In this week’s 3-2-1 Column, we’re fascinated by Pitt’s missed alternative at Duke and the way the Panthers can bounce again. Plus, we’re trying on the soccer seniors who’ve determined to return again for yet one more 12 months – and the seniors who’re nonetheless on the fence.
THREE THINGS WE KNOW
Disappointment
That’s the phrase. That’s the one I stored coming again to Wednesday evening. That’s the one I thought of all day yesterday. And it’s nonetheless the one I’m considering of in the present day.
Disappointment.
That’s what Pitt’s 77-69 loss at Duke was on Wednesday evening. It wasn’t some harbinger of issues to return (I don’t suppose). It wasn’t a full-scale indictment on the teaching employees. It wasn’t an indication that this roster is damaged. It wasn’t any of these issues.
It was a disappointment as a result of it was a missed alternative. The Panthers led the blue Devils by 11 at halftime however couldn’t do something on the glass and fell right into a deep, darkish gap on offense within the second half to finish up shedding by eight.
Disappointment.
There was an actual likelihood for Pitt to get a very good win on the street, to enhance to 12-5 general and – extra importantly – 5-1 within the ACC. An opportunity to bounce again from Saturday’s residence loss to Clemson. An opportunity to make some form of assertion about the place they belong within the convention. Instead, they fell into the center of the pack the place there are eight groups with 4-2 or 3-3 data.
Disappointment.
The Panthers are nonetheless a top-half workforce within the ACC. I consider that. I feel they’ve accomplished sufficient to earn that spot. But a win on Wednesday evening might have pushed them into the highest quarter or perhaps even increased, for no matter such rankings are price after simply six convention video games.
Now there’s a complete lot of stress on Saturday’s journey to Atlanta. Pitt completely has to beat Georgia Tech – and, for that matter, observe that win with a win at Louisville and a house win over Florida State.
Jeff Capel’s group has performed nicely sufficient for essentially the most half this season to generate sufficient help for a spot among the many high half of the league, at worst. And I don’t suppose Pitt’s prior success this season was fraudulent. I feel the Panthers actually are the workforce that went to N.C. State and kind of managed the sport. I feel they are surely the workforce that constructed a 20-point lead at Syracuse and had the resilience to carry on for a win within the Dome. I feel they are surely the workforce that overcame a halftime deficit towards North Carolina for a powerful residence win. I feel they are surely the workforce that was down 12 to Virginia within the second half and battled again for a win.
They actually are that workforce. Those performances weren’t mirages.
Of course, they’re additionally the workforce that hit simply three subject targets within the remaining 5:35 to blow an eight-point lead towards Clemson. And they’re the workforce that blew an 11-point halftime lead at Duke by going eight minutes with out a level within the second half.
All of it provides as much as a workforce that’s 4-2 in ACC play, a workforce that went 2-2 in arguably essentially the most difficult stretch of the convention schedule and a workforce that also has some actually good gamers who’ve earned the respect of coaches across the league.
And take into consideration this: regardless of failing to show Duke’s 12 first-half turnovers into greater than eight factors, regardless of a seven-minute scoreless stretch and an eight-minute stretch with out a subject aim, regardless of solely making eight baskets within the second half, regardless of getting rattling close to doubled-up on rebounds – regardless of all of that, Pitt was nonetheless solely down 4 with 100 seconds to play.
Wednesday’s recreation was there to win, and the workforce needed to fly residence beset with the stink of a missed alternative.
But it’s not the tip of the world. Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings and Blake Hinson have helped this workforce win fairly a bit thus far this season, and I anticipate them to assist this workforce win fairly a bit extra this season. That has to start out on Saturday, and if the Panthers can string collectively a couple of wins towards these groups at or close to the underside of the convention, they’ll be in fine condition as soon as once more.
The hometown heroes hold coming residence
How many former WPIAL stars have dedicated to Pitt as transfers this offseason?
I’m shedding depend.
Of course, I’m not shedding depend. I do know the quantity. It’s three.
Phil Jurkovec (Pine Richland->Notre Dame->Boston College->Pitt)
Donovan McMillon (Peters Township->Florida->Pitt)
Derrick Davis (Gateway->LSU->Pitt)
Davis, as you recognize, is the newest addition to that checklist. The former four-star security prospect at Gateway selected LSU over provides from nearly everyone and performed in 12 video games as a freshman, totally on particular groups.
This previous 12 months, he performed in 4 video games in the course of the common season along with a non-counting look within the Tigers’ Citrus Bowl pummeling of Purdue – a not-unimportant element, since he’ll be capable of take a redshirt for that season and protect an additional 12 months of eligibility – however what’s most notable is that his most up-to-date taking part in time, each within the bowl recreation and a November win over UAB, got here at operating again.
