Before every football game this year, the Blue Zone will talk with a football writer from the opposing school’s student newspaper to get the scoop on their team and season.
This week, The Chronicle’s Ryan Hoerger spoke to the The Pitt News' sports editor Dan Sostek about Saturday’s Senior Day game at Wallace Wade Stadium in a meeting of Duke and Pittsburgh squads both trying to end two-game losing streaks.
The Chronicle: The number of points scored in the first two years of this matchup has been off the charts. As a defensive-minded head coach, how do you expect first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi to try to slow down the Blue Devil offense on Saturday?
TPN: I think it's been pretty clear this year that Pat Narduzzi's success at Michigan State as a defensive coordinator was no joke. While their output has kind of dwindled of late, the difference in confidence between last year's defense and this year's is pretty astounding, despite most of the same parts being there. I'd expect Narduzzi to stick to his guns: he wants to stop the run primarily, pressure the quarterback and play man-to-man. I think Pitt has the personnel to match up with Duke's wideouts and running backs, but Pitt has stuggled defending dual threat quarterbacks, so if Sirk plays, I'd expect him to break a few runs.
TC: James Conner has literally run over the Blue Devils in each of the last two years, but he's been sidelined due to injury. Can you assess the job Qadree Ollison has done filling in for the injured Conner—how do their running styles compare?
TPN: I don't think anyone really even saw Ollison being the guy to replace Conner; Chris James was thought to be the primary backup. But after Conner went down against Youngstown State, it was Ollison who rushed for more than 200 yards in that game. There have been times when he has come close to losing the job, primarily due to fumble issues, but you can't really ask for much more than what Ollison has provided as a redshirt freshman replacing one of the best running backs in the country. He's not a gamebreaker, and doesn't break a ton of tackles, but always seems to find a hole, as his 5.3 yard per carry would suggest.
TC: Tyler Boyd has continued to thrive even after the injury to Conner, even though missing the running back has likely increased the amount of attention he's received out wide. What makes him such a dangerous weapon?
TPN: What makes Boyd so dangerous is the fact that he can pretty much catch anything. He's snagged a few balls near the sideline or endzone that have looked like throwaways by the quarterback. He's usually lethal in the open field, but hasn't thrived as much this year in that regard, likely due to defenses blanketing his side of the field with defenders. His versatility is already astounding. He can lineup nearly everywhere on the offense: on the outside, as a slot receiver, in the backfield and even under center — he's 2/3 on the year passing and his one incompletion was a dime. He just became Pitt's all-time receiving yardage leader despite not even being all the way through his third season. He's considered by many to be Pitt's best receiver ever not named Larry Fitzgerald, and for good reason.
TC: Both teams come into this weekend looking to snap two-game losing streaks. What's the mindset of this Pittsburgh squad heading to Durham for a game that could've had much bigger implications for the ACC Coastal race had things unfolded differently in the past two weeks?
TPN: Since spring practice, the team has been breaking huddles at practice yelling "ACC Champs!" so I doubt they've abandoned that goal completely. They've called the Notre Dame game "a pride game" since it didn't have any real impact on the Coastal race. But the North Carolina loss was fairly devastating, whether they'd admit it or not. It was the biggest home Pitt football game since they played Cincinnati for the Big East title in 2009, and were just thoroughly outclassed by the Tar Heels. With that being said, this Panther team is confident, particularly on the road. They came within a 57 yard field goal of taking No. 5 Iowa to overtime at Iowa earlier this year, and that's their only loss away from home. So they won't be intimidated.
TC: Finally, what's your prediction for this weekend's game—who wins and why?
TPN: I think we are in for the opposite of the past two matchups: a real defensive struggle, in which Duke wins 23-21 on a late field goal. I think that Tyler Boyd has a big game, but so will Jeremy Cash and Thomas Sirk—assuming he plays. And unlike last year, when Chris Blewitt missed a short field goal to tie the game, Ross Martin will come through. Maybe that's a little too specific, but you can hold me to it.
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