Pitt Secondary Took North Carolina Collapse Personally
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PITTSBURGH -- 28 points, 229 passing yards and three touchdown passes - North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who's vaulted into Heisman contention as his team climbs national rankings behind his elite arm, carved up the Pitt Panthers in the second half last weekend.
The Panthers' secondary defended Maye well in the first half but collapsed in the second, along with most of the rest of the team. The 42-24 loss in Chapel Hill does not fall entirely on the shoulders of Pitt's defensive backs, but they took it that way.
"Not taking anything away from North Carolina, but they were not happy after the game so they have pride in who they are and what they do back there," Narduzzi said. "I think they take it personally, I can tell you that. ... It was personal. They were all talking to each other. They were down. It’s not who they are and it’s not who they want to be.”
This is a confident bunch. They are battle-tested and productive. They've gone toe-to-toe with some of the sport's elite but last week's second half, and the fourth quarter in particular, was a low point for this group. They think more of themselves than what they did down the stretch against the Tar Heels and are eager to prove it against another ranked opponent this weekend.
No. 22 Syracuse will provide varied challenges for the Panthers. Quarterback Garrett Schrader, who was benched with a lower body injury during the Orange's last game against Notre Dame, is talented and efficient. He's found a reliable go-to target in Oronde Gasden II, currently among the top four in the ACC in catches, yards and touchdowns. And running back Sean Tucker is at the center of all the action as the team leader in scrimmage yards and touchdowns.
Pitt's secondary will be stressed in a different way than they were against the Tar Heels. Instead of constant shots downfield, the Orange will be more selective with their home run swings. Discipline and play recognition will be more important against this balanced offense and Tucker, a leading man who can run and catch.
“He’s working on his passing game for the league, I guess," Narduzzi said. "They’re just throwing him more balls. Maybe they’ll run him 35 times and hand off to him but it just doesn’t seem that’s what they want to do. … He’s running a lot of swing routes and different routes. We’re going to have to tackle in space whereas last year we were tackling in the box and filling gaps and all that.”
Stopping Tucker and company means more than earning a simple notch in the win column. Pitt wants the victory, of course but the Panthers would also like to prove they are This week is about redemption. No one will take pity on the Panthers, losers of three of their last four, so they can't afford to do it to themselves.
“Anytime you lose, guys are frustrated," Secondaries coach Archie Collins said this week. "We have to make sure we have a love for the game and that’s something I think our players do have. ... It’s been encouraging to see those guys really work up with one another and understand things did not go as you planned, but they’re fighting through adversity.”
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