Pitt beat Ohio 20-10 at Heinz on Saturday, and the win brought the Pitt fan base back to equilibrium.  There was a fair amount of trepidation going into the game, but it turned out to be unwarranted because Pitt’s defense held the Bobcats to just 212 total yards.  This was probably helped by the fact that (Ohio QB) Nathan Rourke was feeling under the weather, but regardless of Rourke’s condition it was clear that Pitt’s defensive line was dominant.  Pitt sacked Rourke six times en-route to -43 yards rushing and just 177 yards passing.  Pitt also tallied 10 total TFL, and five additional quarterback pressures.  At this point you probably all know that Jaylen Twyman notched three sacks, and he’s the first Pitt player to do that since the “other” #97, but I’m going to repeat it because well, it bears repeating.  I’m also going to say that this is the Pat Narduzzi defense we have been waiting five years to see, and damn doesn’t it look fine?   

And now that the Narduzzi defense seems to be fully operational, this kind of performance should be the expectation against lesser competition – even higher-end lesser competition like Ohio.  For comparison’s sake Buffalo put up 429 yards against Penn State.  If Ohio had put up 429 yards against Pitt I can guarantee you that most of the fan base would be calling for Narduzzi’s head on a platter (and I would probably be one of them).

On the other side of the ball, the offense showed signs of life.  Kenny Pickett bounced back from his dismal opening week performance and threw for a career-high 321 yards, with one TD and no interceptions.  Pickett generally did a good job of staying behind the line of scrimmage when pressured and looking downfield instead of trying to run.  It looked to me like he had practiced this all week and was consciously working on it in the game.  Case in point, the 74 yard Maurice Ffrench TD could have just as easily been a 10 yard scramble but instead Pickett stopped before the line and uncorked a throw to the wide-open Ffrench, who then used his run-after-the-catch skills to good effect.

I will stop here and say that Pickett is far from a finished product and one-good-game-against-a-suspect-secondary-does-not-a-Dan-Marino-make, but Pickett did show improvement and he could have just as easily laid and egg on Saturday.  His passes were not terribly accurate but his receivers stepped up and for the most part caught anything that was in their general vicinity.  There were a couple of notable drops – Ffrenchy dropped a leaping (and slightly contested) pass in the first quarter in the red zone.  Taysir Mack had an egregious drop on a third down that would have moved the sticks.  Nakia Griffin-Stewart let a perfect pass clang off his hands in the first half.  But once Pickett and the offense got rolling in the second quarter I didn’t see a lot of mistakes from the receiving corps.

Speaking of the receiving corps, the Tight Ends caught seven balls for 60 yards on Saturday.  That pretty much eclipses all of last year’s production (kind of joking here but not really…)  The Tight Ends showed some run-after the catch ability as well.  Griffin Stewart also bulled over an Ohio defense back en-route to a first down in the second half.  Will Gragg made a linebacker miss on a key third down to keep a drive alive.  If Pickett can continue to develop rapport with these guys it will be a good thing for the offense (and for the position, because Lord knows we need to recruit a Tight End.)

The offensive line started out shakey, but the consensus is that they seemed to get better as the game wore on.  Granted Ohio’s pass rush is…not stellar, but it did seem like they were blitzing and once Pitt figured out the pickups, things were solid.  The other encouraging sign is that the line seemed to figure out how to do some run blocking.  Pitt pretty much jammed the ball straight down Ohio’s throat during the final possession of the game.  I full-on smiled when I read the following line in the ESPN recap:

The Panthers took over at the Pitt 7 with 7:05 remaining and never let the Bobcats get the ball back, bleeding the clock behind an offensive line that pushed Ohio around until the clock hit zero.

Now again, I’m going to temper any irrational exuberance here.  The O-Line blocked well for one drive against a MAC team.  That is no guarantee that they can do it consistently and against better competition. They also had way too many pre-snap penalties, and that needs to be corrected.  

