East Lansing, Mich. – Well, it looks like we’ll actually be able to put the saying familiarity breeds contempt to the test when No. 10 Michigan State faces the No. 12 and ACC champion Pittsburgh Panthers in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.
While that contempt may come more from MSU’s fanbase, which got to know Panthers’ head coach Pat Narduzzi pretty well during a successful run as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator from 2007-2014, there will also be an underlying familiarity with the way Narduzzi structures his defense and his defensive philosophy.
That philosophy is put into action by Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates but the Panthers are not just about defense.
They have a pretty darn good offense too, led by their own Heisman Trophy candidate in senior quarterback Kenny Pickett.
After opening the season as a national unknown, Pickett has taken the ball and run with it. Actually, he’s taken the ball from under center and thrown his way, not only into the Heisman Trophy conversation, but into the record books and into the conversation of being a high NFL draft pick.
Pickett, who led Pitt’s offense to a 45-21 victory over Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night, finished 20-of-33 for 253 yards and two scores against the Demon Deacons.
He’s fifth in the nation in passing yards at 4,319 and third in touchdowns with 42 against just seven interceptions.
“He definitely can put the ball where it needs to be. He’s shown that all year,’’ said MSU senior safety Xavier Henderson. “He’s got some pretty good numbers so we’ll just have to really keep working on fundamentals and technique. We’ve got to be better, not only in the secondary but the linebackers as well. When he’s going through his progressions, we have to do a better job of staying in our zones and melding with the quarterback and also the pass rush will help us out. When they’re going good, we do good.’’
Pitt ranks No. 5 in the nation in total offense at 502.9 yards per game.
Pickett, the ACC Player of the Year, an All-American and a Walter Camp Player of the Year Award finalist, has run for 241 yards and five TDs this season.
Michigan State ranks dead last in the nation in passing yards allowed, at 337.7 per game.
However, Michigan State ranks a reasonably-competitive No. 58 in the nation in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.29) and No. 11 in the Big Ten. Pittsburgh ranks No. 40 in the nation in total defense but allows more yards per pass attempt (7.34) than Michigan State.
Regardless of the stats, Pittsburgh's Pickett is going to test Michigan State severely in Mercedes-Benz Stadium's climate-controlled environment.
"I have not seen any coaches' copy tape on him yet, but I've seen some highlights," Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said of Pickett. "I know he's a great player, so I know we're going to have to do a much better job on our pass defense. We've got to tighten up some areas. We've got to get some guys back healthy in order to be able to have a chance to contain him and slow him down."
Pickett’s favorite target in the passing game is sophomore wideout Jordan Addison, who is a Biletnikoff Award finalist.
Addison (6-0, 175, Frederick, Md.) caught eight balls for 126 yards on Saturday night and has 93 receptions for 1,479 yards and 17 TDs on the season - numbers that arguably make him the best at his position in the nation. He is first team-All ACC.
The Panthers’ run game, although not a dominant feature of Pittsburgh’s offense – rotates as many as four running backs. Pitt is producing 152.7 yards a game for an offense that is averaging 43 points a game. Four Panther running backs have gained 400 or more yards this season.
Pitt averages 4.0 yards per carry, which ranks No. 13 in the 14-team ACC.
While the offense is nice, the signature of a Narduzzi-coached team is the defense.
Michigan State will be facing a familiar defensive style that fans should have no problem recognizing when the Spartans are on offense.
That unit has produced 86 points off of turnovers, 15 interceptions, 51 sacks and limited opponents to just 23.1 points per game.
Narduzzi has emphasized stopping the run for years. His Pitt Panthers defense does a good job of it, limiting opposing offenses to just 2.7 yards per carry, which ranks No. 1 in the ACC.
Led by junior linebacker SirVocea Dennis’ 81 tackles, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Calijah Kancey’s 12 tackles for loss and redshirt junior defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado’s 11.5 tackles for loss, Pitt’s run defense is sixth in the country, giving up just 91.8 yards rushing per game.
Redshirt junior defensive back Erick Hallett, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 60, also leads the Panthers in picks with three,
These are the kind of numbers Spartan fans were spoiled by and should remember from Narduzzi’s days on MSU’s sideline.
When asked if Michigan State fans will recognize the traits and structure of his Pitt defense, Narduzzi said: “I think so. I think they'll see. They'll kind of know what it looks like. It's the same aggressive style of defense that we had up in East Lansing, and it's kind of what we do. Randy Bates, our defensive coordinator, does a nice job.’’
