#H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[moose141]

#PantherNation Preview: G6 vs. Virginia Tech
Report by Matt Schmidlin | October 16, 2020

What: Virginia Tech (3-3) @ #3 Pitt (5-0)
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
When: Saturday, October 17, 2020, 8:00 PM EST

Game Line Pres. by FanDuel: Pitt (-14)
ESPN Prediction: Pitt

Last Meeting (2019): 30-16 Pitt
Last Meeting at Venue (2018): 44-20 Pitt
All Time Series: 10-9 Pitt
Dynasty Series: 3-1 Pitt

Matchup to Watch: Pitt Defense vs. Virginia Tech Offense

Despite their middling record, Virginia Tech comes to Heinz Field with the nation's sixth ranked offense, nearly topping 500 yards per game, and led by senior QB Josh Jackson and the country's #8 ranked aerial attack (286 YPG). Pitt will throw out their equal, fielding the #6-ranked defense by yardage in the FBS, surprising many who saw the youthful group that the Panthers were forced to field after so many departures to graduation and the NFL. Pitt is nearing closer to their first time being ranked #1 in the nation since November 1982 and the days of Dan Marino, and will need to strong defensive effort against the Hokies to get there.

Player Matchup to Watch: Pitt DT Darren Toth vs. VT C Matt Mason

Darren Toth has been a behemoth inside for the Panthers, leading the nation in sacks and outshining star DE Shaun Wolfgang for much of the season. Tech's sophomore C Matt Mason should have his work cut out for him trying to shut down Pitt's monster in the middle, and will likely need help from his interior linemates to try and defense against the power of Toth.

What to Expect on the Field This Saturday

[moose141]

BACK IN BLACK
Report by Matt Schmidlin | October 17, 2020







Photo Gallery

[Deuce2223]

So the Uni's look pretty sweet, but with Black Uni's you got to go Black shoes. Actually some Black/Blue shoes would've looked pretty sweet with the Blue on the helmet and the Blue sleeves/ect..

I watched a Death Valley State game where Drew actually started the game wearing White shoes and had to do a reset and start the game over cause he couldn't get past the fact he forgot to pick Black Shoes

Still got to figure out how to get the Offense moving the ball better for a full 4 quarters cause I feel if you are going to be able to get a Natty we need to see some offensive

[Careless Whisper]

Really like how the City unis came out - think I like them a bit more than the Championship Gold ones. Special teams really made a difference in this one, must be nice having a kicker you can rely on! Those kind of performances by Bump and Artis-Payne in the return game could end up as ones that really made the season. And how about my guy Jay Keyes? No touchdown, but he just keeps making big plays there at the end.

[joshuahuskers]

Another sluggish second half and it almost costs Pitt this time! Thankfully Jay Bump was nails with his FG kicking.

Kenny looked really great in the 1H again, but with two more picks in the 2H, yikes! The slow starts in the second half really have to be concerning for Narduzzi and Company.

Finally, I may be in the minority here, but I prefer “championship gold” over “city”. Not that the city unis are bad, I just think the championship gold is really really slick. They looked waaaay better than I had anticipated haha.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

So the Uni's look pretty sweet, but with Black Uni's you got to go Black shoes. Actually some Black/Blue shoes would've looked pretty sweet with the Blue on the helmet and the Blue sleeves/ect.. I watched a Death Valley State game where Drew actually started the game wearing White shoes and had to do a reset and start the game over cause he couldn't get past the fact he forgot to pick Black Shoes Still got to figure out how to get the Offense moving the ball better for a full 4 quarters cause I feel if you are going to be able to get a Natty we need to see some offensive

Haha, appreciate the thoughts on the new look! I'll be honest, I did actually test them with the black shoes as well, but the plain black Nike cleats that all my players were wearing just didn't look as good against the rest of the uniform as the white ones did. That said, I think you're right, the next time we break those unis out I'm planning on modding things into a full blackout including the crowd, and so in that instance we will rock the black cleats!

You hit the nail on the head with the offense. Another game, another bad second half for us (sounds just like Pitt IRL haha). There's no doubt that the offense is gonna need to carry the team against the big boys, as our defense has started showing a bit of strain against some stronger offenses, though I do like that they are becoming a bit more opportunistic!

