The matchup that isn't quite as highly anticipated for Saturday's game is the VT offense vs. the Pitt defense...mostly because these will be the plays that Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison aren't on the field.
However I think this might be even more important in determining the outcome of the game than when the matchup is flipped. Basically, VT MUST manufacture points and possess the ball to have a chance to win the game. For this preview I'm going to assume that Braxton Burmeister is 100% healthy, or something close to it. Otherwise we're all kind of flying blind but I would have a guess as to what VT might do if BB is very limited or can't play period. But we'll get to that. First, my areas of emphasis:
1) Formations are very important in knowing what VT wants to run
2) Tre Turner is the key to their offense
3) The run game is very laterally based (RB's tend to run wide while QB has option to keep straight ahead). In the event VT goes empty, the QB sweep is the run play of choice
4) In the event the outside pass game is ineffective, the RB is the next most important receiving option followed by the TE screen game
If I were Pitt, I would make anyone but Tre Turner beat me. Last season, VT's offense relied almost entirely on Turner in the game vs. Pitt until he didn't play in the 2nd half. This actually made VT's offense more varied and creative in the 2nd half, but ultimately they couldn't score because their redzone offense was lacking. So let's take a look at Turner's usage first.
TAKE NOTE OF WHERE TURNER LINES UP
It's not a big secret that Tre Turner is VT's best offensive weapon. Blackshear is a good player, but Turner is their real "bell cow" IMO. Where he lines up and what he does pre-snap can give a big clue as to what play VT is about to run.
First, the dreaded RPO that gives us all nightmares. It's simple and effective (so long as the OL don't go downfield before the throw). I have to think after the WMU game, the defense is cognizant of the RPO slant to the WR but it's something VT likes to do and it's something Pitt will have to defend. Here, the biggest tell is that Turner is the single WR to the wide side and is lined up very tight. If I see that and I'm Randy Bates, I view everything else basically as window-dressing. They want Turner to get the ball. Pitt actually defended this well but the annoying tipped pass ended up being caught.
Everyone knows Pitt must defend the RPO better, especially when Turner is put in the primary spot to catch the ball. This is just to save from reading 400 posts in the gamethread talking about the RPO. We all know this.
Next, if Turner is in the slot, you can bet he's either going in motion to get the ball in the backfield or he's going to be targeted deep in the middle.
VT uses the QB run as a decoy. They love to run the QB and they know that teams are aware of it. Here, the tell should have been Turner in the slow, up on the LOS. When you take your best playmaker who is almost ALWAYS the singled up WR and you put them in the slot on the LOS, the defense needs to be screaming to each other that the ball is coming his way. Unfortunately, he was able to beat the safeties and score a touchdown.
You haaaave to know where Turner is lined up.
Keeping the emphasis with Turner this season, I'll show you his usage in the slot against ND.
Take note: Turner in the slot with pre snap motion = Turner is getting the ball somehow.
It reminds me of the 2019 team where the key to defending Pitt was knowing where Maurice Ffrench was lining up. Turner is more of a pro prospect than Ffrench but you could really tell what Pitt wanted to do offensively if you watched Ffrench's alignment and pre-snap motion.
Jet Sweep
Here, I'm cheating a little bit because Turner is off the LOS as the single WR making him a "slot" in a non-traditional way. He's off the ball so they can bring him in motion. VT manufactures a decent gain using Turner on the jet sweep and the play actually ends up being blocked similarly to the QB sweep which is something they love to do especially in an empty set. I'll show both clips here. Keep in mind the QB running the ball on the sweep against ND is out for the season so I'm not sure VT will be willing to use BB this way and risk losing him. If VT runs laterally, I expect it to be via the jet sweep or a regular buck sweep handoff to the RB's.
Jet Push Pass
The push pass is conceptually similar to the jet sweep except it's technically a pass and not a run. Still, this is something that you should watch for if Turner is the guy in motion.
The biggest difference is the OL scheme. On the jet sweep, they'll try to pull an OL out in front...on the push pass it's designed to get to the edge to quick for the OL to help but the pre-snap motion is the key on both.
