As Chas mentioned earlierd, the offense was entirely too conservative in the second half of the UVA game. This allowed the Cavaliers to make it a one score game late and add a little drama to Homecoming. Fortunately the defense came through eventually and it was all for naught. Play-calling remains an issue, but self-inflicted wounds were the bigger issue for the offense on Saturday.
Here’s a short list of what I can recall and I may be missing something.
- Two botched snaps by Rowell that killed offensive drives
- Peterman’s weird sack/fumble that gave UVA 7 points
- An Adam Bisnowaty hold that cancelled a long Peterman run
- A Qadree Ollison fumble on the goal line
- Jester Weah’s drop
Those five mistakes cost Pitt at least 20 points between missed offensive opportunities and points given to UVA. Imagine if the score were ~40-6 when Motley was beaten deep by UVA WR Canaan Severin? That score wouldn’t have mattered. The defense was great all day long and had only given up two field goals until late in the fourth quarter. By no means was the offense perfect, but those five mistakes cancelled out what should’ve been the best day they’ve had all season.
What’s extremely fortunate is that all five are of the “dumb” variety and easily preventable in the future. Focus more on ball security, a little extra practice on shotgun snaps, and film work should help all of those.
Moving on to play-calling, it’s mind-numbing how useless the Voytik package is. That’s not an insult to Voytik, but the way coaches are using him. Take note of how the coaches brought Peterman in for a series or two against YSU and Akron in the first half. They gave Peterman an entire series and plays called for him to see if he could get into a rhythm and move the offense. Right now, the coaches put Chad in on 2nd and long and call a designed run that everyone knows is coming.
If the goal is to reward Chad for his hard work, give him an entire series with plays for him, not one random designed run at a time. Not only does that hurt Chad, it hurts the offense by taking Peterman out of his rhythm as well. It’d be better to sit Voytik than to give him a few random running plays.
Last but not least on play-calling is moving away from what’s working. In the first quarter, Scott Orndoff and JP Holtz combined for three receptions, 91 yards, and a touchdown. The rest of the game they had one catch for ten yards. I’m not saying that they should’ve gone their direction all game, but the offense failed to convert on third and five or less FIVE SEPARATE TIMES against UVA. That’s out of twelve total drives (ignoring the victory formation). Five out of twelve drives failed because the offense couldn’t pick up an attainable third down. That’s on Chaney for bad play calls. I would consider targeting playmaking, trustworthy TEs on reasonable third downs a lot more if I were him. Narduzzi admitted that Boyd was double covered consistently, which gives your TEs open space in zone or a mismatch in man. Don’t overthink: throw the ball to the TEs.
Overall, it is encouraging to see that the offense was able to move the ball, albeit against a bad UVA defense. The concern is that there has been a turnover in every single game and mistakes like the others above. It’s a new offense for everyone minus Peterman, so some of these growing pains are to be expected. But, the offense has not been good enough yet for Pitt to win the coastal. UNC and Duke both look good and if GT gets the ball going on the ground it could spiral out of control quickly if the offense fails to keep up. If the goal is to win the ACC, the offense needs to stop pointing the gun directly at their feet.
All the more reason to feel that it was way too early for Pitt last year to send him packing.
Again, you may be right, Spindler …. but it is news to me and IMO makes little sense.
But, Pitt LB commit, Chase Pine, is allegedly attending the Mich-MSU game this Sat as a guest of UM. He would be a very welcome addition here.
They got all the coach speak and life speak you can imagine. For the out of stater’s thaey tell them to be their own man, create your own path. Get away and make your own decisions rhetoric. Would be a real nice get if he comes here as a running back. Any update on Miles Sanders?
Should be a very tough game Saturday. GT has lost 4 in a row, to very good teams. Their season is pretty much over if they lose to us.
It will be very interesting to see how
Narduzzi and Conklin defense the option.
It should be substantially better than the last two years.
This will be the fourth game on the road, so the offense should be able to handle the crowd noise. Last year we handed them 6 turnovers in the first half. Not this year. Should be very competitive. A win and we may crack the rankings.
We first played the Ramblin Wreck in 1918, wonder if there are any photos from that game?
Meanwhile, her is a Scouts.com story on potential TE transfer, Chris Clark (5*)
I DON’T see it at all!!! Why? – I’ll tell you.
When the Nard Dog was growing up, his informative years, the BEST college team on the planet was only an hour and half away from him – the PITT Panthers. Now he is the HEAD COACH of that very team!!! the Head Coach!!! He can resurrect the program that was the greatest program when he was a young man. If he goes back to MSU (assuming he’s even their first choice) all he will be is the guy who maintained the program behind D’Antonio.
Plus, who has the greater historical clout? Pitt (9 national championships) or MSU?
