I am keeping a running journal of sorts as I try to dig into games that might be relevant for the Brawl:
- Love looking coordinators and where they've been in the past ( Graham Harrell v Randy Bates - Jordan Lesley v Frank Cignetti )
WVU's Offense
-Graham Harrell was a pretty good college QB for Texas Tech in the Air Raid under Mike Leach so you know he loves chucking it around the yard.
Harrell was the OC at USC for Slovis' entire USC tenure which is pretty interesting.
His teams average around 40 passes per game and 30 rushing attempts per game. For reference, Pitt in 2021 was about 38 passes and 37 rushes per game. WVU will be very pass-happy.
>>>>>Funny part is: WVU was 6-0 when they rushed for 100+ yards and 0-7 when they rushed for less than 100 yards. <<<<<
Looking for a quick "key to the game"? There it is.
For scouting purposes I think these could be some relevant games:
USC v UCLA 2019 - Slovis threw for 500+ and 4 TD's and he looked the part on tape
WVU v Baylor 2021 - Baylor's defense in 2021 was a decent comp in talent and production to Pitt's defense. Baylor ate WVU alive with the pass rush. Could be somewhat predictive...
WVU v VT 2021 - a common opponent of Pitt from 2021. Really this game is what led me to conclude that Pitt would beat VT handily...but instructive to see WVU's personnel and how they like to generate chunk plays
WVU's Defense
-Jordan Lesley has been the DC/Co-DC since 2020 so I limited myself to the last two seasons.
WVU will probably have 3 DL and a stand up OLB/DE. It's a hybrid. They like to bring 4. It's a multiple system which makes sense I guess since the Big XII just can't have a normal looking football team apparently.
Teams really ran the ball well on WVU last season. WVU struggled at generating turnovers. In their 6 wins they forced 8 turnovers. In their 7 losses they forced 5 turnovers. So they were slightly more productive in wins than losses...not earth shattering.
Relevant games:
WVU v VT 2021 - basically the same reasons already discussed. Common opponent. Recent. Yada yada yada.
WVU v Baylor 2021 - Baylor's offense was really balanced, physical, and efficient (hello Coach Cig).
WVU v Oklahoma 2021 - WVU played pretty tough on the road against the Fightin' Spencer Rattler's. Worth watching for what Lesley likes to do in pressure packed situations.
Initial Thoughts
Harrell would really love to have 4 WR's on the field if possible
The offensive man in motion is a strong indicator of the play call which reminds me a little of VT the last couple seasons
WVU's Oline all came back from last season...is that a good thing?
WVU's secondary was not great last season. Maybe having new players is a good thing? (fun contrast to their OL)
WVU's DL needs to generate pressure to be successful
Pitt has advantages in the trenches that cannot be overstated.
Hoping to have some clips ready for a longer post soon. It's tricky with both teams having a new OC. Each team's defense should be fairly predictable.
Pitt should win comfortably.
- Love looking coordinators and where they've been in the past ( Graham Harrell v Randy Bates - Jordan Lesley v Frank Cignetti )
WVU's Offense
-Graham Harrell was a pretty good college QB for Texas Tech in the Air Raid under Mike Leach so you know he loves chucking it around the yard.
Harrell was the OC at USC for Slovis' entire USC tenure which is pretty interesting.
His teams average around 40 passes per game and 30 rushing attempts per game. For reference, Pitt in 2021 was about 38 passes and 37 rushes per game. WVU will be very pass-happy.
>>>>>Funny part is: WVU was 6-0 when they rushed for 100+ yards and 0-7 when they rushed for less than 100 yards. <<<<<
Looking for a quick "key to the game"? There it is.
For scouting purposes I think these could be some relevant games:
USC v UCLA 2019 - Slovis threw for 500+ and 4 TD's and he looked the part on tape
WVU v Baylor 2021 - Baylor's defense in 2021 was a decent comp in talent and production to Pitt's defense. Baylor ate WVU alive with the pass rush. Could be somewhat predictive...
WVU v VT 2021 - a common opponent of Pitt from 2021. Really this game is what led me to conclude that Pitt would beat VT handily...but instructive to see WVU's personnel and how they like to generate chunk plays
WVU's Defense
-Jordan Lesley has been the DC/Co-DC since 2020 so I limited myself to the last two seasons.
WVU will probably have 3 DL and a stand up OLB/DE. It's a hybrid. They like to bring 4. It's a multiple system which makes sense I guess since the Big XII just can't have a normal looking football team apparently.
Teams really ran the ball well on WVU last season. WVU struggled at generating turnovers. In their 6 wins they forced 8 turnovers. In their 7 losses they forced 5 turnovers. So they were slightly more productive in wins than losses...not earth shattering.
Relevant games:
WVU v VT 2021 - basically the same reasons already discussed. Common opponent. Recent. Yada yada yada.
WVU v Baylor 2021 - Baylor's offense was really balanced, physical, and efficient (hello Coach Cig).
WVU v Oklahoma 2021 - WVU played pretty tough on the road against the Fightin' Spencer Rattler's. Worth watching for what Lesley likes to do in pressure packed situations.
Initial Thoughts
Harrell would really love to have 4 WR's on the field if possible
The offensive man in motion is a strong indicator of the play call which reminds me a little of VT the last couple seasons
WVU's Oline all came back from last season...is that a good thing?
WVU's secondary was not great last season. Maybe having new players is a good thing? (fun contrast to their OL)
WVU's DL needs to generate pressure to be successful
Pitt has advantages in the trenches that cannot be overstated.
Hoping to have some clips ready for a longer post soon. It's tricky with both teams having a new OC. Each team's defense should be fairly predictable.
Pitt should win comfortably.
