Defense was supposed to be the calling card for Pitt football when it hired Pat Narduzzi to be the head coach back in 2014. Narduzzi was a decorated coordinator during his run at Michigan State, and the plan was for him to bring that type of defense to Pittsburgh.

During the first four years of his tenure, defense has been more of a weakness than anything for this program. The 2016 Pitt football team actually had one of the more explosive offenses in college football, but in total defense that unit ranked 106th nationally and likely held them back from winning more than eight games.

The past two years have been better, but still left a lot to be desired overall and still did not resemble anything close to some of the great Spartan defenses from years past.

The 2019 season had some optimism on the defensive side of the ball. Pitt brought back experience in the secondary and up front on the defensive line. While the linebackers lacked experience, there was a belief they were the most athletic group Narduzzi has had in his tenure at Pitt.

Those expectations took a hit, however. Star defensive end Rashad Weaver went down with a preseason injury and veteran defensive tackle Keyshon Camp also sustained a season-ending injury in week one.

Despite those hits, the Pitt defense is performing at a high level early on this season. Pitt has registered nine sacks through two games, which is tied for fourth nationally. The unit is ranked 24th in total defense. It’s early, sure, but that kind of start creates a sense of optimism for the Panthers moving forward this season.

“Again, the defense has been solid. But you know, when I watch tape, it ain't good enough,” Pat Narduzzi said during Monday’s press conference. “To be honest with you, we've still got a ways to go. There's some details, details, details that aren't good enough right now.”

Part of those details could be about turnovers. The Panthers have yet to create one in two games. There were still a few blown coverages in the first two games, and of course some pass interference penalties, too. Narduzzi is hoping his group improves each and every week.

“And that's why I say the improvement from week 2 to week 3 can be better than what it is,” he described. “It really could. I'm not just giving you coach talk. It really could be.”

There have been a lot of questions about the linebackers this past offseason. Pitt lost three starters from a year ago, and right up until the final day of camp, the two-deep depth chart seemed unsettled with many guys vying for playing time.

Florida graduate transfer Kylan Johnson has seemingly settled in at the money spot and has impressed through two games. He even recorded a sack in last week’s 20-10 win over Ohio.

“Kylan Johnson, he's been probably the most consistent linebacker,” Narduzzi said. “He’s really been the most consistent linebacker. Been very impressed with him.”

Pitt has also received strong play from both Phil Campbell and Cam Bright to the field side of the defense. Both players have been active, particularly Bright, and the Panthers’ head coach has been impressed with both thus far.

“Phil Campbell and Cam Bright are the same dude,” Narduzzi said. “They're both really good. They both played very well Saturday.”

Questions remain at the middle linebacker spot, though. Pitt listed Elias Reynolds, Chase Pine, and Saleem Brightwell as co-starters and the Pitt coaches are still looking for the right fit.

“Then the Mike position has been a little bit of an up-and-down spot which hurt us a little bit versus the run last week, I think,” Narduzzi said. “Whether it's some little tiny mental things that we need to do better.”

Of course, the defensive line has been hit hard by injuries. They have been the unit with the most scrutiny given those blows, and they have responded to date. Deslin Alexandre has notched two sacks, while Habakkuk Boldonado registered one against Virginia, as they look to help offset the loss to Weaver.

Sophomore defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman had a big day last week with three sacks, as he really stepped up in following the news about Camp.

"It's not what it was, but it's building into something,” Narduzzi said of his new-look defensive line. “It's not where we wanted to be, but Coach Partridge has done a nice job, and we'll just continue to get better every week, I think, with those young guys playing for us.”

It’s still early for this 2019 Pitt defense. They will be tested a lot in the next two weeks with Penn State and Central Florida on the horizon. Through two games, it has looked good, but it will be revealed quickly whether or not this unit is for real beginning on Saturday.