Pitt should respect Paladins

Pitt will entertain the highest-ranked opponent it will see all season on Saturday afternoon… Pitt will entertain the highest-ranked opponent it will see all season on Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field.

Fortunately for a 1-1 Pitt team, the opposition is Furman — the university, not the player.

Furman, ranked second in the latest Division I-AA polls, comes to Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Despite being Division I-AA, the program is no stranger to knocking off Division I-A foes. In 1999, the Paladins blew out North Carolina, 28-3, accumulating their fifth win against 1-A opponents.

“I’ve seen a lot of upsets,” senior tackle Rob Petitti said of the expectations placed on Pitt to win big Saturday. “But it really doesn’t matter how much we should win by as long as we win.”

The Paladins (3-0) disposed of Gardner-Webb, 38-6, last Saturday, and look to join New Hampshire and Maine as the third to upend Division I-A programs this season. Many consider this to be the best team Furman has fielded in years, if not in school history, and Petitti knows that the Paladins pack a dangerous punch.

“They play hard against everybody they play against,” Petitti said after practice Wednesday night. “So we don’t expect them to lay down; they’re going to come in ready to play.”

Furman’s hopes for an upset may hinge on its offense, which has tremendous big-play capability. Ingle Martin, a junior transfer from Florida, is the starting quarterback in his first year in the program. Pitt head coach Walt Harris calls Martin one of many “bounce-back players” scattered throughout Division I-AA. He’s talking about transfers who have the talent to play in Division I-A, but who transfer to Division I-AA schools to ensure playing time.

“They have a rule where transfers from [Division I-A] can play right away,” Harris said. “They don’t have to sit out a year, so a lot of kids leave [Division I-A] programs if they aren’t getting playing time.”

Martin has run the offense efficiently thus far, throwing for 602 yards and six touchdowns. Brian Bratton has been his favorite target, catching 15 passes — three of them for touchdowns — on his way to averaging 86 yards receiving per game. The next leading receiver on the roster has only caught seven passes.

Seven Paladin receivers average more than 10 yards per reception, with three wide outs averaging more than 20 yards per catch, so Pitt’s secondary will have to be wary of the big play. And that is just the passing attack.

Pitt will also have to contain the Furman assault on the ground. Starting tailback Brandon Mays is only one of four players who average more than five yards per carry. Fellow halfbacks Daric Carter and Cedric Gibson also average more than five yards per rush attempt when splitting time with Mays. Martin is one of them, going for more than 10 yards per carry, elevating the Furman rushing average to more than 300 yards per game.

Harris said that the defense is going to have to contain Martin and keep him in the pocket to prevent a big rushing play downfield. Harris smiled, saying Pitt will have to keep him in their “picket fences” all afternoon.

“We have to contain him, keep him inside and outside.” Harris said of Martin and his speed. “He’s a good player, plus he’s fast. I watched one game where he outran the entire team for a long touchdown. We have to keep him bottled up.”

With the ability to balance running and passing comes incredible offensive success for the Paladins, as the school boasts one of the best attacks in school history. The tiny school from South Carolina is averaging more than 500 yards of offense per game, has achieved 80 first downs (46 by rush — three more than the total amount of first downs opponents have gained thus far), and is scoring 45 points per game in cruising through its first three games.

Furman has been far from perfect in its first three games, however. Like Nebraska last week, the Paladins have had turnover problems, which have been disguised by the lopsided scores of their victories. Martin has thrown five interceptions already, and the offense has lost three fumbles. Harris said the Panthers will have to limit their mistakes and capitalize on Furman’s if Pitt is to take control of the game.

“It starts with turnovers and also with penalties,” Harris said of cutting back on miscues. “If we take care of those two things, then that will give us all the more chance to win.”

That includes the special teams, where the central questions circulating the kick returning has been whether or not Allen Richardson will be returning kicks this Saturday. Harris said that despite Richardson’s fumble and backup Marcus Furman’s return for a touchdown, he is sticking with Richardson.

“He is our surest-hands guy,” Harris said. “Of all the guys on our football team, he is the best we can have out there, but he’s got to be smarter.”

“There are always going to be growing pains with first-year players,” he added. “He’s a freshman, but he is the best we have to offer.”

Furman will offer its best on Saturday as well.