in Pitt Football 809 Words

MMQB: Pitt Win over the Orange 2022

(Here is a great photo of the POVers at the POV tailgate. Thanks for the food, drink and great conversations everyone – I’m the tall guy in the back and only one not looking directly at the camera!)  

monday-morning-qb

Saturday’s game was a hard fought win for us with a 19-9 victory and a completely defensive game really. Neither team shone offensively at all and it showed on the scoreboard and in the respective team stats.    Any time a college FBS Power Five team holds another team of the same level to only three field goals for 60 minutes is something to acknowledge and be proud of. Do we have the ability to do that with future opponents with their regular QBs under center? I do wonder.

From now on whenever I predict anything on the POV please pay no attention – I am not very good at it.  Of course when I missed the fact that an opponent’s QB was not being able to play helped screw up my 27-10 Syracuse (SYR) win prediction. That the very good Syracuse starting QB Garrett Schrader had to sit out the game really twisted things over to Pitt’s favor. Although, our line play on both sides of the ball was pretty damn good so we certainly may have pulled out a win even had Schrader played.  But going from a QB (21st ranked nationally) who rated out at 157.6 over the first eight games to a kid, FR Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who never started a college game before was a tough thing for SYR to overcome.

KS Stats

Our own QB, Kedon Slovis, had another uneventful game of course. His 16 completions of 23 passes for 176 yards and no TDs but one INT was not surprising to anyone not in the ‘Slovis was great at USC’ camp.

This is becoming par for the course as he can’t seem to be able to generate consistent movement of the ball downfield and points scored in an recurring basis. This game he was just as he has been for the last three games where he hasn’t had a TD thrown but completed four INTs to the opposition. Get that Slovis apologists – not one TD pass in four games including Saturday. Which accounts for him being ranked 96th out of the top 116 FBS QBs.

On the ground we did OK as the OL was at its most consistent all year. We had 161 yards rushing which looks great until you see that we ran the ball 48(!) times for a measly 3.8 yards per carry effort. My thoughts are that SYR had, and still has, a pretty poor defense and the fact that we scored only 17 offense points against them is not a happy-making thing.

Kedon On His Head

At some point one has to look at how many games are played when we look at statistics and think “Hmmm, Slovis’ play doesn’t bode well for our future games.”  At this point in the season with nine games under our belt we already know that our offense is stumbling against decent teams.

In the last five FBS games we have played we have averaged only 23.8 ppg so it isn’t surprising that we are 2-3 in that stretch. Even worse is that we scored only 18.3 ppg in those three losses.  

Whether our better half defense can overcome that and bring us more wins is the real question. The three remaining ACC opponents, Virginia, Duke and Miami are not real strong teams, well, perhaps Duke is doing pretty decently, and maybe that means we could sweep the remainder of the season. 

I very much doubt it though even though none of their defenses are as good as what SYR had going in to this last game. Virginia and Miami are ranked 37th and 39th respectively in overall defense. As to Points Allowed Virginia holds opponents to 22.6 ppg; Duke 23.1; Miami 25.0 and Pitt 25.8.  Which means little when a TD is a six point play.

Again, it pretty much boils down to whether our offense can produce points in the numbers that are more that the guys across the field. With Slovis and OC Cignetti that is not a sure bet.

ACC Standings 11-6-22

Next up is a Pitt-Virginia game down in Charlottesville, VA which is one of the nicest towns in the east. That will be a fun game to watch I hope. This last one was pretty boring actually so maybe Slovis breaks out of his Who Me? mode of play and makes some points show up on the scoreboard. Because of his mediocre at best play (and it was yet again Pitt fans) I’ll not turn the previous photo right side up until he drags his season QB rating up to at least a still crappy 130.  As it is now he stands at a paltry 124.4 which truly sucks and to put that into a Pitt perspective he sits right above Larry Wanke’s 122.8. 

HTP!!

Human Panther

 

185 thoughts on “MMQB: Pitt Win over the Orange 2022”

    1. PITT POSTGAME NOTES
      Pitt 19, Syracuse 9
      Nov. 5, 2022

      TEAM

      With Pitt’s 19-9 victory over Syracuse, the Panthers now lead the all-time series, 43-32-3.

      Pitt has now won 18 of the past 21 games in the series.

      The Panthers lead the ACC series, 9-1.

      Pitt is now 10-1 against the Orange at Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field). Syracuse’s lone win occurred in 2001, the venue’s inaugural year.

      Syracuse entered the game ranked No. 22 by both Associated Press and the AFCA USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Pitt has now defeated at least one nationally ranked team in seven consecutive seasons dating back to 2016.

      OFFENSE

      Running back Rodney Hammond Jr. made his first career start, replacing the injured Israel Abanikanda, who did not play.

      Hammond rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. He set career highs for rushing yards and carries, eclipsing his previous bests set against New Hampshire last season (17 carries for 100 yards on Sept. 25, 2021).

      Hammond gave Pitt a 7-3 lead in the second quarter with a six-yard run at the 10:26 mark. It was his third rushing touchdown of the season.

      C’Bo Flemister, the Notre Dame transfer, scored his first career Pitt touchdown, a one-yard rush that gave the Panthers a 17-6 lead with 1:49 left in the third quarter.

      Flemister achieved season highs with 42 yards on 12 carries.

      Jared Wayne finished with 102 yards receiving on six catches. It is the second consecutive game Wayne logged more than 100 receiving yards and ……

      (continued below)

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  2. (Continued from comment above)

    fourth 100-yard game in his career.
    Wayne is the first Pitt player to achieve back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Jordan Addison last season (Wake Forest and Michigan State).

    DEFENSE

    Pitt limited Syracuse to 25 rushing yards on 25 carries. It was a season-low for the Orange, which had been averaging 164.5 per game.

    It was also a season-low for the Panthers’ defense and their lowest rushing total overall since yielding 25 yards (on 30 carries) to Syracuse last season (Nov. 27, 2021).
    Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, who had been averaging 94.8 rushing yards per game, was limited to 19 yards on 10 carries (1.9 avg.).

    Pitt is now 31-10 under Pat Narduzzi when holding an opponent under 100 yards rushing.

    Pitt limited Syracuse to 145 total yards (120 passing, 25 rushing). It was the lowest total output allowed by the Panthers since Sept. 12, 2020, when they held Austin Peay to 137 yards (one rushing, 136 passing).

    It marked the lowest total yards allowed by the Panthers in an ACC game since Oct. 3, 2015, when they held Virginia Tech to 100 yards (nine rushing, 91 passing).

    Pitt is now 10-0 under Pat Narduzzi when holding an opponent under 200 total yards.

    Pitt collected a season-high six quarterback sacks, led by Deslin Alexandre’s career-high 2.5.

    Pitt is now 23-1 under Pat Narduzzi when recording at least five sacks in a game.

    Alexandre was responsible for the game’s final points when he sacked Syracuse quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson in the end zone for a safety with 1:35 left in the game.

    It was the first safety scored by Pitt since Sept. 25, 2021 against New Hampshire.

    SPECIAL TEAMS

    Ben Sauls converted a 43-yard field goal just before halftime to give Pitt a 10-6 lead.

    Sauls has now made five consecutive field goals. He is 10 of 13 (77%) on the season.

    Caleb Junko made his punting debut for the Panthers. He punted twice for a 43.0 average, placing his second at the Syracuse 1. Pitt scored its safety on the very next play.

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  3. Who exactly is starting on the OL these days ? Seems there have been some changes, but I haven’t seen any write-ups of the current crew, and since I don’t go to the games anymore it’s pretty hard to follow. If they are all seniors, this does not bode well for next year.

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    1. Branson Taylor has been starting at both tackle spots this season but is now entrenched at left tackle with Warren’s injury. I think Blake might return as a super senior and Jacoby should be capable of filling in at left guard next year. I’m excited about the center, Moore. Baer has received good reviews, too.

      I think it will be addition by subtraction at some spots. I cannot see myself clamoring for some of these guys next season. I do think a lineman will be added via the portal.

      Liked by 3 people

  8. Just saw this stat. Even though we suck (since that summarizes most opinions here), the ACC vs. ACC records for all teams (including Notre Dame) for the past 5 years is listed below:

    Regular-season record vs ACC, last 5 seasons:

    Notre Dame, 27-0
    Clemson, 36-3
    Pitt, 24-15
    Miami, 22-16
    NC State, 22-17
    Wake, 20-18
    UNC, 21-20
    UVA, 19-20
    VT, 19-21
    FSU, 17-22
    BC, 16-24
    GT, 15-24
    Lville, 15-25
    Cuse, 14-25
    Duke, 10-29

    Seems like lots of teams might suck even more than Pitt?? (and yes, I know the ACC isn’t the SEC, but it’s the conference we play in and probably belong in.

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    2. The details read more than simple assault if I understand it (and I probably don’t).
      Anybody undertstand the difference between simple and aggravated – or battery for that matter?

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  10. Reed, you make me laugh. I was looking at the photo’s and there was a picture of Slovis passing and it was upside down. I am thinking you were making a pictorial comment on the current state of our passing game.

    I think Hammond had a solid game, but his body type is not one to give him the ball 28 times a game, especially after injury, but nardstop will look at the tape.

    I agree that we caught a break that their qb did not play and we got to go up against a first-time qb starter. I think that loss was more important than izzy being out as the qb is the leader of all teams. We made very poor decisions on throwing some passes and tried to get cute when the call was not to be cute. Syracuse is bad without their qb as most teams are.

    The acc is taking a beating with clempsin getting walloped. Ukelele isn’t sharp for his third year, yet dabo goes there in an effort to get Ukelele’s brother, who is a fine tuned dlineman. Word out of west of Virginny is that Neal Brown is out. Where is Rich rod!

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  12. My basketball comment was at the end of the last thread….bottom line is we will be better, not great but better…without Johnson…who needs a good lawyer and not a coach

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  13. Did not watch the game due to a family commitment. Did listen to a good portion of the first half on the radio (iphone radio!) and then caught the 4th quarter via espn’s “Gamecast” as we were driving home. Of course you can’t get a sense for the “eye test” through these methods, but basically the vibe i got was:

    “yes our offense still sucks”
    “yes we still make a lot of dumb mistakes”
    “at least the O line is getting a push”
    “finally the pass rush has decided to show up”
    “their QB is not accurate”

    On the surface I would agree that Syracuses freshman QB had a lot to do with our success. However you know what they say “the best ability is availabilty”

    Glad we got a much-needed win.

    Maestro

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  14. Syracuse wins with their starting QB. Pitt’s offense is terrible.

    While 99.9% of the offensive issues are on Cignetti, I agree with some that if Patti is healthy he needs to play. The offense can’t get worse with him running the show.

