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

[moose141]

2019 Position Review: Offense
Report by Matt Schmidlin | January 20, 2020

We will look through the Pitt Panthers' 2019 season in two segments. In this section, we will review the performance of the different pieces of the offense. We will provide the defensive and special teams review in the next installment coming very soon.



For Junior Kenny Pickett, his usage rates went through the roof in his second year at the helm of the Panther offense. With the new aerial emphasis in OC Mark Whipple's offense, Pickett threw the second most passes in the nation last season, behind only Heisman winner Joe Burrow. Similar to 2018, it was another inconsistent year for Kenny, as he showed flashes of brilliance at times, helping to will the Panthers back into games against Penn State and Ohio State, but also becoming turnover prone for stretches at a time such as in the loss to Louisville and the win against Wake Forest. However, the junior has shown solid development from last year, and expectations for his production in his senior year, especially with 9 starters returning for the Panthers, will be through the roof. One big thing to note from Pickett's statline is that he was sacked 38 times, which is a huge jump from the 24 sacks against he suffered last year. Not only did that cause a hit to his rushing totals (goofy college statkeeping), but also likely contributed to some turnovers as he felt the constant pressure from the opposition. Having four returning starters on the offensive line should help Pickett be more comfortable back in the pocket provided their protection improves.

With Jay Keyes shifting to receiver full time after his breakout freshman season as a huge weapon, Pickett's senior year may make him a dark horse contender for the Heisman or at least ACC Player of the Year. Behind him again will be Acey Reese, who got his first taste of collegiate action last season. He was serviceable in mop up duty, but his performance against Duke when thrust into action in the fourth quarter was less than inspiring. With one more year of seasoning behind Pickett, Reese should have had plenty of development time to take the reins in 2021.



One area where Panther fans will clamor for improvement in 2020 is the rushing attack. After boasting arguably the most fearsome backfield tandem in college football in 2018, the Panther tailbacks were more like kitty cats in 2019. Todd Sibley and CJ London combined to average about half of what Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall provided the year before. Both running backs showed flashes of ability throughout the season, with their brightest performance coming against Wake Forest when they each topped 100 yards in the contest. With the Panthers not bringing in any tailbacks in their incoming recruiting class, the improvements on the ground for next season will need to come in house.



The Panthers saw the emergence of some sensational playmakers in the passing game this year. Mark Whipple was able to instill his pass first approach with few hitches, mainly because of the sensational ability displayed by freshman Jay Keyes and senior Maurice Ffrench. The duo provided a thunder and lightning type approach this season, with Keyes being the gigantic target that could go up and catch anything and Ffrench being the shifty and reliable short yardage target. Ffrench made his living on screen and short routes this year, finishing with a team leading 82 catches (good for 4th all time at Pitt in a single season) and 8 touchdowns. Keyes burst on the scene like a certain true freshman in 2002 (see: Fitzgerald, Larry), providing plenty of incredible performances in his debut season en route to 76 grabs (second for a Panther freshman behind Tyler Boyd's 85 in 2013) and a team leading 1053 yards and 5 scores. The 1053 yards is actually 9th all time for a single season in Pitt history. Senior Tre Tipton made sure he left his mark on Pitt football, with a career high 32 catches, many of them of the clutch variety late in games or on fourth downs. Paul Lees also had a solid year in the slot, adding 41 catches at a solid clip, including the highlight 81 yard catch and run where he left NFL ready UVA corner Bryce Hall in the dust.

Expect Keyes to be the Panthers top target next year, with Lees taking over in the Ffrench role underneath. Benjamin Ogden will see his first major foray into playing time as a lanky deep threat on the outside. Expect also to see doses of TE Caleb Cannon out wide as well, as his 6'8" frame and fantastic pass catching ability lends himself to play in space in a bit of a Rob Gronkowski role.



Pitt's offensive line was a bit more of a mess this season after breaking three new starters on the right side of the line. Cameron Porter was stellar from the left guard position, and he looks to be NFL ready heading into his senior season. Tony Pilato had an up and down season and will be the only starter leaving the Panthers this offseason to graduation, so the unit should be much more cohesive in basically their second full season together. Look for improvements from RT Michael Collins, who let up a team high 11 sacks this season, though he is hurt a bit by the fact that many play designs roll Pickett in his direction, making it easier on opposing defenses to bring him down from that side.

Up Next: Pitt Panthers 2019 Positional Review: Defense and Special Teams

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2019 Position Review: Defense
Report by Matt Schmidlin | January 21, 2020



This was the year that Pitt fans had been waiting for from Pat Narduzzi's defense. Known for his fierce defensive fronts and relentless pressure, Narduzzi unleashed the Panthers front four on opposing defenses to the tune of a national best 58 sacks, led by 14 from NCAA leader Shaun Wolfgang, who also led the country in sacks in 2018. Patrick Jones II added 8 sacks and a team leading 22 TFL, seeming to always be around the football even when not providing consistent pressure on the quarterback. Keyshon Camp and Amir Watts each added 10 and 9 sacks, respectively, and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see the entirety of the Pitt defensive line playing on Sundays next year.