Speaking of run blocking I need to mentione the running backs.  The 1-2 punch of Davis and Davis (AJ and Vincent, both from Florida.  No relation), finished with 139 yards on 25 carries (5.56 avg).  I’ll take that production all season long thank you, whether it’s from one guy or two.  AJ showed a little wiggle in the open field and made some guys miss.  Vincent showed that he can be electric.  I still don’t understand why they kept running him inside during the final drive, but I’m guessing they wanted to see how he did and get him some experience.  At 170 pounds they better be judicious with that kind of experience because we need him to last the whole season.  Speaking of lasting the whole season, V’Lique Carter left the game after his helmet hit the ground hard during and out-of-bounds tackle.  If I had to guess I’d say he’ll be in the concussion protocol but nothing official has been published, and this is pure speculation on my part.  Whatever the outcome, lets hope he’s okay.

As a side note on the final drive, I saw Coach Borbs – who is also our “Run Game Coordinator” hovering next to Whipple during the fourth quarter.  I can only wonder if he was feeding Whip running plays at Narduzzi’s direction.  This is pure speculation on my part, but given that Borbs designed all of Pitt’s running plays last season Pitt could do a lot worse that to have him in Whipple’s ear when it’s time to eat clock.

Special teams were…an adventure.  Kessman had a bad missed field goal from 41 yards, and it looked like his foot hit the turf before striking the ball.  Weird and not good.  He bounced back and hit two shorter attempts though.  Christendoulu didn’t have any kicks blocked (although someone pointed out that he did not seem in a hurry to get any kicks off) and finished with a respectable 45.3 avg and a long of 54.  On the receiving end Maurice Ffrench dropped not one but two punts, but fortunately he recovered them both.  He’s going to have to do better going forward.  Perhaps calling for a fair catch once in a while would be in order.

So that’s it.  A lot of my thoughts are in the post above, but I’ll give you a quick Good, Bad and Ugly, and I would love to hear yours.

Good:  Pickett passed for 300+ and curtailed the happy feet.  Offensive Line got better as game went on.  Davis & Davis showed we have a little talent in the running back room.  Tight ends caught passes.  Defense dominated and spent pretty much the whole day in the backfield.  Tre Tipton made some absolutely beautiful catches (although he was ruled out of bounds on one of them…)

Bad:  Only 20 points against a team we could have probably scored 40 against.  Too many pre-snap penalties on the O-line.

Ugly:  The O-Line in the first quarter (and really the first half).  If they revert to that against better competition, we are royally hosed.  Egregious drops from both Mack and Griffin-Stewart.  Narduzzi’s in game coaching.  What the heck was he thinking going for it on 4th and 1?

Okay POV’ers what do you say?  What was good, bad and ugly during our Win vs Ohio?

 

One more Good!  Received from Pics from “Major Majors” this weekend.  Looks like Fran’s POV tailgate was a great time as usual.  For anyone who lives in the Burgh these tailgates are open to all, and Fran and the crew is very welcoming to all Pitt fans.  I’ll make sure I post the location on future articles.

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Gray, Joe, Richman and Al.   Note the prominent “Bev Buckle” on #99
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Bill, Lisa, Doug, Mark, Annie and Fran.  Great looking bunch!
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Dr. Tom made an appearance here with Doug (The original Atlanta Panther)…   Handing out limes for the drinks he brought… “Take two of these and call me in the morning”
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The entire crew.  Too many to name!  Looking good in that royal blue and yellow!
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Now THAT’s a tailgate!
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Lets go Pitt!
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Pitt Basketball????!  Hail to Pitt!

 

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

103 thoughts on “MMQB – Ohio”

  2. Pitt needs to win the second half against the Pedos or it will be a long day. Enough of this falling asleep or being outcoached.

    If narduzzi is outsmarted by Franklin, he should be immediately fired after the game. No excuse for not having the team ready and playing like the Steelers.

    H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Good call Tex. The fact that we’ve scored only 3 points after halftime…in two games…is downright UGLY

      Like

  3. Good: Kenny, Defense
    Bad: Kicking, Frenchie muffed balls, false start penalties, 11 am start
    Ugly: Sleep disorder in the 2nd half, 2/3 empty stadium

    Like

  4. The second-half woes continue with a new coordinator, so I think the issue is the QB not making the proper throws. Throwing deep on 3rd and 6 is a terrific way to stall a drive. Also, an O-line that cannot push back a MAC team on 4th and 1 is another red flag.