If we PAY the Dog, the Dog will stay!!! – and I think Barnes is smart enough to pay up!
Looks like a Blather contingent will be in attendance to watch the Rambling Wreck go down at the hands of the Panthers. The short list is me, Savannah panther & MariettaMike + another bunch of my old SAE frat brothers that read the Blather although rarely post.
I expect to see a defining moment soon with this team this season. Not sure if this is that game or not but Narduzzi is pushing Pitt towards that tipping point when a good team is compelled by the self realization of their potential to exceed the expectations of general opinion.
The SOP, loses a game or two that they shouldn’t and they win one they shouldn’t as well. Eliminate those that they shouldn’t lose and the season turns out pretty well. The only game that looks like a sure one where Pitt will be favored is Syracuse. Other than that we’ve taken care of YSU, Akron and Virginia, all teams Pitt was penciled in for Ws preseason.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, you know one game at a time, but with a win on Saturday in yet again another away game for the Panthers, this game if we win could be that defining mom enemy where this team really accepts the notion that they’re legit contenders for the ACC Coastal. Riding a three game winning streak in the ACC riding the crest of being tie at the top of the Division going into another away game in Syracuse would be pretty much a perfect situation for Pitt to address that final opponent in the schedule that most in the general public feel Pitt should beat.
Therefore, this game is the “New” pivotal game of the season for us. Narduzzi & Co. Is providing their squad with the emotional fuel necessary to keep this team focus on the task at hand. The offense is still finding itself but this defense, surprisingly” has determined it’s identity already and now is building a reputation to substantiate it’s lofty national stats accumulated over the first five games.
The Pitt doubters once again are still unbelievers, concerned that the Yellow Jackets will be poised to unleash that vaunted option offense on the Panthers, a valid concern. The intangible that will be the difference maker however is that Pitt is on a winning streak and GT is in a losing streak. That fact creates an enormous advantage for the Panthers.
I don’t care how confident a team is, after getting beat for a solid month, game after game, after game, after game, it beats down a team’s spirit to compete and questions your ability to win once again. The exact opposite is true when you’re on a winning streak.
This game will be just like most, at some point there will be adversity. How these teams respond to that adversity will determine the ultimate winner of the game.
Narduzzi has been busy pounding into his kids heads that overcoming adversity is the key to victory and has been successful in doing so. Pitt just haven’t beaten themselves yet this season. GT, not so much. The Rambling Wreck actually is a wreck right now. They are trying to figure out the reasons why they can’t post any wins as of late and they really haven’t found any answers to date.
This game, as I’ve stated before is a contest between two programs going in opposite directions. I just don’t see this being a game where GT gets on track to win one. Rather this game could be a breakout game for Pitt’s offense. A perfect weather day, Peterman getting more comfortable as our starter and a team that has a wave of momentum behind them. Just a game without our offense turning over the ball multiple times will be enough IMO to get GT roll over yet again.
Narduzzi might not be able to stop the option but I’m confident that this defense will be able to slow it down to the point that we can out score them for the victory. If so the sky is the limit going forward for the Panthers. Exterminate the Yellow Jackets! H2P!
Being as a yellow jacket is a type of wasp – make sure you all show up at the game with plenty of cans of wasp spray!!!
Anyone who is married knows how definitive that statement is, Happy Wife, Happy Life!
In Narduzzi’s mind, he considers Pitt a destination position already. It is going to be even more so the longer Narduzzi’s tenure is. This Pitt administration and our current AD are committed to put Pitt athletics back on the national map as a formidable contender for Championships. Narduzzi not only gets that he wants to be that conductor orchestrating the football program’s Ascension back to elite status. So settle down, nobody is leaving, rather I suggest you just start believing! It has been a long wait but on the horizon is a very successful period for Pitt football. That future is already materializing. just win baby, WIN.
Wreck the Wreck!
Found something interesting about him. He does a little bit of coach speak, how can you blame any of them after getting asked so many, and so many of the same questions.
However, I realized, the guy is very, very
candid. He answers a lot of questions bluntly with what is on his mind.
I remember someone saying a couple weeks ago criticizing him for “calling out” a couple players in public.
I realize now, he’s not doing that at all. Not at all.
He did it last night a few times, including a caller. Not calling people out, just telling the truth and he does it with a “teaching” attitude, that he has their back, but this is what we need to do.
Ex. The guest was Chris James. Hillgrove asked James what he felt his best attributes are with his running style.
Humble stating “I guess my cutting ability, and I guess my speed.”
Narduzzi jumped in over the conversation and said, “and your power Chris. Your power. Chris has a lot of power, a lot more than he even thinks he has, so we have to work on that with him”
“James chuckled and said “yes, yes””.
