in Pitt Football 1,611 Words

Grading On a Curve – Syracuse

I’m going to start a new series this week, and hope that I’m able to maintain it now that I’m mostly out of the woods on the COVID-19. For those of you who haven’t gotten the COVID, I wouldn’t recommend it. While my main symptoms were akin to a mild cold (chest congestion and a cough), the secondary symptom of fatigue is real and it doesn’t go away quickly. Three weeks later I’m still having to limit activity so that I don’t completely wear myself out. I also had a minor myocardia related scare but the initial prognosis on that is positive, pending more tests next week. With that said, I still believe that playing college football is absolutely the right thing to do. Nothing would keep an athlete more focused than having games to play, and the protocols that are in place will identify any COVID issue sooner than if there were no season and no screenings. Heart screenings absolutely need to be in place, but by all accounts the ACC seems to have enacted that safeguard. I will also say from personal experience that the mental health of fans is greatly improved by having football to watch; even if it is the maddening sort of “win ugly” football that Pitt tends to play 🙂

Speaking of football, I’m throwing MMQB out the window (you can post your good, bad and ugly on Sundays if you wish) and Mondays will now be devoted to grading all the units on the Pitt football team. After everyone has weighed in, I’ll post the PFF grades so show how your analysis compared to the “experts” who watch the tape. My grades will be my own and I won’t look at PFF prior to writing this.

Here goes. We’ll start with the Offense.

Quarterback: Kenny Pickett played well for the most part. He made one bad mistake (the INT). I thought he could have done a better job throwing the ball away when under pressure, or stepping up and dumping it off to a safety valve – the hallmark of a west coast offense. Instead he typically tried to tuck and run which most often ended up as a loss of a few yards. I also thought he could have taken a couple of deep shots. Looked like he was playing very conservative in that respect. You can’t argue with either of his touchdown passes though, and he he also did a nice job getting up behind Morrissey for his rushing TD. B

Running Backs: Vince Davis Ran hard but his average YPC (2.9) sucked and I thought he looked a little slow out there. He also didn’t seem to make a ton of people miss. He got the tough yards when it mattered though, and he helped ice the game with his last few totes of the rock. AJ Davis looked as pedestrian as ever. Sibley looked great out of the Wildcat, but he got only two carries and one was called back due to holding. Carter averaged 7.5 YPC on two runs but pulled up lame and was later seen with ice on his ankle. Still, 127 rushing yards and just 2.9 yards per rush on 44 carries earns you no better than a D+.

Wide Receivers: Nothing about the receivers seemed to stand out to me. Maybe it was the conservative game plan. Maybe they did their jobs in a workman-like way. Sure the Jordan Addison touchdown route was a thing of beauty, and yes, Jared Wayne came out of nowhere in the second half to keep a drive going and nab a touchdown, but where were the guys running free in the secondary? Where was the run after the catch? There were no bad WR drops though (that I can remember), so that was a blessing. They appeared to do what was asked of them and little more. C

Tight Ends: The much ballyhooed Lucas Krull made his debut, and his stat line read like a career backup: 1 Reception, 6 yards. That included two drops and one pass that missed him completely. Bad throw or bad route? Given what we’ve seen out of Krull (and Pickett for that matter) I’d put even money on the route. Kyi Wright caught 1 pass for 2 yards. Walk-on-hero Jake Zilinskas left the game with an injury. It’s though to weigh in on TE run blocking but given Pitt’s meager 2.9 YPC, it doesn’t seem like much was getting done. F

Offensive Line: I thought the run blocking was solid in the first half. Syracuse consistently stacked eight and nine in the box in the second half (I was counting), and Whip decided (or was under orders) to run it down the ‘Cuse’s throats anyway. Still, in 2018 we used to see those types of situations go for 60 yards more often than not and it just didn’t seem like the running lanes where there. Just like Vince Davis though, the O-Line manned up at the end and bulldozed for the first downs we needed. They also did a nice job creating a push for Kenny in an obvious running situation on the goal line. As for Pass blocking, I thought it was adequate. There was one obvious breakdown. (On the play the Kenny threw the INT a man came unblocked on a stunt from the right side.) And maybe I was seeing it wrong, but *for the most part* Kenny had a pocket to step up into. Sometimes he made the wrong decision and ran, usually after holding the ball for quite a while. The Line did give up three sacks though, so that knocks them down a peg. C-

Offense: C-

And now the Defense.