    If Pitt has more the five yards to get on third down, they are screwed. Cignetti is the only OC in college football that will only send three receivers out in this situation. Three receivers against usually five DBs. The routes…one long, one intermediate and one in the flats or five yards down field. With everything covered, the QB usually throws to the guy short of the sticks. So hard to watch after last year.

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  16. Simple question..Is Nick Patti hurt or not?
    Why can’t this be answered?
    If he’s hurt I understand to some degree playing Slovis but if he’s not Dooz is closer to the “maroon” (classic Bugs Bunny reference) that some on here think.
    Not sure the 70’s Steelers D could consistently cover for our current Offense…which is Offensive.

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  18. What is clear after 9 games:
    – Nardummy’s stubborn streak will always limit his success
    – Cignutjob thinks its 1978, he may be the worst hire in history
    – Although I’m all for a QB change, it won’t matter with this offense
    – Pitt’s totally incapable of coming from behind because of its offense
    – Never in history has an OC been more incapable of utilizing his TEs
    – When has a Pitt team regressed, during the season, more than this team
    – God bless the never give up attitude of the defense, SirVocea is a beast
    – Criticizing the WRs is unfair when the QB and scheme are putrid
    – Losing the TO battle every game is a perfect recipe for losses
    – No bowl game may be good, less exposure to Cignutjob coaching
    – There’s not enough bourbon in Pittsburgh to be a Pitt fan

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  19. Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi Transcript
    Syracuse Postgame

    November 5, 2022

    PAT NARDUZZI: Great game, great team win by our football team. A lot of good things. Still a lot of things we can clean up. I’m still not sure we’ve played our best game.

    We’ve found a way to just do some crazy things at times. That’s kind of who this ’22 team has been. A lot of great plays.

    I thought the defense played outstanding. They were all over the place, besides that one last big pass, thrown to the Gateway guy, I believe. It was a heck of a game. Had some great plays in the game.

    Obviously we’re without our tailback, Izzy. Expect him back ready to roll next week, and I loved how C’Bo ran. Obviously Rodney was good, and we were able to do it with another guy out.

    Questions?

    Q. After giving up four touchdowns in the fourth quarter the last two games, what did you see out of your defense today in that fourth quarter to close this game out?

    PAT NARDUZZI: The coverage was really good. That one long pass wasn’t very good, but the coverage was great. I saw more linebacker PBUs. We didn’t do that, we lost our focus a week ago. Just with the quarterback scrambling, our D-line did a great job putting pressure on the quarterback.

    Kancey played four quarters, and they struggled to block him even when he played defensive end out there in the one package.

    They got after the quarterback, and that was the difference. Again, obviously it’s a different team. It’s a top-20 win, I can tell you that, but I don’t know if it’s the caliber of a North Carolina. You can grade that the way you want to grade it. It wasn’t North Carolina, it was Syracuse, and again, a really good football team.

    Q. How close was Izzy to playing today?

    PAT NARDUZZI: He didn’t practice this week. I thought Tuesday, taking a day off on Tuesday, he was sore, and I figured — Izzy heals really well, really quick. Usually we’ve got a yellow jersey on him on Tuesday just to take it easy. Wednesday he didn’t go and he said he wasn’t feeling any better, so I felt like on Wednesday that he wasn’t going to go. Then if you don’t practice on Thursday, it’s hard to put a man out on the field that’s not physically ready to go. I’m not going to do that.

    I think he probably could have gone if we wanted to, but he’s smiling and he’s happy in the locker room and we got a win without him, and he’ll be — the thing I said to him is you’re going to be really healthy for this week. So he’s not going to be sore on Tuesday.

    Q. I know the offense didn’t drive down the field and score in the fourth quarter there, but compared to what it did in the last two fourth quarters, just getting to see them put together a decent drive and kill some clock and really ice the game, how nice is that for you and your staff?

    PAT NARDUZZI: It was good. Again, that’s a good defense now. That’s a really good defense that we played today, top 20 I believe in most categories, so it’s a good football team.

    We moved the ball a lot better in the first half. I’m not sure why in the second half, but they had a lot of guys in the box. As you guys could see, they were down there. They’re a good football team.

    Q. Other than taking a big risk in the first quarter, how did Kedon play?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Besides that big risk — he got hit as he threw it, and I think he was throwing it away is what he told me. He didn’t get it far enough out of the end zone. But I thought he played solid. We’ll go back and look at the tape, but I think it was good. He played good enough to win the football game.

    Q. Did you consider a quarterback change after the early Slovis interception?

    PAT NARDUZZI: No, not even close, no.

    Q. Jared Wayne, back-to-back 100-yard weeks, most catches and yards in his career back-to-back weeks, is that anything you guys are doing to make it so that he gets that production, or is it just the game?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Well, we know he’s a guy we can rely on. Konata had a nice game, as well. I don’t think we were able to get the ball to Bub today, but that’s just how it rolls. But Konata had a nice bubble out there where he had some great blocking and took it down the sideline. I thought he was going to score; he’s pretty fast.

    But Jared Wayne is a football player, as we know, and he’s been our go-to guy, he’s our deep-ball guy, and he’s a playmaker. I know Kedon can trust him and I know the offensive staff trusts him.

    Q. You talked last Saturday about how when Calijah got ejected, the rest of the defensive line didn’t get enough pressure on Drake May. What did you see from the rest of the defensive line tonight aside from Kancey, who obviously also had a big game?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Well, I think they played angry. Coach Partridge did a great job of just getting them ready to go today and got after them this week in practice. They showed up today. They played a little angry today. The performance a week ago was not who we are, and again, give them credit.

    Again, we’re going back seven days, but they were ready to go today.

    Q. How do you explain —

    PAT NARDUZZI: They max protected all day, too, now. They put 47 and 81, those tight ends, they just max protected all day. They were blocking with six and we were rushing four to get most of those sacks. It wasn’t like there was a bunch of blitz sacks. We almost had a blitz sack on that last scramble by the quarterback for a 1st down when Calijah had the sack. He had him wrapped up, and he just got tackled from behind. I’ve never seen anything like that before, but he got tackled from behind. Wow.

    Q. Another running back, C’Bo, how do you explain him all of a sudden —

    PAT NARDUZZI: It’s not all of a sudden. You’ve got Izzy, you’ve got Rodney who was out. And C’Bo is a good football player. He’s got some juice to him. I just thought — he plays in games like he practices, and again, you’ve got deep position there.

    He’s got another year. I hope he comes back because I think that guy can be really, really good. He started off slow in camp, but C’Bo is a football player. He’s tough, he’s physical. He’s just got some juice to him. That drive was all him. Obviously besides that third quarter drive, he did a heck of a job.

    Q. Can you talk more about Rodney; what’s it say about a guy who has this great game to start the season, then watches his teammate become one of the best running backs in the country as he’s on the sideline with an injury. He comes back, can’t really get into a rhythm, but then when he’s called upon tonight, to run the ball 28 times and really carry the offense, he’s out there and he executes. What’s that say about him?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know, it’s another good football player. You’d like to have another guy to hand it to. Your tailback is not going to stay healthy all year, just like some other positions aren’t going to. You’d better have good backups.

    Again, we see Rodney as a starter, period, him and Izzy, and if he didn’t get hurt, he’d have had a heck of a lot more carries than he’s had so far to this point. Like I said to him before the game, this is what you’ve been waiting for. He’s been wanting more carries.

    It’s hard to take Izzy off the field what he’s done this year, but (124) yards rushing, 28 carries, and he was a load in there, like we know.

    Q. Deslin goes for two and a half TFLs, two and a half sacks; is this the best you’ve ever seen him play?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever seen him play. It’s maybe the best he’s played this year. We’ll look at the tape again to make that decision, but Deslin is great.

    We’ve played some athletic quarterbacks this year, guys. You go down the list of who we’ve played, those guys have avoided some sacks, and you give the quarterback some credit through the years.

    But Deslin has played well. I don’t think it’s the best he’s played. He’s a good football player.

    Q. The way the defense performed tonight, is this one of the best defensive performances in terms of just physically dominating the interior that you remember?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know what, no. We’ve had some dominating performances since I’ve been here. It’s been eight seasons in. That was a good performance. I’ve seen better, I think. I don’t know what the yardage was. I don’t know the best yardage since I’ve been here. But it was a good performance.

    I’m writing down every series; there was a lot of — three-and-out a lot. That first drive they went down the field with penalties. We had a facemask. We had a PI that I thought was whatever. But we kind of gave them some yardage in penalties on the first drive just to get their field goal. But to hold them to three field goals, that’s good defense.

    Q. This is the second year in a row that you guys have faced Sean Tucker from Syracuse when he’s been averaging over 90 yards per game, dominating the rest of college football, and he comes here and you guys hold him to less than 20 yards rushing. What did you guys have to do? What did you see from your guys to take on the challenge of facing an athlete like that?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Again, it’s called execution. We talk to our guys about not playing four quarters, playing one play at a time and playing every minute to win it.

    Our guys, we didn’t focus too much on just the fourth quarter and what we’ve got to do in the fourth quarter to win it, it was just like one play at a time and move on to the next and go. That’s what our guys did today.

    We had that crappy punt in the fourth quarter and it’s like, are you kidding me, and our defense went out there and went three-and-out and they went to kick a field goal and missed it. Again, got a couple TFLs or whatever on that series; that’s dominating defense. That’s what we expect every weekend. You’ve got to pay attention to details.

    Q. Speaking of punters, I think you guys used three different ones. Was there a certain scenario; it seemed like you maybe liked Vander Haar when you’re trying to pin deep there, and Junko to boot it further downfield?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I mean, obviously Cam had the ugly one. It was a little bit of a high snap by Byron, but he got it down; there was no pressure. He’s just got to punt the ball. That was ugly.

    Junko came in and did a great job, but Sam was our — he’s been our sky punt guy, that again, didn’t have — he was really 1 for 1. The other one was not very good. We had a penalty on that play. Again, that punt returner did a great job. It looked like he was catching it, and Karter Johnson hit him, and I was kind of like, what are you doing, but looked at the replay, it was a great fake. I think he thought he had the ball, and he was doing what PJ O’Brien did at the end there.

    But I guess we can’t fall for the fakes. But he was just trying to make a play.

    Vander Haar has been our sky punt guy. He’s been excellent at it all year. Last two weeks we’ve evaluated Cam just on how his sky punts were. We do a big sky punt period on Fridays, and we just said we’re going to go with (Vander Harr), that’s what he’s good at right now. Dropped one at the 1, which was good.

    Q. In addition to of course we know about Rodney, but what about his backup, C’Bo had 43 yards and a touchdown?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, that one drive C’Bo had, I was so happy for him. It’s not easy sitting there watching Izzy, watching Rodney. He had his opportunity to go out there and show, hey, I can deserve a package, I deserve some more carries, and again, it’s hard to dish them all out.

