Pitt WR Corps Taking Big Step Forward in Spring Practices
PITTSBURGH -- Time heals all wounds. Okay, maybe it's too harsh to imply that what the Pitt Panthers did on offense last season injured anyone but it was an inefficient bunch. They finished 45th in the FBS in points, 50th in yards and 53rd in first downs per game. The passing offense in particular, which ranked 78th in college football, performed far below what many thought its talent could achieve.
There were some obvious flaws that Pitt wanted to clean up (at the beginning of the season, head coach Pat Narduzzi said the receivers gave him "chest pains" from time to time) and, according to offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, the Panther offense is well on it's way to doing just that thanks to familiarity with the system. Last year, bringing players up to speed with the system he wanted to install in his first year took time. With a year of experience or more under everyone's belt, players are flying around the field.
"Last year at this time, we went through a methodical installation - Install 1, Install 2," Cignetti said. "We felt like we had to get the personality of the run game going early last year. This year, we’re really picking up from the UCLA game. ... The players have really enjoyed it because we’re not holding them back. ... We come out here and we play ball.”
Cignetti said the receivers room, which last year had to get incoming transfers and eventual starters Konata Mumpfield and Bub Means into the fold, has benefitted from some continuity at the top of the position group and is miles ahead of where they were last year. Their receivers coach, Tiquan Underwood, is also in his second season with the program and his increased comfort is showing up on the field early in spring practices as well, according to Narduzzi.
“Just watching the receivers in the second year [with Tiquan Underwood], watching the guys play hard and play with effort out there," Narduzzi said. "Last year, Coach Wood was figuring it out and the receivers were figuring out what they’re supposed to do. Now it’s like a well-oiled machine after two years.”
Mumpfield, who capped his 2022 season with seven catches for 78 yards and a two-point conversion in the Sun Bowl victory over UCLA last December, can sense the difference too.
“It’s a lot different," Mumpfield said. "You can play a little bit faster. You can be way more confident. You understand defenses better and you can expand on things instead of just worrying about plays and where you have to be lined up and stuff like that.”
The unit was showing signs of improvement as the season wound down and has carried that into spring practices this year. They'll still have to break in a new quarterback - likely Phil Jurkovec although nothing is guaranteed - but there is optimism that this year, the passing game will be able to get off to a faster start with the help of some continuity and comfort.
"Last year, at this time, it was a methodical installation, they were learning a new system," Cignetti said. "And when you look at guys like Bub Means and [Konata Mumpfield], you can not only see that they know what they’re doing, but you see the leadership and what a great job they’re doing helping others through it."
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