Pitt 2nd half against YSU observations

[tboyer]

In case anybody wants to watch the whole game is here:



Anyway I watched the 2nd half where YSU outplayed Pitt. Here's what stood out.

1) Pitt DTs young and not impressive. YSU was able run inside quite a bit depending on what the backers were doing.

2) Pitt O-tackles (including one considered a high NFL draft pick) gave up two bad sacks in what I saw. Both were to small quick ends who beat them with speed rushes.

3) Agree Browne looks like a vulnerability. Almost the opposite of Peterman .He lumbers like a lineman and does not make good decisions. Locks eyes on No. 1 receiver, doesn't scan the field. He has a strong arm but not super accurate. If PSU can get pressure with 4 men (YSU was, in the 2nd half, getting pressure with 3), good things will happen. Anyway, let's presume he will be a lot more comfortable in his 2nd week in the Pitt offense. But he will still be slow footed.

4) Pitt secondary looks athletic with good size. In that respect things will be very different from playing Akron. McSorley needs to be careful throwing into the coverage until PSU knows how to get the right matchups (maybe a lot of Gesicki and Juwan)

5) Pitt D was comically unprepared for wheel route -- gave up two TDs which is basically how YSU tied the game. Narducci will clean that up in practice. Still, if PSU gets backer or safety isolated on Barkley, the wheel route will be there. As it will all year. Nobody but Ohio State and Michigan will have safeties who can run with him.

 

[lionlurker]

The NFL draft pick offensive lineman is no doubt still recovering from his off-season shoulder surgery. No way he is 100%.

 

[broey1]

If Pitt overcompensates on the wheel, the swing pass will go for 8-10 yards a clip. Fortunately, PSU is highly skilled with both routes

 

[brupsu]

In case anybody wants to watch the whole game is here:

View embedded media

Anyway I watched the 2nd half where YSU outplayed Pitt. Here's what stood out.

1) Pitt DTs young and not impressive. YSU was able run inside quite a bit depending on what the backers were doing.

2) Pitt O-tackles (including one considered a high NFL draft pick) gave up two bad sacks in what I saw. Both were to small quick ends who beat them with speed rushes.

3) Agree Browne looks like a vulnerability. Almost the opposite of Peterman .He lumbers like a lineman and does not make good decisions. Locks eyes on No. 1 receiver, doesn't scan the field. He has a strong arm but not super accurate. If PSU can get pressure with 4 men (YSU was, in the 2nd half, getting pressure with 3), good things will happen. Anyway, let's presume he will be a lot more comfortable in his 2nd week in the Pitt offense. But he will still be slow footed.

4) Pitt secondary looks athletic with good size. In that respect things will be very different from playing Akron. McSorley needs to be careful throwing into the coverage until PSU knows how to get the right matchups (maybe a lot of Gesicki and Juwan)

5) Pitt D was comically unprepared for wheel route -- gave up two TDs which is basically how YSU tied the game. Narducci will clean that up in practice. Still, if PSU gets backer or safety isolated on Barkley, the wheel route will be there. As it will all year. Nobody but Ohio State and Michigan will have safeties who can run with him.

Watched most of the game and saw more than one ysu player running open.Qb just missed them on some bad throws.The wheel route was there the whole second half.The look on nardos face when their qb fumbled was priceless.You could tell this was not in the script at all and he was getting a real case of nerves.Ysu has some players and from what I saw they looked to be pretty equal talentwise.Pitt qb is a tall guy but he looks like a robot back there.Ysu qb looked better

 

[AWS1022]

Watched most of the game and saw more than one ysu player running open.Qb just missed them on some bad throws.The wheel route was there the whole second half.The look on nardos face when their qb fumbled was priceless.You could tell this was not in the script at all and he was getting a real case of nerves.Ysu has some players and from what I saw they looked to be pretty equal talentwise.Pitt qb is a tall guy but he looks like a robot back there.Ysu qb looked better

Come on, Narduzzi wasn't nervous at all. The whole game worked out exactly as he had it scripted. He kept it vanilla and planned for it to go into OT just to get Franklin too complacent. Don't you read the Lair...keep up man.

 

[BlueBand]

In case anybody wants to watch the whole game is here:

View embedded media

Anyway I watched the 2nd half where YSU outplayed Pitt. Here's what stood out.

1) Pitt DTs young and not impressive. YSU was able run inside quite a bit depending on what the backers were doing.

