Raycom Affiliates and The ACCDN.
Oh, boy. Full Raycom for a second time.
It may not have been intentional, but it says something that the top 5 stories on the Pitt website have nothing to do with the football game today. On homecoming. (Courtside at the Cathedral, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Soccer, and Swimming and Diving Meet)
Syracuse is Pitt’s 3d most played opponent in the history of the football team. Pitt is the program that Syracuse has faced most frequently. Pitt holds a 38-32-3 edge. And both sides are fully aware that it is not a rivalry game (despite a Wikipedia page).
The reason that this has remained a non-rivalry game is that in its long history, it has almost always been the case where one team has been lousy and the other good to great. I’ve hit on this before, I’m sure. If you look at the history, you will see one team dominating for a ten to fifteen year run. Then it flips.
Pitt has dominated the series since 2002. In that time, Pitt has a 13-3 record. In the period before that Cuse had a run from 1984-2001 of 16-1-1. And so on.
At the moment, it sure looks like things are going up for Syracuse and down for Pitt. It’s more then a little disturbing to consider that Pitt-Cuse are on the precipice of having the series flip the other way.
Syracuse has gotten off to a great start — yes, helped by some bad opponents — and are exactly the kind of team against which Pitt struggles.
On offense, it starts with QB Eric Dungey. The senior has become a very efficient passer. Hitting over 60% of his passes, and Syracuse likes to throw. Pitt’s secondary has yet to show it can stop a QB from throwing (unless it is out of the triple option). The terrifying additional element is that Dungey is still relatively fearless running the ball. He’s their second leading rusher with 365 yards (only two yards behind RB Moe Neal).
Then there is their tempo. The Orange go faster then even UCF likes to go. While it won’t be close to the 90+ degree weather the Pitt defense had to also contend (no, really, ALL those cramps were real), the defense is not going to get a lot of substitutions.
Then there is their defense. It isn’t special, but they do one thing very well. Rushing the QB. Guess what is one of the things Pitt’s offense does poorly?
The Orange’s sack total (17) is tied with for second in the ACC with Clemson, and the loss in yardage is a conference high 114.
That could mean trouble for Pitt, which is 11th in the ACC in sacks allowed with 10.
Pitt is going to need a big game from the O-line and the running backs. We’ve yet to see Pitt play two good halves of football in the same game. On either side of the ball.
Anybody still holding to the idea of Narduzzi being… if not a “Guru”… just capable as a Defensive Coach… today is REALITY CHECK Day.
Nowhere to hide today. The way ‘Cuse spreads out and runs its Offense, EVERYTHING is going to be in plain view.
I am not blind and statistics tell me he is the worst in ACC.
The only thing I can is that I saw Town in the Spring Game.
Looked CHALLENGED when it came to either running or throwing.
Young,enthusiastic coach who has turned programs around; check ot Neil Brown, Troy sTATE, AS USA SAYS HE Will be gone after this year, A copy of Johhny majors jumping up to big time after turning Towa State arounf. No time to give Narrduzzi you have to go when time is write Narduzzi is at best a 7 wins coach.
Happy they won but coaching stills lacks anything innovative especially on offense. The Duzz is lucky he has a couple of good backs to run the ball. Please try some screens, play action passes and let Pickett run. They are afraid of getting hurt on run plays I guess.
Fortunately we had McCoy and ran 70% percent of our plays from the wildcat formation/should have one the Big East that year.
As things appear to stand we know Pickett has hit his ceiling, and if Narduzzi has no confidence in the two transfers. Although I am against keeping him on at Pitt he ought to set up a special program nationally seeking out 4* and 5* transfer QB’s who have been successful in other programs this is the new method for the have-nots to rebuild their programs.
Let the 4 and 5* kids who went to the top five schools who drank the kool-aid this would be their team, offer them a team.
PD – the conservative play at the end of the game was to offset the lack of a playmaking QB. Watch the end of the first half again if you don’t know what I mean.
It was a win fellas. A Pitt FB win. Enjoy the day!
H2P!
Not to mention being SOLELY responsible for the FIRST Cuse TD.
Hamlin is what I’ve said he is… Opportunistic and OVER-rated.
