As far as Pitt wins go, today may have been the most crucial in a long time. Think about it: How many wins has this Pitt program won in the last decade that you come away thinking, "Man, I really thought this was set-up for Pitt to lose today and they showed up!". Not many. Pitt showed up today, especially in the 2H. My brother was at a bar, he's a casual Pitt fan (much more of a Pirates fan), and he sent me a text saying, "Pitt looks good, dude." And, I agree. They looked good. Not just good, but a team that was confident in their plan, the play calls, and the execution of those same play calls. Peterman threw the ball as well as he has all year in the 2H; running backs were running w/ purpose and pad level; WRs were making plays like we haven't seen all year (Challingsworth was amazing today; 3rd WR competition is over); and, outside of the interior of the OL, particularly Rowell, this offensive line gave Peterman a lot of time, especially on those play actions that were seemingly called a hell of a lot more often today than they've been. And, as the latter would imply, OC Chaney had a coming-out party. I tweeted something to CP in that 2H like, "Chaney has Duke and me guessing every play. And, mostly, we're guessing wrong." Outside of a few sweeps/tosses to Ollison (Drink!), he was on-point today. The line played well, but Chaney kept making Duke guess wrong that their indecision was allowing Peterman to sit back and pick apart their secondary.
Defensively, and on cue, Mike Caprara was all over the place. You'd have to be an IDIOT to doubt his ability to play LB at this level!!!! Whoever did that just yesterday is an ASS! Anyways, he has carved out a little role on this team as the most likely linebacker who gets home on blitzes. And, when he gets home, he's looking to strip the ball and make big plays. Really impressive today on the blitz. I thought James Folston showed up a little bit today. Looks like a good-sized kid, aggressive, sudden. I think we may have something there. We'll see. Jordan Whitehead may've played his best game today - and that's saying something. If he doesn't end up being a 1st RD pick in the draft upon entering, I'd be awfully surprised. Speed, explosion, sure-tackler, instinctual, and, perhaps most impressive, he really seems like he's a student of the game. I say this because, whether it's reading a QB's eyes to make his INT today, or diagnosing a swing play and making a tackle for a loss, or having great timing on knocking the ball loose on a potential TD in the endzone today.....he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. That doesn't happen by accident; I'm assuming he's a gym rat and a guy who is first in, last out. Combine that work ethic w/ his natural athleticism....well, that's a 1st RD draft pick. High.
5-1 in the ACC. 7-3 overall. Proven to be a very solid team on the road. Adjustments seem to be made and play has been vastly improved in the 2nd Half, all year. Missing your All-American RB. Missing your starting LT. Missing your 3rd down running back. Offense seems to be getting better, more diverse. Defense is beginning to clamp down in the red-zone.
This coaching staff is making a difference. Hail to Pitt.
SPII
Defensively, and on cue, Mike Caprara was all over the place. You'd have to be an IDIOT to doubt his ability to play LB at this level!!!! Whoever did that just yesterday is an ASS! Anyways, he has carved out a little role on this team as the most likely linebacker who gets home on blitzes. And, when he gets home, he's looking to strip the ball and make big plays. Really impressive today on the blitz. I thought James Folston showed up a little bit today. Looks like a good-sized kid, aggressive, sudden. I think we may have something there. We'll see. Jordan Whitehead may've played his best game today - and that's saying something. If he doesn't end up being a 1st RD pick in the draft upon entering, I'd be awfully surprised. Speed, explosion, sure-tackler, instinctual, and, perhaps most impressive, he really seems like he's a student of the game. I say this because, whether it's reading a QB's eyes to make his INT today, or diagnosing a swing play and making a tackle for a loss, or having great timing on knocking the ball loose on a potential TD in the endzone today.....he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. That doesn't happen by accident; I'm assuming he's a gym rat and a guy who is first in, last out. Combine that work ethic w/ his natural athleticism....well, that's a 1st RD draft pick. High.
5-1 in the ACC. 7-3 overall. Proven to be a very solid team on the road. Adjustments seem to be made and play has been vastly improved in the 2nd Half, all year. Missing your All-American RB. Missing your starting LT. Missing your 3rd down running back. Offense seems to be getting better, more diverse. Defense is beginning to clamp down in the red-zone.
This coaching staff is making a difference. Hail to Pitt.
SPII
