’t good. Beating the teams it should beat, and losing to the teams that they should lose to — be it by 1 or 21.