Football: Pitt preps for New Mexico

Despite suffering a 41-13 loss at the hands of Florida State on Sept. 2, Pitt head football coach Paul Chryst said he was impressed with the team’s attitude after the game during a press conference Monday morning at the team’s training facility on the South Side. 

“Everyone owned that game,” Chryst said. “I think if you do that, you have a chance to move forward and get better.”

After last week’s bye, Pitt (0-1, 0-1 ACC) moves forward this week against the New Mexico (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West) Lobos as the programs face each other for the first time in their respective histories. Although the 28-point loss to Florida State in week one was an eyesore, the game held value for Chryst and the Panthers as they continue on their path through the 2013 season.

“Some of our guys got valuable reps, and I’m not just talking about the young guys getting their first snaps,” Chryst said. “Each player’s got some things that they can build on.” 

Although a number of freshmen contributed to Pitt’s efforts Sept. 2, and 11 are now listed on the Panthers’ two-deep depth chart, reps in game-action also held value for players such as quarterback Tom Savage and tight end Manasseh Garner. 

“We’ve got redshirt freshmen who didn’t play in games last year,” Chryst said. “There are a lot of guys who getting those snaps under their belts helps. Now they need to get better.”

Savage took his first live snaps since the 2010 season, and Garner played for the first time after he sat out the 2012 season due to transfer rules and scored Pitt’s lone touchdown to cap a nine-play, 80-yard game-opening drive. 

Savage finished 15-of-28 from the pocket against FSU and threw for 201 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted twice. 

“I think it helps he has a game under his belt now,” Chryst said. “It’s been awhile since he’s gotten hit, made a throw on third-and-10 or managed the play clock. I think all those things help every guy.”

Beyond Savage, Chryst said that a major issue for the Panthers was their performance on first and third downs. 

“If you look at it just plain and simple, we have to do better on third down, offensively and defensively,” Chryst said. 

Offensively, Pitt hopes to sustain more drives in order to get the running game going. Freshman James Conner and junior Isaac Bennett each carried nine times for 36 yards but couldn’t establish a rhythm with the ground game.

“We weren’t very good on first down, so if you can stay ahead of the chains, that helps,” Chryst said. “We were bad on third down, so if you convert more than 25 percent of your third downs, you get more kicks at the can.”

As Pitt now begins preparation for its matchup with New Mexico, the Panthers face a Lobos team coached by former Pitt linebackers coach Bob Davie that features an option-based attack that will see the ball stay mostly on the ground. 

Last week, New Mexico senior tailback Kasey Carrier posted a huge game when he rushed 41 times for 291 yards and four touchdowns against the University of Texas-El Paso. On the season, Carrier has taken the ball 61 times for 345 yards, and he will be a priority for the Panthers when it comes to defensive assignments.

“Certainly there’s some specifics to New Mexico and their offense,” Chryst said. “Any time you’re facing an option, you’ve got to stay true to your responsibilities.”

A part of staying true to the responsibilities necessary to limiting the effectiveness of the Lobos’ option attack is playing what Chryst calls “disciplined” football to stay “assignment-sound.”

“I think discipline is key,” Chryst said. “I think it’s making sure that we’re disciplined, that we’re following our keys and we’re trusting that the guy next to you is doing his job so I can focus on doing my job.” 

Though New Mexico runs a different style of offense from what the Panthers faced against Florida State’s heavy attack — in which redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 356 yards and four scores — coach Chryst feels the team can still translate certain lessons learned in the loss to the Seminoles.

“But then I think there are some things that carry over,” Chryst said. “We’ve got to tackle better, we’ve got to challenge the receivers, we’ve got to finish on some of our pressures.”