While that contempt may come more from MSU’s fanbase, which got to know Panthers’ head coach Pat Narduzzi pretty well during a successful run as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator from 2007-2014, there will also be an underlying familiarity with the way Narduzzi structures his defense and his defensive philosophy.
That philosophy is put into action by Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates but the Panthers are not just about defense.
They have a pretty darn good offense too, led by their own Heisman Trophy candidate in senior quarterback Kenny Pickett.
After opening the season as a national unknown, Pickett has taken the ball and run with it. Actually, he’s taken the ball from under center and thrown his way, not only into the Heisman Trophy conversation, but into the record books and into the conversation of being a high NFL draft pick.
Pickett, who led Pitt’s offense to a 45-21 victory over Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night, finished 20-of-33 for 253 yards and two scores against the Demon Deacons.
He’s fifth in the nation in passing yards at 4,319 and third in touchdowns with 42 against just seven interceptions.
“He definitely can put the ball where it needs to be. He’s shown that all year,’’ said MSU senior safety Xavier Henderson. “He’s got some pretty good numbers so we’ll just have to really keep working on fundamentals and technique. We’ve got to be better, not only in the secondary but the linebackers as well. When he’s going through his progressions, we have to do a better job of staying in our zones and melding with the quarterback and also the pass rush will help us out. When they’re going good, we do good.’’
Pitt ranks No. 5 in the nation in total offense at 502.9 yards per game.
Pickett, the ACC Player of the Year, an All-American and a Walter Camp Player of the Year Award finalist, has run for 241 yards and five TDs this season.
Michigan State ranks dead last in the nation in passing yards allowed, at 337.7 per game.
However, Michigan State ranks a reasonably-competitive No. 58 in the nation in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.29) and No. 11 in the Big Ten. Pittsburgh ranks No. 40 in the nation in total defense but allows more yards per pass attempt (7.34) than Michigan State.
Regardless of the stats, Pittsburgh's Pickett is going to test Michigan State severely in Mercedes-Benz Stadium's climate-controlled environment.
"I have not seen any coaches' copy tape on him yet, but I've seen some highlights," Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker said of Pickett. "I know he's a great player, so I know we're going to have to do a much better job on our pass defense. We've got to tighten up some areas. We've got to get some guys back healthy in order to be able to have a chance to contain him and slow him down."
Pickett’s favorite target in the passing game is sophomore wideout Jordan Addison, who is a Biletnikoff Award finalist.
Addison (6-0, 175, Frederick, Md.) caught eight balls for 126 yards on Saturday night and has 93 receptions for 1,479 yards and 17 TDs on the season - numbers that arguably make him the best at his position in the nation. He is first team-All ACC.
The Panthers’ run game, although not a dominant feature of Pittsburgh’s offense – rotates as many as four running backs. Pitt is producing 152.7 yards a game for an offense that is averaging 43 points a game. Four Panther running backs have gained 400 or more yards this season.
Pitt averages 4.0 yards per carry, which ranks No. 13 in the 14-team ACC.
While the offense is nice, the signature of a Narduzzi-coached team is the defense.
Michigan State will be facing a familiar defensive style that fans should have no problem recognizing when the Spartans are on offense.
That unit has produced 86 points off of turnovers, 15 interceptions, 51 sacks and limited opponents to just 23.1 points per game.
Narduzzi has emphasized stopping the run for years. His Pitt Panthers defense does a good job of it, limiting opposing offenses to just 2.7 yards per carry, which ranks No. 1 in the ACC.
Led by junior linebacker SirVocea Dennis’ 81 tackles, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Calijah Kancey’s 12 tackles for loss and redshirt junior defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado’s 11.5 tackles for loss, Pitt’s run defense is sixth in the country, giving up just 91.8 yards rushing per game.
Redshirt junior defensive back Erick Hallett, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 60, also leads the Panthers in picks with three,
These are the kind of numbers Spartan fans were spoiled by and should remember from Narduzzi’s days on MSU’s sideline.
When asked if Michigan State fans will recognize the traits and structure of his Pitt defense, Narduzzi said: “I think so. I think they'll see. They'll kind of know what it looks like. It's the same aggressive style of defense that we had up in East Lansing, and it's kind of what we do. Randy Bates, our defensive coordinator, does a nice job.’’
