Pitt's offensive line was one of the bigger questions about the Panthers' chances to be a real threat in the ACC this season.
As Pat Narduzzi's Panthers sit at 6-1 through seven games, the offense has found a balance that it didn't have at the start of the season. Against Tennessee and Western Michigan in Pitt's second and third games of the season, the Panthers ran the ball averaged running 85.5 yards per game with an average of less than 2.5 yards per carry and two touchdowns while they threw the ball for an average 358 yards per game and nine touchdowns.
Over Pitt's first three ACC games against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Clemson, the offense has averaged running the ball for 183.7 yards per game with four touchdowns with an average of 4.3 yards per carry while throwing the ball for an average of 301.3 yards per game with eight touchdowns. That's been fueled by an offensive line that's been playing more together as a unit, as Marcus Minor explained Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex after practice.
"It's the hard work we put in," Minor said about what's different about the offensive line. "Whether it's film study or practice, the O-line wants to be great. The running backs want to be great, Kenny (Pickett) wants to be great. We all try to do little things that push that run game and pass game forward and to do that we have to keep doing the little things right."
As a group, Pitt's offensive line has grown more physical each week to block for Israel Abanikanda, Vincent Davis and Rodney Hammond Jr.
"As an O-line we just talk about 'play free, play angry,'" Minor said. "That's what we tell each other every time we go on the field. That's our motto, that's our habit. We just want to be the best."
That progress hasn't come without its ups and downs. But one aspect that's allowed them to build throw those struggles has been their closeness and willingness to help each other through their mistakes.
"We're very close," Minor said of Pitt's offensive line. "We watch film every day for hours and talk through different scenarios that may happen on the field. When things aren't going well, that's part of brotherhood and that's part of life. Part of our bond is doing what we've got to do to get through that. We're close on and off the field. It's a great bond we have."
"It happens all the time," Minor continued about the line correcting each other. "We might have a bad play or someone might fall off a block but we all have to pick each other up. We are all our own worst critics because we all want to be great. But that's why we all pick each other up. Then when we're on the field, when we have to pass off assignments it's just a reaction with each other because of how often we talk things out or work on things in practice. It's a great on-and-off the field balance."
That balance led to Pitt's most impressive performance by moving the ball against the third-best scoring defense in Clemson on Saturday. The Tigers were ranked second in scoring defense before the game until the Panthers ran the ball for 162 yards and Kenny Pickett threw the ball for 302 yards at Heinz Field. Narduzzi and Pickett talked about the threat Clemson brought with the several five-star recruits on its defense, and how that especially included the defensive front. Minor says that didn't change the line's preparation and harped the "1-0 every week" mantra that Narduzzi has preached for years.
"We try to treat everyone the same," Minor said when asked about Clemson. "We try to go 1-0 every week throughout the season, especially in the ACC. We know we have our Western Michigan loss and that was a bad week. But now we just have to go 1-0, then 1-0, then 1-0 again and control what we can control. We do what we can during the week so that Saturdays are fun."
That success to go 1-0 against Clemson got Pitt to be ranked No. 17 by the Associated Press, the highest ranking in the Narduzzi era.
"It's not something we really focus on," Minor said about Pitt's ranking. "We try to focus on the little things that will keep us there. I know from our standpoint to see that recognition is great, but it won't matter if we can't produce on Saturday. So I would rather produce on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then Saturday so that we can feel that hype when we're talked about Sunday."
We'll see if Pitt can keep that focus and momentum at Heinz Field this Saturday at Noon against Miami.
