Season on the brink

Pitt dropped to 3-3 on the 2020 season following a 31-19 loss to Miami this afternoon. The Panthers entered this season with some pretty high internal optimism for Pat Narduzzi’s sixth year. Pitt has now lost three straight games and the season seems to be taking a steep downward turn. The injuries are mounting and the season that was once expected to be a breakout year has now become a disaster. Pitt may be forced to play more games with quarterback Kenny Pickett, and the team still has meetings with Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Clemson looming. A top five Notre Dame team comes to Heinz Field next week, and halfway through this 2020 season any optimism and excitement is totally gone from this program. Can Pitt withstand more lost time from Pickett? How do they respond to three straight losses? It’s really not looking good however you slice it and it has the potential to get worse.

Same miscues

Pitt finished the game with 10 penalties for 89 yards. Some of those penalties directly led to keeping Miami on the field and ultimately touchdowns for the Hurricanes. It has been a recurring theme with this team in recent season, as they are one of the most penalized teams in the country. It is especially frustrating for Pitt today as the game appeared to be winnable and was closer than some expected. In a close game, the same problems persisted. Aside from the penalties Pitt had multiple drops from wide receivers, another issues that has proven costly throughout the season. Pitt hung in there and battled today, and when you look at 10 penalties and multiple dropped passes, it makes the outcome that much more agonizing for this team.

Running game non-existent again

Pitt finished the day with 22 rushing yards on 26 carries. Even favoriting in the sacks on quarterback Joey Yellen, the three running backs carried the ball 20 times for a total of 44 yards. Pitt junior Todd Sibley was the most effective back as he picked up 23 yards on four carries, but was no given many opportunities despite some flashes on his early touches. Vincent Davis has been the primary back this season and he was held to 0 yards on nine carries as he rarely showed he could get past the line of scrimmage. Pitt’s running game has struggled this season, but the starting running back not gaining a single yard is beyond concerning, it’s downright bad.

Yellen takes control

There weren’t many positives to take from Saturday’s game, but Joey Yellen handling his first-career start in a Pitt uniform fairly well is one of the few. Yellen finished the day 22-for-46 for 277 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Yellen did turn it over once on a fumble, but otherwise protected the football against a normally stout Miami defense. Yellen completed six passes that went 19 yards or more, and had a nice connection with freshman wide receiver Jordan Addison. He finished with 8 catches for 147 yards on Saturday and was also one of the few bright spots. Yellen did struggle at times and it took a while for the offense to click, but there were certainly some things to work with moving forward. He probably exceeded expectations today overall. Not having Pickett seemed to show up the most when Miami pressured the quarterback, Pickett’s mobility and ability to pick up first downs with his feet was something seriously lacking today. It does appear Pickett will be out next week as well, and Yellen will likely prepare this week as the starter as he seemed to win over the coaches more than fellow backup quarterback Davis Beville.

Defense still shaky, but still good

The Pitt defense continued to have some gaffes in coverage that led to big plays and of course they committed some costly penalties as well, but overall it was the better unit for Pitt yet again. The defense generated two turnovers, sacked D’Eriq Kind four times, and limited Miami to just 4-of-13 on third down attempts. The defense was far from perfect, but once agin it kept the team in the game for the most part and the offense never really could capitalize. Even with a mostly passing performance, there is still a lot more where this unit could have been better on Saturday. The chunk plays in the passing game and committing two third down penalties were backbreaking sequences. This unit has been solid this year, but during this three-game losing streak they have missed some opportunities as well.