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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 09.25.19
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John McGonigal
2:00
Sup y’all, the weekly chat is here. Pitt is 2-2 after upsetting UCF, and the full ACC slate is on the horizon. Hit me with your questions.
GhostofFitzgerald
2:02
Is the heavy passing due to Whipple’s philosophy, poor running/run blocking, taking what teams are giving, Pickett’s improvement, or a combo?
John McGonigal
2:05
Interesting question. I’d say it’s a combo of a couple things there. Pitt ranks second in the country in passing attempts and sixth in completions, and at least a part of the reason why has been Pitt’s competition. Virginia’s 3-4 front was a difficult opening challenge, and Penn State’s front-seven is stout; running against those teams wasn’t going to be a primary part of the gameplan. But the Panthers were also behind vs. the Cavaliers and Nittany Lions and found themselves trying to keep up with UCF last weekend. Pickett has improved, and Whipple has put him in opportune situations. I doubt you see 50 passing attempts against Delaware. But 35-40 may be the norm as Pitt enters its entire ACC slate.
Barry J.
2:07
Does Craig Meyer have an eligibility left and if so then will he be getting a tryout as a placekicker?
John McGonigal
2:09
No, he does not have eligibility. No, he won’t try out lol. Though I asked Craig if he’s ever kicked a field goal in his life, and the former high-school soccer star said: “Messed around doing it once and maxed out with like a 45-yarder. But who knows if that would have gotten blocked or something in a game.” So there's that.
Doug I Erie
2:12
Over or under on an 8 win regular season?
John McGonigal
2:13
I had Pitt at 7-5 before the season, thinking the Panthers would start off 1-3. I see a path for them to finish the regular season with 9 wins, but I’d go with a push and say 8 to be safe.
2:14
But if I had to go over or under, I'd go over.
Once in a lifetime
2:15
So far I like what I see from the Whipple offense, but I'm not a fan of the QB running to the sideline to get every play. Do many other offenses do this?  I would think this is an unnecessary waste of energy
John McGonigal
2:17
Can see why some would think that, and personally I haven’t seen many quarterbacks do it that way. But Pickett said last week that running to the sideline and getting play allows him to 1.) pick up a note or piece of advice from Whipple and 2.) think over the play/his reads as he jogs back to the huddle before relaying it to his teammates. Whatever works, I guess.
GhostofFitzgerald
2:21
Conversely, are Pitt’s improved sack numbers due to a better coordinator, Jaylen Twyman and co being better than predecessors, improved coverage in the secondary, or a combo?
John McGonigal
2:22
I’d go with a combo. The secondary has been exceptional, Twyman has stepped up in the absence of Keyshon Camp, and Randy Bates has schemed his unit well through four weeks. He’ll need to keep that up as the season progresses.
Kicker
2:25
Any chance Kessman loses the kicker job?
John McGonigal
2:27
Think that’d be a little premature right now. But Pitt’s bound to be in close games in ACC play. So if he doesn’t improve here in the next few weeks, who knows? Kessman’s backup is a true freshman, by the way. Not really an ideal replacement.
Coach Nez
2:29
Prediction for the Dwags tonight?
John McGonigal
2:30
Hello, Stephen. Mercy-rule win. Everybody hits. Book it. (Also: I found my glove)
Once in a lifetime
2:32
I think the season will come down to UNC.  Ridiculous that Pitt is o-fer-ACC against the Tar Heels. Do you think this is finally the year?
John McGonigal
2:33
Thursday night games can be kind of weird, both teams are coming off an off week, and this is the ACC Coastal we’re talking about. But the Tar Heels could have a losing record when it comes to Pittsburgh. Think this year is the year.
Guido Corvairi
2:36
I thought for a long time that Pickett just wasn't a good DI QB. Still doesn't have the touch he needs, but it is obvious that Shawn Watson must have had Pickett nuts. He seemed to second guess himself in the middle of throws. Whipple has been a positive change for Pickett.
John McGonigal
2:38
Pickett lacked that downfield touch against Virginia, but haven’t seen much to complain about since. Whipple’s put him in opportune situations, but give some credit to Pickett, too. He’s decisively hitting Taysir Mack for 18-20 yards over the middle on a frequent basis now. He's developed well.
BD in Towson
2:42
In the case you are the recruiting coordinator for Pitt at this time, what would you look for to :
Sorry...1. Add for next year. 2. Build for 2-3 years from now v the immed
John McGonigal
2:46
More often than not, you’re trying to find a balance between guys who can contribute (even a little bit) immediately and guys who are projects for the future. I’m not sure a 2-2 start changes that much. But thinking about the prospect of Pickett-Whipple returning next year, you’d like to make sure they’ll have the pieces necessary to keep this offense going. Ffrench, Griffin-Stewart and Gragg will be gone, so maybe you find a pass-catcher who can contribute right away? Still, Pitt feels good about freshman TE Kyi Wright and its depth at WR.
johnny michelosen
2:50
Hi.  Apparently, few of the "experts" expected much out of Pitt this year.  One game isn't a season, but things look better now.  Why do you think they wer so dissed?  Yourself included.
John McGonigal
2:52
Before the season, I wrote about how Pitt’s offense had serious potential (https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2019/08/26/Pitt-football-offe...) and picked the Panthers to go 7-5 … when Vegas’ over/under was 6 wins. Would hardly call that dissing them.
2:55
Alright folks, that’s all the time we’ve got this week. Thanks for checking in with your questions. I’ll be back next week to look ahead to Duke and the rest of the ACC slate.
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