The 3-2-1 Column: Pitt gets much needed win, Bub Carrington talk, and more

Hey, Pitt won a football game, so that will be at the focus of this week’s 3-2-1 column. The Panthers claimed a hard-earned 24-16 win over Boston College last night to improve their record to 3-8 on the season. Despite the 2023 campaign falling off the rails much earlier this season, there are still plenty of positive developments to digest from this win over Boston College and we can into all of those topics.

Speaking of positive developments, I think Pitt basketball is in the midst of one right now. The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start and may have one of the bright young stars in college basketball. We get you all set for the Panthers game with Jacksonville tonight and also some bigger showdowns next week.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

Pitt gets a much needed win

The Pitt football team did not salvage its season on Thursday night with a win over Boston College. There is no denying that the 2023 season will always looked back with great failure, but for this particular weekend we can look at this singular performance and discuss all the success that came with it.

Pitt accomplished some important things on Thursday. For starters, this football team played with some pride and directly got the taste of the last game out of their mouths. Syracuse simply challenged Pitt physically in The Bronx last week and the Panthers were not capable of doing anything about it. The Orange lined up and played straight ahead football and simply took it to the Panthers with a smash mouth running game. Pitt prides itself on stopping the run as a program, yet yielded 380 yards on the ground last weekend in a 28-13 loss to the Orange.

You can say what you will about how this season played out and how this is not a good team, but being tested they were they were and getting beat down like that by Syracuse could not have felt good, but rather than pack it in, Pitt got it fixed, on a short week no less, and it was a commendable effort within the confines of where the season is right now.

Boston College entered this game as the top rushing offense in the ACC. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos was third in the conference in rushing yards and Pitt held him and the Eagles in check. He finished with 33 yards on 17 carries. Pitt sacked him six times, which hurt his yardage total, but it hardly ever felt like he was gaining much traction anyway. Boston College finished with 166 yards, but needed 44 carries to get there. The Eagles even tried the Syracuse approach at times, with extra linemen and no disguising what they were doing, and could not replicate the success Orange had.

Pitt buckled their chinstraps and made plays.

Pitt’s defense finished with six sacks, eight tackles for loss, only allowed one touchdown, held Boston College to 3-of-12 on third downs, and played one of its cleanest games of the year. Penalties have long plagued Pitt this season, but Pitt finished with four as team for only 22 yards, a stark improvement from earlier in the year.

In a season like this, everyone wants to point to ‘the team quit’ or the coaches ‘lost the locker room’ when things go wrong or a loss occurs. Maybe there were instances of that at times, but that overall thought process there is moot because Pitt still showed up in its 11th game, against a bowl eligible team, following four straight defeats including a humiliating one, less than a week ago and still got a win.

For all the negatives we have written about this team this season, you have to give credit where it is due here. Pitt won the game, corrected some glaring holes, and for at least one weekend can feel good about this particular performance.

Yarnell shines in his second career start

Pitt had very little to lose in trying a new option at quarterback entering the Boston College game last evening. The Panthers opened the season with Phil Jurkovec as the starter and we know how that turned out for the team. Jurkovec snuggled mightily and netted a 1-4 record in the five games he started.

Throughout Jurkovec’s struggles, the cries for the Pitt coaches to try Christian Veilleux got very loud around the program. Eventually those pleas were heard and Veilleux got his chance to run the team. The young sophomore looked sharp and sprung an upset over Louisville in his first career start. But over the course of the next four games, his numbers dipped, the turnovers increased, and all told Pitt posted a 1-4 record with Veilleux under center.

I do not think there was a sense that Veilleux absolutely needed to be benched, but there was always the prevailing thought of why not give Nate Yarnell a shot? Yarnell was the forgotten man in this quarterback room all along. Pitt brought in the two other quarterbacks via the transfer portal and both immediately passed him on the depth chart upon arrival. Yarnell was not a big-time recruit or anything. The one thing to his name was one start which was a win over Western Michigan last season. Yarnell was solid, yet unspectacular in that starting assignment last year. After ten games of poor quarterback play 'solid and unspectacular' sounded pretty good for this Pitt team.

