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2 0 1 8 S E A S O N P R E V I E W 2017 RECORD 5-7, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference COACH Pat Narduzzi (21-17 in three seasons at Pitt; career record: same) SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series against Pitt, 51-43-4. MOST RECENT MEETING Saquon Barkley and Mike Gesicki scored two touchdowns apiece, and Marcus Allen made 12 tackles, including Penn State's =rst safety in seven seasons, as the Nit- tany Lions defeated visiting Pitt, 33-14, on Sept. 9, 2017. EXPECTED STRENGTHS Leading rusher Darrin Hall is back a@er gaining 628 yards and scoring nine touchdowns last season. He'll be joined in the back=eld by Qadree Ollison, who seems like he's been at Pitt forever. The senior, who has played in every game over the past three seasons, has gained 1,646 yards and scored 18 TDs in his career. Receivers Rafael Araujo-Lopes and Maurice Ffrench are back as well a@er combining to make 68 catches for 803 yards last year, and the Panthers will be looking for a bigger contribution from Aaron Math- ews, a former Penn State recruit who caught 16 passes for 189 yards as a soph- omore. On defense, Pitt returns all but one of its top 15 tacklers from last sea- son, so there's plenty of experience on that side of the ball. The Panthers al- lowed 26.6 points per game to rank 65th in the country last year, but the defense tightened up at the end, allowing only 20 points in a loss at Virginia Tech and only 14 in a season-ending victory over Miami the following week. POTENTIAL CONCERNS The biggest question of the o?-season is whether Kenny Pickett is ready to be Pitt's full- time starting quarterback. Pickett was a third-teamer last season before being thrust into a starting role late in the year due to Max Browne's injury and the inef- fectiveness of Ben DiNucci, who has since transferred. Pickett spearheaded the season-ending 24-14 upset of sec- ond-ranked Miami, completing 18 of 23 passes for 193 yards, but he's only a sophomore and hasn't been tested over the course of a full season. The Panthers also have some questions to answer up front with four starters gone, and they will no doubt miss leading receiver Jester Weah and do-everything playmaker Quadree Henderson. As for that defense, it's been a perpetual concern under Nar- duzzi, so much so that the Panthers hired longtime Northwestern linebackers coach Randy Bates to serve as their new coordinator. A year ago, they ranked 106th in the Football Bowl Subdivision against the pass, allowing 254 yards per game, and that was with Avonte Maddox and Jordan Whitehead patrolling the secondary. Those two standouts are now gone, which means it's time for Dane Jackson and Damar Hamlin to step up. SCHEDULE Pitt might have the most ambitious nonconference schedule in the country. A@er opening with a gimme against Albany on Sept. 1, the Panthers will face Penn State, UCF and Notre Dame, three teams that combined to go 34-5 last season. The last two of those games will be on the road, and the =rst could probably be considered a neutral- site game, even though it will take place at Heinz Field. Compared to that gaunt- let, the ACC slate actually looks like something of a respite. Pitt's cross-divi- sional games are against Wake Forest and Syracuse, both eminently beatable. The toughest Coastal Division games – home against Virginia Tech and on the road vs. Miami – are in November, giv- ing the Panthers a chance to build up a head of steam in conference play. GAME OF THE YEAR To Penn State, beating Pitt might be "like beating Akron," to borrow the memorable phrase that James Franklin uttered a@er last year's Nittany Lion victory, one that is sure to receive a comprehensive re-ex- amination in the Pittsburgh media come September. But to Pitt, beating Penn State is… well… like beating Penn State. The Nittany Lions are the Panthers' biggest rivals, and there's no reason to pretend otherwise. The Lions won't ap- pear on Pitt's schedule for years, maybe decades, a@er the current series ends in 2019. That means Penn State won't be returning to Heinz Field for a very long time a@er Sept. 8. So if Pitt wants to claim intrastate bragging rights and open the eyes of prospects in battle- ground recruiting areas, now is the time. OUTLOOK During Narduzzi's coaching tenure, the Panthers have been good at springing surprises on highly ranked op- ponents. Two years ago, they were the only team to defeat Clemson during what would turn out to be a national championship run by the Tigers. Last year, they wrapped up their campaign by knocking Miami out of contention for the College Football Playo?. This year's brutal nonconference schedule will give them even more opportunities to shock the world, but they'll have to put their defensive woes behind them and/or re- vive an o?ense that was uncharacteristi- cally >at last season. There's a lot riding on Pickett's development. If he can re- capture some of the magic of last year's =nale, Pitt could parlay a manageable ACC schedule into a bowl berth. Last season was the =rst since 2007 in which the Panthers failed to qualify for a bowl, and they want to make sure that disap- pointment goes down as an anomaly and not as the start of a trend. –M.H. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS TOP RETURNEES PASSING Kenny Pickett 39 of 66 | 509 yds. | 1 TD | 1 int. RUSHING Darrin Hall 128 att. | 628 yds. | 9 TD RECEIVING Rafael Araujo-Lopes 43 rec. | 531 yds. | 2 TD TACKLING Oluwaseun Idowu 58 solo | 36 asst. | 94 total INTERCEPTIONS Dane Jackson 2 int. | 26 yds. W E E K 2 | S E P T E M B E R 8 | H E I N Z F I E L D

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