The MAIN issue with this team on offense is, has been, and will remain game management. The scheme could be fine and the talent isn't the issue many want to believe it is. That was an atrocious offensive game plan and there's no other way to describe it. Ga-Tech came in with one of the worst rushing defenses in the ACC. Play calling wise in the first half it was 30 pass plays called to 14 designed runs. And lets forget for a moment that Ga-Tech doesn't stop the run real well and remember that the Pitt passing game accounted for 3 brutal turnovers in the Miami loss. So it should come as no surprise that they accounted for 3 more in the first half yesterday. So for those keeping track, at halftime yesterday the passing offense had accounted for 6 turnovers over the previous 6 quarters. To say it's having a hard time finding any rhythm or consistency would be a massive understatement. Which makes the continued reliance on it all the more mind boggling. This isn't to say they should abandon the passing game, but there is simply no common sense involved with opening the game with that kind of pass/run ratio against a poor rushing D when our passing game is still trying to find any shred of consistency. Maybe, just maybe it would make sense to attempt establishing a run game early and pass off of that. We have capable backs. It's also inexcusable that AJ Davis had only 5 touches in the first half. He can and should be a featured back and over the last month he's done nothing but deliver when given the chance. Against a poor rushing D like that he should've had 25 carries. On the season he's averaging 4.6 yards a carry. Lean on him sooner and see if that can stabilize the offense a little bit. The sequence after the long fumble return really summed up a lot of the game management issues. It was a clueless series of plays. This defense has played well enough to overcome a ton of offensive problems including a staff that seems hell bent on putting that D in awful positions week in and week out. It makes no difference why the passing game is struggling. Whether it's drops, ball security after the catch, poor throws, bad protection, whatever. Opening that game with 30 designed pass plays in the first half just isn't smart and reeks of a coordinator more hell bent on proving his way works than he is designing a game plan that targets the opponents weakness. They got another road win and that's all that matters, but Whipple needs to be much, much better.
