Pitt Football: Could 2018 be a breakout year for the Panthers?

After a big win over Miami to close out the 2017 season, could 2018 be the year Pitt football finally breaks out and becomes a dangerous team in the ACC?

After upsetting the Miami Hurricanes to close out their 2017 season, the Pitt Panthers are looking to capitalize on their momentum and have a better campaign in 2018. This was a squad who went 8-5 in 2015 and 2016, but took a step back in 2017 after finishing the season with an unimpressive 5-8 record.

Needless to say, for a football program that’s used to playing bowl games December, having to sit back and watch throughout the holidays didn’t sit easy. Not to mention, with the Pitt basketball program becoming worse than ever, the Panthers fanbase needs their football team to have a great run next season.

Nevertheless, those are the types of expectations Pitt’s head coach, Pat Narduzzi, loves to have placed on his shoulders.

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Take a look at this quote from Narduzzi, when asked about his expectations for Spring Football, courtesy of Matt Murschel’s article in the Orlando Sentinel

"“Expectations are high. If you finish with a win against Miami with a quarterback in Kenny Pickett, who started his first game as a true freshman … I think people are excited about that guy and are excited about what we can do. We’ve got young parts here and there just like every football team does. … I think our front seven is as strong as it’s ever been. We have a good secondary. … I think we’ve got some good young talent, whether it was last year’s freshman class or even the class before that really hadn’t had an opportunity to step on the field much. It’s an opportunity for new guys to step up and see what we’ve got in 2018. I think it starts with the quarterback and Kenny’s a leader. He’s got some moxie to him. I think the kids believe in him.”"

As Narduzzi mentioned above, the excitement for 2018 revolves around the Panthers defensive line and the evolution of quarterback Kenny Pickett. While the young freshman only started that one game against Miami in 2017, he made the Hurricanes’ defense look terrible.

According to Sports Reference, Pickett finished the game against Miami with 193 passing yards for one passing touchdown, and 60 rushing yards for two rushing touchdowns. In Pitt’s 24-14 upset over the Canes, Pickett accounted for all of his team’s touchdowns.

With games against Albany, Penn State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, UCF, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Miami in 2018, this Panthers squad has the opportunity to make some significant noise.

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This may not be a team who finishes with nine or ten wins, but they could definitely get back to the eight win totals from 2015 and 2016.

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