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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 09.11.19
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John McGonigal
2:00
Good afternoon, folks. Pitt-Penn State week is here, and I'm sure you all have plenty of questions. Drop them in the chat, and let's do this.
Da bull
2:03
Hey john how does Pitt prevent what happened last year in the second half of the psu game? Do an anti rain dance?
John McGonigal
2:04
Thanks for the question, Da Bull. I’d start with stringing together a drive or two. The rain didn’t help Pitt’s already poor passing game last year. But the Panthers punted five times, fumbled and let up a safety in the second half — after being down just 8 at the half. Pitt made it way too easy on Penn State. A rain dance might not hurt, either.
Nit
2:06
What uniforms will pitt wear this weekend?  Thats about the only interest in this game at PSU.
John McGonigal
2:09
This hasn’t been confirmed by Pitt or anything, but I’d assume the Panthers would wear their new away uniform for the first time: Yellow helmets, white jerseys, yellow pants. Between Pitt’s away unis and Penn State’s blue & whites, Saturday will be an all-time jersey game.
The Panther Pitt
2:11
In your opinion, what would be a "good" result for Pitt this weekend at PSU?  Lose by a TD, not get the doors blown off?
John McGonigal
2:14
No one at Pitt’s South Side facility would admit a loss being a “good” result on Saturday, especially considering it’s the 100th meeting and all that. But realistically, if the Panthers walk out of Beaver Stadium with a 7-point defeat as 17-point underdogs, that’d be something to build on. Because if that happens, Pitt’s defense either limited Ricky Slade, Justin Shorter, Jahan Dotson, Pat Freiermuth and all the skill guys Penn State has, or Kenny Pickett and Mark Whipple’s offense kept up with Sean Clifford and moved the ball on perhaps the Big Ten's best defense.
Guest
2:17
Halftime adjustments are non existent the last 5 games Pitt has scored 9 total points in the second half you can not win without a second half offense..what is up with this staff?
John McGonigal
2:19
You definitely can’t win without points in the second half against a ranked opponent. And against Penn State, 20 points likely won’t do the job. The Panthers can’t be settling for field goals on the road.
ARNOLD M.
2:21
How do you see the MLB position sorting out? Chase Pine looked pretty good last week.
John McGonigal
2:23
Chase Pine did look good against Ohio with five tackles in the first half alone. I actually had him slotted in as the game’s “unsung hero” in my instant reaction story … until Jaylen Twyman went off. Pine played well enough to start this Saturday. But Penn State is a different beast than Ohio. This weekend could create separation between those middle linebackers.
2:25
Sticking with the defense quickly, I’ve received a handful of questions about John Petrishen and his role. After moving on from Penn State as a graduate transfer, Petrishen is technically available to play immediately. But he isn’t expected to play Saturday. Narduzzi said on Aug. 29 that Petrishen is “probably 3 more weeks out” from hitting anyone after an offseason surgery. Petrishen said in a Twitter statement on Aug. 20 that he “recently had total reconstructive shoulder surgery.” We might not see him suit up for a while.
Chris
2:27
Do you believe the hype that the youths of today don’t care about this rivalry? Or is that just the annual twist of the knife from PSU?
John McGonigal
2:29
I wouldn’t say it’s a twist of the knife from only Penn State. Spoke to several prominent Pitt figures for a story that’ll be online tomorrow, and they all feel the same way: If the series takes another 16-year hiatus, the meaning of the rivalry will eventually fade away. And a part of that has to do with current students / younger fans not growing up with the rivalry.
409
2:32
Does Sean Clifford pass for more or less than 409 yards? And if under is it more than 298 yards?
John McGonigal
2:33
Well, those are oddly specific numbers…I think Clifford throws for less than both. 225-250 feels right.
Walt H
2:34
Any beaver stadium advice for those attending Saturday?
John McGonigal
2:35
I’ve got some pregame and postgame advice. Go to Bill Pickle’s Tap Room for fried pickles and beers before the noon kick, and hit up Happy Valley Brewing Company for a late lunch/early dinner. My go-to spots in State College.
Kumer
2:36
Don’t you think Narduzzi is making a mistake about the media blackout for his players?  Why restrict access and exposure to a team that is having trouble getting people to pay attention to it?  It would be different if the stadium was at least half full for games, but it’s not.
John McGonigal
2:38
Personally, I do think it’s a mistake. Veteran players like Kenny Pickett and Dane Jackson wouldn’t say anything inflammatory or give Penn State bulletin board material. Think it’s counterintuitive, too, given the attention on the game. But is what it is.
Guest
2:39
What's the realistic % Pitt wins Saturday?
John McGonigal
2:40
Well, ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Pitt a 6.8% chance to beat Penn State on Saturday. I give the Panthers better odds than that — but not much better.
Borza
2:42
Should Pitt consider playing at penn state 2 games to 1 game at Heinz field?  Pitt needs this game way more than Penn state does, right?
John McGonigal
2:43
It couldn’t hurt. I know James Franklin mentioned the idea of a neutral site at his press conference, but where could that realistically happen? Philly? It wouldn’t make any sense to play the game outside of Pennsylvania. If Pitt wants to play that badly, a 2-for-1 isn’t the worst thing in the world.
9NC
2:44
John - What do you view as the top match up to decide this game?
John McGonigal
2:47
The big one is Pitt’s offensive tackles vs. Penn State’s defensive ends. Yetur Gross-Matos is a 2020 first-rounder, and that’ll be a challenge for left tackle Carter Warren — who has played only two games at the collegiate level. On the right side, Shaka Toney has speed to burn, and Pitt RT Nolan Ulizio will need a good jump snap after snap — without being flagged. He picked up a pair of false start penalties against Ohio. That’s the matchup to watch.
Dudley
2:48
How do you see Pitt's offensive line being able to handle PSU's linemen?
John McGonigal
2:49
Addressed the battle between Pitt’s OTs and Penn State’s DEs earlier in the chat (and here: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2019/09/11/pitt-penn-state-ri...). But the battle on the interior is intriguing, too. Penn State DT Robert Windsor had 7.5 sacks last year and could cause issues. Thankfully, Pitt’s strength is Morrissey at center and Bryce Hargrove next to him. Keep an eye on Penn State’s third-and-long packages, too. Last year in obvious passing downs, they sometimes had four defensive ends on the field at once. Say Gross-Matos lines up on 3rd-and-17 on the inside on Gabe Houy… how does he cope?
Deez Knots
2:50
Does the experienced Pitt secondary keep up with the skill guys of PSU?
John McGonigal
2:51
I think they’ve got a good chance. Dane Jackson and Damar Hamlin are seniors. Paris Ford has played well in his two starts at safety. And Damarri Mathis has impressed.
H2P
2:54
I like this Pitt defense. Do you think they will confuse Sean Clifford?
John McGonigal
2:56
Pitt’s defense has done a solid job through two weeks, especially after losing Rashad Weaver and Keyshon Camp. No turnovers created yet, but I think that changes this weekend.
Rick Pastin
2:57
how bad do you think this game will be?   How many points will Pitt lose by?
John McGonigal
2:59
Think it’ll be a close, low-scoring game. I’m a fan of both defenses, and both offenses give me pause to predict a shootout. Pitt’s inability to finish drives against Ohio worried me, too. Prediction is Penn State 23, Pitt 6.
3:00
That's all the time for today, but thanks as always for the questions. Catch y'all next week.
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