After reviewing the Duke-Pitt game on the DVR more rationally after the frustrating defeat, I came to some conclusions about Pitt’s play in that game.
Number one, the offense ran very smoothly. Chad Voytik had developed a flow with them from play to play. They came in and out of the huddle smoothly, lined up well (rare penalties for offside or improperly lined up), ran the play, and readily came back to re-huddle.
Passes to the tight ends and backs helped keep that flow going. Isaac Bennett, Chris James, and Rachid Ibrahim were all solid change-of-pace backs for James Conner, who had another monster day.
Receivers other than Tyler Boyd became a solid part of the offense, and represented another difficulty for the Duke defense to cover.
The offense also had no turnovers, a complete reversal of the previous game, and, despite the outcome, the offense looked like a real offense, not just mechanically played.
If there were anything missing, a recommendation that the speed of Rachid Ibrahim and Chris James could be used further to present another coverage problem to the defense.
IMHO, Chris James is underutilized and underrepresented as a pass catcher. He showed very soft hands in high school videos, and getting him or Rachid Ibrahim isolated one-on-one on a short swing pass in addition to runs up the middle could only help the Pitt offense exploit defenses even more.
Number two, on each play most players are doing their part; on some plays, a poor play and/or “training needed in technique” situation by one player would have given a different, more favorable outcome.
For instance, on the opening kickoff, when Tyler Boyd started running out of the end zone, two Duke players came over to bring him down. The one Duke player came through on an unsustained block, where he (the Duke player) ran around the Pitt blocker in a way that showed his (the Pitt player’s) need for training technique. Had he (the Pitt player) sustained the block and kept the Duke player to the outside, it is conceivable Boyd could have run a lot further.
That also begs the question, does this one instance of needed training technique apply on other plays to other individuals on special teams?
Number three, and this is my main concern. What happened to the solid linebacker play? Forget the fact for the moment that Pitt wasn’t getting a lot of line penetration from the defensive line, which is an ongoing problem. Duke was manhandling the Pitt linebackers and tossing them around like rag dolls. What happened to the solid linebacker play? Were Duke’s blockers that much better? Why did this happen?
There was at least one instance on one touchdown play by Duke where defenders went to the same place/areas and left the other side of the field wide open. Player positional discipline seems to be a major issue with the defense.
The other question with the defense is still the minimal penetration to the backfield. Why aren’t schemes put in place where the play brings in an equal number of defenders to blockers, or, in some instances, more defenders? Despite understanding that contain is sometimes called for, on those plays where the number of Pitt defenders = the number of blockers, or the number of Pitt defenders is greater than the number of blockers, the outcome is most times favorable. More passes are completed by the opposing offense when the number of Pitt defenders is less than the number of blockers.
A comment. It probably would not hurt, especially with the problems with numbers of players that came up with the defensive backfield this season, to create more hybrid cornerback/safety(/nickleback) players like Reggie Mitchell and Hyde (Green Bay) to be available in case of injury or mismatches.
Suggestion this week: if Avonte Maddox is presented with a mismatch, put in Patrick Amara to relieve him on that play.
On defense, also, I would like to see more player rotation to keep players fresh. Where are Shane Roy, Brian Popp, Mike Herndon, and others? (Maybe some are being redshirted? If not, why not give them playing time and give the regulars a rest.)
With optimism, I am looking forward to Pitt hopefully rebounding this week.
Watching other teams over the weekend has made me confident that Pitt can hold its own on offense now, that the Pitt offense will dominate North Carolina, especially in the running game, where North Carolina ranks around 112th nationally.
Pitt just needs a turnaround (or turnovers, if I were to pun) from the defense. Pitt needs the defense to come out and look confident that they’re going to stop the opposing offense, confident that they know where to position themselves in relation to each other, and confident as a unit. The key to a Pitt win over North Carolina is how the linebackers respond this week, and whether the defense can play as a unit.
PittSportsOptimist 