I got invited on a PG13ish type Hangover casino trip this weekend, watched the game when I got back last night. Some thoughts echo what a lot of other people.
* Pickett - Geno I think noted, he looked healthy. THANKFULLY, the two weeks let that bent up knee hit that probably was one mili-inch from an ACL blowout heal up a good bit. He's probably a 4.8ish type runner, but being healthier he clearly was more confident in his knee, cut and run as fast as he was able.
More and more he reminds me a lot of Eric Dungey. A bit thicker, not "explosive" but a good runner, a bit scattershot as a passer. The offense and Nards style is more conservative, so maybe he can be better than Dungey in being more risk averse, thereby having the good without the bad with the turnovers.
* A number of people noted his missing too many passes - in the past games if you looked back, a lot of those misses happened when he was under at least some pressure. And, there were a few of the "misses" where he either was throwing the ball away or there was good coverage and he just wasn't able to bend the ball in. But, there were definitely close to a half dozen throws where he had no pressure that should have effected them and receivers in windows that he was inaccurate on.
* Someone else noted, that two point conversion, not it was a Duke defender he beat, to buy time, but when was the last time a Pitt QB made that kind of play?
* I don't think anyone noted this - we all pretty much have bemoaned the last of "pace" with the offense. They were MUCH faster to set on the ball and get plays going most of the game, at times getting the play off close to 15 seconds before the play clock expired. It may just be that Kenny Pickett is a good, not great QB, and just has needed time to grow and develop. CP had a piece on how they worked on the two minute offense during the open week. Maybe, there is a little more there on offense than has been visible, and just needed time to get it worked out.
* Carter - credit to the staff for keeping their options open and looking at different variables. I remember his HS video, was really happy when the flipped him from ISU - he clearly has very quick feet, was fast and explosive.
Ffrench has good straight line speed, and some shiftyness. But, he has not been as good as Q on the jets. Just not as elite with them as Q was. To me, Carter looks a lot like Q, he seems to have that instant gear - to be able to go from routine fast to super fast in a milisecond. Anxious to see how he is used and does moving forward.
* Someone else alluded to it, but Pitt completely gashed Duke running on all levels. Hard to see that it will be THAT easy moving forward, but what we saw Saturday was what we saw from Canada two years ago.
* They took about a half dozen deep shots off play action. THANKFULLY hit the two to FFrench down the middle, but that just seems to be part of the progression thing.
* Agree with someone else who noted, Ollison ate his wheaties. Definitely looks like a guy who has had a LONG college career who is seeing the end of it approaching and wants to make the most of it.
* Defense - Having a bit of an epiphany. They have a LOT of incomplete players defensively. Not talentless, but just not well rounded or not fully matured. Again, while there are a lot of incomplete seniors, the defense is build around Nards' first two full classes, and these kids are still on the clock in developing as players. It just makes sense to use so many bodies, to have basically a full set of two rotations.
* Pitt80 noted, it seems their idea was to keep Duke in front of them, and Duke gladly executed their wheel house of throwing quick, short passes. And, while they had a lot of open seems to RAC, as someone else noted, as a team the tackling again regressed.
* One game at a time. Not good to see them 7+ point dogs against Virginia, but I agree with Geno - it isn't an unfavorable matchup with a QB and offense that is not pass oriented.
* ONE OF THESE DAYS, things this program has to break its nature. The Coastal is there, I don't care if it they end up 6-6 and manage to win the Coastal with two division losses by having beat the other two loss team ... Just win SOMETHING to be able to build from something.
* Pickett - Geno I think noted, he looked healthy. THANKFULLY, the two weeks let that bent up knee hit that probably was one mili-inch from an ACL blowout heal up a good bit. He's probably a 4.8ish type runner, but being healthier he clearly was more confident in his knee, cut and run as fast as he was able.
More and more he reminds me a lot of Eric Dungey. A bit thicker, not "explosive" but a good runner, a bit scattershot as a passer. The offense and Nards style is more conservative, so maybe he can be better than Dungey in being more risk averse, thereby having the good without the bad with the turnovers.
* A number of people noted his missing too many passes - in the past games if you looked back, a lot of those misses happened when he was under at least some pressure. And, there were a few of the "misses" where he either was throwing the ball away or there was good coverage and he just wasn't able to bend the ball in. But, there were definitely close to a half dozen throws where he had no pressure that should have effected them and receivers in windows that he was inaccurate on.
* Someone else noted, that two point conversion, not it was a Duke defender he beat, to buy time, but when was the last time a Pitt QB made that kind of play?
* I don't think anyone noted this - we all pretty much have bemoaned the last of "pace" with the offense. They were MUCH faster to set on the ball and get plays going most of the game, at times getting the play off close to 15 seconds before the play clock expired. It may just be that Kenny Pickett is a good, not great QB, and just has needed time to grow and develop. CP had a piece on how they worked on the two minute offense during the open week. Maybe, there is a little more there on offense than has been visible, and just needed time to get it worked out.
* Carter - credit to the staff for keeping their options open and looking at different variables. I remember his HS video, was really happy when the flipped him from ISU - he clearly has very quick feet, was fast and explosive.
Ffrench has good straight line speed, and some shiftyness. But, he has not been as good as Q on the jets. Just not as elite with them as Q was. To me, Carter looks a lot like Q, he seems to have that instant gear - to be able to go from routine fast to super fast in a milisecond. Anxious to see how he is used and does moving forward.
* Someone else alluded to it, but Pitt completely gashed Duke running on all levels. Hard to see that it will be THAT easy moving forward, but what we saw Saturday was what we saw from Canada two years ago.
* They took about a half dozen deep shots off play action. THANKFULLY hit the two to FFrench down the middle, but that just seems to be part of the progression thing.
* Agree with someone else who noted, Ollison ate his wheaties. Definitely looks like a guy who has had a LONG college career who is seeing the end of it approaching and wants to make the most of it.
* Defense - Having a bit of an epiphany. They have a LOT of incomplete players defensively. Not talentless, but just not well rounded or not fully matured. Again, while there are a lot of incomplete seniors, the defense is build around Nards' first two full classes, and these kids are still on the clock in developing as players. It just makes sense to use so many bodies, to have basically a full set of two rotations.
* Pitt80 noted, it seems their idea was to keep Duke in front of them, and Duke gladly executed their wheel house of throwing quick, short passes. And, while they had a lot of open seems to RAC, as someone else noted, as a team the tackling again regressed.
* One game at a time. Not good to see them 7+ point dogs against Virginia, but I agree with Geno - it isn't an unfavorable matchup with a QB and offense that is not pass oriented.
* ONE OF THESE DAYS, things this program has to break its nature. The Coastal is there, I don't care if it they end up 6-6 and manage to win the Coastal with two division losses by having beat the other two loss team ... Just win SOMETHING to be able to build from something.
