Pitt defense hopes to keep evolving from group that lost to Clemson in 2018 ACC championship game

Three years ago at the ACC championship game, Pitt linebacker Phil Campbell III was a reserve safety who got on the field long enough to record one assisted tackle. He was in another world back then, like many of his future teammates.

• Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was still in high school, helping Miami Northwestern win a second consecutive Florida state championship.

• Linebacker SirVocea Dennis was in a New Jersey prep school.

• Strong safety Brandon Hill was averaging 28.4 yards per interception return at Wekiva (Fla.) High School.

• Linebacker John Petrishen was at Penn State, contemplating a third shoulder surgery in four seasons.

The Pitt defense has come a long way since that rainy night in Charlotte, N.C., when Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and Tee Higgins toyed with the Panthers in Clemson’s 42-10 victory.

Seven players who were reserves are now key members of the defense, including linebackers Campbell, Chase Pine and Cam Bright, defensive ends Habakkuk Baldonado, Deslin Alexandre and John Morgan and cornerback Damarri Mathis.

Sure, there are warts that Pat Narduzzi and Randy Bates, his defensive coordinator, must eliminate before exposing the defense to Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman on Saturday night in this year’s ACC title game. But the defense that has evolved in the subsequent three seasons is manned by some of the best players at their positions in the conference.

Kancey was named first-team All-ACC on Tuesday, and Dennis, Hill and Baldonado were chosen for the second team. Petrishen, Campbell, Alexandre, Mathis and safety Erick Hallett II were honorable mention selections.

Pitt’s offense received most of the headlines and accolades on the way to a 10-2 regular season, but the defense matched it, with each unit having nine members named All-ACC.

Special teams added three for a total of 21.

The two units share another commonality: They believe there is plenty of unfinished business to take care at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

“Last time, I felt like we were very happy just to be there,” Campbell said of a Pitt team that finished 7-7. “This year, we’re not fulfilled at all. We know we can (win). We know we should.

“We have a very good gameplan defensively, and I know the offense is going to take of business. We’re going in there to win. Losing’s not an option.”

Added offensive lineman Blake Zubovic: “I don’t think anyone in this building will tell you we’re OK with where we’re at. We have a lot more to accomplish this season.”

In 2018, Bates was in his first season as Pitt’s defensive coordinator after spending the previous 12 as Northwestern’s linebackers coach. The defense finished 69th in the nation in average yards allowed that season (396.6) and recorded only 23 sacks.

In the past two seasons, yards allowed per game have been reduced to 339.5 (2020) and 353.8 (this year) while sacks doubled to 46 in both seasons. Pitt tied Clemson for the most sacks in the nation in 2020, and the Panthers are second to Oklahoma State (49) this season.

Campbell credits the coaches’ guidance and the closeness that has developed among the players.

“A lot of it is coaching,” he said. “A lot of it is players giving effort and buying in. This year, especially, we took control of the group more. We have more meetings on our own.

“Linebackers have a great relationship with the D-line, and we all are working off each other very nicely now.”

Campbell remembers the meeting Bates had with the defense the day after Pitt’s 44-41 loss to Western Michigan.

Bates is not shy about raising his voice to make a point, but this time was different, Campbell said.

“It was very positive. It wasn’t a lot of yelling, a lot of negative,” he said. “(Bates said) ‘We’re going to regroup. Here’s where we’re going to get better.’

“We learned a lot from that and the Miami loss. Coach Bates is a great leader. All the seniors, we never flinched.”