Quick Observations

[cruzer]

I don't particularly care to spend a lot of time reviewing that game, but here's the quick summary:

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion.

2. Anyone who thought Pickett will have made significant strides now knows they're smokin wacky weed. He was AWFUL. Missed wide open receivers, made horrible decisions. Kid does not have it. Period. End of discussion.

3. Narduzzi doesn't have the balls to throw the QB competition open even though he should.

4. The Oline was as bad as we feared.

5. Do we have a running game? I think not.

6. Defense had some OK moments, but our DB's were simply horrible again. What the heck happened to Dane Jackson. He looked like he was drunk out there tonight.

7. Another shit-the-bed performance from Pitt on national TV.

8. Same damned movie we've been watching for 30 years.

Cruzer

BTW - It's all the fans fault.

 

[Parkview57]

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion.

Well, Cruzer , I agree with almost everything in your OP, but to fair you gotta give Whipple more than 1 game. I will say, Whipple sure wasn't whispering when talking to Kenny P.

 

[jtownknowitall]

National TV?

 

[Cap pitt]

I believe the whole game turned completely around in 3rd quarter when Mack was wide open down the sideline and dropped the pass. If he catches it, he tip toes into the end zone, instead he drops it and the very next play Pickett was intercepted and va scored a td on that drive, a 14 point swing. Instead Pitt going up 21 - 16 it was Va up 23 - 14 and the rest was history

 

[str61166]

National TV?

Thankfully I imagine most neutral fans that didn’t have their teams going last night were watching Oregon-Auburn.

Instead of “national TV” how about: “prime time games at Heinz Field”? Pitt’s track record in them continues to be atrocious, and joke’s on us: they get UNC on Thursday night at home in November too.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

If the QB doesn’t have it - and I agree I said the same last night - then there’s only so much ANY coach can do. I’m not defending Whipple but the jury’s still out.

Lots of excuses being tossed around again. This team is young, blah blah.

This offense is bereft of talent. Again. I’m not sure about the D. But this is fully Narduzzi’s team so it all sits squarely on him.

 

[runshadyrun]

Pickett threw some terrible passes, receivers dropped some catchable balls. Agree the Mack drop that could of gone for a TD was huge. A couple crossing were there, receiver dropp ball in hands (#86 is one I remember).

 

[McKee Place]

People please stop referencing the one or two dropped passes.

Everyone drops a pass or two in any game. I saw Alabama receivers drop a couple passes in the brief time I watched the Duke Bama game. Drops occasionally happen.

Likewise there were a couple jailbreaks allowed by the OL that made it totally impossible for a pass play to occur as designed. Again that happens sometimes too. Even the best OL give up sacks.

No that doesn't make them ok.

But look at the whole body of work. Most every other time than 1 or 2, the problem was not the receiver, not a complete jailbreak on the pass rush, but the QB.

And it isn't one game, this has been the case for an entire year now.

 

[Macchiato]

I believe the whole game turned completely around in 3rd quarter when Mack was wide open down the sideline and dropped the pass. If he catches it, he tip toes into the end zone, instead he drops it and the very next play Pickett was intercepted and va scored a td on that drive, a 14 point swing. Instead Pitt going up 21 - 16 it was Va up 23 - 14 and the rest was history

Winner winner chicken dinner

 

[cashisking884]

Eh. I’m not down on Whipple as a QB Coach. Pickett is what he is, and I didn’t expect Whipple to turn him into a beast.

It’s the philosophy and play calling that I was concerned about with Whipple and still am after last night. We just didn’t look “modern” enough in our concepts and how we tried to execute them.

 

[Burgh15]

It’s the philosophy and play calling that I was concerned about with Whipple and still am after last night. We just didn’t look “modern” enough in our concepts and how we tried to execute them.

Clearly not enough jet sweeps.

 

[revampedpanthers]

I believe the whole game turned completely around in 3rd quarter when Mack was wide open down the sideline and dropped the pass. If he catches it, he tip toes into the end zone, instead he drops it and the very next play Pickett was intercepted and va scored a td on that drive, a 14 point swing. Instead Pitt going up 21 - 16 it was Va up 23 - 14 and the rest was history

That was probably the biggest point where the game swung. But Mack doesn't score on that pass, unless he breaks a tackle or two still even if the int happens it's in VA territory. Also the first two third downs on VA opening drive in the 3rd were big make a play there keep momentum. Still picket was reason number one for the loss followed by the OL and special teams. You can't basically be minus two, I won't count the last int or td for va when it's obvious the game was over, in TO margin and win games against teams your equal or who are better than you.

 

[thebadby2]

I believe the whole game turned completely around in 3rd quarter when Mack was wide open down the sideline and dropped the pass. If he catches it, he tip toes into the end zone, instead he drops it and the very next play Pickett was intercepted and va scored a td on that drive, a 14 point swing. Instead Pitt going up 21 - 16 it was Va up 23 - 14 and the rest was history

He never would have scored on that play- he was at a standstill with his back to the end zone and a safety behind him when the ball hit him in the hands— but it was definitely a game changing drop.

