Pitt defense keeps GT in check

Georgia Tech torched the Pitt defense for 436 rushing yards in a 35-17 win a year ago. The Yellow Jackets had been averaging 429 rushing yards per game on the ground this season, while also scoring 79 points through two games coming into Saturday.

Perhaps that is why Pitt spent time throughout the offseason preparing for this particular game. The plan seemed to work. Pitt “held” Georgia Tech to 320 rushing yards, and won 24-19 to pick up it’s first ACC win, and improve to 2-1 on the year. The extra game-planning seemingly worked off for Pat Narduzzi's team.

"I think our kids felt comfortable. Randy Bates and the defensive staff, Rob Harley and Charlie Partridge and Coach Collins all did a great job," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. "They knew what they were doing. We were detailed. We looked at three years of tape."

"We touched on it periodically through the year, so when we get to this week - it’s not completely foreign to us,” Pitt senior linebacker Quintin Wirginis said.

Wirginis finished the game with seven tackles, and recorded his second sack of the season. He was just one of the few players to stand out in this one. Sophomore defensive end Rashad Weaver also had seven tackles, with one coming behind the line. Weaver also recorded his national-leading third fumble recovery in the game.

"You got to be really concentrated on the team and about your job," Weaver said. "You can’t be thinking about stats. It’s one of those games where you have to slow down the offense."

Another star in this one was junior safety Damar Hamlin. He noted that he played against the triple-option before in high school and that played into his comfort level today.

"Just flying around, getting to the ball - that’s all,” Hamlin said. The junior finished with seven tackles, with two of those coming for a loss. His play caught the eye of Weaver as well.

“I want to give a shoutout to Damar (Hamlin), he was flying around today and taking big shots and coming down hitting," Weaver said. "That’s how we need to come out every week.”

Pitt generated two turnovers on Saturday. In addition to Weaver's takeaway, senior corner back Phillipie Motley picked off a pass that looked like some miscommunication on Georgia Tech's part. The Panthers were also successful in getting off the field defensively. Pitt limited Georgia Tech to just 4-of-13 in third down conversions, and 1-of-3 on fourth downs. While there were a lot of positive takeaways for Pitt's defense, Paul Johnson's team did find some success in the second half.

“Georgia Tech does a really good job at seeing what the defense gives them and adjusting to it. So there’s a certain way the mike linebacker is playing or a certain way the D-end’s are playing, so if you get a three-and-out the first drive that doesn’t mean you are going to dominate them all game,” Wirginis said.

Pitt should be done with the triple option for this season, and the extra work certainly paid off for this week. The Panthers should go back to seeing more conventional offenses, and with that there are still some questions surrounding the defense.

Can they consistently rush the passer? Will the secondary hold up? Still questions that will need to be answered, but on Saturday they did enough to grab an ACC win.