in ACC, Game Day, Pat Narduzzi, Pitt Football, Pitt POV, Players, Statistics 1,092 Words

POV Predictions & Know The Enemy

(Game Notes – don’t leave home without them)

Marshall – just the name strikes fear into opposing football teams!

Not really, I just wanted a dramatic opening.  But Marshall isn’t a program to be taken lightly no matter what their current record is – which stands at 1-2 with big scoring losses to Akron (65-38) and then Louisville (59-28) both at home.  Their singular win is against Morgan State also at home.

So Pitt will be their first away game of the season.  In normal times we’d think that an opposing team would face a lot of screaming Pitt fans in Heinz Field but I wonder about that for this weekend.  Pitt is also coming off two high scoring losses and there may not be all that many butts in the seats – especially given that the game starts at 7:30 pm.

Marshall’s Thundering Herd resides in Conference USA and while many Pitt fans may look down their noses at this it is my firm belief that Marshall shouldn’t be taken lightly.  As a matter of fact while most of us looked at the beginning part of the schedule and saw three ‘big games’ I have been writing that there are four – because Marshall always seem to annually upset a team that didn’t take them seriously enough.

Last season they  went 10-3 and beat a few teams that oddsmakers said they weren’t supposed to starting of with a convincing win against Big 10’s Purdue and ending with a bowl win against Conference USA’s UCONN.  Ex-WVU DC Doc Holliday is the head coach there and has racked up an impressive record of 51-30.

On paper this should be an easy win… but personally I have no firm handle on what this Pitt team is all about this season.  We seem to be great at the run with 250 yards per game and that is mainly because we are breaking big runs on jet sweeps every so often…but are only averaging 5.0 ypc which means we are getting stopped at or behind the LOS rather often.

We are scoring 36 ppg yet are giving up 32 and have a 2-2 record.  In our two losses we have given up 82 total points and scored 77 – but still lost the games.  Get that – we averaged 38.5 points and lost both games.

Here are  the Marshall stats through their three games.  Note that their scoring got a great bump from a 62-0 win over Morgan State.  However in their two losses against the better teams they still scored an average of 33 points.  They will move the ball on us and I think our pass defense, while it will be a bit better, will be tested all day and found wanting.

Marshall Team Stats – Through games 09/29/2016
Stat Rank Value
Total Offense 63 432.3
Rushing Offense 84 159.7
Passing Offense 39 272.7
Team Passing Efficiency 32 153.25
Scoring Offense T-19 42.7
Total Defense 114 478.7
Rushing Defense 67 155.0
Passing Yards Allowed 122 323.7
Team Passing Efficiency Defense 108 153.45
Scoring Defense 122 41.3

The Herd has an excellent QB in SO Chase Litton.  He’s an accurate passer who I think will light us up… especially if we shared our game film with the Marshall staff – BTW that is voluntary and some schools won’t do it (here is an interesting article about that).

 Here are his career passing stats.  Note that he was sacked only 16 time last season and threw 23 TDs to 8 INTs.  He ended up with a seasonal

littonThis season he is off to a gangbusters start also – but remember he played his first game against Morgan State.  We need to get INTs against this kid – he threw three just last week (against 4 TDs).  But he’s averaging 16.0 yards per completion with a 181.7 rating which puts him and that is pretty unnerving.  He’d be ranked #7th nationally had he played in all their games.

litton-2

Here is the official Marshall football program’s Twitter Account.  It is interesting that they put more faith in our passing game than our OC Matt Canada does.  Take a look at these:

.@DOCMUFB: @Pitt_FB will take some shots down the field, but they’ll also take advantage of play-action as safeties creep up to stop run.

.@DOCMUFB: If you’re the head coach @Pitt_FB & you don’t have great players, it’s your own fault. Such a tremendous recruiting area there.

.@DOCMUFB: @Pitt_FB is excellent in the run game, but they do have the ability to throw it so you have to be able to defend that too.

Seems like they are either misinformed or are trying to lull the Panther kids to sleep.  I had to laugh at that second one which is what every one of us Pitt fans have been saying for some time.  I don’t know haw ‘great’ it is now but it’s still very good if we can keep the bigger programs from stealing kids right off our own campus.

Marshall’s run defense is suspect but I think Canada needs to start this next game with a normal run/pass mixture (60/40) just to get an idea of how we can play when the passing game is used at the beginning of the game and not just later in the 2nd half.

If Peterman can’t get some 1st downs with his arm (and not just on 3rd down plays) then put Stocker in sooner or later.  After this match the ‘practice’ games are done and we have the ACC schedule in front of us.