Davis lined up for 17 snaps on offense in these two video games and carried the ball 11 occasions, gaining 57 yards – 5.2 yards per carry – and scoring a fairly spectacular 11-yard landing run towards the Boilermakers.
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We can discuss concerning the impression Davis could have on Pitt’s operating again room – he’ll be taking part in on offense with the Panthers – however there’s an even bigger general theme right here:
Top expertise leaving western Pennsylvania after which coming again.
Jurkovec, McMillon and Davis aren’t the primary locals to prodigal-son their means into the locker room within the South Side. M.J. Devonshire got here residence after a pair years at Kentucky. John Petrishen did it, too, after going to Penn State.
So it’s not new, however with the arrival of the switch portal, there’s a query of what message is shipped by persevering with to take former native standouts who go away the world after which come again. It might go two methods, actually:
On one hand, perhaps younger up-and-coming native recruits have a look at the tales of Jurkovec, McMillon, Davis, Devonshire and Petrishen and say, “Those guys ought to have simply gone to Pitt within the first place so perhaps I ought to simply go to Pitt within the first place.”
On the opposite hand, perhaps younger up-and-coming native recruits have a look at the tales of Jurkovec, McMillon, Davis, Devonshire and Petrishen and say, “I’m going to do what they did: go strive my luck within the SEC or wherever, and if it doesn’t work out, I can at all times come again to Pitt.”
My guess is there will likely be somewhat of each.
Ultimately, you are taking good gamers when you may get them. Pitt wants a quarterback and Jurkovec has the seal of approval from offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. McMillon seems like a pure match for the boundary security spot (or perhaps even rising into the Star linebacker function). And Davis offers an older possibility for depth, on the very least, among the many operating backs, the place veteran depth is somewhat missing.
If these guys may help you, you are taking them – narratives and storylines and implied messages be damned.
It positively makes for a very good story. And now Pitt’s 2023 roster could have the highest 5 recruits from the western Pennsylvania recruiting class of 2021:
Derrick Davis (USA Today Sports)
Another veteran offensive line
In addition to transfers becoming a member of Pitt’s roster for 2023, the Panthers received some information this week on present gamers deciding to remain on the roster for the upcoming season.
I’m speaking about offensive linemen Jake Kradel and Blake Zubovic. The two former WPIAL standouts (Kradel at Butler, Zubovic at Belle Vernon) arrived on campus as freshmen in 2018, and final 12 months was their fifth season on the roster.
But due to the Covid 12 months and the tremendous senior rule, they will come again for yet one more 12 months, and that’s precisely what they’ll be doing.
Which is fairly huge for Pitt.
Look, I do know we sang this track final offseason after we all celebrated the returns of Carter Warren, Marcus Minor, Owen Drexel and Gabe Houy. Those 4 determined to return again as tremendous seniors in 2022, and it was a giant deal on the time. Things didn’t precisely work out, after all, since these 4 plus Kradel – the 5 starters in 2021 – by no means truly performed a snap collectively this previous season (Houy missed the primary three video games, and when he received on the sphere, Drexel was already out with an harm; by the point he returned, Warren was accomplished for the season).
But that doesn’t change the truth that having a bunch of veteran offensive linemen is, typically talking, a very good factor. And that’s precisely what Pitt could have (once more) in 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Kradel performed 874 snaps on offense this previous season – the second-most on the workforce behind Minor, who performed 915. Zubovic wasn’t far behind with 663 snaps, most of which have been amassed after he moved into the beginning lineup in Week Three. He ended up beginning eight of the ultimate 11 video games at proper guard.
Pitt’s additionally returning Matt Goncalves, who performed 830 snaps on offense – third-most on the workforce – after beginning each recreation this season, with a mixture of taking part in time at proper sort out and left sort out, relying on Houy’s availability.
Meanwhile, Branson Taylor noticed greater than 400 snaps and made 4 snaps. With him, Goncalves, Kradel and Zubovic, Pitt is returning 4 of the 5 starters from the offensive line within the Sun Bowl.
If you pencil in Goncalves and Taylor on the tackles, Kradel at middle (the place he began 9 video games rather than Drexel) and Zubovic at proper guard, meaning there’ll actually simply be one beginning job to fill in 2023: the left guard spot vacated by Minor.
The most certainly candidate for that function is Ryan Jacoby, the Ohio State switch who performed 200 snaps in 2023. He was largely lining up at tight finish/additional sort out, however he noticed the sphere on offense in each recreation and the coaches are optimistic about his potential.
That needs to be the beginning 5 for 2023, and we are able to’t depend out Ryan Baer both. The freshman sort out noticed only a handful of snaps in 2022 to protect his redshirt, but it surely’s going to be powerful for the coaches to maintain him off the sphere in 2023.
