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Pitt has an important game this weekend with Old Dominion. The Panthers need to come out and play better, and obviously get a win. Here is what the depth chart looks like heading into Saturday.
QB - Tom Savage Chad Voytik
The Chad Voytik crowd really needs to quiet down. Tom Savage has been playing pretty well, but has been put in a tough spot with the offensive line woes. He battled the best he could, and managed to post a rushing touchdown. When given the proper time, we have seen what Savage can do.
RB - Isaac Bennett James Conner
The running game was non-existent Saturday, but again the line did not open many holes. Both Bennett and Conner are pretty much straight ahead guys, and need room to operate. Obviously, Conner was injured and did not appear in the game very long. He is still the leading rusher on this team, and needs to be healthy. Rachid Ibrahim continues to work his way into the offense, and should continue as the season progresses.
WR - Devin Street* Tyler Boyd* Kevin Weatherspoon Ed Tinker
The receivers had a rough day overall. Devin Street came up with two big plays, but came up injured on the one. Tyler Boyd was seemingly bottled up for the most part, but the issues with the line and quarterback played a role. Weatherspoon came up with a nice performance, and made some gritty catches across the middle.
TE - JP Holtz* Manasseh Garner* Scott Orndoff Jaymar Parrish
The tight ends had another quiet afternoon. Manasseh Garner came up with a few catches, but that was it. Again, this unit has talent, but they appear to be second options after Street and Boyd. They are good blockers in general, but may need to step it up with the line issues.
LT - Adam Bisnowaty Juantez Hollins
LG - Cory King Ryan Schlieper
C - Artie Rowell Shane Johnson
RG - Matt Rotheram Shane Johnson
RT - TJ Clemmings Dorian Johnson
In case you missed the hints I dropped previously, the line was not good on Saturday. Svaage faced constant pressure, the backs had no room to run, and Pitt barely moved the ball at all. Adam Bisnowaty seems to be the culprit of choice, and he needs to play better. Left Tackle is a big responsibility for a redshirt freshman. The cries for Dorian Johnson may continue to get louder as he is the most highly regarded recruit on the entire roster.
DT - Aaron Donald Darryl Render
No news here, but Aaron Donald is still really good. In fact, ESPN thinks he is the second best defensive player in the entire country this season. Hard to argue with it either, he is producing, but even when he is not, he is beating linemen and applying pressure.
NT - Tyrone Ezell LaQuentin Smith
Ezell made a number of good plays Saturday, and certainly his season in being overshadowed by Aaron Donald.
DE - David Durham* Bryan Murphy* Ejuan Price* Shakir Soto
Bryan Murphy returned to action and came up with a sack. His presence helps and the unit overall has been better each and every week. Price has also been impressive to watch, and had a productive day in Blacksburg.
MLB - Shane Gordon Matt Galambos
Gordon was available for action last week, but Galambos seemed to play the majority of the game. Galambos looked like a freshman at times, but middle linebacker is a lot to ask of a young player.
SAM OLB - Anthony Gonzalez Bam Bradley
Gonzalez was burnt in coverage on Virginia Tech's lone touchdown, but played steady otherwise. Bam Bradley also received some playing time.
WILL LB - Todd Thomas Nicholas Grigsby
Todd Thomas looked great on Saturday, and was flying all over the field. He made some plays behind the line of scrimmage, and arguably played his best game of the season.
CB - Lafayette Pitts* K'waun Williams* Trenton Coles Titus Howard
The corners played steady for the most part, and that is expected of this unit. Williams and Pitts are talented players, and they need to play that way all the time. I do not doubt their abilities, but I occasionally doubt the coverage packages that they are in certain situations.
SS - Jason Hendricks Terrish Webb
No changes here, and Hendricks also played well for the most part on Saturday. It is the calls more so than the players themselves that have me question the pass defense.
FS - Ray Vinopal Ryan Lewis
I have hardly heard a peep of complaints about Vinopal in recent weeks, so that must mean he is doing a good job. I noticed he played with more confidence against Virginia, and it carried over to the Va Tech game.
Special Teams - K - Chris Blewitt P - Matt Yoklic LS - David Murphy
Blewitt came in and made a big kick before the half. Obviously he has had some troubles, but showed poise for a freshman to drill a 47 yard kick on the road with the team struggling. Hats off to him.
Returners - PR - Kevin Weatherspoon KR - Tyler Boyd/Lafayette Pitts
I am starting to question the punt return position. There is no doubt Weatherspoon appears sure handed, but he has very little explosiveness. For an offense that was getting nothing going, it would have been nice to see Boyd get a crack in open space. Pitt was going up against a known special teams power house in Virginia Tech, so it may not have made a difference.
