The Pitt Panthers executed a well-crafted game plan to beat Western Michigan.
PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers entered this week’s game against Western Michigan far from complete. For a list of injured starters that only grew as the game went on, they were still able to pull out a convincing win over the Broncos.
Here are three takeaways from a Pitt win that was closer than the score indicated.
Yarnell Executes Game Plan Perfectly in Starting Debut
Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s plan was clear: They would ease redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell into his first career start. To see also : Roger Ebert against video games. It took Cignetti until the second quarter to get the training wheels off and allow Yarnell to uncover some pretty deep balls, but by the second half he was making key plays in the passing game for an offense that relied heavily on the run.
Israel Abanikanda’s career-high 203 all-purpose yards set the stage for Yarnell, who had to simply make the plays in front of him. Yarnell played error-free football, tallying 179 yards through the air on 75% completion and one touchdown without a loss.
He was steady for a Pitt team in desperate need of a stabilizing presence. Pat Narduzzi and the rest of the Pitt staff can rest easy knowing they have a competent signal caller who can fill in next week against Rhode Island while Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti are rested.
Rehashing Kicker Competition
It was a puzzling development when special teams coordinator Andre Powell announced that Ben Sauls had won the starting kicker spot over 2021 third-team All-ACC honoree Sam Scarton, and that decision has seemed even more disconcerting after the last two weeks. See the article : Starfield tops the list of most anticipated video games for 2023.
Sauls went two-for-three on field goals against Western Michigan after going just two-for-four against Tennessee. It’s part of being a kicker: his faults are magnified. His two missed kicks were big as Pitt went into overtime against the Volunteers, and failing to convert a 27-yard attempt in Kalamazoo was a glaring mistake.
Pat Narduzzi said he watches Sauls and Scarton every day in practice and Sauls has been more impressive, but if he doesn’t show up on game day, practice results shouldn’t matter and Scarton should have a chance to to start.
Pitt Improves on Red Zone Struggles
Pitt held an eight-minute lead in time of possession and outgained Western Michigan by more than 150 total yards in the first half. See the article : 8 of the scariest serial killers in video games. They ran effectively and converted some deep passes thanks to Yarnell’s good touch, but at halftime, the Panthers only held a 7-point lead because they couldn’t capitalize on scoring opportunities in the red zone.
After six straight quarters of sledding near the goal line, the Panthers broke through in the second half against the Broncos. They scored touchdowns on each of their last three red zone opportunities to help them pull away and win by 21 points.
They moved the ball well down the field, but with a veteran offensive line and a deep running back corps, the Panthers couldn’t find dirt early on. Simply put, they had to be better from close range, and they did in the second half. They’ll have to do it again against better competition as the season progresses, but this second half was a step in the right direction.
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