Pitt's defense fueled by the emergence of Johnson and Twyman

The Pitt defense has taken major strides from where it was last year to where it is now. The Panthers’ defense ranks 21st in total defense as they are surrendering just 298.7 yards per game. Pitt also ranks second nationally with 27 sacks on the season.

Nothing new there, it’s been a major storyline all year. Pitt has an improved defense, and not only that, it’s been producing against some pretty good offenses as well. A lot of starters returned to this unit, and that experience has been key to their play, but part of the emergence on the defensive side of the ball is about some individuals taking it up a notch.

There might not be two better examples of that than Jaylen Twyamn elevating his game to new heights, and Kylan Johnson providing a fast, attacking linebacker to a defense that has so desperately needed one. Those two guys are playing at an All-ACC level at the very least, and have provided a major spark to this Pitt defense.

Johnson, a graduate transfer from Florida, fought through injuries and being stuck on the depth chart in Gainesville to becoming a key piece to the Pitt defense this year. The Dallas native 29 tackles, seven stops for loss, and four sacks. He has also forced a fumble and broken up two passes.

So just how has he fit into this defense so quickly?

“Honestly I’ve got to give it to my D-Line,” he explained. “I feel like they’re the reason why I’ve been able to make the plays that I made. Also Saleem and Cam or Phil we all communicate and Paris behind me, we all communicate so that allows us to play fast, so I’ve got to give them the credit for that.”

It’s a two way street according to Pitt sophomore defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman. He says he plays off Johnson, and that’s been a common theme for the defense this season.

“There’s a lot of things he’s done for me, just playing off of each other,” Twyman said of Johnson. “I think the biggest thing with our front seven and our back end has been doing is we’ve been doing a real good job of playing off of each other. We’re all hungry to make a play, but if I miss the next man makes it and we’re just as happy as if we made it.”

Twyman has been dominant in his own right. The Washington D.C. native leads the ACC with six sacks, and has also produced seven tackles for loss. For his early season performance, he was named the Outland Trophy’s Player of the Month for September. For his outstanding play, he said he’s seeing teams approach him differently, but that’s OK with him, since he trusts his teammates to help pick it up.

“I see a little bit of things differently, but they can’t block us all,” Twyman said. "We play off of each other and we do a real good job of that. Like I said, like Patrick Jones if they try to block me then they can’t block Pat and if they try to block Pat then they can’t block me. Like there’s too many of us so we’ve just been doing a great job of playing off of each other and I credit my teammates.”

So as two of the emerging stars of this defense, Twyman and Jones are friends off the field, but like to have some fun with each other on the field. Both players currently have seven tackles for loss, and Twyman has a two-sack lead on Johnson with six, and Johnson is well aware of it.

“He’s so competitive,” Twyman said of Johnson. “We always are talking smack to each other like yesterday at practice I’m in practice and he walks up to me I’m on a knee and he’s like, ‘How many TFL’s you got?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t even know’ he’s like 'we’re tied, so you better pick it up.’

Johnson laughed it off somewhat when he was asked about that exchange. “So when I first got here JT is one of the guys I hung around a lot, it’s just trash talk,” he explained. “We got a bet going on right now that I’m going to have more sacks than him at the end of the season, so we’ll see how that’s going. I don’t know if we are tied for tackles for loss or not, I’m not sure I haven’t checked, but we were basically talking about sacks though so we’re still in a race for that one.”

So anything on the line? Just bragging right says Johnson, but he wasn’t shy about pointing out the edge Twyman has.

“He plays D-Line, I play linebacker so he rushes the quarterback more than I do.”

Whether it’s a sophomore defensive tackle from Washington, or a senior linebacker from Dallas. This group is close, and they credit that for their strong play in the first half of the season.

“I feel like this is one of the closest I’ve ever been as far as a group, like we are really close,” Johnson said of his Pitt teammates. “Like we hang out a lot outside of football and when we’re on the field we’re serious but a lot of times we like to joke and stuff on the field. It just makes us comfortable and when you’re more comfortable you’re not afraid of making mistakes because the guys got your back.”

Twyman likes Johnson, because the two are alike according to him.

“He’s a big key,” Twyman said. “Kylan is like one of our hardest hitters on the team, like he brings the energy everyday. He’s more a silent dude like myself, like he don’t talk too much, he’s just about that action.”

Pitt’s hoping both players are 'about that action' when the season resumes next Friday night against Syracuse.