The importance of Pitt's failures in the run game in their 30-29 loss to N.C. State cannot be understated as the team regroups to face Boston College Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
N.C. State's rushing defense gives up 185 rushing yards per game, ranked 12th of 15 ACC teams, and Pitt only managed to gain 92 yards on the ground with 40 of those yards coming on scrambles from quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Guard Bryce Hargrove spoke Tuesday via Zoom about Pitt's recognition in that disappointment and how the Panthers could rebound.
"Our tone is that we're taking responsibility for what happened last Saturday and we start by getting better today," Hargrove said. "We got better today by practicing harder and we'll get better the next day. We're practicing harder. We're focusing on ourselves and taking responsibility. We're working harder on each rep to see the effects on Saturday. After watching the video it's on us. We have to execute, come off the ball and be a better offensive line."
But how the offensive line will get better was a subject Hargrove didn't get specific about. When asked whether the offensive line's issues were rooted in focusing on its own fundamentals or in the specific adjustments made against N.C. State, Hargrove responded by saying the fault of the line rested with the players and not the coaches.
"It was completely on us," Hargrove said. "Coach [Mark] Whipple and Coach [Dave] Borbely make good calls. We just have to execute better so we'll take that as players."
Whether or not the calls are right may not be the issue, but looking at the film does suggest there are a number of problems the line must address before it can become a dominant unit.
Pitt's 130.5 rushing yards per game currently ranks 12th out of 15 ACC teams. But to see where its offensive line's problems begin to mount, let's take a closer look at the three running plays called after starting with first and goal at the one that led to turning the ball over on downs in the third quarter against N.C. State.
Here's first down where you can see Pitt spread the field with three wideouts and hand it off to Vincent Davis out of the shotgun. The offensive line doesn't generate any push but the line of scrimmage is maintained and Davis just isn't able to get in:
That play was more of a result of N.C. State not being fooled by Pitt spreading its formation out. But the next two runs and second and fourth down were abysmal.
Watch second down as tackle Gave Houy (No. 57) is driven so far back that he ends up at the five yard line, and how the entire offensive line got pushed backwards. You can see the collective pad level of N.C. State's defense is lower than most of Pitt's offensive line, helping the Wolf Pack win the leverage battle:
Pitt tried again on fourth down to run after a Pickett pass was thrown away on play action on third down. But on this play, some players won their battles like when Hargrove drove his man into the end zone. But center Jimmy Morrissey got driven back and lost control of his man, leading to Davis being tackled for a loss and the Panthers turning the ball over on downs:
The result of that series is something that Hargrove says will stick with the offensive line all year.
"It will definitely be in the back of our minds whenever we get into another situation like this," Hargrove said. "We're going to work to not have that feeling again, keep it in the back of our minds, move on and not let it happen again."
Maybe some of the building blocks to not letting that happen again were already seen later in the N.C. State game. Pitt managed to get its two longest runs from Davis in the fourth quarter of nine and 15 yards, and Pickett scored on two quarterback sneaks where the offensive line asserted itself and won those short distance battles.
Here's the first of those sneaks, where you can see Morrissey and guard Jake Kradel double-team the nose tackle to blow him off the ball and the offensive line collectively win its battles down the line to give Pickett the space to fight his way in:
Hargrove said that play helped the group find its footing after the disappointing stop on fourth down.
"Once we called the sneak we had a different mindset than the other plays," Hargrove said. "And it shouldn't be like that. We should have the same mindset every play, but after we got stopped the first time our mindset was that it wouldn't happen again."
Pitt gets a chance to reassert its offensive line against Boston College's defense that allows 146 rushing yards per game, eighth best in the ACC. Not a dominant group, but it will be the first defense that Pitt's faced this season that employs a four-man front and a challenge that Hargrove looks forward to facing.
"I wouldn't say it's hard," Hargrove said about adjusting to Pitt's first four-man front opponent this season. "We face a four-down front every day against our defense. Nothing new or hard, we'll be ready for that. There's still stuff we can take on our footwork and hand placement that we're learning from to capitalize on for this week. They're a good team so we're going to come to play. We're going to execute and move forward. They're a good team, they play fast and hard and that's what we need to get better."
The offensive line's issues are rooted in not being able to win consistently across the board. When some linemen win, others are beaten and allow rushing plays to be blown up.
Finding the consistency across the board will be the unit's test this Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
• Hargrove also spoke about his parents being able to attend games, saying that knowledge might help the team focus.
"My mom calls me every weekend asking if we're going to have fans," Hargrove said. "Finally get to tell her yes. We're excited for that and that's more momentum and focus for us."
Wide receiver D.J. Turner said that the decision to allow fans in the stadium is exciting for the team, and mentioned how his parents came to Pittsburgh from Maryland last weekend and watched him play from the television in his off-campus apartment.
"We'll all be excited to get people back in the stands," Turner said on Tuesday. "We're starting to get used to playing without people. I know our parents are tired of watching from TV screens, we're excited to have them there. My parents traveled to town last weekend hoping to watch the game but had to watch it from my apartment. I know other people had to do that as well."
"I know I'll be excited to have my family there and the rest of the team will as well, Turner continued. "They came up Thursday night but we found out Friday morning. They were a little disappointed but they were happy to be up here and see me. There was a time I didn't think I was going to play this season. When I got back they were really excited for me. Even though we lost I put up career numbers and I don't think they expected that of me."
If you want to read more about the announcement on the decision to allow fans at Heinz Field, you can read Dale Lolley's story that includes a statement from Heather Lyke here.