Panthers are eager to start new bowl streak
Pat Narduzzi and the Pittsburgh football team may have some sour memories of a fumble at the 1-yard line against North Carolina and failure to convert offensively at the 1-yard line at Virginia Tech in the final month of the season.
Those two defeats, along with five others, kept Pitt from extending a bowl game streak to 10 years.
But the Panthers did finish last season on a positive note, with Narduzzi’s team defeating its second No. 2 team in the country in as many seasons, upsetting Miami in the final week to spoil the Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff semifinal aspirations. A year earlier, Pitt handed national champion Clemson its only loss in 2016.
Pitt has the talent under Narduzzi to make significant strides this season and earned the No. 76 spot in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team. Today at No. 76: Pittsburgh
Coach: Pat Narduzzi (5-7, entering fourth season; 21–17 overall)
2017 record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference; tied for fourth in Coastal Division
Look back: Pitt may have missed its first bowl game in 10 years, but Narduzzi’s youthful group was able to put the bow on a developing season with an upset win over No. 2 Miami in the final week.
The Panthers were a relatively inexperienced group
that struggled, playing three quarterbacks and competing without a senior starter on defense. But Narduzzi is hoping he set a solid foundation for the future of Pitt football heading into this season.
Offensive starters returning: 4 Offensive starters lost: 7 Defensive starters returning: 9
Defensive starters lost: 2
Key losses: WR Quadree Henderson, DB Jordan Whitehead, DB Avonte Maddox, QB Ben DiNucci, QB Max Browne, OL Alex Officer, OL, Brian O’Neill, WR Jester Weah, DE Allen Edwards, TE Matt Flanagan, OL Jaryd Jones-Smith.
Top returnees: RB Darrin Hall, RB Qadree Ollison, QB Kenny Pickett, WE
Rafael Araujo-Lopes, WR Maurice Ffrench, OL Alex Bookser, OL Jimmy Morrissey, TE Chris Clark, LB Oluwaseun Idowu, LB Saleem Brightwell, LB Elijah Zeise, DE James Folston Jr., DE Dewayne Hendrix, DT Keyshon Camp, DT Shane Roy, DB Damar Hamlin, DB Dane Jackson.
Strengths: Narduzzi is encouraged about his defense, which returns nine starters and seems inspired under new coordinator Randy Bates. Strong linebackers Oluwaseun Idowu, Saleem Brightwell and Elijah Zeise are back, while Narduzzi says defensive linemen James Folston Jr. and Dewayne Hendrix have improved under new position coach Charlie Partridge.
Weaknesses: Pitt’s offense averaged 23.9 points last season, second to last in the ACC. The Panthers are counting on solid contributions from running backs Darrin Hall (nine touchdowns, 628 yards) and Qadree Ollison (five touchdowns, 398 yards) to help boost the offense.
Outlook: There will be some growing pains, with a challenging ACC slate and tough nonconference opponents in Penn State and UCF. However, the Panthers should still earn a bowl bid.