Pickett reminded me of a mentally weak MLB closer on that sequence. It looked like he was so rattled by Mack’s drop, he lost it mentally and threw that terrible pick on the very next play. Kind of like a closer losing it after giving up a walk on what should have been a called 3rd strike. Gotta have a short memory.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I don't particularly care to spend a lot of time reviewing that game, but here's the quick summary:

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion.

2. Anyone who thought Pickett will have made significant strides now knows they're smokin wacky weed. He was AWFUL. Missed wide open receivers, made horrible decisions. Kid does not have it. Period. End of discussion.

3. Narduzzi doesn't have the balls to throw the QB competition open even though he should.

4. The Oline was as bad as we feared.

5. Do we have a running game? I think not.

6. Defense had some OK moments, but our DB's were simply horrible again. What the heck happened to Dane Jackson. He looked like he was drunk out there tonight.

7. Another shit-the-bed performance from Pitt on national TV.

8. Same damned movie we've been watching for 30 years.

Cruzer

BTW - It's all the fans fault.

agree. I wonder what happened to the Narduzzi we saw in season one? The one who realized he didn't have a QB he could rely on and went and found a transfer and pulled the plug on the incumbent starter two games into the season. Did he think it was all Watson that was hampering Pickett?

 

[pittmeister]

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion. - Whipple is a good coach. He has a proven track record.

2. Anyone who thought Pickett will have made significant strides now knows they're smokin wacky weed. He was AWFUL. Missed wide open receivers, made horrible decisions. Kid does not have it. Period. End of discussion. -

At this point, I will not disagree. However let’s see how the rest of the season goes.

3. Narduzzi doesn't have the balls to throw the QB competition open even though he should. Opening up the QB competition would be a public no confidence in Pickett and Whipple. He won’t do that at this point... Should he? Probably....

 

[superstein61a]

I don't particularly care to spend a lot of time reviewing that game, but here's the quick summary:

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion.

2. Anyone who thought Pickett will have made significant strides now knows they're smokin wacky weed. He was AWFUL. Missed wide open receivers, made horrible decisions. Kid does not have it. Period. End of discussion.

3. Narduzzi doesn't have the balls to throw the QB competition open even though he should.

4. The Oline was as bad as we feared.

5. Do we have a running game? I think not.

6. Defense had some OK moments, but our DB's were simply horrible again. What the heck happened to Dane Jackson. He looked like he was drunk out there tonight.

7. Another shit-the-bed performance from Pitt on national TV.

8. Same damned movie we've been watching for 30 years.

Cruzer

BTW - It's all the fans fault.

Hyperbole and overreaction much ???

 

[thebadby2]

agree. I wonder what happened to the Narduzzi we saw in season one? The one who realized he didn't have a QB he could rely on and went and found a transfer and pulled the plug on the incumbent starter two games into the season. Did he think it was all Watson that was hampering Pickett?

That was all Chaney. Narduzzi doesn’t set foot in the offense room.

 

[McKee Place]

agree. I wonder what happened to the Narduzzi we saw in season one? The one who realized he didn't have a QB he could rely on and went and found a transfer and pulled the plug on the incumbent starter two games into the season. Did he think it was all Watson that was hampering Pickett?

Dumping Watson was the easy answer. A lot of us WANTED to believe it. Duz did too. I explained in another thread how that Miami win, 1000 days ago or whatever, was like crack to Len Bias for Narduzzi. It blew his mind. He lost all rationale regarding Pickett. The kid hasn't been able to do wrong in Duzzy's eyes since.

Hey I also liked the whole Kenny Foosball thing, I loved him beating Miami, I loved going into an offseason with some hope (esp after going 5-7). Who didn't want that to work? Great kid. Great story. But it just didn't work that way.

Hey, players you expect to do well don't work out. A lot. Look at miami. All the time and trouble to get that Tate kid to transfer there. Then he sucked. Did they just go into denial and play him anyway? "We built up a lot of expectations for this guy." After all.

No, they hoisted the jock strap up and did what they had to do. They went with someone else. Hey, the guy they went with wasn't champagne and donuts himself, he struggled. But it's the risk you have to take. You don't blindly go with the guy you know will suck. You try someone else who might NOT suck. That's what teams everywhere do. Except us apparently.

 

[Ky Vol]

I don't particularly care to spend a lot of time reviewing that game, but here's the quick summary:

1. Anyone who thought Whipple was a Quarterback whisperer should be completely disavowed of that notion.

2. Anyone who thought Pickett will have made significant strides now knows they're smokin wacky weed. He was AWFUL. Missed wide open receivers, made horrible decisions. Kid does not have it. Period. End of discussion.

3. Narduzzi doesn't have the balls to throw the QB competition open even though he should.

4. The Oline was as bad as we feared.

5. Do we have a running game? I think not.

6. Defense had some OK moments, but our DB's were simply horrible again. What the heck happened to Dane Jackson. He looked like he was drunk out there tonight.

7. Another shit-the-bed performance from Pitt on national TV.

8. Same damned movie we've been watching for 30 years.

Cruzer

BTW - It's all the fans fault.

