Pitt will win this game, Just A Hunch!
LINK & Excerpts:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11123012-74/state-narduzzi-oklahoma
Pitt's players reported to work Sunday — as usual — wearing smiles that had been planted on their faces the previous day and didn't look like they would go away. Tight end Scott Orndoff arrived with stories of walking through Oakland hours after the 42-39 victory against Penn State on Saturday, marveling at the “feeling of pride around campus that the student body hasn't felt in a really long time.”............................
But that's where the euphoria ended, coach Pat Narduzzi said. “They all got their butts ripped in every meeting they were in,” he said. “They were all smiling until about 4 o'clock.”
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Narduzzi and his staff look good in the bright light of Saturday's victory, but they still haven't accomplished their best trick: Getting the players to concentrate on Oklahoma State, their opponent Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. “They're probably the best team we've played to this point of the season, for sure,” Narduzzi said, taking another shot, intentionally or not, at Penn State. Narduzzi said he doesn't expect his team to have trouble working itself into a similar frenzy to play Oklahoma State. “We only have 10 guaranteed opportunities left,” he said. “I told them, ‘This is a big game because it's the next one.' ”
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Pitt's weaknesses in aerial coverage were exploited by Penn State when quarterback Trace McSorley, in his first start against a Power 5 school, threw for 332 yards. “They like to chuck it deep,” Narduzzi said of Oklahoma State. “So we'll be ready for that.” Narduzzi has recent history with a pass-happy Big 12 offense, having allowed 41 points to Baylor in the Cotton Bowl two years ago when he was Michigan State's defensive coordinator. “The Big 12 is like that,” he said. “The Big 12 likes to throw the ball around, sling it, finesse, but physical.”
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Even without that element, any Pitt mistakes from the Penn State game that aren't corrected could be magnified against a team that is 39th in the nation in passing yards (270.5 per game). Which is why Pitt's coaches weren't celebrating the victory past Saturday night — and hoping their players will feel the same way
LINK & Excerpts:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11123012-74/state-narduzzi-oklahoma
Pitt's players reported to work Sunday — as usual — wearing smiles that had been planted on their faces the previous day and didn't look like they would go away. Tight end Scott Orndoff arrived with stories of walking through Oakland hours after the 42-39 victory against Penn State on Saturday, marveling at the “feeling of pride around campus that the student body hasn't felt in a really long time.”............................
But that's where the euphoria ended, coach Pat Narduzzi said. “They all got their butts ripped in every meeting they were in,” he said. “They were all smiling until about 4 o'clock.”
.......................
Narduzzi and his staff look good in the bright light of Saturday's victory, but they still haven't accomplished their best trick: Getting the players to concentrate on Oklahoma State, their opponent Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. “They're probably the best team we've played to this point of the season, for sure,” Narduzzi said, taking another shot, intentionally or not, at Penn State. Narduzzi said he doesn't expect his team to have trouble working itself into a similar frenzy to play Oklahoma State. “We only have 10 guaranteed opportunities left,” he said. “I told them, ‘This is a big game because it's the next one.' ”
....................
Pitt's weaknesses in aerial coverage were exploited by Penn State when quarterback Trace McSorley, in his first start against a Power 5 school, threw for 332 yards. “They like to chuck it deep,” Narduzzi said of Oklahoma State. “So we'll be ready for that.” Narduzzi has recent history with a pass-happy Big 12 offense, having allowed 41 points to Baylor in the Cotton Bowl two years ago when he was Michigan State's defensive coordinator. “The Big 12 is like that,” he said. “The Big 12 likes to throw the ball around, sling it, finesse, but physical.”
........................
Even without that element, any Pitt mistakes from the Penn State game that aren't corrected could be magnified against a team that is 39th in the nation in passing yards (270.5 per game). Which is why Pitt's coaches weren't celebrating the victory past Saturday night — and hoping their players will feel the same way
