What I saw: Pitt looked like a team that was not prepared for the season opener and they also looked like a team that should not have been ranked #15 in the nation. Another reason why I hate preseason polls and they really serve no purpose but to put rank teams higher than their worth because of last season’s success.
Kyle Willingham had his team prepared and sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn (283 yards, 3TD and 1int) looked the part of a senior quarterback, with his command of the offense and efficient passing.
Running back Dion Lewis is a stud but on Thursday night, the Utah defense only allowed him 75 yards on the ground with a dismal 3.0 yards per carry average. This was not vintage Lewis, who as a freshman last season ran for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns. And Jonathan Baldwin pulled in four catches for 71 yards, not nearly enough for a star wide receiver. However, credit goes the Utes’ defense that gave up a couple of big pass plays, but the run defense held their own and allowed their offense to do enough to win the game.
Going Forward: Dave Wannstedt and his staff need to open up the playbook for sophomore quarterback Tino Sunseri. They limited him far too much in this game. I understand that they want him to get comfortable as a starter, but they need to strike fear in their opponents. Non-conference and conference opponents know that Lewis and Baldwin are the most dynamic players on the team, and they will adjust their game plan to shut down these players. If Sunseri is allowed to pass more, he can find uncovered wideouts and get those sneaky yards while opposing teams are covering Baldwin.
Pitt’s performance was flat and they looked uninterested. It’s fine to look flat if you played six games of the season and injuries are mounting and players are wearing done but it’s only the first game of the season! Their highly touted defense looked like they were going through the motions and did not have that ferocious bite we saw last year. But give credit to Utah’s offensive line that gave Wynn time to check down his receivers.
If Pitt wants to compete with UCONN, West Virginia, South Florida, and Cincinnati they are going to have to change up their game plan. Give Sunseri screen passes, dump offs to his running backs, and also utilize the tight end; one does not need to throw long passes to make the offense work, find other outlets and mix it up. Lewis and Baldwin were the best kept secrets last season but that is over, teams are game planning for these impact players so Pitt will have to find other players to involve in the offense. I'm aware that sophomore receiver Mike Shanahan caught four catches for 51 yards and three other wide receivers were involved but they need more and they need to limit the turnovers.
I really feel Pitt is a team that needs three or four games to get in a groove, and get it right. But their third game is against the Miami Hurricanes, a perennial athletic team. Pitt might suffer their second loss of the season. They can stretch their legs and figure things out in their next game against New Hampshire but their schedule does not allow them too much wiggle room in hitting their stride: @Notre Dame on Oct. 9th, @UCONN on Nov. 11th, @South Florida on Nov. 20th, home against West Virginia on Nov. 26th and finish the season @Cincinnati on December 4th. The Big East is shaping up to be a competitive division and the last remaining weeks will probably determine who will pull ahead in this heated race.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Pitt stumbles out of the gate, loses to Utah, 27-24
What I saw: Pitt looked like a team that was not prepared for the season opener and they also looked like a team that should not have been ranked #15 in the nation. Another reason why I hate preseason polls and they really serve no purpose but to put rank teams higher than their worth because of last season’s success.
Kyle Willingham had his team prepared and sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn (283 yards, 3TD and 1int) looked the part of a senior quarterback, with his command of the offense and efficient passing.
Running back Dion Lewis is a stud but on Thursday night, the Utah defense only allowed him 75 yards on the ground with a dismal 3.0 yards per carry average. This was not vintage Lewis, who as a freshman last season ran for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns. And Jonathan Baldwin pulled in four catches for 71 yards, not nearly enough for a star wide receiver. However, credit goes the Utes’ defense that gave up a couple of big pass plays, but the run defense held their own and allowed their offense to do enough to win the game.
Going Forward: Dave Wannstedt and his staff need to open up the playbook for sophomore quarterback Tino Sunseri. They limited him far too much in this game. I understand that they want him to get comfortable as a starter, but they need to strike fear in their opponents. Non-conference and conference opponents know that Lewis and Baldwin are the most dynamic players on the team, and they will adjust their game plan to shut down these players. If Sunseri is allowed to pass more, he can find uncovered wideouts and get those sneaky yards while opposing teams are covering Baldwin.
Pitt’s performance was flat and they looked uninterested. It’s fine to look flat if you played six games of the season and injuries are mounting and players are wearing done but it’s only the first game of the season! Their highly touted defense looked like they were going through the motions and did not have that ferocious bite we saw last year. But give credit to Utah’s offensive line that gave Wynn time to check down his receivers.
If Pitt wants to compete with UCONN, West Virginia, South Florida, and Cincinnati they are going to have to change up their game plan. Give Sunseri screen passes, dump offs to his running backs, and also utilize the tight end; one does not need to throw long passes to make the offense work, find other outlets and mix it up. Lewis and Baldwin were the best kept secrets last season but that is over, teams are game planning for these impact players so Pitt will have to find other players to involve in the offense. I'm aware that sophomore receiver Mike Shanahan caught four catches for 51 yards and three other wide receivers were involved but they need more and they need to limit the turnovers.
I really feel Pitt is a team that needs three or four games to get in a groove, and get it right. But their third game is against the Miami Hurricanes, a perennial athletic team. Pitt might suffer their second loss of the season. They can stretch their legs and figure things out in their next game against New Hampshire but their schedule does not allow them too much wiggle room in hitting their stride: @Notre Dame on Oct. 9th, @UCONN on Nov. 11th, @South Florida on Nov. 20th, home against West Virginia on Nov. 26th and finish the season @Cincinnati on December 4th. The Big East is shaping up to be a competitive division and the last remaining weeks will probably determine who will pull ahead in this heated race.
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