I could have written the same observation for Tennessee. We can’t even beat Georgia State for gosh sakes.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I could have written the same observation for Tennessee. We can’t even beat Georgia State for gosh sakes.

Hey vol fan, do you think the situation would have been better now with Schiano as coach? Pruitt was a strange hire. Hiring someone with such strong connections to your sworn enemy and no head coaching experience. Reminds me of when pitt fans were clamoring for Tom Bradley

 

[thebadby2]

Dumping Watson was the easy answer. A lot of us WANTED to believe it. Duz did too. I explained in another thread how that Miami win, 1000 days ago or whatever, was like crack to Len Bias for Narduzzi. It blew his mind. He lost all rationale regarding Pickett. The kid hasn't been able to do wrong in Duzzy's eyes since.

Hey I also liked the whole Kenny Foosball thing, I loved him beating Miami, I loved going into an offseason with some hope (esp after going 5-7). Who didn't want that to work? Great kid. Great story. But it just didn't work that way.

Hey, players you expect to do well don't work out. A lot. Look at miami. All the time and trouble to get that Tate kid to transfer there. Then he sucked. Did they just go into denial and play him anyway? "We built up a lot of expectations for this guy." After all.

No, they hoisted the jock strap up and did what they had to do. They went with someone else. Hey, the guy they went with wasn't champagne and donuts himself, he struggled. But it's the risk you have to take. You don't blindly go with the guy you know will suck. You try someone else who might NOT suck. That's what teams everywhere do. Except us apparently.

I certainly don’t think dumping Watson was the wrong thing to do. He brought nothing.

The question is how many OCs is Pickett going to take down with him.

The coaches better find someone who can play QB at this level, stat.

 

[cashisking884]

I certainly don’t think dumping Watson was the wrong thing to do. He brought nothing.

The question is how many OCs is Pickett going to take down with him.

The coaches better find someone who can play QB at this level, stat.

Too much emphasis on a "QB Coach."

In college you don't need these really refined QBs. You need a system that lends itself to raw QBs having success.

I love Whipple as a QB Coach. Just as I really like Watson as a QB Coach.
But I hated the Watson hire because I didn't like his track record as an *OC Coordinator,* even with his ability to develop QBs.

Whipple obviously has a better reputation as a OC Coordinator than Watson. But I still don't think his reputation as an OC is that elite. And I still would have preferred a more spread, uptempo, RPO-Read Option type offense compared to what Whipple Runs. But Narduzzi with his last two hires has emphasized QB coaching above all else.

 

[cashisking884]

Hey vol fan, do you think the situation would have been better now with Schiano as coach? Pruitt was a strange hire. Hiring someone with such strong connections to your sworn enemy and no head coaching experience. Reminds me of when pitt fans were clamoring for Tom Bradley

It's not even Schiano. It's crazy to think that Mike freaking Leach was the potential hire that got the AD fired.
Does anybody actually think Tennessee wouldn't be infinitely better right now with the Pirate compared to Pruitt?

 

[Cap pitt]

That was probably the biggest point where the game swung. But Mack doesn't score on that pass, unless he breaks a tackle or two still even if the int happens it's in VA territory. Also the first two third downs on VA opening drive in the 3rd were big make a play there keep momentum. Still picket was reason number one for the loss followed by the OL and special teams. You can't basically be minus two, I won't count the last int or td for va when it's obvious the game was over, in TO margin and win games against teams your equal or who are better than you.

Mack was wide open. He waltzes into the end zone. No one was within 10 feet of him and there was no one between him and the goal line

 

[MajorMajors]

I remember Mack being wide open but bracketed on the big drop play...

That play, and the missed tackle by Pinnock on the blitz were game changers...

Go Pitt.

 

[Burgh15]

Mack was wide open. He waltzes into the end zone. No one was within 10 feet of him and there was no one between him and the goal line

The only way he has a chance to score is if Pickett hit him in stride. He threw it behind him and it was an easy stop for the defender if Mack makes that catch.

 

[McKee Place]

The only way he has a chance to score is if Pickett hit him in stride. He threw it behind him and it was an easy stop for the defender if Mack makes that catch.

This is true. I believe Mack should have made that catch, I'm sure he'd agree as well. But it was not a good throw. Sometimes you actually want to throw it behind a guy, to a spot etc. But this wasn't one of those. It was actually much like a play from the bowl last year, also thrown short and behind Mack, but at least he caught that one.

The drop by the Rutgers cast off TE was totally on that guy, though. It was a very good play and perfect throw by Pickett.

 

[thebadby2]

I remember Mack being wide open but bracketed on the big drop play...

That play, and the missed tackle by Pinnock on the blitz were game changers...

Go Pitt.

Right-it wasn’t a scoring play as this one poster seems to insist -he had his back to the end zone and was at a standstill when the ball hit his hands, there was a safety closing behind him and a comer coming right at him, but it was a huge gainer, 30-40 yards or so. Huge drop on a clean throw and catch.. Zero excuses for it.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Virginia played a clean game, and we made far too many mistakes. If both teams played a clean game, then we win.
1) Blocked Punt leads to a TD for them
2) 2 awful INT’s
3) 2 big drops
4) A bunch of badly thrown balls.