Anyone watch Pitt the Packers-Seahawks last night? Man, I can’t believe they would risk their biggest playmaker — Tyler Boyd Percy Harvin — on punt kick returns. What were they thinking using a weapon like that in such a risky place? He can run the ball, he’s a receiver. A vital part of their offense and they risk him on special teams. Why, it’s almost like they want to try and use a versatile and talented player in multiple situations to help the team.

There will be an open thread for the game tonight. I’ll be on Twitter as usual. Probably Justin, but you never know when it comes to games and coping with toddlers.

Remember, Pitt isn’t the only one that needs to raise its game after a patsy first game. UMass is a recent leap to D-1, and was picked for dead last in the MAC. They weren’t exactly a real challenge for BC.

Both sides are going into this game with some confidence from their respective wins, but everyone on the outside just doesn’t know how good/bad/mediocre the teams really are.

Pitt players and coaches insisted this week that, despite the result, the Delaware game showed plenty of areas for potential improvement. Those flaws, masked against the Blue Hens, could be tested tonight.

Defensively, the Panthers will face one of the most dynamic quarterbacks they will see this year in senior Tyler Murphy. Murphy passed for 173 yards and rushed for 118 in Boston College’s 30-7 win against Massachusetts in the Eagles’ opener.

The Eagles had a lot of talent to replace this year at the offensive skill positions, but having a multifaceted threat such as Murphy makes it easier to break in new receivers and running backs.

“He can hurt you with designed runs, but also as it breaks down,” Chryst said of Murphy. “It’s oversimplifying it to a point, but it’s not because you’ve got to play disciplined and then you’ve got to get to the football. If you start overdoing it, then you become exposed and I think that’s where guys can really hurt you.”

Offensively, the biggest key for the Panthers will be whether or not they can run the ball even half as well as they did against Delaware. Boston College gave up 55 yards on the ground against Massachusetts, but finished 58th in Division I-A rushing defense last year, allowing 160.6 yards per game on the ground.

Both teams are going to want to run. BC has the added dimension of their QB being able to run very effectively. I do think there is a little underestimating what Voytik can do out of the pocket. He’s not a read option QB any longer, but he does know how to take off and run better than he has had to do to this point.

Still, Pitt defense and mobile QBs have been a toxic brew.

The antidote is a defense with speed, something Pitt lacked two years ago when Notre Dame’s Everett Golson ran for 74 yards, plus the game-tying 2-point conversion that sent the game into overtime.

Pitt appears to have a better mix of speed and experience on defense this season, with senior linebackers Anthony Gonzalez (a former quarterback) and Todd Thomas (a former wide receiver). Backup linebackers Bam Bradley and Nicholas Grigsby, who play in special packages, also run well.

Whether that translates into greater success has yet to be determined.

“We haven’t been tested yet,” coach Paul Chryst said. “We certainly will be this Friday night.”

Chryst said he and his staff addressed the issue, but he also won’t over-complicate it.

“You have to play disciplined,” he said, “and you have to get to the football.”

That will be the challenge. Pitt on defense — as well as offense — was so physically superior to the Blue Hens that they didn’t have to worry about being disciplined and fundamentally sound.

The encouraging thing, is that the defense only got one penalty last week. That unsportsmanlike conduct by David Durham. (Brief aside, I’ll politely disagree with Reed on the importance of that penalty. That was a weak call and ridiculously ticky-tack. Especially compared to some of the other stuff that is ignored.) That’s at least a positive indicator of the discipline played by the defense. No offsides. No holding. No interference.

I have trouble calling this a resumption of a rivalry. Not simply because it never really felt like one in the old Big East. I mean, the next time these teams are scheduled to meet will be in 2020. One more reminder that if the ACC is determined to keep the cross-divisional rivalry game for each year, they need to go to a 9 game schedule.

The coaches play up their respect for one another and their programs. Check that box.

“I have an unbelievable amount of respect for (coach) Paul (Chryst) and his staff,” he said. “Some people run it. Some people know how to run it. He knows how to run it.”

Then this: “That’s as good a running game as there is in America,” he said.

Quite an endorsement for a team that has yet to play an FBS opponent. But it does give a look into the kind of game Addazio and Chryst are expecting.

“Two programs that want to establish the run, two programs that want to play physically on defense,” Addazio said.
…
Before becoming head coaches, Addazio and Chryst ran successful ground games at Florida and Wisconsin, respectively. Neither wants to abandon those roots.

“Steve has done a great job adjusting and growing with the times,” Chryst said, “but still believes in running the football and the physical nature of the guys.”

Here’s a puff-piece on Coach Chryst from a couple weeks ago, that I’ve been meaning to link.

When Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson had trouble one day reaching Chryst out at the Rose Bowl shortly after hiring him, Chryst called back the next morning apologizing, saying that Wilson had pulled him aside for a film session that went late into the night.

“You never have to apologize to me for that,” Pederson said. “And I said that’s exactly what you want. [He’s] just totally committed to his players.”

Vinopal echoed that sentiment, saying his ability to approach Chryst is night and day from that of past coaches. Chryst likes to think his open-door policy is more than just a saying, and the success rate of others walking through those doors to Pitt speaks to that.

“I think you’re a better coach if you know your players better,” he said. “And I don’t think by any stretch that I’ve arrived or any of our coaches have arrived. I think we still need to do a better job of getting to know our players, and them getting to know us. And to me that’s part of the fun of it, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying it.”

Neat.