Yarnell just needed another chance and finally got one. The lanky 6’6” sophomore was not perfect, but was a little more than that game manager he was in the 2022 Western Michigan game. Yarnell finished 11-of-19 for 207 yards and a touchdown. He did not turn the ball over and also showed some mobility with 24 yards on five carries and a score. It was a big-time performance and was crucial in helping Pitt get a win against Boston College.

I had always believed there was value in giving Yarnell some opportunities. It was not meant as a white flag on Veilleux, but rather exploring all options on the table. Pitt needed to look at him for the sole reason of because they had the ability to do so. When you are a two-win team, there are times to tinker with the lineup with an eye on next year. It was already happening with other position groups on the roster, so why not quarterback?

Well, Pitt got its first look at Yarnell in a real live game in the 2023 season and it turned out pretty good. Nobody is mistaking Boston College’s defense for Florida State or Notre Dame, but in a real game with stuff being thrown at him against a conference opponent, Yarnell looked more than competent.

Pitt asked him to make some big throws and he did. He did more than just hit simple, one-read throws as well. There were times he was scanning the field and going through progressions, heck his touchdown to Bub Means featured a pump fake. When have we seen that from a Pitt quarterback this season?

Pitt asked him to go to try to win the game and he did. Pitt had touchdown marches of 75, 85, and 90 yards against the Eagles. The 90-yard drive, which only spanned four plays, was the longest of the season for Pitt.

For ten weeks, Pitt has had trouble staying on the field, sustaining long drives, and simply finding the end zone. On Thursday Pitt moved the ball, showed the ability to go the length of the field, and matched the team's previous three-game touchdown total in four quarter on Thursday.

I doubt Yarnell was the simple answer to this team’s problems all along, but he also probably should not have been the distant third option from the start. The Pitt coaches should have taken him a little more seriously dating back to when they constructed this roster up through the last couple of games where they weren’t scoring at all.

Yarnell’s start and win are intriguing for sure. He is going to get a follow up audition next week against Duke and it will be interesting to see him with another full week of getting the starter reps at practice.

In the end, I still think Veilleux is still a candidate to start in 2024 for Pitt. There is also the possibility that next year’s starting quarterback is not on the roster yet either and the team has to go find one in the transfer portal. The other option, and maybe it is the one that has been in front of us all along, is that Yarnell can be a serious option to start in 2024, too. I’m not ready to proclaim him Pitt’s next starting quarterback, but another good showing in the season finale will make the offseason a lot more interesting.

The Bub Carrington hype train is boarding

It did not take very long, but I think something is brewing in Oakland. Bub Carrington is three games into his career and he has already made a name for himself on the national scene and announced himself to college basketball in a big way not often seen out of the Pitt program.

Recording a triple-double in your first career game is something that is going to draw attention, and it certainly has done that for Carrington. National college basketball reporters are taking notice and have been tweeting about his performances each game. There is some NBA buzz starting to develop, and that could really take off if he keeps performing.

Carrington already recorded ACC Rookie of the Week after his first two games and the 94th ranked player in the class of 2023 already seems to be playing ahead of his high school rating. In a league filled with five-star freshmen, Carrington does not seem outmatched just yet.

(Again, it’s early. I do have to keep reminding myself of that.)

Pitt has had some good freshmen through the years. Guys like Chris Taft and DeJuan Blair instantly became stars on tournament teams. Even more recently, Xavier Johnson had a breakout campaign in Jeff Capel’s first season and Justin Champagnie followed that up with a stellar freshman yea himself.

Something just feels different here.

Carrington not only has the chance to play great this season, stuff the stat sheet, and help Pitt win a lot of games. I have a lot of faith he will definitely do all of that. But, he has a legitimate NBA future and not only that, it could really accelerate quickly for him.

As a four-star recruit, Carrington was billed maybe more as a shooting guard or a combo-guard. He was not really spoken of as being a true point guard, but Carrington has changed that narrative quickly. He has 21 assists to just four turnovers in three games. The Baltimore native is also shooting 47% from three-point range right now as well.

So you have a 6’5” athletic point guard who can shoot and distribute? This won’t be take long for NBA attention to start to develop if it hasn’t already. It’s easy to see his game translating and he’s also one of the youngest players in college basketball to boot. The potential here is simply off the charts.

