A few thoughts I’ve been thinking since yesterday’s Blue-Gold Game:
Max Browne started slow but finished strong
Sure, it took almost the whole game, but redshirt senior quarterback Max Browne finally got it going late and looked pretty good once that happened. That early stretch was rough: Browne completed 2-of-7 passes for minus-1 yard in the first quarter and a slightly-better 4-of-11 for 49 yards in the second quarter. He wasn’t sharp but he also didn’t get much help from his receivers, as it seemed like most of his passes in the first half were either overthrown or dropped - or, in the case of a long pass to Rafael Araujo-Lopes in the end zone late in the second quarter, slightly off the mark of where the receiver attempted to be.
Browne didn’t do much in the third quarter, largely because he didn’t get a chance. Thomas MacVittie ran the Blue Team’s first series of the half and Browne’s drive was set back by two penalties on Jaryd Jones-Smith, which cost the offense 25 yards before a Ruben Flowers fumble - albeit one after a completed pass - ended the drive.
So Browne entered the fourth quarter with a stat line of 8/20 for 56 yards; not exactly what you wanted to see from your presumptive starting quarterback. But he found some fourth-quarter magic. Following a long run-out-the-clock drive from the Gold Team, Browne took over in his own territory and almost immediately fell into a third-and-long situation. But he connected with Araujo-Lopes for 13 yards to get a first down and then hooked up with Flowers on a nice 32-yard throw-and-catch. Then, on the game’s best play, Browne threw to the end zone for Tre Tipton, who laid out to make a great catch on a really good throw for the day’s only passing touchdown.
Browne had a few more pass attempts in the final minute of the Blue-Gold Game - he went 1-of-3 for 17 yards and took a sack - but if those three passes on the touchdown drive are any indication, he’s got some solid potential to lead the offense in 2017.
Quadree Henderson picked up where he left off
There were a few best-case scenarios for Pitt on Saturday: health was important, and a “clean” scrimmage would have been good, too (no penalties, no turnovers). But for all parties, there was a desire to see some big plays. Whether they came from offense or defense, the coaches, fans and players alike wanted to see the playmakers make plays.
At least one guy came through in that regard: junior receiver Quadree Henderson. Last year, Henderson produced 150+ all-purpose yards in nine of 13 games, and he topped that mark on Saturday with 84 rushing yards, 53 receiving yards and 52 kick return yards for 189 total.
To be fair, that return yardage could have been quite a bit higher with “live” kick returns; Andre Powell said the coaches held back on their return units, but he indicated that some big plays could have developed, so it’s conceivable - even likely - that Henderson would have topped 200 all-purpose yards in the Blue-Gold Game. In 2016, he had 200+ in four games and finished among the nation’s leaders in all-purpose yards.
If Saturday was any indication, Henderson will be one of the best in the country again. His moves on the 54-yard reverse were positively electric, and with new offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s desire to carry over some of the successes from last season, Henderson should have plenty of opportunities to do it again.
Henderson ran well; as for everyone else…
Quadree Henderson put up All-American numbers, but the rest of the teams had little success running the ball. All told, the Blue and Gold Teams combined to rush for 207 net yards, but Henderson had 84 of those yards on just two carries; that leaves 123 yards on 43 carries - less than three yards per carry.
Even if you remove the sacks - there were six for 45 yards between the two teams - and quarterback scrambles and only consider the running backs, the numbers work out to 117 yards on 33 attempts, or 3.5 yards per attempt.
Redshirt junior Qadree Ollison got the most opportunities and seemingly did the least, rushing 18 times for 24 yards, or 1.3 yards per carry. Sophomore Chawntez Moss had a better day, rushing eight times for 57 yards with a couple runs of double-digit yardage propping up those totals.
Walk-ons Kyle Vreen (1 carry, 13 yards) and Shawn Wood (6 carries, 23 yards, 1 touchdown) got a bit of playing time that likely won’t be available in August once Todd Sibley and AJ Davis arrive.
There was a bit of nice running from the quarterbacks - Kenny Pickett picked up 39 yards on three rushing attempts/scrambles and Thomas MacVittie had a nice 12-yard scamper for a touchdown - but overall, it wasn’t a good day for rushing (aside from a few big plays).
There’s a good reason for the rushing struggles
There are a few things to consider with the running backs, but the central issue with Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game format is how it mixes up the offensive line. The Blue Team’s line featured two starters - Jones-Smith and center Connor Dintino - while the Gold Team had the other three; that imbalance favored the Gold Team, but even that squad had trouble running the ball because of a bigger problem than imbalance:
A lack of continuity.
All spring, Dintino was practicing next to redshirt senior Alex Officer at left guard; on Saturday, it was redshirt freshman Brandon Ford. For a position group that relies so heavily on cohesion and comfort level, working a group of players together for 14 practices and then mixing things up for No. 15 can have ill effects, and that was clear on Saturday.