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Really like how the City unis came out - think I like them a bit more than the Championship Gold ones. Special teams really made a difference in this one, must be nice having a kicker you can rely on! Those kind of performances by Bump and Artis-Payne in the return game could end up as ones that really made the season. And how about my guy Jay Keyes? No touchdown, but he just keeps making big plays there at the end.

Appreciate your thoughts on the unis! Yeah, I think they both have something different to offer for sure. The golds I think are better for a day game alt while those black unis I thought really looked unreal under the lights in the primetime contest, so we'll probably use them similarly in the future.

It was huge seeing the change in Special Teams this year, Bump has progressed nicely and so his leg can finally boot 50+ yarders, I remember even mid 40s was the edge of his range when he first started and forced us into a lot of annoting pooch punts previously. Artis-Scott is a revelation back there, he actually has the true speed to make things happen on the returns, though I still can't seem to break one to the house anymore! Our unsung hero to be honest might be our punter, Eric Fox. He was meh for us his first two seasons, but he's really come into his own and ends up with 2-3 punts inside the 20 or even the 10 almost every game. If he doesn't win the Ray Guy award it will be highway robbery.

Quote: Originally Posted by joshuahuskers

Another sluggish second half and it almost costs Pitt this time! Thankfully Jay Bump was nails with his FG kicking. Kenny looked really great in the 1H again, but with two more picks in the 2H, yikes! The slow starts in the second half really have to be concerning for Narduzzi and Company. Finally, I may be in the minority here, but I prefer “championship gold” over “city”. Not that the city unis are bad, I just think the championship gold is really really slick. They looked waaaay better than I had anticipated haha.

Hey Josh, appreciate the input! Like I said to Careless above, I think both jerseys definitely have a place on the field and offer something fun... neither of them are going away permanently that is for sure! I do agree with you that I thought the gold look may be overkill, but I think against the right opponent it really ends up popping nicely!

For the offense, you're right, we've got to be better finishing drives and keeping the football, because we seem to have a tendency to let our opponents right back into the game and sooner or later it's going to come back and bite us.

Thanks for all of the comments guys!

[moose141]

NATIONAL SIGNING DA(Y)'VION
Report by Matt Schmidlin | October 18, 2020

Following their 26-20 win over Virginia Tech, the Pitt Panthers and head coach Pat Narduzzi got possibly and even bigger victory, snagging the nation's #24 ranked recruit as Cedar Creek HB Da'vion Reynolds (****, 6'1", 197 lbs) committed to the Panthers after his official visit on Saturday.

The star halfback, currently ranked 5th at his position by Rivals, made the announcement through a Twitter post on Sunday, choosing Pitt over interest from Rutgers and Boston College. He currently leads New Jersey high school football with 964 yards and 16 TDs through 7 games, well on pace to smash his junior year stat line of 1432 yards and 19 TDs.

The influx of talent at halfback will certainly be welcome to the Panthers, with their futility on the ground surely providing Reynolds with the comfort that he will certainly have a chance to play early and often. The duo of Todd Sibley, Jr. and CJ London combined for just 48 yards on 19 carries between the pair of them. Senior QB Kenny Pickett actually led the way for the Panthers with 32 yards on 10 carries.

An absolute speed demon, Reynolds was officially recorded running a 4.34 40-yard dash (94 SPD), and he has an incredible first burst of speed (98 ACC) to jet past defenders with ease. While being an incredible runner, Reynolds has proven to be an adept returner (93 RET) as well, with a pair of kick return touchdowns this season after a quartet of return TDs last year, owing to his incredible elusiveness (92 ELU) with the football. He has even shown an adeptness at catching the ball out of the backfield (76 CTH), with a penchant for using his strong jumping ability (88 JMP) to make a few spectacular grabs (81 SPC) when needed.

While London came into the Pitt program as a 5 star recruit out of Cornelius, Oregon, the Panther pipeline in New Jersey may have just churned out a tailback to see his name up alongside the likes of Tony Dorsett, LeSean McCoy, and James Conner as true Panther greats.

[joshuahuskers]

BOOM!!

What a huge get!! #24 in the country, that’s a five star talent right there! Awesome! His skill ratings are insane, I imagine he will be a day one contributor and likely starter.

You’ve gotta use him like an APB type with those catch ratings as well. I see you being able to use him the way Nebraska used Wan’Dale Robinson this year in real life. I use Robinson as an example because I’m familiar with him lol.

I don’t ever think I’ve seen an 85 OVR recruit - was this one of the recruits you create each year?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk