5-1 nothing new at Pitt, but 2021 team may be built to avoid problems that plagued its predecessors

Walt Harris did it twice, Dave Wannstedt three times.

Pat Narduzzi has joined his predecessors, claiming two 5-1 starts in seven seasons — 2015 and ’21 with a team that is now ranked No. 23 in the nation.

Pitt just won consecutive ACC road games by 20+ points for the first time since joining the conference in 2013.

The Panthers have won three straight games by 20+ points for the first time since the 2001 season.#H2P » #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/JDgNb9uwVX

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) October 17, 2021

That makes seven this century (nearly one-third of the time).

• The 2000 and ’02 teams did it with stars such as running back Kevan Barlow and wide receiver Antonio Bryant (’00), quarterback Rod Rutherford and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (’02).

• Wannstedt’s three teams had future NFL players such as Darrelle Revis (2006), LeSean McCoy (’08), Dion Lewis and Jonathan Baldwin (’09) and All-Americans Scott McKillop (’08) and Dorin Dickerson (’09). Revis and Baldwin were first-round draft choices.

• The 2006 team went from 6-1 to finishing the season on a five-game losing streak. “I remember like it was yesterday,” said McKillop, a Kiski Area graduate who was a part of three 5-1 starts (sophomore linebacker in ’06, senior in ’08 and a graduate assistant in ’15). “When we got to our sixth win … I feel like everybody let their foot off the gas. We were complacent as a unit because, in our minds, we thought we were bowl-eligible.”

Pitt finished 6-6 and didn’t go to a bowl that year.

• In ’09, defensive tackle Mick Williams and defensive end Greg Romeus were Big East Defensive Players of the Year; Lewis earned that distinction on offense.

• Six years ago, Pitt lost James Conner for the season (knee) and still did it with Tyler Boyd catching 91 passes, Qadree Ollison rushing for 1,121 yards and Nathan Peterman running the show. But it lost four of its last six.

In fact, none of the previous six Pitt teams that won five of their first six games won five of their last six games. Only the ’09 team made it to 10 victories — and it needed the Meineke Car Care Bowl to do that.

The questions that hang in the air after that peek into recent history are these:

• Is the 2021 Pitt team different?

• Can Pitt win 10 games before a bowl game for the first time since 1981?

“Seeing how they played (against Virginia Tech on Saturday) and seeing how the schedule aligns for them, I don’t see why not,” McKillop said.

Quarterback Bill Stull, who threw for a total of 4,989 yards and 30 touchdowns in ’08 and ’09, believes the potential is there.

“I feel like the caliber of guys and athleticism are just ridiculous (on both the ’09 and ’21 teams). The stats don’t lie,” he said. “If we had the 2021 (offensive philosophy) and we ran it back in my era, I think we would get the same type of results.

“Offensively, we were opposites — in a way of Pitt (now) attacking down the field on first down and second down. We were more of a downhill running threat with situational play-action passes that were legitimately touchdowns almost every time we threw them. That was credit to a dominant running game (with McCoy and Lewis), which was ultimately credit to our offensive line for a physical, run-first mentality.

“The (2021) team … their strength is more of pass protection, communication up front, understanding different types of pressure week to week. There are reasons why we have the No. 3 scoring offense (48.3 points per game) in the country with all the numbers (Kenny Pickett) is putting up. And they’re developing a running game, which is pretty nice to see against a name-brand team like Virginia Tech (208 yards Saturday).”

Pitt controlled the clock with the running game in ’08 and ’09, maintaining possession sometimes for half of a quarter or more. Pitt did the same Saturday, consuming more than 11 minutes of the fourth quarter with Izzy Abanikanda and the ground game.

“Imagine doing that in the second quarter,” Stull said. “Our defense loved our running game.”

But the ’08 team was plagued by injuries throughout the roster. It went from 5-1 to 9-4 after it lost to Rutgers, 54-34, in its seventh game and Oregon State, 3-0, in the Sun Bowl.

Stull played through pain in ’08, including a dislocated shoulder in the opener, wrist and knee injuries and a concussion in the Rutgers games.

“Wannstedt told me I didn’t play the same after (the concussion),” Stull said.

The following year, Pitt finished 10-3 but settled for a tie for second place in the Big East after losing to West Virginia and Cincinnati by a total margin of four points.

You can’t predict injuries, but there are reasons to believe Pitt’s current team might overcome the hurdles that plagued the others that started fast.

Pickett might have more NFL potential than any quarterback to come through Pitt since Dan Marino. His passing efficiency is third in the nation (181.8), even after throwing into a strong wind Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.

Whether it's this draft cycle or next, Pitt DL Calijah Kancey is a player we're going to talk about much, much more.pic.twitter.com/NlcehSZsr4

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 16, 2021

Plus, Pitt is playing angry after losing to Western Michigan.

“We think about that loss every time we line up against someone — and punch them in the mouth,” defensive tackle Calijah Kancey said,

The Panthers’ toughest game might be Clemson on Saturday, and Pitt is a three-point favorite, according to @betonline_ag. (Although beware Virginia and quarterback Brennan Armstrong on Nov. 20.)

“Everyone’s talking like they’re not Clemson,” Pickett said of the unranked six-time defending ACC champion Tigers. “They’re still Clemson, and we’ll have our hands full.”

Nonetheless, Stull would put his money on Pitt.

“Offense to offense, (Clemson is) not going to be able to hang with Pitt,” he said. “(Pitt has) the ability to get 10 wins, but there could be some roadblocks like we had.”