Again, just look at the change in Attitude among Pitt Players can't wait to play and see if they can stop GT Offense.
I call it "Conklin's Confidence Factor!" It is just the Players are having so much fun in learning this Defense and want challenges to match their excitement, discipline, and focus. No more worrying and wringing hands, just come out and practice and then turn it in Game Day Executions. I have been waiting for this test too. IOWA, VT, and UVA have been close but these Panthers never quit and just improve every game as far as I see! Now comes something they did not beat over 2 years, and now they come waiting to play, wanting to play, and so be it!
Article:
Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said he is having fun preparing for his most difficult challenge of the season. Mike Caprara, a 6-foot outside linebacker, proudly is wearing a chip on his shoulder.
Pitt may not defeat Georgia Tech on Saturday — the Ramblin' Wreck are 2 1⁄2-point favorites to stop their four-game losing streak — but no one on the visitors' sideline at Bobby Dodd Stadium will be overwhelmed by the task. It's true that Georgia Tech's spread option ground attack has given Pitt and many other teams headaches over the years. The Panthers couldn't stop it two years ago even with Aaron Donald recording 11 solo tackles (six for a loss) and forcing two fumbles.
Composite score in two games: Georgia Tech 77, Pitt 38.
Conklin doesn't pay much attention to the past, and he has no interest in revisiting it. He wasn't a part of the Pitt coaching staff last year, so it's not his concern. “We have our own ideas and our own thoughts in terms of how we want to get it stopped,” he said.
Caprara tries not to think about Georgia Tech's 56-28 victory at Heinz Field last year. As a little-used reserve, he mainly watched as Georgia Tech ran for 465 yards — 35 short of the most yardage Pitt has allowed in one game.“From what I remember, once the snowball effect started coming in, we kind of scratched a lot of the defense we drew up,” he said.
From all accounts coming from the training complex — and some hard evidence from the first five games — Pitt's defense will take an edge into the game that hasn't previously existed. Employing a simpler style that allows players more freedom to use their athleticism, Pitt is ranked seventh in the nation in total yards allowed (264.6) and sixth in rushing defense (84.8).
But it's the players' attitude, nurtured by Conklin and coach Pat Narduzzi, that might serve Pitt as well as anything drawn on a blackboard. “I kind of look forward to this challenge,” said Conklin, who encountered the triple option often when he was coordinating defenses at The Citadel and Wofford. “It's a difficult, difficult offense to look at.” But in the same thought, he added: “It's fun to defend.”
Safety Jordan Whitehead (Central Valley), who is on pace to become the school's first freshman to lead the team in tackles in more than 15 years, will be put into position to make several plays, Conklin said. “He can have a big game this week in terms of where he's going to be playing,” he said.
Conklin looks at the option more as an opportunity than a headache, and he hopes his players do the same. “If you start to play it and see how it's supposed to work, it can be a lot of fun because there are a lot of plays to be made out there,” he said. “There are some tweaks we have to make, but for the most part, we are set up to do it.”
Meanwhile, Caprara appears ready for any challenge. Lightly recruited when he was at Woodland Hills, he has become an important part of the defense even while sharing the money (outside) linebacker position with Bam Bradley.
Asked if he carries a chip on his shoulder, Caprara smiled and said, “I think I always will until the day God tells me to take off the helmet. It's kind of how I live, day-in and day-out. Everybody is always looking to pass you up.” They didn't say, “Bring it on,” but there's a feeling Saturday can't come fast enough for the Pitt defense.
Note: Tight end J.P. Holtz was named one of 33 players on the John Mackey Award watch list.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
I call it "Conklin's Confidence Factor!" It is just the Players are having so much fun in learning this Defense and want challenges to match their excitement, discipline, and focus. No more worrying and wringing hands, just come out and practice and then turn it in Game Day Executions. I have been waiting for this test too. IOWA, VT, and UVA have been close but these Panthers never quit and just improve every game as far as I see! Now comes something they did not beat over 2 years, and now they come waiting to play, wanting to play, and so be it!
Article:
Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said he is having fun preparing for his most difficult challenge of the season. Mike Caprara, a 6-foot outside linebacker, proudly is wearing a chip on his shoulder.
Pitt may not defeat Georgia Tech on Saturday — the Ramblin' Wreck are 2 1⁄2-point favorites to stop their four-game losing streak — but no one on the visitors' sideline at Bobby Dodd Stadium will be overwhelmed by the task. It's true that Georgia Tech's spread option ground attack has given Pitt and many other teams headaches over the years. The Panthers couldn't stop it two years ago even with Aaron Donald recording 11 solo tackles (six for a loss) and forcing two fumbles.
Composite score in two games: Georgia Tech 77, Pitt 38.
Conklin doesn't pay much attention to the past, and he has no interest in revisiting it. He wasn't a part of the Pitt coaching staff last year, so it's not his concern. “We have our own ideas and our own thoughts in terms of how we want to get it stopped,” he said.
Caprara tries not to think about Georgia Tech's 56-28 victory at Heinz Field last year. As a little-used reserve, he mainly watched as Georgia Tech ran for 465 yards — 35 short of the most yardage Pitt has allowed in one game.“From what I remember, once the snowball effect started coming in, we kind of scratched a lot of the defense we drew up,” he said.
From all accounts coming from the training complex — and some hard evidence from the first five games — Pitt's defense will take an edge into the game that hasn't previously existed. Employing a simpler style that allows players more freedom to use their athleticism, Pitt is ranked seventh in the nation in total yards allowed (264.6) and sixth in rushing defense (84.8).
But it's the players' attitude, nurtured by Conklin and coach Pat Narduzzi, that might serve Pitt as well as anything drawn on a blackboard. “I kind of look forward to this challenge,” said Conklin, who encountered the triple option often when he was coordinating defenses at The Citadel and Wofford. “It's a difficult, difficult offense to look at.” But in the same thought, he added: “It's fun to defend.”
Safety Jordan Whitehead (Central Valley), who is on pace to become the school's first freshman to lead the team in tackles in more than 15 years, will be put into position to make several plays, Conklin said. “He can have a big game this week in terms of where he's going to be playing,” he said.
Conklin looks at the option more as an opportunity than a headache, and he hopes his players do the same. “If you start to play it and see how it's supposed to work, it can be a lot of fun because there are a lot of plays to be made out there,” he said. “There are some tweaks we have to make, but for the most part, we are set up to do it.”
Meanwhile, Caprara appears ready for any challenge. Lightly recruited when he was at Woodland Hills, he has become an important part of the defense even while sharing the money (outside) linebacker position with Bam Bradley.
Asked if he carries a chip on his shoulder, Caprara smiled and said, “I think I always will until the day God tells me to take off the helmet. It's kind of how I live, day-in and day-out. Everybody is always looking to pass you up.” They didn't say, “Bring it on,” but there's a feeling Saturday can't come fast enough for the Pitt defense.
Note: Tight end J.P. Holtz was named one of 33 players on the John Mackey Award watch list.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
