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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 09.18.19
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John McGonigal
2:03
Alright folks, it's Pitt football chat time. After the Panthers' close loss to Penn State, they've got UCF on Saturday — and soon enough, a full ACC slate. Have questions? Fire away.
J.D.
2:06
John, why don't we see more of Sibley in the run game? As electric and Vincent Davis might be, he's not breaking tackles and isn't a short yardage back due to his size.
John McGonigal
2:07
Thanks for the question, J.D. While no one has done particularly well in the run game, I understand giving A.J. Davis and Vincent Davis time over Sibley. Just yesterday, Sibley dropped a couple passes in practice — not really a big deal, but something that underscores the Davis’ involvement in the offense. They’re more versatile, and when the running game isn’t clicking, they’re more reliable through the air.
kdub
2:09
Have you gotten a sense of the team's spirits this week? One of my fears is after a tough loss against a rival, a game they could have won, that they come out this week without the same energy the showed last week against a team that is the best one they'll play all year, and one that snaps the ball every 3 seconds.
John McGonigal
2:12
That Penn State loss has to hurt for the players. They were more than in it. Pitt, as a 17-point underdog, played well enough to win that game. But the Panthers have another top-15 team on the schedule, and they can’t show up with less energy or will than they did last week. I didn’t get the sense from players this week that that would be the case. We’ll see on Saturday.
Towson MD Pitt fan
2:14
What is your sense of what the season record will be at the end of September? October? November 30 as we end with BC at Heinz Field/
John McGonigal
2:16
Hoo boy, well my season prediction was 7-5, and that was with a 1-3 start in mind. At the end of October, I think a 4-4 record is reasonable. Delaware is a win, Syracuse isn’t the team anyone thought it’d be, and Miami and Duke haven’t really shown me anything. Enter November at 4-4 and a bowl should be no problem.
Towson MD Pitt fan
2:18
Also, do you in your travels around the ACC and other team stadiums you cover for Pitt, see how their attendance and gamely atmosphere is? Whom are we most like, better than expected and of course, not on a par with ( such as PSU and its size or other stadiums... Thanks and H2P!!
John McGonigal
2:19
With this being my first year covering Pitt, I’ve actually never been to any ACC campuses/stadiums for games, so I can’t compare. But look forward to checking out Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Duke this year (and UNC, UVA, Miami and Florida State next season).
Duzzy of a Coach's Decision
2:21
If I had it to do over again ... would I still try for a FG late when I needed 7 points?
John McGonigal
2:22
No.
At least, you shouldn't...
J.D.
2:22
John, do you think part of Narduzzi's decision to kick the FG was based off of last season's (failed) decision to go for it against PSU?
John McGonigal
2:23
Genuinely have no idea what went into the decision. "It was a two-possession game" doesn't make any sense.
kdub
2:26
With UCF playing at such a fast tempo, do you see even more guys playing on defense this week?  And more sub package personnel?
John McGonigal
2:29
They’re going to have to play a lot of guys on defense, and I wouldn’t be surprised if nickel is essentially Pitt’s base defense. The biggest challenge, according to DC Randy Bates yesterday, is getting lined up. UCF gets on the ball quickly, which makes for worn-out defensive players. Thankfully for Bates, he has 3 middle linebackers he feels he can count on: Reynolds, Pine and Brightwell. They’ll be key in getting the front set up in time.
Dudley
2:31
What do you see as being the keys to winning this week?
John McGonigal
2:33
On offense, it’s Taysir Mack and Maurice Ffrench making plays in man-to-man coverage. UCF trusts its corners, and we saw last week what Mack can do in those situations (more on that in a story later today). On defense, it’s keeping up with that aforementioned tempo.
Kevin
2:34
Last I saw Pitt was getting 12 pts on Sat. That seems like a tougher cover than last week. What say you?
John McGonigal
2:37
That will be a tough cover. The Knights have covered their last 5 games as favorites, and freshman QB Dillon Gabriel carved up Stanford last weekend. Pitt has to disrupt Gabriel like it did to Sean Clifford last week. But I don't know if that happens.
Doug in Erie
2:38
Almost have to think we get a turnover and a second half touchdown. Amazing streak going against us right now?
John McGonigal
2:40
It’s crazy, isn’t it? Think Pitt’s secondary comes up with a pick. But I’m not convinced the Panthers will find the end zone in the second half against UCF. Pitt might have to wait for Delaware to snap that streak…
9natchamps
2:42
The first fallout by losing to penn state again was losing that Aliquippa Lb to Penn state this week!  Do you think the lack of a big college game Experience hurts the recruiting?
John McGonigal
2:44
Wouldn’t say that losing to Penn State and Zuriah Fisher choosing the Nittany Lions are related. Penn State is in a far better position as a program than Pitt. There’s no denying that, and, generally speaking, recruits choose the big picture — not necessarily who won in a non-conference Week 3 game.
NC Guy
2:47
What in you opinion is holding back Pitt's running game?
John McGonigal
2:49
You can’t overlook who Pitt has played. UVA’s 3-4 front posed a difficult test for an offensive line starting together for the first time. And Penn State’s front-seven is nasty, probably the best Pitt will play all season — unless it makes the ACC title game again and faces Clemson. That has something to do with it. The Panthers ran for 160 yards on Ohio (4.3 ypc). Think you’ll see those numbers return when Pitt faces weaker fronts (Delaware, Syracuse, etc.).
JoeScaz
2:51
Are you concerned about Pitt holding this current recruiting class together especially if they lose to UCF and start out 1-3???
John McGonigal
2:53
Not necessarily. Prospects flip to other programs all the time, so if a recruit or two left the 2020 class, it wouldn’t be shocking. Those prospects who verbally committed did so knowing the Panthers went 5-7 two seasons ago and 7-7 last year. Early-season losses to top-25 programs shouldn’t really surprise them.
J.D.
2:56
Only 3 games in, but who has been more impressive: Twyman or Paris Ford?
John McGonigal
2:57
Gimme defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman, only because I fully expected Paris Ford to be the play-making presence he’s been. Even without Rashad Weaver and Keyshon Camp taking attention away from him, Twyman's still produced. Impressive stuff.
Darnell Dickerson
2:57
Hi John. You beat me to the punch with your article yesterday. But Pitt's second half points output over its past six games (Miami, Clemson, Stanford, UVA, Ohio, & PSU) is a grand total of nine points. At some point, the burden for ineptitude has to fall on the head coach. Clearly, Narduzzi is making no in-game adjustments.
John McGonigal
2:57
Whatever’s happening at halftime, it needs to change. If the Panthers don’t find the end zone in the second half against UCF, it could get ugly.
PittPat3
3:00
I attended the game last weekend at Penn state....what an atmosphere!  Pitt desperately needs that!!!  Do you agree that Pitt needs an on campus stadium to get something similar???
John McGonigal
3:00
I’m a proponent of on-campus stadiums. Growing up in Philly, always felt that way with Temple playing at Lincoln Financial Field. But I’m not familiar enough with the logistics of Pitt’s situation to say whether or not it’s feasible. Not a bad idea in theory, though.
3:02
That's all the time we've got for today, but I appreciate all the questions as always. Look forward to answering them again next week. Have a good week, y'all.
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