Pat Narduzzi will use this Marshall game as an audition for his recruits especially if we get up but a 14+ margin in the 1st half.  He is planning on doing that in the defensive backfield with FRs Coleman and possibly Hamlin anyway – and he was impressed with LB Saleem Brightwell’s game last week.  So even with Mike Caprara’s return from injury I think he’ll be sat down after a while so that Brightwell can get more playing time.

As to the outcome of tomorrows game? Who knows?  I don’t pretend to have a crystal Ball… actually I do pretend that, but I think this could be one of the surprise games of the year and not in a good way.  I’ve gone with either my gut (PSU win – wrong) or my heart (OSU loss – wrong) and (NC loss – wrong) so I’m going back to my gut and saying we win a close game.  But I’ll not be that suprised or shocked if it goes the other way:

Pitt – 35  Marshall – 31

 

127 thoughts on “POV Predictions & Know The Enemy”

  2. Nice write up Reed – you keep us well informed.

    Clipped this from PSN –

    “Should Chase Litton be 100% on Saturday, Pitt fans may have reason to worry: 9 different receivers on Marshall have recorded a reception of over 20 yards this year when Litton plays.

    Defensively, Marshall ranks 113th in total defense despite shutting out Morgan State in the opener.”

    The Pitt D needs to stiffen up this weekend and the O needs to continue it’s successful play calling & execution from the first 3 qtrs of the P5 games, but extending the effort into the 4th qtr.

    A total team effort is needed for all 4 qtrs this Saturday to get the season back on track vs the Blundering Herd.

    Pitt wins 45-35

    HTP!

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  3. Wwb – Re: overrated HC jobs. Can’t disagree with any of that which makes our lukewarm recruiting even harder to take. with the watered down WVU, PSU and ND you’d think Pitt would be racking up the best Tri-State recruits but we don’t.

    Not even close actually.

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  4. Prediction: I will take full advantage of the beer sales at Heinz Field tomorrow night. I want to have a positive feeling but until proven otherwise I will be cautious. I can’t see Pitt stopping any QB that has a pulse and can make the forward throwing motion. More importantly I want to see if the coaches continue to be stubborn and play one on one pass coverage and prevent offense later in the game, that to me will set a tone for the rest of the year. That being said…Pitt 45 – Marshall 42 Marshall misses a potential game tying field 40 yard field goal as the fire works prematurely begin, distracting the kicker to badly miss wide right.

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  5. Not sure Marshall’s numbers mean that much for this game considering their #1 QB has missed so much time. Maybe the defense doesn’t give as many points with a more effective field general running the offense? Point is, we just really don’t know much about PITT or Marshall this game. One of these weeks I hope for PITT to define themselves more clearly or perhaps they already have? If that’s the case then look out. imo, PITT hasn’t had to use the whole playbook because of early leads the past two games and with Ford getting hurt didn’t help at all either. I look for an improved passing attack here and more pressure on the QB

    PITT 41

    Marshall 24

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  7. Reed, recruits don’t evaluate coaching jobs but they do put some emphasis on packed stadiums. There are are still, and has been for a while, Western Pa recruits who don’t even give Pitt a thought.

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  8. First – it is good that the game is at night as it is supposed to rain until 2-3 pm per weather underground who are better than Reed’s Drunken Weathergirl. Still expect A sparse crowd.
    Second: As pointed out in game thread by several – deceased grandparents could tear this defense up so that the Marshall QB has been injured is not much of a hindrance to them.
    Third: Wasn’t there an incident with poopy pants back in the Majors/Sherrell area and Ped STate not sending reel to reel film to Pitt? .
    Given Reed’s perfect record on predictions I am suddenly very very nervous but figuring Pitt can score 48 by the end of the third quarter PITT 48 MARSHALL 38.
    HAIL TO PITT, STAMPEDE THE HERD.

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  10. Some rain possible for Saturday in the ‘Burgh. I look for Pitt to do more of the same – run, sweep, run, sweep and an occasional downfield pass. Pitt takes the early lead, but Marshall comes thundering back. The wet conditions slow the scoring. This one goes to OT with Pitt pulling out the win. Pitt 35 Marshall 31.

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  11. Marshall not the team they have been the past three years. They will throw we will put pressure on them I say Pitt 38-21. I hope all the fans who are always negative on this site come to the game if possible to root on our team. HAIL TO PITT

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  14. This team was beaten by Akron 65-38 at home. The amazing QB of theirs played that entire game. Pitt will hold a double digit lead the entire second half, and it will never feel like a contest.
    45-17 Pitt.

