The pride of Pitt football this season was no doubt Kenny Pickett's record setting success of a season that made the Panthers' offense among the top programs in the county in several major categories.
But Pitt's defense still has plenty of pride too. The Panthers' 91.2 rushing yards per game allowed ranked sixth in the country, and its 51 sacks was second-most in the nation.
That defense was challenged by the best run-pass-option (RPO) based offense in the country during the ACC Championship in Wake Forest's offense led by quarterback Sam Hartman. The Panthers chopped the Demon Deacons' 41.2 points per game average almost in half by only allowing 21 points, shutting them out for three quarters and intercepting Hartman four times.
Safe to say, they aced the final exam against the RPO after the struggles they showed against Western Michigan and Miami earlier in the season. Now, that defense gets one more test against Michigan State to set a tone that Pitt's defense is a unit to be respected as much as the offense.
"We played every game with a chip on our shoulder," safety Brandon Hill said Tuesday. "We go in ready to work, ready to battle, ready to play. We had a great offense that led us this year with also a great defense. So just always -- as a defense, you just want to go in and play with a chip on your shoulder. We may not have got the recognition we deserved this year, but we'll still come out and play the exact same way."
It's fair to say Pitt's defense didn't get recognition this year as it played a big role in several of Pitt's key wins with defensive touchdowns in their wins over Clemson and Wake Forest, and closing out both North Carolina and Virginia with huge stops late in those games to seal victories that clinched the ACC Coastal division against high pedigree quarterbacks like Sam Howell and Brennan Armstrong.
But despite all those victories, if you asked Pitt's defensive leaders, the game that still sticks out to them the most is their 44-41 loss to Western Michigan back on Sept. 18. Pickett called a team meeting after the game for the players to address their weaknesses and lock in, and the lasting impact of that meeting has carried on for months as defensive leaders like Phil Campbell, SirVocea Dennis, Calijah Kancey and Hill often bring up the loss when asked about their preparation during a given week.
Habbakuk Baldonado was the first Panther to bring it up this week, more than three months removed from the loss as Pitt prepares to face No. 10 Michigan State and potentially win its first New Year's Six Bowl game since 1981 and lock up a 12-win season for the second time in program history.
"It was a long time ago but seems like it was yesterday," Baldonado said when talking about Pitt's loss to Western Michigan. "It was a tough loss. I think we've learned a lot from that game. It's been a huge moment in our season. We changed a lot of things in our defense. In my opinion that's what allowed us to have the season that we had after that game."
Since that loss, Pitt only allowed two of its final ten opponents to score 30 or more points. The defense has built up a different tone to it by playing more consistently, stopping the run and forcing turnovers in crucial parts of games while limiting big play opportunities for opponents. It's a tone that their players, with several key starters set to return next year, think can carry on into 2022.
"Definitely," Dennis said Tuesday when asked if Pitt's performance against Michigan State can set a strong tone that connects to next season. "I think the reason we were as good a team this year is because how close we were and how much time we had to spend together, not just on the field but also off the field. So if we can get that done as early as a bowl week or as early as December, transitioning into spring will be that much easier, and then coming into the fall camp would be better as well."
Pitt looks to return Kancey, a First Team All-ACC defensive tackle, along with Baldonado and John Morgan III at defensive end, SirVocea Dennis at linebacker, M.J. Devonshire, A.J. Woods and Marquise Williams at cornerback, and Brandon Hill and ACC Championship MVP Erick Hallett II at safety.
And that doesn't include the potential return of two team captains in defensive end Deslin Alexandre and linebacker Cam Bright, who are both seniors with one more year of eligibility should they choose to use the NCAA COVID-19 waiver and return for a year. Even with several major contributors and core veterans graduating like Damarri Mathis, who opted out of the game, along with Phil Campbell, John Petrishen and Chase Pine who are all set to play their last NCAA games, Pitt has plenty to reload its defense with next season.
One player you can expect to see more in the Peach Bowl is sophomore linebacker Bangally Kamara, who registered two tackles in the ACC Championship Game and is a young player Pitt's players are excited to see get a chance to shine.
"During this week it has definitely been more developmental," Dennis said of practices. "It's just me getting used to or everyone getting used to each other. And I think Bangally is going to be coming in next year and he's going to be ready to step up to the play. I think he's ready now. Me and him have been in the film room a lot. He's been basically my little brother, really. He's been by my side, taking notes, doing everything he can. And to be honest, I think he's ready, and I think he'll be ready to go whenever."
Despite Michigan State's Heisman Trophy candidate and top running back Kenneth Walker III opting out of the game, Pitt's defense doesn't look at Michigan State as a team it can let up against.
"I think he was a huge part of their offense," Baldonado said of Walker. "But they still have great players. Their quarterbacks, their O-line and I'm sure they have a lot of running backs that are ready to step up and take his spot. So it's still going to be a tough game but we're going to stop them."
Michigan State still has Jordon Simmons and Payton Thorne in the backfield and won't be afraid to lean on either, as Thorne was the Spartans' second-leading scorer on the ground behind Walker with four touchdowns this season.
Don't think that just because Walker's out that Pitt's defense doesn't see Thursday night as a test to just how good of a unit they are. They're well aware of the stakes of the game for the history of getting a 12th win, winning the Peach Bowl, and keeping the success built this season on an upward trajectory into next season.
"I don't think it's difficult at all," Dennis said when asked about the difficulty of staying focused during a three-week hiatus before the game. "It's always the mentality of 'stay ready so you don't have to get ready.' We've been practicing. We've been working out. We've been doing everything we need to do to stay ready. And the mentality of this team, we're just hungry for another game. We want that 12th win. So I think we're not worried about having three byes in a row or three weeks of not playing a game. I think we're just ready to go, more than anything now."
Beyond the opportunity to win the game, Pitt's players want to fit the identity Pat Narduzzi charges to his defense for being stout against the run, aggressive to create turnovers and stingy against allowing big plays. That, more than anything, puts a chip on their shoulders to set a tone for the defense that will carry over into Pitt's season opener against West Virginia next season.
"It means a lot because he always harps on a Pitt tough defense, a Pitt tough defense," Hill said about living up to Narduzzi's challenge to the defense. "Eleven guys flying to the ball. When one guy has the ball, eleven helmets should hit him. We're always racing to the ball. Me and SirVocea, throughout the season we've had this race, who is going to get the most tackles, who's going to get the ball. Obviously he beat me this year, but I have obviously more years in me. But it comes from Narduzzi. He's a great coach. He's electric out there on the field in practice. He gets everybody fired up. He makes everybody want to play and get in that mode and be the Pitt tough defense that we are."
