Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Pitt Panthers season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Pitt Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 7-7 overall, 6-2 in ACC
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi, 5th year, 28-24
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PITT OFFENSE
– When the offense was running wild, the offense clicked and the home runs were coming in bunches. The ground game wasn’t consistent, but it averaged 228 yards per game and exploded over a midseason stretch on the way to the Coastal title. Now it has to be more consistent under new offensive coordinator and former UMass head coach Mark Whipple.
– 1,000-yard backs Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall are done, and now it’ll be a running back by committee situation with several young parts getting their shot. True freshmen Daniel Carter and Vincent Davis will be in the mix right away, but junior AJ Davis is No. 1 man going into fall camp behind a line that has to replace four starters after struggling way too much in pass protection.
– QB Kenny Pickett and the passing attack have to be stronger. The young star of the late part of 2018 ran okay, but he wasn’t efficient enough at getting the ball down the field. Redshirt freshman Nick Patti and true frosh Davis Beville will each get their chance to push out the incumbent.
– The receiving corps has to be better, too. Four of the top five targets are back including do-it-all playmaker Maurice Ffrench and big play target and leading receiver – with just 25 catches for 557 yards and a score – Taysir Mack. Get ready for this young group to explode under Whipple.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PITT DEFENSE
– The defense wasn’t all that bad considering how many issues there were in previous seasons. The run defense might have had its down moments, and the secondary want’s a rock, but the pass rush was okay and the D finished fifth overall in the ACC. Six starters return, but three of the fop five tacklers are done.
– The line gets back pass rushing star Rashad Weaver for the outside, and the combination of Amir Watts and Jaylen Twyman on the inside should be okay in a rotation. If Patrick Jones can turn into a terror on the other side of Weaver – he showed flashes – the Panther front four will be a problem.
– The outside linebackers have to be replaced, but junior Elias Reynolds turned into a decent starter in a 49-tackle season. The secondary also loses just enough parts to be annoying, but junior Dane Jackson should turn into one of the ACC’s better corners, and Damar Hamlin is a 90-tackle free safety with great range.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP PITT PLAYERS
Best Pitt Offensive Player
WR/KR Maurice Ffrench, Sr.
The 5-11, 200-pound do-it-all playmaker finished second on the team with 515 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 35 catches, ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns – averaging close to nine yards per carry – and returned two kickoffs for scores. The Panthers are missing a true No. 1 target – at least, they are at the moment – but Ffrench should grow into more of a weapon as the coaching staff invents new ways to get the ball in his hands.
2. QB Kenny Pickett, Jr.
3. QB Nick Patti, RFr.
4. PK Alex Kessman, Jr.
5. RB AJ Davis, Jr.
Best Pitt Defensive Player
DE Rashad Weaver, Jr.
A terrific get for the program, the 6-3, 285-pound NFL-caliber pass rusher came into his own last season, cranking up 47 tackles with 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss with two fumble returns. He beefed up a bit and should be even steadier against the run, but the team needs him for his sacks and pressure.
2. S Damar Hamlin, Sr.
3. CB Dane Jackson, Sr.
4. LB Elias Reynolds, Jr.
5. DE Patrick Jones, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Pitt Offense
The O has to get more out of the passing game. That’s where new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple kicks in. The options at quarterback are there – more on that in a moment – and the young receivers are promising.
Last year, Pitt was 5-2 when it got 150 passing yards or more, but it threw for 700 fewer yards overall than it did in 2017. The volume isn’t as important as the splash – the Panthers were dead last in the ACC in yards per completion, averaging just under 11 yards per connection.
Biggest Key To The Pitt Defense
Keep on stocking up the run defense. The secondary was the big, big problem early on in the Pat Narduzzi era, but it wasn’t all that bad last season. The run D wasn’t too lousy, either, but when it was off, it was really off.
The Panthers allowed 200 rushing yards or more six times, but managed to win two of them. However, they gave up two touchdowns or more on the ground nine times, and they went 4-1 when they didn’t allow a rushing score.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Kenny Pickett, Jr.
Or redshirt freshman Nick Patti, or true freshman Davis Beville. The Pitt passing game was inefficient, inconsistent, and ineffective, and it’s up to Pickett to change all of that now that he’s in his third year in the system.
Patti was a good get for the program, and Beville is a better one. Considering the turnover at running back, if Pickett and the passing game don’t pick up the slack, the other options will kick in.
Key Game To The Pitt Season
Virginia, Aug. 31
This was the turning point last season. Just when it looked like Virginia was going to take over the Coastal division race, Pitt ripped through the raindrops in an impressive 23-13 road win as part of a run of five victories in six games.
This time around the showdown is the opening game of the season, and the Cavaliers should be a wee bit better. Lose, and it’ll be an uphill climb for the Panthers to repeat as division champs – and it won’t even be September.
– Pitt Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Pitt Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Pitt 32:34 – Opponents 27:36
– Penalties: Pitt 101 for 942 yards – Opponents 70 for 567 yards
– Passing Yards Per Game: Opponents 209.29 – Pitt 141.79
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. PITT WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
The crazy part about last season was how the Panthers only won seven games – they came up with eight victories in both 2015 and 2016 before dipping in 2017 – and they still ended up in the ACC Championship.
It helped that Miami didn’t have an offense and Virginia Tech was way, way down.
And now the Panthers have to tweak the offense from relying on the big run to getting more big plays out of the passing game.
The skill guys are promising, but they need to become amazing considering the line might be the team’s biggest early weakness.
The defense is in the same boat. There are good parts with the potential to be amazing, but the depth is an issue and there are way too many question marks.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Ten of the 12 games are against teams that went bowling last season – Delaware and North Carolina are the outliers – and there are a whole bunch of problem games.
Miami beat Pitt last year, and now it’s better. Virginia Tech is stronger, too, and the game is on the road. Penn State, Duke, Syracuse and Georgia Tech are away from Heinz, too.
Pitt won’t be bad, but it’ll be a major struggle to get to six wins and a bowl game. It’ll do it, but it likely come down to the regular season finale against Boston College.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