    Somehow we’ve got to get three tailbacks on the field at one time, I guess. But he’s tough, he’s physical, and I love how he practices every day. He plays the way he practices every single day.

    Q. A lot of the guys in that locker room have won a lot of games with you, but were they more excited than normal after this one considering the rough month of October you guys just went through?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Not really. I mean, it was the same as normal. You’re upset when you lose and you’re happy when you win. I didn’t see any more excitement in there. Same, moving on to the next.

    Q. What was the thought process behind that trick play where Jared threw that interception?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Oh, boy. Should have thrown it away. They were in zone coverage. I won’t get into details, but it was — he’s got a great arm, too. He throws it long and outside, then we’ve got a shot. We got in the red zone twice and didn’t come away with points, so we moved the football, but it was not good. Just put it on me; blame me.

    Q. Six-sack performance where you guys allowed just 25 yards rushing. Can that be the spark that your defense needs to get back into playing the type of aggressive football that wins you guys football games?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I hope so. I hope it gives them a little bit of confidence and they get their swag back as far as getting the quarterback, you hope. But next week is another game against a Virginia team that almost knocked off North Carolina today. I think they got awful close at the end. I don’t know what the final score was, but we’ve got another battle. We’ve got to go on the road, noon game, got an hour drive. We’re already thinking about the next — I think we’re staying in Richmond, got an hour drive to the stadium because there’s no hotels in Charlottesville. But just working on the next.

    Q. Ben Sauls, only hit him once today, made a 43-yarder, but he’s perfect on PATs. He hasn’t had that many pressure situations, but just what is there to say in terms of his consistency given he hasn’t that many opportunities so far to kick field goals?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, whether we ask you to kick one or kick two or three, we expect you to make them all. He’s been 100 percent here in the last few weeks. He’s done a great job. That’s what we saw all camp.

    He was a guy that came in as a scholarship player and got beat out by Sam Scarton, a walk-on, and then he came back and told me the other day, I needed last year to be who I am this year. Again, sometimes you’ve got to get knocked down a little bit, and nobody is entitled to be a starter just because you’re a scholarship player. Sam did great job for us last year, and he’s done a great job for us this year.

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  20. Nov. 7, 2022

    Pitt Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi Statement:

    “The incident involving Dayon Hayes is incredibly disappointing and concerning. I take all disciplinary matters very seriously, and that is especially the case with situations of this kind. Our players know they are accountable for their actions, both on and off the field. I’ve conveyed this to Dayon, who will be immediately subject to team disciplinary measures in addition to any legal consequences that may arise. The details of that discipline will remain a private matter.”

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  21. Kickoff Time for Pitt’s Nov. 19 Duke Game Announced

    PITTSBURGH—The Atlantic Coast Conference announced that Pitt’s November 19 game against Duke at Acrisure Stadium will kick off at noon and be televised by ACC Network.

    The Panthers’ remaining 2022 football schedule and announced kickoff times:

    Nov. 12: at Virginia* (ACC Network), Noon

    Nov. 19: Duke* (ACC Network), Noon

    Nov. 26 : at Miami*

    *ACC game

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  22. PITT (5-4, 2-3 ACC) vs. VIRGINIA (3-6, 1-5 ACC): Complete Game Release Link

    November 12, 2022 ∙ Noon (ET)

    Scott Stadium (61,500/Prescription Athletic Turf) ∙ Charlottesville, Va.

    ACC Network ∙ 93.7 The Fan ∙ Pitt Panthers Radio Network

    PittsburghPanthers.com ∙ @Pitt_FB

    GAME STORYLINES

    √ Pitt visits Virginia’s Scott Stadium for the first time since 2018. The Panthers seek their second consecutive win following last week’s 19-9 victory over nationally ranked Syracuse.

    √ Pitt has won five of the past six meetings with Virginia. The Panthers defeated the Cavaliers, 48-38, last season in Pittsburgh, a victory that clinched the Coastal Division title for Pitt.

    √ Since 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed Pitt to 38 victories in ACC play, the third-highest win total during that span. The Panthers trail only Clemson (58) and Miami (39).

    √ Rodney Hammond Jr., a native of Norfolk, Va., is coming off a career game. Hammond rushed for 124 yards and a score against a Syracuse defense that ranked first in the ACC in yards allowed (303.1 avg.).

    √ Hammond was filling in for injured starter Israel Abanikanda, the nation’s scoring leader who is expected to return to active duty this week.

    √ Abanikanda has established himself as a highly viable candidate for All-America honors and the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s top running back.

    √ Abanikanda leads the entire country in all-purpose yards (177.88 avg.) and ranks fourth in rushing (135.75).

    √ He additionally paces the nation in rushing touchdowns (16), total touchdowns (17), scoring per game (12.8) and total points (102).

    √ The Panthers are averaging 33:23 in possession time per contest, their highest average in eight years. Pitt leads the ACC and ranks 10th nationally in time of possession.

    BROADCAST INFORMATION

    Television ∙ ACC Network

    Chris Cotter (play-by-play)

    Charles Arbuckle (analyst)

    Lericia Harris (reporter)

    Pitt Radio ∙ 93.7 The Fan & Pitt Panthers Radio Network

    Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)

    Pat Bostick (analyst)

    Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson (reporters)

    SiriusXM Satellite Radio

    SiriusXM Channel 99 or 206, SXM App Channel 969

    WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) ∙ 92.1 FM

    Online Audio

    937thefan.radio.com

    Like

  23. Pitt volleyball moved up one spot to #6 in RPI this week. Louisville remains at #2 and Georgia Tech dropped to #19 with their loss to Miami. Georgia Tech will not be one of the top 16 seeds in the tournament unless they defeat either Pitt or Louisville.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. November 7, 2022​

    Pitt’s Alexandre Named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week

    PITTSBURGH—Pitt defensive end Deslin Alexandre has been named the ACC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance in the Panthers’ 19-9 victory over Syracuse this past weekend.

    Alexandre led a dominant defensive effort against the No. 20 Orange by compiling a career-high seven tackles, 2.5 quarterback sacks and a pass breakup. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior iced the game when he sacked Carlos Del Rio-Wilson in the end zone for a safety, giving Pitt a two-score advantage with 1:35 left.

    The Panthers limited Syracuse to 145 total yards, including a mere 25 on the ground. Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, who entered the game as the ACC’s second-leading rusher at 94.8 yards per game, was limited to just 19 yards on 10 carries.

    On the year, Alexandre has collected 23 tackles, five tackles for loss, 4.5 quarterback sacks, six QB hurries and two pass breakups. The two-time team captain has been a vital contributor for a Pitt defensive unit that ranks 10th nationally in sacks (3.22 per game), 17th against the run (109.4 yards per game) and 26th in total defense (328.2 yards per game).

    The Panthers (5-4, 2-3 ACC) play at Virginia (3-6, 1-5) this week. The game will be an ACC Network telecast and kick off at noon.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Talked to my Carolina buddy today… he said PITT really roughed-up his Heels…. Knocked 3 of their starters out for the season!!! but we lost…

    Like

  27. A couple of random comments…

    I will be in Charlottesville for the game with my buddy Big Al. Any POVers travelling to C-ville and want to do a mini tailgate (we will call it a .5A gathering), let me know.

    Who draws up a play calling for a lateral left to a WR followed by a throw ACROSS THE FIELD deep? SMH on that one, even a couple days later.

    Slovis said he was trying to get rid of the ball on 1st drive INT. I’m not saying he’s a liar, but… really?

    Hammond is a good RB and we will be glad to have him next year. And hopefully Flemister too. But that said, he hasn’t shown that he’s better than Izzy.

    I wondered many times during the game why Carter wasn’t in as a FB on short yardage. I think everyone knows we will run it, so why not put the hammer to a LB?

    The rumor about Patti was he had a high ankle sprain….if that is true, it could have been a slow to heal one… and would answer the questions about his avaialbility.

    Like

    1. The trick play design. Another Cignetti head scratcher. Even the announcer called out the terrible design.

      Like

  28. Reed, let me know which games in December you can attend and I’ll see what I can do.
    Wolfe and Gordon also have tickets and we are all in the same section.

    Like

  30. November 7, 2022

    Pat Narduzzi Press Conference

    Virginia Week

    PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO

    PAT NARDUZZI: I’ll start off by just kind of talking about an incident this weekend. We’ll start right there. (Pitt Athletics) already released a statement on my behalf and really don’t want to answer any other further questions on it. But obviously as a head football coach, as a parent, very, very disappointed in what happened.

    Again, it’s something that we coach very hard against, not only football-wise, it’s how we act as people. So very, very disappointed, and I’ll let my issue or I’ll let that issue take care of itself, and I won’t have any further comment on that.

    Getting back to the Syracuse game, great team win. I think we played some pretty good football. Obviously in all three phases we left some plays on the field. You guys can watch the tape. You can watch the TV copy and say, ‘Look, ooh.’ But defensively I think it was about as strong a performance as we’ve had this season. Really played well in all phases. Couldn’t be happier with the way they played.

    Offensively we ran the ball well. Obviously played with a backup tailback and was happy with what Rodney did. Again, he’s still rusty. We could have had some more yards and maybe some better reads and all those things, but he hadn’t had that many carries in a long time.

    Really Kedon completed about 70 percent of his passes. I know everybody, you guys talk after games like, ‘Hey, think about this or think about that.’ Seventy percent of your passes is pretty good. We’d all like him to complete 90 and 100, and there’s probably one big post that we wish we would have hit. We should have saw it. But when you look back, he didn’t leave any plays. He had some great passes on the sideline to Jared Wayne, and again, shouldn’t have got sacked once, but it’s not on him. The pressure came through.

    So I was really happy with where he was, and I think he just keeps getting a little bit better every game.

    Jared drops one across the middle, ball is on the money, would have had more, but getting just a cleaner route by the tight end that was supposed to clear out there would have just taken that guy out of the way. It would have been maybe a touchdown.

    So there’s some plays, little things like that, that obviously you’re not looking at and probably as a defensive guy I’m not looking at as I watch the tape or watch the game live if I don’t watch it with our offense.

    Then on to Virginia. Good football team. We know what they looked like here at old Heinz Field last season. Brennan Armstrong is back, Tony Elliott is the head coach there, brings his Clemson swag into Virginia. Obviously in his first season there, but a good football team.

    They’ve got capable receivers that when we walked off that field last season, we were like, that’s the best receiving corps in the country. Keytaon Thompson is really good. They’ve got a kid, No. 3, Wicks, who’s outstanding. Again, defensively they’re four-down and play a lot of quarters and cover-three and man-free and zone pressure a little bit. Again, I think they’re getting better every week they step out on the field. Again, it’s a whole new offense for them, it’s a new quarterback coach, it’s a new defensive coordinator. There’s those things.