Ollison and Moss have things they need to work on, to be certain, but the offensive line jumble didn’t help things. The quarterbacks had their own issues stemming from the line, as evidenced by six sacks and six official quarterback hurries.
OL or not, there was some defensive pressure
The offensive line deserves some blame for the protection issues, but the defense gets some credit, too. The defenses on each team were aggressive on Saturday, bringing blitzes that further exacerbated the issues the offensive line was having. That’s how linebackers Jalen Williams and Saleem Brightwell ended up with sacks, and blitzes brought pressure that led to at least a few other sacks and pressures, too.
Plus, there were just some matchup wins for the defense, particularly up front. Redshirt freshman Rashad Weaver had a strong day, recording two tackles for loss and a sack and using his size to make a pass breakup. Rori Blair had one of his better showings as well, recording a Gold Team-leading four solo tackles and a game-high two sacks.
Allen Edwards was also active, with six tackles - all solo - including two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.
The pass rush as a whole and the defensive line in particular have a lot to prove - and improve on - this season; on Saturday, those units were facing a pair of patchwork offensive lines, but they took advantage and put up some numbers.
And then there was the kicking game
I know my ears perked up this spring when Pat Narduzzi and Andre Powell both offered some concerns about the kicking situation overall and, specifically, redshirt freshman Alex Kessman. After four years of Chris Blewitt - who seemed to either make game-winners or miss other, less consequential kicks - having concerns about his replacement was not a good thing to hear in the spring.
But by the end of 15 practices, it looks like the coaches have quite a bit of confidence in Kessman. I don’t base that on Powell opting to have Kessman attempt a 60-yarder on Saturday - he had the leg but was wide right - but rather Kessman’s solid 3-for-3 work outside of the long attempt, plus the positive reviews that came out of last Saturday’s scrimmage.
We saw last season how slim the margin is between a win and a loss. But as some of those gaps get closed with Pitt’s defense - which was the source of that margin in quite a few games - the team can’t afford to have a new gap open on special teams. If Kessman continues to progress as he did this spring, the kicking game should be solid.
Plus, he had three touchbacks on six kickoffs, and his leg seems to strong enough to go 6-for-6. Add that to what should be a very good punting game, and Pitt’s kicking situation should be just fine this year (although Powell said the long-snapping situation is a question mark; they’ll have to get that worked out).
Max Browne started slow but finished strong
Sure, it took almost the whole game, but redshirt senior quarterback Max Browne finally got it going late and looked pretty good once that happened. That early stretch was rough: Browne completed 2-of-7 passes for minus-1 yard in the first quarter and a slightly-better 4-of-11 for 49 yards in the second quarter. He wasn’t sharp but he also didn’t get much help from his receivers, as it seemed like most of his passes in the first half were either overthrown or dropped - or, in the case of a long pass to Rafael Araujo-Lopes in the end zone late in the second quarter, slightly off the mark of where the receiver attempted to be.
Browne didn’t do much in the third quarter, largely because he didn’t get a chance. Thomas MacVittie ran the Blue Team’s first series of the half and Browne’s drive was set back by two penalties on Jaryd Jones-Smith, which cost the offense 25 yards before a Ruben Flowers fumble - albeit one after a completed pass - ended the drive.
So Browne entered the fourth quarter with a stat line of 8/20 for 56 yards; not exactly what you wanted to see from your presumptive starting quarterback. But he found some fourth-quarter magic. Following a long run-out-the-clock drive from the Gold Team, Browne took over in his own territory and almost immediately fell into a third-and-long situation. But he connected with Araujo-Lopes for 13 yards to get a first down and then hooked up with Flowers on a nice 32-yard throw-and-catch. Then, on the game’s best play, Browne threw to the end zone for Tre Tipton, who laid out to make a great catch on a really good throw for the day’s only passing touchdown.
Browne had a few more pass attempts in the final minute of the Blue-Gold Game - he went 1-of-3 for 17 yards and took a sack - but if those three passes on the touchdown drive are any indication, he’s got some solid potential to lead the offense in 2017.
Quadree Henderson picked up where he left off
There were a few best-case scenarios for Pitt on Saturday: health was important, and a “clean” scrimmage would have been good, too (no penalties, no turnovers). But for all parties, there was a desire to see some big plays. Whether they came from offense or defense, the coaches, fans and players alike wanted to see the playmakers make plays.
At least one guy came through in that regard: junior receiver Quadree Henderson. Last year, Henderson produced 150+ all-purpose yards in nine of 13 games, and he topped that mark on Saturday with 84 rushing yards, 53 receiving yards and 52 kick return yards for 189 total.
