1. I could tell as soon as I pulled into the parking lot that the fan base wasn't showing out for this game. I missed it when they announced the official attendance number (can someone fill me in?) but if I had to guess I'd say somewhere between 30k-40k. This issue has been discussed to great lengths here so I'll just leave it at that rather than getting into it too much. Just disappointing to have poor attendance at our biggest game of the season.
2. I really enjoy the rivalry we have developed with Tech. The games are always competitive and I have yet to have a bad experience with any of their fans. My fiancé and I sat next to two Tech fans that made the trip for the game and both were very cool and knowledgeable. They even commented on how cool of a city the 'burgh is.
3. Offense - It took us a quarter and a half to get get going but we were pretty dominant after the slow start. We are spoiled with our offensive line - not many d lines in the entire country can match up. Conner is an absolute stud, you can really tell he's getting his legs back because he was dominant last night. Our receiving/TE corp is developing nicely, really excited for next season with Reeves and Clark in the fold.
4. Defense - Im judging this group off of the entire game's body of work. This game would've been a blow out if our d didn't force them into 3 FGs early in the game - the o really put them in bad positions early in the game. The second half was abysmal. Our corners are not good, terrible to be honest. No matter who they throw out there we get burned on the deep ball. By the 3rd quarter, Tech was running the exact same play over and over - deep ball into one on one coverage. I know a lot on here are mad about the PI calls but I honestly think we were lucky to not have more called - our corners are that bad. Are you listening Mr. Wade? You could start from day 1 and succeed.
5. Coaching - This is where I'll be the most critical. I'll start by saying that I love Narduzzi and truly believe he's the man for Pitt. With that said, this game has left me with a very sour taste in my mouth. A) Our team came out slow in our biggest game of the season, following a bye week. Where's the sense of urgency? B) When will it be enough to change the game plan on defense? Where are the adjustments? Why can't we play SOME zone? Our corners stink but the fact that Narduzzi continues to put them in horrible positions and asks them to succeed is completely mind blowing to me. His comments in the presser about the kids being in the right positions to succeed but not making the plays seems unreasonable and inappropriate to say to the media. C) I love coach's intensity but am I the only one that thinks he needs to take it down a notch on the sidelines? After his tirade when he ran down the sideline after Aston's call and clapped in the ref's face, the guy behind me commented that he looked like Brian Kelly. Again, I love his fire but please just knock it down a couple of notches. D) Coach needs to beat a ranked opponent at some point. I realize he's playing with Chryst's players and its only year 2 but he's starting to develop the rep of not being able to win a big game. Am I the only one that felt like we had the better team last night?
I hope that this does not p*ss anyone off and create an argument, I just had to vent a little bit after being so disappointed last night leaving the game. Maybe this team has reached its ceiling? 8-4 with this team is much better than Chryst was ever able to accomplish. After Narduzzi gets his guys on the team (specifically CBs) I think we have a real chance to win the coastal on a regular basis.
Thoughts? Comments? Have at it fellas. Thanks for reading my rant.
2. I really enjoy the rivalry we have developed with Tech. The games are always competitive and I have yet to have a bad experience with any of their fans. My fiancé and I sat next to two Tech fans that made the trip for the game and both were very cool and knowledgeable. They even commented on how cool of a city the 'burgh is.
3. Offense - It took us a quarter and a half to get get going but we were pretty dominant after the slow start. We are spoiled with our offensive line - not many d lines in the entire country can match up. Conner is an absolute stud, you can really tell he's getting his legs back because he was dominant last night. Our receiving/TE corp is developing nicely, really excited for next season with Reeves and Clark in the fold.
4. Defense - Im judging this group off of the entire game's body of work. This game would've been a blow out if our d didn't force them into 3 FGs early in the game - the o really put them in bad positions early in the game. The second half was abysmal. Our corners are not good, terrible to be honest. No matter who they throw out there we get burned on the deep ball. By the 3rd quarter, Tech was running the exact same play over and over - deep ball into one on one coverage. I know a lot on here are mad about the PI calls but I honestly think we were lucky to not have more called - our corners are that bad. Are you listening Mr. Wade? You could start from day 1 and succeed.
5. Coaching - This is where I'll be the most critical. I'll start by saying that I love Narduzzi and truly believe he's the man for Pitt. With that said, this game has left me with a very sour taste in my mouth. A) Our team came out slow in our biggest game of the season, following a bye week. Where's the sense of urgency? B) When will it be enough to change the game plan on defense? Where are the adjustments? Why can't we play SOME zone? Our corners stink but the fact that Narduzzi continues to put them in horrible positions and asks them to succeed is completely mind blowing to me. His comments in the presser about the kids being in the right positions to succeed but not making the plays seems unreasonable and inappropriate to say to the media. C) I love coach's intensity but am I the only one that thinks he needs to take it down a notch on the sidelines? After his tirade when he ran down the sideline after Aston's call and clapped in the ref's face, the guy behind me commented that he looked like Brian Kelly. Again, I love his fire but please just knock it down a couple of notches. D) Coach needs to beat a ranked opponent at some point. I realize he's playing with Chryst's players and its only year 2 but he's starting to develop the rep of not being able to win a big game. Am I the only one that felt like we had the better team last night?
I hope that this does not p*ss anyone off and create an argument, I just had to vent a little bit after being so disappointed last night leaving the game. Maybe this team has reached its ceiling? 8-4 with this team is much better than Chryst was ever able to accomplish. After Narduzzi gets his guys on the team (specifically CBs) I think we have a real chance to win the coastal on a regular basis.
Thoughts? Comments? Have at it fellas. Thanks for reading my rant.