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  15. Get those yellow & blue uni’s going. As most of the fans will be dressed as yellow seats this week.

    We Are Marshall ( and we stink)

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  16. I think Uconn is in the AAC. But the way they got hammered last nite, maybe they should join C-USA.

    We are Uconn (we play bball)

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  17. .@DOCMUFB: If you’re the head coach @Pitt_FB & you don’t have great players, it’s your own fault. Such a tremendous recruiting area there.

    wow, this is a shot across the bow of the USS Nard Dog.

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  18. Ollie better get at least 10 touches tomorrow or that talented kid will be looking at other options of where to play. Even Fffffffrenchie got to carry the ball last week after Muy Pequena Lopes did the previous week.

    Talk about adding insult to injury. Oy

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  20. I have zero issues with what Doc said about recruiting. I also think its accurate. When it comes to recruiting, he walks the walk and talks the talk. He has been a top notch recruiter for a long time, proven track record. Also, Doc talked to Pitt on the last coaching search.

    Pitt 47
    Marshall 41

    If somehow our defense gets torched and our offense has the ball late in 4th quarter and cannot close the deal needing points, it wouldn’t totally shock me. Then Narduzzi will do a 2 minute press conference after the game. He will mention that the coaches did a great job putting the players in the right position. He will mention how Marshall has some good players, nothing he can do. They even have scholorship players.

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  21. Reed, I’m not sure I understand your logic in suggesting a lower turnout because of a 730pm start. Seems more like a plus to me. Now, I expect the crowd to be down primarily because of the last two SOP losses, followed by the opponent.

    BTW – when will they announce the game time for the UVA match-up on Oct 15?

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  22. Emel’s Tea Leaves read:

    Pitt 52
    Thundering Turds 41

    Lots of fireworks at Ketchup Bottle, rain and sop keep the crowd down.

    Sweet Carolina is sung in a downpour and then a mass exodus.

    We Are …..(oh forgetaboutit)

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  26. Based on the last two games, Trubisky looked like an all pro throwing short and intermediate routes, Rudolph was all pro throwing deep routes. Maybe Litton will be all pro throwing both intermediate and deep routes. Then the logical assumption is Pitt is playing from behind most of the game and can’t pull it out in the end. Hope I’m wrong.

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  30. Pitt 42

    Marshall 31

    The offense does well but the 4th quarter conservative play calling continues. Score is closer than actual game circumstances.

    A lot of yellow seats in the audience tomorrow.

    Secondary improves due to schemes being adjusted and personnel changes but is still a WIP.

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  31. I feel this is a tight game and Marshall will want it more and so will the coach. We win but barely and need a Blewitt FG to do it.

    Pitt 33 Marshall 30

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  32. I think Pitt should leave the tarp off and turn this into a mudder. It would turn the game into a running game and favor their offense.

    Pitt 37 – Marshall 31 (Still giving all fans a heart attack as Marshall has a chance to score to win the game)

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  33. 52-13
    Pitt Panthers
    Defense comes alive.
    Defensive line pressures quarterback, along with weak-side blitzes.
    Men, where have you been all season?

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  38. Thundering Herd 45 Pitt 37. In what is becoming an all too familiar theme–out coached again. Should have grabbed a proven winner in Doc when we had the chance!

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  39. Pitt 48
    Hurd 10

    At least all of you complainers (finally) get the gold helmets and gold pants – minus stripes. Now maybe you can focus on the W-L column.

    HTP

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  41. Hard to Pitt in any game with our defensive backfield. But I’ll go with Pitt 35 to 28 with Marshall missing on a long bomb to end the game.

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  44. PITT 44 – Marshall 27. Score is closer than the actual game as Marshall wins the 4’th qtr. : 17-3 as Stocker, Taleni & everyone not on the two deep plays {except freshmen who will redshirt for the year}.

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  47. UNC hearing scheduled by NCAA for 10/28, maybe they will come to a final decision by 2020. We should take a poll …. who gets off scot free first .. the Infamous 3 from PSU or UNC. Those enablers may never get to trial.

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  48. Doc Holiday, Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgury , Class of 1871: we welcome you, once again to the (Heinz) OK Corral. And once again, you’ll escape with your life. But Wyatt Earp won’t save you, because, Marshall, there’s a new Sherrif in town.