To be fair, that return yardage could have been quite a bit higher with “live” kick returns; Andre Powell said the coaches held back on their return units, but he indicated that some big plays could have developed, so it’s conceivable - even likely - that Henderson would have topped 200 all-purpose yards in the Blue-Gold Game. In 2016, he had 200+ in four games and finished among the nation’s leaders in all-purpose yards.
If Saturday was any indication, Henderson will be one of the best in the country again. His moves on the 54-yard reverse were positively electric, and with new offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s desire to carry over some of the successes from last season, Henderson should have plenty of opportunities to do it again.
Henderson ran well; as for everyone else…
Quadree Henderson put up All-American numbers, but the rest of the teams had little success running the ball. All told, the Blue and Gold Teams combined to rush for 207 net yards, but Henderson had 84 of those yards on just two carries; that leaves 123 yards on 43 carries - less than three yards per carry.
Even if you remove the sacks - there were six for 45 yards between the two teams - and quarterback scrambles and only consider the running backs, the numbers work out to 117 yards on 33 attempts, or 3.5 yards per attempt.
Redshirt junior Qadree Ollison got the most opportunities and seemingly did the least, rushing 18 times for 24 yards, or 1.3 yards per carry. Sophomore Chawntez Moss had a better day, rushing eight times for 57 yards with a couple runs of double-digit yardage propping up those totals.
Walk-ons Kyle Vreen (1 carry, 13 yards) and Shawn Wood (6 carries, 23 yards, 1 touchdown) got a bit of playing time that likely won’t be available in August once Todd Sibley and AJ Davis arrive.
There was a bit of nice running from the quarterbacks - Kenny Pickett picked up 39 yards on three rushing attempts/scrambles and Thomas MacVittie had a nice 12-yard scamper for a touchdown - but overall, it wasn’t a good day for rushing (aside from a few big plays).
There’s a good reason for the rushing struggles
There are a few things to consider with the running backs, but the central issue with Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game format is how it mixes up the offensive line. The Blue Team’s line featured two starters - Jones-Smith and center Connor Dintino - while the Gold Team had the other three; that imbalance favored the Gold Team, but even that squad had trouble running the ball because of a bigger problem than imbalance:
A lack of continuity.
All spring, Dintino was practicing next to redshirt senior Alex Officer at left guard; on Saturday, it was redshirt freshman Brandon Ford. For a position group that relies so heavily on cohesion and comfort level, working a group of players together for 14 practices and then mixing things up for No. 15 can have ill effects, and that was clear on Saturday.
Ollison and Moss have things they need to work on, to be certain, but the offensive line jumble didn’t help things. The quarterbacks had their own issues stemming from the line, as evidenced by six sacks and six official quarterback hurries.
OL or not, there was some defensive pressure
The offensive line deserves some blame for the protection issues, but the defense gets some credit, too. The defenses on each team were aggressive on Saturday, bringing blitzes that further exacerbated the issues the offensive line was having. That’s how linebackers Jalen Williams and Saleem Brightwell ended up with sacks, and blitzes brought pressure that led to at least a few other sacks and pressures, too.
Plus, there were just some matchup wins for the defense, particularly up front. Redshirt freshman Rashad Weaver had a strong day, recording two tackles for loss and a sack and using his size to make a pass breakup. Rori Blair had one of his better showings as well, recording a Gold Team-leading four solo tackles and a game-high two sacks.
Allen Edwards was also active, with six tackles - all solo - including two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.
The pass rush as a whole and the defensive line in particular have a lot to prove - and improve on - this season; on Saturday, those units were facing a pair of patchwork offensive lines, but they took advantage and put up some numbers.
And then there was the kicking game
I know my ears perked up this spring when Pat Narduzzi and Andre Powell both offered some concerns about the kicking situation overall and, specifically, redshirt freshman Alex Kessman. After four years of Chris Blewitt - who seemed to either make game-winners or miss other, less consequential kicks - having concerns about his replacement was not a good thing to hear in the spring.
But by the end of 15 practices, it looks like the coaches have quite a bit of confidence in Kessman. I don’t base that on Powell opting to have Kessman attempt a 60-yarder on Saturday - he had the leg but was wide right - but rather Kessman’s solid 3-for-3 work outside of the long attempt, plus the positive reviews that came out of last Saturday’s scrimmage.
We saw last season how slim the margin is between a win and a loss. But as some of those gaps get closed with Pitt’s defense - which was the source of that margin in quite a few games - the team can’t afford to have a new gap open on special teams. If Kessman continues to progress as he did this spring, the kicking game should be solid.
Plus, he had three touchbacks on six kickoffs, and his leg seems to strong enough to go 6-for-6. Add that to what should be a very good punting game, and Pitt’s kicking situation should be just fine this year (although Powell said the long-snapping situation is a question mark; they’ll have to get that worked out).