    Between the two No. 11s in Pittsburgh, Mack and Moncrief, there must be a total of seven drops already this season. Painful.

    Like

  5. Good: (1) Encouraging to finally see us run the ball successfully in the last drive or two (I forget if it was just one drive or two), (2) Twyman finally breaking through, (3) Pickett made strides (though he has a ways to go), (4) we beat a solid team favored to win the MAC by 10 points and could’ve scored again at the end to make it more, and (5) we did not lose to Missouri 38 to 7.

    Bad: (1) Our running game and offensive line play for at least 3 quarters of the game, (2) Ffrench’s punt return performance, and (3) still no deal with Comcast (though we just scored a 3 week trial with Youtube TV).

    Ugly: (1) Of course Narduzzi’s bumble of declining the 5 yard penalty and going for it on 4th and 1; I actually had no problem with them going for it on 4th & 1, but they had the chance to to make it 3rd & 6 first and they bumbled it in almost Franklinstein fashion, (2) As previously mentioned, our second half letdowns, though in fairness we could’ve scored at the end but instead ran out the clock as a courtesy (I put this problem on the coaches as much as the QB), (3) having to hear that Rourke wasn’t feeling well every 5 minutes, for 3 hours.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I agree with everything 1618mt mentions (great post btw) with the exception of the running game and O-line looking bad. No matter how you slice it, 160 yards rushing is pretty good.

    I could this happening a mile away…. all I read the week before the game was how good of a MAC team Ohio is then when PITT dominates them (they did) the all of a sudden become a weak team.

    All this chatter about Rourke being sick every other minute made me sick but I toughed it out and continued to finish watching the game. What was the big deal?

    Kessman chunking his one field goal attempt, that was a chip shot for him, the easy pick six being dropped and not running up the score in that final drive all cost PITT an 17 extra points.

    Thanks for the article Mike….. GREAT JOB!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ike
      The chatter only happened when you kept bringing it up. What’s so hard about giving the kid some credit for even playing. Him being sick is not the reason why Pitt won but you’d be crazy to think it didn’t impact their offense.

      Like

      1. Call me crazy then and I kept bringing it up? Every chance the announcers had, they mentioned it. Where was the back-up then? lol! I saw nothing wrong with the kid accept for the fact the PITT defense was in his face all day. If I wanted theater I would go to one. .. and Ohio called designed qb runs in the second half.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m crazy – I don’t think it impacted their offense, but then again I remember playing baseball with a broken finger…

        Somehow the guy managed to complete several very well thrown passes – was that a fluke?

        Why was he still in the game if he couldn’t play well?

        I know, I’m crazy…

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 2 people

  8. Here is a fact that will bother me all year long….
    Weaver and Camp out. This defense would be very good with those two on the field. It won’t affect Pitt against a lesser team, but it will be felt this week and moving forward. You can’t lose two of your best defensive players. I know Reed says we have no stars, but in my mind those two are stars.

    Offensive improvements a good sign and I have no doubt they will continue throughout the year.
    Davis & Davis looked good.
    Ffrench is your star on offense. He has all the talent.
    The WRs all need Tipton’s ability to win the ball in jump ball situations.
    Gragg could be huge. He has to keep making people miss.

    I saw an interview with Chase Pine, was he back at MLB (where he should be)? I only got to watch the highlights of the game because I was on the road.

    The grad transfer LB was a great pick up.

    Like

    1. Yes pine was at MLB and he seemed to play well. Led the team in tackles. Another “good”

      Like

  9. Good: We won.
    Bad: Offensive pre-snap penalties. Inability to finish drives and turn them into TDs.
    Ugly: Pitt’s performance in the second half. Next week I fear this problem will be horrendous. Franklin will run up the score on us big time.

    On a side note: Pitt’s volleyball team plays #9 Oregon this week on Wednesday at Pitt. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU. First big test for Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Historically , Duzz has faired well going for it in 4th and one…. nobody complains when they make it…. teaching and motivational point for the OL… remember VT stopping us 4 times from the one in 17 then in 18 we lit them time after time….

    Like

  11. Pitt had major 2nd half scoring issues for the 1st part of last year, then all of a sudden it didn’t, as it powered its way through the ACC (Wake notwithstanding), Then, in the end, the issues returned when it met up with DLs and front sevens that stood up to Pitt.

