Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 OCT. 15, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY COREY BODDEN W hen head coach Pat Nar- duzzi took over at Pitts- burgh in 2015 following a successful stint as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State, he was tasked with getting the Panthers back on track after four seasons of either 6-7 and 7-6 records prior to his arrival. Narduzzi helped lift the program to two straight 8-5 campaigns and the program's first appearance in the Associated Press poll since 2010. Along the way, the Panthers became somewhat of a giant killer. In 2016, the Panthers traveled to Clemson and defeated the then-No. 2 Tigers — who went on to win the national championship — 43-42. Last season, Pittsburgh took down then- No. 2 Miami (Fla.) 24-14 at home. Despite the win over the Hurri- canes, though, the team took a step back to 5-7 last year and the start to 2018 didn't yield better results. After a 33-7 win over Football Championship Subdivision foe Albany to open the campaign, the Panthers were blown out in two of their next four games. They fell 51-6 to rival Penn State and a 45-14 at the hands of Cen- tral Florida. A 24-19 win over Georgia Tech and a 38-35 loss at North Carolina were sandwiched in between. Through the first five weeks, Pitts- burgh ranked 111th nationally in to- tal offense (343.2 yards per game), 105th in scoring offense (22.4 points per game), tied for 97th in scoring de- fense (32.0 points allowed per game) and 102nd in total defense (430.6 yards allowed per game). "Can the defense get better and cut down on the busts and break- downs that have plagued the unit for three-plus years?" said Chris Peak, publisher of Panther-Lair.com. "Can Kenny Pickett take some major steps forward as a quarterback? If the an- swers to those questions are no, what does that mean for Pat Narduzzi's future at Pitt?" Pickett, the sophomore signal- caller, will continue to be tasked with getting the team's offense on track. Through five games, he com- pleted 62.3 percent of his passes for 743 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. "He has looked like a quarterback with one career start [coming into the year]," Peak noted. "Pickett was impressive in leading the win over Miami last year, and the expectation was that he would hit the ground running in 2018. "Instead, he has looked like what he is — an inexperienced quarter- back still learning how to play at this level. He needs to improve his pre-snap reads and how he reads the coverage and pressure packages once the ball is snapped. If he can do that, his strengths will come through and lead to overall improvement in the offense. If not, the offense will con- tinue to sputter." Fifth-year senior Qadree Ollison and senior Darrin Hall lead the way in the backfield, along with Pickett. Ollison rushed for 404 yards and four touchdowns on 68 carries through five weeks, while Hall was produc- tive in less than half the carries (207 yards and three touchdowns on 31 attempts). "Ollison doesn't have breakaway speed and is not particularly adept at breaking tackles, but his experience helps him find holes," Peak noted. "He has looked quicker this season than in years past. "Hall is a similar 'big back' with perhaps a bit more speed." Wide receiver Taysir Mack, a junior transfer from Indiana, is considered the top target for Pickett after reeling in 12 receptions for 265 yards in the first five games. Fellow junior Mau- rice Ffrench had more catches with 14, but not as many big plays with just 172 total yards and two touchdowns. "Taysir Mack has been impressive as a transfer from Indiana, and he's Pitt's No. 1 receiver," Peak noted. "Maurice Ffrench also seems to be coming into his own and looks like a good No. 2 behind Mack. Ultimately, though, all the receivers are hampered by the slow development of the QB and the passing game as a whole." Heading into 2018, the Panthers returned three linemen — fifth-year senior left tackle Stefano Millin, red- GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH Giant Killers The Panthers will head to South Bend looking to defeat a top-10 opponent for the third straight season Senior running back Darrin Hall, who averaged 6.7 yards per carry through five weeks, and the Panthers hope to establish the run game against the Fighting Irish. PHOTO COURTESY PITT ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. PITTSBURGH Game Info Date: Oct. 13, 2018. Site: Notre Dame Stadium (77,622). Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET. Television: NBC. Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129) and on Notre Dame's IMG affiliates. Series Facts: This will be the 71st meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 48-21-1 and won the last meeting 42-30 in 2015. Head Coaches: Pittsburgh — Pat Narduzzi (24-20, fourth season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (75-34, ninth season). Noting Pittsburgh: From 2015-17, Narduzzi's Panthers won 21 games — the most victories by a Pitt football coach in his initial three years since Jackie Sherrill (28 wins from 1977-79) … The Panthers will be searching for their first win in South Bend since a 36-33 triumph in four overtimes in 2008 … Pitts- burgh will enter the Oct. 13 matchup with the Irish 2-8 against top-25 teams at the time of the game in Narduzzi's four years at the helm.