    Again, they took, as we know, a really, really good North Carolina football team to the wire last weekend. That’s kind of what we’re dealing with.

    I’ll leave it there and open it up for questions.

    Q. What’s the difference between Armstrong this year and Armstrong last year?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know what, it’s a change. It’s a change. I talked about Syracuse last week and what Coach Anae, how he was and what they did at Syracuse. Brennan is dealing with a new change, no different than what Kedon is — he’s got a new offensive coordinator, new quarterback coach from what he had a year ago, and there’s change. I think anytime there’s change, it’s hard.

    That’s why having a consistent coach being around you and having that — that is so critical. It doesn’t matter what position.

    There’s change all over that roster as far as just the entire staff is new, I think. I’m not sure if the one guy got retained. That’s the biggest difference. He’s still a good quarterback, but it takes time, and it’s no different than a guy going from college to go to the NFL and adjusting to an NFL system. It takes time.

    Nothing is instant. We’d all like it to be instant. We talked about Kedon and being a grad transfer a week ago or two weeks ago, and it’s the same thing for him. It’s like he transferred in there and he’s got a whole new staff, so that’s what I think it is.

    He’s talented. He can run. He’s their leading rusher. You talk about all the quarterbacks we’ve faced this year, again, another runner and another guy that — obviously a left-hander that can sling the football, and we saw he can make any throw.

    Q. Assuming what you said, that Izzy will be back this week, how do you go about mixing Izzy and Rodney’s carries with both of them kind of rolling at full strength now?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I don’t really know. I was going to wait until Thursday and ask (Tribune-Review reporter) Jerry (DiPaola) what he wanted to do, see if he’d give me some tips. (smiles)

    DIPAOLA. I’ll tell you right now.

    PAT NARDUZZI: What you got?

    Q. 60/40.

    PAT NARDUZZI: 60/40, okay. Again, we know we’ve got capable guys back there, and you see it, I see it. We’ve got an offensive line. Change-up is not bad. We obviously want to keep Izzy healthy, as well. So 60/40 Jerry says, so we’ll try to get it right.

    Q. Speaking of the running game, Gavin hasn’t been targeted all that much this season. Is it because he’s staying in to block a lot more instead of running routes?

    PAT NARDUZZI: There is. I mean, there is. It depends on what you’re dropping back. We’d like to get him the ball more, there’s no question. We’d like to get it to Bub Means more. If you go back and watch the tape, there’s a big post that if we lay that thing out there, it’s going to be a 60-, 70-yard touchdown. We’d like to get it to everybody, but when you’re running the ball a little bit more than you’re throwing it, then that’s going to happen.

    So we’ll see. There was one he was open and we’ve got to get it to him, as well. There was probably another one.

    Q. Talking about C’Bo having a breakout game. Do you envision him getting a little more going forward even with Izzy and Rodney?

    PAT NARDUZZI: We’d like to. Obviously we’ve had faith in him in practice, and when you get him out there in the game and you turn him loose and you see what he can do, it’s just juggling it all.

    The plan is always to get those guys in there, and then you kind of see how the thing is rolling.

    I hate to make any promises to anybody. If Izzy feels good, we want to give him his touches, Rodney, C’Bo, Vince. It’s a good problem to have, I guess.

    Q. C’Bo said it was a relief to score that first touchdown. Do you allow yourself in the heat of a game to enjoy a moment like that?

    PAT NARDUZZI: It’s funny, talking about players of the game. He I think was an unsung hero that drive, and it was like the C’Bo drive. I told the kids last night — the kids cheered for him. Last night here, to me there was a different mood on the sideline when he was out there because everybody is used to Izzy and Rodney, and all of a sudden it was a different guy out there, and our guys, they’re happy for guys when they’re seeing success, and they know the frustrations of being a backup and maybe not playing as much, and they see it, they feel it, they see it in the weight room, they see it in the dining facility, maybe study hall, frustrations.

    Sometimes you’ve just got to wait through the process, and the time is coming. C’Bo has done a great job on special teams, and he’s got another year of eligibility, and I hope he decides to take it because I think he’s a really good football player, and I think he’s only going to continue to get better with having a spring.

    We talked about it last year. Everyone is genuinely excited when guys like that get their opportunity and make good off of it.

    Q. Have your noticed anything about Brennan Armstrong that you guys have been able to say, ‘Hey, we do this, he’s going to have a hard game’?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Nothing that I’m going to sit here and discuss. Now you made Virginia go back and look, ‘Gosh, he’s throwing to the left more than he’s throwing to the right; what’s he doing?’ Now they’re all going to throw to the right. So there’s really nothing. Is it by chance? Is it he’s throwing good balls to his right, he’s throwing to his left, he’s throwing to the field, he’s throwing it to the boundary, throwing it to a guy, who’s he throwing it at, who’s the corner over there, what’s the match-up.

    There’s a lot of things you can look into and Tony can look into, but we’ve got to defend him. We don’t know where he’s going to throw for sure. We’re not going to drop eight guys to his left and our right to try to — that wouldn’t be really good.

    Q. Do you see any shades of Clemson’s offense from previous years in what Virginia does?

    PAT NARDUZZI: We do. We’ve got obviously a four-game breakdown on Clemson, which he was there the whole time, so just looking back like what do they do.

    We know we’re going to get a crack-and-go. It’s something we’ve seen every year. We saw one last week and defended it well. But that doesn’t mean you’re not going to see it again.

    There’s always — he’s a head coach. He’s the offensive coordinator/head coach, and he’s going to have some say in what’s going on in there. I can’t imagine him hanging around in the defensive staff room, just like I’m not hanging around in the offensive staff room too much. I go in there and do my GA jobs and give them some self-scout stuff and get out of there and go back to the defense.

    I can imagine him doing the same. He’s going to be involved in the offense, but he’s going to let his guys coach, as well.

    Q. You have three players in the starting spot at punter this week. Do you anticipate bringing more than one punter on the road this week?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Possibly. You said one punter on the road? Yeah, we usually always bring two. But really EJ didn’t put on the depth chart what I told him to. He said, any updates? I wrote on there, I said, those three, and I put another. I said “Pat Narduzzi” because I think I might be able to go out there and hit it pretty good if you go back and check those records at Ursuline back in the day as a backup punter, so maybe I messed him all up.

    Again, like I said the other day, Sam came in, did a nice job on that last sky punt. Not where we want it to be as far as the direction, but did a nice job putting one at the 1. We’d like the other one to be inside the 10. That’s his role right now. We’ll see how those other guys do with that this week. We’ll see.

    Then when you look at Cam and you look at Junko, both of them have legs. We’re going to find out what they do this week, so it’s an “or” right now. Maybe Sam Vander Haar goes out there and kills it this week, but it’s an “or,” and there’s a battle going on there, as I think we all see.

    Again, it’s not all the punter’s fault. The high snap, and Cam has got to jump for it, then punts it two yards. That was ugly. That punt team has not been a pretty sight this year, and obviously when you lose your starter that’s been starting for whatever it was, four years for Kirk, it’s something that we’ve got to work through, and it’s not good enough right now.

    By the end of the year we’ll have our guy for next year, I can guarantee you that, but it’s taking a while, and it’s not easy sitting back there. Not only is it a new punter, it’s a new snapper, as well.

    Q. What did you see from the linebackers against Syracuse that allowed them to attack better than in the previous week?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know what, they were in the locker room down in North Carolina, the linebackers, the DBs in their little huddles. They sometimes get together with their coach afterward, and weren’t happy. I think I told you that last week.

    It was just a heck of a lot more detail. They let the thing get away from them, and that happens in a game. Things start to happen. Obviously we got after the D-line, too. They put pressure on the quarterback. They took care of it to the point where the linebackers didn’t have to worry about it, and I think any time that stuff happens, when you’re worried about a scrambling quarterback, you’ve got a problem.

    Again, Armstrong can scramble, as well. Like I said, leading rusher. Those aren’t all quarterback runs, but they do like to have designated quarterback runs for him, whether it’s counter, just zone read keeps or insert keeps.

    But just — it was so much more detail. When you watch the re-routes on the receivers, the receivers couldn’t get started. As soon as they got started, they got re-routed, pushed out of the way. Just makes everybody’s job easier. They paid attention to details, and sometimes you lose the details when other things are happening to you. You get distracted during a game by something else that you shouldn’t be, but it’s understandable, too.

    When everybody does their job, it sometimes looks like the secondary wasn’t very good against North Carolina or the linebackers are not very good, but then we weren’t very good up front, either, so it just trickles downhill.

    Q. Are there players you saw at least more controlling in those conversations to help everyone else?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, I think the DBs. I think when you think passing yards and what just happened today, it falls on them because they don’t care what the linebackers do. They’re just looking at like what happened, and I didn’t cover my guy, or they don’t sometimes — especially after games, standing in the shower having a little huddle, realizing really what happened to them until they watch the tape. Just like sometimes standing on the sideline you don’t realize what happened.

    They take it personal, but we all do. Whether it’s the front all the way back to the secondary, we’re all — as coaches, too, take it personal. You love it when your players take it personal.

    Q. What have you seen from Haba this season?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, Haba had half a sack, he had an (opposing offensive lineman’s) arm around the neck. He got a nice holding call. Haba has been outstanding, and again, sometimes for all these All-Americans, let’s just look at numbers, but like I’ve talked to a lot of scouts that walked through here and said, they see almost the strips, they see ‘almost.’ That’s what they want to see.

    Again, it’s all great for the magazines and all that to have these big numbers, but they’re looking for football players that pay attention to details. Haba is about the details. If there’s one guy — and again, Deslin had a heck of a day, but if there’s one guy that’s really been as detailed as anyone at that defensive end spot, it’s been Haba. We’ve been happy with where he is, and he wants to go make plays, and he’d like to get those stats like everybody would.

    Q. Before last week your pass rush was good, but it was great on Saturday. Did they play with a chip on their shoulder to get to the quarterback?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, I mean, they were good. Again, it’s like I told Coach Partridge, great job getting them angry. There was some angry guys maybe in that room. You can tell them and tell them and tell them. They’ve got to do it.

    Again, let’s say maybe their offensive line is not as talented as North Carolina’s was, but it’s hard to say what, why, how, but nobody cares what happened at Syracuse. We only worry about what we do at Virginia this weekend because you guys won’t be talking about the pass rush if we don’t get any this weekend.

