Pitt's game in Durham was both entertaining and agonizing. I had quite a unique perspective since I viewed the game from the Pitt section at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. Without the benefit of television replays and analysis, these are my weekly pluses and minuses...from the stands.
Pluses:
- Tom Savage: Last week I put Savage on the minus list because he failed to limit turnovers against inferior opponents. This week, well, he showed me. He showed us all with a record breaking performance. Six touchdowns and no interceptions. Yeah, he's a plus.
- Tyler Boyd: What else can be said about this kid? He's just a special talent.
- Devin Street: See, above. Really though, Street and Boyd are the most dynamic tandem in the ACC. And yes, we should start getting excited about this offense.
- The atmosphere: Duke is a decent team with a lot of fans around the state of North Carolina. They need more support for football because Wallace Wade is a really unique place to see a game. They showed great hospitality to a pretty good amount of Pitt fans. And an aside, Jamie Dixon is a pretty great guy and if you follow me on Twitter, you'll see visual evidence as to why.
Minuses:
- The Defense: All of them. Just burn the tape. What a terrible game for a group that is supposed to be the strength of this team. Some nice (and HUGE) plays were made, but an equal number were surrendered. Many players, like Ray Vinopal, had a very rough game (except for his onside kick recoveries). Matt House, your seat is getting warm.
- Special Teams: Again, all of them. Kicking...bad. Coverage...bad. Returns...nonexistent. Jamison Crowder is a very good player, but that is no excuse.
That's all for this week. The problems seemed apparent from the stands. The offense was good and the defense was bad. It was a nerve-racking game that Pitt usually loses. But they didn't. And for that, I think we should all feel a little optimistic.
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