Throwing on Early Downs Can Help Struggling Pitt Passing Game

The Pitt Panthers need to take pressure off their passing game to see it reach its potential.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are underperforming, particularly on offense. They are not explosive enough to be so undisciplined and commit too many penalties to be this methodical. 

The live arm that won Kedon Slovis the starting quarterback job has not truly materialized through six disjointed games and the Pitt arial attack holds an expected points added (EPA) per pass mark of 0.054 - good for just 62nd in the country. Without Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison, some regression was expected but not to this extent, given what the Panthers thought they had coming through the transfer portal.

Last week, Israel Abanikanda's 320-yard, six-touchdown performance against Virginia Tech covered for a shaky day from the passing offense. There is nothing wrong with turning to a hot hand but the Panthers' claim that they can win through the air as well as the ground is becoming more dubious by the week.

Slovis himself said he is sometimes haunted by mistakes he made as a younger player at USC, when he was pressing for a big play too often instead of taking what was available. That has compelled him to look for his checkdowns more often instead of seeking home runs every play.

"We tried to dial up some shots and you have to be a good decision maker and check it down." Slovis said following a win over Rhode Island earlier this year. "That’s why you see me checking down a few times, ... You can still get explosives but they were playing deep. ... I’ve made that mistake before as a freshman and it’s really a credit to Coach [Frank] Cignetti teaching me where those check downs are. ... Something I learned this week was where exactly those checkdowns are, knowing the timing, when to get off something, when to give up on a route or when to hang on to it and give it a chance."

There's a delicate balance to strike between aggression and strategic conservativeness, one that Pitt is still trying to find. The Panthers are just not as talented an offense as they were last year and their style of play makes moving the ball a slog if Abanikanda cannot break long scoring runs with his speed. He was able to break chunk plays easily against Virginia Tech, but with Abanikanda out against Georgia Tech, it was a different story.

One way the Panthers can keep themselves in a favorable position is by winning on early downs and keeping all of their calls in play. Slovis has thrived when Pitt is able to stay ahead of the sticks and maintain Abanikanda's legs as a threat too. When facing a possession down with a ways to go for a first, Slovis is put in an unfavorable position against defenses that do not fear the downfield passing game. 

Slovis was 4-10 passing on third down against the Hokies, picking up first downs on three of those throws when the average yards to go was just north of six and his lone sack was taken on a third and 11. 

Compare that to the Georgia Tech game, when Abanikanda was unavailable for most of the night. When passing on third down against the Yellow Jackets, Slovis needed to go eight yards on average and didn't complete any of his six attempts with no first downs gained through the air. He threw pick and was sacked once on third down that night too. 

Over those same two games, Slovis is a combined 39-51 for 419 yards, three touchdowns and one pick on first and second down and few of those yards have come in the form of downfield bombs. Slovis is making a lot of smart checkdowns that allow his skill players to get the ball in space but that is not an effective strategy against teams content to keep you short of the sticks on third and long. 

Slovis is not blameless for the passing game's struggles. At times he has held himself back with poor decision-making and slow reactions, but he could use some help from his supporting cast. 

Outside of Jared Wayne, his receivers have struggled to execute cleanly and hang on to the football and the offensive scheme follows a predictable pattern. If the Panthers can add some more variety to their calls, it'll play more to what's been Slovis' strengths this season - wide distribution that allows playmakers to run after the catch. 

It's clear that Pitt does not have the kind of explosive passing game that will get them out of tough spots this year, but throwing more often on early downs will allow the Panthers to make everyone a threat, pressure defenses and move downfield without having to create those long passes. 

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