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Brian Batko's Pitt football chat: 9.13.17
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Brian Batko
2:00
Hi all, thanks for stopping by. Big one for Pitt at home this week vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State. I'll answer any and all queries for the next half hour or so. Let's roll.
OHIO412FAN
2:00
Brian, with Pitt coming off a tough loss vs Penn State, what things do you think Pitt can do to maximize their teams potential. I honestly think they showed up and gave Penn State a fight until they came away with it in the very end. Pitt hung with them, which should give us reasons for optimism.
Brian Batko
2:01
Agreed, Saturday was about as encouraging a 19-point loss to a hated rival could be. I think they need to figure out more ways to get the ball to Quadree Henderson in space - it worked wonders last year, but he's been on the back of a milk carton so far through two weeks. Have to imagine both he and the coaching staff are frustrated.
JoeScaz
2:01
Not happy we lost to Penn state 33-14, but easy to see why their recruiting is light years ahead of Pitt.  I tip my hat to Penn State with that game day atmosphere with the stadium, the view, the tailgating and the crowd.  What can Pitt do to get this?  I want a stadium back on campus more than ever now.
Brian Batko
2:02
Well Joe, I came away from PSU with the same sort of feeling I left Clemson with last year: Tough not to be enamored with this if you're an 18-year-old high school kid. Or anyone, for that matter. Pitt's never gonna have that feel as long as it's playing at Heinz. It just wont; it's a fact of life. What Pitt needs to do, and what I think Heather Lyke realizes and is efforting, is be itself and embrace the perks it does have and let the chips fall where they may.
Sean Miller
2:03
Narduzzi and his staff need to up their game in recruiting!!!  It was clear in that 33-14 loss to Penn State that Pitt is lacking playmakers.  If things don't turn around soon with recruiting, could we see some staff changes?
Brian Batko
2:04
Hi Sean, thanks for joining the chat while you're in town. I feel your frustration; this 2018 class doesn't look like much to write home about yet either. We already saw one staff change this year with Charlie Partridge replacing Tom Sims as DL coach, so I'd say it's something that has some precedent with Narduzzi always striving to get better in whatever facet he can.
Rob Wilky
2:04
Brian:  what is Narduzzi thinking by not playing DiNucci at QB?!?!  He provides a spark and we might as well get him game experience for next year.  Max Browne is very unimpressive.
Brian Batko
2:06
Good afternoon, Rob. I'm sure there are a few things Narduzzi is thinking: 1) We brought in this guy as a grad transfer for a reason, so let's not pull the plug on him this quickly 2) His stat line looks a heckuva lot better if he gets some better play from his pass-catchers Saturday at PSU and 3) The O-line hasn't exactly done the best job keeping Browne upright, so if we improve there, maybe he improves in kind.

That said, Shawn Watson mentioned today that it's a constant conversation between he and Narduzzi of when, how and where to potentially use DiNucci. That's not something Watson HAD to say. He could've given the standard: "Well this is Max's team, we're thinking about how to make him as effective as he can be, and that's about it."
Gary77
2:06
Pitt is just a 7-8 win football program no matter who the coach and AD are.  Sure they will get an occasional upset here and there, but they are what they are.  Realistically, do you honestly see Pitt hauling in Top 20 ranked recruiting classes; winning the ACC; and winning the National Championship in football?
Brian Batko
2:07
Realistically, no. But what other outlook/approach can you have if you're an ACC football program, or an ACC fan base, for that matter? A little optimism in life won't kill ya, Gary.
Blawnox Panther
2:07
Do you think the 30 plus year drought of Pitt Football being relevant is the Pitt Administration's fault?  It seems like they haven't supported Pitt football.  It's tough to be a fan with the Same Old Pitt (SOP) year in year out.
Brian Batko
2:08
Geez, this is a depressing path for this chat to go down. Maybe the next question will be happi-
Pope
2:08
The uniforms last Saturday against Penn State looked great!  When can we expect Pitt to return the uniform colors for home and away from the golden age of 1976-1982?
Brian Batko
2:09
Hey, the uniforms! Yes, the uniforms were good. My best guess, Pope, is next year or the year following. There just seems to be so much mounting evidence that this is the road Pitt will go down, because it's a distinct look, it's attracting national acclaim, and your constituents right in your backyard mostly love it, too. Don't overthink it, right?
Shoemaker
2:09
It doesn't look good for Pitt against OK state after having trouble playing D and scoring against Penn State.  What do you think?
Brian Batko
2:10
I think you're right, Shoe. And I actually might say I believe Oklahoma State is better than Penn State - at least offensively. Mason Rudolph and James Washington are just such an imposing pass-catch duo, and that's not to mention the other receivers on the outside with speed to burn. Then there's tailback Justice Hill, who's probably licking his chops after seeing Saquon Barkley put a clown suit on Pitt's defense for that 46-yard tuddy. Maybe LBs coach Rob Harley said it best today with a simple "We've got our work cut out for us"
Pittguy
2:10
Did Pitt ever release the reasons for the Whitehead suspension?
