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For as defeated as Pitt’s players looked inside the media room at Heinz Field, senior Avonte Maddox was relieved after the 59-21 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Yes, it was the most lopsided loss since Heinz Field opened in 2001 and Pitt allowed 676 total yards, but it was a non-conference game that won’t affect the Panthers’ goal of winning an ACC championship.
After losing to a pair of top 10 opponents, they can now focus on that goal, beginning with the conference opener next Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech
“It’s a fresh start for us,” Maddox said. “Our goal is the ACC championship. Fresh start, 0-0.”
On that note, here are my four takeaways from the loss and what the Panthers need to correct if they are to have a shot of reaching the ACC title game for the first time:
FIRST DOWN
One of offensive coordinator Shawn Watson‘s top priorities this week should be to get Jester Weah more involved on offense. Weah, a senior wide receiver, had 870 yards with 10 touchdowns last season, averaging an astounding 24.2 yards per catch.
His only catch against Youngstown State in the season opener was the 11-yard touchdown in overtime and he had six catches for 65 yards at Penn State, but was targeted only three times against Oklahoma State.
It was the first time since last September against Penn State that Weah did not have catch. It wasn’t entirely his fault this time, either. He used a double move to speed past Cowboys cornerback A.J. Green in the first quarter, but Browne overthrew him for what would have been a 51-yard touchdown pass.
Sure, defenses are using double coverage to limit Weah’s looks, but Watson needs to find a solution, whether its on jet sweeps to take advantage of his speed or on underneath routes to exploit a mismatch. If Weah’s numbers don’t improve, another receiver needs to take advantage of the double coverage to Weah’s side of the field.
SECOND DOWN
The Panthers sure did miss junior safety Jordan Whitehead while he served his three-game suspension. Whitehead, who is eligible to return next week, would have been able to combat Oklahoma State’s strategy of throwing to slot receivers.
After totaling 174 tackles in 22 career games, Whitehead spent the offseason switching from strong safety to field safety, a position where he could use his athleticism to cover receivers such as the Cowboys’ Jalen McCleskey, who burned Jazzee Stocker, one of Whitehead’s replacements, for this 48-yard touchdown in the second quarter:
Whitehead’s absence also had an impact on stopping the Cowboys’ rushing attack. Thanks to a 63-yard punt by Ryan Winslow, Oklahoma State was pinned back at its own 4-yard line on its second drive of the game.
Facing 3rd-and-11, Oklahoma State ran a simple counter play to the left that seemed destined to fail, but Bricen Garner, a redshirt freshman starting his third game at field safety, missed a tackle near the sideline, which allowed Justice Hill to gain 12 yards for the first down.
The Cowboys finished that 14-play, 96-yard drive with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolphto Dillon Stoner. Those kind of missed tackles are the result of poor technique, junior strong safety Dennis Briggs explained after:
Hill’s success — 91 yards on 11 carries — forced the Panthers’ inexperienced safeties and linebackers to bite on play-action, which opened up the middle of the field for Rudolph to throw to his slot receivers.
Through three weeks, it’s clear the other safeties are a weakness, particularly against the run. The question is where does Whitehead play once he returns? Briggs, who is a team captain, Garner and Stocker have all struggled, so Whitehead could start at whichever safety position the coaching staff thinks is weaker.
THIRD DOWN
The coaching staff still hasn’t solved the issue with the offensive line. Senior right tackle Jaryd Jones-Smithwas benched in the second half after allowing another sack — his fourth in three games — which forced junior Alex Bookser to shift from right guard to right tackle.
With Bookser in, juniors Mike Herndon and Connor Dintino rotated at right guard since Brandon Hodges, a graduate transfer from Texas, was unavailable because of an injury. Neither Herndon nor Dintino played well and Jones-Smith eventually re-entered the game.
The Panthers have now allowed 10 sacks in three games after their line allowed only 10 sacks in 13 games last season.