Defensive Line: The defense posted seven sacks and 13 TFL. Six of those sacks went to Defensive Linemen. Patrick Jones was held on every play that I watched him (probably about a half-dozen). Not one penalty was called and he still ended up with a couple pressures and three solo tackles. Rashad Weaver was Named Walter Camp Player of the Week.

Per the Pitt SID: The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Weaver accounted for two of those sacks. After accumulating a pair of assisted sacks in the first quarter, Weaver made one of the game’s defining plays, sacking Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito on 4th-and-3 from the Pitt 44 to end an Orange threat in the third quarter. In his first game action since the 2018 Sun Bowl, Weaver finished with seven total tackles, three total tackles for loss and two total sacks.

Yes the Syracuse offensive line is undermanned, but the Pitt DL took full advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet. A+

Linebackers: I thought they played very well. Cam Bright posted seven tackles, half a sack and 1.5 TFL. Backup Sirvocea Dennis (who is really starting to grow on me after I threw some shade his way in the preseason), finished with five total tackles and was a force on special teams. Wendell Davis and Chase Pine combined for four tackles and 1.5 TFL. And most importantly no mistakes were made. When you hold a team to just 51 rushing yards it means your linebackers are calling the right plays, reading their keys and tackling well. And in my book, that earns you an A.

Corners: I was pleasantly surprised by Marquis Williams. He replaced an injured Jason Pinnock in last year’s Syracuse game and proceeded to get torched mightily. This year I don’t think I saw him get beat once. Of course it didn’t help that neither of Syracuse’s quarterbacks had any time to throw, but … they didn’t have any time last year either. Williams also posted five tackles. Flipping over to Pinnock he did appear to get burnt on the one Syracuse TD pass, but according to Narduzzi he was supposed to have over the top safety help. That may or may not be true but you hate to see any corner let a man get two steps on him, double coverage or not. I’ll give Pinnock the benefit of the doubt though. 120 yards passing is nothing to sneeze at, and just one mistake all day is solid work. Grade: A-

Safeties: Ford and Hamlin were Great: Ford turned the momentum with his diving inception of Culpepper’s errant screen pass. A+. Backup Erick Hallet apparently was supposed to have over-the-top coverage on the long touchdown, which he clearly did not execute. B-

Defense: A

Special Teams.

Alex Kessman / Field Goal Unit: Kessman was 0 for 2 on kicks where the snap and hold was executed correctly. He was 0 for 1 on tries where it was not. Sorry fellas. F-

Kirk Christendoulou / Punting Unit: 4 punts for a 39.3 average. Meh. C

Return Units: One returnable punt that I can remember. Addison ran backwards trying to create something and was tackled by the backup Tight End. He did a fine job securing fair catches though, and after last year’s adventures with Maurice Ffrench, securing fair catches is a welcome upgrade. C

Kicking game brings down the overall grade to a D

Gameday Coaching

The offensive game plan was conservative but it worked. The defensive game plan was masterful and well executed. I counted four “five men in the backfield” penalties though. Feels like that one should have been corrected. A sloppy win over a weakling rival earns you a C+.

Editor’s Note: I’m still not going to be able to actively monitor comments due to COVID related fatigue syndrome and other factors. I will continue to expect you to self-police, and the zero tolerance policy for rule breaking is still in effect. So to remind you, if I get just one email regarding political, social or personal attacks, the whole thing gets shut down. Don’t be the bad apple. Thank you.

