Well that was really depressing. Really depressing, lets get into it:
1. I get how frustrated Pitt fans are, me included but I'll wait until the end of the season before wanting yet another coaching change. I live and die with each game but to me it's not a referendum on the coaching staff.
2. Having said that, the defense continues to basically be bad. Now look around the country and unless your Alabama it's incredibly hard to defend these spread offenses but when you blow assignment after assignment it's problematic. UNC did a great job of exploiting our aggressiveness with ridiculously easy throws to RB, WR running uncovered because they anticipated we would bite on the run and we would have a LB or a safety covering a faster player. Missed assignments and really horrid tackling.
3. We scored 35 pts, the problem wasn't the offense it was the defense and the surprising part to me was UNC ability to run between the tackles. Our inside triangle was rooted out consistently. Just a very poor effort by Bates and the staff.
4. Having said that, you have to make plays when they present themselves. Number 7 late in the first half had a chance for a pick six with Pitt up by 7. Huge play that didn't get mentioned a lot.
5. I want to see more of #3 on offense. My goodness he's got an extra gear. People complain about Watson but hey the offense expanded more yesterday. Threw downfield, incorporated more waggles. Pickett was ok better but still took some bad sacks, missed a bunch of open WR. Give me 35 pts every week I'll take it.
6. The refs sucked. I have no other way to say it. I posted last week that playing in NC is problematic and frankly I was right. Ok, let's review it no call on a blatant facemask on Pickett. NO HOLDING CALL ON EDGE RUNS one blatant one on Dane Jackson, One where the ref was going to his pocket to throw flagand stopped. I mean WTF is that? And I know we want to blame Watson for the second half problem but you get a Ffrench on a nice 20 yard gain and they call two men shifting. THERE WAS NO TWO MEN SHIFTING. NONE. Wipes a 20 yard gain on 1st down. One sequence they showed our wr going out on patterns and each one of them was being held. Why bother having refs if they aren't going to do their jobs.
7. You know who had a really bad day too? our punter. I mean two 30 yard punts?
8. Old Dominion beating VT? Oregon just blowing it at home. Army giving Okl a game? Man Nebraska? rutgers getting housed by Buffalo at home. Sheesh.
9. It'll be interesting to see what happens from here on end. I don't think coach Narduzzi loses the team but at the same time with UCF, Cuse, ND coming up, I'm cringing if some of the defensive lapses aren't fixed. Cringing.
10. I could seriously have argued to onside kick.
11. Weaver has to hold the edge on the wildcat run he didn't game over.
12. I watched Bama play the spread against A&M. they played it with 4 Linemen and 3 LB but basically their DL won just about every battle. The reason these coaches don't go to Nickel sets against the spread a lot is because it invites the run.
13. No one knows how good or bad UNC is. I said last week it was a difficult spot, 0-2 team backed up against the corner at home. You lose by 3 on the road and the roof is caving in. HATE LOSING but if we won by 3, if Ffrench doesn't fumble the kickoff does it change everyone's outlook that's why it's such a fine line.
14. Such mediocrity this year in cfb. I can honestly say it's Bama, Clemson, PSU/Ohio State winner and one other team. Not much debate.
15. This season could descend into ugliness or hopefully they pick themselves up. It's why we watch. Right now I'm not optimistic.
Pitt82
1. I get how frustrated Pitt fans are, me included but I'll wait until the end of the season before wanting yet another coaching change. I live and die with each game but to me it's not a referendum on the coaching staff.
2. Having said that, the defense continues to basically be bad. Now look around the country and unless your Alabama it's incredibly hard to defend these spread offenses but when you blow assignment after assignment it's problematic. UNC did a great job of exploiting our aggressiveness with ridiculously easy throws to RB, WR running uncovered because they anticipated we would bite on the run and we would have a LB or a safety covering a faster player. Missed assignments and really horrid tackling.
3. We scored 35 pts, the problem wasn't the offense it was the defense and the surprising part to me was UNC ability to run between the tackles. Our inside triangle was rooted out consistently. Just a very poor effort by Bates and the staff.
4. Having said that, you have to make plays when they present themselves. Number 7 late in the first half had a chance for a pick six with Pitt up by 7. Huge play that didn't get mentioned a lot.
5. I want to see more of #3 on offense. My goodness he's got an extra gear. People complain about Watson but hey the offense expanded more yesterday. Threw downfield, incorporated more waggles. Pickett was ok better but still took some bad sacks, missed a bunch of open WR. Give me 35 pts every week I'll take it.
6. The refs sucked. I have no other way to say it. I posted last week that playing in NC is problematic and frankly I was right. Ok, let's review it no call on a blatant facemask on Pickett. NO HOLDING CALL ON EDGE RUNS one blatant one on Dane Jackson, One where the ref was going to his pocket to throw flagand stopped. I mean WTF is that? And I know we want to blame Watson for the second half problem but you get a Ffrench on a nice 20 yard gain and they call two men shifting. THERE WAS NO TWO MEN SHIFTING. NONE. Wipes a 20 yard gain on 1st down. One sequence they showed our wr going out on patterns and each one of them was being held. Why bother having refs if they aren't going to do their jobs.
7. You know who had a really bad day too? our punter. I mean two 30 yard punts?
8. Old Dominion beating VT? Oregon just blowing it at home. Army giving Okl a game? Man Nebraska? rutgers getting housed by Buffalo at home. Sheesh.
9. It'll be interesting to see what happens from here on end. I don't think coach Narduzzi loses the team but at the same time with UCF, Cuse, ND coming up, I'm cringing if some of the defensive lapses aren't fixed. Cringing.
10. I could seriously have argued to onside kick.
11. Weaver has to hold the edge on the wildcat run he didn't game over.
12. I watched Bama play the spread against A&M. they played it with 4 Linemen and 3 LB but basically their DL won just about every battle. The reason these coaches don't go to Nickel sets against the spread a lot is because it invites the run.
13. No one knows how good or bad UNC is. I said last week it was a difficult spot, 0-2 team backed up against the corner at home. You lose by 3 on the road and the roof is caving in. HATE LOSING but if we won by 3, if Ffrench doesn't fumble the kickoff does it change everyone's outlook that's why it's such a fine line.
14. Such mediocrity this year in cfb. I can honestly say it's Bama, Clemson, PSU/Ohio State winner and one other team. Not much debate.
15. This season could descend into ugliness or hopefully they pick themselves up. It's why we watch. Right now I'm not optimistic.
Pitt82