Pass protection was not the only problem this time, either.
Pitt ran for only 103 yards, averaging 3 yards per carry, which put the offense in a number of 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long situations. That’s less than ideal with the lack of a downfield passing game. There were also a number of penalties that stalled offensive drives.
Redshirt freshman center Jimmy Morrissey was called for holding on Pitt’s third offensive drive. On the next play, sophomore running back Chawntez Moss burst through Oklahoma State’s defense for a 33-yard gain, but it turned into a 3-yard run because of a holding call against Herndon.
On the second play of the next drive, Herndon was called for false start on second down and Pitt went three-and-out. Illegal procedure penalties were a rarity last season with Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnsonanchoring the left side of the line.
Suddenly, the offensive line has become a weakness, preventing the Panthers from running and passing the ball effectively.
“We’ll look at the tape, but it starts with blocking,” Narduzzi said.
FOURTH DOWN
There wasn’t much to like about the Panthers’ performance on defense, from the missed tackles to the mistakes in coverage, but the 35-point halftime deficit gave Narduzzi the opportunity to give younger players an audition, including sophomore Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin, who played in only three games as a freshman in 2016 and was limited in preseason camp because of offseason sports hernia surgery, had three tackles in the second half against the Cowboys after missing the first two games of the season. It was his first appearance at field safety after he spent last season playing cornerback.
A former four-star recruit who chose Pitt over Penn State and Ohio State, Hamlin now has an opportunity to push for playing time at perhaps the weakest position on the defense. He’s not the only one who received an audition.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Therran Coleman, redshirt safety Phil Campbell and redshirt freshman linebacker Chase Pine each got an opportunity to prove what they can do in the second half, which should help a defense that lacks depth.
Pine showed he can play both inside and outside linebacker, and Coleman contributed on defense and special teams. Campbell, meanwhile, could surpass Jazzee Stocker as a backup behind Whitehead. That’s why Narduzzi viewed the second half as a “scrimmage” for the defense:
For as defeated as Pitt’s players looked inside the media room at Heinz Field, senior Avonte Maddox was relieved after the 59-21 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Yes, it was the most lopsided loss since Heinz Field opened in 2001 and Pitt allowed 676 total yards, but it was a non-conference game that won’t affect the Panthers’ goal of winning an ACC championship.
After losing to a pair of top 10 opponents, they can now focus on that goal, beginning with the conference opener next Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech
“It’s a fresh start for us,” Maddox said. “Our goal is the ACC championship. Fresh start, 0-0.”
On that note, here are my four takeaways from the loss and what the Panthers need to correct if they are to have a shot of reaching the ACC title game for the first time:
FIRST DOWN
One of offensive coordinator Shawn Watson‘s top priorities this week should be to get Jester Weah more involved on offense. Weah, a senior wide receiver, had 870 yards with 10 touchdowns last season, averaging an astounding 24.2 yards per catch.
His only catch against Youngstown State in the season opener was the 11-yard touchdown in overtime and he had six catches for 65 yards at Penn State, but was targeted only three times against Oklahoma State.
It was the first time since last September against Penn State that Weah did not have catch. It wasn’t entirely his fault this time, either. He used a double move to speed past Cowboys cornerback A.J. Green in the first quarter, but Browne overthrew him for what would have been a 51-yard touchdown pass.
Sure, defenses are using double coverage to limit Weah’s looks, but Watson needs to find a solution, whether its on jet sweeps to take advantage of his speed or on underneath routes to exploit a mismatch. If Weah’s numbers don’t improve, another receiver needs to take advantage of the double coverage to Weah’s side of the field.
SECOND DOWN
The Panthers sure did miss junior safety Jordan Whitehead while he served his three-game suspension. Whitehead, who is eligible to return next week, would have been able to combat Oklahoma State’s strategy of throwing to slot receivers.
