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Brian Batko's Pitt football chat: 9.6.17
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Brian Batko
2:00
Hello, everyone. Pitt takes on Penn State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Let's begin.
DoubleM
2:01
How do you feel about the media blackout by Narduzzi w his players this week?  I think it's a mistake.  Pitt football needs all the hype it can get in this pro sports town, right?
Brian Batko
2:02
Good afternoon, DoubleM. Truth be told, I'm a bit surprised this is the first question for me, given that I've been told all week that "no one cares" about this story. Well let me say this: It's an inherently self-serving discussion for media members to have, so it's something of a lose-lose for me to comment. I don't think it's a mistake. I just think it's silly, because I don't think it will have any outcome on the game. The angle of Pitt needing more publicity doesn't do much for me, either.
Moving on...
RaleighPittFan
2:03
What are your thoughts on Max Browne?  I thought he played horrible against a FCS opponent and explains why he transferred from USC.
Brian Batko
2:04
I'd say he didn't play great, but he wasn't terrible, either. And it's fair to wonder: How much of his issues were due to a vanilla game-plan? How much of his issues were due to an offensive line that struggled - more on that in a minute - to keep him clean in the second half? I'm not out on Max Browne yet, but we'll know a lot more after Saturday.
RatKing17
2:04
The O-line was horrible against Youngstown!  I was shocked at how they physically outplayed by a lesser FCS opponent.  Will there be any changes to the starting 5?
Brian Batko
2:06
Astute observation, my dear RatKing. The line struggled much more than I thought it would, especially in pass protection in the second half. Upon rewatching, undersized but athletic YSU defensive ends were just blowing past the tackles to get to Max Browne. I think the one change you could see is Alex Bookser moving into the lineup somewhere, possibly at center to replace Jimmy Morrissey. Or maybe Alex Officer moves over from left guard to center. If I had to guess the first 5 out there Saturday, I'd say (left to right): O'Neill-Bookser-Officer-Hodges-JonesSmith.
H2P333
2:07
The LBs were NOT good against YSU in my opinion.  They didn't fill the gaps and couldn't cover anyone!  Do you think there will be any changes with players or schemes against Penn State?  If not, then it could be a long season.
Brian Batko
2:09
I don't think they were all bad, my friend. Sean Idowu seemed to be around the ball a lot. Saleem Brightwell at middle, you'd probably like to see more production out of him than 5 tackles. Elijah Zeise was picked on a few times with that wheel route, but even he had a play that probably should've been ruled a fumble where he stripped a YSU ball-carrier. They need to be better, obviously, but I'm not sure there are other options. Backups Jalen Williams and Anthony McKee on the outside have never done anything to write home about, while Chase Pine is only a redshirt freshman behind Brightwell. And now, Quintin Wirginis is out for the year, not just the first three games. These are the guys at LB.
M96
2:10
I thought Brian O'Neill played a subpar game against Youngstown State. Is he completely healthy or just struggling with the move to left tackle?
Brian Batko
2:12
Agreed, he was "below the line," as Mike Tomlin would say. Not quite "varsity," perhaps. But anyway, with as cautious as Pat Narduzzi is, I don't think O'Neill's out there at all if he isn't 100 percent. The flip from right tackle to the blindside was maybe more difficult than expected, but he should be better as the season goes along. He didn't allow a single sack last year on 366 pass-blocking attempts, according to Pro Football Focus.
H2P333
2:12
Don't you think that recruiting matters?!?!  Pitt struggled against a FCS opponent!  It comes down to the material and/or coaching.  I expected better from both fronts in Year 3 of Narduzzi.  Neither appears to be getting better and that is concerning.
Brian Batko
2:14
Recruiting very much matters, but I suspect that was a rhetorical question. YSU recruits much better than the average FCS school; if I had a dollar for every time Pat Narduzzi mentioned the amount of FBS transfers on Bo Pelini's roster last week, I might've quit this damn job (kidding).

But yes, things are still a work in progress at Pitt. It's easy to be discouraged after an overtime win vs. Youngstown State, but how soon people forget a victory last year at Clemson...
Mike Bierce
2:14
What's your prediction for the Pitt vs. Penn State game?
Brian Batko
2:14
Thanks for the question, sir. But maybe I should leave that for the end...
PittGuy81
2:15
How is our defense still SO bad in year 3 of Coach Duzz?  I get that our recruits have not been highly rated, but Narduzzi was labeled a defensive genius at Michigan St.  When will we see this at Pitt?
Brian Batko
2:17
Actually, PittGuy, some highly rated defensive recruits HAVE chosen Pitt since Narduzzi arrived. This time a year ago, a secondary featuring Jordan Whitehead, Damar Hamlin and Paris Ford looked dang good on paper. But guess what, all three of those guys haven't quite panned out as expected yet for various reasons. It's almost like the year-long debate about the Pirates this season - do you blame the players who are out there for not getting the job done, or do you blame the coaches for not doing more with what they've got/not planning for unexpected setbacks? Beats me.
