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Brian Batko's Pitt football chat: 10.25.17
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Brian Batko
2:00
Happy hump day, everyone. Got about a half hour to take only your best and brightest questions before Pitt plays host to Virginia this weekend. Fire at will!
fort pitt
2:00
Shocking as it seems, Pitt will probably be favored in their next 2 games.
Brian Batko
2:02
OK, more of a comment than a question to get us started here, but I'll take it. It's not THAT shocking. At least when you consider coming into the season, Virginia would've been considered an easy victory. And UNC, well, they were always expected to be in rebuilding mode this year.
rom
2:02
You usually give your Pitt game prediction, but who do you like in the wvu/okst and psu/ohio st games?
Brian Batko
2:03
Indeed I do, rom, and not to toot my own horn, but I don't think I've missed a chat prediction yet this year. My final scores/reasoning haven't always been spot-on, but I had the GT loss, Syracuse loss, NC State loss and Duke win all correct.

As for those other games of local interest, I'm not nearly as well-versed or confident in calling the outcome. But I'll say OK State and Penn State, the two teams Pitt lost two in non-conference play.
Les from St. Pete, Fl
2:04
I was expecting a lot more form Clark this year at the TE position. He was advertised as a 5 star transfer. What has been the problem with his development?
Brian Batko
2:04
Tough to say, Les. Chris Clark has been mostly invisible, though he did catch a TD vs. Rice. Pitt's QBs also just hasn't really looked his way very much, but hey, he's only a redshirt sophomore. People might forget that. Not his fault he was a highly rated guy and thus maybe people expected too much.
M96
2:05
Who would you say is the most improved player from the start of the season until now? My vote would go to Damar Hamlin.
Brian Batko
2:07
Good question, M96. And I think Hamlin is definitely a good answer, given that we came into the year expecting very little of him, given that his injury status was so up in the air.

But I'll go with another defensive back for my choice: Dane Jackson. Entering the season opener, it was anyone's guess whether it'd be him or true freshman Damarri Mathis starting opposite Avonte Maddox. Well, Jackson took the job and ran with it, and I didn't really see that coming from the redshirt sophomore who went to Cornell High but played his football at Quaker Valley.
Blawnox Panther
2:07
Do you think Narduzzi has been too harsh with the recent dismissals and suspensions?  If we had all of those players, we might be better than 3-5 and have a chance at a bowl game.  I think Pitt shouldn't have dismissed those kids or suspended them unless forced upon on us from the outside.  We need to win!!!
Brian Batko
2:09
Thanks for stopping, Blawnox. As I wrote about last week, it's been a rough year for discipline in the Pitt football program. Certainly nothing like the craziness that was going on back when Dave Wannstedt's team got singled out by Sports Illustrated as the most criminal in the Top 25, but still, six suspensions or dismissals since the spring is not what you want.

But here's the thing: for every person who thinks it's a sign of Narduzzi losing these guys, someone else - like yourself - thinks he's being too harsh. And there are also plenty of people who think it's encouraging that he's preaching discipline and is willing to back up that talk. Without knowing for sure why players were punished - all you'll get from Pitt is violation of team rules, etc. - I guess I don't have much of an opinion on that.
Ruckno
2:09
How do you feel about those 2 questionable calls that went in Pitt's favor against Duke and handed us the win?  I am stoked because we got the win, but in my opinion we got away with both.  The Weah "catch" looked like a Duke interception and Zeise was holding on that play that led to the Whitehead interception.
Brian Batko
2:11
Hey Ruckno, I agree with you on the Weah play ruled a catch. Was actually surprised Duke coach David Cutcliffe wasn't more irate about it immediately after the game, but I guess his outrage built from Saturday to Sunday, hence his comments a couple days ago. It looked pretty obvious to me that Duke DB Mark Gilbert picked that off.

As for Elijah Zeise, I didn't think it was too bad. Think stuff like that happens on almost every play, and it's just a matter of when the officials find it to be too egregious not to call.
Tony
2:12
How much playing time do you see Kenny Pickett getting this week?
Brian Batko
2:13
At this point, I'm not sure how anyone can predict it. As Pat Narduzzi even said Monday, it's just a gut feel thing for him in the course of a game http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2017/10/24/ben-dinucci-kenny-p...