After totaling 174 tackles in 22 career games, Whitehead spent the offseason switching from strong safety to field safety, a position where he could use his athleticism to cover receivers such as the Cowboys’ Jalen McCleskey, who burned Jazzee Stocker, one of Whitehead’s replacements, for this 48-yard touchdown in the second quarter:
Whitehead’s absence also had an impact on stopping the Cowboys’ rushing attack. Thanks to a 63-yard punt by Ryan Winslow, Oklahoma State was pinned back at its own 4-yard line on its second drive of the game.
Facing 3rd-and-11, Oklahoma State ran a simple counter play to the left that seemed destined to fail, but Bricen Garner, a redshirt freshman starting his third game at field safety, missed a tackle near the sideline, which allowed Justice Hill to gain 12 yards for the first down.
The Cowboys finished that 14-play, 96-yard drive with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolphto Dillon Stoner. Those kind of missed tackles are the result of poor technique, junior strong safety Dennis Briggs explained after:
Hill’s success — 91 yards on 11 carries — forced the Panthers’ inexperienced safeties and linebackers to bite on play-action, which opened up the middle of the field for Rudolph to throw to his slot receivers.
Through three weeks, it’s clear the other safeties are a weakness, particularly against the run. The question is where does Whitehead play once he returns? Briggs, who is a team captain, Garner and Stocker have all struggled, so Whitehead could start at whichever safety position the coaching staff thinks is weaker.
THIRD DOWN
The coaching staff still hasn’t solved the issue with the offensive line. Senior right tackle Jaryd Jones-Smithwas benched in the second half after allowing another sack — his fourth in three games — which forced junior Alex Bookser to shift from right guard to right tackle.
With Bookser in, juniors Mike Herndon and Connor Dintino rotated at right guard since Brandon Hodges, a graduate transfer from Texas, was unavailable because of an injury. Neither Herndon nor Dintino played well and Jones-Smith eventually re-entered the game.
The Panthers have now allowed 10 sacks in three games after their line allowed only 10 sacks in 13 games last season.
Pass protection was not the only problem this time, either.
Pitt ran for only 103 yards, averaging 3 yards per carry, which put the offense in a number of 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long situations. That’s less than ideal with the lack of a downfield passing game. There were also a number of penalties that stalled offensive drives.
Redshirt freshman center Jimmy Morrissey was called for holding on Pitt’s third offensive drive. On the next play, sophomore running back Chawntez Moss burst through Oklahoma State’s defense for a 33-yard gain, but it turned into a 3-yard run because of a holding call against Herndon.
On the second play of the next drive, Herndon was called for false start on second down and Pitt went three-and-out. Illegal procedure penalties were a rarity last season with Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnsonanchoring the left side of the line.
Suddenly, the offensive line has become a weakness, preventing the Panthers from running and passing the ball effectively.
“We’ll look at the tape, but it starts with blocking,” Narduzzi said.
FOURTH DOWN
There wasn’t much to like about the Panthers’ performance on defense, from the missed tackles to the mistakes in coverage, but the 35-point halftime deficit gave Narduzzi the opportunity to give younger players an audition, including sophomore Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin, who played in only three games as a freshman in 2016 and was limited in preseason camp because of offseason sports hernia surgery, had three tackles in the second half against the Cowboys after missing the first two games of the season. It was his first appearance at field safety after he spent last season playing cornerback.
A former four-star recruit who chose Pitt over Penn State and Ohio State, Hamlin now has an opportunity to push for playing time at perhaps the weakest position on the defense. He’s not the only one who received an audition.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Therran Coleman, redshirt safety Phil Campbell and redshirt freshman linebacker Chase Pine each got an opportunity to prove what they can do in the second half, which should help a defense that lacks depth.
Pine showed he can play both inside and outside linebacker, and Coleman contributed on defense and special teams. Campbell, meanwhile, could surpass Jazzee Stocker as a backup behind Whitehead. That’s why Narduzzi viewed the second half as a “scrimmage” for the defense:
