Panthers Looking to Spread the Wealth Offensively
11/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 2, 2011
PITTSBURGH -
by Pat Bostick
In its finest performance of the year, Pitt’s offense racked up 529 total yards in a pivotal matchup against Connecticut last Wednesday night. It was the second time the Panthers surpassed the 500-yard mark this year. It also marked the first time a Pitt offense has turned out multiple 500-yard performances in the same season since 2000 – the Panthers had two that year, the most impressive coming against Boston College when John Turman, Antonio Bryant, Kevan Barlow and company put up a whopping 584 yards of offense in a 42-26 rout of the Eagles. The Panthers’ offensive output against Connecticut last week was the best since that 2000 season. It was quite an explosive performance. Especially considering Pitt lost is best offensive player, Ray Graham, for the remainder of the season on its fourth offensive snap.
Without Ray Graham’s services, Pitt had to go to the air, and Tino Sunseri was as efficient and accurate as ever. He completed 29-of-42 pass attempts to eight different receivers. His passes, and some nifty runs after the catch, totaled 419 yards and cashed in two touchdown strikes, both to Mike Shanahan. The Panthers were passable (no pun intended) on the ground. They actually grossed 132 yards if you don’t count the three sacks. Sunseri finished the day as Pitt’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 12 times for a net total of 40 yards and an impressive eight-yard touchdown scamper. Zach Brown added 12 carries for 30 yards and a three-yard scoring plunge. In all, 11 different Panthers touched the ball. Seven had multiple receptions and over 35 yards receiving. It was an exceptional offensive performance, right? Not to Todd Graham, actually. Wednesday night was par on his course.
His offenses at Tulsa were seriously explosive, twice leading the nation in total offense – 543.9 yards per game in 2007 and 569.9 yards per game in 2008. During those two years, Tulsa averaged more than 220 yards per game rushing. Interestingly enough their leading rusher, Tarrion Adams, only averaged 98.15 yards a game during that two-year span, less than half the team’s per game rushing average. Tulsa relied upon a team effort in the run game, and the same went for the passing attack. That same two-year window saw Tulsa average just over 336 passing yards a game, with that number being divided (not equally) amongst an average of eight different receivers per game. Tulsa had four 1,000-yard receivers over those two years and 14 players caught 20 passes or more in a single season during that stretch. This offense is clearly built on spreading the ball around.
The 2011 Pitt offense will need to utilize that recipe if it is to realize its goals. Ray Graham has undoubtedly carried the offense to this point in the season. Through seven games, his 1,139 yards of total offense accounted for approximately 48 percent of the team’s total offense (2,395 yards). His contributions are irreplaceable and will surely be missed. Anytime you lose a player of his caliber, it hurts. With that being said, I am excited to see how this offense performs for the remainder of the season. The absence of a player who, by the nature of his talents demands around 30 touches a game, will force this offense to return to its roots – spreading the ball around. The Panthers’ performance against Connecticut serves as proof that spreading the wealth can be a successful formula.
Pitt will depend more on the legs and arm of Tino Sunseri than ever before. His outstanding performance against the Huskies serves as the template. But he can’t do it alone. He’ll need solid performances from his blocking unit, which allowed only three sacks against UConn, an improvement from the six they yielded against Utah. They’ll need good performances from Zach Brown, whose nine-reception, 84-yard performance was the best by a Pitt running back since Curtis Martin’s seven-catch, 84-yard total against Southern Miss in 1993. The Panthers will depend on a team effort from their receiving corps. They’ll need involvement from tight ends, H-backs, running backs and wide receivers to produce the balanced, equally-dispersed passing attack they displayed against UConn.
Though it may sound like a lot of moving parts, this offense has looked its best when everyone gets involved. In its two best performances (523 yards against USF and 529 yards against Connecticut) the Panther offense has had an average of 13 players touch the football (five different rushers and eight different receivers per game). They had Ray Graham’s services for one of those games, but, unfortunately, his 48% share of the Panthers’ total offense was lost against UConn. Now, the Panthers need to spread the wealth.
