in Pitt Football 104 Words

POV Sunday Podcast; June 11th, 2017

Al Pacino as Joe Paterno

Stat Rank Value
Total Offense 38 446.8
Rushing Offense 28 225.1
Passing Offense 76 221.7
Team Passing Efficiency 15 156.01
Scoring Offense 10 40.9
Total Defense 101 452.8
Rushing Defense 16 119.6
Passing Yards Allowed 127 333.2
Team Passing Efficiency Defense 106 143.57
Scoring Defense 106 35.2
Turnover Margin T-58 0.08
3rd Down Conversion Pct T-22 0.454
4th Down Conversion Pct T-51 0.538
3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense 76 0.406
4th Down Conversion Pct Defense 125 0.750
Red Zone Offense 44 0.864
Red Zone Defense 119 0.914
Net Punting 90 36.23
Punt Returns 7 14.88
Kickoff Returns 4 26.59
First Downs Offense T-67 266
First Downs Defense 117 303
Fewest Penalties Per Game T-50 5.69
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game 48 49.77
Time of Possession 47    30:53
View Complete Ranking Summary

 

50 thoughts on “POV Sunday Podcast; June 11th, 2017”

  1. As per usual I enjoy close to one hour of Reed’s podcast. It was great again Reed.

    I agree that there is an unusual amount of hype in Hendrix who is an unknown commodity at this point. Those who believe he can do really well are the half glass full fans. After-all, he’s not a pig in a poke. He was and is a very highly thought of football player. He will.

    Reed, very good point about the running game defense. You made a mention about why PITT fared well early on in the season because of the opponents ability to throw the ball so effective. There is a catch 22 here though. The fact that the opposition could never take a “safe lead” did help the run D but it’s a major influence in the pass D ratings. Teams had to constantly try and keep up with PITT in the scoring department with no time for the run game.

    Look back at last year scores and remind yourselves how close all the losses really were. The further we leave last season behind it seems the worse PITT played. I don’t forget at all.

    Didn’t I read an article about how fleeting star ranking and ratings are? So why is it all of a sudden so important to bring in 4 and 5 star players? …..

    …. and Narduzzi’s vaunted defense was actually built on many 3 star players.

    Conner was a 2 star and I don’t remember A Donald ever being a four star. I liked him a lot but he wasn’t the big recruit that year.

    About last season and the start of Narduzzi’s career at PITT. To say I’m happy? Well yes in a way but the word I would use is, encouraged, I am convinced that PITT is headed in the right direction and I can differentiate between now and the past 35 years. sans Wanny’s last three years.

    Glad you mentioned Whitehead’s move to the pass support safety spot. I get the names mixed up.. but it is a change in Narduzzi’s defense. See, Narduzzi adjusting like everyone wants..

    That’s all …………..ike

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  2. If there is little improvement in the secondary this year, its all on the coaching. Now having a pass rush will help and going up against weaker QB’s will also help. I expect Pitt’s D to be substantially better with a fall off in the O but more ball control which again should help rest the D. I’d be surprised if the D wasnt in the top 40 by years end in points allowed and yards gained. Pitt doesnt need to score 40 points per game to win games this year.

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  8. Ike – I might put my house on over. OSU D Sucks and ours isn’t exactly a strength. Haha

    Notrocket – Man it is sad. How Barnes has a job is beyond me. Stallings is a true cancer. Everyone is running from him except Heather and our illustriate Chancellor.

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  9. Like – loved your comment about our previous discussions about the fleeting nature of star ratings, and how now we MUST have 4s and 5s if we ever want to break .500!!

    Personally, I think the coaches know who can at and who can’t, with our contacting some Boogie Man rating system.

    Hopefully, our coaches recruit those things you can’t coach, but must have: speed, length, attitude and aptitude; and believe in their teaching abilities to develop football players. That seems to me to way outweigh any star rating.

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  13. I persist in believing the main problem last year was with our linebackers. Great group of kids but really not P5 players.

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    2. @Reed when you do your Linebackers — Upgrade or Downgrade in 2017?? — If you do not conclude with a resounding, ^^Upgrade!^^ then I will know you are truly a Kool Aid – teetotaler!!

      My eye D-End wise again is totally dialed-in on Kaezon Pugh.

      ^^ Pat Narduzzi: “He might be a little bit Bigger ‘Juan Price….I know Coach Partridge is excited about him.” By bigger, he’s only a redshirt freshman and he’s 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier so that’s no joke.

