Three Takeaways from Pitt's Win Over Western Michigan

The Pitt Panthers executed a well-drawn up game plan to beat Western Michigan.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers went into this week's game against Western Michigan far from whole. Down a laundry list of injured starters that only grew as the game went on, they were still able to pull out a convincing win over the Broncos. 

Here are three takeaways from a gritty Pitt win that was closer than the score indicated. 

Yarnell Executes Game Plan Perfectly in Starting Debut

The plan for offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti was clear - they were going to ease redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell into his first career start. It took until the second quarter for Cignetti to take the training wheels off and allow Yarnell to uncork some pretty deep balls, but by the second half he was making key plays in the passing game for an offense that relied heavily on the run. 

Israel Abanikanda's career-high 203 all-purpose yards set the table for Yarnell, who had to simply make the plays that were in front of him. Yarnell played mistake-free football, tallying 179 yards through the air on 75% passing and one touchdown to no turnovers. 

He was steady for a Pitt team that was in desperate need of a stabilizing presence. Pat Narduzzi and the rest of the Pitt staff can rest easy knowing they have a competent signal-caller that can fill in next week against Rhode Island while Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti rest up. 

Rehashing Kicker Competition

It was a puzzling development when special teams coordinator Andre Powell announced that Ben Sauls had won the starting placekicker job over 2021 third-team All-ACC honoree Sam Scarton and that decision has looked even more puzzling after the past two weeks. 

Sauls went two for three on field goals against Western Michigan after making just two of four against Tennessee. It's part of being a kicker - his misses are magnified. His two missed kicks loomed large as Pitt went to overtime against the Volunteers and not converting a 27-yard attempt in Kalamazoo was a glaring mistake.

Pat Narduzzi said he watches Sauls and Scarton everyday in practice and Sauls has been more impressive, but if it doesn't show up on gameday, then practice results shouldn't matter and Scarton should get a shot at starting. 

Pitt Improves on Red Zone Struggles

Pitt owned an eight-minute advantage in time of possession and outgained Western Michigan by more than 150 total yards in the first half. They ran effectively and converted on some deep passes thanks to good touch from Yarnell, but at intermission, the Panthers held just a 7-point lead because they failed to take full advantage of scoring chances in the redzone. 

After six straight quarters of tough sledding close to the goal line, the Panthers broke through in the second half against the Broncos. They scored touchdowns on each of their last three red zone opportunities to help them pull away and win by 21 points. 

They moved the ball well down the field but, with a veteran offensive line and deep corps of running backs, the Panthers couldn't find paydirt early on. Simply put, they needed to be better from short range, and did so in the second half. They'll need to do it again against better competition as the season progresses, but that second half was a step in the right direction. 

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