112 thoughts on “Grading On a Curve – Syracuse”

  3. one mod since you listed Christodoulouludooleuululupoupoo

    his flub of a perfectly decent snap from center on the FG attempt makes me grade HIM a D as I thought his punting was a C-

    as for Kessman, so far the only worse kicker in the nation is the GaTech kid who has had a few blocks and I don’t think he gets it higher than about 7′ by the time the ball reaches the line of scrimmage,,,,even on SHORT kicks and PAT’s
    a GaTech kid that doesn’t quite get geometry and physics I guess 🙂

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  4. Glad to hear you are on the mend Mike. Take your time coming back. We will all still be here!

    Agree with most of your grading. The punter needs to be replaced as the holder for Kessman! A muffed hold can really get in the head of a kicker. As he starts his motion in the back of his head there is a little voice asking him if the ball will be were it is supposed to be when he kicks. Put Patti in as the holder.

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  5. MM….be careful.. my friends who’ve had it say just when you start getting your energy back it can kick your ass again. Take your time.

    Pitt and the Steelers play the same team next weekend. Blazing speed on offense. Mediocre but speedy defense. Both will need improved play to triumph.

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    1. Yep , been living that for a week now. Just when you think it’s safe to Go in the Water. Slow and steady is the word .

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I pretty much agree with all of your grades MM. But our playing not to lose offense will result in just the opposite happening if Narduzzi and Whipple don’t change that course quickly. I can almost guarantee that we won’t beat Louisville if we score less than 30 points this week.

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  8. for those who watched til the end …. did you notice that thru much of the 4th, Pitt was trying to run from the Spread with little success, but on the very last possession, they ran from the I (with a FB) and picked up a first down in 2 plays. Maybe Cuse had given up by then but still…

    Liked by 1 person

  9. The uniforms are all about the money. Sell merchandise. The players love it.
    95% of college football does the alternate uniforms, heck, it got Pitt back to the blue and gold they currently wear now. Remember, that was an alternate at one time.
    I thought they would do black, which is over done. I love it.

    It is only one game here and there.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. There was a thread a few years ago about all the kids going to Oregon because of the fancy uniforms. I mentioned then and again will now that I don’t think all the 5 stars are going to Alabama to wear anything fancy.

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  11. You are nuts or reed like pessimist if the wide outs didnt impress. Addison is a bad ass little slot . Turner is a find wayne dependable barden looked good. Take off the negative vibe and realize the cuse defense isnt bad they just get worn down

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  12. Duzz was frustrated with the O and ST play on Saturday, rightfully so.
    The OL was very inconsistent, causing KP to be the same – reminded me of last year.

    There are five phases of a FB team (IMO) and 4 were below average in my book on Saturday.
    Defense -> A-
    Offense -> C- (did enough to beat a below average team in cuse)
    Special Teams -> KO’s & PAT’s were good; Punt returns – meh (can we give Turner a shot, please); FG’s (we need to give Sauls the first attempt vs Louisville or go with Kessman on long attempt and Sauls under 40); Punting – Kessman replaced the Aussie last season (make the change again); Holder – make a change, please, I’m begging you Duzz…-> D

    I’ll give the other 2 phases in a follow-up comment – WordPress already nixed my first posting…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Coaching -> Duzz and Whipple do not seem to be on the same page (typical over the last 5 years – Duzz is not an offense minded guy and probably never will be – he also wants to be the Alpha-dog, so he will push what he wants when the gameplan is not successful); I’m not sure why these coaches are so slow to go to a back-up when the starters are struggling (we should have seen Izzy unless he is hurt, Sibling needed more carries and Kessman needs to sit and let Sauls show him what a good kick looks lyke) -> C-

      Discipline -> the practice of training players to obey rules and having a code of acceptable behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. There does not seem to be any “punishment” – I know some will say we don’t know because of the locked gates. During a game, if a player causes a penalty, make him sit and watch his back-up play for a series. I get that FB is an emotional game, but yards matter and the history of undisciplined penalties is costly. It may also mean the depth is too thin. -> D
      Overall – C-

      The team I saw on Saturday vs cuse won’t beat Louisville. With a few changes, we beat Louisville (lyke – kicker, holder, punter, punt returner, RB, discipline and offensive game plan)

