Throwing on first down not a good look puts pressure on offense needlessly! Not being aggressive for TD’s is culturally what’s wrong with Pitt program. Whipple is terrible game caller! I’m just plain fed up!
Offensive game plan blows
- Thread starter RJCMAN38
- Start date
The QB to the sideline every play is destroying the flow of the game for the offense. If the QB is so poorly prepared that he needs a juicebox between plays, then either we need a QB who can be prepared to play without a clinic every play, or an OC who can prepare the QB to play. Otherwise, OC to the pressbox....
Whatever he is telling them doesn't seem to help.
I don’t know to be honest. Execution is so bad, it’s hard to tell.
we are not using our speed to throw DOWNFIELD enough.....it's so obvious......and having a 175 pound back as a lead blocker on a sweep....give me a break
This! I absolutely hate having Pickett run to the sideline to get every play. There's like 5 wr, why not shuffle the play in with them
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My biggest issue was going to the Wildcat with AJ Davis when the offense had some rhythm going at that point in the game. AJ Davis also wasn’t playing well. Then on that same drive we put our backup RT in to get some reps, and he proceeded to get beat like a drum and give up a sack. If we score a TD on that drive, then we could have buried SU right there instead putzing around with them the rest of the game.
I think you are correct. Aside from the drive culminating with the Wayne TD, it was same old. Had the chance to land the knockout punch with the fumble recovery deep in their end. But Alexander gave them back 15 yards with a stupid penalty and 3 terrible play calls and a missed FG kept cuse in the game. Playing down to the level of competition plus an ultra conservative plan once a 2 score lead.
Ned more of a variety for running plays. Nothing designed to start to the outside other than wr jets.
It boggles my mind too why is this not chastised by local media? I’m tired of seeing Pickett run back and forth enough already
Would 30-10 make you feel any better? That was the score if special teams did their job. They ran more no huddle against AP and Kenny didn't run to the sidelines that much. Not sure why they changed it up today.
There's still near zero threat downfield. Whether its Whipple by design, OL being a sieve or Pickett just can't do it. Making it 8 in box every play and impossible to run.
I’d have felt better with fewer penalties, fewer turnovers, better play calling like going for it on 4th and 3 rather then missing a FG when 21 point favorites. Pitt won great but wanted to see an elite performance instead got a sloppy effort both sides of the ball. Penalties were out of control across the board thankfully played a weak team!
I agree 100%. The Pitt offense is quite bland. There is really nothing very exciting about it. The Pitt OC must have zero confidence in Pickett's ability to throw the ball more then 15 yards downfield. Oh, how I wish that UCF would give Pitt their OC.
Pitt won cup 1/2 full however this team is not elite and by year 6 in Narduzzi era the goal was to be a top tier team playing in a New Year’s Day bowl and yesterday revealed the truth Pitt is not there and it is not even close. Whipple is a shit show disaster he refuses to adapt towards today’s game and until he changes or leaves Pitt will not be a top 15 team. Pitt has the talent it’s coaching that is hurting this team!
Not quite ready to blame Narduzzi quite yet, his OC...absolutely. I do believe that Pat Narduzzi is exactly the type of head coach that the PItt football program needs at this time.
A passionate leader, who appears to have the morals and values that a parent would want their child to be coached by. His choice of OC's, that's another subject.
Pitt's defense + UCF's offense = Top !0 football program.
H2P!!
I whole heartedly agree with you. I have been ultra-critical of our offensive performance and yet I still feel like Pat Narduzzi is the right guy for Pitt football. We are just going to have to take the good with the bad. We are not getting anyone to coach at Pitt who is a better fit for the job.
We are consistently worse in the second half than in the first half
That’s the alarming trend of Narduzzi so far
He’s not much of a leader
Narduzzi seems to take a step forward last week and then falls back into complacency. It appears Narduzzi is afraid of success because can’t handle it that’s the it factor for winners! To suggest Pitt can’t find a “great fit” when paying 3.5 million a year is absurd! Pitt is in major conference we’re not a directional school so stop expecting so little demand more! H2P!!
They had one turnover. I would kick the FG almost every time in that situation.
The only reason I can think of that you're fixated on the spread is you lost a bet. They won an ugly conference game without much problem.
They had bad int and a backwards pass fumble and a penalty on punt that resulted in a TO.
