Close call in 2017 opener still fresh

recalled of the evaporation of Pitt’s 21-point halftime lead.

Junior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench, who was actually part of that sluggish start to the season, was less diplomatic.

“I remember it being a good first half,” Ffrench said, “and then it got real ugly real quick. … We can’t [sell] Albany short. We gotta finish [them] off, stay on that gas.”

Beyond the size and, in theory, talent advantage the Panthers will have, Ffrench believes there’s even more reason to be confident that they won’t get tripped up in Week 1. And it has nothing to do with Pickett under center or Randy Bates as the new defensive coordinator, at least not tangibly.

“We have a more mature team. … I would say this year, we have a totally different personality,” Ffrench said. “We’re more of a team this year. We definitely stick by each other. We always ride or die for one another. I feel like this is a whole different team, different mindset, different type of toughness, different everything.”

Asked Tuesday if he’ll employ a “vanilla” defensive game plan, one that won’t put many new wrinkles on film, Bates flatly said “no” — or at least as flatly as the excitable man now running the Pitt defense can say anything. Bates did insist that he wants to use as many players as possible, not just to keep them fresh on what figures to be another humid afternoon, but also to see what everyone can do with fans in the stands.

Coach Pat Narduzzi, meanwhile, will be like a kid eagerly unwrapping his birthday presents. Unlike last year, which he predicted “might be a little boring” on offense, he said Monday that Pitt won’t hold anything back against Albany.

“I’m looking forward to seeing some of the new toys out there,” he said Wednesday.

“There’s nothing better than having new toys in your backyard that you can play with, right? You get bored with the old swing set; it’s kind of dirty. We’ve got some new toys to play with.”

Just as long as his players keep in mind that even with a healthier roster this time around, for a victory against Albany, there is still some assembly required.

“It’s not gonna be a walk in the park,” Hall said. “We gotta come out strong, and we’re just gonna run it down their throat.”