Really, the important thing on this coming season would be the growth of the depth. Players like Baer, Terrence Enos, Terrence Moore, Jason Collier, Trey Andersen and Isaiah Montgomery will likely be vital in 2023: it’s pretty doubtless Pitt will want at the very least one in all them to contribute, and their development will likely be essential after they step into major roles in 2024.
Jake Kradel (Matt Hawley)
TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE
Was Jeff Capel proper?
Two days earlier than that Duke recreation was performed, Jeff Capel had a press convention, and it was an actual doozy.
A doozy when it comes to size (topping 28 minutes) and a doozy when it comes to content material, as Pitt’s head coach was requested – and answered – in appreciable element, questions on his choice to take the Pitt job and what the expertise has been like.
Why was Capel requested about that in the course of a season simply shy of 5 years since he was employed? Well, it’s Duke week, and Duke week for a Duke man results in apparent questions concerning the previous. At some level in the course of the press convention on Monday, the subject of Duke being Capel’s dream job got here up, and whereas he asserted that that’s not the case, he went a bit additional and talked about why he’s at Pitt.
The quote was too lengthy to incorporate right here, so enable me to paraphrase:
Capel’s true dream job was teaching within the ACC. Period. He knew a “Duke man” wouldn’t get employed at a few of the O.G. ACC colleges like Virginia or N.C. State or Wake Forest or most definitely North Carolina. So if he needed to educate within the ACC, it must be a faculty like Pitt.
When the chance got here, he jumped on it. And then he came upon what he was strolling into. According to Capel, the Panthers’ membership within the ACC had been woefully under-communicated to recruits, and the one factor extra disturbingly under-developed than that was the state of the basketball amenities.
Add within the mess left behind by Kevin Stallings and his employees – which Capel honorably declined responsible – and you’ve got a reasonably tough scenario dealing with Pitt basketball within the spring of 2018. I feel all of us knew Capel was inheriting a problem; he knew it, too. But I don’t suppose any of us, neither Capel nor these of us on the surface, knew the extent of the problem.
Capel went on to speak about how, in his third 12 months, there was a world pandemic that impacted recruiting, workforce actions and, in a really broad and basic sense, the whole lot. The latter concurrent advents of NIL and the switch portal created additional challenges.
That’s the paraphrase, and Capel stated it significantly better and in way more depth than that. But let me paraphrase a bit extra:
Capel had some dangerous luck.
And right here’s our query:
Is he proper? Can a variety of the struggles of the final 4 seasons be sourced again to old style dangerous luck?
Staying true to kind, I’m taking place the center on this. Yes, Capel did have some dangerous luck, but it surely wasn’t essentially dangerous luck that was unique to Pitt. Covid was dangerous luck for everybody, and that’s placing it frivolously. The switch portal and NIL have been a blessing and a curse for almost everybody, too.
Capel’s not the one member of that membership. But he’s at the very least somewhat distinctive in that he confronted all of these challenges whereas already beginning the race a couple of laps behind as a result of scenario he walked into at Pitt.
Similarly, Capel did have some dangerous luck with the chemistry within the locker room. I can’t think about he anticipated to face a few of the points he bumped into on that entrance over the previous couple of seasons. But there’s additionally one thing to be stated for roster administration and participant administration. The head coach is answerable for creating the tradition, and if tradition points bled over to on-court struggles, then at the very least some – or extra – of that’s on the top coach.
So is Capel proper? Did he have some dangerous luck? Yes. He’s not improper. But it’s a must to make your individual luck typically – as evidenced by the present state of issues after Capel made his personal luck by way of he roster building he pursued within the offseason.
Which seniors nonetheless have a call to make?
In whole, the Pitt soccer workforce entered the 2022 season with 20 seniors and redshirt seniors who would have the choice to return as tremendous seniors in 2023. As of this writing, 13 of these 20 have made selections and 7 are nonetheless pending.
Of the 13 who’ve made their selections, 9 are leaving Pitt and 4 are slated to return.
The departed:
QB Kedon Slovis
QB Nick Patti
RB Vincent Davis
WR Jared Wayne
DE Habakkuk Baldonado
DE John Morgan
LB SirVocea Dennis
S Erick Hallett
S Judson Tallandier
Of these 9, Slovis, Davis, Morgan and Tallandier entered the switch portal, whereas Wayne, Baldonado, Dennis and Hallett are headed to the NFL and Patti hasn’t made an announcement on his intentions but.
The 4 who’ve introduced they’re returning:
OL Jake Kradel
OL Blake Zubovic
LB Brandon George
CB Marquis Williams
We already talked about Kradel and Zubovic. George is somewhat distinctive right here; he entered 2022 as a real senior, having performed every of his earlier three seasons at Pitt. But he solely appeared in 4 video games this previous 12 months, permitting him to take a redshirt and return as a redshirt senior in 2023 (with an excellent senior possibility for 2024). And Williams is coming again for yet one more 12 months in a fairly robust group of cornerbacks.
That leaves seven gamers whose futures are TBD (or TBA, relying on the participant):
RB C’Bo Flemister
DE Chris Maloney
DT Tyler Bentley
DT Devin Danielson
DT David Green
LB Shayne Simon
CB A.J. Woods
Those are the blokes we’re ready on. Part of me wonders in the event that they’ll all make formal bulletins; we type of shifted shortly into this period the place something price asserting – and perhaps some issues that aren’t price it – comes replete with an edit and some paragraphs on social media, however nearly everybody on that checklist is somewhat older. Maybe they’ll determine that there’s nothing to announce if all they’re doing is simply persevering with on with the trail they began 5 years in the past.
(I’m envisioning some Pitt graphics intern approaching Devin Danielson or David Green about doing an edit and people guys having a Danny Glover Lethal Weapon response).
At the identical time, you by no means know till you recognize, and proper now, we don’t know what these guys plan to do. If I needed to guess – and this isn’t the prediction part of the column, so don’t maintain me to it – I feel six of these seven gamers return to Pitt for 2023, with Chris Maloney being the lone exception. Maloney is the one a type of seven who participated in Senior Day, and whereas that’s not a positive factor – Kradel and Zubovic participated however returned; Slovis, Patti, Wayne and Dennis didn’t take part however left – it does appear to talk to his intentions.
ONE PREDICTION
Pitt will get to 7-2
Yeah, I’m nonetheless shopping for in on this Pitt workforce. And I do know what I’m predicting right here:
I’m predicting the Panthers deal with enterprise within the subsequent three video games.
To wit, Pitt will play at Georgia Tech tomorrow, at Louisville subsequent Wednesday evening and residential towards Florida State subsequent Saturday.
Those three groups are within the backside six of the ACC. Florida State “leads” that group with a 3-3 report in convention play. Georgia Tech is 1-5. Louisville is 0-6 (the Cardinals have gained two video games whole; they began 0-9 earlier than they defeated Western Kentucky and Florida A&M – after which they promptly misplaced to Lipscomb).
We can discuss at size concerning the matchups and what we’ve seen from the Yellow Jackets, Cardinals and Seminoles this season, however for me, that is about Pitt.
It’s about nonetheless believing in what we noticed in the course of the Panthers’ run from their win towards Alabama State by way of the win over Virginia, an 11-game stretch that noticed them go 10-1. That’s a large enough pattern measurement that I’m not keen to consider it was fraudulent. Because whereas that run was constructed with wins over Alabama State and Fairleigh Dickinson and William & Mary, it additionally noticed Pitt log legitimately good victories towards N.C. State, Syracuse, North Carolina and Virginia.
Those depend. The losses to Clemson and Duke depend, too, however they don’t erase what Pitt achieved in these first 4 ACC victories.
I feel Clemson and Duke offered distinctive matchup challenges for the Panthers – challenges that many of the remainder of the ACC most likely gained’t be capable of duplicate. Jeff Capel and his employees have to work on some doable changes and backup plans if opponents do attempt to defend in sure methods, however I’m nonetheless betting on Pitt’s offense profitable out on most nights towards ACC defenses.
I’m nonetheless betting on Jamarius Burton. I’m nonetheless betting on Nelly Cummings. I’m nonetheless betting on Blake Hinson. Those guys have every run into some challenges of late, however they’re gifted, veteran gamers who’re able to carrying this workforce.
The taking pictures, the passing, the flat-out capacity to attain that we’ve seen this season – it was actual, and it’ll return. Really, it was there at factors within the Clemson and Duke video games, too; Pitt simply went chilly for some lengthy stretches.
But the Panthers are nonetheless constructed to be a workforce that may have some success within the ACC, and I consider that’s what they’ll do.
Right now, after everyone has performed six convention video games, Pitt seems prefer it ought to have the benefit towards the following two opponents on the street – Georgia Tech and Louisville – after which the Panthers ought to come residence with confidence and a few regained momentum after they host Florida State.
The final two losses have been disappointing, to make sure. Both video games have been there for Pitt to win, and definitely 6-0 with wins over Clemson and Duke would look higher than 4-2 with losses to these groups.
But there’s an extended method to go. Even after this subsequent three-game stretch, the ACC schedule gained’t even be half over. And when that midway level comes – Pitt’s recreation towards Wake Forest on Jan. 25 will likely be recreation No. 10 – I feel the Panthers will likely be rolling as soon as once more.