Turner singled up on passing downs
If Tre Turner is the wide WR on 3rd and long (or really any time but especially traditional passing downs) I would put a lot of money on the play being a 1 read throw to the sideline. This isn't a brilliant observation but it's what I would expect to see a lot of Saturday, especially if VT is reluctant to have BB run a lot. Here you'll see that, when singled up, the preferred route is something towards the sideline. Deep comeback seems to be a favorite.
3rd Down, Turner singled up, the ball is coming his way.
Some other issues of note
Throwing to Turner isn't the *only* thing VT will do, obviously. He has 22 catches or so on the season. But while he's the most important weapon to cover, there are a few things I would look out for as a Pitt fan watching this Saturday.
Playaction to RB's and TE's with misdirection
Occasionally Pitt will need to be a little patient if VT runs backfield action because their next favorite thing to do is play action screens and swings/wheels to RB's. Here are a few examples.
First, the delivery is really unorthodox but you can see how the TE manages to lose himself from the ND flat defender because of BB feigning a scramble
VT did this against Pitt last season, too. Here it's more of a designed play but the concept is the same. Use the QB run as a decoy so that the backs and tight ends can get free.
And they will particularly try to get Blackshear involved in the passing game using concepts like Pitt's old nemesis: the wheel out of the backfield -
And using tight formations to create leverage to throw a sort of sprint-swing pass out of the backfield -
Pitt's defense is generally good at defending quick throws to the RB's, especially when they anticipate them as they did on this play last season. But the fact that VT's run game has struggled so far and BB is banged up, I expect the VT passing game to look towards the RB's and TE's from play action like this - especially when the down and distance is manageable.
Wrapping Up
Despite having a reputation for a physical run game, the VT offense relies a lot on motion and formations to gain yardage. The QB run threat is usually a big factor in their ability to gain significant yardage. I'm not positive that will be the case this weekend. In the event that BB isn't used as much in the run game, the emphasis should be on staying disciplined in play action. In the end, to me, the the biggest factor will be in limiting chunk plays for VT and that means Turner must be accounted for on every play.
However I think this might be even more important in determining the outcome of the game than when the matchup is flipped. Basically, VT MUST manufacture points and possess the ball to have a chance to win the game. For this preview I'm going to assume that Braxton Burmeister is 100% healthy, or something close to it. Otherwise we're all kind of flying blind but I would have a guess as to what VT might do if BB is very limited or can't play period. But we'll get to that. First, my areas of emphasis:
1) Formations are very important in knowing what VT wants to run
2) Tre Turner is the key to their offense
3) The run game is very laterally based (RB's tend to run wide while QB has option to keep straight ahead). In the event VT goes empty, the QB sweep is the run play of choice
4) In the event the outside pass game is ineffective, the RB is the next most important receiving option followed by the TE screen game
If I were Pitt, I would make anyone but Tre Turner beat me. Last season, VT's offense relied almost entirely on Turner in the game vs. Pitt until he didn't play in the 2nd half. This actually made VT's offense more varied and creative in the 2nd half, but ultimately they couldn't score because their redzone offense was lacking. So let's take a look at Turner's usage first.
TAKE NOTE OF WHERE TURNER LINES UP
It's not a big secret that Tre Turner is VT's best offensive weapon. Blackshear is a good player, but Turner is their real "bell cow" IMO. Where he lines up and what he does pre-snap can give a big clue as to what play VT is about to run.
First, the dreaded RPO that gives us all nightmares. It's simple and effective (so long as the OL don't go downfield before the throw). I have to think after the WMU game, the defense is cognizant of the RPO slant to the WR but it's something VT likes to do and it's something Pitt will have to defend. Here, the biggest tell is that Turner is the single WR to the wide side and is lined up very tight. If I see that and I'm Randy Bates, I view everything else basically as window-dressing. They want Turner to get the ball. Pitt actually defended this well but the annoying tipped pass ended up being caught.
Everyone knows Pitt must defend the RPO better, especially when Turner is put in the primary spot to catch the ball. This is just to save from reading 400 posts in the gamethread talking about the RPO. We all know this.
