Yesterday I wrote about how Pitt's defensive line sets the tone of the defense. And if there's any group that feeds off that energy the most, it's Pitt's linebacker corps, as redshirt senior linebacker Phil Campbell reminded us on Wednesday via Zoom.
Pitt's linebackers are every bit as important to its scheme as the defensive line. They're the reinforcements that follow through on the charge of the defensive line, whether that's to stop the run or help in underneath coverage.
Redshirt junior linebacker Cam Bright leads the team with 17 tackles, tied with redshirt junior Paris Ford, and right behind them is backup redshirt sophomore linebacker SirVocea Dennis with 14. Redshirt sophomore Wendell Davis has seven, while redshirt senior Chase Pine and Campbell both have six. Combine that with redshirt senior John Petrishan's four and redshirt freshman Brandon George's three, and Pitt's linebackers make up 57 of Pitt's 182 tackles.
When Phil Campbell was asked about Pitt's defensive line, he gave them credit for feeding into the success of Pitt's linebackers.
"It's great" Campbell said Wednesday via Zoom about Pitt's defensive front. "For me, it makes my job a lot easier. A lot of the focus from offenses are on those guys. They're a huge part of our success and playing behind them is really great. I'm feeding off them with everything I do and they make my job a lot easier."
And he's right.
Here's an example of redshirt senior Rashad Weaver disrupting a running play with a forced fumble against Louisville in the first quarter. That sets the tone and the rest of the defense flows right to the ball for the tackle for loss:
You can see Campbell positioned as the linebacker behind Weaver and take on the fullback. Even if Weaver missed the tackle, Campbell was right on the play with his job to stuff the lead blocker in the hole so the rest of the defense could thrive.
Sometimes even backups from Pitt's defensive line make it so that the linebackers don't even need to follow through, like on redshirt junior Deslin Alexandre's tackle for loss where he runs past the Louisville offensive line and their fullback to bring down his man:
But after film study this week, Campbell knows that Pitt's matchup with North Carolina State at Noon this Saturday at Heinz Field will be different against the run.
"They have a solid o-line and good running backs," Campbell said of North Carolina State's offense. "They can definitely run the ball so we have to play our gaps, our schemes, line up and play fast like we do."
The offense's rushing attack is led by sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. at running back. Through two gams, Knight leads the team with 191 rushing yards on 25 carries with a touchdown, and Person has 163 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns.
Their 204.5 total rushing yards per game average is 20th in the NCAA, far above Louisville at 40th or at 61st. Their average of three rushing touchdowns per game is the seventh best in the country.
Campbell says the best way to counter that is for Pitt's defense to stick to what they know as they're the top ranked rushing defense in the NCAA.
"Just doing our jobs," Campbell said about how Pitt can stuff North Carolina State's running game. "When everybody does their job on their side of the ball, it comes together like a puzzle. We've got to continue to do that every single week. Nobody is going to outmatch us physically. We just have to be on our schematics and our jobs and what everyone has to do."
Coming together like a puzzle is a lot easier for Pitt's defense with the experience they boast, as Campbell attested.
"It's our experience," Campbell said. "We have a lot of seniors and older guys who've played a lot of ball here. All of that experience is coming together this year. We can make tremendous strides from last year as a defense and a team. No question about it. We're bigger, stronger, faster. From a physical aspect, we're much stronger this year."
Here's a perfect example of that puzzle coming together when Campbell joined Weaver for a sack on Louisville's quarterback Malik Cunningham. You can see Weaver rush off Pitt's right edge to beat his man and flush Cunningham up in the pocket, right where Campbell patrols in his QB spy and is the put down Cunningham:
Campbell also sees the linebackers around him as true assets to what the defense is doing. Dennis, though not a starter, has seen a lot of action in just a few games and has the third most tackles on the team.
"Dennis has been a great player for us since the Spring," Campbell said. "He's been flashing, a great player always working hard on special teams. He pushes me, as an older guy, pushes me to be the best I can. We learn from each other and everybody in the linebacker room really feeds off each other and learns from each other."
Pitt also saw Pine ascend to start at Mike linebacker, after Davis started at the position against Austin Peay and Syracuse. Pine's four tackles against Louisville were fourth-best for Pitt on the day, and Campbell noticed.
"Chase did a great job the other day," Campbell said of Pine. "The biggest thing for the Mike linebacker is to be a leader, vocal and get the front set and direct the flow of the defense. I think he's been doing a great job at practice this week."
As a leader, Campbell also knows the level of care he needs to take; both in taking care of his body and in avoiding any situations that might expose him to COVID-19.
"I just get in the cold tub almost every day," Campbell said when asked how he's taking care of his body. "I'm always in the trainer's room, evaluating my body with all the bumps and bruises. I've learned that from older guys I've been with. I try to stay away from a lot of public places and I'm always very careful going out. Last thing I want in my senior season is to miss a game. I'm very careful when I'm out."
As a senior, Campbell knows he has to make this year count. That's why he's making sure to stay focused on the season, but taking note of situations that might put a chip on the Panthers' shoulders, like dropping three spots in the AP Poll after beating a ranked opponent.
"It gives us more of a chip on our shoulders," Campbell said of Pitt's drop in the rankings. "I really believe we're much better than where we're ranked right now. But we have to talk with our pads. We can't do anything about our rank right now other than play at a high level like we've been doing."
Even while discussions are being had about the potential of fans or parents attending games, of which Campbell says he's aware, he's just focused on what the defense needs to do to prepare for their next opponent each day.
"I've heard the rumors," Campbell said. "But right now I'm not really focused on that. I'm not sure what's going on. This whole theme this year with the virus brings a lot of uncertainty. I've just learned to keep doing my job and stay focused on the task at hand. I'm not too focused on that. My parents would love to come and I would love to have the fans there, as would my teammates because it would be a great atmosphere. But if not, we can bring the energy ourselves like we've been doing. For now we're focused on the task at hand."