Pitt defense still learning to overcome obstacles

Back in July, when Pitt was undefeated and temperatures and expectations were rising, Randy Bates could not have predicted what would happen to his defense over the season’s first six games.

Four starters, including a preseason All-American defensive tackle, the senior who lines up next him, a valued cornerback and the linebacker who relays calls and alignments from coaches, would play little or not at all.

In their place, five sophomores, redshirt freshman Calijah Kancey, senior middle linebacker Chase Pine and others have received more playing time than expected.

Meanwhile, a 3-0 start that was 23 seconds from becoming 4-0, has unraveled into 3-3, with No. 3 Notre Dame coming to town Saturday.

Don’t totally blame the young ones, though. Sure, they haven’t been perfect, but defensive tackles Devin Danielson (Thomas Jefferson), Tyler Bentley and David Green (Central Catholic), linebacker SirVocea Dennis and cornerback Marquis Williams have made plays that kept Pitt competitive in defeat.

• Dennis started only the past two games, but he shares the team lead in tackles with safety Paris Ford (37).

• Williams has two interceptions.

• Kancey has six tackles for loss and Tuesday joined wide receiver Jordan Addison on the Football Writers Association of American Freshman All-American Watch List.

Yet, the truth is:

• Pitt has allowed 14 touchdowns in the past four games, mostly through the air.

• The past three opposing quarterbacks combined to throw for 916 yards.

• N.C. State’s Devin Leary threw the decisive touchdown pass with 23 seconds left at the end of a 79-yard, 81-second drive.

“It’s been games where we were aggressive. We’ve made a lot of great plays,” said Bates, Pitt’s defensive coordinator since 2018. “And then you have a bust here or there or a young guy makes a mistake, and it costs you a big play or guys that are less experienced maybe in certain positions hurt us a little bit at times. But that happens in the game.

“We’re probably far less of a starting defense than we were maybe three months ago, with bodies, and some of those guys are still learning on the job.

“It’s just a matter of getting them seasoned and, hopefully, not going the wrong way too much. The critical thing is to learn from your mistakes and not let it happen again.”

It does no good to wonder what Pitt would be like if those missing starters – tackles Jaylen Twyman and Keyshon Camp, cornerback Damarri Mathis and linebacker Wendell Davis – were available. Injuries are part of the game, and experienced players drop passes, miss tackles and run the wrong way, too. All those things have happened to Pitt this season. Exceptional teams overcome them.

But that’s why the rest of the season is so critical. Hopes of playing in the ACC championship game have crumbled, but three of the last five games are against ranked opponents. The nation will be watching – the Notre Dame game will be televised by ABC – and Pitt has a chance to salvage its season and silence doubters.

“It’s just a play here or there and it’s the difference in the game when you play at this level at times,” Bates said.

“You can’t get down on them. You have to keep them going because it’s a long season and there is still a lot of plays to be made.”

Any team in any sport must overcome lineup changes for a variety of reasons. Bates, who’s been in the business 39 years, knows that.

“The problem that you have is they aren’t consistently working together for a long period of time,” he said. “As you get along, you get more comfortable with the guy you are beside. When that’s a different person every week, that’s a little bit of a challenge.

“Kids are working really hard on the adjustments of being with different guys. We’ll get it straight.”

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