Scaztastic
2:17
Could Pitt start the season 1-3?  Penn State and OK St look grim after last week's debacle against Youngstown.  How do you like Pitts chances against Ga Tech in week 4?
Brian Batko
2:19
Pitt could absolutely start 1-3, Scaz. A few chats ago, someone asked me the percentage of Pitt starting 0-3. I think I said 22 percent. Ask me now the odds of them losing the next three, I might say it's higher than that. Georgia Tech impressed me even in a loss the other night to Tennessee. TaQuon Marshall looks like a real problem at QB. We know Penn State beak Akron a billion to zero. And in case you missed it, Mason Rudolph threw for 303 yards, with James Washington getting 145 of those, in OK State's 59-24 rout of Tulsa. Pitt fans know what that looks like...
KingNattyDaddy
2:20
Do you think the plays Narduzzi held back against YSU will really make a difference to upset Penn State this week and make Max Browne look like a good QB?
Brian Batko
2:21
KingNattyDaddy, my man, don't drink too many Nattys on Saturday. I don't think Pitt has enough tricks up its sleeve to BEAT Penn State, but I do think Max Browne will look better with more of the playbook available to him. And not only that, but I think there will be more of a nothing-to-lose mindset this week. Ergo, more deep balls for Jester Weah to go up and get it, more touches for Quadree Henderson, etc.
Moto
2:21
Pitt's D line didn't seem to do much at all especially the DE. Hendrix? Edwards? Is that how you saw it?
Brian Batko
2:23
That's pretty much how I saw it, Moto. And that's pretty much how Pat Narduzzi saw it, too. He said flat-out after the game Saturday that he wasn't happy with the pressure, four or five-man pressure. Hendrix certainly needs to be more of a factor to live up to the hype that's preceded him for two seasons now. Edwards, I barely noticed. Will Pitt rotate on the D-line less this week than last? I think that's a possibility. I counted 10 D-linemen in the mix against YSU. That's a lot.
Cleveburgh
2:23
Pitt was a heavy favorite heading into the opener. YSU out-gained Pitt 418-348 in total yards, had 3 sacks and dominated Pitt in the second half after adjustments. Narduzzi said in his post-game news conference that he expects to see YSU in the FCS national championship game again this year. Was YSU that really that good or are there serious red flags for Pitt this season? Both?
Brian Batko
2:25
Ha, you referencing that Narduzzi comment reminds me of the old go-to presser line from Jamie Dixon about some of the soup cans Pitt beat over the years. "We expect them to be at the top of their conference," or some such quote. All the things you lay out are distressing, of course. I don't proclaim to know enough about the FCS national landscape to really answer that, but I thought YSU did some pretty impressive things defensively that 2nd half. Still a red flag, though.
Matt N.
2:25
Did Browne play like a granny in the Fall camp scrimmages too or was he really being sandbagged by Narduzzi vs YSU?  If so, they did an amazing job making him look like a 1 1/2 - 2 star instead of five.
Brian Batko
2:27
Hi, Matt. "Play like a granny" - that's pretty funny. I'm not sure if he was more granny or Danny (Marino) in the scrimmages, as we don't get to see them, but Pitt's coaches always spoke highly of his performances there. Then again, what gives me a bit of pause is that they didn't often praise him for his physical traits as much as for his mental ones. I believe there was a level of sandbaggery there, but how much, I can't say for sure.
Bulk
2:27
Brian,
Brian Batko
2:27
Bulk,
Bulk
2:27
Brian - Last year we saw the jet sweep work successfully.  Do you believe this year they will use some spread option type packages for Dinucci as a change of pace this week at PSU?
Brian Batko
2:28
No, I don't think so. Yes, DiNucci is more mobile than Browne, but I'd be surprised if something like that is waiting in the wings for Penn State. Narduzzi's sneakery knows no bounds, but that seems like a stretch.
What I'd like to see is Brian O'Neill line up in the shotgun
Roman
2:28
What do you expect to see differently from the offense this game?
Brian Batko
2:30
I sorta mentioned this earlier, but I think you'll see more jump balls for Jester Weah. Or just more passes to Jester Weah, in general. I think Quadree Henderson's touch count might double from the 10 he got Saturday - whether that's short passes, jet sweeps, whatever. I mean, there's only so many things you can do on offense in football - pass or run - but I just have to assume there's more creativity to Shawn Watson's offense, which everyone has said will be similar to Matt Canada's offense, which was quite creative.
Oh, one other thing I think you might see - more Matt Flanagan doing George Aston-like things, and thus, Chris Clark doing more in the passing game at tight end. Just a thought.
Roman
2:30
Any word on Moss?
Brian Batko
2:31
Nope, just that it sounds like he was held out for some sort of non-injury reason Saturday. He was dressed and everything, just nowhere even close to offensive huddles while the game was going on. He was not gonna get in there unless, like, 17 people got hurt.
GregBrownsToupee
2:31
Will HCPN try and mess up PSU's snap count again with some hand clapping?  You think he has any other tricks up his sleeve for this game?
Brian Batko
2:32
Would've been a great question to ask Pitt's linebackers this week. Crap, I said I wasn't going to mention that again. Next question, please.
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