    That obvious issue is that Pitt was one-dimensional and the initial step has been taken to resolve. However, this is not something that you snap your fingers and it goes away. In the first game this year, the pass game wasn’t executed well … in addition to playing against a good, veteran defense, passes were dropped and open receivers were over- or underthrown. It will get better but probably not soon enough

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  12. I would have been okay with declining the penalty if it was actually 4th and real short, but from where I was sitting it look to be much closer to 4th and 2.

    Of course, our line blocked so poorly that it wouldn’t have mattered even if it was 4th and an inch.

    I saw lots of Pickett under center on the final drive. Personally, I thought that looked good and I hope Whipple noticed. We seemed to run better that way. Of course, Whipple wants to air it out and I doubt he wants to throw from under center (especially after what he saw in watching film of Pitt last year), but it’s something he needs to think about.

    To give us a chance, the defense really needs to bring its A game to State College this week. As great as the numbers were, I think our defense still made a number mistakes and there is a lot of room for improvement.

    Like

  13. btw, great pictures and they are much appreciated, what a great group of guys and gals. After looking at them all and looking for familiar faces (there were a lot of them) I wondered where MajorMajor was. After reading the article again I figured out where he was, behind the camera.

    Is that Fran wearing a bev buckle?

    Like

  14. Good

    We won

    Bad

    Penalties and dropped passes

    Ugly

    The crowd (I am usually always there but have missed first two games and the stadium looked pathetic on TV)

    Frenchy on punt returns. If he does that in Happy Valley in front of 107k its going to be a long painful day.

    Narduzzi’s coaching mistake of declining penalty then turning the ball over on downs after not converting

    Like

  15. I will go out on a limb and say the “Nots” are in for a game next week…” Franklin goes down… Franklin goes down!!!”

    Playing with house money… I like PITT to cover… but don’t need pre-snap and PI calls against us… Clean’r up Pat….

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Also, call me crazy, but I didn’t mind the 11 am start. I had more of my Saturday left by the time I got home. I think i prefer 11 am to 12 noon. Of course, 11 am isn’t great for tailgating. I walk in gate C which is where most students walk in … I saw lots of glassy eyes and bambi legs for the UVA game, not so much on Saturday. I guess that’s one big difference between 7:30 pm and 11 am starts.

    Liked by 3 people

  17. MM – a most excellent article and summary of the game…

    Good —
    —The Tailgate.
    —Everyone at The Tailgate.
    —Donuts!
    —We gained a bunch more yards than the Bobcats.
    —We got Pressure on their passer.
    —We got Some jukes from the RBs…
    —TEs made some plays…

    Bad
    —Too many Penalties
    —Too many Drops
    —Run blocking on short yardage (where’s the next George A.)

    Ugly
    —More injuries
    —Wheel Route was wide open (Coach Bates not pleased…)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. A note on KP’s happy feet — obviously there will be plays where it’s a tough snap decision call whether the QB keeps looking down field or takes off. Easy for us in the upper deck to make the call…

    On that play that they reviewed for KP being past the line of scrimmage, he could easily have run it to at least the two yard line. He decided to throw it and it was a touch too high for Gragg to handle at the back of the endzone.

    I guess my point is just that this QBing business is not as easy as we might think – especially with a 280-pounder bearing down on you…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yea it’s a tough racket being a DI quarterback. I still think that whip told him to work on not scrambling just to try to break him of the habit.

      Like

  20. Good: Tipton, Davis (x2), Pine at MLB (not baseball, btw), Pickett’s improvement in decision making, winning the game, the defensive performance in general.

    Bad: False starts (it may be a Heinz Field thing as 21 players moved last night while Pouncey still had the ball), Kessman hitting the turf before the ball on the first field goal attempt (although I do that about every third swing of my irons).

    Ugly: My mood for weeks if the Pedos destroy us. I’ll support Tex here and be willing to give up 3 ACC wins for a close victory over Franklinstein and accept a final record of 2-10 if they beat the Pedos by 30 or more points.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Hold your horses Dad, if PITT can beat psu by 30 or more points for their second win, you would think they are good enough to at least beat Delaware and a few other teams. 🙂

      Like

      1. Guys I hate it ruin your fun…but Pitt ain’t beating #15 pennstate by 30

        Like

        1. Please give more credit than that Michael, I’m not very confident PITT can win by 1 point let alone 30. I just hope PITT gives the pedo’s a good game and hang in there to the end.

