SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- The Panthers are still another team that has used us as a punching bag in recent years or throughout our mutual histories. Against Louisville, we’d lost 10 of our last 12 games. We had been 2-13 all-time against NC State. We are now 2-9 all-time vs. Clemson. We’ve lost 5 of our last 6 against Notre Dame. We’ve beaten Pittsburgh 3 times in 20 years. We are 2-12 vs. Florida State. Even Wake Forest has won 4 of 6 from us, (and Trill Williams prevented it from being 5 of 6). BC may stink but they’ve beaten us 3 times in 5 years. These schools expect to beat us: why should we expect to beat them?
- The word is out about how you beat Syracuse: we were too small to begin with and are beaten up on the defensive line, so run right at us. Atomic football, (go right at ‘em). Pitt’s always been very good at that and they have the perfect weapon for it in 5-11 215 Israel Abanikanda, who has supplanted Sean Tucker as the best running back in the conference. He’s gained 1,086 yards in 8 games, (135.8 yards per game) in 183 carries, (5.9), and 16 scores, including 320 yards and 6TDs vs. Virginia Tech. Our hero has 758 yards in 8 games, (94.8) in 145 carries (5.2) and 7 scores, including a meaningless 232 yards and 3 scores against Wagner. Clemson ran for 293 yards against us and Notre Dame 246. Abanikanda could match those figures themselves.
- Which would allow Pitt to dominate the ball and the clock. That puts a premium on our moving the ball and scoring quickly. We can’t do that with our starting quarterback on the shelf or trying to “give it a go”. We’ve got have a dynamic quarterback in there. But he’s got to be very efficient with his plays and protect the ball. Is Carlos Del Rio Williams ready to be that guy?
- In 2011, we were 5-2. We wound up 5-7. In 2014, we were 3-4. We wound up 3-9. In 2015, we were 3-0. We wound up 4-8. In 2016, we were 4-4. We wound up 4-8. In 2017 we were 4-3. We wound up 4-8. In 2021, we were 5-4. We wound up 5-7. We started 6-0 this year but we are a beat-up team and our perennial depth problem could bring us down again. It’s not just replacing first team guys: it’s replacing second team guys, who tend to alternate with the first team guys, when they become the first team guys.
- The word is out about how you beat Syracuse: we were too small to begin with and are beaten up on the defensive line, so run right at us. Atomic football, (go right at ‘em). Pitt’s always been very good at that and they have the perfect weapon for it in 5-11 215 Israel Abanikanda, who has supplanted Sean Tucker as the best running back in the conference. He’s gained 1,086 yards in 8 games, (135.8 yards per game) in 183 carries, (5.9), and 16 scores, including 320 yards and 6TDs vs. Virginia Tech. Our hero has 758 yards in 8 games, (94.8) in 145 carries (5.2) and 7 scores, including a meaningless 232 yards and 3 scores against Wagner. Clemson ran for 293 yards against us and Notre Dame 246. Abanikanda could match those figures themselves.
- Which would allow Pitt to dominate the ball and the clock. That puts a premium on our moving the ball and scoring quickly. We can’t do that with our starting quarterback on the shelf or trying to “give it a go”. We’ve got have a dynamic quarterback in there. But he’s got to be very efficient with his plays and protect the ball. Is Carlos Del Rio Williams ready to be that guy?
- In 2011, we were 5-2. We wound up 5-7. In 2014, we were 3-4. We wound up 3-9. In 2015, we were 3-0. We wound up 4-8. In 2016, we were 4-4. We wound up 4-8. In 2017 we were 4-3. We wound up 4-8. In 2021, we were 5-4. We wound up 5-7. We started 6-0 this year but we are a beat-up team and our perennial depth problem could bring us down again. It’s not just replacing first team guys: it’s replacing second team guys, who tend to alternate with the first team guys, when they become the first team guys.