Pitt has a game with Jacksonville tonight, which should be an easy win, but it will start to get real next week. Carrington is going to get some big showcase next week with games against Florida, potentially Baylor, and a showdown with Missouri at the end of the month.

Those games won’t be on ACC Network Extra Plus like these first couple were, but rather they will be on one of the ESPN networks. Do you know who will be the featured player on those broadcasts? It won’t be Blake Hinson, who is probably Pitt’s best player. It will be Carrington.

When ESPN shows Pitt warming up leading up to tip-off on national TV, the broadcasters are going to be talking about Pitt's star freshman. Bub Carrington is the main topic around Pitt basketball right now and it is has a chance to be a fun story to follow for the next five months.

Hop on board, because the hype train may have already started.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

Who is Pitt’s sixth man?

Perhaps the most unique thing around this current Pitt basketball team is the amount of mixing and matching they can do in a given game with the lineup. Pitt can go small or they can go tall, or they can emphasize defense or offense. There are a lot of different ways Pitt can play this season and what allows Jeff Capel to have versatility is the unique skillsets of the players on his bench.

Pitt can go nine deep right now and all four of those players who are coming off the bench can bring something a little different to the court. Each game may present a different challenge or spot for one of these players to shine and have an equal impact.

The Panthers boasted the ACC Sixth Man of the Year last season in Nike Sibande, who was treated as an extra starter by the team. Sibande was consistent and you know he could come in and add quick offense and increase Pitt’s athleticism on the court instantly. He was a consistent part of what Pitt did last season and his role was as important as most of the starters.

Does Pitt have that this year? I’m not sure the Panthers do, but they might have something a little better. A true sixth man may emerge over time on this roster, but for now they have four players who know their roles and are all capable of exploding for a big performance.

Jorge Diaz Graham scored 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in Pitt’s opening game. His brother, Guillermo, went for 12 points, four boards, and two steals in the next game. On Monday night it was Jaland Lowe’s turn, as the freshmen guard scored 12 points against Florida Gulf Coast.

William Jeffress might not get that same recognition as the first three, but his role is important just the same for this team. Jeffress played solid defense and scored two points, had five rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist in 21 minutes on Monday, which is what pretty much all Pitt is asking of him this season.

Lowe seemed sped up in the first two games, but settled in more on Monday and played and shot the ball with confidence. Pitt does not have a lot of guard depth this season, so the minutes will almost always be there for Lowe.

The Diaz Graham twins are both very skilled and consistency is the next step for each of them, but I think either one is capable of exploding for a big game on any given night. We saw how much growth they showed in March last year, and it’s going to continue to shine through this season. Guillermo can really be Pitt’s best post player if he puts it together for a full year.

Who is Pitt’s sixth man right now? I don’t know, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing either because of the candidates the team possesses.

Who just played their last game at Acrisure Stadium?

It is still the calm before the storm, but we all know it’s coming. College football off-seasons have changed in the current environment of the sport and there are three major factors at play that will shape how Pitt’s offseason will look when it gets under way following the Duke game.

The first thing is something that should be dissolving here pretty soon. During the pandemic-stricken 2020 season, the NCAA gave every player an extra season, so this current senior class is not necessarily out of eligibility just yet. We saw guys like Jake Kradel and Blake Zubovic come back for this past year, while others like Brandon Hill and Jared Wayne leave it on the table. Pitt does have 24 scholarship seniors on its roster, but as of right now, we know 11 of seniors are completely out of eligibility and that list includes:

Phil Jurkovec

C’Bo Flemister

Malcolm Epps

Jake Kradel

Blake Zubovic

Tyler Bentley

Devin Danielson

David Green

Shayne Simon

AJ Woods

Marquis Williams

There are 13 additional seniors who could choose to return if they wish and there are obviously some big names and a number of them who would be big boosts to the team next season. Given that it was senior night on Thursday, some of those guys walked on the field with their families and were honored, and some chose not to do so, which suggests they are potentially returning. Those names include:

Daniel Carter

Karter Johnson

Jason Collier

Ryan Jacoby

Dayon Hayes

Bam Brima

Nate Temple

Deandre Jules

Bangally Kamara

Participating in senior day actives is not necessarily indicative of a final decision, either. Some of those 11 guys may leave after the season ends and conversely, the four who did walk with a year on the table like MJ Devonshire, Brandon George, Matt Goncalves, and Bub Means, could end up returning for the 2024 season. The extra year has been something that has shaken up roster management in recent years for college football coaches, but it is not quite as crazy as what can happen with the other two major elements that have changed the sport.

The transfer portal is just a living breathing beast at this point. It’s part of the fabric of the sport now and it obviously has its pros and cons. Players are no longer required to sit out a season after a transfer, so if a player was unhappy with his role this season, he can jump in the portal on December 4th and have a new home in no time. It’s hard to speculate there, but I think it’s safe to assume Pitt will lose some guys who are unhappy with their current situation. Guys get buried on the depth chart and move on, it happens, but the last and maybe most notable aspect of the new-age college football offseason, is Name, Imagine, and Likeness or simply NIL. It is the elephant in the room and there is still a cloak of darkness around it even as we approach the third season of its existence.

College football coaches have to fight a two-front war with NIL and it is something Pat Narduzzi will be up against in the next couple of months. The first part is obvious, can you acquire talent to help your own team? The portal/NIL combination is a great way to bring in instant help to bolster your roster and Pitt could use some impact players next season.

The other aspect is a little more messy and Pitt has been on the wrong end of it in the past. While Pitt may be trying to improve its roster once the season, every other team is doing the same and will be exploring all avenues to make it happen.

Yes, Pitt is a 3-8 football team, but no, it is not a team devoid of individual talent. There are plenty of good players on the roster that other schools would like to have on their team as well, and since the NCAA had no real plans to implement guidelines with the NIL, things can get murky rather quickly.

We are all aware some programs have larger NIL budgets than others. I think we all know some of those schools can do some back channeling when they search for new talent. In other words, it would be naive to think some of Pitt’s really good players haven’t already been floated some tempting offers to go play elsewhere.

I think some of the names on Pitt’s roster that other programs might be interested in are pretty obvious. Pitt has a few offensive weapons that did not see as many touches as you would expect and there are obviously some talented young players on defense who could attract some attention as well.

The offseason is about to start and it has a chance to be a lively one for the Pitt program.

ONE PREDICTION

Pitt gets ranked by December

If you have made it this far into the column, then you know my thoughts on this particular Pitt basketball team. I am very high on them and I think this is a better roster than the 24-win team had last season.

Pitt has some legitimate future NBA candidates, which speaks to the overall talent level, but I also think this group should just be a really effective college basketball team overall. Pitt has some star power, the ability to shoot, and a roster with some size, experience, and upside. There is a lot to like here and I think they are pretty underrated for the time being.

This team has not had a signature win yet and they have barely been pushed in the first three games either. You hate to harp on the past, but some of these early non-conference games have been adventures in recent years. Pitt’s losses to St. Francis, Nicholls, and The Citadel aren't that far in the rearview mirror, so when you see the Panthers just crushing teams like they should and dropping 80 points like it is nothing, it is hard not to take notice, but it also adds to the intrigue. I think this team might be pretty good, like definitely making the tournament again good.

Pitt was picked to finish ninth in the ACC in the preseason, which may have been fair at the time considering what the team lost, but I also think the Panthers have more talent than people may have initially realized, myself included

I think the talent of this team will become more and more evident over time and they will start to stack some wins because of it. Plus if you have a freshmen sensation, it may be easier to catch the attention of voters as well.

I’m predicting Pitt finds itself in the AP or Coaches poll sometime next month. Pitt is taking care of business against the teams it should, but the pair of games in Brooklyn against Florida and potentially Baylor next week and then the ACC/SEC Challenge game with Missouri will tell a lot about this team.

Last season Pitt was chasing an ACC title for much of January and February, but the Panthers could not do enough to merit a spot in the national polls. Pitt appeared in one poll last season, checking in at No. 25 in the February 27th set of rankings. It felt like Pitt was always chasing recognition last year and were simply sneaking up on people even after it was apparent they were a good team. It should not be that way this year. Pitt is a good team and a lot more people will find out about it sooner rather than later.