2) Pitt O-tackles (including one considered a high NFL draft pick) gave up two bad sacks in what I saw. Both were to small quick ends who beat them with speed rushes.

3) Agree Browne looks like a vulnerability. Almost the opposite of Peterman .He lumbers like a lineman and does not make good decisions. Locks eyes on No. 1 receiver, doesn't scan the field. He has a strong arm but not super accurate. If PSU can get pressure with 4 men (YSU was, in the 2nd half, getting pressure with 3), good things will happen. Anyway, let's presume he will be a lot more comfortable in his 2nd week in the Pitt offense. But he will still be slow footed.

4) Pitt secondary looks athletic with good size. In that respect things will be very different from playing Akron. McSorley needs to be careful throwing into the coverage until PSU knows how to get the right matchups (maybe a lot of Gesicki and Juwan)

5) Pitt D was comically unprepared for wheel route -- gave up two TDs which is basically how YSU tied the game. Narducci will clean that up in practice. Still, if PSU gets backer or safety isolated on Barkley, the wheel route will be there. As it will all year. Nobody but Ohio State and Michigan will have safeties who can run with him.

Since Pitt ignored the YSU game and has been doing nothing but preparing for our game, it should be a little disconcerting to their fan (singular) that they weren't prepared for a wheel route, especially one executed by an inferior team. LOL

 

[PSU_l]

​

 

[bison13]

but... they were 'vanilla' all day. This week their outcome will look more like chocolate.....

 

[SUPERTODD]

I actually watched the whole second half. Here are my thoughts:

- Their DTs were being blown off the ball by Youngstown's OL

- Their "NFL prospect" at LT was beaten by a much smaller player on a straight speed rush.

- Thought their OL looked good when running the ball. Ollison is solid but hit a couple of huge holes and only got about 8-10 yards when he should have gotten more. They were weak picking up blitzes.

-YSU had a big TE Pitt could not cover.

- Their LBs were slow and got burned twice for TDs on wheel routes.

- Brown is really unathletic.

Narduzi will have to do one heck of a coaching job to get this game to not be over by half time. The only way I see it even being close is if PSU turns the ball over multiple times and Henderson returns a kick or two for a TD.

 

[tboyer]

I actually watched the whole second half. Here are my thoughts:

- Their DTs were being blown off the ball by Youngstown's OL

PSU will have a lot of matchup advantages, but maybe the biggest one will be PSU OL vs. their DL. They are very young and not very big. Depending on who starts they go 260-280-285-245 across the front, so they'll be outweighed by 50 pounds per man. And when they rotate they'll be rotating in redshirt freshmen. Akron was smaller but they had mostly juniors and seniors on their two deep.

So I am really looking forward to something of a coming out party for the PSU OL. If they're going to play smashmouth this year, this game is a good place to start.

 

[VaNtyLion]

I think it's plausible that Pitt took its foot off the gas with a 3 TD lead and got just sloppy enough to allow YSU a crack to get back into it.

Once YSU got their breaks, Pitt had trouble finding a gear to put them away. Vanilla game plan or not, Pitt looks like a different team in the trenches right now than they did last year. That was the biggest matchup edge they had over PSU. Their OL vs. our depleted front 7 and their DL vs. our OL "work in progress".

I don't think vanilla game plan excuses how vulnerable Pitt looked at the line of scrimmage but I would expect them to be better this week....personnel wise and position vs. position matchup, this is not the same game as PSU/Pitt last year.

 

[PaoliLion]

Pitt seems like they always struggle against a FCS opponent in week one, but improves sharply by game 2, 3, 4. They have some weaknesses, but I'm expecting them to fight hard and play above their level against us. I suspect this will be a ball game for a few quarters this Saturday.

 

[PSU_l]

Pitt seems like they always struggle against a FCS opponent in week one, but improves sharply by game 2, 3, 4. They have some weaknesses, but I'm expecting them to fight hard and play above their level against us. I suspect this will be a ball game for a few quarters this Saturday.

Really? Is that why ASWP is 0-4 against PSU at The Beav dating all the way back to 1989 losing these games by an average score of 32.5 to 16.0 (i.e., in the last 4 games at The Beav over the last two decades PSU has outscored ASWP 130 to 64?). Just curious, because the history of an unranked ASWP team playing a top-ranked PSU team is a PSU blowout, not what you claim. Just trying to keep it "real" for all the spinners, LMAO.