          Like

  21. The defense is playing very well. Ohio only TD came about because Duzz let the true freshman Dennis play and he get beat by the RB on the wheel route.

    Good: -Deslin Alexandre has a sack in each game so far.
    -Twyman is a beast!
    -WRs had less drops
    -Vincent Davis is possibly the best RB on the roster, seems he has game changing abilities

    Bad: -OLine running blocking is suspect
    -Typical Duzz but I wish he would attempt to run the score up, let the offense attempt to jell a little more
    -Defense failed to create a turnover once again

    Ugly: Frenchhy has to stop muffing punts. Call the fair catch and stop attempting to make a play

    I checked the PSU/Buffalo box score. It appears Buffalo out gained them in total yards and had 22 first down to their 13. We have to stop the big plays from happening in order for us to have a chance against them.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Turnovers killed buffalo

      Pedos are bullies. You just need to punch them and they’ll back down

      Pitt can win if they can run the ball, control the clock and avoid costly penalties and turnovers.

      Play like Army and Pitt wins

      Like

  22. I watched the Ohio game highlights on youtube. KP threw a for sure interception that the LB dropped. KP was looking at the TE the whole way but he had a receiver wide open to the left. He has to do a better job of surveying the field. He had plenty of time in the pocket to make a better decision than to throw that.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I remember that play — yeah, the middle linebacker was standing right where KP was trying to go with that ball…

      But on a positive note, we also had a play where KP first looked left and then immediately looked right and completed a pass to the right side…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

      1. I think his decision making got better as the game went on. But yes, that should have been and INt and it was indeed ugly

        Like

  23. A “Good” I forgot:

    —We really got a lot of players into the game against the Bobcats; saw some guys I don’t remember seeing on the field before.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  24. The Good…

    Of course Pickett. His “too hard passes with no touch” looked pretty GOOD… and accurate. That is except for the DEEP BALL. Wait a minute, he didn’t throw any! How long before Defenses figure it out that Pickett can NOT throw and accurate DEEP Ball? I think they probably now know.

    Next there was Chase Pine being a FORCE in the MIDDLE. Seems me someone has been calling for Pine to be used inside. Curious who that might be?

    Then there were the Receivers. Obviously Ffrench is Whipple’s “Go To” with Tipton following close behind.

    And last but not least, the Bates Defense for a second week. This is despite a couple of MISSED Tackles and Coverages by the most OVER-rated Safety in the ACC.

    The Bad…

    The Offensive Line. Still one of the prime areas of DYSFUNCTION on this Team. One or two PRETENDERS in there that Borbely obviously refuses to replace for whatever reason.

    Pitt’s BIG leg Field Goal Kicker. Don’t know, am I the only one LACKING FAITH?

    The Ugly…

    It was OHIO… with a SICK Quarterback… and not much of an Offensive Line!

    Like

  25. I should have been checked into Western Psych a long time ago for continuing to root for a school that doesn’t care about sports and whose football team has only 1 ten win season since 1982.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Wouldn’t be because Tre is from Apollo would it BigB? 😉 …. actually I agree though. Tipton showed off some great feet work last week. He can help this team. Also would like to see Matthews get even more involved.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. We are a school with an athletic tradition based on one word—— HOPE. Year in, year out we all hope than reality sets in.

    Like

    1. Well it is about time the administration got concerned about the academic rankings published by US News and World Report. (Wonder if you have to pay them off.) Love or hate it, it’s the bible used to compare schools for undergraduates. At least alumni have something to be proud of. A lot better than the 70″s rating of past year.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. The Good: a win, and we got a little bit better. We faced a style of offense with Ohio that we will see several more times including psu and UCF. Pickett getting more comfortable with the forward pass. Our defense is solid (though somewhat thin at DL now). The final drive to run out the clock. We’ve faced adversity in our first couple of games, and this will make us more resilient down the stretch.

