Pitt was not going to go 13-1. We all knew that this team has flaws. But when was the last time any of us were this excited about a Pitt football game at Halloween (Our coach had a mustache). Despite our better judgment, this team has had enough success in year 1 of HCPN that we were actually, legitimately, starting to think about 10+ wins, ACC Coastal title, New Year's Day Bowl, etc. Watching your team win is awesome, but watching your team play in a game that matters is awesome-er. When you are fortunate to play in games that matter, you aren't going to win them all. The game matters for the other team too. However, it beats irrelevancy any day. Pitt is 6-2 on a team that could have been 3-5. It is maximizing opportunities. This Pitt team has more confidence than any Pitt team in years. Pitt has 4 games left, and they will be in all of them, win or lose. I will be surprised if they do not go at least 2-2. 8-4 is a great start to the Narduzzi era
Other random thoughts:
(1) I hate it when people complain about "negative posts" and then say nothing to actually demonstrate that the comment is unfounded. When you are on a message board during a game and thinks aren't going well, the posts are not going to be positive. If you don't want to read comments from people who have their hearts on their sleeves, then why are you even reading? Some people just need to get their heads out of their a$$.
(2) I hate it when people take their negativity to the absurd. We don't need to fire Jim Chaney. There was never a reason to use the word "embarrassing" about the game or saying that the players didn't care. There was at least one post that commented that Pitt was going to lose recruits because of that performance. Some people just need to get their heads out of their a$$.
(3) Injuries happen. The ones that happen pre-season or game 1 need to be overcome. So far, Pitt's offense has not done that, and that is a check-minus for the coaches. The offense lacks a consistent tempo or flow. It seems uncomfortable. This far into the season, the offense should be more consistent than it is. It isn't just the play calling. The offensive line, WRs, and QB aren't really improving.
(4) I would like to see Nate Peterman throw an interception. I have never seen enough in his play to have justified taking the job away from the incumbent starter, but what's done is done. He needs to be in there and get better now. That means he needs to start throwing the ball down the field. That was supposed to be his big advantage over Voytik to begin with. His lack of interceptions says little about his talent. He seems to take a long time to make decisions, and I think it is because he does not want to take any risks. That said, under pressure and running around, he has made some dangerous throws that were fortunate enough not to get picked. The passing game is to short field, side-to-side oriented. Power running should open up the passing game. Instead, we are keeping the passing game in uber conservative mode, which keeps the defense up close to the line of scrimmage and limits our running game.
(5) Following up on (4), our offense cannot rely solely on holding on to the ball and let our defense win games. Against a good offense, our defense isn't very good. They fought and clawed to hold UNC to 26 - an effort I thought was commendable. Against good teams, Pitt need balance, because the D is not ready to win those games by itself. Holding on to the ball helps your defense, but so do points.
(6) I think Pitt has used up its fake punt quota for the year. The law of averages always has its day.
(7) Pitt isn't beating ND, but it might very well win its last three. The ND game can be a start of trying to open up the offense a little bit.
Other random thoughts:
(1) I hate it when people complain about "negative posts" and then say nothing to actually demonstrate that the comment is unfounded. When you are on a message board during a game and thinks aren't going well, the posts are not going to be positive. If you don't want to read comments from people who have their hearts on their sleeves, then why are you even reading? Some people just need to get their heads out of their a$$.
(2) I hate it when people take their negativity to the absurd. We don't need to fire Jim Chaney. There was never a reason to use the word "embarrassing" about the game or saying that the players didn't care. There was at least one post that commented that Pitt was going to lose recruits because of that performance. Some people just need to get their heads out of their a$$.
(3) Injuries happen. The ones that happen pre-season or game 1 need to be overcome. So far, Pitt's offense has not done that, and that is a check-minus for the coaches. The offense lacks a consistent tempo or flow. It seems uncomfortable. This far into the season, the offense should be more consistent than it is. It isn't just the play calling. The offensive line, WRs, and QB aren't really improving.
(4) I would like to see Nate Peterman throw an interception. I have never seen enough in his play to have justified taking the job away from the incumbent starter, but what's done is done. He needs to be in there and get better now. That means he needs to start throwing the ball down the field. That was supposed to be his big advantage over Voytik to begin with. His lack of interceptions says little about his talent. He seems to take a long time to make decisions, and I think it is because he does not want to take any risks. That said, under pressure and running around, he has made some dangerous throws that were fortunate enough not to get picked. The passing game is to short field, side-to-side oriented. Power running should open up the passing game. Instead, we are keeping the passing game in uber conservative mode, which keeps the defense up close to the line of scrimmage and limits our running game.
(5) Following up on (4), our offense cannot rely solely on holding on to the ball and let our defense win games. Against a good offense, our defense isn't very good. They fought and clawed to hold UNC to 26 - an effort I thought was commendable. Against good teams, Pitt need balance, because the D is not ready to win those games by itself. Holding on to the ball helps your defense, but so do points.
(6) I think Pitt has used up its fake punt quota for the year. The law of averages always has its day.
(7) Pitt isn't beating ND, but it might very well win its last three. The ND game can be a start of trying to open up the offense a little bit.