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      1. Agreed. Very poor discipline over Narduzzi’s tenure. Here’s a quiz: Which Pitt running back fumbled a lot, got to play for Jimmie Johnson in the NFL, and was promptly cut after fumbling. That did send a message? Was it Curvin Swervin Richards? Seems like after a dumb penalty play or offsides, a few players need to ride the bench. What did his fellow ACC coaches say about Narduzzi? Team reflects (attention-deficit?) style of its coach

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      2. You cannot change from a right footed kicker to a left footed kicker in the middle of a contest. Maybe next week we’ll see a change.

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  13. And i forgot the frenchman shockey jacque louis who looks good . Join the winning team MM we are going in for the big score

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    1. For this entire week, the TEs should be told to carry the rest of the receiving corps equipment off the practice fields back into the locker rooms, since they sucked so bad getting receptions in this past game. On second thought, bad idea, because they’d probably drop half of the stuff they were carrying on the way in.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Louisville speed is scary on offense, especially by the slippery QB. Their defense is suspect; witness the wide open Miami receivers and the RB running uncontested, Pitt needs to run those plays. I wish Kenny had more touch on his passes and didn’t throw so many darts, especially on the short passes. That backwards pass/lateral that was fumbled to me was thrown too hard and was uncatchable. I hate those one yard gain or no gain or loss of yards sideline passes that just waste a down. Those plays are expected and don’t fool anyone. Okay. One more try with Word Press. Struck out yesterday.

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  16. Glad you’re making a solid recovery.

    Fair grade assessments.

    If the offense doesn’t improve, I expect Louisville to blow out Pitt. But I do expect the D to get turnovers giving Pitt good field position.

    I expect a nail biter.

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    1. Syracuse found some success up the middle on Pitt’s D. If Louisville does that speedy RB will take the ball to the house. Tackling needs cleaned up a little, too.The Cardinals’ receivers are pretty good and one miss and it could be good night.

      The Pitt offense needs to show up and score 38-plus to win this game, and I don’t see it. Why would I? The 2019 offense showed up Saturday and I can only expect SOP this Saturday. Whipple is terrible, too.

      Narduzzi needed to make the right OC hire in 2017 and that is plaguing us to this day.And could coach Powell recruit better running backs? What a mediocre crew. Time to play Izzy more just due to his speed factor. College football is a speed game and does our staff understand that?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Powell needs to go. RB by committee is terrible and he’s followed this too long. I think he also has ST. Not a good day coach.

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  17. Glad to hear you are recovering Maestro, like the guys are saying, don’t try to do too much too soon.

    Good summary, just a few additional comments all on the offense. The O-line does look marginally better. As far as the running backs, there are three kinds of good ones, those that elude tackles, those that break tackles, those that do both. We do not have any that are that elusive, and most are small. It did look like Carter had a burst and some power. Why did Sibley only get two carries and in the Wildcat to boot? If you don’t have a guy that can get loose in the secondary, then run the guys that can break tackles. When Carter went down Sibley should have got his carries.

    Kenny still does not look down field when he breaks out of the pocket. Hard to tell on TV, but I guess the receivers still don’t come back to him when that happens.

    I thought you were a little hard on the receivers. I do think the distribution was poor, and the sideline passes are a waste. I like Addison, but they seem to be so enamored with him that they forgot the other guys. He and Turner seem to have replaced Shocky and Wayne, although Wayne showed how valuable he is. But why not Shocky on the jet sweep or Turner on the punt return. I like Addison a lot but think they are using him too much. He doesn’t appear to have the speed or moves of Boyd or Q Henderson. Where is Tipton?

    How can Krull drop two easy passes in his first game is he a jokester?

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  19. MM

    I had it in early July, about 9 days of a slight cough and decreased energy.

    I went for 2 tests just to make sure no false positive.

    I made a full recovery with no lasting effects from the virus.

    I’m 61 years old and quite healthy due to a great lifestyle.

    I’m donating my blood for others and have the antibodies.