    The Bad: The 1st quarter slow start on offense – this needs to change in a hurry. Pickett nearly taking a safety then throwing off his back foot to get rid of the ball – could have resulted in a pick. The lack of points despite the ability to move the ball. The OL is a work in progress. Dropped passes. The running game is still not where it needs to be.

    The Ugly: We are improving, but not fast enough to be ready for our next two opponents. Our OL will get eaten alive next week. Whipple had better game plan for an aggressive rush/blitz. I fear that we are going to eat some big time humble pie for a couple of weeks in a row… Next week the talent level is too high. The week after, the system will beat us.

    Like

  33. Next year….Pitt has the best DL it has had in a long long time. Weaver, Camp, Jones, Alexandre, Twyman back, add the young players getting a shot now. I think they only lose Watts.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Ike, the two pics of a larger tailgate are from the UVA game…and yes, I had a bev buckle courtesy of the dear RICHMAN.

    Like

  36. In Coastal Carolina’s upset of Kansas, KU QB Carter Stanley was 13-19 for 107 yds, 0 TD and 2 INTs. Backup QB Tom MacVittie did not play

    in a statement that will go over most of your heads, Carter Stanley is indeed ‘a man of constant sorrow’

    Liked by 1 person

  37. A Pitt In the Pros update:

    Larry Fitz — 8 catches for 113 and 1 TD
    Tyler Boyd — 8 catches for 80 yds.
    Shady McCoy — 10 carries for 81 yards; long of 31; 1 catch for 12.
    Avonte Maddox — 4 tackles; 1 pass defended.
    Jordon Whitehead — led team with 8 tackles…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Good: Pickett showed improved accuracy and touch. The defense line got consistent pressure and penetration. some younger players got on the field and showed some promise.

    Bad: Still a bit sloppy. A team like Pitt that plays a pro style and lacks game-changing type players needs to win on the margins through superior execution. That is still lacking. Along similar lines, special teams remain a concern.

    Ugly: Anemic second half offense in an environment where teams are going up and down the field against all but the best defenses. Ohio is not one of the best,

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Observations from annual pilgrimage back to Pitt Football

    I am not a football statistician, nor strategist … so this is about feelings and opinion. During the game two ideas came up: playing as a cohesive unit, and do they have intent.

    The defense seemed to have both… which was very encouraging. I come from the Hugh …. wait for it …. wait … Green era, so I like a defense that makes an impact.

    The D seemed to have a purpose and were more than a group of individuals. Even though you knew some mistakes were going to happen there was a confidence that they knew the work at hand.

    The offense… well, it felt like a bit of a pick-up game, maybe the penalties added to this perception. The plan seemed to be “Let’s see if this will work” and then if we got lucky, let’s celebrate. At one point I turned to the wife and commented that first downs should not be unusual and cause to celebrate… we have been here before, honestly, we have.

    FFrench had a good game, but it seemed like he was trying to do too much. Sometimes not taking the fair catch just makes matters worse.

    I walked out thinking this is gonna be a long year.

    On to other issues….

    POV tailgate: We stopped by to say hello. Fran and the group were welcoming and generous as always. I don’t think Reed ever “commissioned” Fran’s tailgate as an officially sanctioned POV event, but he represents the brand well.

    Now from my signature you know I must comment on the band. Please note, these students NEVER leave after Sweet Caroline and never miss a game.

    I must call out one member… the new Drum Major Crissy Shannon. (https://www.pittmag.pitt.edu/news/marching-new-beat). Take time and watch her.

    Now I have known more than a few DMs and this girl nails it: energy, talent, and skill. You can just see how she commands respect. I also heard she was a member of Mu Kappa Upsilon (Pitt Band Frat) … so not sure what to call her now, brother/sister?… maybe it is just “yes ma’am”. If VMB folk ever got a scholarship she deserves one…. Hell, if she were taller Kenny’s position might be in danger.

    See you guys next year.
    Carl
    (from Cincinnati)

    Liked by 5 people

    1. VMB-81 — Good post!

      Agree that the new Drum Major is looking good and seems full of energy.

