Pitt offense has numerous options

Listen to the music, breathe the fresh air, and feel your heart beat for the first time in… Listen to the music, breathe the fresh air, and feel your heart beat for the first time in months. At long last, the wait is over: College football is finally here. And that means Bowling Green is rolling into town. In the first few games of the season, we’ll likely see a variety of sets mixing different receivers and backs. With a deep core of skilled players on offense, offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s play-calling schemes seem like they could be endless. Pitt may be able to run four and five-receiver sets, options, screens or two tight ends, along with the standard sets the team has run in the past. But who will be where? Here’s a look at a standard set we could see [see Figure 1]. This is a regular one-back set with passing and rushing opportunities all around. With a tight end on the right side, the line has the strength to block for the run or the pass. The tight end also has the opportunity to release from the line into the flat or take another route toward the middle of the field. In this example, the tight end breaks right toward the sideline. With the receivers crossing to his right, it can create an almost guaranteed six or seven-yard gain. In sets like this, we’ll also see a run many times. Almost every team on Pitt’s schedule will be creeping up in the box to stop Pitt’s running game (LeSean McCoy is still Pitt’s most dangerous weapon), meaning eventually, the passing game will open up. Throughout the spring, the Pitt passing game was limited to short, abbreviated routes and quick, safe throws. There wasn’t much of a deep threat because of the fact that the offensive line was too inexperienced to protect the quarterback for long enough to make the reads and air the ball out. But when summer camp began and the line began showing development, the passing game opened up a bit. But that doesn’t mean the short passes are gone. Tight end Nate Byham and wide receiver Oderick Turner are great targets for the short game. Both are tall and can overpower their defenders for extra yards after the catch. They’re quick enough to take off down the field, but big enough to make a short move and catch the ball in traffic. Look for these guys to catch a lot of short passes, make a move and turn them into long gains. And mixing in these passes after runs by McCoy will eventually force the defense to not only have its linebackers creeping up, but also to have a safety creep up toward the line, as well. With Pitt’s deep threat now developing, this could be dangerous for the defense. If there’s only one safety staying back in coverage, Stull has the opportunity to pump fake one way and then turn and gun it the other. This opens up either side as a deep threat if the receiver can shake his defender and get some space. Even a foot of separation means there’s room for a pass. And Stull’s accuracy downfield improved with each practice, meaning he should be able to put the ball up there where only his guys can make the catch. As mentioned before, Pitt’s wide receivers give the team a good opportunity to try a lot of different sets. With freshman Jonathan Baldwin in the mix, the Panthers have a fresh deep threat who could make an impact wherever he lines up. We could also see Greg Cross, a quarterback who transferred from junior college last year, come in and run the wildcat offense like LeSean McCoy did at times last year. As far as athleticism goes, Cross is the real deal. He’s fast, strong and knows how to make plays with his feet. But his problem throughout his time at Pitt has been his accuracy throwing the ball. If Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh are comfortable enough with Cross as a decision-maker for a few plays here and there, we could see the wildcat in certain situations. Here’s a look at what the formation could look like [see Figure 2]. A lot of what happens on this play depends on what the defense does. For example, if the quarterback in a wildcat formation sees a big blitz coming from the left side, he may make a check and hand it off to the running back who could then bolt right. He could also roll to the right side away from the blitz and look for a short pass or just run it himself. If the safeties creep up and start loading the box looking for the run, he may make another check and hope to catch a receiver for a longer pass across the middle. Look for Pitt to get a bunch of different looks at a variety of receivers, backs and even quarterbacks Saturday if it builds up a decent lead. This will show the coaches for the first time what the offense is capable of and what it can do in a real game situation. Because no matter how much practice a team has, nothing can substitute for a game.