How Pitt Can Maximize OL Talent
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have struggled mightily to block as their offensive line has suffered injury after injury and featured new lineup after new lineup. It's been tough sledding for this line so far but a long-term solution could be in house.
While further shuffling can sometimes derail an offensive line, the Panthers are well past the point of no return and kickstarting an offense that is in neutral means putting the best players on the field. They might have found that rotation last week against North Carolina, with the emergence of a new center.
Redshirt sophomore Terrance Moore made his first career start against the Tar Heels and was, by most accounts very good against the Tar Heels. He was on target with his snaps, generated good push and was solid in pass protection. With just two days of practice with quarterback Phil Jurkovec under his belt
"I’ve been dying to get him on the field because he’s such a hard worker and such a conscientious kid," offensive line coach Dave Borbley said. "I thought he played extremely well."
One of the few issues his coaches have highlighted has been the timing of his snaps - he's not in sync with the rest of the line but that can be forgiven since his practice time has been limited. It's also a problem that will only get better with time.
He might not be better than Jake Kradel at center, but Kradel is an upgrade over either Jason Collier Jr. and B.J. Williams at guard. They can afford to keep Moore at center and bump Kradel out to guard. There will still be parts of the line that are young and inexperienced but that same inexperience has not affected Moore in the same way as it has Collier or Williams. Having Kradel and Zubovic at guard spots keeps the experience distributed and helps everyone find a more natural fit.
As Pitt tries to climb their way back into this season, they'll need to give their quarterbacks and running backs all the help they can afford and that starts with putting their best foot forward up front.
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