PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL

PANTHERS LOOK TOWARDS A BOWL IN 2018

Pitt football ended an up and down season in 2017 with an upset over Miami. Can the Panthers use the win to springboard into a better 2018?

It was a tough year for Coach Pat Narduzzi and Pitt in 2017. After back to back eight win seasons, the Panthers took a step back finishing 5-7. The schedule was set up for more wins with no Florida State or Clemson. However, the Panthers could never find consistency, losing to ACC bottom dwellers Syracuse and North Carolina. Somehow Pitt pulled off a huge upset over second-ranked Miami to conclude the season.

When Narduzzi was hired from Michigan State, he was expected to improve Pitt’s defenses but so far his teams have had lackluster results. He is now entering his fourth year in Pittsburgh with expectations certainly higher than five wins. The recruiting has been pretty solid and this should be Narduzzi’s best defense to date. The offense has the potential to be more consistent than last year’s unit. If Pitt can beat the teams they should and pull off another Miami type upset, it would be a step forward.

Narduzzi is not in the win or else category yet, but he has to avoid another losing season. A bowl game is there for the taking. Let’s take a look at both side of the ball and dole out some predictions.

OFFENSE

Last season saw Pitt struggle mightily on offense, especially in the red zone. The Panthers only averaged 24 points per game. If there is to be an overall improvement, the offense must be better.

Fortunately the quarterback position is figured out with Kenny Pickett. With mediocre performances from Max Browne and Ben DiNucci, Pickett was inserted into the Virginia Tech game for a spark and he nearly led the Panthers to a comeback. The following week he started against Miami and had a huge performance in the upset win, going 18 of 29, 193 yards and a touchdown pass to go along with two rushing scores on the ground. Now the expectations for Pickett are high and he will need to carry the team.

The rushing attack has a lot of talent if the offensive line can block for them. Both Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison are back and star recruit Mychale Salahuddin might get some action as well. But the Panthers rushed for under 1,800 yards a year ago and that was mainly a product of poor blocking. The offensive line is losing three starters, but perhaps it will be addition by subtraction with a mix of veterans and junior college transfers in the fold.

The receivers are a potential problem. Gone are Quadree Henderson and Jester Weah. Rafael Araujo-Lopes is back but he is not a huge target. The rest of the unit is made up of young, unproven guys. They will all need to step up quickly to keep the offense clicking.

DEFENSE

A year ago, Pitt’s defense allowed 27 points and nearly 400 yards per game. For a defensive minded coach like Narduzzi, performances like last year are not acceptable. New defensive coordinator Randy Bates, who spent the last 12 seasons as Northwestern’s linebackers coach, will look to improve the Panther defense which returns seven starters.

The defensive line should be pretty good, especially at the defensive end positions. Senior Dewayne Hendrix is ready for his final year and sophomore Rashad Weaver is ready to break out after a solid spring. There is plenty of depth at the end and tackle positions and this unit should start causing opposing quarterbacks problems.

The linebacker corps should be the best unit. Leading tackler Oluwaseun Idowu, Saleem Brightwell, and Elijah Zeise all return. Add in Quintin Wirginis, who missed all of last season due to injury, and having a former linebacker coach as a coordinator, this unit should be top-notch for the Panthers.

Getting great performances out of the defensive line and linebackers will be key at keeping pressure off the secondary. It was lit up a year ago, allowing 254 yards per game through the air which placed in 106th nationally. It must improve on its own and getting more turnovers will help.  But getting more pressure on opposing offenses will help the secondary to improve as well.

SCHEDULE AND PREDICTIONS

Week         Date                             Opponent

1                 Sat, Sept 1                   Albany

2                 Sat, Sept 8                   Penn State

3                 Sat, Sept 15                Georgia Tech

4                 Sat, Sept 22                @ North Carolina

5                 Sat, Sept 29                @ UCF

6                 Sat, Oct 6                     Syracuse

7                 Sat, Oct 13                  @ Notre Dame

8                 Sat, Oct 20                  BYE

9                 Sat, Oct 27                  Duke

10               Fri, Nov 2                    @ Virginia

11               Sat, Nov 10                 Virginia Tech

12               Sat, Nov 17                 @ Wake Forest

13               Sat, Nov 24                 @ Miami

There are plenty of opportunities for wins this season and for Pitt to improve their standing from a year ago. Getting back to a bowl game is in the cards. Winning a bowl is something Narduzzi has yet to do at Pitt.

The non-conference slate is tough. The Panthers had close calls with Youngstown State two out of the last three seasons, but Albany should be a victory to begin the year. Then Penn State visits in week two for a prime-time matchup at Heinz Field. Pitt will be amped for that game against their in state rival. Road trips to Orlando and South Bend will be challenging.

Pitt will need to get to bowl eligibility in their ACC schedule. The slate does not feature Clemson or Florida State so that is a good reprieve. The back end of the schedule is really tough, so games against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Syracuse are must-wins. After a bye week, three of the final five games are on the road. Duke and Virginia need to be wins and getting the Hokies at home will be helpful. Traveling to Wake and Miami in the last two weeks will not be cakewalks, especially with the Hurricanes looking for revenge.

The Panthers have enough talent here to win six games. They seem every year to pull off an upset that no one saw coming. Pitt is good enough to beat one of Penn State, UCF, Notre Dame or Virginia Tech. Win one of those and even a .500 season with a bowl appearance will seem like a solid year.