Virginia presents an array of issues for Pitt in season opener
In so many ways, Virginia is not a typical opponent for Pitt to confront at the outset of the season.
Pitt has opened the season with a conference game only twice, losing to West Virginia, 34-0, in the Big East in 1996 and Florida State, 41-13, in 2013.
Pitt is 14-5 in openers this century, but victories against the likes of East Tennessee State, Youngstown State, Delaware and Albany created more yawns than hope.
Virginia is different, and not merely because the Cavaliers are the media’s preseason pick to dethrone Pitt as ACC Coastal champion.
They present challenges on both sides of the ball that won’t be easy to overcome. Yet, if it Pitt is successful, it will open eyes to what Pat Narduzzi is building.
For Virginia, everything they do on offense starts with Bryce Perkins, arguably the second-best quarterback in the ACC behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
If that’s too much praise, this fact can’t be disputed: Perkins was one of only two quarterbacks last season to throw for 2,600 yards and run for 900. The other was Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.
Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates didn’t bat an eye Wednesday when he called Perkins a Heisman candidate.
“He can run it. He can throw it. He’s accurate. He’s smart,” Bates said. “And they put him in great positions to make plays. It’s a great challenge to keep him in the pocket, let alone tackle him.”
Actually, Pitt found a way last season in a 23-13 victory against Virginia in Charlottesville when they contained Perkins so well inside the pocket, the Panthers sacked him five times.
The problem is the players who recorded those sacks either used up their eligibility or are injured (defensive end Rashad Weaver, who had season-ending knee surgery).
Bates is worried his team’s tackling techniques won’t be as sharp in the first game as they might be later in the season.
“It always scares you in the first game,” he said, “because a lot of drills you do are ‘thud’ where you don’t bring guys to the ground and then all of a sudden, ‘Hey, go out there and tackle everybody.’
“Sometimes, it takes a couple weeks for that to happen. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen this week.”
Pitt outside linebacker Kylan Johnson, a transfer from Florida, said he has seen only one other quarterback who can move like Perkins. That was Kentucky’s Terry Wilson, who threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 105 and a score in a 27-16 victory against the Gators last season.
“I definitely would rather have a quarterback who sits in the pocket,” Johnson said. “You just have to worry about the receivers and running backs and now you have to worry about the quarterback.”
After last season, Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall believes his staff has a better sense of how to utilize Perkins’ abilities.
“Hopefully, the way we use him, when and how we use him, will be more appropriate even than it was a year ago knowing what he’s capable of,” Mendenhall said. “I think that’s the big difference. We weren’t so sure about our quarterback a year ago.”
The other concern for Pitt is dealing with Virginia’s 3-4 alignment, a defensive concept the Panthers may not see again this season.
“Playing against that causes some adjustments in your protection and causes some adjustments in your run game,” offensive line coach Dave Borbely said.
The process of making those changes began several weeks ago, he said.
“I didn’t wait until this week to do that. We started on these guys in the summertime, a little bit each day, trying to hone our skills in that regard. It’s a different deal. It’s kind of like playing the wishbone. It’s a huge advantage.”
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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