Behind the defensive line, what more can be said about the Pitt secondary and superstar Paris Ford. The local product of Steel Valley had the best defensive season in college football and was rewarded with national awards and plaudits for his efforts. Rumors are that he may be testing the waters to jump to the next level, and it would be well deserved after a season with 4 INTs, 2 TDs, 2 FF, and a fumble recovery to go along with a team leading 97 tackles. Defensive leaders on the outside Dane Jackson and Damar Hamlin will also be departing after multiple seasons anchoring the Pitt backline, with Hamlin leading the team with 6 INTs and Jackson racking up a team best 6 passes defended. Hamlin pulled down 17 interceptions in his career, just trailing the all time best number of 21 by Bob Jury.

Jason Jordan was a breakout star of the defense in 2019, finishing 4th on the team in tackles and TFL while also adding a pair of sacks. With the always dependable Saleem Brightwell graduating this offseason, Jordan may be the defensive leader and an every down linebacker for the Panthers, with his great speed and solid ability in coverage.

The biggest storyline for the Pitt defense next season, in addition to having to replace at least 7 starters, will be the pursuit of Hugh Green's record of 49 sacks all time for the Panthers by Wolfgang, who will enter the season with 33 in his career. 49 isn't out of the realm of possibility, as he tallied 16 once already in his career and should have plenty of help on the DL from some young talent to help keep the double teams away from him.



Kicker Jay Bump finished as runner up for the Groza Award for the second straight year after another dependable campaign, and may finish his career as the best placekicker in Pitt history after he finishes his senior season next year. He even increased his leg strength a bit, finally booting a kick from 50+ yards this year as well. Eric Fox showed some improvements in his second year as starting punter, as his peripherals stats remained essentially the same but he improved to keeping 20 punts inside the opposition's 20 after having just 12 of that type last season.

The return game struggled this season, with Maurice Ffrench handling most kick and punt return duties, and not breaking many long returns through much of the season. Expect the Panthers to try a number of different return men in 2020 to try and find a field position advantage.

[Careless Whisper]

I could see Keyes being a darkhorse Heisman candidate next season, his touches should only increase with Pickett back and Ffrench graduating. I'm not sure if you're following Pitt's actual schedules, but are there any big non-conference games you're looking to schedule in 2020?

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

I could see Keyes being a darkhorse Heisman candidate next season, his touches should only increase with Pickett back and Ffrench graduating. I'm not sure if you're following Pitt's actual schedules, but are there any big non-conference games you're looking to schedule in 2020?

No doubt. Hopefully we don't see a repeat of the most BS Heisman finish that I can ever remember that occurred in 2003. I'm still steamed about it. (Damn you Jason White!)

On the non-conference front, I am trying to follow Pitt's actual scheduling of non-conference games, but with a few twists. So we are finishing the back half of a home and home with Marshall, meaning we will go to Huntington this fall. We also will host Notre Dame in their rotating agreement with the ACC. (Funnily enough, we actually played Notre Dame more before this agreement they made with the ACC, as we were one of their consistent rivalry matchups and now we play them like twice every five years.) With that said, I am making sure to replace all of the FCS schools with FBS opponents, so we have to fill in a game for Richmond, and also Pitt is scheduled to open with Miami (OH) this season, but I had used them to replace Youngstown State on my schedule a season or two ago and don't feel like playing them again so soon, so we do still have then two openings in the non-conference slate that we need to fill.

Funny that you asked about that, because Heather Lyke has been working tirelessly on that and there should be some news fairly soon on the 2020 schedule!

[djp73]

pretty solid season overall, too bad you couldn't quite get past ohio state

[moose141]

[Deuce2223]

If I was a betting man I would guess Ford is off to the NFL. Not sure what your policy is about trying to convince players to come back, if you allow it, then maybe the win a National Title convinces him to stay, or maybe you get lucky and use the you want a college degree angle.

[moose141]

Paris Ford Off to the NFL
Report by Matt Schmidlin | January 22, 2020

In a press conference this afternoon, Pitt FS Paris Ford announced that he will forgo his senior year at Pitt and enter the NFL draft. The move wasn't too much of a surprise, as Ford had been a three year starter for the Panthers, with his Junior year resulting in winning the Bednarik and Thorpe awards as both the best defender and defensive back in the country.



Ford is expected to go fairly early in the upcoming NFL draft, possibly even sneaking into the first round. Teams love his athleticism and ability to find the ball on every play, though they do still see him as a bit raw in coverage.



For the Panthers, it's another blow to their top ranked defense, meaning they will have just 3 starters returning (4 if you include nickel corner Kaiyser Artis-Scott) for 2020. Jakob Lochlan and Quel Hampshire will be expected to compete for the tall order of replacing Ford at Free Safety.