Pitt Take 5: Believe it or not, a 2-game losing streak hasn’t ended the Panthers’ season
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For frustrated Pitt fans who feel personally wounded by their team’s two-game losing streak, know what’s real: The season isn’t over. Indeed, the final four games matter.
Going from 4-4 to 4-8 would be a disaster, of course. Tiny bumps to 5-7 and 6-6 would be almost equally bad. And a 3-1 finish and 7-5 record would be OK, but that’s not where this program sees itself.
But ending the season on a four-game winning streak would produce an 8-4 record that would have been unacceptable at the start of the season but welcomed under the current circumstance. The idea, according to coach Pat Narduzzi, is to go 1-0 four times.
It’s not an easy stretch of games, but Pitt has enough talent to win them all. Syracuse (6-2, 3-1 ACC) comes to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday with its own two-game losing streak, desperately trying to catch Clemson (8-0, 6-0) in the Atlantic Division. Probably a futile chase. Virginia (3-5, 1-4) has its warts, while Duke (5-3, 2-2) and Miami (4-4, 2-2) are what their records say they are.
Before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff, here are some thoughts to consider:
1. We’ve seen this act before
When Narduzzi and his staff were preparing for Syracuse, the video looked familiar. And, maybe, a bit scary.
Syracuse coach Dino Babers hired two Virginia staffers, offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, after Cavaliers head coach Bronco Mendenhall resigned after last season.
Anae’s offense at Syracuse is the same one that produced 514 yards against Pitt last season in the Panthers’ Coastal-clinching 48-38 victory.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw for 487.
“I give coach Anae a lot of credit for what they’ve done with the Shrader kid (Garrett, the Syracuse quarterback), and even the backup with (Carlos) Del Rio-Wilson,” Narduzzi said.
“You look at how productive Virginia was a year ago offensively, and then you see it leave to go to Syracuse and then really you see a totally different offense as far as what they’re doing, how they’re doing it,” Narduzzi said.
2. He said it was a good week
At the end of each week, almost without fail, Narduzzi expresses satisfaction with his team’s work at practice. Of course, no one can challenge him. Practice is closed, except for a half-hour or so Tuesday morning. But he offered a brief glimpse into the week when he met with reporters Thursday.
“On Tuesday, the defense got after the offense. I wasn’t happy with the offense,” he said. “On Wednesday, the offense came back and competed.”
Narduzzi wasn’t trying to impress anyone with his statement that the offense “competed.” Everyone knows that’s the least of his expectations. But it’s a start.
The offense “competed” in the first half at North Carolina, too. Then, Kedon Slovis threw for 79 yards after halftime against a defense that remains the worst against the pass in the ACC (an average of 283.3 yards allowed per game). The proof will surface Saturday against Syracuse’s pass defense that leads the conference (164.5).
North Carolina must be the most improved defense in the nation. The Tar Heels went from allowing 649 total yards and 61 points against Appalachian State on Sept. 3 to surrendering 367 and 24 to Pitt on Oct. 29.
3. Hammond time?
Izzy Abanikanda has rushed 90 times in the past three games, and backups Rodney Hammond Jr. and Vincent Davis have totaled 13 carries.
Narduzzi is understandably fearful of taking Abanikanda off the field because he’s a game-changer, with the ability to burst through the line for 50-plus yards. He is averaging 6.7 per touch over the past three games. Slovis is averaging 6.4 per pass attempt in that time. If Pitt is trending toward overextending Abanikanda, so be it.
When I asked Narduzzi if Hammond may get more playing time this week, he said, “I think so. Do you want me to put Rodney in there more?”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“OK, we’ll give Rodney more carries this weekend. It’s on you.”
Next time, I’ll learn to keep my mouth shut.
4. How Pitt found SirVocea
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis, a Syracuse native, eagerly awaits this game every year.
“It’s not even about the game, really. It’s about my family coming to the game and everybody seeing me play against the hometown team,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say I was the biggest Syracuse fan growing up. I know my mother was. I always went to the games with her. Just seeing that atmosphere and being at those games was always fun.”
Syracuse recruited Dennis, but only to play quarterback. He preferred defense.
But it was what Dennis could do with a basketball that first caught Narduzzi’s attention. While on a recruiting visit to the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., where Dennis was spending a post-graduate year, someone showed Narduzzi a video of the linebacker jumping over two teammates to dunk a basketball.
“(Narduzzi) was insanely intrigued,” former Peddie coach Chris Malleo told Syracuse.com. “He was essentially like, ‘Why isn’t this guy on our radar?’ ”
Reminded of the story Thursday, Narduzzi said, “He probably wouldn’t be playing linebacker for us (if there was no video). That was a good visit. Things happen for a reason.”
5. Interesting, but meaningless fact
Syracuse is 1-9 at the stadium previously known as Heinz Field. The Orange’s only victory was a 42-10 decision in 2001, the year it opened.