Four Things to Watch in Pitt's Spring Game
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will wrap up spring practices this weekend with the annual Blue-Gold game at Acrisure Stadium. Even with a new format and new talent, Pitt expects this to be one of the more entertaining editions of the annual mid-April event in recent memory.
Here's four things to watch closely as the Panthers call it a spring and go live in front of fans for the first time in 2023.
Blue-Gold Out, Offense-Defense In
The Panthers are changing things up this spring, opting to ditch the more formal game rituals of spliting the team into two, sending them to opposite sidelines and rolling the ball out for a somewhat muted game but one that feels more like a fall gameday on the North Shore than their typical scrimmages.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi teased the changes earlier in the week and revealed them mostly in full following the final practice of the spring - Pitt's Spring Game this season will pit offense against defense, with points up for grabs by earning touchdowns, recording tackles for loss, gaining first downs and forcing three-and-outs among other things. A more detailed rundown of how the game will be scored and a winner determined will be available on gameday.
Narduzzi and his staff made this change in order to get more even matchups between his players. This format will allow the coaches to put best on best and find more accurate evaluations with whole units facing whole units with similar experience and talent levels.
QB Competiton Down the Depth Chart
Phil Jurkovec has all but been annointed the top quarterback on the depth chart already. Midway through spring practices, Narduzzi hinted at what was widely assumed when Jurkovec had decided to spend his final year of eligibility playing for the Panthers - he is QB1.
Even with the top spot on the depth chart mostly secured, that doesn't mean there isn't an intriguing position battle happening further down the pecking order. With Jurkovec as the clear no. 1, Nate Yarnell and Christian Veilleux are battling to be his understudy and the Spring Game will be revealing in two ways. First, without the typical organization of the team draft in place, the order in which either player appears and who they appear with will hint at where each stands in the coaching staff's eyes after weeks of practices. Second, their play in a more game-like environment could cause some separation entering the offseason.
Quarterback injuries are always a scary proposition and Jurkovec's injury history makes finding a capable backup vital for a Pitt team looking to maintain their upward trajectory.
Youth Movement at DL
Calijah Kancey, Habakkuk Baldonado, Deslin Alexandre and John Morgan departed the program at the conclusion of the 2022 season to pursue careers in professional football or, in Morgan's case, complete their college career. That's a lot of games played, tackles made and sacks completed exiting without much starting experience waiting behind them. There is certainly talent there but whether or not that talent can be parlayed into production on par with the unit's reputation.
Dayon Hayes can be comfortably penciled in as one starter at defensive end and the interior of the line is staffed by some capable veterans in David Green, Tyler Bentley, Deandre Jules and redshirt freshman Sean FitzSimmons has turned heads among the defensive tackles as well. The other end spot is wide open, with Jimmy Scott, Nate Temple, Nahki Johnson and Bam Brima all in the mix to earn snaps on the end.
Underclassmen Elliot Donald, Samuel Okunlola Isaiah Neal are wild cards - young but immensely talened and capable of contributing if things fall the right way. Expect both of them to see plenty of playing time with the second teamers and maybe even a first team rep here or there, where they will have a chance to prove whether or not the hype is real or still years away from materializing.
Expect frequent rotations from defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who is in the middle of trying to fill massive shoes at a position previously staffed with and now short on sure things.
New-Look Secondary
The Panthers are replacing two pillars of a defense that helped bring home an ACC Championship and 20 wins over the past two seasons. After enjoying the comforting luxury of reliable safety tandem Brandon Hill and Erick Hallett, who are now both pursuing their dreams of playing in the NFL, Pitt is searching for the next set of safeties to lead them into 2023 and beyond.
Four players are in the mix for significant snaps and it won't just be their individual play that determines where they stand on the depth chart entering teh offseason, but who they pair well with as well. There needs to be chemistry between whoever the two starters are in addition to sufficient knowledge and talent.
It remains to be seen where those four - Stephon Hall, P.J. O'Brien, Javon McIntyre and Donovan McMillon - will play. McMillon says he's been spending most of his time at the boundry position while the rest have cross-trained at that and the free position. While the coaching staff prides itself on versatility, they typically have players stick in one spot once the season begins. Where they each line up is also an open question, one that will have a more clear answer at the end of the day.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!
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