Pitt has the No. 18 rushing offense in the country, producing 232.7 yards per game on the ground. The Panthers feature a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back with Qadree Ollison leading the way with 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is complemented by Darrin Hall, who has racked up 935 yards and nine touchdowns himself.
The running game propelled Pitt to a 5-2 record down the stretch and was one of the leading reasons why the team won the ACC Coastal division. The offense was humming right along until it faced Wake Forest two weeks ago, when it finished with just 154 yards on the ground.
Things got even worse last week against Miami as Pitt netted only 69 yards.
If Pitt has any hope to knock off No. 2 Clemson, it better figure out how to get the run game going again. It won’t be easy, as the Tigers have the No. 2 run defense in the country and feature a defensive line littered with NFL prospects like Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell.
“I think we just got to do a good job executing, blocking them, no matter what they come out in,” Ollison told reporters on Monday during a teleconference. “Every play isn't going to be blocked perfectly. Having to make guys miss, maybe run over a guy for the tough yards.”
Ollison was named to the All-ACC second team on Monday for his performance this season. He has been bottled up in recent weeks by only rushing for 52 yards in the win over Wake Forest and 28 yards in the Miami loss. Many have pointed to a reshuffled offensive line last week, but Ollison also took his share of the blame for the offensive woes.
“Really just getting back to us, getting back to who we are, and executing, blocking, running our tracks,” Ollison said. “We haven't done that the last two weeks, and it's shown. Just getting back to us, what we do I think is key in establishing that running game again.”
The reshuffled line should not be discounted, however, as it seemed to play a role last week in the offense’s struggles. Following the Wake Forest game, starting center Jimmy Morrissey had season-ending ankle surgery and Pitt had to shift left guard Connor Dintino to center and Bryce Hargrove was inserted to the starting lineup at left guard.
The loss of Morrissey was felt by Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.
“There's going to be bumps in the road having two new guys in two new spots on the offensive line,” Pickett said. “We just got to focus on practice this week, get our communication faster and quicker, then we'll be ready to roll.”
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes the improvement will happen for Dintino and Hargrove.
“I think you always get your best performance from game one to game two at the beginning of a season,” he said Monday. “I think, again, we're right back to where we are in game one."
Ollison echoed his coach’s thoughts and believes they are up to the task this week.
“I believe those two guys you mentioned, Connor and Bryce, both will make their biggest improvements,” Ollison said. “From game one to game two, Connor, being his second start at center, Bryce's second start at guard, I believe those guys are going to go out there and play 10 times, 20 times better than they did on Saturday.”
Even with the loss of Morrissey, Pitt has four senior offensive linemen slated to start on Saturday. Left tackle Stefano Millin was named second-team All-ACC on Monday, and right guard Mike Herndon was named to the third team. The talk heading into Saturday's game may be about the Clemson defensive line, rightfully so, but Ollison believes in his blockers.
“I think it's a great opportunity. It's a great opportunity for our offensive line,” Ollison said. “They have a great defensive line, as everyone knows. But I think it's a tremendous opportunity for us to go out there and put on display what we have, as well, accepting that challenge of playing against such a good front.”
