In much the same way I sense when I’m drunk.
A few hours after the game ended, Pat called me. He was one of the few of our group to make the game. After he railed on our group’s overall piss-poor attendance, he asked what I saw on TV.
I saw a defense that couldn’t handle the option. It just couldn’t seem to grasp the concept, much the way this team struggles with the idea of a spread offense. If it’s a QB that has the ability to run, then the team just hesitates and lets other team take control. A hallmark of the Paul Rhoads defense at Pitt. The inability to deal with a mobile QB.
A straight running attack, they are showing signs of handling. A passing offense, no problem. It’s when the QB can take off with the ball or toss it to someone else on the run that the panic sets in. Again, this has been a long-term issue at Pitt that predates Coach Wannstedt. The one consistent factor — DC Paul Rhoads.
He didn’t disagree, and complained of the fact that Pitt’s defense made no adjustments. Unlike Michigan State, which realized by the end of the 1st quarter, “Hey, Pitt is shutting us down when we just hand-off or drop back, but when Stanton rolls out or even gestures like he’s going to take off, the defense freezes and opens things up.” They could just keep gashing Pitt over and over for sustained drives that ate the clock much the way the first couple of drives Pitt had in the 1st quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the MSU defense caught on to the fact that the Pitt O-line could not handle any sort of pass rush. They were willing to risk a 10 yard run just to keep coming at Palko. It became even easier when they took the lead, and forced Pitt to pass more.