Then he spoke of reaching for the goal line and then fumbling.
“We can’t have that Bill, we just can’t have that. We go over and over that in practice, we do not want anyone reaching out with the ball for an extra 1/2 yard on downs 1 to 3. Even if it’s the goal line, we don’t want that”
Bill then says, “unless you’re Michael Vick”.
Not surprisingly, Narduzzi had an anser.
He laughed at the obvious nod to the game the night before, but then said, “actually, totally different situation. Last play of the game, last play of the game, different than what we’re talking about really”.
Then, kindly set a caller straight, nicely, with no venom or anger, just straight talk.
Caller. “coach, wonder if any thought to line up against GT running the option, going with some sort of 3-4 to put a nose tackle against the center to stop the initial dive”.
Narduzzi. “oh geez, you and the Panther fans would kill me if we did that. Put a nose tackle on him, you’d leave a gap wide open. The dive doesn’t go right behind the centers butt, he’d now have options to dive. No, you just can’t do that with the option.”
I like the guy the more and more I listen to him.
Sam Werner: Conner is at practice and off his crutches, but it still seems exceedingly unlikely that he’ll be able to get back this year. As for his pro prospects, that’s something that’s still under discussion. I don’t get a sense that he’s even leaning one way or another at this point.
Yes, Boyd will almost certainly be gone after this year and, yes, the younger WRs haven’t exactly stepped up to make a case for themselves. I think the staff is high on Jester Weah, but he needs to start showing he can actually catch the football in a game if he wants to make an impact.
Sam Werner: That will certainly be something worth watching. From talking to Voytik, he doesn’t seem at all bothered by his new role. After the Virginia Tech game, he told us that all he cared about was winning with his teammates and doing whatever he could to help them. From covering him, he is a genuinely good guy and really does want the best for Pitt and his teammates, no matter what that means for him.
But…if he has any aspirations of playing at the next level, it might make sense to at least think about a transfer. Peterman will be back and, presumably, the incumbent starter. Voytik could certainly beat him out, but he also runs the risk of riding the bench for his final season of college football.
Sam Werner: Well, Dontez Ford had a nice game against Virginia, and he’s pretty solidified as the WR2. He’s not flashy, but he’s pretty steady and will get the job done.
As for the third spot, Jester Weah is the player of choice there right now. Coaches have kind of rotated a few guys there this season, and Weah is the man they currently seem to be highest on. Narduzzi said he still thinks Weah is the best man for that job, and he just needs to get one catch under his belt to give him some confidence.
Sam Werner: After the Virginia Tech game, Narduzzi admitted that he went conservative on offense in the second half once he saw how well his defense was playing. I asked him after the Virginia game if the same thing happened, and he said no, but then he also sort of oddly threw his offensive coordinator under the bus:
“Maybe coach Chaney’s getting conservative, but I’m not.”
I’m not really sure what’s going on there. I think it’s also worth noting that any series that goes 3-and-out is going to feel conservative because, well, there just aren’t very many plays. Don’t get me wrong, Pitt definitely seemed to dial back on offense in the second half Saturday, but I think some of the criticism also stems from the fact that they just weren’t very successful at it.
Comment by dhuffdaddy 10.15.15@7:38 am
No updates, but I thought it was interesting that Rich Walsh did an interview with all five of Pitt’s Woodland Hill grads on the 6 o’clock news last night. They all talked about how glad they are to be playing football at home in Pittsburgh and commented on what a great coach Narduzzi is.
Walsh ended the segment by asking the players if they would like to see any more Woody High kids come to Pitt, which they all, of course, agreed would be great.
It seemed like the entire interview was aimed at enticing Miles Sanders to come to Pitt. Sure hope it helps.
Sam Werner: Honestly, I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to think this team can win the division and make the ACC Championship Game. With Georgia Tech down, the Coastal is even more muddled than we thought it would be going into the year, and Pitt is right in that mix. The Panthers’ defense is probably playing as well as any individual unit within the division, and that will keep Pitt in just about every game it plays.
As for this weekend, yes, a win would definitely establish Pitt as a contender (and maybe the favorite) in the Coastal, but I think later games against Duke and UNC are actually more important, since those are teams likely to be involved with tiebreakers at the end of the season.
———————–
not implying that Werner is an expert but he has more inside info tahn we do and, if nothing else, brings up some items for interesting discussion
Do not respect Werner’s work. He provides
very little insight. His work is plain vanilla
and seems to be driven by info handed
to him by the schools PR team.
GT game is huge. Pitt now getting 2.5
points. This would indicate Pitt has
very few believers. A victory ensures
a Top 25 listing. Watch the game but
don’t bet !
He’s the best in that type venue. Chris Peak is the best all around and he can write as much as he wants.
