X's and O's: 6-0!!! Postgame Cal thoughts

XanderCrews34 · 2024-10-12T20:34:51-0400

Pitt is 6-0 and won today. You won't find me complaining - BUT - I do think it's worth reviewing what Pitt did well and what went wrong. The game kind of played out the way I thought it might.

In my other thread this week I had some keys to the game:

That's a lot to say: Pitt needs to be patient. Take what Cal gives them. Don't force plays that aren't there. If they do that, they'll be absolutely fine.

I'll leave it with this play against Auburn. 4th down. Instead of taking the easy easy easy yardage at the bottom of the screen, Auburn's QB foolishly goes deep. Turnover on downs. They lose momentum and the game eventually by 7 points. Don't be a hero. Take what's given.

I think Eli was guilty of trying to play hero ball. The pick in the endzone was obvious but the 2nd INT was extremely similar to DJU's INT that I included in the thread. If you hold the ball too long and try to force a throw that isn't there, Cal can capitalize.

Pitt did manage to get points by following a simple formula:

It would be mildly surprising to me if Cal starts the game trying to load the box and bring pressure against Holstein and the run game. Mobile QB's have given them some trouble, partly because their front 7 is just not that athletic. I'm sure they have pressure packages to show but I overall think they will start the game making Pitt grind out the running game and trying to prevent big plays against. That would mean Reid and Hammond.

Look, Holstein was eventually going to have a stinker. I am incredibly glad that it happened in a win. Thank goodness for Reid and the defense. If Cal had built a lead on Pitt and it required a comeback and taking more risks throwing the ball, maybe Eli would have worked himself into a rhythm. However, with Pitt ahead most of the game, I think it sort of got them stuck playing it safe when they had the ball. That approach just so happened to be the best option for winning THIS particular game.

Defensively, I thought the game played out fairly predicably as well:

I will feel better about this matchup if Pitt's front 4 gets pressure because you better be sure if they need to blitz the linebackers too much (I don't want them to avoid it, just don't be over reliant) then Cal will be looking to hit the backs in the passing game for big gains like they managed against Miami.

So my keys on defense are to get home and don't get over reliant on the blitz. Make Cal drive the field and earn their points. They aren't really built for that. They did a really nice job of scripting shots against Miami and to their credit they executed those plays through 3 quarters.

Mendoza is a very very tough kid and Pitt lost the TE in coverage more than a few times. But Pitt REALLY controlled the LOS in the run game after a few early hiccups and the pass rush finally got home like I'd hoped it would.

The pass rush really needs to get home or at least keep Mendoza in the pocket. He doesn't have a huge arm. Make him play inside the pocket. The Cal line isn't really overly good or physical. This should be as good of a chance for Pitt's front 4 to generate pressure as they've had this season.

Overall, the game played out pretty close to what I thought it would. I didn't expect a track meet. I thought it would be a grind-it-out type of game. In a game where Holstein DID make mistakes that I was hoping he would avoid, the combination of the run game and then defense's superb effort helped them beat a very desperate but also good Cal team.

This win is the difference between an 8-4 team and a 10-2 or better caliber team. Sometimes you HAVE to win ugly and you HAVE to be able to win games in different ways.

Onto Syracuse next. Hail to Pitt!

ksquared33 · 2024-10-12T20:49:34-0400