Pitt is the best team in the country at stopping the run and the 116th-best at stopping the pass. We're going to throw it. A lot.
"They're closer to dead last than halfway," he said.
That number comes from how Pitt plays. They live in man coverage and they send people downhill. When it works, it looks great. When it doesn't, somebody is running free down the sideline.
Ahmmon sees communication problems in their secondary on film, and that combination gets you beat over the top. He'd know. As a freshman he went for 142 yards on Pitt after Mark Richt moved him into the slot against their man coverage.
The other side of the ledger is real, though. Pitt is No. 1 in the nation in yards per rush allowed, and teams barely even try to run on them.
"They don't do no chopping of the feet. They're flying to the football, and they're trying to run through your face," Ahmmon said.
So this is a test for an offensive line we've been challenging all year. We ran for 140 on them last year. It wasn't efficient, but Girard Pringle Jr. broke a big one and Mark Fletcher Jr. had a couple of physical runs that set the tone.
This time I expect the ball in the air early and often.
Same with the pass rush. Pitt gets home on 7.58 percent of dropbacks. We only give up sacks on about 3.5 percent of ours, but we just watched Florida State's stunts give us problems all night. Pitt has seen that tape.
Mason Heintschel tore his ACL at Virginia Tech and he's done for the year. Holden Geriner finished that game and started against North Carolina. He's a fifth-year guy who went from Auburn to Texas State, where he backed up Brad Jackson. Then true freshman Corey Dailey got the start last week at Boston College.
I like Dailey as a prospect. He's a four-sport athlete: a real basketball player, a .400 hitter in baseball, a high jumper. He's tall with a big arm. On his first drive at BC he let it rip. Then the accuracy came and went, and he's at 46.7 percent on the year. A kid like that needs reps.
If I'm guessing, I think Narduzzi goes with the veteran on the road against a defense like ours. Ahmmon disagrees. He thinks they ride the upside.
Both are pocket guys, so it's not a style change either way. And neither one is Heintschel.
A viewer pointed out that we get off the field on third-and-short and don't on third-and-long.
Pitt's offense isn't scaring anybody on paper. They're 53rd in scoring and 73rd in yards per pass, and the big early numbers came with Heintschel against weak teams.
Ahmmon does expect them to copy what Florida State found: some run game and some quarterback scrambles, because our zone has come apart when the quarterback moves around. That's on us to fix.
The number that dictates this game
We're fifth in the country at 9.6 yards per pass. Pitt is giving up 8.4 per attempt, 116th nationally. Ahmmon put it the simplest way possible on the show."They're closer to dead last than halfway," he said.
That number comes from how Pitt plays. They live in man coverage and they send people downhill. When it works, it looks great. When it doesn't, somebody is running free down the sideline.
Ahmmon sees communication problems in their secondary on film, and that combination gets you beat over the top. He'd know. As a freshman he went for 142 yards on Pitt after Mark Richt moved him into the slot against their man coverage.
The other side of the ledger is real, though. Pitt is No. 1 in the nation in yards per rush allowed, and teams barely even try to run on them.
"They don't do no chopping of the feet. They're flying to the football, and they're trying to run through your face," Ahmmon said.
So this is a test for an offensive line we've been challenging all year. We ran for 140 on them last year. It wasn't efficient, but Girard Pringle Jr. broke a big one and Mark Fletcher Jr. had a couple of physical runs that set the tone.
This time I expect the ball in the air early and often.
Something has to give
We don't turn it over. We're at 0.6 giveaways a game. Pitt takes it away at 1.8 a game, 11th in the country. If we're pushing the ball deep to punish their aggression, and there are some reports of wind, that's a stat I'm watching.Same with the pass rush. Pitt gets home on 7.58 percent of dropbacks. We only give up sacks on about 3.5 percent of ours, but we just watched Florida State's stunts give us problems all night. Pitt has seen that tape.
Who's playing quarterback?
Pitt hasn't said.Mason Heintschel tore his ACL at Virginia Tech and he's done for the year. Holden Geriner finished that game and started against North Carolina. He's a fifth-year guy who went from Auburn to Texas State, where he backed up Brad Jackson. Then true freshman Corey Dailey got the start last week at Boston College.
I like Dailey as a prospect. He's a four-sport athlete: a real basketball player, a .400 hitter in baseball, a high jumper. He's tall with a big arm. On his first drive at BC he let it rip. Then the accuracy came and went, and he's at 46.7 percent on the year. A kid like that needs reps.
If I'm guessing, I think Narduzzi goes with the veteran on the road against a defense like ours. Ahmmon disagrees. He thinks they ride the upside.
Both are pocket guys, so it's not a style change either way. And neither one is Heintschel.
Our pass defense has no excuses this week
I'll say it plainly. If these guys throw on us, it's time to sound even more alarms on the pass defense. This is a get-right game: a young quarterback, on the road, at noon, in front of what should be a loud Hard Rock. This is where you take the ball away.A viewer pointed out that we get off the field on third-and-short and don't on third-and-long.
Pitt's offense isn't scaring anybody on paper. They're 53rd in scoring and 73rd in yards per pass, and the big early numbers came with Heintschel against weak teams.
Ahmmon does expect them to copy what Florida State found: some run game and some quarterback scrambles, because our zone has come apart when the quarterback moves around. That's on us to fix.
The guys to know on Pitt
- Ryan Baer, right tackle. 6-foot-7 fifth year. He looks like an NFL right tackle to me. We killed their line last year, but they've been good this year.
- Carson Kent, tight end. He went from Kennesaw State to Oklahoma to Pitt. He has 21 catches, 238 yards and a touchdown, and he'll be a factor.
- Nick James, defensive tackle, No. 11. Not big, but active. Six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks from the interior gets your attention.
- Cruce Brookins, safety, No. 12. Another NFL-type guy, with 46 tackles at the halfway point.
- Cataurus "Blue" Hicks, receiver, No. 3. He's from Miami Central, same as Rueben Bain and Ezekiel Marcelin Jr., by way of Louisville. To me he's their best offensive weapon: 26 catches, 500 yards and four touchdowns, and he returns kicks too. He opened the BC game with a 75-yard catch.
