Halftime Optimism

[pittpitt]

1) Our D has been gashed over and over but we're still tied, and we have one of the best adjustments-making defensive minds in the country. He stopped Baylor dead in their tracks in last year's Cotton Bowl as MSU came back from 20 down to win.
2) We suddenly have a creative and good OC (I'll assume he's been holding out until this game). The Voytik/Holtz call was a good one that could have been a TD.
3) GT cannot stop our offense, and Peterman has time in the pocket, is making good reads, and even on the 2 times he was pressured he completed big passes.
4) The GT fumble was not a fluke. They've fumbled 11 times in their last 4 games, plus 1 interception in each of their last last 3 games. There will be at least one more GT turnover.
5) Only a bush league facemask call kept us from forcing a punt on the final series, and even with it we still blocked a FG, so momentum is slightly on our side.

 

[Pittx9]

We definitely took momentum and if we stop them to start this half and possibly answer with a score, that might give us enough confidence to not look back.

 

[Teh Teh]

Good post . This is a difficult offense to stop, we are doing better in the second half

 

[pittpitt]

1) GREAT adjustments by Narduzzi/Conklin at halftime. We were 1 long run by GT (up the gut, no less) from shutting them out in the second half.

2) Final drive by Pitt: Used nearly 7 minutes of clock to move 30 yards (think about how smart that is by our offense) and kick a 56-yarder. The drive included us successfully going for it on 4th-and-1 and 4th-and-2. Big-time ONIONS to the offense and to Blewitt!

3) Our second-to-last drive almost kept going if not for a super close maybe-in-maybe-out throw to Orndoff on 3rd down. GT gets it, and on their drive fumbles on their own 22, which we nearly recovered. Those 2 plays both go against us, but we still gutted it out.

4) Winslow pinned GT at their 8 on 2 punts. Wow!

 

[Pittx9]

4) Winslow pinned GT at their 8 on 2 punts. Wow!

As odd as it is, the first few games Winslow was probably the weak link. These last two games though, wow! what a turnaround. Special teams has been great this year. Blocking kicks, punts, 56 yard field goal! Someone on ESPN pre-season said Narduzzi was the first year coach that had the best chance at success right away. I think he nailed that one! We have our football coach!

 

[pittpitt]

Down 21-14 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, Narduzzi & Conklin decided they had enough, and GT is stopped on 5 of their final 6 drives from that point forward. Only a single long run (on broken defense) allowed the score on the other one. This is what adjustments look like!

 

[rpost3]

I actually had confidence in this staff even when Pitt's D was getting their ass kicked. I knew if they lost it would be b/c GT beat them rather than some kind of Same Ole Pitt buffoonery. It's clearly obvious the new bosses decided that being good at football is better business than being mediocre and thus invested in winning coaches. The result is these games are not painful to watch for once. This is the first time I've seen every game in real time in years. I actually planned a perfectly good Saturday around the game.