    Best of luck to you in your recovery to full health and wellness.

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Thank you. Those antibodies from your blood are much more valuable than a vaccine with limited benefit.

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    3. Kudos to you for taking the initiative to donate your convalescent plasma. It potentially will be a life saver for somebody who is not going to bounce back from their COVID infection like you did.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I don’t recall penalties being an issue in narduzzis first three years. Seems to me to be a problem since lock the gates. Since probation Ike. And yes pitt is under proby and under compliance heathers so called watch. Obviously she was sleeping.

      And yes Ike, it’s always six degrees of heather with me.

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      1. Meant in jest Ike. I’m your coffee this morning. 🤠

        But I’d like to better understand this undisciplined play. I do believe it’s a practice issue.

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      2. I don’t know the answer Tex but I’m pretty sure Narduzzi’s first PITT team was one of the least penalized teams in the country. Since then I have no idea. My guess is they are on par with most of the other teams around the country. Some people stand to close to the tree to see the actual forest…………. imo

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  24. Nice job on the article, MM. Best wishes to you.

    As far as the game, can’t tell much off the radio broadcast… But I was disappointed that our middle linebackers don’t seem to be making many plays.

    Was impressed by Kancey being disruptive.

    Was big-time disappointed in Krull. I might make him wear gloves to emphasize the hands…

    Hoping Izzy starts picking up the blitz-pickups in practice enough to get more playing time in the games…

    (I like Coach Powell, but is his seat getting warm? Along with Coach Salem??)

    Go Pitt.

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  25. I have a hypothesis re: play and player selection for the Syracuse game. Duzz may be holding back some; not laying all his cards on the table; not using all his good players up early; managing the schedule within the age of covid. A hypothesis. This week will definitely be a significant test. We’ll see (hopefully).

    Glad your doing better MM.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. EE. That’s what I’m thinking 🤔 and hoping. I may be wrong, but I may be right. Will know by 4:00 🕓 Saturday afternoon. Remember the game with Pedstate 5 years ago?

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  26. Yeah Michelangelo, great to see you’re continuing your recovery process. Nice write up and I’m drafting my response. hahaha, Not really but I’m thinking on it hahaha, who am I kidding, can’t remember what I had for breakfast. I just put down in writing what is in my mind. Hence the nonsensical BS I often spew

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  27. QB….. Kenny played good, dropped passes again hurt momentum. Now I realize all teams have dropped passes. Kenny needs to throw more deep passes and/or intermediate passes to move the backer and safeties off the line of scrimmage. That might be for a different category? I give KP a B+

    RB….. See above. Teams are not giving KP enough respect if he doesn’t exploit the defensive schemes. The backs ran hard and did what they were suppose to do. C

    WR…. Looks like PITT may have a budding superstar in Addison? Wayne, Schocky. They also did their jobs and played fine. I say C+

    TE…. Krull obviously stunk. Not giving up on him just yet BUT. D-

    OL…. Again, this unit is blah. Although Warren still looks improved. Didn’t notice Houy and the other O-lineman, which is a good thing when you don’t remember who the other O-lineman is. Mo problems mo attention. I just can’t think of the 5th guy. C

    Offense. C+ I’ll explain more about this later

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      1. Not on the drops. Krull dropped a couple catch-able balls at least one for a first down. KP struggles with short passes but I see a little improvement there as well. Dropped passes are drive killers. I suffer from CRS as well, I remember the crux but details leave me almost immediately

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            1. That’s the problem, it won’t stop. Nothing seems to change. Why did we see the 2019 offense on Saturday? I’m very discouraged and I’m now thinking a 6-5 record will be tough to attain and a lot will have to go right to do so. Since when do things go right for Pitt football?

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              1. Now I’m going to have to jot that down Nate and call you on it if you’re wrong. Throwing stuff out there when you are emotional? So you are saying PITT goes 4-5 next nine games? I sure as hell hope not! and no, not with this defense.