    Our DL plays the game of its life, and they and the LBs have 6 sacks (sacks of Terds, so to speak!). OL continues its rampage, and we have a 18 point lead in Q4. NP converts on (3) 4th Q third down passes. Blewett adds (2) 4th Q FGs and the good guys in the BLUE hats win, 48-20.

    I saw it all in a vision last night!

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  49. News & Notes for Saturday’s Epic Struggle (otherwise known as Battle of the Blunderers)

    (1-2) Marshall stumbles into Pittsburgh to face the staggering, punch drunk Pitt Panthers (2-2)

    Game Time : 7:30
    Place : Ketchup Bottle Field

    What can one say, when you have the #94 ranked scoring defense Pitt Panthers facing off against the #122 ranked scoring defense Marshall Thundering Turds. Can these teams play defense ? In one word……..NO !

    Boring it shouldn’t be. Comical yes, but boring no.

    The Blundering Herd gives up an average of 478 yards per game and 41.3 ppg.
    Meanwhile the boys in Blue and White give up an avg. of 422.3 yards per game and 32 ppg.

    This despite both teams having ‘Rent-a-Win’ victims for one of their wins. And indeed Marshall’s only win.

    These teams give up yardage quicker than a politician gives up his (or her) honor and dignity.

    However these teams come at the offensive game in quite opposite directions.
    The boys in Blue and White keep it on the ground, in the Ground Canada Offense while Doc Holliday’s gunslingers like to sling it all over the lot.

    Marshall is coming off a huge blowout loss to Louisville, 59 to something
    While Pitt is coming off……well what else, another disappointing 4th quarter loss in a game it led all of, but the last 2 seconds. The Hard Luck Kids for sure.

    If you plan on attending…..Yellow Seat Covers are optional !

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  50. I imagine Doc has some decent WRs from Florida since he’s supposed to have some good connections down there – with a decent sounding QB the continued big plays concern me.

    But I like Pitt 37 to 27.

    Go Pitt.

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  51. SavannahP … you would have thought that his tuberculosis would have done him in by now but he is obviously one tough SOB. Good thing the game isn’t scheduled for high noon and we don’t have any Clantons on our roster

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  52. If Pitt doesn’t try to open up the passing game some against this Herd and at least somewhat succeed then we are doomed the rest of the season IMO. As for my prediction….I gave it last week….

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  56. Guys – re: the comment section’s edit and like buttons.

    The WordPress template I use gives us the most all around best info sharing. I can try to find one that allows those two things but I may have to change the whole site to do it and I won’t if it changes things too much.

    I can’t mimic The Pitt Blather as that template Chas used is 13 years old and no longer available.

    I don’t know nearly enough about CSS to go traipsing around in that area of the website. I’ll keep trying but I’m an amateur at this.

    However if anyone wants to help out and school me via phone I can try to do that – just let me know.

    Also, I am working on being able to record conference calls and maybe even do a call in thing – but that might have to be along the Ed and Wendy King KDKA’s Party Line for those who are old enough to remember that. That is where you guys can hear me but can’t hear the callers.

    Check out where Wendy King is doing this interview from. God – I loved that show late at night. It was on from 10:00 pm until midnight.

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  57. Emel – A good offense helps the defense and last week had a true freshman dork playing. Big difference this week. I watched game. Marshall has talent.

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  60. Reed for the non-techies like me the site is fine as is the grand potentate running it. I think i use a rotary dial to access the POV, 🙂
    tedsptman – I shall be in my 511 season seats cheering and swearing like the old diehard Pitt fan and grad I am. The Rooney’s chef will be delivering me a corned beef sammich (wife knows him). A rotary dial phone is….oh never mind.

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  61. Emel I still contend the yellow seats should have seat covers with a face and Pitt script on them God I’m posting more than DK.

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  62. “…. God I’m posting more than DK.”

    😉 , Well deserved- Burn haha.

    No prediction from me — I thought for sure Pitt — Narduzzi and co. — were going to successfully gut-out wins @. Oklahoma State and North Carolina, and both games it was lookin’ good….but alas 😦 ……

    #HailToPitt !!!

    @Reed are you really giving “rewards” to the posters with the closest-predictions??? lol

    Lotta really good things from Pitt in this game, in-retrospect. This year’s Pitt team is Most Definitely Not-Perfect, but they fight-hard every play, and they give all the effort they have. That means a lot!

    🙂 Pitt Is It!

