Group effort led to successful defense against GT

The Pitt defense used 23 different players in Saturday’s 24-19 win against Georgia Tech. The Panthers dominated the Yellow Jackets early and shut them out in the first half, and held Georgia Tech under it’s season’s average of points and rushing yards.

“You look at the last 39 game against them, shutout in the first half, only Georgia and Clemson has done that to them,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi proclaimed in his opening remarks of Monday's weekly press conference.

Did the rotation play a role in that? Can that type of rotation continue as the emphasis shifts back to more conventional offenses?

“We expect that,” Narduzzi said. “We've talked for - since spring ball about the depth we've got on defense.”

The unit received production from all three levels last week, as Rashad Weaver turned in a stellar performance on the defensive line, Quintin Wirginis added a sack from his middle linebacker spot and Damar Hamlin led the secondary with seven stops.

Narduzzi was impressed with the way his team found the football on Saturday, which can sometimes be a daunting task against the triple-option. This week’s opponent, North Carolina, can present a different kind of challenge with an offense predicated on speed and tempo, much like Penn State did two weeks ago. He hopes those same principles of finding the ball carrier that worked on Saturday can continue moving forward into this week and beyond.

“Sometimes these tempo teams - the Penn States, the North Carolinas, the Central Floridas in the coming weeks - they tempo you,” Narduzzi said. “And they get you out of being able to run to the football. So we've got to emphasize running to the football, finishing that play and getting back home versus tempo offenses, and that's what we'll face this weekend.”

Pitt spent added time all offseason against Georgia Tech’s offensive scheme, but Narduzzi said that did not happen with North Carolina, noting a lot of teams, including Pitt’s own offense, can give off that kind of look for his defense.

“They do a lot of things with motion and shifting and just trying to get - angles on you,” Narduzzi explained. “It's more like a Penn State offense, a lot of RPO's, and they do a good job in their zone game.”

So will Pitt need more than 20 players to play defense on Saturday? That is yet to be determined. In the Georgia Tech game, Pitt used ten defensive linemen - including redshirt freshmen Jaylen Twyman and Deslin Alexandre, six linebackers and seven different defensive backs, with redshirt freshman Paris Ford receiving an extended look at corner.

“When you practice well and you do a good job we're going to get you in there,” Narduzzi said. “If you don't practice so well, you might not get to 23 or 28 guys. Maybe it's 11 guys. But it depends on how you practice and what you can do in this game plan.”

While Pat Narduzzi did not come out and say how many will play this week on defense, he was quick to point out someone who did not get on the field last week. Perhaps that line of thinking suggests even more guys are set to see the field in the coming weeks, as he has trust with more than his starting 11.

"So Cam Bright, I'm kind of a little disappointed he didn't get in last week, because he really had a good feel for this football team, for the Georgia Tech game," Narduzzi said of the freshman linebacker. "He's gotten better every week as well. I'm kind of, I guess, a little sad he didn't get in because I think he could've impacted the game as well."