University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Reviewing Saturday's spring football scrimmage
3/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Pitt Spring Practice #7
Pitt Live Wire Scrimmage Highlights
Video: Saturday Scrimmage Highlights
Pitt Scrimmage Quickie Statistics
Web Link: Scrimmage Statistics (pdf)
Post-Practice Video Interviews
Video: Coach Pat Narduzzi
Video: Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney
Video: Linebackers Coach Rob Harley
Video: Quarterback Chad Voytik
Video: Defensive End Rori Blair
Coach Pat Narduzzi Quote Sheet
On players saying there is a fine line between lack of execution and a lack of intensity:
"Well, if they don't execute there is two reasons: trying to not execute or do they not know what they are doing. The first thing is the knowledge. It's hard to execute when you don't know what you're doing. Then, if you don't know what you're doing, it's hard to be intense about it because you can't do it full force. Those two go hand-in-hand. That's why we talk about playing with intensity, effort and toughness. But you have to have the knowledge. If you don't have the knowledge, you can't have any of that. That's why these classrooms are so important."
On his scrimmage highlights:
"There are all kinds of things. I thought our defense did a better job stopping the run. To me, the highlight as a coach is you better be able to run the football. I thought James (Conner) maybe didn't get as many carries as you want him to. [Qadree] Ollison had a good day. I think he may have had 100 yards rushing. [When you run nearly] 130 plays, things add up. We will try to gauge how many yards per attempt and how many against the [first team]. We will really break this down like you wouldn't believe as far as all our goals and attempts. Main thing is, last scrimmage the first play of the game was a touchdown--like a 65-yard run--and today it wasn't. That's the first thing I see. I think defensively we did a pretty good job of stopping the run. To me, if you can stop the run on defense, you've got a chance. I know that's been a weakness of ours. To me if I see some of that and I know that if we are stopping our offense running the ball like they'd like to, then we've got a chance."
On if defensive end Rori Blair has the ability to play all three downs:
"No doubt about it. Rori is a great kid. He's on the ground too much. We had a couple special teams (drills) and he was on the ground a few times. I'm like, `Rori, you better get up!' We have the defensive linemen wearing knee braces now. They hate it. It's slowing them down a little bit, so they don't have as much speed. Like I told them, we are trying to protect the investment because they have never worn knee braces before. On game day they don't have to wear them, but we can't afford to lose any player in a practice situation."
On the playmakers on offense keeping the defense's intensity up:
"I think when the defense is playing well against the weapons that we have on offense, it gives the defense a little bit of confidence. I also think it is a humbling experience for the offense if they don't make the plays they want to. Tyler [Boyd] had some great catches. He had a circus catch on the sideline. I was like `Holy cow, I'm glad he's on our team and we don't have to defend that guy.' He had a circus catch, and really a couple of them. Chad [Voytik] had some great throws as well. [Adam] Bertke had a nice day today too. It's good to see our backup quarterback, he's getting meaningful reps with the [second team] and might have thrown for a couple hundred yards really. Like I said, we started off with some third downs in the red zone and kicked field goals. I think we kicked 12 field goals and I don't know what the stats on making them or not making them would be. I thought [Chris] Blewitt did a good job as well."
On the depth chart becoming clear:
"After we watch this tape it will be. There was some hammers coming down here and there. But I would imagine the competition is good when there's somebody's breathing down your neck. We always talked to our guys about you better be looking in the rearview mirror at who that guy is behind you. Sometimes it's a reality check when somebody moves ahead of you. So, I think there's a few of those and, who knows, we might move it right back after this scrimmage."
On linebacker Jamal Davis II possibly playing defensive end:
"No, Jamal's a linebacker for sure. He's got great athletic ability. He's still a baby, I mean he's still a puppy as we call them. He's too young to say he would be a defensive end. He's athletic enough that you want to find a place for him to get onto the field. So we have toyed with maybe on our third-down package of putting as many athletes as we can on the field. Maybe (he) could be a third-down defensive end. He's a linebacker right now for sure."
On Dennis Briggs adjusting to cornerback:
"He's got the `wow' factor. Dennis Briggs has been a pleasant surprise. We've had our eyeball on him all through Fourth Quarter Program. What's been most impressive about Dennis is his knowledge. He picked it up almost like a natural and he's playing a little bit of nickel back and he can blitz, too. So he's been very, very impressive here. I think he missed two days [while with the offense]. So he's had five days on defense. I think we moved him maybe day three or day four."
On the competition at nickel back:
"There's competition everywhere. Malik [Henderson] has really been impressive for a true freshman. Usually those guys start off pretty good and then all of sudden as soon as too much information [comes], information overload and all of a sudden they crash and burn. But he has stayed pretty good and he's a football player. He has some natural things to him that I really like."
On coming out of the scrimmage healthy:
"You know, we really did--130 plays and we try to teach our kids to play fast, move your feet and never be loafing around. I think that really helps our kids when they are flying around to the football. I think we did come out really healthy."
On who earned the Blue Jerseys, given to the scrimmage winners:
"The defense won the blue jerseys this week. It's good to see it back and forth."
On progression in the secondary:
"I think Reggie Mitchell is doing a great job. We are still looking for that guy in the boundary. Jevonte [Pitts] and Pat are battling hard. We'll see, it's still a battle and we will have to look at the tape today to find out. After a very good scrimmage, we will be really able to tell some things depth chart wise after today. But you know, