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

[moose141]

NCAA Preview and Week 1 Overview
Report by Matt Schmidlin | August 28, 2020

Host Moose on the Pitt Panthers network guides you through a season preview that takes a look at both the Pitt Panthers as well as the rest of the NCAA as we get the 2020 college football season underway. After a general preview, Moose takes a look at the big games in week one, including an incredible SEC slate to open the season.

Week One Games of the Week

South Carolina @ #3 Alabama
#15 Georgia @ #1 LSU -- College Gameday Game of the Week
#25 Stanford @ Rice
#18 Arkansas @ #2 Ohio State -- Cowboys Classic
Mississippi State @ #20 Michigan -- Texas Classic

Who emerges unscathed?

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tearz49ers

Solid writing that Moose, always good to see where teams are at Roster wise after a couple of seasons.

Echoing this, it's always nice to see what the rest of the nation looks like besides the team you're controlling. Looking forward to this upcoming season!

[Deuce2223]

Little surprised you stuck with Sibley as the starter. I thought London was the better runner down the stretch last year. Will be interesting to see if either one steps up and becomes that true #1 or if they continue to share the load. I would assume if you land your Top target he would redshirt so you can have him for 4 full years as a potential starter, or maybe with his speed we see him as a true freshman and someone who can steal some carries maybe help in the return game.

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Echoing this, it's always nice to see what the rest of the nation looks like besides the team you're controlling. Looking forward to this upcoming season!

Thanks, really appreciate the comment as always! Definitely helps the immersion in the world.

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Little surprised you stuck with Sibley as the starter. I thought London was the better runner down the stretch last year. Will be interesting to see if either one steps up and becomes that true #1 or if they continue to share the load. I would assume if you land your Top target he would redshirt so you can have him for 4 full years as a potential starter, or maybe with his speed we see him as a true freshman and someone who can steal some carries maybe help in the return game.

It'll be more of a 1A and 1B approach to be honest. I left Sibley listed as the starter cause he finished on a high note with a solid performance against Ohio State, and I played a bit of practice mode and neither running back really did anything stellar to stand out just yet. The running back battle is definitely open in the season opener. If we can pull that recruit in, for sure that would be huge. The biggest thing that we are missing entirely in our backfield is breakaway speed! All of our tailbacks are in the 82-88 speed range, which isn't terrible but it certainly doesn't lend itself to breaking many big runs. If we can get a burner in, then all the better!

[moose141]

Panthers Offer NJ HB, Among Others Early in Recruiting Cycle
Report by Matt Schmidlin | August 29, 2020

Pat Narduzzi may not be leading his football team onto the field this Saturday for a game, but by no means does that mean he is not working.

Da'vion Reynolds, the #5 ranked HB recruit in the class of 2021, tweeted early this afternoon that he had been offered by the Panthers.

Reynolds has been an explosive performer for Cedar Creek High School in southern New Jersey, racking up 1432 yards rushing and 19 TDs on the ground for the Pirates as they finished the season 10-3 and lost in the NJSIAA South Group 2 Regional Championship. He also showed explosive ability as a returner in his junior season, with 4 return touchdowns (3 kickoff, 1 punt) over the course of the season.

Already possessing good size (6'1", 197 lbs) and ability to find running lanes, Reynolds has proven to be an absolute speedster, running a mid-4.3 40 yard dash and also featuring as a sprinter on the Cedar Creek track team.

With the Panthers struggling in the running game last season, Reynolds is said to be one of the top targets on Narduzzi's board for the Class of 2021. He is also being courted by local program Rutgers (who has offered him as well), while fielding interest from Pitt's fellow ACC rivals in Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and Boston College.

Pitt should have a minimum of 13 scholarships to give out to recruits in the Class of 2021.

Panthers putting other offers on the table

-- Pitt will be losing kicker Jay Bump to graduation this year, and are looking local to find his successor. The Panthers have offered 3-star kicker Tim Lewis (Monessen, PA), who also has interest from Penn State and Ohio State as well as the service academies.

-- The Panthers have offered another top New jersey prospect in Jesse Coley, the #12 ranked QB in the nation. The scrambler led St. Peter's Prep to the top ranking in the state of New Jersey as a junior, throwing for 2312 yards and 22 TDs while rushing for 812 yards and 7 TDs. He currently holds a 4-star rating from both 247 and Rivals recruiting services.

-- After securing a number of commitments over their in state rivals last season, Pitt looks to be in a number of recruiting battles with Penn State for a number of prospects. With 4 senior linebackers on the roster this year, Pitt has offered MLB Jonathan Sowell (4*, Moon HS, Moon, PA) and JUCO product Chaz Woods (3*, Rayne, LA) to fill the void, with Penn State also in hot pursuit to secure their signatures. Both schools are also showing heavy interest in bringing in a blocker from north of the border, with Canadian FB Aaron Miller (3*, Kitchener, CAN) fielding significant interest from both schools. Sowell and Woods have both already received offers from the Panthers.

[moose141]

Around the NCAA: Week 1
Report by Matt Schmidlin | August 31, 2020



Top Storylines

Death Valley Debacle: In a stunning upset, Kent State came from 17 points down to shock #13 Clemson in Death Valley, scoring 20 unanswered points and holding the Tigers scoreless in the second half en route to a 27-24 victory.

Strength of Schedule: Ohio State certainly is trying to make their case early that they are a top national contender yet again. The Buckeyes knocked off #18 Arkansas in Dallas on the strength of four touchdowns from transfer Quardraiz Wadley, and will return home to host #5 Oklahoma in a massive non-conference showdown. Should the Buckeyes emerge victorious against the Sooners, they will have an early claim for top team in the land.

No Luck of the Irish: In an eerily similar fashion to Clemson, Notre Dame blew a 17 point fourth quarter lead over Temple, falling in overtime to the Owls, 27-24. Isaiah Wright caught a pair of touchdown passes from Anthony Russo to lead the comeback effort from the Owls, with a 24 yard Johnny Williams field goal providing the winning margin in the extra frame.

Takes Two to Tango (and Force Overtime): Mississippi State upset #20 Michigan in the Texas Classic, stopping a two point conversion attempt that would've tied the score with 1:50 play to hang on for a 38-36 victory. Despite the loss, true freshman Marcus Brooks had an incredible introduction to the college football world, catching four touchdown passes from two different quarterbacks, as Brandon Peters left midway through the third quarter and was relieved by Zac Anderson.

Week Two -- Marquee Matchups

#7 NC State (0-0) @ #1 LSU (1-0) -- After narrowly escaping with an overtime victory over SEC rival Georgia, LSU will host NC State and their stout defense in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. LSU QB Lindsay Scott will likely be on a short leash after an inconsistent performance that sees freshman QB Kene Kelekolio waiting in the wings. Dylan Parham will be making his first career start under center for the Wolfpack.

#5 Oklahoma (0-0) @ #2 Ohio State (1-0) -- College Gameday -- Redshirt junior Al Dingle will make his first start for the Sooners in the hostile environment of the Horseshoe, while Ohio State senior QB Brian Barbour will look to rebound after a horrific 69 yard passing performance in his first career start. Quardraiz Wadley will look to repeat last week's four touchdown performance that has already put him on some Heisman watch lists.

#4 Texas (0-0) @ #13 USC (1-0) -- After a 320 yard passing performance in the season opener, USC's Matt Fink will face his first true test as he takes a Texas team featuring some of the top defensive talent in the nation. With no conference championship game opportunity, the Longhorns will need to emerge victorious to have any chance of building their strength of schedule for a possible playoff berth.

#23 Stanford (1-0) @ #22 Virginia (0-0) -- The Cavaliers will lean on halfback tandem of Ken Huffman and Trey Johnson following the graduation of senior quarterback and leader Bryce Perkins in the offseason. With such a dramatic turnover on the offensive side of the ball, Virginia will have their first test against a Stanford team that already knocked off a tough Rice squad on the road.

[moose141]

#PantherNation Preview: G1 vs. UConn
Report by Matt Schmidlin | September 4, 2020

Season openers are always special. For Pitt, they will look to dissipate that special feeling just a bit for new UConn Head Coach Dana Dimel.

After waiting patiently behind the ageless wonder Bill Snyder at Kansas State, Dimel helped lead the Wildcats to an 11-2 season and one of the most prolific offenses in college football. After Snyder decided to stay on as head coach for at least one more season, Dimel jumped at the opportunity to take over at UConn, who had fired HC Bob Diaco after a 2-10 campaign in 2019. The Huskies have been a very up and down program that can't get much lower, seeing a nine win drop over two years from their 11-3 season in 2017.

"This is a strong program with a strong history," Dimel said. "They've seen success in the past, been to big bowl games, and I'm excited to take on the challenge of bringing them back to those heights."

His first game at the helm of the Husky program will certainly fall under the category of challenging, as they will face off with a top 10 program in Pitt that is fresh off of its second straight berth in the College Football Playoff.

The Panthers expect this matchup to be nothing more of a tuneup game for their road trip to Marshall next weekend, but shouldn't overlook another opponent in a home opener, as they struggled last season against Ohio and limped to a 14-3 victory (which to be fair didn't look so bad following Ohio's 12-2 end of season record).

"We need to come out with focus and enthusiasm," Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi said. "If you're not getting amped up for your first game of the season, then you just don't have a pulse. I know our guys are going to come out ready to go, and we just can't wait to get this football season underway."

Line: Pitt -18.5

Last Meeting (2012): 24-17 UConn
Last Meeting at Venue (2011): 35-20 Pitt
All Time Series: 5-4 UConn
Dynasty Series: First Meeting

First opportunity for new pieces in Pitt secondary

After the departures of 5/6ths of their starting secondary (when in the dime package), Pitt will see four underclassmen take the field on Saturday, including three true freshman cornerbacks. While UConn is not expected to be the most prolific offense in college football, Pat Narduzzi and DC Randy Bates can certainly expect some growing pains as the youngsters grow into their roles in the lineup. Damian Vector is expected to start opposite senior Kaiyser Artis-Scott at corner, though his size may see him moved into a slot role eventually as Scott Whaley develops as an outside corner. 5-star signing Tyquan Sutton is expected to feature in six defensive back sets, while also seeing time in the return game as Pitt's primary punt returner.

Plenty of Panthers to get chances offensively

After an inconsistent season with the football in 2019, Pitt is searching for options offensively heading into the season. Other than QB Kenny Pickett and WR Jay Keyes, no one is plugged directly into the starting lineup across the skill positions. There should be a battle in the backfield to secure the starting role, as both Todd Sibley Jr. and CJ London showed flashes of ability last season but never could put together anything better than short spurts of solid production. Keyes should see a bit of time in the backfield as well, both as a halfback as well as spearheading the Panthers' wildcat package. KJ Welsh is one player to watch offensively, as the Panthers have used him in a gadget role so far this season, with the pass catcher also showing ability when taking handoffs in motion. Benjamin Ogden and Keith Onyango also look set to battle for an opportunity as the wide man in 3 and 4 wide receiver sets for the Panthers, with both possessing height and deep threat speed. Pitt will certainly make use of an opportunity to take on what should be an overmatched opponent to see who their offensive playmakers will be this season.

David Coleman to face Panthers after spurning them on recruiting trail

In a roundabout way, Pitt finally managed to get David Coleman to play on the Heinz Field grass; it just didn't come in the way they had originally planned. Coleman was originally the #26 Athlete (and #118 recruit overall) in the Class of 2017 when coming out of Levittown, NY, and the 4* recruit was a big target for Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers. However, Coleman elected to sign with Urban Meyer and Ohio State, while the Panthers ended up signing 5* HB (#26 overall recruit) CJ London later in the signing period. After sitting his freshman season, London elected to transfer rather than sit behind Mike Weber and Antonio Williams on the depth chart. The Long Island native chose a program close to home, signing on with UConn, where he enters the season as the starter in the backfield, about to receive his first collegiate gametime. Interestingly enough, the power back could've had a chance to play for the Buckeyes this season after the surprise early declaration of Williams, but instead Coleman will be running out onto the field to take on the school he spurned three years ago.

What to Expect on the Field This Saturday



Sound Off: What will the final score be between Pitt and UConn? Will the Panthers take care of business against their former Big East foe?

[Miles Perry]

Pitt by 35+