      Also agree about Ffrench trying to do too much. Giving up yards with the hope of gaining more yards can be iffy, especially against the faster teams we have coming up…

      Wish you could make it back before next year…😊

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  41. Good: having some semblance of a passing game and the offense showing a pulse.

    Good 2: Taking care of business against a decent MAC team. Outcome never really in doubt but would have liked a little bigger margin for victory.

    Bad: The corners still don’t look comfortable on the island. Committing PI again.

    Bad 2: Hopefully Wheeler not seriously injured?

    Ugly: declining penalty to take 4th & 2 instead of 3rd and 5. If that had affected the outcome, we would be arguing to this day about it. Fortunately it turned out to be benign.

    Bonus Good: This blog, the lair is virtually unreadable. Not sure if it is all PSU trolls there, or the majority of Pitt posters just have a huge inferiority complex.

    Liked by 2 people

  42. from Narduzzi presser

    Jim Hammett@JimHammett

    When asked how his relationship is with James Franklin, Pat Narduzzi replied.
    “We vacation together.”

    Liked by 1 person

  43. The amount (or lack) of Pitt second half scoring over the past 5 games is terrible. After changing OCs and playing a number of different players including two 1000 yard backs, the only real explanation is fatigue. This team doesn’t have the necessary depth to share time. I think that Borbs said he played the same 5 OL starters for the entire UVA game, no wonder they couldn’t move the ball in the second half. This is the problem with having mostly 3 stars, there is not enough overall talent to have quality back ups with similar ability at many positions.

    Like

    1. Tired after a 15 minute rest ? Just flat I think. Duzz needs to change up this team’s halftime routine

      Liked by 1 person

    2. VoR — don’t most teams play their best five OLinemen the whole game?

      I suspect Coach Whip will still be getting the kinks out for a couple more games – then our offense gets clicking…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  44. By that Mike, do you mean Narduzzi’s team shouldn’t go into halftime with a 14 point lead? 🙂

    Bring back the celebration between the 3rd and 4th quarter.

    I think, college football halftimes are 20 minutes long?

    Like has been said.. PITT could have easily tacked on points that last drive.

    BTW, Narduzzi mentioned in his presser that there is a lot of plays that haven’t been shown yet. ?? Don’t know if I beieve that one.

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  45. UCF game announced as a 3:30 pm kickoff. Fran’s tailgate should be another great one, starting at 10:30. Can’t wait to see everyone again!

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Ike – I think you can bet that there are a lot of plays not yet tried – PN always holds back for PSU. Which brings up the question: why didn’t he use them to try and salvage the uva game? Obviously these held back plays haven’t yet been mastered – not yet ready for prime time!

    Mike – The Good. What really stood out to me was the improvement from game 1 to game 2 ( not withstanding the competition).

    If we improve this much again Game 2 to Game 3, there are going to be 100,000 very crazed and unhappy pedofiles Saturday!! If I was a teenage boy in st. college, I think I’d leave town for a few days.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I heard or read somewhere that Whipple let Borbely call the plays on the last drive to get some work with the running game.

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      1. I speculated the same at the end of the article. Have no idea if it’s true

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        1. Oh jeez. I should have known you had the content! I have been reading every possible article lately and watching every interview and can’t keep them straight!

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          1. What would be funny if that started as a rumor and was all over twitter by the end of the week.

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  49. Good:
    – From my vantage point at the game I never felt it was in doubt and that was entirely because of the defense. There is no question the speed of the D, especially from the LB position is significantly better.
    – The CBs, notwithstanding the PI call are the best we’ve seen at Pitt in many years, and they are showing the confidence that you need to be effective. Jackson’s play on the ball when he undercut the receiver was both terrifying and outstanding.
    – Killing the last 7+ minutes with bull rushes by Davis&Davis was a thing of beauty, reminiscent of the Bus.
    – Tipton made some spectacular catches and Ffrench’s YAC showed the talent differential between P5 and the MAC.
    – OMG we do have TEs
    – The pass offense was both creative and fits KP’s talents, just wish he would figure out that not every pass has to be a 100mph fastball
    – The DL was as good across the board as its been since, well . . . I’m getting too old to remember. Its a crying shame that we won’t be able to see what it could have been with Weaver and Camp . . . until next year.