    Q. You mentioned about players returning for next year. Do you have a sense about what Kedon wants to do next season?

    PAT NARDUZZI: We’re going to have that conversation. I think let’s let the season play out. Really have not had it, and you’ve got senior day in two weeks. We’ll have to figure it out soon who’s going to walk out there, who’s not. Again, as you guys know, some guys will walk out for senior day and some guys won’t, and it doesn’t mean they aren’t going, either. There’s decisions to be made for a lot of people come the end of the season.

    Q. In today’s day and age with the transfer portal and all this and the way college football goes, is it more challenging to convince players to stay or keep them happy, or is there a little bit of that in there with everything — the way things are going nowadays?

    PAT NARDUZZI: There’s no question. We’ve done a great job of keeping our guys for the most part. Some get recruited off campus and all that, and we all know that. But I think when you’ve got a happy place to work, you guys got a happy place to work, it’s easy to stay.

    But I think the longer this name, image and likeness thing goes on and the more you read about it and the more you kind of look around, the kids are different nowadays than they were three years ago, five years ago, eight years ago, 12 years ago. Everybody has got somebody in their ear.

    You certainly worry about it, but you can’t control it. Our job is to win football games and put the best guys on the field and win football games, period. That’s what we have to do.

    Q. Do you sense watching from the last few games that the team is really pushing these last three weeks to make the season something good?

    PAT NARDUZZI: No, I don’t see that at all. It’s the same every week. Nothing has really changed. It’s one at a time, and I know that sounds cliche and you guys are looking at me like I’m crazy, but it’s all about Virginia this weekend. If we saw our guys, like, ‘Oh, let’s get a push for this,’ it would be like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you push before?’ You don’t see it like that.

    If I saw it like that, I’d be upset. I’d be really upset if that was the case. Like you didn’t want to push it a few weeks ago? You didn’t want to push it against Georgia Tech?

    Q. Has the push always been there, though?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I think so. I think so. In their minds, yes. If you dig deep, is there something back there or has someone said something to them, like, hey, this could be — you guys patting them on the back saying they looked real good, guys up on campus saying, ‘Hey, you look great.’ How do you handle success, how do you handle adversity, those are all things that we talk about all the time, but everybody handles it a different way.

    You’ve got to make sure they’re all on the same page. It’s my job to make sure that they’re together and they get it. Sometimes it goes in one ear and out the other. I try my best.

    Q. What have you seen from some of the younger linebackers who are stepping up to kind of understand their roles and be playmakers?

    PAT NARDUZZI: If you look where they are right now compared to where they were against West Virginia, it’s night and day, as you can see. The 25 yards rushing last weekend was I think someone mentioned after the game was that the best performance ever. It’s in the top five. But I think R.J., EJ’s great assistant gave me a stat like there’s been 16 times where we’ve held a team under 100 yards, I think, so we’ve held someone to minus one yard rushing. I won’t get into their name, but like we’ve done that before.

    Like that’s not — that’s what we want to do. That’s what we should do. But when you look at what we did in the rushing game the last few weeks compared to what we looked like against West Virginia, they’ve all grown up, and SirVocea didn’t necessarily grow up this season, so it’s some of the young guys and new guys that we have on our football team.

    Solomon DeShields keeps getting better. Bangally keeps getting better. All of those reps are so valuable that you just get them in practice. They just don’t happen.

    FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

    E.J. Borghetti | Executive Associate A.D./Communications

    University of Pittsburgh | Petersen Events Center

    eborghetti@athletics.pitt.edu

    412.648.8240

    @Pitt_Athletics Pitt Panthers PittsburghPanthers.com

    Like

  32. I like how the press never asks Narduzzi why the offense completely stinks. No questioning of offensive play calls, not spreading the field, etc. We need Reed in that room to ask the tough questions.

    Like

  33. OT:
    Former Pitt quarterback Luke Getsy is drawing some praise as the Bears’ offensive coordinator. In this week’s “Football Morning in America,” Peter King praised Getsy for his play-calling to boost quarterback Justin Fields.

    According to King, Getsy (Steel Valley) is allowing Fields to run more often and throw outside the numbers more frequently. He is also incorporating more play-action. King pointed out Fields’ “rushing yards over expected” totals. He had an NFL quarterback record 178-yard rushing day Sunday in the loss to Miami.

    Like

  34. If Pitt wants to completely stun Virginia’s defense, throw the ball to Bart between the numbers for the first time this ENTIRE season. The safeties may just pass out from shock.

    Liked by 3 people

  35. From Duzz’ press conf today…

    Q. Speaking of the running game, Gavin hasn’t been targeted all that much this season. Is it because he’s staying in to block a lot more instead of running routes?

    PAT NARDUZZI: There is. I mean, there is. It depends on what you’re dropping back. We’d like to get him the ball more, there’s no question. We’d like to get it to Bub Means more. If you go back and watch the tape, there’s a big post that if we lay that thing out there, it’s going to be a 60-, 70-yard touchdown. We’d like to get it to everybody, but when you’re running the ball a little bit more than you’re throwing it, then that’s going to happen.

    So we’ll see. There was one he was open and we’ve got to get it to him, as well. There was probably another one.

    JOE_L: For God’s sake Coach! The man made one of the most stunning plays of the year, hurdling over that Vol DB. ‘We’d like to get him the ball more?!’ What kind of lame-@$$ answer is that?!!!”

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Hahahahaha

      I kinda like both your responses. You are more right than Duzz, but his speaking skills are getting worse and more entertaining by the day.

      Like

  36. Besides being clueless offensively, Nardummy has the hands-off policy on offense that allows incompetent OC to ruin a promising season.

    Like

  37. Pitt favored by 4 points against VA this week. Hard to believe anyone could favor Pitt with its dismal offense on displat each and every week. The Pitt D might have to win it again this week without much help from the offense.

    Like

  38. Hurricane Nicole is going to dump a ton of rain in Charlottesville and will just be ending before kickoff.

    Like

    1. Bodes well for Pitt. Last time that happenend, the rain was going sideways 5 minutes before gametime, leaving a large lake at midfield.

      No one was happier than night than George Aston of nearby Stephens City, VA – never got an offer from the Cavaliers.

      BigB, Erie, Richman and I huddled under a canopy tent in an attempt to have some sort of tailgate party that evening. Thank God for the Bernie’s keg of Crown Royal. 😉

      Wouldn’t you hate to be the one responsible for getting the mud out of those white over white Pitt uniforms?

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Cignetti had a 34% to 66% pass /run ratio play calling on Saturday. That is how little they trust Slovis.

    And, please, let’s not say the offense worked out with that play calling. When you do that and score only 17 points it’s not enough with the teams we’re going to play who have decent offenses of their own.

    Our defense is good but our offense is horrible.

    Liked by 2 people

  40. Cignetti listened to me. Imagine if Pitt tried to pass more. More means more sacks, more interceptions and more rye whiskey to erase bad memories of a Larry wanke like performance.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the Larry Wanke allusions to the past. Does anyone remember ex Pitt qb’s from my childhood in the late 80’s early 90’s like Sal Genilla, John Ryan, Sean Fitzgerald, and Ken Ferguson?

      Like

      1. Wanke barely played but almost led Pitt to a Bluebonnet win over Texas. Then he threw a 50-yard TD in mop-up time versus Ohio State in 1988 then never played again for Pitt.

        Ryan, Fitzgerald and Ferguson … whoof. Ryan had some moments and led the greatest comeback in Pitt history versus WVU in 1994 until the defense screwed up with seconds left. Charlie Batch should’ve been Pitt’s QB from 1993-96 but was turned down due to those cool, hip, “higher” academic standards for athletes. The Pitt administration, folks!

        Like

  41. Pitt women’s volleyball stays at #7 in the polls this week.

    Pitt’s women’s soccer team for the first time in its history is in the NCAA tournament. They were ranked #4 in their region and will host a first-round match against Buffalo. I believe they will also host the 2nd round game if they win their first match.

    Liked by 2 people

  43. Pitt should win but I hope Parker drops 30.

    Buffalo won the reg season and the mac championship. They are very good.

    But the school is actually The state university of New York at Buffalo. Known as UB but not university of Buffalo. It’s suny at.

    Lovely campus, both of them, main and north.

    Like

    1. I think Parker needs 18 to reach 1000. Hope he gets it, he is a good dude. Nothing bad to say about Pitt or Stallings. He leaves Pitt to play for his dad and his dad dies. Horrible story.

      Like

  45. With most of the major goals lost now, only 3 games and a mediocre bowl game remain. So what should the objective be? Slovis is playing because he will be the QB next year. Izzy will head for the NFL. I think the starters should play less if they are in their last year.

    Like

  50. 37-24 Pitt at the half. Really impressed w Hinson. These are just my thoughts….. Cummings us a 2 guard running point. He’s efficient and calm against an outmatched UTM team but will will lose every matchup to top ACC team point guards. Pitt twins dominating inside. Nike Sibande $$ from outside. Should win going away.

    Like

  51. Pitt shooting from 3 still unacceptable. Brick after brick. Thought we solved that problem. Still Pitt up 17

    Like

  56. Few comments on bball:
    1) Differ from Dan, I really like Cummings game. Calm and cool. May be outmatched in ACC play, but how nice to see a solid under control pg.
    2) They better hope Cummings can stay out of foul trouble cause they have nothing behind him.
    3) Nike is an out of control hot mess. Needs Toto settle down.
    4) Capel has multiple options everywhere except pg.
    5) Have no idea if UT-M is any good ( doubt it), but what a pleasure watching Pitt do what it should against an overmatched opponent.
    6) The twins need a couple years, but they could develop into a really nice addition.
    7) Let’s see what happens Friday. Think it will be a really, really good game.

    Liked by 4 people

  57. Pitt wins 80-58. Capel cleared the bench w 3:51 to go. Hinson w 27 very silky smooth jumper. Elliot w 11 and Federico w 9. Cummings missed a lot (had 8) but was running point all night. Very steady play mixing up passes. Again most plays starting w a high ball screen.
    Pitt w total defensive domination inside. H2P. Good start! Bog boys upcoming.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. You may be very surprised. I say 2-1 and we’ll give the Hoopies a game! This is a very good team. Keep in mind they had no Hugley tonight. Jeffres I could care less about. H2P

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Dan you are right on target. Panthers without Hugley a decent team….with Hugley a good team…not great but MUCH IMPROVED from the disasters of the past years. For the first time in a LONG TIME I think as the season goes on we will continue to improve instead of falling into the garbage dump in the last 10-12 games. The twins are probably a full year away from being really good (weight room/conditioning) will be a factor.

          Football on the down elevator…basketball on the up elevator.

