Pitt Defense Missing Out on Higher Sack Total

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have built strong defenses around a relentless pass rush. Their front seven has been strong ever since head coach Pat Narduzzi first took over in 2015 and the past three years have been particularly productive.

From 2019 to 2021, Pitt led the FBS in sacks with 151, outpacing the juggernaut NFL factories at Alabama and Georgia during that span. But through three weeks of 2022, the Panthers have been surprisingly ordinary. With a total of just eight sacks this season, the Panthers are well off their typical pace. They are currently tied for 30th nationally in sacks per game and rank 36th in sack percentage. 

Part of the problem is that opponents are expecting heat when they play Pitt, but head coach Pat Narduzzi still believes the Panthers are leaving big plays on the field. Using senior defensive end John Morgan as an example, he said the pass rushers have been too eager to make those splash plays. 

“We’ve missed a lot," Narduzzi said. "Last week, John Morgan comes inside twice, really three times probably, and he gets so anxious and he’s so quick twitch that he thinks he can beat them anyway. ... I bet we have as many missed tackles in the backfield that should have been sacks as we have sacks."

But it's not as simple as wrapping up once they get a shot at the quarterback. Pitt rushers need to be tighter with their technique and be more cognizant of their position on the field, according to Narduzzi. He referenced Morgan's game against Western Michigan again. 

“Last week, it wasn’t a matter of being under control, just grabbing and missing," he said. "It was a matter of getting to the depth of the quarterback. John took a couple of chances, ... but he’s countering at three yards. Well, the quarterback is at six, seven yards, so you have to get up to that depth then counter. So I told him to relax and the sacks will come."

He's urging patience from a play-by-play perspective but also wants his players to recognize the urgency of cleaning up these mistakes. They are possession, quarter and even game-changing plays that Pitt is failing to make when they are in their grasp.  

"We’re giving them away and we have to stop giving them away,” Narduzzi said.

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