The Pitt defense has been very good throughout the season.The unit ranks towards the top of the country and ACC in many categories. The Panthers defense has also had the task of bailing out the offense numerous times throughout the 2019 season.
In Pitt’s season 26-19 finale loss to Boston College, the defense wasn’t able to save the day. Boston College used a power running game to grab the lead in the third quarter and preserve the victory on Saturday at Heinz Field.
Dillon entered the game as the nation’s third leading rusher, and he finished with 178 yards on 32 carries. He also ripped off a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give Boston College the lead for good.
“Disappointing loss, give credit to AJ Dillon, he played a great game,” Pitt sophomore defensive tackle Jaylen Twyamn told reporters after the game. “He’s a good player. We talked a little bit after the game and give him a lot of props to his offensive line and their offensive coaches. We’ve got to better, they ran for a lot of yards, so we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and try to get a win for these seniors. I’m disappointed that I didn’t make enough plays, more so disappointed that we couldn’t get a win for the seniors. We and me owe them for this last game, so we’re trying to send them off on a good note.”
Dillon was held in check at halftime to a degree. He broke loose for a 20-yard reception, but had just 44 rushing yards and was averaging just 3.1 carries in the first half. That all changed in the second half.
“Again, A.J. Dillon is a big back,” Pat Narduzzi said in his post game press conference. "He fought for yards. We didn't tackle 250 pounds very well. He's a hefty guy.”
The Pitt defense was once again put in a tough position by the offense on Saturday. The Panthers lost three fumbles and Kenny Pickett threw one interception. Pitt’s two first quarter fumbles directly led to a pair of field goals by Boston College. The third fumble in the fourth quarter by A.J. Davis led to another field goal that made the score 26-16, giving the Eagles a two-score lead.
The defense didn’t blame the offense for the tough predicaments, but rather themselves for not making the plays.
“Of course it’s tough to stop because anytime with sudden change it’s tough to stop, but we look at as we want to be the best defense in the country so we’ve got to stop them regardless of circumstance,” senior middle linebacker Saleem Brightwell explained.
Pitt’s strength defensively is its pass rush. Pitt has been one of the top sack teams in the country all season long, but only recorded one against Boston College. It appears as though the Eagles planned around that. Boston College kept it on the ground and rolled out quarterback Dennis Grosel when the team did pass.
“Honestly, they didn’t even throw the ball a lot,” Brightwell said on the lack of sacks. "Anytime they would throw the ball it was like rollout or gap protection or like trick plays. So they didn’t really throw the ball, they threw the ball maybe like 15 times, so I feel like that’s how teams are attacking us now.
Grosel finished 9-of-19 for 123 yards and one touchdown on the day. “They did a good job of not letting us get in position to get sacks,” added Twyman.
Pitt did narrow the Boston College lead to 26-19 with 5:26 left on an Alex Kessman field goal. Pitt had three timeouts left and the defense had the chance to make a stop and give Pickett and the offense one more opportunity, but the Eagles kept it in the hands of Dillon and he iced the game away. Dillon rushed eight times for 45 yards and converted four first downs himself to seal the victory.
When asked if his defense was fatigued, Narduzzi wasn’t sure.
“I don't know, we rotated enough linemen in there,” he said. "It will wear on anybody. You saw that during the year. I mean, rushed for almost 500 yards on Syracuse. They know how to run the football. They do a nice job. Like I said, A.J. Dillon, give him some credit, he's a big back, an NFL tailback.”
Twyman added, “The focus was there, it’s just details. We try to go on details and we’ve got to finish better. The defense, we’ve got to finish better and just stop the run.”
