As things move forward for the Pitt Panthers, especially their offense, one thing that could prove vital for the rest of the season, and moving into the future, is developing a compliment to Tyler Boyd.
It seems like the Panthers have been searching for a No. 2 wide receiver for a long time now and even though the Panthers sit with a 3-1 record, that search is continuing.
“It’s a process,” wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman said before the Virginia Tech game. “It’s an evaluation process. We are trying to get the best guys on the field who give us a chance to win. We have got to start being consistent and we have to be good with both the ball in our hands and without it. We are still looking for the right mix.”
Boyd has only played in three of Pitt’s four games, but leads the team with 26 receptions for 274 yards.
With most of the coverage going Boyd’s way, someone is going to have to step up and make plays in the passing game.
The rest of the Panthers team has combined for just 33 receptions for 376 yards in four games. If we focus solely on the wide receivers in those four games, the wide outs have caught only nine passes for 103 yards.
Now that Pitt seems committed to Nate Peterman, a better thrower than Chad Voytik, you would hope he will start spreading the ball around more often.
One thing that has hurt the Pitt passing game has been bad weather conditions, most notably against Akron and Virginia Tech.
“Our passing game needs to get better,” said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. “I think the conditions that you play in, if you consider the weather in Akron was miserable, the weather for Virginia Tech was pretty nice out. It’s hard to [evaluate] but I think we can still throw the ball.”
One nice thing about the passing game as of late, and something I have personally been screaming for the past couple seasons is that Peterman has been getting the tight ends involved.
J.P. Holtz and Scott Orndoff have combined for 11 receptions for 206 yards and have caught four of the Panthers five touchdown passes on the season.
But more productions is needed from the wide receiver position. That goes without saying.
As Pitt prepares to host Virginia on Saturday, Boyd and Dontez Ford are listed as the starters with Jester Weah and Tre Tipton listed as the backups on the depth chart.
Weah is someone who is very intriguing as the Panthers try and work him into the offense.
“He is getting a lot of reps,” said Sherman. “We are going to give him every opportunity to see if he can help us. He’s bought into it but is still a work in progress.”
One thing missing from the Pitt passing game all season, aside from a 55-yard touchdown that was badly underthrown from Voytik to Orndoff against Youngstown State, has been the deep ball.
Weah has the ability to take the top off the defense and that could be another dynamic that could make this Pitt offense very good.
“Maybe we have to throw more deep shots,” said Narduzzi. “We just have to get it to them. It’s not easy. Nathan [Peterman] is going through his reads and we’ll hit a few of them. It’s nice to win without them. We’ll hit them when we need to.”
As the season progresses it would be nice to see some other receivers, whether it be Weah, or young guys like Elijah Zeise, Quadree Henderson and Zach Challingsworth, step up.
Boyd may not be in a Pitt uniform after this season.
When he leaves there are going to be some big shoes to fill. Someone is going to have to be ready to fill them.
Photo Credit: Post Gazette
