5 questions for YSU week
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It’s finally game week, and with the run-up to the 2017 opener underway, Panther-Lair.com is looking at the five biggest storylines facing Pitt this week.
1. What will the offense look like?
This question has a couple angles. For starters, there’s a new offensive coordinator, as Pat Narduzzi tabbed Shawn Watson to replace Matt Canada this offseason. Canada’s performance at Pitt last season made him one of the hottest commodities in college football, as his unique usage of eligible receivers, jet sweeps and shovel passes combined with savvy game-planning and intuitive game-calling to produce explosive results - namely, the most productive offense in Pitt history.
So the big question facing Watson is how much he will carry over from Canada’s playbook. The players and coaches have said there will be plenty of similarities, but they’re also not particularly given to transparency in that regard.
But there’s also the question of what Pitt’s offense will look like in this particular week. Last season, the Panthers’ attack was drastically different in Week Two vs. Penn State from what it was in Week One vs. Villanova, as Narduzzi kept most of Canada’s tricks hidden against the FCS opponent. Will that be the approach again this season?
More important, though, is the overall effectiveness of the offense. That unit was Pitt’s strength in 2016 - albeit aided by not just Canada but also Nate Peterman, James Conner, Dorian Johnson, Adam Bisnowaty and Scott Orndoff, among others who have departed the team since the end of the season - and it needs to be a strength once again.
2. Who will be the lead running back?
This question is not the same as “Who will be the starting running back?” That question will (probably) be answered when Pitt releases its first official two-deep, and the most likely option to take the field for the Panthers’ first offensive snap on Saturday at Heinz Field is redshirt junior Qadree Ollison.
But will Ollison be the lead back? That is to say, will he have more yards and attempts than any other running back? He topped those categories for Pitt in 2015, but that was a long time ago and only happened after multiple injuries thrust him into the starting job.
Throughout camp, Narduzzi and running backs coach Andre Powell declined to say that any of the backs - Ollison, sophomore Chawntez Moss, junior Darrin Hall or freshmen AJ Davis and Todd Sibley - had taken the lead job, instead sticking by the mantra that they would wait for a back to get hot and then stick with that player.
So who will it be? That’s anyone’s guess, and the answer might not come on Saturday - or there might be an answer that changes every week until one of the backs emerges as the best. And it really seems like that could be any one of the five.
3. Will the defense make plays?
Admittedly, “make plays” is a pretty vague term, but it applies, on the whole, to what Pitt’s defense needs to do this season. Last year, the Panthers recorded nine interceptions and recovered 10 fumbles; those numbers need to go up. And the defense also needs to increase its sack totals from last year; 43 is a nice number, but the imbalance - Ejuan Price had 13 of those 43 - needs to shift; getting closer to that total would be good, but it has to come from multiple players, which would indicate a more balanced pass rush that could, in theory, be more effective.
Youngstown State ran the ball like crazy in 2016, so the opening opponent may provide fewer opportunities for some of these plays than other teams on the schedule, but at least a few passes will hit the air, and the Panthers would do well to make a few plays in those situations. Can they start the 2017 season on the right foot?
4. Will leadership emerge if needed?
Youngstown State is an interesting opponent. Yes, the Penguins are an FCS team, but they also played in the national championship game last season, and no Pitt fan needs to be reminded of what happened when YSU came to Heinz Field to open the 2012 season. So this year’s YSU team probably merits a more serious approach than last year’s Villanova team did in the opener.
If the game is close, though - if YSU can stay within a touchdown or two into the fourth quarter - Pitt could find itself needing a leader to step up. Max Browne, Jester Weah, Avonte Maddox and Dennis Briggs were named captains last week, but this is a team that doesn’t have a lot of seniors (even in that group, only three are seniors; Briggs is a redshirt junior).
The Panthers will certainly need leaders to step up at various points this season, but if they start slow on Saturday and give YSU an opening, do they have the players in place to take control - a key element in games like Saturday’s?
5. Where are the fans?
It’s Year Three for Narduzzi at Pitt. He’s got 16 wins - more than any Pitt coach in his first two seasons since Foge Fazio - and has won quite a few big-name games. Sure, it’s an opener against an FCS opponent, but will the fans show up? And what kind of energy will Pitt fans bring on opening weekend 2017?
Maybe it’s a secondary storyline, but it’s a storyline nonetheless, and one that seems relevant as Pitt searches for ways to engage the fan base and draw numbers to Heinz Field. It’s also a storyline that will stay relevant as the season progresses; it’s easy to draw for Penn State, but what about N.C. State?
Last year, Pitt announced 50,149 for the opener against Villanova, up from 49,969 announced when the Panthers hosted Youngstown State to open the 2015 season. And that was up from 40,549 announced for the 2014 opener against Delaware. Can the trend of increasing attendance for the opener continue in 2017?