Expect a New Trick Play Tonight or Two and watch the Most NFL-Prepared Player in all of CFB to have a Big Game! Just A Hunch!
Article & Link To Think:
Zach Challingsworth wasn't sure the play — one that would become by far the biggest in his Pitt football career — was going to happen. Against Georgia Tech on Oct. 17, Pitt was trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter. A 41-yard pass from quarterback Nate Peterman to Dontez Ford set up the Panthers at the Yellow Jackets' 31-yard line.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney decided to reach deep into his playbook and call an option pass by receiver Tyler Boyd. Boyd took the ball and saw Challingsworth open. “We had been working on that for a couple weeks, and it's been in the game plan for a while and we just never really got a chance to use it,” Challingsworth, a redshirt sophomore receiver from South Fayette, said. “It all happened so fast. I thought Tyler got tackled, and then I just saw the ball fly up in the air.”
Challingsworth caught the pass and was tackled at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, freshman running back Qadree Ollison scored to tie the game. The Panthers went on to win 31-28. The reception was just the second of the season for Challingsworth — and the second of his Pitt career. He spent most of his redshirt freshman season on special teams — appearing in 10 games — but finally is getting the opportunity to do what he did so well at South Fayette.
Chaney is hoping the reception against Georgia Tech will be a springboard to more production for Challingsworth. “Receivers are interesting animals,” Chaney said. “If (they) ever lose some confidence once in a while, it takes a little bit for them to bounce back. I thought ‘Chally' has been that way a little bit.
“I hope (that play) spurs a little emotion and enthusiasm in him, a little excitement about playing, lets him perform a little better. That would be great.” Challingsworth (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) admits he still has a long way to go to become the receiver he wants to be. He made it look easy at South Fayette, catching 147 passes for 2,759 yards and 38 touchdowns in his time there.
But competition in the ACC is light years from the Class AA Century Conference. Besides the dramatic change in the speed and athleticism of the players, Challingsworth said, there was a greater learning curve involved with regard to recognizing the nuances of Division I defenses. Playing opposite Boyd has helped. Challingsworth called the Clairton graduate a “great friend” and “mentor” who inspires all the Pitt receivers with his effort. “He's a great player, and he is going to play on Sundays,” Challingsworth said. “Some of the things he does in practice — and especially in the games — you just see it and you're just like, ‘Wow. He just did that, and he made it look effortless.' “You compete with him and try to be as good as him, if not better than him, in practice every day. It's not the easiest thing. I think he's the best receiver in college football, and he works very hard at his craft to be that.”
All the receivers had the challenge of a quarterback switch earlier this season when incumbent Chad Voytik gave way to Peterman. Challingsworth said there were obvious timing issues the receivers had to work out with Peterman but that the switch hasn't been difficult. What was difficult was losing running back James Conner to a season-ending injury in the opening game against Youngstown State. Conner is the reigning ACC Player of the Year and was a Heisman hopeful.
Pitt was able to keep winning despite Conner's loss and, on Oct. 18, broke into the Associated Press Top 25 (at No. 25) for the first time in six years. Challingsworth attributes the team's resilience to the first-year coaching staff led by Pat Narduzzi. He said Narduzzi has imbued the players with a sense of togetherness that seemed to be missing before.
“It's almost like we're a family now, not just teammates,” he said. “We hold each other accountable for the littlest things. I think before we let things slip, and we didn't really take control of the little things and that's kind of what separated us from winning those games in the fourth quarter (last year). “This year we've done a pretty good job of that, and you just don't want to disappoint the guy next to you. “You don't want the reason why we didn't win or why the play didn't work to be your fault.”
The winning has been nice. The top-25 ranking was nice. But Challingsworth said the Panthers realize there still is much to be done. He believes Pitt only now is beginning to scratch the surface of its potential. It's much the same way he views himself. His contributions thus far have been modest, but he is confident that as he continues to get comfortable with the offense and continues to work, he will be the target of more passes like that pivotal one against Georgia Tech. “I feel like my time will come, and it's going to start happening,” he said. “I just have to keep working to make that happen. It doesn't happen overnight.”