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            2. The coaches? They need to tell Pickett and V Davis that a lateral pass that actually is behind the receiver is not a forward pass so if it is dropped its like a fumble! I don’t think so.

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  28. Pitt 10/3 game with NC State at 12 noon on the ACC Network. Pitt must own some stock in that network since they like to put us on it every week.

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  29. Good write up MM. I especially liked how you gave Kessman an F- instead of a solid F like the tight ends. Glad you are recovering!

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  30. Paul Hackett was infamous for having AVP throw these 30 yard sidelines passes for gains of 5 yards or less. Folks – Whipple unfortunately is another version of Hackett.

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  31. For every one of those sideline passes that we break for any decent positive yards we have about 5 of which we gain 2 yards or less. Syracuse was within 2 to 3 yards of our intended receiver on each occasion. The one sideline pass that did gain some decent yards was when Pickett looked to the right on a short pass and then thru one his his left and the receiver made some positive yardage.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. We will be on the ACCN until maybe Miami or ND and we are 5-0. ACCN+ is the bottom of the barrel but who knows, we are a Northern team.

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  33. And those alternative uniforms released by Pitt are total garbage. They would have been better off if they placed a picture of my cat Garfield on one helmet side.

    🐱

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  34. DL…. Patrick Jones II played well but it looked like Syracuse decided to limit him and forgot about the dream Weaver on the other side. Camp looked good and will continue to get better but my man Kancey showed he will be a genuine beast if he already isn’t. It doesn’t take a pro scout to rate this unit an A+

    LB…. Got to start with Cam Bright who was very Bright. Campbell played well but seems to make plays undetected. Davis and Pine played ok but not stand outish. Maybe it’s because the D-Line cleaned up before they were needed? Got to throw a shout out to Brandon George here as well. The do everything dude who will be playing in the NFL. Dennis gets another shout out. . B+

    Safeties… Ford and Hamlin… almost nuff said. Hallet with the breakdown but only one play on the whole day. Stay healthy guys! A

    CB…. Pinnock is a stud and Williams played well, Woods played and represented well. This unit didn’t give up schitt. A

    Special team…. I’m still to pissed off to talk about what they did. They execute their

    roles and no one is bitching.. F-

    Coaching…. eh, they coached a team to a win against a so so team. They better have this team on the beam this coming week. Last week… B-

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  35. Gray is such a non- exciting color. Can you say Blah?

    Maybe only our offense will wear it!

    If sideline passes had a color – it’d be gray!

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  36. I don’t like them but if it gets the players fired up then I’m all for them. Three home games and PITT will wear blue jerseys once.

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  37. No official word, but Krull apparently hurt or otherwise sidelined and is going to be out for awhile it appears. Twitter post.

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  38. This sums up Krulls performance nicely.

    Writing about the film in 2009, Eric D. Snider summarized, “against all odds, Krull crams itself with magic, fantasy, and heroic quests, yet still manages to be boring. This is an impressive feat in and of itself. You’d almost have to be doing it on purpose.”

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  39. As per the long Syracuse TD: Hamlin was the safety that seemed to blow the coverage IMO. Hamlin came over to support the CB, but at the point where the CB passes a deep threat to the safety Hamlin was looking to the shorter routes and squatted. Pinnock continued to run with the receiver as there were no other receivers for him to peel off to and was expecting the deep help. Hallett was the other guy on the field who saw the pass being delivered and tried to come over to save the day. When you watch the play again, you just get a glimpse of Hamlin squatting.

    Now, it is quite possible I am wrong since I am not privy to the defense that was called. It is possible that a blitz was called that changed the responsibilities of the safeties. Hallett may have had “centerfield” responsibilities allowing for Paris to freelance and Hamlin responsible for intermediate coverage. Today’s defenses are more complex at the college level than they were even 15 years ago. It’s too bad we are unlikely to get an explanation from HCPN. Perhaps it will be a play they breakdown over at PSN.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. And I stand corrected. PSN did break down the play with a video that shows the entire defense. Hamlin was part of a trio playing intermediate routes. Hallett was the safety covering that half of the field. It looks as if Syracuse sent their number 87 through the seam to hold the safety.

