Pitt defensive line sets its own standard

Through three games, Pitt leads the NCAA with 17 sacks, and its 56 rushing yards per game allowed is the lowest of any NCAA team that's played multiple games.

And a great deal of that is thanks to the Panthers' defensive line, coached by Charlie Partridge, who spoke via Zoom on Tuesday.

"They're playing hard," Partridge said of his defensive line. "Just proud of how hard they're preparing and how hard they're critiquing themselves and taking criticism. This is where we've gotten to, and we still have a lot to prove this season."

They're not just playing hard, they're leading the team and among the leaders around the country. Redshirt senior defensive end Rashad Weaver leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss, which is second-best in the NCAA. But right behind him is redshirt freshman defensive tackle Calijah Kancey with four tackles for loss, and redshirt senior defensive end Patrick Jones with 3.5.

Weaver and Jones were expected to be stars for the team, and now they're both tied for the second most sacks in the country with 3.5, and that's with Weaver missing the season opener. 

But Kancey has been a huge boost, especially at the defensive tackle position where Pitt lost it's best player from 2019 when Jaylen Twyman opted out for the season. That's something that Partridge says that nobody has hard feelings about at Pitt and continue to support Twyman in his decision.

"As you know, he made a decision he felt was best for his family," Partridge said. "We talked about the pros and cons of either staying or opting out. We just tried to guide him on the risks of staying and the risks of going and the benefits of staying compared to the benefits of going. At the end of the day, there is no love lost from Pitt to Jaylen and I believe that's the truth going the other way. I would've loved to have Jaylen here again, it would've been a lot of fun. But I'm proud of the guys who have stepped up to have more of an opportunity and a bigger role than they would have if Jaylen was here."

Kancey is the main guy who's stepped up at defensive tackle. Redshirt sophomores Devin Danielson and David Green have been the starters at defensive tackle, but it's been Kancey who's made the biggest impact. 

Twyman himself even acknowledged Kancey's play on Twitter on Saturday, when Kancey recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, comparing Kancey's play to his own:

Here's one of those tackle for loss, when Kancey took on a double team and brought down freshman running back Javian Hawkins in the backfield:

Also comparing Kancey to Twyman after his performance at Louisville was Partridge, who indicated Kancey may have some advantages even as a freshman over Twyman, who is still projected to be a first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"There are some similarities," Partridge said when comparing Twyman and Kancey. "Jaylen wouldn't like to hear this, but there are some things that Jaylen did better than Calijah and there are some things Calijah has the ability to do better than Jaylen. There are some similarities but these are definitely two kids where Jaylen has come a long way and Calijah is still working on the entirety of his game, but everyone is starting to see he can be explosive and special moving forward."

Part of what has helped Kancey make an early impact has been the culture of Pitt's defense, something Jones spoke about after Pitt's win over Louisville on Saturday.

"It's the culture we set," Jones said after the game. "We hold everybody to the same standard. So no matter if you're young or old, we expect you to have your fundamentals down and your technique down so when it's time for your number to be called you can step in and play."

Partridge corroborated how that culture isn't just set by the coaches, as it's also supported by the players. An anecdotal story he told on Tuesday shared how players step up as leaders to set the tone for the younger players.

"You see daily examples of it," Partridge said. "As the young guys came in, one showed up to the practice field as the clock was ticking down, he wasn't late, but he was close. I started to head over to tell him 'that's not how we do things,' but then there were seven or eight defensive linemen already in his face telling him he can't do that."

Even beyond simply showing up early for practice, the players police themselves to push each other during drill to live up to the standard set by starters who are leading the country.

"Any drill work or skill work we do, there's a demand on the attention to detail on why we're doing what we're doing," Partridge continued. "If a young guy floats, he's being held accountable by players before I even step in. It takes time to build that system. It takes guys who have developed in this system. It was harder for guys in the past because they weren't together long enough to completely understand what I was trying to get done every day. Because they're holding these young guys accountable, I think they're going to benefit and develop faster because of it."

That development was part of what Partridge saw as a possibility when he joined Pitt's staff in 2017, when also Jones and Weaver were freshmen figuring out how to become good Division I athletes.

"This was something that I believed a few years ago that if given the opportunity to develop them, this group would be special," Partridge said of Jones and Weaver. "Obviously they've taken advantage of some opportunities. Their development curve has been different. Patrick was transitioning from some off the field things, nothing wrong, but just adjusting to the schedule of college football. They both went through their college freshman year and all the demands of being a Division I athlete." 

"At the time," Partirdge continued. "Weaver had all that in control and that's why you felt him more in 2018. But as Patrick got his things in order and figured his life out with his schedule, I'll never forget it. There was a game against Notre Dame where he had a play with fundamentals where he exploded out his stance and created havoc, and we knew that was a moment. It was one of those moments you could build from there." 

Then after things started to click for Jones, the Panthers saw the dedication for him kick that's led him to be captain on this year's team.

"When we switched where he was playing last year he took full advantage of it and really learned how to prepare like a pro," Partridge said of Jones. "This morning he's in here, and it's his birthday mind you, and I'm in my office at 5:45 a.m. and 15 minutes later I hear him roll right in, turn the film on and get to work. It's just what Patrick and Weaver have become, a relentless pursuit to get better. Hopefully this week against NC State we can have a good performance again, I know we've got a challenge this week in the Wolf Pack."

Here's some of that relentless pursuit from Jones, where he bullies his man all the way into the pocket to take down Malik Cunningham for a sack:

And with the rest of the defensive front living up that standard, Jones is often joined in the backfield with other Panthers winning their matchups. Watch how as Jones gets through his man, he's joined by Weaver and redshirt senior linebacker Chase Pine (36) and redshirt junior linebacker Cam Bright:

As Partridge prepares his defensive front to face North Carolina State, he also revealed he's kept his distance from their head coach Dave Doeren, whom Partridge has known for years.

"We've kept our separation this week," Partridge said. "But we talked last week and usually talk every other week. We lived across the street from each other in grad school in Wisconsin. We sincerely go back. It's a deep relationship that's even between our families. I trust we'll stay in our own lanes and see each other after the game. I got a ton of respect for him, I know he's going to have this team ready. He's a driven human being. Honestly when we were all young coaches, I said to myself that you knew David was going to get that shot. He had that ability to talk to people, combined with that ability to stay focused. He made me better and I know he'll have his team ready this week."

• Partridge also spoke about redshirt junior Deslin Alexandre, who rescinded his commitment from North Carolina State to commit to Pitt when he was recruited in 2017.

"Timing-wise he was actually here when I got here," Partridge said. "But I knew Deslin because he was a South Florida guy, and obviously I've recruited there a long time. I was at Florida Atlantic when he came out, but honestly I would be speaking out of turn if I talked about what happened from that standpoint."

• Running backs coach Andre Powell commented on Tuesday via Zoom about the status of senior running back A.J. Davis, saying Davis is "making good progress" in his recovery. Davis suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the second quarter against Louisville and wouldn't return.

• Redshirt junior punter Kirk Christodoulou spoke on Tuesday about his dealing with the pandemic. Christodoulou is Australian and was living in Pittsburgh as a student when the pandemic began last Winter. He said he decided to stay in Pittsburgh during the pandemic because he was worried about not being allowed back into the country due to limited international travel.