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  65. Still reeling from UNC–surprised as much as disappointed. I rarely feel confident about Pitt, but somehow I was sure we would win that one. I’m thinking Akron/YSU type disasters are behind us, but I can’t quite decide whether this is going to be a laugher or a nail biter. Herd did score 28 on L-ville…. Can’t see us holding them to less. I’ll go with 45-34. We’ll be saying that things look a little better on D, but that we left points on the field when we could have blown them out. Love my Panthers!

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  69. Pitt is going to crush Marshall 38-34. This will be an odd game. I expect one of our defenders to get tossed for a personal foul targeting. That said, the best thing we can do defensively is hit their concussion prone qb early and hard. It could be a big turnover game because of the conditions. We need TD’s over field goals.

    Doc Holiday recruits Florida and brings in a bunch of P5 transfer troublemakers every year. They are athlete students in the true sense of the word. For that reason, we should be concerned. The reason we shouldn’t be concerned is that the Narduzzi is starting to understand head coaching. Last year, we won those close games and this year, he is learning to not sit on a lead. Old habits are hard to break. I see Pitt going the route of Washington within two years. Keep getting speed and DL. The wins will follow.

    Heading to a wedding tomorrow in Charleston…..wv. Two seats were given to two younger Pitt fans so I hope they go!

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  70. Pitt 49 – Marshall 24

    First half is close (like 21 – 17) because of big pass plays…. Half-time we make adjustments and shut it down and grind the ball on the ground to the victory.

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  71. Thanks UPitt 😛

    I predict scores based on us playing our 100% A game. Which we have yet to do. For 30+ years.
    But one of these days…

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  73. I’ll post up a Game Day Thread article later on in the day.

    For us Maryland residents – has anyone figured out how to watch the game yet?

    Pittfan28 – I don’t think we have a 100% game in us for this season. The weakness on the passing defense is just too glaring.

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  74. PITT MARSHALL
    PITT OPPONENTS MARSHALL OPPONENTS
    POINTS SCORED 144 128 128 124
    Points Per Game 36.0 32.0 42.7 41.3
    Points Off Turnovers 35 13 41 38
    FIRST DOWNS 78 81 68 70
    Rushing 41 18 28 21
    Passing 34 55 29 37
    Penalty 3 8 11 12
    RUSHING YARDAGE 998 245 479 465
    Yards Gained Rushing 1108 435 568 543
    Yards Lost Rushing 110 190 89 78
    Rushing Attempts 199 118 121 107
    Average Yards Per Rush 5.0 2.1 4.0 4.3
    Average Yards Per Game 249.5 61.2 159.7 155.0
    Rushing Touchdowns 11 8 3 5
    PASSING YARDAGE 643 1444 818 971
    Comp-Att-Int 58-96-2 101-159-2 56-102-4 60-109-2
    Average Yards Per Pass 6.7 9.1 8.0 8.9
    Average Yards Per Catch 11.1 14.3 14.6 16.2
    Average Yards Per Game 160.8 361.0 272.7 323.7
    Passing Touchdowns 6 8 12 9
    TOTAL OFFENSE 1641 1689 1297 1436
    Total Plays 295 277 223 216
    Average Yards Per Play 5.6 6.1 5.8 6.6
    Average Yards Per Game 410.2 422.2 432.3 478.7
    KICK RETURNS – RETURN YARDS 12-371 14-251 18-388 10-189
    PUNT RETURNS – RETURN YARDS 7-67 11-123 6-30 6-62
    INTERCEPTION – RETURN YARDS 2-0 2-11 2-6 4-73
    KICK RETURN AVERAGE 30.9 17.9 21.6 18.9
    PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 9.6 11.2 5.0 10.3
    INTERCEPTION RETURN AVERAGE 0.0 5.5 3.0 18.2
    FUMBLES – FUMBLES LOST 5-3 10-7 3-3 7-6
    PENALTIES – YARDS 25-232 24-186 34-345 33-345
    Average Per Game 58.0 46.5 115.0 115.0
    PUNTS – YARDS 26-1092 24-1018 18-696 15-499
    Average Yards Per Punt 42.0 42.4 38.7 33.3
    Net Yards Per Punt 36.5 38.8 35.2 31.3
    KICKOFFS – YARDS 26-1632 24-1498 21-1314 22-1293
    Average Yards Per Kick 62.8 62.4 62.6 58.8
    Net Yards Per Kick 41.6 35.5 42.9 36.6
    TIME OF POSSESSION PER GAME 36:03 23:57 30:54 29:06
    3rd-DOWN CONVERSIONS 24/62 16/53 10/43 17/44
    3rd-Down Percentage 39% 30% 23% 39%
    4th-Down CONVERSIONS 3/3 5/7 7/7 2/4
    4th Down Percentage 100% 71% 100% 50%
    SACKS BY – YARDS 17-149 3-30 7-49 6-39
    TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 19 17 18 17
    FIELD GOALS/ATTEMPTS 3/6 3/5 1/2 2/3
    RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS/ATTEMPTS 15/17 11/14 9/11 8/12
    PAT’S MADE / ATTEMPTED 19/19 15/15 17/18 16/17

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  75. From Pgh Sports Now on 9/27

    “Well here’s how certain Pitt players graded out courtesy of College Football Focus.”