    Bad
    – Special teams overall were not much to write home about, muffs and misses are killers when playing a team with better talent.
    – Although it was a beautiful site to see the OL manhandle OU at the end, after wearing them down all game, against the teams coming up on the schedule waiting until the last 7 minutes of the game won’t be good enough. As creative as the passing plays were, the running plays (for the first 53 minutes) were uninspired to say the least.
    – Pitt’s defense is as thin as turnip soup, giving up big plays and OU’s only TD in a couple of minutes when the 2nd string was inserted.

    Ugly
    – Nardy if your going to go for it on 4th down anyway, why not try to make 7 yards on two plays instead of doubling down on a single slow developing weak imagination off tackle run when your OL has already proven it hadn’t dominated the line of scrimmage to that point in the game.
    – Cmon Aussie, its your second year, chunking a FG is not acceptable.

    Liked by 2 people

  50. Major, I don’t believe that the top programs play their starting linemen the whole game. It is probably more like two thirds for the starters and one third for the back ups. You don’t want the starters trying to pace themselves to avoid fatigue.

    Liked by 1 person

  51. The Goods: The clock killing drive at the end of the game, the POV tailgate, and sitting with the Fran and the Gang (sounds like a tribute band) for the game.

    The Bad: choosing to go for 4th and 1 vs 3RD and 6 (WT?)

    The Ugly: The Pitt defenders colliding and dropping a sure pick 6, which would have let the fans relax a lot more at the end of the game.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Ha-ha. I saw that. Reed not pleased! 😊

      21 new faces on the baseball team. Ten freshmen and 11 transfers. Yikes!

      7 new faces on the women’s BB team…

      The times they are a changin’…

      Go Pitt.

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      1. I think the transfers are all, or nearly all, community college or JUCO players who don’t have to sit…

        Go Pitt.

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  55. Perspective …. never lose sight that this is also a match-up between two 18th ranked Public Schools … and even that may be distorted since 6 schools ranked above in the US News Rankings are all University of California schools …. LA, Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, etc

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  56. TMDT (ha ha)

    The following from PennLive.com

    Jaylen Twyman. The Panthers’ talented young defensive tackle produced a huge effort in the team’s win over Ohio, finishing with three sacks. A 6-2, 280-pound redshirt sophomore, Twyman could prove to be a handful for the interior of Penn State’s offensive line.

    Will he or won’t he?

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  57. After watching two games, it’s clear that the strength of this team is the defense. It’s remarkable to me that the defensive line continued to play so well after their top two guys were injured. They consistently get pressure with a four man rush. The blitz packages were varied and interesting. The linebackers are all good and the grad transfer from Florida is a great addition. The secondary is deep and the best I have seen since I’ve been watching…… (2011). Obviously, the question is the offense. They played better, but the QB stares down his guys and is late on a lot of throws. He had one deep out throw early in the game that was complete, but I think an ACC corner jumps it for a pick six. The OLine will need some time to grow.
    So will the coaching staff recognize this and play to their strengths? IMO, they should can the hurry-up. Give the QB some time to catch his breath and let the young running backs work. They looked ok when they had a chance. If they want to go up-tempo now and then…..fine. But give your defense a rest and rely on them to keep you in these next two games.
    BTW….am new to POV. Is the tailgate open to everyone? If so, where is it? Bring your own or contribute? Thanks

    Liked by 4 people

    1. ny, Fran or someone will be on to update you on the POV tailgate. It’s in Red 5A parking lot right next to the General Robinson garage and T station. I believe it is open for everyone as long as you are not wearing a psu T-shirt unless is say psu SUCKS!! 🙂

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  58. Just noticed this is the 100th Pitt-Penn State game.

    While I am personally fine with never playing them again, it does seem
    very sad from a historical perspective.

    Sad to remember how great Pitt-Penn State Day week in the seventies and eighties.
    Water cooler talk was ferocious all week, great fun, but time to turn the page.

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  59. NY, welcome. Tailgates open to all. You can bring something or toss some money to the cause. We set up 5 hours prior to kickoff and open up after most games.

    Liked by 1 person

  60. ny…thanks for chirping in..enjoyed your post….

    Get to the tailgate..a really great bunch of peeps…beware of the 2 guys who wear “Bev-holders!”

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