Then there were the numbers I saw that brought me back to
earth and defined why the game could have gone the other way. Average yards per rush: ND 4.5 / Pitt 4.4, ND
had one lost fumble and was intercepted twice, and the Irish also had five
penalties in the first quarter.
It is often said that you can learn more from losing than
you can from a win, and while I don’t buy that for a second, what is true in
this case is that there are things you can only learn from losing. There is much for the team as a whole (and
the parts that make that whole) to improve on from what we learned from this
game, which was as close to a loss as you can have without a mark in the L
column.
Things that I’m hoping we learned include how to face true
adversity and get through it. Most of
the negatives experienced during the game can be viewed as opportunities for
improvement and growth. Mike Golic is
still missing blocks and I fear that our backups on the O-line are no better or
Kelly would have made a move by now. The
Irish were the Irish of old Saturday as it pertained to penalties, turnovers,
poor tackling, some sloppy plays including a missed extra point, all of which of
which are correctable.
The game ball was given to Golson…perhaps Notre Dame’s
quarterback of the future is here today.
The PITT Panthers are a mystery wrapped in an enigma. 4 head coaches in three years makes for a wild ride for players, coaches and playbooks. Pitt has recruited players with elite talents for many years with the exception of Quarterback. To make up for lack of talent at the position, the Panthers attempt to run the ball, with exceptional running backs and very large mammals in the trenches. When they do pass the Line can be beat in protection and the QB tends to give up the ball or look inept in many different ways. The QB can be counted on to miss wide open players anywhere on the field with or without pressure but, on occasion the ball hits its marks and the backs and receivers make plays when the opportunity arises. Think Ryan Fitzpatrick without the beard and former QB Bill Stull and and current QB Tino Sunseri are clones. The results against inferior defenses are usually positive and PITT can put up some big numbers on offense.
ReplyDeleteThe game planning is very similar week to week and running the ball continuously leads to a worn down defense, some great passing situations and shortening the game taking time off the clock and narrowing the score. The big plays tend to be the downfall of PITT as a run first offense because of inept QB play that tends to lose games that require any kind of comeback.
Defensively, Pitt has a solid secondary and some very good college level defensive linemen. Their linebackers tend to get hurt and that leads to consistency issues for the defense and their special teams.
Mistakes are made by the QB and Special teams often. The Kicker has missed about half his kicks and doomed them in Syracuse. Special teams and possession battles doomed them at Home against undefeated Louisville as well as steady if not stellar play from the Cardinals' QB. Pitt was not held from scoring or moving the ball against Louisville and ultimately ran out of time against them.
PITT started off with a new coaching staff and 6 suspended players against Youngstown State and was dominated upfront and on 3rd down by the spread offense. They opened with Bowling Green a few years ago who run the spread as well and lost to them at home with Leshon McCoy at Running Back.
Reeling from the loss to the Penguins and desperate to get the season started, they next fell to a still undefeated Cincinnati team on the road and were paralyzed by poor quarterbacking and an overexposed defense.
PITT's identity started to show after these losses as they man-handled the ranked Hokies at home. The implosion of the Big East caused the PITT schedule to be left in limbo until the last minute and PITT and Syracuse were forced to hire Gardner-Webb to be a punching bag as part of a Big East penalty for leaving revenge attempt.
Notre Dame RB Jonas Gray made the difference in the ND 15-12 win at Heinz Field last year with a spectacular 79 yard TD run with solid defense and mistake prone quarterbacking by PITT. This year seemed to be a continuation of the previous year's contest. Notre Dame dominating the clock on offense but, being denied points and big plays for three quarters. PITT ran an effective ground game to keep it close and grind the clock down for three quarters.
Thank you for your comment and lets’ hope that B.C. is less of a query. Pittsburgh has very good play but had not been a very good team this season. That defiantly changed last week.
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