      ^^ Super positive, Intense young dude. Anything Pitt gets from Allen Edwards and Rori Blair is an unexpected gift. Anything Pitt gets from wild-card Dewayne Hendrix is just pure House Money. But I think Kaezon Pugh is That Dude for Pitt this year at D-End as just a RS Frosh.

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      1. ^^^^ @Reed MY BAD!!! Sorry sorry I meant to post LINKS ONLY I just habits die-hard I posted the embeds apologies!

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    3. Time will tell of course. Galambos and Bradley were signed as UDFA. Not sure what became of Caprara but the kid made plays. Like Webb, for better or for worse, they were the best we had.

      I do like Wirginis and Brightwell. Idowu was a solid player but he needs to be more of a playmaker. Interested in seeing if McKee ever turns the corner and what Zeise can bring to the table. That should be the top 5 but then you have Pine and Reynolds coming off redshirt years and Jalen Williams still hanging around. Unfortunately I don’t see any of the three true freshmen making an impact… all projects but at least Bright looks like a striker.

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      1. DBs are exposed all the time when you face good passers and WRs … the nature of the beast. However, DL and LBs are MUCH less conspicuous. I thought the Northwestern game showed just how slow the LBs were. NW made 1st down after 1st down on runs > 5 yards because the LBs couldn’t get to the perimeter or make a tackle that looked to be within their grasp.

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  14. Darkie,
    I have to admit. You got me excited to be keeping an eye on K Pugh this fall. Thx

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  15. Love K Pugh, no doubt about him. He was the one player I was most excited for as a recruit goes. I remind everyone it’s a new position and he is still growing while learning. I am excited about him

    Just a reminder though, Hendrix was a much more prized recruit out of high school. It’s no just smoke and mirrors with him, yes, he’s that good. I think it’s reasonable to have high expectations for him this coming season.

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  16. D has to be upgrade this year and if not we have the wrong D coordinator. Man for man each position has upgrades in talent, experience or depth.Price will be the only loss that will be hard to replace but I think we will do ok. Let’s all hope the QB situation falls into place on offense and the O line jells. Right now I have to get my game tickets to be able to see what is going to happen and I hope the Athletic dept. has their web site working. Last week the seat map showed 90% of the NC State game sold and I know we could not be that lucky this time of year. H2P

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  17. Great pass rushers seem to be born not made. But great D-ends also stop the run and run sideline to sideline. Hendrix and Pugh have the best pedigrees but need to show it on the field. Hendrix should be a full grown man by now, but has to stay healthy. A great pass rush could make a huge difference in our D this year. We should have more depth to keep guys fresh. Blair is now an upper classman. Hopefully he is bigger and stronger.

    I also agree about the linebackers, we should be faster and stronger this year.

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  18. Pitt60, Jarrett, Soto and Taleni are also big losses. I am really concerned with the interior linemen being young and less physically mature.

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  19. gc, I think you hit the nail on the head with that comment about the interior of our DL. I’d be very concerned about our ability to stop the run right up the middle in our D. Any opposition with an experienced OL might easily dominate our very inexperienced DT’s

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  20. wwb, I do not take Taleni as a loss from last years group as he actually did very little in the regular season and really wasn’t all that good in the NW bowl game. His dismissal could hurt this years team but he really hasn’t done much more than Hendrix and certainly not Blair. Think about it. Taleni made one big tackle. Hendrix also had one solo tackle in a matter of playing 5 snaps.

    Yes I know they play different positions and Reed is wise to remember the defense is more of a unit than individual groups. The better each unit plays, the better for the whole group.

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    1. May have been premature to state that Brown can contribute ASAP since he is considered as a 2018 commitment … yet the article says he will have 3 years eligibility Stay tuned.

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  22. I’ll do the interior DL for tomorrow but I have to say that 24th ranking is pure wishful thinking… that all depends on if untested players do indeed play to potential… or fan expectations which are usually higher than actual potential.

    While some will; some won’t.

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    2. ………….but Taleni was going to be fantastic?? He made one tackle, nothing more than Hendrix, Blair, Folston, Edwards and others….

      Jarrett made a few plays. Soto was steady if not spectacular but very replaceable. What’s the rumpus? We all agree that the defense sucked over-all last year. All units better be an upgrade and I expect they will.

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      1. Ah, the eye test. The only thing you saw Taleni do was make one huge tackle against Clemson to save a game. On the other hand that was a fairly big time play. Then again he’s an interior defensive lineman. Not every interior guy is Aaron Donald and capable of blowing up a collegiate offense by himself.