Whipple will just be replaced by another version of Whipple.
At this point Narduzzi has a type when it comes to OC. You’re never going to see him do a 180 and bring in a Rhett Lashlee type.
This is why Narduzzi must go he fails to adapt adjust to the new norms. Narduzzi is stubborn and unwilling to change literally picked a guy from UMASS who had bottom 5 offenses previous 3 years before Pitt. Offense ranked 112th last year let’s say Pitt is ranked 80tb this year still don’t see how Pitt gets 7 wins!
I feel like Narduzzi is married to the idea of a pro style offense and quarterback. His old school approach to offense is what handcuffs us from having a more creative scheme suited for today's CFB
No question spot on analysis Narduzzi is a dinosaur needs to evolve
The flip side of that is that defenses don't see our O every week, and therefore don't get as much time to prepare.
Let’s not forget the boneheaded unforced penalties, special teams gaffes, lack of disciplined play,, and poor execution.
In year 6.
The guy was and is a good defensive coordinator. He’s not much of a head coach. Could Pitt realistically do better? I don’t know, but I think we already know what the ceiling is with this coach.
Narduzzi is very similar to how I felt about Dave Wannstedt at the end. Great ambassador for the program, the kind of coach I would want for my son, and a lot of pride in our school. Yet, he wouldn’t adapt to the modern college game nor would he empower his coordinators. Now I don’t know if he has made bad coaching choices, is not holding them accountable, or is handcuffing them.
Maybe a little bit of all three. The conservatism in the second half offensive play calling, however, in my mind HAS to be Narduzzi. At a minimum, we need to keep the pedal to the metal (left lane hammer down? 🤮) until the fourth quarter. Otherwise we will continually be in close games where every team is in it until the end and a couple big plays away from another loss.
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The execution has been really bad at times: the drops and pre-snap penalties have been backbreaking.
More schematically, I absolutely hate the bubble screens that we run. Passing it to the sidelines like that isn't as easy as it looks and it has very little upside. We either lack the personnel: 1) to delivery the football accurately; 2) to block in the flat; or 3) with enough wiggle to make a man miss and pick up a significant gain. It's just a medium-risk, low-reward play that constantly puts us in 2nd and 9 or 2nd and 10. It should be thrown into the scrap heap and never used again, particularly with a team that's playing 5 DBs.
More schematically, I absolutely hate the bubble screens that we run. Passing it to the sidelines like that isn't as easy as it looks and it has very little upside. We either lack the personnel: 1) to delivery the football accurately; 2) to block in the flat; or 3) with enough wiggle to make a man miss and pick up a significant gain. It's just a medium-risk, low-reward play that constantly puts us in 2nd and 9 or 2nd and 10. It should be thrown into the scrap heap and never used again, particularly with a team that's playing 5 DBs.
Those edge passing plays are only consistently effective if (1) your inside run game is effective and the D has to respect it., and (2) you have shown the ability to hurt the defense with passing In the intermediate middle and deep downfield. The flip side is also true-if you can force the D to harden up on the corners that opens up the one on one downfield stuff and maybe even draws a safety in too tight for a wide open home run.
Bottom line is for an offense to be effective, good balance is necessary. If the D is taking away one part of the field, you’d better be able to hurt them in another.
I personally think the OL is holding the offense back. You can't do what you want if you can't sustain a block.
The conservative passing and screen game is Whipple doing his best to mix it up with the limited talent that he has on offense. Fans bemoaned Narduzzi’s D a few years ago. Then he brought in the talent and - voila! - it suddenly works. Unfortunately the offensive recruiting has lagged. You can’t throw downfield with tackles that DEs treat like turnstiles. You can max protect to help them but you’d better have difference makers at the skill positions. Pitt has not gotten talent at either spot. The highly regarded players they have gotten (Flowers, Reeves, Salahuddin, Warren, Hill) have not worked out for a number of reasons. I think Addison and Barden have potential but aren’t there yet. They can’t throw downfield consistently and don’t run well, so you get the bubble screens and short stuff.
That makes sense. And we haven't really been able to do 1 or 2 so that probably explains why they aren't working very well.
I just hate them. It's college football. These are inexperienced kids. We should be stressing the defense, particularly the safeties, as much as possible because mistakes leading to big plays will happen. Our sideline to sideline offense does not do that.
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