Pitt WR Konata Mumpfield says players-only meeting after SMU loss was 'helpful'

Players can lift weights until their joints ache, crash into each other for two hours, three days a week, and study video until it’s time to get some sleep.

But football is also a game of relationships and pulling together, and sometimes talk helps.

That’s what Pitt players turned to Sunday — the time-honored players-only meeting — several hours after returning home from their first loss of the season

Wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, one of four co-captains, was part of the meeting, according to JJ Laster, his position coach.

Laster said the meeting was called “so they can talk about what happened on Saturday (a 48-25 loss to SMU).”

“He’s getting those guys to rally together. We still have a lot of ball to play.”

Mumpfield, ever the good teammate, declined to reveal details of the meeting.

“We like to kind of keep that within the team,” he said. He described it only as “something we decided to do.”

He added, “I think it was helpful.”

“It’s not the end of the world,” he said of the team’s first loss. “Good teams, great teams always bounce back from adversity.”

There’s no question something must be done for Pitt (7-1, 3-1) to keep alive its hope of playing for an ACC championship. One more loss, especially at home Saturday to Virginia (4-4, 2-3), would be as devastating as the season-opening seven-game winning streak was uplifting.

Offensive coordinator Kade Bell and his staff have issues to correct. Pitt scored 27 touchdowns on offense through the first five games. The total in the next three was only seven — and two of those were in the final four minutes against SMU after Pitt fell behind 48-11.

Mumpfield hasn’t scored a touchdown since the Cincinnati game Sept. 7, and tight end Gavin Bartholomew remains scoreless for the season. Running back Desmond Reid collected only 47 total yards from scrimmage in the Syracuse game.

Laster said improvement is a matter of “attention to detail.”

“We have to make sure we get our assignment right. Also, we have to make plays. Sometimes, when there’s a deep coverage, we have to scramble and make plays. We are in a tough position, but, hey, that’s what we’re called to do.”

He said a few drops in the SMU game can be traced to a “lack of focus.”

“It’s my job to get those guys prepared, get those guys ready,” he said. “I’m hard on those guys. Those guys also have to take accountability for themselves, as well, and be locked in in crucial situations.”

He said players understand the gravity of the situation.

“We got punched in the mouth. We have to move on, respond and attack the day,” he said. “A lot of times when you get punched in the mouth like that, you get star-struck. That’s when you have to be a vet and understand, it’s the next play. Don’t worry about what happened two drives ago. That’s what I’ve been trying to preach to those guys. We have to move on and stay focused.”

Mumpfield said sometimes correcting one detail can make the difference between a busted play and a nice gain.

“Stepping the wrong way, making the wrong read or running the wrong route,” he said. “Good players (on defense) take advantage of that.”

After five games of productivity, Pitt has seen several different coverages from opposing secondaries in recent weeks.

“We’re not worried about it,” Laster said. “We’re just going to focus on us and understand, when we see our pre-snap and post-snap reads, what we have to do to attack them.”

He said the older players are typically better at reading the defense than the less experienced ones. He said everyone “takes ownership” of the situation.

“They are attacking the challenge of understanding when it’s zone (defense) or when it’s man,” he said. “Some of the older guys like Konata, like Poppi (Williams), they understand coverages. Some of the young guys probably struggle with it a lot. But that’s my job to help them grow throughout the season.”

Mumpfield said opponents have started dropping eight defenders into passing routes. The offense can’t match the manpower, making it difficult for receivers to get open.

Perhaps the answer is as simple as gaining traction in the run game, forcing defenses to move players closer to the line of scrimmage and opening up passing lanes.

“You have to be effective in the run game,” Mumpfield said. “Once you run the ball well, they have to put people in the box. You can’t drop eight.”

One bit of good news surfaced in the SMU game when sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson recorded eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He’s now second to Mumpfield in receptions (33-32).

“Kenny’s getting better and better each week,” Laster said. “He understands what we’re trying to get him to do to play at the next level. It’s a process. It’s going to take time, but he’s going to get there.”