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      1. jamers39 – should have posted your update in latest article. I saw the PSN article & was going to post but wanted to credit you but forgot your name.

        If you can, do it on new article & post a link to PSN.

        Thanks.

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  40. Good news on your Covid-19 progress, Mike. Take it easy, take it real easy. Pitt football s/b way down on your priority list right now.

    On the game grades, I pretty much agree with your grades.

    Although I would give the Offensive coaches a D. (1) The OLine, including the TE, is once again a case of lack of talent and pour coaching. Borbeley and Salem are a complete waste. Can’t coach, can’t recruit. (2) The next time Whipple calls for pass to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage, I think I’ll go mad.

    Undiscovered (??) gem of the game: who the hell is Calijah Kancey?? The kid is for real, and should get way more minutes. Never heard of him before Saturday (but maybe that’s just me). Turns out he’s a redshirt freshman from a stud high school program in Miami. Hats off to Coach Partridge!

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    1. Well Pete, you apparently have not been reading my comments closely enough. I’ve been bullish on Kancey since before PITT signed him. He’s a slam dunk. 🙂

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  41. Hey grizz, is it illegal to change from a right footed kicker to a left footed kicker in a game? I didnt understand why you can’t or shouldn’t. The blocking scheme doesn’t change. The snap doesn’t change. The only thing that changes is the holder. In that case, Pitt should have a holder for Kessman and a holder for the other guy, practicing together every practice, so it shouldnt be a problem when called upon. Why not a QB? Usually good hands and also presents options for a potential fake which could keep defenses/rushers a bit more on their heels.

    I am so waiting for Duzz to say that he is preserving a kids redshirt this year. Now that would be funny!

    I dont like the uni’s at all, and kudos for our AD to go with them when there is a zero percent chance of selling one to the home crowd next week! Speaking of attendance, Saturday’s announced attendance 47,916….Thank you! Glad you jumped on board with that Tex :).

    Won’t grade what i didnt see with respect to the game. My personal Grade for uni’s – D. Work on the brand. Incorporate, our colors. Or, use the WV third jersey hand me downs!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heather is a real genius with that marketing move.

      And if anyone thinks players play better in a new uniform they like, I have a rain forest in north Texas to sell you.

      Tex

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Orgen has like 32 mix and matches. I think they dont stray from their brand colors so you know who you are playing.

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    3. Huff III First I agree we should go to a more accurate kicker on shorter field goals if that would help the situation. I disagree about some other things though. First the alignment is different. The holder is not at the same point behind the long snapper for the two kickers. Remember the Austin Peay game when the long snapper came over to a coach after they subbed in the left footed kicker at the last moment. He was complaining to the coach about something. Narduzzi later said that the miss was on him because the long snapper rightly pointed out that he had never snapped to a holder for a left footed kicker. The long snapper needs to change his aim point to the other side of the holder. This may seem trivial but it isn’t. This problem can be overcome by having the long snapper work with both holders during the week. I also agree with your QB as a holder solution. Way above in these comments I suggested Patti for Kessman but he could be used only for the left footed kicker. This would also give us the option you suggested with a fake option which is much more likely to be called the deeper we are in the opponents territory.

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      1. We are in agreement. My point is that the backup kicker should have his own holder to practice with all week so that there should be no hesitation if an injury or something worse happens to the starting kicker. They are allowed to practice a certain number hours per week. Long snapping is the only thing adomitis does so he should be able to snap two different ways depending on holder.

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  42. Since the uniforms are Grey(s)….that must be an alien on the helmet. An enraged one at that.
    Maybe Nardo was abducted a couple times and that image is still in his head.

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  43. Ike – You wanted some data on penalties in the Narduzzi years. From the NCAA stats. I tried to post link to the NCAA site but was WordPressed in not posting comments.

    2020 – 2 games, 11 penalties, 100 yards, 5.5 penalties/game – Rk.#25T, avg. 50.0 yds./game-Rk.#23T, Avg. yardage/penalty – 9.09 (2020 – only 52 teams ranked).