 

[Woodpecker]

If Pitt overcompensates on the wheel, will that open a TE on a drag to his opposite side (toward the wheel)?

 

[tboyer]

Pitt seems like they always struggle against a FCS opponent in week one, but improves sharply by game 2, 3, 4. They have some weaknesses, but I'm expecting them to fight hard and play above their level against us. I suspect this will be a ball game for a few quarters this Saturday.

Pitt is a power 5 program, they have real athletes who are a step above Akron for sure. I'd rate the Pitt program roughly equivalent to a Minnesota or Maryland, so in their peak year (like last year) they produce a bunch of NFL players and they're quite dangerous. This year is their rebuilding year, they're young and they lost a great senior class, and since then they've lost three or four quality starters to injury or suspension. So they are definitely going into this game missing a couple of limbs.

But still, it's a Power 5 program and for all the smart alecky remarks about Narducci, I think Pitt is very competently coached, and will have a well thought out scheme to compete as well as they can in this game.

The bigger factor this year is that PSU is a really good football team -- and has the ingredients to be a monstrous team. Having some possible new stars emerging on defense, people like Chavis and Buchholz and Givens and Brown -- that is huge because it means PSU might be more well rounded than last year.

And that's what's great about this game. We'll know a lot more about our team after Saturday's game. I don't even care about the score. If PSU is methodical and avoids turnovers and plays four quarters if really good football like they did last weekend, against a Power 5 opponent, it's another really important step for them as they get ready for an extremely tough Big Ten schedule.

 

[lionlurker]

You have a much higher opinion of Pitt than even some of their fans.

 

[Madsol]

Pitt is a power 5 program, they have real athletes who are a step above Akron for sure. I'd rate the Pitt program roughly equivalent to a Minnesota or Maryland, so in their peak year (like last year) they produce a bunch of NFL players and they're quite dangerous. This year is their rebuilding year, they're young and they lost a great senior class, and since then they've lost three or four quality starters to injury or suspension. So they are definitely going into this game missing a couple of limbs.

But still, it's a Power 5 program and for all the smart alecky remarks about Narducci, I think Pitt is very competently coached, and will have a well thought out scheme to compete as well as they can in this game.

The bigger factor this year is that PSU is a really good football team -- and has the ingredients to be a monstrous team. Having some possible new stars emerging on defense, people like Chavis and Buchholz and Givens and Brown -- that is huge because it means PSU might be more well rounded than last year.

And that's what's great about this game. We'll know a lot more about our team after Saturday's game. I don't even care about the score. If PSU is methodical and avoids turnovers and plays four quarters if really good football like they did last weekend, against a Power 5 opponent, it's another really important step for them as they get ready for an extremely tough Big Ten schedule.

I agree with what you say here to some degree but I think you overstate the value of being labeled a power 5 program. Rutgers was a power 5 program last year and was one of the worst teams I've ever seen. Is Pitt better than Akron? I have no idea. Akron did beat Pitt just a few years ago so I'm not sure you can so easily say, well Pitt is a power 5 team so ipso facto they will be a tougher out than Akron.

 

[PSU_l]

You have a much higher opinion of Pitt than even some of their fans.

I see what you did there....

 

[Obliviax]

I agree with what you say here to some degree but I think you overstate the value of being labeled a power 5 program. Rutgers was a power 5 program last year and was one of the worst teams I've ever seen. Is Pitt better than Akron? I have no idea. Akron did beat Pitt just a few years ago so I'm not sure you can so easily say, well Pitt is a power 5 team so ipso facto they will be a tougher out than Akron.

yeah...in the end, each year is different. Saturday, Pitt was barely better than a good YSU team. I have to wonder if Pitt didn't open the playbook when they were tied at the end of the game. What good is hiding plays from PSU when you lose to YSU? I think it is simply likely that Pitt has a new QB, RB and OC and just hasn't put much in. How much can they get in by tomorrow? I'd say, not too much. Maybe four plays.

 

[BBrown]

Really? Is that why ASWP is 0-4 against PSU at The Beav dating all the way back to 1989 losing these games by an average score of 32.5 to 16.0 (i.e., in the last 4 games at The Beav over the last two decades PSU has outscored ASWP 130 to 64?). Just curious, because the history of an unranked ASWP team playing a top-ranked PSU team is a PSU blowout, not what you claim. Just trying to keep it "real" for all the spinners, LMAO.

I can't remember was the pitt team ranked in '99? I dont think so.
That should have been sign of things to come.