          Like

          1. they already have the finger wag skills they must’ve gotten from our FB DBacks down pat,,,, or Dikembe

            T’d up as an acknowledgement for it too, guess that’ll be the last we see that

            to your point, with John Pitt could be good but I do not see this team improving through the season much under the coaching of Capel

            in fact likely John will try to carry the load and probably falter due to the offense failing everywhere else and defenses being able to double him

            tell me how many good or great passes you saw by the guards, I saw exactly ONE

            my prediction, 1-2 and 5 ACC wins max and out first game of the ACC tourney and no post season NIT or CBI or whatever

            Like

  60. Prior to the 2018 seasons Heather Lyke hired Jeff Capel and Randy Waldrum (Women’s Soccer). Prior to his hiring, Pitt had only two winning seasons in its history of Women’s Soccer, yet they are now going to the NCAA tournament as a 4 seed. Who da thunk it in 2018 with, all the Capel hiring hype, that Women’s soccer would get into their national tournament before Men’s basketball.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. We all got fooled thinking Capel would be the real deal. Heather and most of us were wrong. We should have done our homework on him.

      As for Waldrum, there was never any doubt that he was going to put Pitt on an upward trajectory. It took him a little longer than he would have preferred convincing better players to come here. Just remember we lost Amanda West to a season ending injury at the beginning of the season and still had a great season!

      Liked by 1 person

        1. I just hope Heather does not share your optimism. We need to allow Capel’s contract to run out and hope for the best until it does.

          Like

          1. he does recruit a little, give him some credit

            he coaches up very little, that’s on him and his assistants

            Like

  61. OT – Pitt women’s BB team won their opener at Coppin State, 56-41. Two big weaknesses for this team has been low shooting percentages and high turnovers. Shooting improved a bit tonight, but still had 15 turnovers.

    Pitt scoring by quarter was:
    20/8/12/16. It’s been a characteristic of this team that they struggle to get into double figures most quarters – which makes it tough to win. To address the scoring problem they brought in some freshmen who are supposed to be good shooters. Two of them came off the bench tonight and struggled – perhaps to be expected in their first college game.

    We started two transfers tonight – based on the stats, both contributed well. Hutcherson from Ohio State, who at 6-2 played center, had 8 rebounds and 7 points. Lewis, a PG from Maryland, had 11 points with 3 for 4 from 3.

    Overall, Pitt shot 38% from the floor with an encouraging 40% from 3.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That is a very interesting clarification of the NIL rules, Reed. Thank you for posting that. What I get from that article is that any perceived disadvantage we have in NIL deals versus other schools falls directly on corporate sponsors, boosters and the athletes themselves. Our coaches and athletic administrators are expressly forbidden from getting involved in the process. Unless they do the same for any other student requesting such assistance. And I can’t imagine that happening.

      Like

  64. Womens soccer lost Amanda west their top scorer several weeks ago. That will hurt them in the tournament. She’s their Kenny Pickett.

    Like

  65. Maybe Huff or someone else in the know can explain how the NIL is expected to work? For example, say a large car dealership in Pittsburgh approaches Mr. High School Superstar from Florida and offers him a chunk of cash to do a commercial. Can the deal be conditioned on the kid signing with and playing for Pitt? I can’t believe that would be permissible. If not, what would stop said Superstar from signing the contract, shaking hands, and mentioning, “oh by the way, I am committing to Florida later today, but thanks for the cash.” How does the dealership even know that Pitt is pursuing or wants that kid? It’s hard for me to see NIL working without at least some shady conversations happening in the background.

    Like

    1. First off the NCAA forbids the schools from announcing who they are recruiting. Most fans don’t know that.

      So all the recruiting sites are gathering recruiting info from the HS recruits, family and their HS coaching staffs. This is why I write all the time that you cannot believe the list of ‘offers’ that are posted on these websites.

      It has been proven over and over that those three sources of info listed above embellish those offer lists with either non-existent offers or say they were offered by a school when all they really got was a initial info-gathering phone call from a school’s recruiting staff.

      Basically if the recruit hasn’t visited a school on an official visit (paid by the offering school) or has a formal letter of Intent from a school – they really aren’t being recruited by them. But still, the websites base their star ratings on both the kid’s actual play AND on the list of schools the kid say offered him.

      In other words take all that info with a huge grain of salt.

      As to the NIL $$ issue… this actually hurts schools like Pitt where their football teams are not the #1 or #2 sports interest in the area. No big businesses or big donors are going to pony up millions of dollars for a Pitt player when no one cares all that much about whether they win or lose.

      Big donations in the WPA tri-state are go into other aspects of the university like scholars ships b or endowed chairs…not sports.

      Universities like Oaklahoma, ND, Nebraska, etc. are the only big sports interest in the area so they are different that Pitt (who is down below Steelers, Pirates, Pens and yes, even PSU) when it comes to fan interest.

      USC has huge NIL money because of 1) the nature of the city surrounding the school and 2) high wealth areas like Silicon Valley.

      NIL payers can just state in their contract with the athlete that payment is contingent on things like when they sign the Letter of Intent and take thier first practice (or such) then payments will begin.

      Don’t be surprised if we see NIL contracts stipulating that a kid has to play X amount of seasons with the school or he has to pay back any NIL monies received just to keep the player from transferring out.

      All this is why I’m quickly getting turned off from major college sports to be honest. First NIL crap then very soon Super Conferences to which I’ll bet Pitt doesn’t get picked for.

      If that happens we’ll be independent again and can schedule who we want.

      Like

  67. Top FIVE reasons Pitt beat a GOOD Cuse team?

    No. 5- The game was played at Acrisure Stadium
    No. 4 – Pitt has a backup Runningback named Hammond
    No. 3 – The fact that Cuse starting QB Shrader did not play
    No. 2 – The Pitt Defense
    No. 1 – The Cignetti Offense

    Like

  68. Cracks me up how en vogue it is to criticize the offense we’re watching run by Cignetti.

    Keep in mind this is coming from the FIRST person to post here some skepticism about Narduzzi’s decision to bring back Cignetti. Check out my previous post and I believe you’ll see how I acknowledged the fact that Cignetti would bring back a run-oriented offense but at the same time an offense destined to be “mundane.”

    Fact is that Cignetti has EVOLVED since his first stint at Pitt. At the center of this is how he goes about about attacking the defense with a run game. It has been anything but mundane except for the fact that the offense is handcuffed by a quarterback with an AVERAGE arm and below average everything else.

    Read somewhere that his shifting of tackle and tight end prior to snap is somehow “high school.” I would suggest you also notice how Cignetti uses that shift to force the defense to adjust and based upon that adjustment allow the quarterback to decide WHERE to run the ball. Oh, I guess you assumed the ball is always going to the strong side. Oops.

    Seriously, how do you think it is that after 40 plus years we all of a sudden witness the GREATEST running exhibition since Dorsett against Notre Dame? Do you really think Dave Borbely suddenly had a moment of enlightenment?

    Rather, I would ask you to consider these facts.

    Abanikanda, while good, will never be as great as Dorsett. And the offensive line, while obviously capable, will never be confused with the front five Dorsett was fortunate to find himself running behind.

    That said, if you’re still on board the “blame Cignetti” train, my suggestion is to REALLY start watching the intricacies of the Pitt run game. “Impressive” is my word for it. Again, coming from no fan of Cignetti the first time around.

    Now, if you want to talking passing game, well there you might have a point.

    But again I ask you to consider the facts. A quarterback with an AVERAGE arm and below average everything else and wide receivers that can be defined in one word WEAK.

    Granted, it remains to be seen what Cignetti might be able to actually do when there are no excuses for an inability to balance a running attack with a passing offense just because of the players you’ve been handed.

    Hopefully that day will come soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I actually agree. The passing problem is execution and skill level more than anything else.
      Starting with Slovis inability to evade the rush and slow reads and slow release, the lines inability to give him enough protection and receivers inability to get open often enough.

      This has also been compounded by the defense not getting enough turnovers for ideal field position.

      This is not to say that Cignetti is great but certainly not the dolt that is claimed by many.

      It is great players that make great coaches and not the reverse.

      Canada and Whipple are pretty good examples of this.

      Liked by 1 person

  70. I cannot believe the PITT vs. WVU backyard brawl basketball game on Friday night is not on television at all !! – The penguins are on AT&T Sportsnet , we are not on the ACC network or any of the ESPN networks or CBS sportsnet ; not even FS1 or FS2 – Unbelievable !!!

    Like

    1. As long as you have the ACC on your television package, you can get the ACC digital channel. The game is also available as a replay if you miss it live.

      Like

  72. When a team has been as HORRIBLE as Pitt has been for so many years the TV suits walk away because advertisers want ratings…..The Backyard Brawl is really based on a 100year football rivalry and until Pitt proves that it CAN PLAY basketball we are about as low as a mediocre team like Binghamton. West Virginia is a small TV market and the City Of Pittsburgh and surrounding region are football, hockey, and baseball. No NBA Team and 2 college teams that will not even schedule each other to play “The City Game”. Pitt needs to show that it is once again a team that can draw attention and maybe even fill 3/4 of the seats at the Pete.

    Like

    1. Pitt hasn’t been horrible for many years. It has been mediocre, which is exactly what the administration wants. No program is good or dominate without support from the higher-ups.

      Pitt hasn’t had that since 1981.

      Like

      1. Stallings era mediocre??? Capel era barely mediocre??? My standards tell me that PITT has had a way above par program……or looking it another way >>>some seasons where our handicap was a +32 and many others where we were no better than a +24. Bogey filled basketball. SORRY

        Like

        1. Yeah, I was thinking football. I’m not in hoops mode yet.

          Of course, a dullard chancellor hired Barnes, who hired Stallings. The school reaps what it sows with athletics, so that was my point regarding football.

          Like

  73. Looking at each of their best recent years to see who has the highest ceiling in today’s college football.

    Slovis best year. 71.9 completion percentage, 30 TDs, 9 Ints, 167.6 QB rating

    This proves that the kid can ball with a good OC.

    Cignetti best year with Jerkovec. 61 completion percentage, 17 TDs, 5 Ints, 138.7 QB rating.

    This proves that the dinosaur can’t coach even with a more physically gifted QB. Pitt may not even get 10 passing TDs this year.

    The OC is the architect. He’s suppose to create mismatches while playing a chess match against various defensive alignments. The problem is, Frank is still playing checkers. Yes the running game is good but once Pitt gets in obvious passing situations, they are screwed. Pitt has a very good TE, a FR all American WR and a good reliable veteran receiver that are more than capable if the scheme and play calling were even average.

