Well that was satisfying in so many ways. A really really good win on the road, let's get into it:
1. The Pitt offense continues to expand and yesterday at Lane, we finally saw the Izzy that was advertised in camp. His ability to outrun folks with angles on the outside, and to weave between the tackles with power brings a tantalizing weapon to this offense. When the offense needed to close out the game in the fourth quarter they let Izzy and the OL do their thing. Think about this, on the 94 yard drive 3rd and 7 Whipple dials up a run to Izzy who weaves in and out of strong blocks and gets a first down. When was the last time that happened?
2. Thought VT's DL gave the OL fits on their pass rush. Combination of stunts, blitzes, and simply overpowering their blockers had Pickett running a little more than I would have liked. The VT D was probably the best D we have seen so far but it's not as good as Clemson's. And when he had time to throw, his receivers didn't do him any favors with at least 5 drops. I think the wind had a lot to do with that but we don't need drops to re-emerge. Not Taysir's best game.
3. Stay classy Tenn. What a bush league display. Boy I did not see NCS just housing BC in their building.
4. I didn't understand the VT offensive game plan. on a windy day , VT kept insisting on throwing tough to complete deep throws. They did Pitt a huge favor. I get it some of the PI non calls could have been called but what Burmeister does well is run and they didn't use that skill set till the second half. But we'll take it.
5. The end of the UNC/Miami game was an example of bad coaching to me. First Mack Brown doesn't let Sam Howell ice the game on the 3 and 11 and calls a qb draw. Then with MIami in easy FG position with no timeouts Diaz has his qb try to throw in traffic with 22 seconds to go vs the outside and tip int game over. Not sure Diaz survives after this year.
6. The Pitt D really looked faster than VT's offense yesterday especially with their ability close on bubble screens and swarm to the ball carriers. Thought this might have been the LB's best game as a unit and it was definitely Hallett's best game of the year.
7. Pickett's second TD throw was a thing of beauty and really displays his evolution. Out and Up by Wayne, Pickett throws the ball to a spot before Wayne turns it up. Throws it with some air and Wayne catches it in stride. Great throw between two deep coverage. Pro throw.
8. Hated seeing Camp go down. Hope he's back. While Kancey gets the accolades, his play of blowing up the RB and sacking the QB is a must see, Camp has been very effective in occupying blockers and collapsing the pocket. He's going to be missed.
9. The best freshman, and he has come out of nowhere, has been Gavin Bartholomew. Not only does he have dependable hands but he's a physical in line blocker. It's a testament to his ability to learn this offense that he's used in so many different sets.
10. I think this offense and Whipple will have a major challenge with Venables this week. I get the sense that he will let his front four handle the running game and take away the deep stuff and force us to short passes. This will be the game within the game. Clemson will be by far the best defense we will play but we will be the best offense they have faced. Very interested to see how they attack us and vice versa.
11. I don't care about attendance but if you can't get excited about this team not sure what there is to say.
12. Iowa? Calling Iowa? You there? I guess Ed Orgeron ain't leaving just yet. That was a really entertaining game.
13. The Clemson game might be the most important home game since... Cincy? for the Big East title? I'm trying to think of a more important game.
14. Think about this on a day when the passing game was heh due largely to weather issues, pitt used a strong running game and a stout defense to close the game out. This game was over by halftime. That's what makes this game so satisfying. Just another way to win and hopefully the D is rounding into form. The corners still make me nervous though.
They have a tendency to clutch and grab too much.
15. Quietly getting seriously juiced about this team. Can't wait to be at Heinz next week. Feels great to be 5-1 and rolling. You know I know EVERYONE mentions the WMU game but in a perverse way that game might served a purpose for this team. It forced them to focus. Sometimes you learn from a loss maybe this Pitt team did.
Pitt82
1. The Pitt offense continues to expand and yesterday at Lane, we finally saw the Izzy that was advertised in camp. His ability to outrun folks with angles on the outside, and to weave between the tackles with power brings a tantalizing weapon to this offense. When the offense needed to close out the game in the fourth quarter they let Izzy and the OL do their thing. Think about this, on the 94 yard drive 3rd and 7 Whipple dials up a run to Izzy who weaves in and out of strong blocks and gets a first down. When was the last time that happened?
2. Thought VT's DL gave the OL fits on their pass rush. Combination of stunts, blitzes, and simply overpowering their blockers had Pickett running a little more than I would have liked. The VT D was probably the best D we have seen so far but it's not as good as Clemson's. And when he had time to throw, his receivers didn't do him any favors with at least 5 drops. I think the wind had a lot to do with that but we don't need drops to re-emerge. Not Taysir's best game.
3. Stay classy Tenn. What a bush league display. Boy I did not see NCS just housing BC in their building.
4. I didn't understand the VT offensive game plan. on a windy day , VT kept insisting on throwing tough to complete deep throws. They did Pitt a huge favor. I get it some of the PI non calls could have been called but what Burmeister does well is run and they didn't use that skill set till the second half. But we'll take it.
5. The end of the UNC/Miami game was an example of bad coaching to me. First Mack Brown doesn't let Sam Howell ice the game on the 3 and 11 and calls a qb draw. Then with MIami in easy FG position with no timeouts Diaz has his qb try to throw in traffic with 22 seconds to go vs the outside and tip int game over. Not sure Diaz survives after this year.
6. The Pitt D really looked faster than VT's offense yesterday especially with their ability close on bubble screens and swarm to the ball carriers. Thought this might have been the LB's best game as a unit and it was definitely Hallett's best game of the year.
7. Pickett's second TD throw was a thing of beauty and really displays his evolution. Out and Up by Wayne, Pickett throws the ball to a spot before Wayne turns it up. Throws it with some air and Wayne catches it in stride. Great throw between two deep coverage. Pro throw.
8. Hated seeing Camp go down. Hope he's back. While Kancey gets the accolades, his play of blowing up the RB and sacking the QB is a must see, Camp has been very effective in occupying blockers and collapsing the pocket. He's going to be missed.
9. The best freshman, and he has come out of nowhere, has been Gavin Bartholomew. Not only does he have dependable hands but he's a physical in line blocker. It's a testament to his ability to learn this offense that he's used in so many different sets.
10. I think this offense and Whipple will have a major challenge with Venables this week. I get the sense that he will let his front four handle the running game and take away the deep stuff and force us to short passes. This will be the game within the game. Clemson will be by far the best defense we will play but we will be the best offense they have faced. Very interested to see how they attack us and vice versa.
11. I don't care about attendance but if you can't get excited about this team not sure what there is to say.
12. Iowa? Calling Iowa? You there? I guess Ed Orgeron ain't leaving just yet. That was a really entertaining game.
13. The Clemson game might be the most important home game since... Cincy? for the Big East title? I'm trying to think of a more important game.
14. Think about this on a day when the passing game was heh due largely to weather issues, pitt used a strong running game and a stout defense to close the game out. This game was over by halftime. That's what makes this game so satisfying. Just another way to win and hopefully the D is rounding into form. The corners still make me nervous though.
They have a tendency to clutch and grab too much.
15. Quietly getting seriously juiced about this team. Can't wait to be at Heinz next week. Feels great to be 5-1 and rolling. You know I know EVERYONE mentions the WMU game but in a perverse way that game might served a purpose for this team. It forced them to focus. Sometimes you learn from a loss maybe this Pitt team did.
Pitt82
