Following Pitt’s annihilation of Delaware last week, the Panthers took their show on the road and had their way with the Boston College Eagles in a 30-20 victory.
Here are my takeaway points from Pitt’s first road win of the season:
1. James Conner is in beastmode. Who needs Rushel Shell when you have a guy like Conner? Conner carried the ball 36 times for 214 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles had no answer for him, and he ran over multiple defenders whenever he felt like it. The 250-pound, bruising back is also pretty fast and agile. I wouldn’t want to try to tackle him. Conner is a top five RB in college football in my opinion, and the solid play from the offensive line has only made him even better. It may have been a little excessive running him late in the game, since I thought it was a good opportunity to give true freshman Chris James a few more carries. Regardless, Pitt has a nice one-two punch with Conner and James.
2. Pitt did not get rattled when it fell down 7-3 off of a quick Boston College touchdown drive. Florida transfer QB Tyler Murphy had two rushes for 63 yards and the Eagles easily marched down the field on the first possession. In the first three plays, BC had 64 yards. In their next 24 plays, BC only collected 61 yards. The Panthers simply regrouped and focused on the task at hand. Pitt clamped down on defense and didn’t appear to be rattled whatsoever. This is a promising sign for a team with much youth, as defensive seniors Todd Thomas, Ray Vinopal and Anthony Gonzalez lead the charge.
3. Chad Voytik continues to gain experience for the Panthers. We saw in Week 1 that Chad Voytik can scramble and make a play. On Pitt’s first drive, facing a third down and long, Voytik left the pocket and rushed for a first down to keep the drive alive. He set the tone of the game and helped Pitt pick up three points on the first drive. When opposing teams try to focus on Conner and Tyler Boyd, this provides a perfect opportunity for a mobile QB to do some damage. Like I said last week, when is the last time Pitt fans saw this luxury? Voytik is gaining experience and confidence, and this could be very dangerous for opposing ACC teams.
4. Pitt’s offensive line suffered some injuries. Though the large line is an unusual strength for Pitt, center Artie Rowell and lineman TJ Clemmings both left the game with injuries. It will be important that Pitt gets these guys back healthy, but Paul Chryst is certainly bringing “Wisconsin-style” football to Pittsburgh. They had their way with the Blue Hens, as Pitt racked up 407 rushing yards, followed by 304 rushing yards against Boston College.
5. WR Tyler Boyd did not seem bothered by his dislocated finger. Boyd hauled in two touchdowns for the Panthers, including a 15-yard touchdown while being double teamed. The announcers compared Boyd to the great Larry Fitzgerald. It was promising to see that his injured finger wasn’t a problem at all.
6. Pitt’s special teams played a solid game. In year’s past, Pitt always seemed to have a special teams failure at a crucial time of a game. Kicker Chris Blewitt nailed three 40 yard field goals, and punter Ryan Winslow kicked numerous punts with good hang time. Special teams did not give the Eagles any good starting position, nor did Pitt lose the turnover battle.
