Pitt Football: Grading Out the Panthers Win vs. South Florida
By Matt Shetler
OK, raise your hand if after the season’s first four weeks you thought Pitt would dominate the No. 16 team in the nation the way they did last night.
If you have your hand up, put it down because you’re lying.
Pitt shocked almost everyone last night, not by beating South Florida, but the way they owned them from the game’s opening kickoff.
The Panthers certainly have the talent to play with anyone in the nation, but last night we saw exactly what this team is capable of when they execute offensively.
Todd Graham’s high-octane offense made its debut last night and it was fun to watch as the Panthers quietly made a statement: Don’t forget about them in the Big East.
Even if it was for only one game, Pitt was as impressive last night as they have been in the past couple of seasons.
Let’s start handing out some grades.
Quarterback
Grade: A-
Even if it’s just for a week, back off of the criticism of Tino Sunseri. He earned at least that much last night.
Sunseri was as good as he’s been in a Panthers uniform last night and it was his biggest win as a starter.
His numbers were solid. He was an effective 22-of-33 for 216 yards and a touchdown. They would have been even better if not for a few early drops by Mike Shanahan.
He opened things up for the entire offense as well with his legs. I’ve said it before, to run the triple option you have to have a quarterback who will threaten to keep the ball. He doesn’t have to be lightning-fast; he just has to give the defense something to respect.
Sunseri certainly did that.
The most impressive part of his night though was his command of the offense. He got the Panthers to the line quickly and in and out of the right plays. He looked like a much more confident signal-caller than he had the previous four weeks.
Running Back
Grade: A+
There is no point at all on me writing anything here. I can’t possibly compliment the night Ray Graham had enough.
Graham was flat-out amazing, racking up 226 yards on the ground and another 46 in the air, finding the end zone a pair of times.
He was so tough to get a clean hit on, averaging over eight yards per carry.
Hands down, Graham was the best player on the field Thursday night.
Pitt’s ground game also got contributions from Sunseri and Zach Brown and as a unit, the rushing attack had its best performance of the season.
Wide Receivers
Grade: B-
Overall it was a solid performance as a unit.
It was good to see Cam Saddler involved in the offense for a change, catching a team-high six passes. It was also nice to see Sunseri continue to look for tight end Hubie Graham, who hauled in a touchdown pass.
Overall, eight different Panthers caught at least one pass. While their longest reception was only for 21 yards, they didn’t need to do much more except move the chains.
The grade would have been higher if not for a couple of uncharacteristic drops by Mike Shanahan early on in the game when it was close.
Offensive Line
Grade: A
They did not play well in the weeks heading up to last night. Their best lineman, Lucas Nix, left the game with an injury.
That should have been a recipe for disaster.
Instead, the front five dominated the Bulls. They completely wore South Florida out by the middle of the third quarter.
The difference in the Pitt offense from the first four weeks of the season and last night was the play of the line.
Graham’s 8.7-yards-per-carry average is a direct reflection on the way the controlled the game.
If they can do that week in and week out, this offense can really start rolling.
Defensive Line
Grade: B
Here is one you haven’t heard me say all season: The Pitt defense didn’t play too bad. They still got gashed at times, but there was a good deal of improvement.
Brandon Lindsey playing with his hand on the ground is much better than when he’s not and he played probably his best game of the season. I would expect his sack numbers to start raising.
They still got pushed off the ball a lot and South Florida did rush for over 200 yards as a team, but the performance was much better.
Linebackers
Grade: B
Same story here. They had some real good moments and some bad ones, but overall you had to be happy with their performance.
No one fits that bill more than Todd Thomas, who is unbelievably talented, but he’s also so raw. In a two-play sequence, Pitt had to burn a timeout because Thomas didn’t know where to lineup and then he makes the play of the game stopping Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels on 4th down.
Things still need to tighten up, but it was a much better performance.
Defensive Backs
Grade: B
It was a night-and-day performance from the Panthers secondary after playing like swiss cheese for four weeks.
Jarred Holley may have played his best game in a Pitt uniform. He was literally all over the place, forcing turnovers and getting sacks.
The same can be said for Andrew Taglianetti who seems to get better every week.
Yet the same can’t be said for K’Waun Williams, whose coverage is still way too soft and he continues to take very bad angles.
Yet, I like what they did for the most part.
Special Teams
Grade: B+
Kevin Harper continues to kick well after experiencing some early season shanks. Harper knocked down all three field goals and all five extra points. He’s starting to become a reliable kicker.
I’m still waiting on something from Ronald Jones and the return game though, which has yet to get on track this season.
Coaching
Grade: A-
Good for Graham.
The Panthers needed a big win and so did Graham.
I was very impressed with the way he moved Ray Graham around pre-snap and found different ways to get the ball in his hands.
Overall, Graham kept things simple and utilized what was working and that was pretty much Ray Graham.
He did attempt a couple gimmick plays when he really didn’t need to though. Save them for when you really need them.
I was also especially impressed with the defensive game plan.
Pitt brought a ton of pressure from the outsides, in essence keeping Daniels in the pocket for the entire game.
As Pitt’s lead grew, so did Graham’s aggressiveness.
More importantly, Pitt closed out a fourth quarter strongly for a change.
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