Next, if Turner is in the slot, you can bet he's either going in motion to get the ball in the backfield or he's going to be targeted deep in the middle.
VT uses the QB run as a decoy. They love to run the QB and they know that teams are aware of it. Here, the tell should have been Turner in the slow, up on the LOS. When you take your best playmaker who is almost ALWAYS the singled up WR and you put them in the slot on the LOS, the defense needs to be screaming to each other that the ball is coming his way. Unfortunately, he was able to beat the safeties and score a touchdown.
You haaaave to know where Turner is lined up.
Keeping the emphasis with Turner this season, I'll show you his usage in the slot against ND.
Take note: Turner in the slot with pre snap motion = Turner is getting the ball somehow.
It reminds me of the 2019 team where the key to defending Pitt was knowing where Maurice Ffrench was lining up. Turner is more of a pro prospect than Ffrench but you could really tell what Pitt wanted to do offensively if you watched Ffrench's alignment and pre-snap motion.
Jet Sweep
Here, I'm cheating a little bit because Turner is off the LOS as the single WR making him a "slot" in a non-traditional way. He's off the ball so they can bring him in motion. VT manufactures a decent gain using Turner on the jet sweep and the play actually ends up being blocked similarly to the QB sweep which is something they love to do especially in an empty set. I'll show both clips here. Keep in mind the QB running the ball on the sweep against ND is out for the season so I'm not sure VT will be willing to use BB this way and risk losing him. If VT runs laterally, I expect it to be via the jet sweep or a regular buck sweep handoff to the RB's.
Jet Push Pass
The push pass is conceptually similar to the jet sweep except it's technically a pass and not a run. Still, this is something that you should watch for if Turner is the guy in motion.
The biggest difference is the OL scheme. On the jet sweep, they'll try to pull an OL out in front...on the push pass it's designed to get to the edge to quick for the OL to help but the pre-snap motion is the key on both.
Turner singled up on passing downs
If Tre Turner is the wide WR on 3rd and long (or really any time but especially traditional passing downs) I would put a lot of money on the play being a 1 read throw to the sideline. This isn't a brilliant observation but it's what I would expect to see a lot of Saturday, especially if VT is reluctant to have BB run a lot. Here you'll see that, when singled up, the preferred route is something towards the sideline. Deep comeback seems to be a favorite.
3rd Down, Turner singled up, the ball is coming his way.
Some other issues of note
Throwing to Turner isn't the *only* thing VT will do, obviously. He has 22 catches or so on the season. But while he's the most important weapon to cover, there are a few things I would look out for as a Pitt fan watching this Saturday.
Playaction to RB's and TE's with misdirection
Occasionally Pitt will need to be a little patient if VT runs backfield action because their next favorite thing to do is play action screens and swings/wheels to RB's. Here are a few examples.
First, the delivery is really unorthodox but you can see how the TE manages to lose himself from the ND flat defender because of BB feigning a scramble
VT did this against Pitt last season, too. Here it's more of a designed play but the concept is the same. Use the QB run as a decoy so that the backs and tight ends can get free.
And they will particularly try to get Blackshear involved in the passing game using concepts like Pitt's old nemesis: the wheel out of the backfield -
And using tight formations to create leverage to throw a sort of sprint-swing pass out of the backfield -
Pitt's defense is generally good at defending quick throws to the RB's, especially when they anticipate them as they did on this play last season. But the fact that VT's run game has struggled so far and BB is banged up, I expect the VT passing game to look towards the RB's and TE's from play action like this - especially when the down and distance is manageable.
Wrapping Up
Despite having a reputation for a physical run game, the VT offense relies a lot on motion and formations to gain yardage. The QB run threat is usually a big factor in their ability to gain significant yardage. I'm not positive that will be the case this weekend. In the event that BB isn't used as much in the run game, the emphasis should be on staying disciplined in play action. In the end, to me, the the biggest factor will be in limiting chunk plays for VT and that means Turner must be accounted for on every play.