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9302439-74/challingsworth-pitt-fayette
Jerry DiPaola contributed. Chuck Curti is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.
Article & Link To Think:
Zach Challingsworth wasn't sure the play — one that would become by far the biggest in his Pitt football career — was going to happen. Against Georgia Tech on Oct. 17, Pitt was trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter. A 41-yard pass from quarterback Nate Peterman to Dontez Ford set up the Panthers at the Yellow Jackets' 31-yard line.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney decided to reach deep into his playbook and call an option pass by receiver Tyler Boyd. Boyd took the ball and saw Challingsworth open. “We had been working on that for a couple weeks, and it's been in the game plan for a while and we just never really got a chance to use it,” Challingsworth, a redshirt sophomore receiver from South Fayette, said. “It all happened so fast. I thought Tyler got tackled, and then I just saw the ball fly up in the air.”
Challingsworth caught the pass and was tackled at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, freshman running back Qadree Ollison scored to tie the game. The Panthers went on to win 31-28. The reception was just the second of the season for Challingsworth — and the second of his Pitt career. He spent most of his redshirt freshman season on special teams — appearing in 10 games — but finally is getting the opportunity to do what he did so well at South Fayette.
Chaney is hoping the reception against Georgia Tech will be a springboard to more production for Challingsworth. “Receivers are interesting animals,” Chaney said. “If (they) ever lose some confidence once in a while, it takes a little bit for them to bounce back. I thought ‘Chally' has been that way a little bit.
“I hope (that play) spurs a little emotion and enthusiasm in him, a little excitement about playing, lets him perform a little better. That would be great.” Challingsworth (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) admits he still has a long way to go to become the receiver he wants to be. He made it look easy at South Fayette, catching 147 passes for 2,759 yards and 38 touchdowns in his time there.
But competition in the ACC is light years from the Class AA Century Conference. Besides the dramatic change in the speed and athleticism of the players, Challingsworth said, there was a greater learning curve involved with regard to recognizing the nuances of Division I defenses. Playing opposite Boyd has helped. Challingsworth called the Clairton graduate a “great friend” and “mentor” who inspires all the Pitt receivers with his effort. “He's a great player, and he is going to play on Sundays,” Challingsworth said. “Some of the things he does in practice — and especially in the games — you just see it and you're just like, ‘Wow. He just did that, and he made it look effortless.' “You compete with him and try to be as good as him, if not better than him, in practice every day. It's not the easiest thing. I think he's the best receiver in college football, and he works very hard at his craft to be that.”
All the receivers had the challenge of a quarterback switch earlier this season when incumbent Chad Voytik gave way to Peterman. Challingsworth said there were obvious timing issues the receivers had to work out with Peterman but that the switch hasn't been difficult. What was difficult was losing running back James Conner to a season-ending injury in the opening game against Youngstown State. Conner is the reigning ACC Player of the Year and was a Heisman hopeful.
Pitt was able to keep winning despite Conner's loss and, on Oct. 18, broke into the Associated Press Top 25 (at No. 25) for the first time in six years. Challingsworth attributes the team's resilience to the first-year coaching staff led by Pat Narduzzi. He said Narduzzi has imbued the players with a sense of togetherness that seemed to be missing before.
“It's almost like we're a family now, not just teammates,” he said. “We hold each other accountable for the littlest things. I think before we let things slip, and we didn't really take control of the little things and that's kind of what separated us from winning those games in the fourth quarter (last year). “This year we've done a pretty good job of that, and you just don't want to disappoint the guy next to you. “You don't want the reason why we didn't win or why the play didn't work to be your fault.”
The winning has been nice. The top-25 ranking was nice. But Challingsworth said the Panthers realize there still is much to be done. He believes Pitt only now is beginning to scratch the surface of its potential. It's much the same way he views himself. His contributions thus far have been modest, but he is confident that as he continues to get comfortable with the offense and continues to work, he will be the target of more passes like that pivotal one against Georgia Tech. “I feel like my time will come, and it's going to start happening,” he said. “I just have to keep working to make that happen. It doesn't happen overnight.”
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9302439-74/challingsworth-pitt-fayette
Jerry DiPaola contributed. Chuck Curti is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.