 

[PSU_l]

I agree with what you say here to some degree but I think you overstate the value of being labeled a power 5 program. Rutgers was a power 5 program last year and was one of the worst teams I've ever seen. Is Pitt better than Akron? I have no idea. Akron did beat Pitt just a few years ago so I'm not sure you can so easily say, well Pitt is a power 5 team so ipso facto they will be a tougher out than Akron.

No doubt, claiming the bottom-half of P5 Conference members are better than non-P5 teams just because they're in a P5 Conference is beyond stupid and absurd

 

[Peetz Pool Boy]

In case anybody wants to watch the whole game is here:

View embedded media

Anyway I watched the 2nd half where YSU outplayed Pitt. Here's what stood out.

1) Pitt DTs young and not impressive. YSU was able run inside quite a bit depending on what the backers were doing.

2) Pitt O-tackles (including one considered a high NFL draft pick) gave up two bad sacks in what I saw. Both were to small quick ends who beat them with speed rushes.

3) Agree Browne looks like a vulnerability. Almost the opposite of Peterman .He lumbers like a lineman and does not make good decisions. Locks eyes on No. 1 receiver, doesn't scan the field. He has a strong arm but not super accurate. If PSU can get pressure with 4 men (YSU was, in the 2nd half, getting pressure with 3), good things will happen. Anyway, let's presume he will be a lot more comfortable in his 2nd week in the Pitt offense. But he will still be slow footed.

4) Pitt secondary looks athletic with good size. In that respect things will be very different from playing Akron. McSorley needs to be careful throwing into the coverage until PSU knows how to get the right matchups (maybe a lot of Gesicki and Juwan)

5) Pitt D was comically unprepared for wheel route -- gave up two TDs which is basically how YSU tied the game. Narducci will clean that up in practice. Still, if PSU gets backer or safety isolated on Barkley, the wheel route will be there. As it will all year. Nobody but Ohio State and Michigan will have safeties who can run with him.

Unrelated question for you. A few months ago you mentioned a discount cell phone carrier (running on the AT&T network I believe) that you and your family use. I'm shopping for a new cell phone plan and am interested in the name. Thanks.

 

[tboyer]

yeah...in the end, each year is different. Saturday, Pitt was barely better than a good YSU team. I have to wonder if Pitt didn't open the playbook when they were tied at the end of the game. What good is hiding plays from PSU when you lose to YSU? I think it is simply likely that Pitt has a new QB, RB and OC and just hasn't put much in. How much can they get in by tomorrow? I'd say, not too much. Maybe four plays.

Yeah, Andrew Callahan just posted the same thing. For all the talk of trying to sandbag Penn State, the offense Pitt ran against YSU is their offense, it was their offense last year, and it will be their offense on Saturday. Of course there will be some twists, maybe some gadget plays but there's only so much they can do in the way of surprises.

The PSU D played against this offense last year (run with a much better QB/TB and OL) and I'm sure they learned a lot of things from that game. I wouldn't be surprised if the first half of that game, when they were confused and getting hammered, is still fresh in their minds. Pitt runs lots of fancy pre-snap motion but, as PSU found out in the 2nd half last year, you can ignore a lot of it, it's window dressing, the play is what happens after the snap.

Not that Pitt won't be improved Saturday, but it will be the same players running the same offense.

 

[marshall23]

Wide receivers running free....wheel routes that LBs and Safeties couldn't cover and a big tight end running seams wide open. These weaknesses have nothing to do with vanilla.

 

[BBrown]

Wide receivers running free....wheel routes that LBs and Safeties couldn't cover and a big tight end running seams wide open. These weaknesses have nothing to do with vanilla.

thats what I'm seeing too.

 

[tboyer]

Wide receivers running free....wheel routes that LBs and Safeties couldn't cover and a big tight end running seams wide open. These weaknesses have nothing to do with vanilla.

And an interior DL that was being pushed around for most of the 2nd half.

 

[BBrown]

And an interior DL that was being pushed around for most of the 2nd half.

+1. and an OL that even when they were up 21-0 in the first half was no where close to as dominating as last year. I saw their #70 blown up on a couple of plays. (I think he's still hurt though).
It will improve since they get their felon, Bookser, back but I still think they will be in trouble.
Chavis is going to have a good day.
They may have had a "vanilla" game plan but that doesn't explain the YSU WR's running open all day. I don't think that was part of the "vanilla" scheme.