QB - Tom Savage Chad Voytik
The Chad Voytik crowd really needs to quiet down. Tom Savage has been playing pretty well, but has been put in a tough spot with the offensive line woes. He battled the best he could, and managed to post a rushing touchdown. When given the proper time, we have seen what Savage can do.
RB - Isaac Bennett James Conner
The running game was non-existent Saturday, but again the line did not open many holes. Both Bennett and Conner are pretty much straight ahead guys, and need room to operate. Obviously, Conner was injured and did not appear in the game very long. He is still the leading rusher on this team, and needs to be healthy. Rachid Ibrahim continues to work his way into the offense, and should continue as the season progresses.
WR - Devin Street* Tyler Boyd* Kevin Weatherspoon Ed Tinker
The receivers had a rough day overall. Devin Street came up with two big plays, but came up injured on the one. Tyler Boyd was seemingly bottled up for the most part, but the issues with the line and quarterback played a role. Weatherspoon came up with a nice performance, and made some gritty catches across the middle.
TE - JP Holtz* Manasseh Garner* Scott Orndoff Jaymar Parrish
The tight ends had another quiet afternoon. Manasseh Garner came up with a few catches, but that was it. Again, this unit has talent, but they appear to be second options after Street and Boyd. They are good blockers in general, but may need to step it up with the line issues.
LT - Adam Bisnowaty Juantez Hollins
LG - Cory King Ryan Schlieper
C - Artie Rowell Shane Johnson
RG - Matt Rotheram Shane Johnson
RT - TJ Clemmings Dorian Johnson
In case you missed the hints I dropped previously, the line was not good on Saturday. Svaage faced constant pressure, the backs had no room to run, and Pitt barely moved the ball at all. Adam Bisnowaty seems to be the culprit of choice, and he needs to play better. Left Tackle is a big responsibility for a redshirt freshman. The cries for Dorian Johnson may continue to get louder as he is the most highly regarded recruit on the entire roster.
DT - Aaron Donald Darryl Render
No news here, but Aaron Donald is still really good. In fact, ESPN thinks he is the second best defensive player in the entire country this season. Hard to argue with it either, he is producing, but even when he is not, he is beating linemen and applying pressure.
NT - Tyrone Ezell LaQuentin Smith
Ezell made a number of good plays Saturday, and certainly his season in being overshadowed by Aaron Donald.
DE - David Durham* Bryan Murphy* Ejuan Price* Shakir Soto
Bryan Murphy returned to action and came up with a sack. His presence helps and the unit overall has been better each and every week. Price has also been impressive to watch, and had a productive day in Blacksburg.
MLB - Shane Gordon Matt Galambos
Gordon was available for action last week, but Galambos seemed to play the majority of the game. Galambos looked like a freshman at times, but middle linebacker is a lot to ask of a young player.
SAM OLB - Anthony Gonzalez Bam Bradley
Gonzalez was burnt in coverage on Virginia Tech's lone touchdown, but played steady otherwise. Bam Bradley also received some playing time.
WILL LB - Todd Thomas Nicholas Grigsby
Todd Thomas looked great on Saturday, and was flying all over the field. He made some plays behind the line of scrimmage, and arguably played his best game of the season.
CB - Lafayette Pitts* K'waun Williams* Trenton Coles Titus Howard
The corners played steady for the most part, and that is expected of this unit. Williams and Pitts are talented players, and they need to play that way all the time. I do not doubt their abilities, but I occasionally doubt the coverage packages that they are in certain situations.
SS - Jason Hendricks Terrish Webb
No changes here, and Hendricks also played well for the most part on Saturday. It is the calls more so than the players themselves that have me question the pass defense.
FS - Ray Vinopal Ryan Lewis
I have hardly heard a peep of complaints about Vinopal in recent weeks, so that must mean he is doing a good job. I noticed he played with more confidence against Virginia, and it carried over to the Va Tech game.
Special Teams - K - Chris Blewitt P - Matt Yoklic LS - David Murphy
Blewitt came in and made a big kick before the half. Obviously he has had some troubles, but showed poise for a freshman to drill a 47 yard kick on the road with the team struggling. Hats off to him.
Returners - PR - Kevin Weatherspoon KR - Tyler Boyd/Lafayette Pitts
I am starting to question the punt return position. There is no doubt Weatherspoon appears sure handed, but he has very little explosiveness. For an offense that was getting nothing going, it would have been nice to see Boyd get a crack in open space. Pitt was going up against a known special teams power house in Virginia Tech, so it may not have made a difference.