There was a lot to talk about when Pitt started 7-0 last season. Redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein was leading incredible comebacks and couldn’t lose a game, junior running back Desmond Reid was taking the nation by storm as one of the most explosive players in college football and the Pitt linebackers’ self-given nickname, “the Sharks,” has gained fame for stat-sheet-stuffing performances.
The temperature on the Panthers has changed — they’ve only won two of their last 10 games, with those wins coming this season against Duquesne and Central Michigan. They haven’t beaten a Power 4 team since Syracuse in week nine of last season, where the Sharks scored three pick-sixes in the first half.
How can the Panthers break this curse? At points, it looked like Pitt would break through against Louisville last Saturday, but a late offensive collapse from the Panthers let the Cardinals fly back to Kentucky with a win.
It wasn’t the collapse. In truth, Pitt didn’t adhere to the “Three keys to victory against Louisville.” It did not activate Reid and did not bring down Louisville redshirt senior quarterback Miller Moss to the ground enough. It’s no shock Pitt heads into its fourth home game of the season with a 2-2 record.
Only three teams sit below Pitt in the ACC standings. One of them — Boston College — heads down to Pittsburgh this Saturday for a noon kickoff.
First Key: The Sharks stay hungry
Pitt needs to break the ice and get a win over a Power 4 opponent. Is three first-half pick-sixes from Pitt’s linebackers what it takes to make that happen? Maybe. While I started the season with some keys to victory like “have fun out there,” it’s time to overcorrect.
If Pitt wants to beat the Eagles on Saturday, the Sharks have to produce. Junior linebacker Rasheem Biles, who leads the ACC with 10.5 tackles and 1.75 tackles for loss per game, had an incredible showing against Louisville, including a 75-yard pick-six. But it wasn’t enough. Everyone knows Sharks must keep swimming to stay alive, so Biles has to continue dominating all areas of the field for Pitt to win.
Junior linebacker Kyle Louis, fellow Shark and the first non-senior captain since 2019, entered this season decorated with preseason accolades. Despite playing well in all of Pitt’s contests, Louis hasn’t sacked the opposing quarterback since the season opener, recorded a tackle-for-loss in the last two games or forced a fumble all season.
Although mentioning Louis’ lack of big plays sounds like a slight to his play thus far, he’s competing against the outlier amount he produced last season. Biles’ production and Louis’ lack thereof have come with the emergence of the third Shark, junior linebacker Braylan Lovelace. The Leechburg, Pennsylvania, native had his second career interception against West Virginia and tied a career-high three tackles-for-loss against Louisville last Saturday.
While Pitt’s starting linebackers have played well thus far, losses to West Virginia and Louisville prove it’s not enough. The Sharks need to stay hungry and dominate to get Pitt back on track and take down the Eagles this Saturday.
Second Key: Handle the Eagles’ blitz
Boston College’s defensive line has fallen from one of the best in the Power 4 last season to one of the worst. The Eagles had to replace four defensive linemen, including two All-ACC selections, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Cam Horsley, who are now playing for the NFL’s Cowboys and Titans.
It’s no surprise that four games with an entirely new defensive line weren’t enough to grease the gears on the Eagles’ four-man pass rush. But that inability has forced Boston College defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, a first-round NFL draft pick out of Pitt in 1983, to send a five-or-six-man blitz on 51.5% of snaps — the highest in the Power 4 conferences and second highest of all 136 FBS teams.
But Pitt’s offensive line hasn’t played anything close to perfect football. Although Holstein should take a large chunk of blame, Pitt’s offensive line gave up six sacks against West Virginia. To give credit where it’s due, Pitt’s run game did look better than expected against Louisville, considering Reid’s absence.
So, Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates could flip a coin. Heads? The blitz is coming. When the Eagles don’t blitz, they only pressure the quarterback on 22.7% of snaps, which is great news for Holstein, considering he needs extra time in the pocket to throw the deep passes he loves. Pitt’s offensive line just has to win their one-on-one matchups against the non-blitz and rely on help from Pitt’s running backs and tight ends when Bates sees the blitz coming.
Third Key: Holstein keeps connecting on deep passes
In the same way my day is made by finding $20 on the ground, Holstein’s game gets a lot better when one of Pitt’s wide receivers gains a huge chunk of yards in one catch.
At halftime against Pitt on Saturday, Louisville defensive coordinator Ron English told his defense the key to stopping the Panthers.
“This is the deal — [Pitt] can’t score on chunk [plays], [Pitt] ain’t scoring,” English said. “Because they’re gonna self-destruct before they get to the endzone anyway. So let’s keep the ball in sight and in front, don’t give [Pitt] chunks.”
Turns out, English was right. Six of Pitt’s 13 drives against Louisville were three-and-outs or worse, with three of them resulting in interceptions. But his point did not just apply to last Saturday. The deep ball has got Holstein and Pitt’s offense unstuck from a rut in each of their four games this season.
Lucky for the Panthers, Boston College’s secondary has suffered several injuries already this season. Thus, the starting lineup at defensive back and safety is almost entirely true first-year players — a mismatch for Pitt’s experienced wide receiver room that loves to run vertical.
Holstein connecting on a few deep passes to get the rest of his game in rhythm could apply to every game this season, but it should prove particularly important against the Eagles, considering this vulnerability.