But if I have to project it, I'll be bold and say zero snaps again for the second consecutive week, mostly because I don't think Ben DiNucci can be much less effective than he was in the first half at Duke, and he stayed in.
BigPitt
2:13
With Ben DiNucci getting the starts, do you feel he will have the #1 spot heading into the off season and spring or it will it be an open competition?  I’m hoping for open competition at the QB spot.  DiNucci’s ceiling doesn’t seem high enough for him to be given the job just because of game experience.
Brian Batko
2:14
BigPitt, barring a huge four-game stretch here from DiNucci, I'd be shocked if it's not wide open. Wouldn't even be surprised to see Pat Narduzzi bring in another transfer if possible, even though he's on record plenty of times saying that's not what he wants to do there.
Andrew
2:14
Who's the impact player on UVA that we should be concerned with?
Brian Batko
2:14
It's either ILB Micah Kiser or safety Quin Blanding. I'll be writing about one of those guys tomorrow, for sure. They're two of the best in the ACC and have been around forever, it seems.
OHIO412FAN
2:14
Brian, with Pitt looking for answers on both sides of the ball, especially QB, what do they have to do moving forward in order to get themselves back in Bowl contention again this season at the least?
Brian Batko
2:15
I think they've gotta find a way to keep winning like they did at Duke, with defense and just enough firepower on offense. If Darrin Hall can firmly entrench himself as THE guy at running back, that should help. Very different formula for this team to win than last year's group.
Pitt ‘19
2:15
Why do we need to blitz to get pressure on the QB? Is our Dline really that bad? Weaver and Hendrix don’t do anything remarkable and there has been so much hype.
Brian Batko
2:16
Yeah, the young and inexperienced defensive line just isn't there yet, obviously. Think they're still searching for answers, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you see someone like Amir Watts make his way into the starting lineup at DT this weekend.

As for the ends, we've seen flashes, but it's been brief. Weaver probably more so than Hendrix. I wonder how much of Hendrix's lack of production can be attributed to his health issues. Is he totally right?
Pitt2020
2:16
What are the chances Pitt Football finishes the seasons strong and wins more conference games then Pitt basketball does (which won 4 games last season)
Brian Batko
2:18
Ohhh I like this one. It'll be tough to get to 4 ACC wins for football this year, because that means beating Virginia Tech or Miami. But while I don't think the upcoming Pitt baskeball season will be quite as morbid as some expect, the football team might already have enough victories to surpass the basketball team this year...
Hmm?
2:18
How many games do you think this team would have won if Nathan Peterman had 1 more year of eligibility and was their QB this year?
Brian Batko
2:19
Hmmm...maybe they beat Georgia Tech and Syracuse? Perhaps even N.C. State? Peterman walked out of here as a really good quarterback, but with some of the O-line and run game woes earlier this year, I'm not even sure he would've been a cure-all for the offense. Plus, any quarterback needs receivers to make plays for him.
2:20
Pope
2:20
Who does Pitt lose this year to graduation and the NFL (Whitehead)?
Brian Batko
2:22
Not too many seniors on this here squad, Pope, and even fewer who are contributing this year. Avonte Maddox will be gone; Jaryd Jones-Smith, Alex Officer and Brandon Hodges on the OL; Allen Edwards at DE; Jester Weah and grad transfer TE Matt Flanagan. I could see Jordan Whitehead going pro, no doubt, but I don't have a great feel for Brian O'Neill's leanings, other than he doesn't strike me as someone who would get NFL feedback and make a bad decision.
tutu
2:22
Would you consider Narduzzi a 'bully' as some have  suggested?
Brian Batko
2:24
Eh, not really. He belittles the media sometimes, but he's also very appreciative and playful at other times. I think he's generally a good guy, but sure, he might have some "bully" qualities as a college football head coach.
TRUMPHATER
2:25
when are we going to realize that Dinucci belongs at Penn or IUP and stop this charade
Brian Batko
2:25
Maybe you should change your chat name to DINUCCIHATER
John
2:26
What player/person has Pitt struggled most to replace this year: Peterman, E. Price, or Matt Canada?
Brian Batko
2:27
That's tough. Let's rule out Matt Canada right away, because I've come to think his success was more personnel-driven than playcalling, schemes, etc. Peterman is right up there, but as I said above, he'd have been running for his life at times too behind the O-line. So I'll actually say Ejuan Price. He didn't need much help from anyone else to be productive. Just pinned his ears back and got to the quarterback, which no one on this team has done consistently in 2017.
Jimbo
2:27
Do you think Brown will replace Finisky at safety after last week's game?
Brian Batko
2:27
You lost me here, Jimbo
OHIO412FAN
2:28
Will Pitt ever build its own Football Stadium again? Pitt stadium was a Burgh classic and icon, why are they playing at Heinz Field? Heinz Field is a phenomenal stadium of design. But, I would love to see Pitt have their own stadium of use to play in. That one thing will and would really make a huge difference in the recruiting and tradition of the program.
Brian Batko
2:28
Someday, it'll happen, man. I think so. There's a lot of time left on this planet, I hope.
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