Many people feel that is a forgone conclusion that Tom Savage will be under center when the Pitt Panthers open up the 2013 season at Heinz Field against Florida State.
Apparently Chad Voytik didn’t get the memo.
Pitt head coach Paul Chryst has insisted that the quarterback battle is still wide open and if Friday night’s spring game is any indication, Voytik could find himself right in the mix for the job.
The redshirt freshman completed 27-of-33 passes for 358 yards and three scores during the Panthers’ annual spring game at Bethel Park High School.
Voytik got a lot of playing time and showed he could move the Pitt offense by throwing a 66-yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Kevin Weatherspoon and a pair of scores freshman tight end Scott Orndoff.
Savage started with the first team and played a lot less than Voytik, but that was by design. The former Rutgers starter completed 6-of-11 passes for 80 yards but didn’t produce a touchdown drive while he was on the field.
The Pitt offense in general had little trouble moving the ball against a defense missing a handful of starters due to injury, but Voytik was certainly the one who made the biggest impression.
However he wasn’t the only one.
Following the loss of Rushel Shell, Isaac Bennett made a statement that he can be the featured back in this offense. Bennett ran for 114 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown run in which he bounced off a couple of defenders then sprinted to the end zone. That made up for an earlier fumble when Bennett was very sloppy with the ball.
Desmond Brown, the younger brother of Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown, ran for 90 yards and a touchdown while Malcolm Crockett added 45 yards, but fumbled twice.
Several Pitt players did a lot to impress, but the overall feeling is that there is still a lot to work on, which is natural at this time of the year.
However Voytik and Bennett did their part to let the Pitt coaching staff know that they can make plays if their numbers are called during the season.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
