Analysis: Pitt's problems extend far beyond its kicker

Walking to the car after a quick, Sunday morning trip to Shop ’n Save, I ran into a Pitt grad I’ve known for years.

“How about that game yesterday?” I said.

“Should be 5-0,” he responded, offering an accurate indictment of Pitt’s season.

Pitt will carry a 3-2 record, if not heavy hearts and crippling self-doubt, into next Saturday’s game at No. 13 Miami.

Yet, the problems aren’t so great that Pitt is blown out of contention by the fourth quarter. Including the 14-13 loss to Stanford in the 2018 Sun Bowl, Pitt has lost eight of its past 19 games, six by margins of seven or fewer, one by four and three by one point, including the most recent two.

Win or lose, the games are usually interesting and often thick with storylines, game-changing calls (by officials and coaches) and drama until the end, often bitter.

Which is one way of saying let’s not pin Saturday’s 31-30 loss to Boston College on Alex Kessman. There is plenty of blame for everyone to share.

Yes, Kessman’s lack of consistency is maddening to fans (just think what it does to Pat Narduzzi’s sleep), but the senior kicker has a strong leg and mind. He is a little further down the list of Pitt’s problems than some others.

Near the top is the defense that misses injured senior cornerback Damarri Mathis more than anyone wishes to admit. Marquis Williams is a tough corner in the mold of Avonte Maddox (now with the Philadelphia Eagles), but Williams is a 5-foot-8 sophomore and a first-year starter. He’s not the first young player to drop an interception.

Pitt’s defense still ranks among the best in the nation: sixth overall (263.4 yards per game allowed), second against runs (52) and 24th when the football is in the air (211.4).

Perhaps those numbers are skewed by the Austin Peay game, though. N.C. State’s Devin Leary and Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec threw for 694 yards and seven touchdowns in the past two games.

Every week, the defense has surrendered more points than it did the week before. From 0 to 10 to 20 to 30 to 31.

Opposing receivers create too much separation from their defenders. On the other side of the ball, Pitt’s pass catchers often are unsuccessfully looking for seams in the secondary.

And that’s another problem. Quarterback Kenny Pickett was throwing into tight windows Saturday, and he barely completed half of his passes (25 of 48). Opponents put heavy emphasis on defending Pitt’s aerial game because there’s little to worry about when Pickett hands off to his running backs.

One other stat going in the wrong direction: Pickett’s completion percentage (70, 69.4, 60.5, 56.4 and 52).

Still, Pickett finds a way to do the job. He has played more games than most quarterbacks (five), so don’t get too excited that he leads the nation in yards (1,389). But he is averaging 277.8 per game (17th). He has a good chance at the next level, better than most people think.

Beyond those numbers, Pickett ignored the pain in his ankle Saturday and converted two fourth downs with his legs (Vincent Davis pushing him from behind on fourth-and-1 helped, too).

No wonder Jimmy Morrissey came to Pickett’s defense when he believed his quarterback was the victim of a late hit.

Even if Pitt loses at Miami, a 5-1 record before meeting fourth-ranked Notre Dame on Oct. 24 at Heinz Field would have created some nice buzz. Instead, the Panthers are in danger of taking their individually talented roster and a 3-4 report card into November and a 6-5 record into the off-season.

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