Pitt Won't Hold Back vs. Athletic Georgia Tech QB
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PITTSBURGH -- The first player that came to linebackers coach Ryan Manalac's mind, when asked to run through who on Georgia Tech would challenge his Pitt Panthers this week, was the quarterback, Jeff Sims.
Sims, who completed 24 of 33 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns, is perhaps the most talented player for the Yellow Jackets on offense. He fits the mold of modern quarterbacks, according to Manalac - big, skilled and - most of all - mobile.
“I mean, the quarterback is a good player," Manalac said. "Tall guy in there, athletic player who can make all the throws, who can run. He’s a challenge in the pocket."
Sims' skill set poses a complex challenge but it isn't one that the Panthers have never seen before. Football as a whole is trending towards a style of play that demands quarterbacks be versatile - as dangerous with their legs as they are with their arms.
"You’re even seeing it in the NFL now," Manalac said. "College football has been that way for a while but those guys can extend plays. ... So that athletic quarterback has become more commonplace but Sims is a real good talent and we’ll have to go get him."
A player with a wide range of skills put pressure on a defense in a variety of different ways. Just the threat alone of a quarterback who can run and throw forces defenses to think more and even if it's just one extra split second, that's valuable time for a player as electric as Sims. The defense has to mirror their opponent and be really good at a lot of different things.
"You’re talking about in coverage, how to understand scramble situations or when they extend plays who’s in secondary contain," Manalac said. "Then in pass rush, being able to keep your hips down and change direction if that guy eludes the pocket, but still being able to pin your ears down and get to that launch point and not be so soft that you’re pushing the pocket."
But for safety Brandon Hill, facing a good player with talents as multiple as Sims' doesn't mean that Pitt needs to hold anything back. He expects the team's defensive principles and their weekly preparation to make keeping pace with Sims' arm and legs easier and claims that the Panthers will continue to play aggressively.
“We’ve faced [mobile quarterbacks] before," Hill said. "We want to be aggressive like we always are, like this Pitt defense is. We just want to get after their offense, pay attention to our details, get our fundamentals right, line up and read our keys, fly around and have fun.”
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