One major poor note: US News and WORLD REPORT HAS PITT RATING DOWN TO #70. We accept 60% of applicants. Does not anyone want to come to PITT?
Why can’t we be more selective? Less students could be the way to go. It worked for NYU.
The Bad: Syr/Dungy scored 37 points in just 12+ minutes!
The Good Part Deux: WE WON!!
This is just the beginning for the team crumbling apart because of no head coach leadership. Duzzi should be telling his OC that we must throw to those guys as part of our overall game plans. He lost a recruit last week because of the lack of tight end usage.
Dumbo is now beginning to lose his team and after the ND killing that will take place it will really begin to fall apart.
HAIL TO PITT!!! Gosh I h8 Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is fighting to get in the top 4 mix which allows them a chance at the national championship. They will run up the score on Pitt as much as they can.
Not ELITE in any category except for his willingness to COMPETE. I’m in on any Quarterback who passes that test.
Still think he can be good. Obviously he is NOT getting the help he needs here in the way of System, O-Line or Coaching on how to be a Quarterback.
His first step forward is to realize he is a PASS First Pocket QB and build from there.
Granted I’m biased… but Chryst would work WONDERS with Pickett.
Looks pretty good. Nice Motion and Release.
He will red-shirt and in his 2nd year be looking somewhere else to play.
Love the latest Duzzi quote, “we will be playing a junior college transfer and a walk-on in the tight end position and we will be ok”.
Sure Duzzi, we will be ok. Four years on the job and we are relying on transfers and walk-ons. That’s enough to be fired.
The only TE transfer I know of is from P5 Arkansas who was a 4* recruit out of HS.
Lol
I am a fan but I am not going to blindly believe there is any chance here. I have been going to Pitt games since I was a kid (dad used to coach high school football) I am now 66. That’s a long time to attend games. What we are seeing is pretty bad and in my opinion no lite at the end of the tunnel. If there are underclassman that have a chance of being better than what is playing, we need to start seeing them. I don’t believe that is the case, I think the recruiting is below average and it is really showing up after 4 years. We need a good “old boy” from the south. Someone that is presently a offensive coordinator at some top schools looking for a head coaching job. Need more life and innovation in our program. Pitt is paying over $3 million for the Duzzi and the way that Lyke is throwing money around ( her staff alone has almost doubled, check the web site) and increasing more money from the ACC. they can pay a new coach $4 or $5 million.
Funny thing is… for the longest time a lot of the KOOL-AID Drinkers here thought you and I were the same. They could not imagine TWO people actually had Narduzzi’s Number.
HILARIOUS!
These games are no longer fun to watch because there is nothing to look forward to.
I will watch the ND game for about 5 minutes and then tune in to find out the final score witch I think will run into the 40’s vs Pitt’s less than 10 pts.
As much as I am convinced that Narduzzi is NOT a Head Coach for Pitt or Anyone… I believe the Game tomorrow has a chance of being CLOSE.
Offense aside, I like the changes Randy Bates is making on Defense.
Always thought Brightwell was out of position in the Middle. Looks like Bates is leaving Brightwell OUTSIDE with either Reynolds or Pine taking the place of Wirginis.
Personally like Reynolds… and think he’ll end up being Bates’ choice.
Also like the commitment being made to Jason Pinnock at Corner opposite Dane Jackson. The only thing left is to find the BEST Combo at Safety.
Bates COULD be putting together his BEST Defense of the Season… just in time for the BIG One!
UPSET?
I have to give it some more thought.
Narduzzi just wanted someone to throw 15 yards down the field and unleash the RB’s. It doesn’t’ work when you have 8 in the box.
Savage had played at 3 schools before coming to Pitt and only in two games before taking over at Pitt. Peterson had more talent to work with but Savage and Tyler were both Sunday ball players.
Town’s transfered like Savage because he was impatient and realized he was not going to start immediately at U.S.C. or Arknsas who already had QB’s in their system.
Is it likely that someone who in 2015 was invited to the elite QB camp of 15 top QB’s and awarded #2 out of that competition has completely lost his physical skills.
Certainly he is rusty but even rusty his pedigree is far higher than Pickett. He may be able to save the season.
Stay with Picket and 4-7 is assurred.