        The coaches proclaimed Taleni a leader on the defense line prior to his dismissal. To whom does that role now fall?

        According to the game log Taleni actually had one solo, 3 assisted and 1.5 sacks against Clemson. He had 2 solo, 3 assisted and 1 sack against NW. He had a statistically very productive game in Pitt’s one blowout loss to Miami. He was starting for the first time in the second half of last season and proved capable of at least continuing what Jarrett and Soto had done before him. Other than Watts, the rest of the interior guys will not have played at all. Therefore I don’t understand how Taleni isn’t a loss, but then again those are only stats that I could be subjectively interpreting to prove a point. Conversely, the eye test is intrinsically objective.

        I find it interesting that RS Junior Hendrix has 3 career tackles, all against non-P5 competition, but is apparently bound for great things.

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  23. Reed once again, you are the one that is lamenting Taleni’s dismissal as a big blow to the D Line? He made one big tackle in the Clemson game for PITT. All we had on him was his potential, same as the rest of the players. Why do you think he was going to be so good when you hesitate on the other unknown’s?

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  25. 2 write ups on Olman Chase Brown .. 6’6″ 310 lbs in one and 6’4″ 290 in the other…

    Poll on Cardiac Hill .. Do you the J Whitehead will leave early or return for SR year… he better have one heck of a junior year to even think about leaving early IMO

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  26. BigB, how are you friend? I’ve seen where Brown is listed a little heavier but 290 seems about right. As Reed points out, (and rightfully so) we never really know these young men until they come unto the PITT campus.

    The better news about Brown is, he is still a bit of a young pup with 3 years of eligibility left on the clock. He’s another cog in the wheel to success! btw, his O-Lineman teammate may be even better? TJ Bradley… stay tuned…….

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  28. Ike.. thanks for asking… enjoying what is turning into one long summer down here in Carolina… no more Pens …can’t wait for FB season- hope to meet you and
    Other POVerts this year.. just bought club seat tickets in section 211 on the 50 yard line on Stubhub… bringing my UNC (we don’t study) grads/ buddies and their wives to the Burgh… They love to gamble- check, Rivers Casino… drink liquor- check, Club seating with Scorch…eating fine food – check, lunch at the Grand Concourse and a dinner incline ride to the Lamont….We are the ” Jewel of the ACC.!” Heading in the right direction and hope the administration soon gets on board to fuel the drive to competing for a championship.

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  29. Change of heart ” Winning a championship”

    BOT and Pat Gallagher- look around you have role models nearby .. emulate!

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  30. I have a co-worker who coached Chase in HS. Said he’s a great kid … and that he has talent. Hes grew a couple inches his redshirt year at JMU and that’s why he went the JUCO route to get to D1.

    6’2″ 260 as a sr in HS
    6’3 290 at JMU
    6’5 315 now.

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  31. BigB: I’ll be in the club at 232 as I changed sides this year. The sun can be a real biotch on the east side. (for my wife) < a big sissy!

    I promise you all, I will reveal myself this year at the Youngstown State game (as if I already haven’t) at the POV tailgate.

    Looking forward to meeting all the great POV’er brothers and getting on with the cage match with Reed. He’s all brain no back…. ! 🙂

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  33. Fitting wbb. Heather only hires never been head coaches. Asst Coach. Wow what a stretch Heather.

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  35. Changing subjects a bit since Chas over at the Blather is AWOL. I recall that either a current BB player or a recruit announced for Butler, and now Butler has had a coaching change. Who was this,,and is there any change for a return to Pitt?

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  36. By this time Stallings reputation has been so damaged over the past year that I have little faith in any recruit committing to Pitt.

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  37. VoR – Aaron Thompson. Local kid to me in Fairfax, VA. With a red shirt he could have turned into a hell of a player. I doubt the Butler coach leaving will affect him much with it being so late in the recruiting season. Hell, he could have already started summer classes. It’s situations like this why I was so pro-Cam being able to leave. People can complain about honoring a commitment all they want, and blame it on societal changes, but it’s a double standard with unpaid players and highly paid coaches.

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  38. Thanks for the info, Tossing. I guess it is too much to expect that Aaron Thompson would recommit to Pitt. But you are right that the whole system stinks. If the NCAA had a rule that would release all players to transfer without conditions if the head coach leaves, then maybe the ADs would think twice about letting the head coach go in the middle of a contract. Or at leave beef up the payments required for leaving. These long term contracts of 10 years or more are a joke, the ADs usually permit so many exit clauses in them that the coaches can bale at any time.

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