    PITT’S HIGHEST GRADED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
    Brian O’Neil: 3.8
    Dorian Johnson: 3.7
    Tre Tipton: 0.9
    James Conner: 0.8
    Nate Peterman: 0.8

    PITT’S LOWEST GRADED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
    Alex Bookser: -0.9
    Jaymar Parrish: -0.7
    Alex Officer: -0.7
    Adam Bisnowaty: -0.4

    OFFENSIVE SNAPS
    Jordan Whitehead: 3
    Jester Weah: 38
    Zach Challingsworth: 11
    Quadree Henderson: 44
    Rafeal Araujo-Lopes: 15
    Tre Tipton: 28
    Aaron Mathews: 28
    Maurice Ffrench: 4
    Darrin Hall: 13
    Chawntez Moss: 15
    Quadree Ollison: 18

    PITT’S HIGHEST GRADED DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
    Ejuan Price: 4.2
    Jordan Whitehead: 1.9
    Saleem Brightwell: 1.1
    Matt Galambos: 0.6

    PITT’S LOWEST GRADED DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
    Terrish Webb: -4.2
    Ryan Lewis: -3.3
    Oluwaseun Idowu: -3.2
    Tyrique Jarrett: -2.6
    Rori Blair: -1.4

    DEFENSIVE SNAPS
    James Folston: 12
    Tyrique Jarrett: 47
    Quintin Wirginis: 25
    Saleem Brightwell: 47
    Reggie Mitchell: 5
    Dennis Briggs: 20

    WHERE PETERMAN THREW THE BALL
    0-9 YARDS:
    Left: 0-1
    Middle: 4-6, 72 yds
    Right: 2-2, 10 yds

    10-19 YARDS:
    Left: 1-1, 12 yards
    Middle: 2-3, 36 yards
    Right: None

    20+ YARDS:
    Didn’t Attempt A Pass

    WHERE PITT RAN THE BALL EFFECTIVELY
    Conner: Left Guard 4 times for 32 yards
    Moss: Left Guard 1 attempt for 13 yards, Right End 2 attempts for 15 yards

    NOte: Look at the 20+ passing attempts. That is the playcalling. I don’t know the specifics but I do know that Canada doesn’t let his QBs audible – (I called a NC State sportswriter and discussed Canada for a while back during fall camp).

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  76. And here’s a bit of excellent writing by Tim Benz of PSN describing our later 4th corner meltdown against NC last week:

    Pitt’s blown lead against the Tar Heels was so spectacularly done, you almost have to be in awe.

    Look at the numbers. They allowed 25 offensive plays and 108 combined yards over two drives in 5:43 of time off the clock.

    Plus the defense allowed four fourth downs in four tries.

    That’s all almost impossible to do. Further consider that the Panthers entered the fourth quarter with a double digit lead, scored another three, forced two punts in the quarter, and STILL MANAGED TO LOSE!

    Let that wash over you.

    This is why I wonder if we’ll be able to beat even the average (+) teams left on our schedule – we just aren’t very good this year all considered.

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  77. BREAKING NEWS…. esteemed Marshall Alumni Chad Pennington and Randy Moss heard about the generosity of the Pitt secondary giving out multiple QB-WR record setting days and have decided to: “get a piece of dat ass.” -Pennington

    Both have been granted another game of college eligibility for tonight…. Poor secondary.

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  78. Reed – In Richmond, the game is on Comcast SportsNet and we are considered part of the DC-Balt market for sports programming.

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  79. Watched some Pitt B ball interviews…observations:

    Better conditioning program

    Stalling expects more accountability off the court, going to class, being on time, etc.

    Neither of those two win games but I was shocked that the players mentioned going to class and being on time as a new expectation. Really?

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  80. notrocketscience – both though prepare these young men for the real world – not the NBA.

    That should tell us something right there.