Brian Batko
2:12
No, Pittguy, and I don't think they will. Although lineman Alex Bookser - we know why he was suspended - seemed genuinely contrite in his message to reporters yesterday. That was unprompted, and one of us probably would have asked him about it anyway, but it was still somewhat refreshing to see him coming off the top of his head with his remarks rather than reading a piece of paper. Perhaps Whitehead will make a similar show of remorse if/when he talks publicly, but I wouldn't count on it.
Pittguy
2:12
Any more updates on Paris Ford? We are not even close to the dream secondary of Hamlin, Whitehead, and Ford are we?
Brian Batko
2:14
Not too much, though I bet he's itching to get out there. I think there's a fine line between respecting your coach's assessment of where you stand, but also having the swagger and confidence to believe you can contribute. To borrow a Tomlinism, the arrow might be pointing up for the Whitehead-Hamlin-Ford trio.
H2P333
2:14
Am I delusional in thinking that even though Pitt lost 33-14 to Penn State last week that Pitt is the better football team?  Yeah it's a big loss, but Pitt is the better team.
Brian Batko
2:15
You're kind of delusional, yeah. But the gap was almost certainly closer than what many figured going in, in my opinion. I was the only writer giving Pitt much of a chance, and my final score prediction was still almost two touchdowns off, but it wasn't a total massacre. Must've been because the players got to avoid us big, bad, distracting media all week.
Chris
2:15
Damar Hamlin on the two-deep this week. Maybe we see him on the field this year after all?
Brian Batko
2:16
Like I said, I think the arrow is pointing up for all three hot-button WPIAL defensive backs. Whitehead's in a literal sense, as his suspension is nearly over. Hamlin's in a public comments sense, given what Narduzzi is saying and doing. And Ford in a just-a-hunch sense. So we'll see.
H2P
2:16
In your opinion do you think Max Browne or Ben Dinucci gives pitt the best chance to win this year
Brian Batko
2:16
Max Browne, simply because I haven't seen enough of DiNucci yet to make that call. The coaches should know more than me, though, being that they watch practice and I do not.
SOMDPanther
2:17
I think we can all agree that Max Browne looked like a statue in the pocket again last Saturday. If you had to replace Max with one of the many historically and culturally significant Pittsburgh area statues, which would you choose?
Brian Batko
2:18
Wow, what a question. I'll go with the Franco Harris Immaculate Reception statue at the airport that was once a farm but is now the airport of the past in the future, or whatever they say. That statue at least has a football in it, and you need a football to play this game, son!!!
BigPitt
2:18
The suspensions and time given injured players to come back matches closely with start of ACC play.  Do you feel that Narduzzi is really setting his program on emphasizing ACC play versus OOC play.
Brian Batko
2:20
Not sure if the suspensions were purposely done that way, but I do think Narduzzi cares more about ACC games than the others. And why wouldn't he? The Penn State and Oklahoma State games are great for morale and whatnot, but they have no bearing on whether Pitt wins the Coastal and if it can make that next step to TAKE IT
PittFan '86
2:20
What's up with play calling - I specifically have an issue with pass plays that have zero or limited upside? When the receiver runs an 8 yard out and his route takes him immediately out of bounds and/or he dives to catch the pass there is no chance for more than a small gain.  Same for shovel passes to tight end who will certainly cannot outrun everyone for a large gain.   Where are plays that give us a chance for a big gain?
Brian Batko
2:21
I get that. On any team, the offensive coordinator is always easy to criticize. I actually thought the shovel passes were working pretty well, and this offense might be one to move little by little rather than in big chunks. Then again, they obviously want to rack up some more explosive plays, and if they get the deep passing game on track - IF - that should loosen up things elsewhere.
Matt C.
2:21
Do you think we will see some extra Blitz pressure this week or are they going to try sitting back and roll coverage towards James Washington?
Brian Batko
2:22
Narduzzi would never say, and neither would his assistants, but there might be hell to pay if you blitz Mason Rudolph. It's certainly a catch-22, but I think their approach will be to hope their corners keep making plays against wideouts like they've done through two games.
Bean
2:23
Do you think the offense will stick to same, methodical approach it took last week, or try to utilize a faster tempo to get spark the O?
Brian Batko
2:23
It sure seems like what we saw in the PSU game is this offense's "identity" so to speak. Why try to match OK State in a shootout? This isn't last year's team. The run game has really looked good at times, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Ryan
2:24
Brian, it was said during the game last week that the new OC is running Canada's offense, yet Quadree Henderson haven't been much of a factor yet this year, is it the play calling/teams spying him/Quadree not performing or all of the above?
Brian Batko
2:25
Probably some combination of all of that. Shawn Watson called some plays Saturday to try to get Henderson the ball, but he got stood up. Penn State's defense is pretty good, so that obviously has something to do with it. But he's also having a positive impact on the run game, to an extent, because teams go with him in motion and leave some holes open inside.
Mike Warren
2:25
I have a way for Pitt to beat what they have at PSU and Clemsons etc. It seems like they are doing it somewhat but the fact that they practice each and everyday at the same faculty as a great NFL team has to be played up. And  win, crank a bunch of great seasons and Heinz will fill . Personally it's Great going there and the cost is awesome. People not going are missing out. Thoughts?
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