He is an ND alum and an admitted Irish fan, thus he has little or no agenda … unlike the rest of us who has their favorite players, coaches, defenses, offenses, etc, and try to make our points with biased data … (and Emel is certainly not the only who does it)
Exactly.
On top of that, he works for the PG, and Pitt is a very, very small piece of their coverage. It’s not like he’s working for a Pitt media outlet.
If you’re looking for all Pitt all the time, then Pantherlair is probably what you need… Or you can be satisfied with the Blather.
Either way, I would probably recommend adjusting your expectations for coverage from traditional media outlets like the PG.
Sam Werner @SWernerPG
From speaking with #Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi today, sounds like he hasn’t ruled out RB James Conner coming back this season.
Said that the week after he went down.
The only scary part is this year’s version of the Offensive Line. Not the same that helped get Conner nearly 1,800 last year.
Time to get it on!
Even though our defense is much improved this year, I suspect we’ll need our offense to finally play 4 quarters in order to win this one… Concerned vegas has us dogs, not surprised though.
Reed:
No way Werner is better than Dipaola. Werner writes the
obvious. We are looking for insight, competitive info, recruiting
info, etc. compare his work to Ziese’s coverage of the team. Not even close. Hope he gets moved to hockey.
Also, to the writes who criticize Dixon: do you watch and understand college BB? Pitt’s style is not old school and not much different from the offense most teams use. Granted it is not Kentucky but not much different from most successful programs.
Mark my words, beat GT and Conner plays against Duke.
No gold pants yet this season
Mine is that we win easily. 35– 17,
H2P
We can win with any color combo with HCPN…
HTP!
ala WVU.
Guess they figure since we’re going to
all Garanimal next year, what’s the point?
Let’s make it five in a row this Saturday.
Wreck Tech!
Regarding Conner – I think we see him vs UNC. But let’s focus on one game right now – no distractions. GTech needs our full attention.
HTP!
This game is particularly important for Pitt to get back into the National “Conversation. A loss and we are almost back to square one. Big opportunity to be relevant.
Coastal is still wide open. A win keeps us in the hunt.
gc, “a win keeps us in the hunt”? Seriously? A win keeps us at least tied at the top at 4-0 in the Coastal division depending on what happens with other teams in our division on Saturday. Yeah, I’d say we are leading the pack in this hunt right about now.
I’m actually surprised that Pitt is only a 2.5 point dog, although that is probably more indicative of Tech’s struggles than it is a rocognition of Pitt’s improvement.
Hope all you gents attending the game have a blast. Represent us well and bring home a W.
I’ll settle for the 1 win that the NCAA will actually count if we score more points that GTech.
Waiting for the PREDICTION THREAD to make my PREDICTION/GUARANTEE OFFICIAL.
HTP!
NCAA FBS standings
American Athletic Conference Atlantic Coast Big 12 Big Ten Conference USA Independents (FBS) Mid-American Mountain West Pac-12 Southeastern Sun Belt
Atlantic
Conference
Overall
STRK
vs Top 25
Florida State
3-0
5-0
W5
0-0
Clemson
2-0
5-0
W5
1-0
Syracuse
1-0
3-2
L2
0-1
Louisville
1-1
2-3
W2
0-2
Wake Forest
1-2
3-3
W1
0-1
North Carolina State
0-2
4-2
L2
0-0
Boston College
0-3
3-3
L2
0-1
Coastal
Conference
Overall
STRK
vs Top 25
Duke
2-0
5-1
W3
1-1
Pittsburgh
2-0
4-1
W2
0-0
North Carolina
1-0
4-1
W4
0-0
Virginia Tech
1-1
3-3
W1
0-1
Miami (FL)
0-1
3-2
L2
0-1
Virginia
0-1
1-4
L2
0-2
Didn’t realize this is Duke’s by week, so a Panther victory puts Pitt into 1st place in the Coastal division.
It won’t be easy beating the Yellow Jackets on the Flats this Saturday. Should have perfect weather for football Saturday so no advantage to Jackets.
Hail to Pitt! Sting the Yellow Jackets! 🙂
you may be right but funny that that has never come up in the media, further …
– Heron de-committed when he was a junior. If grades were an issue, why would Pitt eliminate him at that time? … as there would be sufficient time for him to make it up. Further, he graduated on time and passed the NCAA clearinghouse so he apparently wasn’t too far behind.
– Instead, I had read a few times from the day he 1st committed to Pitt that he was a pretty good student which is why I felt compelled to post that link above. And from the interviews on that link, he comes off as pretty articulate.
I admit I may be wrong … but I have been skeptical for a long time that almost every time someone chooses to leave here, all of a sudden some underlying reason arises. And in this case, it just don’t add up for the reasons stated above.