    Like

    1. Look at the players Slovis was surrounded with his freshmen year.
      Again how is BC doing without Cig?
      C’mon, Mumpfield played at Akron, a little different playing against P5 guys.
      Slovis has thrown 3 redzone INTs, one where he had a guy running wide open underneath.
      When Slovis had a great year he had excellent protection and great receivers going deep and making catches. How many WOW catches have we seen vs balls that could have been caught?
      Bart looked great last year with defenses covering Addison, Mack and Krull.
      Hard to create mismatches when you are over matched talent wise.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Yes he would be capable with a stellar line and receivers. How much would a guy like Addison have helped our passing attack? How many completions does he turn into touchdowns? If guys don’t get open and catch the ball you don’t have a passing attack.
          If a QB cannot evade the rush and make a play no innovation is going to help.

          How many times did KP pick up a first down with his scrambling abilities? We just don’t have that skill with Slovis.

          Could a different guy get more out these players possibly, but how much?

          Like

          1. Which is why it really bothers me that Slovis will likely return. The inability to extend plays, scramble, and be a run threat is a huge disadvantage for Pitt compared to just about every team we play…

            I feel bad for Slovis, but he just doesn’t have the skill-set needed to have a good offense at Pitt. Big blunder by the Duzzer, who should know better just from his defensive experience…

            I’d play Patti now and Patti/Minchey next season.

            Go Pitt.

            Liked by 3 people

            1. I am not saying Cignetti is good, I’m saying the talent level is far below what we had last year which is the primary reason for the poor production.

              Like

  74. You folks can’t tell me a OC can’t generate a better passing game when you have a running game with Izzy and Hammond to contend with. The opposition has to focus on the Pitt run game because those two can dominate at times and that leaves a lot of room for some innovative passing plays. #1 Slovis who is not immobile but almost never decides to run gives us a zero run threat at QB and should be replaced by Patti who can at least give us the run option. Speed backs coming out of the backfield can generate another pass option and V Carter can be more of a factor. Try the speed back freshman from Texas on some plays coming out of the RB position. God Dammit being innovative should not be a problem when you have decent to very good run game at your disposal. Cignetti is flat out not very innovative in almost all of his play calling period.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree to a point. However, Slovis is so slow footed that every pass attempt is like being backed up on the 1-yard line. We got that safety because the QB could not back up at all.
      Defenses know they only have to get directly to Slovis to eliminate him.
      It makes the pass defense much easier.

      Liked by 3 people

  75. As far as I can tell Cignetti is yet to get sacked, throw an interception, drop a pass, get called for holding, fumble the ball, miss a wide open receiver, miss a block, line up wrong. I don’t care how innovative your coach is if your guys can’t execute the plays you are not going to be very good.

    By the way how is BC doing this year without Cignetti? How did Anae do last week without his starting QB? The guy last week everyone would rather have than Cignetti. How is Whipple doing without KP and Addison, how is Canada doing without pass protection?

    Vs how is Mack doing this year vs last now that he has a QB or Clemson now that they don’t have a QB?

    If players don’t make plays all coaches stink.

    Liked by 1 person

  76. Here are some numbers for the “blame Cignetti” gang.

    Boston College Scoring

    2022… 18.8 points per game without Cignetti and with Jurkovec.

    2021… 24.7 points per game with Cignetti and without Jurkovec for much of the season.

    2020…27.8 points per game with Cignetti and Jurkovec.

    Liked by 1 person

  77. ACC Network showing Univ of South Carolina Upstate vs Duke on Friday at 7pm.
    Don’t see a replay of the Pitt WVU game later but will keep looking.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. The replay will be on the ESPN app. Go to ACCDnx. Look under basketball replay. The game should appear. The game can be viewed live the same way. Go to the ESPN app or the ESPN watch at their website on your computer. You should be able to see the game on the upcoming schedule. The replay will not appear until an hour or so after the game is completed.

      Like

      1. If you have ESPN + all you have to do is scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on men’s college basketball. Once you hit that button, the top of the screen will show you all live and upcoming events. Find the Pitt vs. WVU logo, click it, and you are good to go.

        I followed Pitt baseball for the first time ever last year using the ACCNX on ESPN+ and it is way more entertaining and competitive than following the Pirates.

        Like

  78. I would guess that the avg yards per carry this year for the team are pretty much in line with Dorset’s Heisman year. That’s a pretty good rushing offense. Doesn’t Cig get credit for that? Especially when defenses are geared to stop the run?

    Like

  81. Sorry POD but I’m not seeing your point. College football has changed and scoring in the 20’s just won’t cut it. The NCAA is a passing game and if you are trying to win scoring in 20’s . . . . well welcome to 6-6 or 7-5 records.

    Cigknownothing is inept when devising a passing offense and running offenses in the NCAA are dinosaurs. It’s an absolute indictment of his passing game strategies that he has not yet, after 9 games, figured out how to incorporate Bart as a major factor. Face it, he’s sacrificing Bart to achieve his “precious” running game stats.

    This is how you know he’s an OC without a clue as to how to best utilize the talent he has.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Watch it on Pitt’s youtube channel. It is perfect. That video isn’t using Pitt’s mics.

        Look up Pitt Live Wire on youtube.

        Like

  83. I believe that Cignetti is beyond his prime in the modern RPO era of almost anything goes football. I do not place all of the blame on his play calling because given our situation there are a host of underperformers to blame. One thing that I have not seen mentioned is that Slovis played in the PAC 12 which has been a Conference that is totally unbalanced. Playing against the Beavers, Sun Devils, Bruins, Cal, Cougars, Cardinal, Buffalos and lowly Arizona Wildcats does not reach a level of competition from which a player can be adequately judged.
    Yep, somebody should say that the same can be said about the ACC. But, we were looking for a QB who could elevate our program to a higher plane, however, he is still to be found.

    When Slovis was recruited the video tapes should have clearly shown that he was an immobile QB. Cignetti?/Duzzi? anybody notice the obvious?

    Marion was a strong receivers coach, however, he had the amazing Addison and a Pickett who could pass his patooty off. Underwood, the jury is out. The route running is not as crisp as
    it needs to be and player development is well, well, ??

    I am not going to nitpick every position coach or player; however, 2 things stand out regarding Cignetti >>>>failure to use Bart productively as a receiver and the mind-blowing
    nonsense of refusing to sit Slovis for at least 2 or three series of downs when he is going off the tracks. If Patti still is recovering from is high ankle sprain let Yarnell have a crack at running the O. Pitt football may end up in a bowl and Heather and Duzzi will be blowing their horns and the rest of us will say BIG DEAL we are playing in the SKUNK Cabbage BOWL.

    Liked by 1 person

  84. Not to beat a dead horse but the offense has also been hampered by injuries.
    How many guys have missed games including Slovis, Izzy, Hammond, Bart, Wayne, Mumpfield, several linemen?

    Would Whipple or Canada our most productive OC’s in the Narduzzi era be doing any better?

    I thought Narduzzi should have rolled the dice with Marion, but at this point Marion probably dodged a bullet. Without a very capable QB the most innovative offense won’t work.

    Like

  85. You may be right, but one thing is for sure the young man is a sitting duck against any defense that can rush a QB.

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  86. Surprised that no one has commented on what the numbers posted above actually do say.

    Let me put this in Burghese… “Jurkovec ain’t nothin’ special.”

    Now maybe the same can be said about Cignetti. But the numbers suggest he just might be a little MORE special than the hometown kid who said NO to Pitt.

    Just sayin.

    Like

  87. Good assessment Reed — pretty accurate: strong defense, solid run game, so-so pass game, weak QB for opponent = nothing to get real excited about.

    The D did look angry though, and played smart, so that is very good. But, as you pointed out, Slovis did NOTHING to impress, again, and just seems to be holding the O back…too many missed open guys and too many off-timing passes. Not sure how he did it at SC but this is not that guy.

    Unlike many, I don’t really have a problem with Cignetti — sure, he’s a little old-school, but its not his fault Slovis keeps hesitating/missing guys/can’t get away from real pressure. Kenny P. would have still lit it up in this offense, and would have opened things up even more for Izzy and co.

    I guess its gonna take 4 first half interceptions and a 35-point deficit for Duzz to even consider benching his golden boy…one wonders if he just doesn’t like Patti? I see Izzy playing well at UVA but Slovis keeping it close with his below-average play. Not rooting for anyone’s injury but maybe some well-timed leg cramps for Slovis would force Patti/Yarnell into the game and force Duzz to open his eyes and own up to this slow march to mediocrity?

    Like

  88. Somebody else who “ain’t nothin’ special” is Mr. SMOKE ‘n MIRRORS.

    But that probably can go without sayin’ since everybody is FINALLY catching on.

    At least almost everybody.

    Like

  89. Trying to maintain my new goal of not POing anyone every day, however, as far as the Cignetti defenders, I will only say I go by what I see with my own eyes.
    1) I see an offense which is not capable of winning games when another team has a competent offense. They cannot adapt.
    2) I see other teams learning very, very quickly in the game not to fall for the shifts. They do NOT react to this.
    3) I see an offense which wants 10-13 play drives to play ball control because they know they can’t win a shootout, and that could be a great strategy . However, one mistake, one penalty, one play for negative yards and they simply can’t recover, and it’s very hard to keep the ball for that many plays without a screw up.
    4) My eyes tell me this is a really bad offense for todays college football. I’m dead serious when I say it’s Big10 like from the 90’s.
    5) Finally, I just want to say Cignetti is the OFFENSIVE coordinator, not solely the run game coordinator or the passing coordinator, but in charge of the whole bag. And you know what, sometimes it’s just that simple, sometimes it actually is the offensive coordinator.

    Liked by 1 person

  92. A quick reminder that political discussions are not allowed on The Pitt POV. There are many other places that subject can be discussed…but not on here please.

    Comments that break this rule will be deleted, and, possibly, if a commenter keeps doing it he or she will be blocked from commenting at all. Thank you folks.

    Liked by 5 people

  93. I am not trying to dissuade anyone’s opinion of Cigs relative worth but I do want to continue to evaluate our players abilities. Starting with receivers, Wayne by far the best of the bunch was less than 50% effective than Addison last year with Addison drawing all the best cover guys. Mumpfield has been less than impressive and has not evaded tacklers, can’t break tackles and therefore has very poor yac abilities, Means has dropped multiple passes that would have made a difference. Bart does not have Krull on the field with him has made a few good plays but also does not have KP rolling out and drawing the defender in leaving Bart in the flat for an easy toss. None of these guys have made a highlight reel catch and all have missed time due to injury. Bradley left the team after catching two touchdowns and is still the team leader in that category.

    Two of the starters from the line the center and tackle responsible for protecting Slovis’ backside are gone with others missing time due to injury. Pass protection routinely gets blown up.

    Both Izzy and Hammond have been super but have missed games due to injury, neither available in the second half vs GT and both have fumbled at inopportune times.

    Finally the elephant in the room, Slovis’ weaknesses are well documented so I won’t beat a dead horse.

