20 thoughts on a Monday morning...
1. A win is a win. That phrase gets used a lot, and most frequently it is meant as a rationalization, a way to deflect from obvious flaws and shortcomings, a way to ignore that a team played poorly enough to lose. It’s another way of saying, “Well, we played pretty bad but still got a win so let’s move on and not dwell on the details.” That’s usually what we mean when we say “A win is a win.”
2. But when I say “A win is a win” in the aftermath of Pitt’s 19-9 win over No. 20 Syracuse on Saturday, I’m not deflecting. Everyone can see the issues; they are obvious and omnipresent, basically defining this team since the start of the season. Ignoring them and focusing simply on the outcome is a personal choice, but I think we all know what’s what with this team.
3. And therein lies another meaning for “A win is a win.” With this game, I say “A win is a win,” I’m saying that sometimes, a game is just a game, a win is just a win, and not every game has to represent a turning point or a grand declaration of who Pitt is or what the Panthers are going to be. It’s a win; nothing more, nothing less. A win that broke a two-game losing streak and was much-needed for a team that has been struggling since the beginning of October. It’s a win, and that’s a good thing.
4. That doesn’t mean Saturday’s game was without its issues. The same issues that have plagued the team virtually all season were present and accounted for, loudly announcing themselves on the first drive with a red zone turnover that was bad on all sides and then popping up as drive after drive was filled with passes short of the sticks, nearly 50 runs and less than half that total of passes, seven punts, another turnover on an unnecessary trick play and further such shenanigans that have become all too familiar.
5. Oh, and two touchdowns. That’s all Pitt scored on Saturday: two touchdowns. And while that’s somewhat in line with Syracuse’s defense this season - the Orange came into Saturday allowing 18 points per game - it’s also disappointingly in line with Pitt’s offense this season. The Panthers have scored three or fewer offensive touchdowns in six of nine games this year. The only exceptions to that have been the opener against West Virginia (four offensive touchdowns), the FCS win over Rhode Island (five offensive touchdowns) and Israel Abanikanda’s record-breaking game against Virginia Tech (six offensive touchdowns).
6. A wild stat you’re not going to believe: Pitt is 3-0 this season when the offense scores more than three touchdowns. Crazy stuff, I know.
7. In the last three games, Pitt has scored a total of six offensive touchdowns and gained a total of 1,030 offensive yards. That’s an average of two touchdowns and 343 yards per game. If those were Pitt’s season averages, the Panthers would rank No. 130 in scoring offense and No. 102 in total offense (they are currently No. 67 in scoring and No. 65 in yards).
8. Put another way, Pitt has been one of the worst offenses in college football in the last three games. And those three games came after the coaches and players had a week off to refocus and try to work out some of the issues.
9. The issues, it seems, are still not worked out. Pitt had 12 possessions against Syracuse, and only three ended with points; he other nine collapsed under all-too-familiar circumstances.
Drive 1 - Reached the Syracuse 14 before a desperation heave to the end zone under pressure was intercepted
Drive 2 - Touchdown
Drive 3 - A dropped pass led to a four-yard throw on third-and-10
Drive 4 - Fumbled snap on third-and-1
Drive 5 - Field goal after driving 45 yards in 56 seconds
Drive 6 - Six-yard pass on third-and-8
Drive 7 - Interception on a trick play
Drive 8 - Touchdown
Drive 9 - Sack on third-and-5
Drive 10 - Wildcat handoff on third-and-3 gets one yard
Drive 11 - Throwaway under pressure on third-and-11
Drive 12 - Punt on a 26-yard drive, but actually a good possession that took more than three minutes off the clock
So there was, what, four good drives in there? The two touchdowns, the field goal and the clock-eater at the end. Four out of 12. With four three-and-outs and two turnovers among the other eight possessions.
10. I don’t want to be all negative here, so a few positives. Kedon Slovis and Jared Wayne are developing a really nice connection. Wayne has caught 13 passes for 263 yards in the last two games. He had two 100-yard games in his career entering this season, and he has now topped the century mark in two consecutive games. I also think we saw some glimpses of Konata Mumpfield’s ability, particularly on the 29-yard screen pass (which was, helpfully, well-blocked).
