#H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[djp73]

what are your thoughts on that safety? 80 speed is lower than I like and I'd probably look to move him to OLB but that tackle rating is a bit soft.

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by dfsJunkie

Really thought VT would have put up a stronger fight than a measly 4th quarter comeback attempt in garbage time. Outside of Mack, their front seven seems a little slow. Surprised at how good their defense is ranked. I'm expecting Mo French to get a ton of screen and drag touches and break a few big plays this week.

They really were just hurt by the turnovers for sure. They didn't move the ball too terribly, but Click just kept giving us the ball back and it's tough to score when you can't hang onto the football.

Yeah, for Virginia, they definitely are lacking on speed for defense, and their secondary doesn't have a ton of quality beyond Bryce Hall. Hopefully we can attack them in space and use that speed to our advantage, like you said this could definitely be a chance for Ffrench to assert himself as he's definitely had an underwhelming season. He's got a decent number of catches, but hasn't seemed to break anything big, mostly just mid screens and things that he hasn't turned into big gains. Maybe this is the week!

Quote: Originally Posted by djp73

what are your thoughts on that safety? 80 speed is lower than I like and I'd probably look to move him to OLB but that tackle rating is a bit soft.

It's not promising haha. Like you said, he's probably too slow to really play in the secondary as he'll get smoked by most guys in coverage, but he is way too weak tackling to play in the front 7. With my recruiting restrictions I don't overrecruit, so more than likely he'll end up being a development project that unless he gets lucky and gets one of the random progressions one offseason, it will take some serious gains for him to play that most likely won't happen until his junior or senior season.

Not everyone can end up being a gem I guess! That's where my lack of scouting until after signing players makes things interesting. Whaley was a gem, which was huge to get him bumped up to a 78 from 73 projected, but then you get guys like this who end up not offering much. I'll just have to do a better job focusing on the letter grades that guys have in the important ratings for their position, and then hopefully get lucky with their actual ratings!

[Nunyerbiz]

Still getting caught up on the thread, another page or two to go... But just wanted to chime in and say that I *love* that Pitt went back to a variation on the 1970s colors full time. I get that tradition is a big thing in college football... but I never really cared for their Navy/Gold look... always struck me as a bland / Notre Dame look... boring. Those 70s / Marino era unis weren't quite the same as the current ones, the blue looks more royal blue in the current set, but I dig the overall aesthetic.

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nunyerbiz

Still getting caught up on the thread, another page or two to go... But just wanted to chime in and say that I *love* that Pitt went back to a variation on the 1970s colors full time. I get that tradition is a big thing in college football... but I never really cared for their Navy/Gold look... always struck me as a bland / Notre Dame look... boring. Those 70s / Marino era unis weren't quite the same as the current ones, the blue looks more royal blue in the current set, but I dig the overall aesthetic.

Completely agreed. Never cared for the navy and vegas gold look, their new/old royal blue look is timeless.

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nunyerbiz

Still getting caught up on the thread, another page or two to go... But just wanted to chime in and say that I *love* that Pitt went back to a variation on the 1970s colors full time. I get that tradition is a big thing in college football... but I never really cared for their Navy/Gold look... always struck me as a bland / Notre Dame look... boring. Those 70s / Marino era unis weren't quite the same as the current ones, the blue looks more royal blue in the current set, but I dig the overall aesthetic.

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Completely agreed. Never cared for the navy and vegas gold look, their new/old royal blue look is timeless.

Thanks for the comments guys! It's funny, once we brought back the throwbacks in 2016, it was one of those things where everyone knew with the reception they got that it would become a full time change. It was just one of those things where we had *just* gotten a new uniform design after bringing back the Script and still using the navy and gold, that they couldn't afford to just change again, so it was like the worst kept secret at Pitt that they were switching as you would periodically see new things around campus changing from navy to royal blue and yellow haha.

I will always have a ton of nostalgia for the navy and gold growing up as a kid in the 90s and early 2000s, watching Larry Fitz and Tyler Palko and then all of the incredible Pitt basketball teams that we had from the Brandin Knight/Julius Page years through the late 2000s-early 2010s when we were getting number one seeds, that I will still love the navy and gold just for those memories. But there is no question, objectively, that the royal and yellow is MILES ahead of the navy and gold. It is fairly unique and really resonates as a great combination, that like you said Nunyer is a bit different from the 70s era colors but just pops so much more and is really memorable. Couple that with going back to the Script logo, and Pitt finally has that iconic look that they should've had all the time.

[moose141]

Pickett Puts It Together
Report by Matt Schmidlin | October 26, 2019





Controversial Call???

With the Panthers trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter, Pitt QB Kenny Pickett found TE Caleb Cannon in the endzone for the score that would tie the game. However, about taking a step or two in the end zone and out of it, Cannon had the ball ripped from his grasp by the Virginia defender and it fell to the turf. Officials ruled the play a touchdown initially, and after a short delay for a review by the replay booth (all scoring plays are reviewed), they deemed that the call on the field should stand. The score tied the game, and was pivotal in such a tightly fought contest. Do you think the touchdown should have stood for the Panthers?



Photo Gallery

[moose141]

Panther Cubs: Another Local Star Says Pitt is It
Report by Matt Schmidlin | October 29, 2019

Pat Narduzzi continue to add to his horde of defensive back recruits for the Class of 2020, securing the signature of West Virginia product Billy Jacobs. The 4-star product flew fairly under the radar in this recruiting season, with significant interest shown from local programs West Virginia and Pitt. While it seemed that West Virginia had the inside track for the Bethelem native early on, the Panthers steadily gained traction and following his official visit to Pittsburgh this past weekend, Jacobs announced his commitment to Pitt.

Ranked as the #8 true cornerback in this class, Jacobs may turn out to be one of the best of the bunch, as 247 recruiting upgraded his preseason grade from 74 to 79 following a stellar senior season at Wheeling Park High School. The 5'9" speedster is lightning quick and can turn on a dime, so may see time in a returner role for the Panthers as well. While being a bit undersized at 165 pounds, Jacobs has still shown solid tackling ability, though his lack of length may relegate him to more of a nickel cover role. Wherever he plays, though, he has shown great man cover abilities and excellent football awareness and play recognition. This allows him to move all over the field defensively, and good pursuit ability means he may be perfectly suited to fill the nickel corner role currently occupied by Kaiyser Artis-Scott. Regardless, expect Jacobs to be impossible to keep off of the field next season for the Panthers.



National News and Notes

-- The Heisman race has turned into an unofficial competition for SEC player of the year, with LSU's Joe Burrow, Florida's Feliepe Franks, and Arkansas's Ty Storey rounding out the top three Heisman contenders.

-- NC State throws a wrench in the title race, has inside track for first ACC Atlantic title with 26-14 win over Clemson (Clemson has won every ACC Atlantic crown since 2015).

-- Florida knocks off Georgia in the game of the week, 34-22... Michigan State is the only ranked team to fall out of the polls after their loss to unranked Indiana.

-- #1 Alabama and #2 LSU are set to square off in the game of the year this weekend in Death Valley... College Gameday will be on hand for this contest.

[Tearz49ers]

Apart from being a little undersized that cornerback is a ready starter, like the game clearly shows, what a gem find!