    When you add it all up and add that the defense has not turned the ball over giving good field position nearly enough, you end up with 4 losses and probably more.

    These are all things that you have seen on the field, the difference a more innovative OC would have made is all theoretical. It may very well be true but can’t be proven either way.

    It is like saying that Patti would be better than Slovis, Bart should be targeted more often,
    Barden and Che should be given some deep routes or sweeps. All good thoughts but can’t be proven right or wrong unless they happen.

    Fact is Cig is the OC and will be criticized for the team’s lack of production and I’m fine with that. It is his job to overcome all obstacles and obviously that has not happened often enough.

    Liked by 5 people

  94. C’Bo Flemister showed some moves against the Orange. So refreshing in a Pitt back. I hope he comes back next season…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  95. RPO is the way to go. But if you keep cig, then Slovis is perfect. But you need a much better line full of hogs.

    If you go RPO, then you need a new OC and a QB like Minchey running it. Your line needs to be far less fat and far more athletic though. No more kennywood tubbies.

    Like

    1. Im OK with pro style and a more mobile QB. “Mobile” meaning one who can evade pressure, extend plays and occasionally run for a nice gain… not necessarily a running QB.

      Liked by 1 person

  96. Even in a so called “pro-style” offense, you need a mobile QB. Pitt will never have an OLine that’s going to protect a statue well enough, IMHO.

    Watch the Duke game. That’s the kind of QB we should be looking for – and I’m hoping that Minchey is that guy…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  98. After reading Gordon’s post, I am just convinced that Pitt does not have the players on offense to compete at a high level. Except for the running backs who are often injured but good. The OL has slipped to mediocrity with the injuries, and the WRs just don’t get open enough.

    I think we have a case where the players all have strengths and weaknesses but they are not complimentary. So the slow developing pass plays are not helped by a QB who is slow afoot and can’t buy time or throw on the run. And the line weaknesses don’t provide sufficient time for a pocket passer. The TE catches very few balls over the middle because the QB can’t find him.

    And as joe said, the motion is not working. The OC can’t be blamed for the player deficiencies that are so widespread. So his only option is to run the ball, eat up the clock and hope for a low scoring win.

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    1. It always comes down to lack of recruiting. One of many Narduzzi weaknesses. You see now, why he goes to the portal. He’s simply not likable to parents and coaches.

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  99. McKeesport runs the triple option. Narduzzi can hire their OC to help Frank and his 1960 offense. 🤣

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  100. Maybe some in the “blame Cignetti” gang have noticed the success that has come with the insertion of Hammond in a Wildcat and “Slow-vis” being banished to split out wide as a receiver.

    Now imagine the kind of SUCCESS that might come if you only had a quarterback with the ability to make the same kind of runs and do so without having to tip off the Defense?

    No, let’s just keep blaming Cignetti.

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  102. From Eagle Insider…
    Fans became frustrated with Frank Cignetti’s scheme design and coaching. An offensive line with five veteran returning starters could not consistently open holes in the run game and frequently made mistakes in pass protection. Cignetti seemed too rigid with regard to playcalling and making adjustments in the offense to better suit the available talent.

    Let’s keep blaming the players. Many of which were good enough to start on an ACC championship team. Yes, they lost talent but if Whipple was still OC the offense would not be this terrible. There is enough talent to score more than Pitt currently does.

    Like

    1. Sorry but Whipple would have done worse with this group. He refused to run on third and short. He was made a genius by a first round QB and an all world receiver. How many times did they save the day? Without playmakers Whipple is a less than average coach.
      He got his head coach fired in a few weeks in his new job.

      I am not a fan of Cignetti but no coach looks good without playmakers and I don’t see nearly enough.

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  103. Let’s just stop complaining. Stop blaming poor Cig. Stop blaming the poor players. Your blame is not well placed. Aim your blame on the One and Only One responsible for hiring Cig and recruiting the players. I give you King Pat. I’ll leave it up to the jury.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Not taken that way. I like reading everyone’s take on here. We can all agree to disagree and be civil. That’s what makes the POV great.

      Like

  105. This is my final negative Cignetti post til Saturday 😁
    Doesn’t matter if Frank the dinosaur has talent. His offense can’t score. He was a terrible hire that hasn’t produced in todays college football.

    From our own MM…

    Turns out Cignetti has a points problem. And points are… kind of the point.
    Take a look at Boston College. Cignetti’s 2020 team put up 28 points per game. Respectable. But that was with ex-Notre Dame starter Phil Jurkovec throwing to NFL Tight End Hunter Long and all-ACC wide receiver Zay Flowers. The punchline is that Cignetti had three elite weapons and put up 28 points per game. In 2021 Jurkovec went down, and Cignetti’s crew could barely muster 24.

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  106. Cig will look good someday as a collection at the Carnegie Museums Dinosaur exhibit. Kids will be fascinated by a guy from 2022 that designed offensive plays based on a 1950’s way of thinking. He’ll be shown under the T-Rex being eaten.

    Liked by 2 people

  107. Whipple and Cignetti are offensive coordinators that have systems that they want their players to fit into. I would argue that an offensive coordinator should try to get the most out of the players they have, and that might require adjustments. Now, do I know that Cignetti wants to do anything different from what he’s doing? I don’t, but I do know that what he’s doing isn’t working very well.

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  109. All four of Pitt’s women’s volleyball high school recruits for 2023 season signed today. Pitt should have something up on each at their website later today. Tory Stafford, a 6’2″ OH is the 12th best recruit in the nation and played on the gold medal U19 U.S. team in the Pan Am Cups this summer.

    The recruiting ranking will not come out until next year as they will be waiting to see what happens with the transfer portal signings. Pitt needs a middle blocker for the portal and middle blockers across the country know it. Coach Fisher should have a good selection from which to choose.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Olivia Babcock apparently has not signed. There was a Twitter post by her high school showing the students from there at the signing ceremony. That post has since been removed.

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      1. Olivia Babcock has signed her letter of intent. She is now listed as 6’4″ OH. Apparently, she is still growing! By the way Haiti Tautua’a, our new signee from Hawaii, is the highest rated player coming out of Hawaii this year.

        This reaffirms that Pitt can recruit from anywhere so long as the coach is very good! Today we had two recruits from California, one from Texas, and one from Hawaii. I would not be surprised if one or two of these recruits start next year as freshman.

        Next year’s class has one from Maryland (whose sister plays for Maryland), one from Nebraska, one from Florida, and one from Kentucky.

        Liked by 1 person

  110. Every team loses players to the draft or graduation or the portal.

    Every team has injuries on offense and defense.

    The good programs and the good coaching staffs win with the players they have recruited or gotten through the portal and trained them, practiced them and played them enough early on so that they were going to be good enough out on the field of play when needed to win games.

    That hasn’t happened with this team.

    Liked by 1 person

  111. It’s all on Narduzzi period. Maybe the poorest spoken and unlikable coach in Pitt history!

    Let’s go thru Em:

    Johnny Mike – met him twice. Great guy. Wish he’d have stood up to Chancellor

    Dave Hart – horrible coach but very likable. HS Coaches loved him. Still have my letter from him inviting me to walk on in 1968!

    Carl DePasqua – closest personality to Duzz. Horrible hire.

    Johnny Majors – still one of the most likable with fans, coaches, players

    Jackie Sherrill – very likable especially w local coaches, cheerleading coaches and bookies.

    Foge Fazio – most likable Italian in Pittsburgh until it was found out he didn’t have the skill set to be HC

    Mike Gottfried – kinda meh but not unlikable as a person

    Paul – I can’t Hackett w Pitt Football. Kind of annoying but
    not disliked as a person

    Johnny Majors 2 – see previous

    Walt Harris – terrifically likable and still is today. Also liked greatly among cheerleaders and cheer and dance coaches.

    Dave Wannstedt – nice guy, loved Pitt and got royally screwed by Steve Pederson the single most despised Pitt AD in history!

    Todd Graham – as disliked or more than Duzz. Rubbed people the wrong way from day one!

    Paul Chryst – very likable as a person and left our program better than he found it!

    Pat Narduzzi – Many intensely hate him!
    Pompous, arrogant, self serving, annoying and has about 40% likability with Alums, Fans, HS Coaches!

    Oddly enough I’ve had the pleasure of meeting every coach on this list but Narduzzi and have no desire to make his acquaintance.

    I’d say Carl Depasqua and Todd Graham are up there in dislike w Duzz.

    My rant over…

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  112. Dan, I can see what you’re saying about some people that just do not like Narduzzi at all. I will question you on the 40% likeability number though. There are some people (fans) who couldn’t give a big hoot about Narduzzi and his way of presenting himself. Also, I don’t think he’s unlikeable in general, he just has that “you like him or hate him” personality trait going.

    The fact remains he’s the most successful PITT head football coach in the past 45 years. Like him or not.

    I would have half liked hot rod Graham if he would have won.

    Liked by 4 people

  113. To Danh72,
    This is from tonyinhampton: ” I love your “Let’s go thru Em.” A sincere thank you for this analysis..

    For what it is worth my Dad’s friend and attorney was George Barco. That would be the University of Pittsburgh George Barco School of Law George Barco.” He was a guest of my father’s at dinners at my Dad’s home on many occasions.

    As head of the BOT He was instrumental in getting Johnny and Jackie and Tony. He told my Dad he stood next to Johnny when it was faxed in that they got Tony. He told my Dad that Johnny attempted a back flip.

    Once again, thanks Danh72 and Reed and Michaelangelo. George is smiling at your efforts.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Tony, I saw Tony play in high school, had lunch with Johnny Michelosen at age 14.
      I’ve always idolized Pitt Football
      Coaches and players. That’s why I’m so offended every time Narduzzi gloats over a victory and throws his coaches and players under the bus after a loss.
      He is the …… of football coaches! But…. The players love him!

      Edited

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  114. —Heard Duzz say that Wayne’s receptions converted four 3rd downs. Nice work by Wayne.

    —Duzz also said that freshman Jimmy Scott is looking good on the scout team. Scott is a 6’2” and 250 pound DE from NY. Duzz said he’ll be playing next season…

    -Duzz said our TE ran the wrong route on the play over the middle where Wayne dropped the pass. The TE’s route was supposed to draw the defender away, but the TE went to the wrong area. (Why is this still happening after playing all these games? We’re back to having no production from the TE position again…)

    —Sounds like UVA is getting some players back and has some tall WRs who could be a big problem to defend. We better score some points this week.

    Go Pitt.

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  115. I have 2 tickets to the women’s volleyball game Friday at 5:00. I can’t make it so if any POVert would like them you can have them. If you are going to the hoops game it would be easy to walk from one to the other. These are e-tickets so easy to transfer. Let me know.

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