    Jamie ran a clean program and the academics WERE emphasized and honors were obtained. See Cam Wright –

    Pitt has a FB game to win today – Barney has ten hours left to figure out how to fill the yellow seats – lol

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  83. Another game that has to be won by the offense. Will Narduzzi finally take the handcuffs off Peterman?

    Will Pitt actually play offense in the fourth quarter?

    Will Ollison get more than a token carry?

    How badly will the defensive pass coverage get gouged?

    Another bad match-up for Pitt.

    One positive, it won’t be 90 degrees tonight. Maybe it will rain to slow down Marshall’s passing attack.

    We get to see a normal Pitt crowd tonight.

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  84. My luck is Panther28 has a McMansion in Sewickly!! Oops.

    We couldnt score 68 against Carlow. 😊

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  85. I think some of you are undersestimating the draw of fireworks on a Pgh crowd. There will probably be some confused Pirate fans in attendence – “hey, where’s the baseball game?”

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  87. gc – you are really negative this week on Pitt FB. It’s going to be ok. This is the perfect game to get back on track and see a few rising stars surface.

    Enjoy it!

    To answer your questions:

    No, because NP is handcuffed by O’Canada

    Yes, the O will score 3 points late in the 4th qtr with under 4 minutes to go to gain a 10 point lead and close out the Herd.

    No, for some unknown reason. QO is one of my favorite players and I miss his runs & TD’s.

    Bad, as the will give up 4 TD’s though the air and 350 yards. The rush D will yield 1 TD and 50 yards.

    The Pitt crowd will be ok – 48k but the yellow seats will be the only camera angle. Wait for reports from those who are at the game before bashing the fanbase.

    Hammer the Herd!

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  88. Tough to type on a cell phone –

    Bad, as “they” (Pitt) will give up 4 TD’s “through” the air and 350 yards. The rush D will yield 1 TD and 50 yards.

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  90. EE, I am pretty negative until they show me something to be positive about.

    Should Pitt replace the Dinocat with the Turtle?

    Really tired of screaming like a lunatic at the TV in the fourth quarter.

    Trying to figure out why Narduzzi designed a defense to stop the run when

    we are playing mostly passing teams.

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  92. We will know a lot more about our Panthers after this game. To this point Pitt wins and loses when they supposed to. Hopefully they hold serve and win in a convincing fashion for a change. This is probably the last opportunity to experiment with the young players before going balls out in the ACC. Hopefully the players AND coaches learned from the 1st four games. H2P!

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  94. From the ACC web site. PITT-Marshall on the Regional sports network(RSN). Also on espn3 (watch espn app). Never have used but I believe its streaming live on the ACC website,

    ttp://www.theacc.com/news/acc-football-on-rsn-marshall-at-pitt-10-01-2016

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  96. Given Pitt’s late game woes recently, I’very seen the question raised of bringing in an experienced retired HC to assist with game management decisions . How was Walt Harris in that department ? Thought he might be helpful in that department as well as QB development, if Canada wouldn’t mind the help.

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  97. Pitt wins it 47-24. Similar to attendance of 4,724. Seriously, do we break a legit 30,000? More importantly, do we see Hamlin today?

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  98. 215Sam – yes, we blow past 30,000 with attendance. The fireworks alone will draw that many.

    Hamlin should play today, but maybe not start.

    This is a game where many starters have breakout games:

    James Conner – 200 yards with 3 TD’s
    Oline – If JC is to get his…
    Tre Tipton – 5 catches for 75 yards and 1 TD
    Scott Orndoff – 8 catches for 100 yards and 1TD
    – not sure which QB makes the TD throws
    Jordan Whitehead – 5 carries for 50 yards and 1TD
    Henderson with 0 TD’s but 200 APY’s

    S.Soto with 2 sacks, 4 TFL’s and 1 forced fumble
    Jordan Whitehead with 2 INT’s
    Rori Blair with 2 sacks

    HTP!

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  99. Pitt-cocks – Savannah paper says game is on Sports South SE tonight. Don’t know if you get that in Columbia. Also, for Villy game. I connected an HDMI cable from my laptop to my TV, and watched ESPN3 on the TV. Worked fine – but may seed 1 offensive series due to some (unknown, or misunderstood) internet skip. Only took 27 cuss words to fix!

    Erie – if your passing/ reception prediction holds up, I will finally get my wish of seeing NP (or one of our QBs – DeNucci???) throwing/completing 20+ yard passes. That alone would bring an extra 20K a$$e$ into Heinz for the remainder of the season!!

