The Pitt Panthers make their long awaited 2014 season debut Saturday afternoon against the Delaware Blue Hens.
Openers haven’t always been kind to the Panthers (think Youngstown State), but with a new quarterback in Chad Voytik making his first collegiate start, Paul Chryst is likely welcoming an opener against a Colonial Athletic Association opponent, given the fact that Pitt is 9-0 lifetime against CAA foes, most recently beating Maine, 35-29 in 2011.
It’s also good for Pitt’s younger players to not have to open with an opponent like Florida State this year.
The Panthers will be one of the youngest teams in the nation in 2014, going through camp with 81 underclassmen (53 freshmen and 28 sophomores), the highest total of any FBS team in the country.
Pitt returns eight starters on offense, but will have to replace six starters on defense from last year’s team.
Delaware won’t be a pushover as the Blue Hens have been to the NCAA playoffs 20 times in their history.
Who has the advantage?
Let’s take a look.
When: August 30, 2014
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
Time: Noon EST
Watch: ESPN3
Spread: N/A
Series History: First meeting between the two teams
Pitt’s Record Last Season: 7-6, including beating MAC champion Bowling Green 30-27 in the Little Caesar’s Bowl.
Delaware Record Last Season: 7-5
Keys for Pitt:
1. Get Voytik Comfortable: Pitt doesn’t want this game to be close, so getting their young quarterback in a comfort zone from the first snap will be big. They don’t want Voytik having to make plays on his own in the fourth quarter of a close game or everyone will be thinking Youngstown State all over again.
Pitt needs to keep it simple and allow Voytik to make plays with both his arm and his legs and the redshirt sophomore should be fine.
2. Block Somebody: The Panthers gave up the fifth most sacks (43) in all of the FBS last season and it is vital that the offensive line, which return four starters, gets off to a good start in Week 1.
Voytik’s mobility should help cut down on the sacks, but this line not only has to protect the quarterback, but also must show it can be a dominant run blocking line. The Panthers finished 104th in the nation in rushing yards per game (125.7) last season. That won’t cut it this year as it would be nice to see James Connor and company get off to a good start on the ground.
3. Get Used to Life Without Aaron Donald: The Panthers will no longer have Aaron Donald around to be the most dominant defensive player in the nation. It will take some time to adjust to life without him.
Not only is Donald gone but six starters from last year’s squad are also gone.
That being said someone is going to have to step up on the defensive side of the ball.
Similar to the offense, it would be nice to see some guys step up and make some big plays on the defensive side of the ball as plenty of guys will be getting their feet wet as starters.
Keys for Delaware:
1. Keep it Close: If the Blue Hens are within striking distance in the fourth quarter, then really anything can happen as Pitt fans saw two years ago.
You can bet that Delaware won’t be afraid of opening the season against an FBS team on the road.
“They’re going to walk in that stadium Friday,” Delaware coach Dave Brock said. “I think they’re going to be jacked up. I think there’ll be no lack of excitement Saturday when we hit the field a little before 11 a.m. for warmups.”
Delaware’s only game against a major-conference FBS foe was its 2008 opener at Maryland. The Blue Hens were competitive in a 14-7 loss to the Terps, showing that they can compete against FBS teams.
If this game is close late, the Blue Hens will believe they can win and Chryst’s team will be on its heels, a place they are accustomed to being.
2. Take Care of the Football: As much as the Pitt defense needs to make some big plays, the Blue Hens need to protect the football in a big way.
They just can’t give Pitt extra opportunities and come away with a win.
Greensburg Central catholic graduate Trent Hurley, a 6’4″ 215-pound senior, will be a three-year starter this season at Delaware after transferring from Bowling Green following the 2011 season.
Delaware is only 10-10 in Hurley’s 20 starts, but he ranks right up there among all-time Delaware signal callers that includes Super Bowl quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco.
Among his several statistical feats, he is second all-time behind Pat Devlin in completion percentage (63.5) and third behind Flacco and Devlin in average passing yards per game (208.5).
Hurley is experienced and if he takes care of the football and makes a couple of big plays along the way, Saturday could turn into quite the homecoming, considering he is back at Heinz Field where he led GCC to the 2009 WPIAL Class AA championship.
3. Win the Special Teams Battle: For a smaller program like Delaware to beat a program like Pitt, they need to come up with big plays in the special teams.
If the Blue Hens can put up points in the special teams area and win the field position battle of the return game, they could have a very good chance to be right where they need to be in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: If I were a Pitt fan I would be a tad bit nervous. Delaware is a team with 17 seniors that will play on Saturday and Pitt is young across the board.
The Panthers also aren’t traditionally dominant in openers. It’s not just the Youngstown State loss, but only beating Old Dominion two years ago by 11 also raised some eyebrows.
Pitt is 79-43-2 (.645) all-time in season openers and 10-1 all-time vs. FCS opponents. Colonial Athletic Association schools have gone 31-146 (.175) against FBS (formerly I-A) schools since 1978, so just by the numbers the odds are in the Panthers favor.
I like Pitt here but it won’t be a blowout. Pitt 31, Delaware 17.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
