My take was that in the first half Pitt was again doing some funky formations with the O-Line either lining up in them or shifting to them and the defense was not aligning properly to the offensive set.
I think that when we watch the replay you will see on some plays 4 Blockers on one side of the center where we only had 2 DL. So I think it’s part the LBers not setting the front to the correct side or not switching the front when there is shifting.
Now sometimes it is easier said then done to make the adjustments on the sideline when there is some chaos. Also when the players come off the field and the coaches are asking them what the Offense is doing they say something different than what the coaches are seeing in the box. (Obviously, they have different POVs). So for the DC, he has to reconciled what the coaches are saying and what the players are saying. I think this is what was happen with the setting the Def Front to the wrong side or not switching it with the shifts. Sometimes it takes the halftime when the D-coaches can all get to get and figure it out a little.
I think what Franklin said about “spilling” and “wrong arming” which I can go into if anyone wants to know. But for right now it comes down to the DL playing that counter play correctly in concert with how the LBers fit their gaps. Sometimes when you watch on TV who we think made the mistake may not be the guy who did but someone else did.
I think when they got to halftime they were able to figure it out and make the correct adjustments, that’s good. What’s concerning is not being able to figure it out by the second quarter. And this could stem from the lack of experience of some of the players. If the LBers are setting the front wrong and come to the sideline and incorrectly tell the coach what he’s seeing, makes it tough on the coach to make the correct adjustments, because he’s getting conflicting or incorrect information from multiple sources. IE from the box coaches and the multiple players on the field. Basically fog of war (hate using that analogy).
I believe that as the players gain more experience, they will be able to understand what is happening and explain to the coaches better. Which should allow the adjustments to happen quicker.
Fingers crossed.