I was impressed with YSU. They are a good team. I thought their DB's did a pretty good job.

 

[Lattner]

PSU 98 - 0.

 

[Franklinstheman]

+1. and an OL that even when they were up 21-0 in the first half was no where close to as dominating as last year. I saw their #70 blown up on a couple of plays. (I think he's still hurt though).
It will improve since they get their felon, Bookser, back but I still think they will be in trouble.
Chavis is going to have a good day.
They may have had a "vanilla" game plan but that doesn't explain the YSU WR's running open all day. I don't think that was part of the "vanilla" scheme.

I was impressed with YSU. They are a good team. I thought their DB's did a pretty good job.

Ysu has 1 returning starter on D. Middle linebacker.

 

[N&B4PSU]

In 1999 5-6 pitt's best 2 games were the loss to us and a win over a soon to be 5-7 notre dame. They were never ranked in the top 25 in either poll.

On paper, we should kill this team. Of course, on paper, we should have rolled them in 1999.

While WE might not coinsider this a rivalry game, THEY do. And they will play as hard if not harder than in any game all season. Whether that keeps it close, who knows?

But they ain't coming here to lose. So we better be ready to win.

I'm going 41-16. Good guys. Much of it coming after the half.

 

[BBrown]

Ysu has 1 returning starter on D. Middle linebacker.

IIRC, though, they do have a lot of transfers.

 

[AWS1022]

So if it's a close game, can we just say PSU ran a vanilla offense so they don't show too much for UM and OSU? That excuse seems to explain away everything.

 

[Billieve]

YSU QB threw for 311 yds on only 18 completions or 17.3 yds/completion. And YSU doesn't have anyone on their offense to compare to McSorley, Gesicki, Juwan Johnson, Hamiltom, Thompkins and Barkley (catching passes out of the backfield). Also YSU played an away game. Penn State plays in front +100,000 home fans. YSU averaged 7.2 yds/offensive play and Pitt averaged 4.9 for the entire game.

 

[PSU87]

I hear they're adding chocolate sauce... And peanuts, definitely peanuts.

 

[nittanyfan333]

YSU QB threw for 311 yds on only 18 completions or 17.3 yds/completion. And YSU doesn't have anyone on their offense to compare to McSorley, Gesicki, Juwan Johnson, Hamiltom, Thompkins and Barkley (catching passes out of the backfield). Also YSU played an away game. Penn State plays in front +100,000 home fans. YSU averaged 7.2 yds/offensive play and Pitt averaged 4.9 for the entire game.

Hamiltom is my favorite. 'Ol tom tom (as I like to call him) is gonna go off.

 

[dsites52]

Hamiltom is my favorite. 'Ol tom tom (as I like to call him) is gonna go off.

I like him, too. But sometimes he gets a little too antsy And I have to yell "Stop, Hamiltom!"

 

[jerrycalpal]

I remember last year prior to the game that the coaches talked about
The jet sweeps,etc. the kids just brain farted and took the fakes.
It got cleaned up in the second half.

As long as we don't turn the ball over or give up big returns we will be fine. This defense is too mature to eat the fakes.

Both of our lines are more dominant. We should have our way with them and punish them in the forth quarter.

My goals are win and don't get hurt. Guarantee they will try to hurt
Our key players. Duzzi is dirty.
Enjoy. We will win. Maybe blowout. Our defense is as good as our offense and it is possible Pitt is the team that played Youngstown state.
Not very good.

 

[PSU_l]

I like him, too. But sometimes he gets a little too antsy And I have to yell "Stop, Hamiltom!"

Wow, he's so lucky you're there to fix it for him.....where would he be without accomplished experts like you (insert Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" quote here.....).

 

[BBrown]

I remember last year prior to the game that the coaches talked about
The jet sweeps,etc. the kids just brain farted and took the fakes.
It got cleaned up in the second half.

As long as we don't turn the ball over or give up big returns we will be fine. This defense is too mature to eat the fakes.

Both of our lines are more dominant. We should have our way with them and punish them in the forth quarter.

My goals are win and don't get hurt. Guarantee they will try to hurt
Our key players. Duzzi is dirty.
Enjoy. We will win. Maybe blowout. Our defense is as good as our offense and it is possible Pitt is the team that played Youngstown state.
Not very good.

IIRC, Nate or Ryan said that the practice they saw leading up to the game the defense was still having trouble with the Jet sweep. They haven't said that this year.