    The following are for the other 5 years. Just going to use comma’s to separate w/out verbiage.

    2019 – 13, 121, 888, 7.05 – #121, 68.31 – #119, 8.71
    2018 – 14, 101, 942, 7.21- #102, 67..29 – #109, 9.33
    2017 – 12, 46, 458, 3.83 – #3, 38.17 – # 10, 9.96
    2016 – 13, 74, 647, 5.69 – #50, 49.77 – #48, 8.74
    2015 – 13, 65, 530, 5.00 – #19, 40.77 – #18, 8.15

    Make of it want you want.

    You would think the Service Academies would be pretty well disciplined. For 2020:
    Navy – 2, 9, 99, 4.5 – #11T, 49.5 – #22, 11.0
    Army – 2, 11, 111, 5.5 – #25T (with Pitt & SMU). 55.5 – #32, 10.0

    Explain above. I think I have an explanation.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If I’m reading this right Richard, it looks like PITT has been flag more the past two years and thank you for the data. How did you know I was talking to you?

      Army and Navy have lots of moving parts.

      I really don’t see anything that looks like PITT has an unruly team or undisciplined team. They are aggressive for sure and sometimes do dumb stuff, you know like other teams do. This team tackles and lays out hits. Just a few years ago I would read PITT hasn’t hit anyone like the old days. Say hello old days and with them come penalties in today’s football world.

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      1. yes – penalties have increased over 2015 & 2016. Lowest is 2017 & my guess is no one was saying – well we have a losing season but penalties were the lowest since 1980 & top 10 in two categories’. Overall I call that a wining season.

        Ike – I can catch your meaning. I can get your drift.

        Army/Navy – it’s in the yards/penalty. Both 10 & over. Lots of 10yd.(holdingv) & 15yd.(pass interference. unsportsman calls, compared to the numerous 5 yd. penalties which would bring down avg. yards/ penalty.

        Liked by 1 person

  44. Again I say I don’t like the uni’s but what’s funny is many of the people who say they don’t like them are the same one’s that laughed at fans calling for bringing back the script and old colors. Uniforms don’t matter. Hypocrisy again.

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    1. Gray is not a pitt color. And who will be in the stands to buy that drab coal miner uniform. The marketing genius heather strikes again. Will someone please rid me of that yellow blouse.

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      1. Heather’s favorite movie is……Coal Miner’s Daughter. So that explains the coal miner uniforms.
        At least it wasn’t …Krull !

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  45. IF I recall correctly, all you old timers were disappointed since pitt didn’t pick the brown mustard of your glory days.

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    1. It was Old Gold. The Gulden’s brown mustard was JM2. You must be getting dementia at an early age.

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  46. ^^ Should I feel offended by that comment Tex? 🙂 Don’t be upset if you were born to late to see one of the best teams in NCAA history. Be happy you’re still younger than me. Now go and have your players take a couple laps in the hot Texas heat.

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  49. According to a post on the Lair, Vincent Davis is second in the ACC with 5.2 broken tackles per 25 rush attempts.

    He’s just ahead of Etienne from Clemson…

    Go Pitt.

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  50. Michelangelo, glad you are starting to feel better! Your writing remains top shelf so the brain is working just fine! I watched the Miami Louisville game, and with Louisville’s speed they could easily have beaten Miami had they gotten a better start. Pitt will be lucky to win this game, and it will probably take 30 points to do it. By the way, it wasn’t long ago that POVers were raving about Salem’s recruiting skills. Now he’s getting dusted..

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    1. VoR – Did you see my series of comments in response to your question about Pitt recruiting?

      If not, they are in Mikes article titled Updated: Kradel, Davis…. First comment is on 8/18 6:21pm.

      Liked by 1 person

  53. Maestro, I too am glad to hear that you are on the mend.

    I just had a thought, we need a report on what our opponent and their media are saying in the lead up to the game. Pittintheville (Matt) can you give us some insight as to the vibe in Louisville this week???

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