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  101. for Ohioans …. Pitt game is being listed on my channel guide as being televised on STO (Sports Time Ohio)

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  104. H2P. We will be Plundering the herd tonight.

    Note to coaches: think how much more effective your 4th Quarter turtling would be, if you showed a strong enough passing game in the first 3 quarters to draw the DBs and LB back away from the LOS. Then you could run with ease thru the 4th. And 4th Q screens and shovels would be that much more effective.

    Liked by 1 person

  105. We must play our freshmen if they fill an area of need. If they were good enough to recruit they are good enough to play.

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  106. Sitting in Ditka’s for lunch and the Marshall beat writer is sitting near us.

    He tells me that if Pitt takes care of their business (as they should) then this should be a cake walk for the Panthers.

    Hmmm…

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  109. “Pitt’s blown lead against the Tar Heels was so spectacularly done, you almost have to be in awe.

    Look at the numbers. They allowed 25 offensive plays and 108 combined yards over two drives in 5:43 of time off the clock.

    Plus the defense allowed four fourth downs in four tries.

    That’s all almost impossible to do. Further consider that the Panthers entered the fourth quarter with a double digit lead, scored another three, forced two punts in the quarter, and STILL MANAGED TO LOSE!”

    Anyone that’s followed Pitt football over the last 32 years, realizes that : nothing is impossible with this program. For that is the essence of SOP.

    New Motto for the Blue and White

    Pitt Football : Doing the Impossible

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  110. One wonders what the Football Gods have in store for us this evening.

    Well at least we can have a few strong drinks before the Chinese Water Torture begins 🙂

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  111. To think that the B1G wanted Buttgers over Pitt…lol….like those clowns will command the New York TV market. They stink in both FB & BB too.

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  112. You beat me to the punch Jack. Rusted out Rutgers got pitted today. The Bucknuts were even merciful and didn’t try to score another TD, after being on the Buttgers 4 yard line with over 2 minutes to go. 58-0 was humiliating enough I suppose.

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  115. Emel – but they (butgers) are in the Big Joke so the pedos and Ohio Fake can secure needed easy wins each year.

    I heard a report yesterday that the NFL ratings are down substantially so far this year because of two reasons – I won’t mention either because Reed will delete my post as being too political.

    I know I’m not watching the nfl. Much better entertainment available.

    Off to tailgate before cheering loud and proud for Pitt. My hat will match the seating in Heinz Field.

    Oh, one more note, did you see the logo at midfield for cuse vs nd? NFL logo – yeah right, not making that up.

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  116. ~ EE. Yep I agree, they got some more big Cable subscribers in NJ and two more almost guaranteed wins for Ohio Fake, Michigan and the Pedo’s. So everyone all around is happy. Except maybe the fans, who I’m sure not too thrilled to be playing Buttgers and the Twerps every year. But hey, since when do the fans/alumni count ?

    And yes NFL TV ratings are down 12 to 15%. Wonder why ! (sarc)
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2016/09/23/nfls-tv-ratings-continue-slide-amidst-national-anthem-protests/#236f759c4591

    Just looked at the ND/Cuse highlites, they played at Met Life Stadium in NYC so reason for NFL logo at midfield. They did have the endzones painted ‘Syracuse’ and in their colors, So at least Met Life did that for them.

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  117. Butgers a sure win for Mich, MSU, OSU, Iowa, Wisky, not so sure of the lower middle class peds. So arrogant and they have only one big title since joining that All East conference and that was twenty years ago. Speaking of Ohio state. i remember a game at Pitt Stadium in late Majors 2 when they were up by 50 or 60 points when two guys in red and silver (on purpose) were screaming at Cooper, I believe, to let the 4th string QB pass. Glad we arent in that conference. The 4th quarter numbers of UNC are mind numbing.
    NFL? – cable out for weekend, wont miss it at all. They can sit in $hit.
    Off to the game. HAIL TO PITT,
    Ps Boy has Doc been taking shots at Pitt, more shots than he drinks. Good coach though. Send him back in a pine box to Tombstone West Virginny.
    HAIL TO PITT.

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  126. We have a passing game, who knew?

    Weah with a great game and Tipton with a TD.

    O-line giving Peterman time to throw and RB’s picking up blitzes very nicely.

    Peterman on the money.

    Defense also playing very well.

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  127. The announcers were particularly lousy last night. They hardly ever mention the players making tackles. For those that watch channel 2 Pittsburgh I thought the one dude sounded exactly like Paul Martino. Who is a lousy news broadcaster.

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