Continued...
1. A win is a win. That phrase gets used a lot, and most frequently it is meant as a rationalization, a way to deflect from obvious flaws and shortcomings, a way to ignore that a team played poorly enough to lose. It’s another way of saying, “Well, we played pretty bad but still got a win so let’s move on and not dwell on the details.” That’s usually what we mean when we say “A win is a win.”
2. But when I say “A win is a win” in the aftermath of Pitt’s 19-9 win over No. 20 Syracuse on Saturday, I’m not deflecting. Everyone can see the issues; they are obvious and omnipresent, basically defining this team since the start of the season. Ignoring them and focusing simply on the outcome is a personal choice, but I think we all know what’s what with this team.
3. And therein lies another meaning for “A win is a win.” With this game, I say “A win is a win,” I’m saying that sometimes, a game is just a game, a win is just a win, and not every game has to represent a turning point or a grand declaration of who Pitt is or what the Panthers are going to be. It’s a win; nothing more, nothing less. A win that broke a two-game losing streak and was much-needed for a team that has been struggling since the beginning of October. It’s a win, and that’s a good thing.
4. That doesn’t mean Saturday’s game was without its issues. The same issues that have plagued the team virtually all season were present and accounted for, loudly announcing themselves on the first drive with a red zone turnover that was bad on all sides and then popping up as drive after drive was filled with passes short of the sticks, nearly 50 runs and less than half that total of passes, seven punts, another turnover on an unnecessary trick play and further such shenanigans that have become all too familiar.
5. Oh, and two touchdowns. That’s all Pitt scored on Saturday: two touchdowns. And while that’s somewhat in line with Syracuse’s defense this season - the Orange came into Saturday allowing 18 points per game - it’s also disappointingly in line with Pitt’s offense this season. The Panthers have scored three or fewer offensive touchdowns in six of nine games this year. The only exceptions to that have been the opener against West Virginia (four offensive touchdowns), the FCS win over Rhode Island (five offensive touchdowns) and Israel Abanikanda’s record-breaking game against Virginia Tech (six offensive touchdowns).
6. A wild stat you’re not going to believe: Pitt is 3-0 this season when the offense scores more than three touchdowns. Crazy stuff, I know.
7. In the last three games, Pitt has scored a total of six offensive touchdowns and gained a total of 1,030 offensive yards. That’s an average of two touchdowns and 343 yards per game. If those were Pitt’s season averages, the Panthers would rank No. 130 in scoring offense and No. 102 in total offense (they are currently No. 67 in scoring and No. 65 in yards).
8. Put another way, Pitt has been one of the worst offenses in college football in the last three games. And those three games came after the coaches and players had a week off to refocus and try to work out some of the issues.
9. The issues, it seems, are still not worked out. Pitt had 12 possessions against Syracuse, and only three ended with points; he other nine collapsed under all-too-familiar circumstances.
Drive 1 - Reached the Syracuse 14 before a desperation heave to the end zone under pressure was intercepted
Drive 2 - Touchdown
Drive 3 - A dropped pass led to a four-yard throw on third-and-10
Drive 4 - Fumbled snap on third-and-1
Drive 5 - Field goal after driving 45 yards in 56 seconds
Drive 6 - Six-yard pass on third-and-8
Drive 7 - Interception on a trick play
Drive 8 - Touchdown
Drive 9 - Sack on third-and-5
Drive 10 - Wildcat handoff on third-and-3 gets one yard
Drive 11 - Throwaway under pressure on third-and-11
Drive 12 - Punt on a 26-yard drive, but actually a good possession that took more than three minutes off the clock
So there was, what, four good drives in there? The two touchdowns, the field goal and the clock-eater at the end. Four out of 12. With four three-and-outs and two turnovers among the other eight possessions.
10. I don’t want to be all negative here, so a few positives. Kedon Slovis and Jared Wayne are developing a really nice connection. Wayne has caught 13 passes for 263 yards in the last two games. He had two 100-yard games in his career entering this season, and he has now topped the century mark in two consecutive games. I also think we saw some glimpses of Konata Mumpfield’s ability, particularly on the 29-yard screen pass (which was, helpfully, well-blocked).
Continued...
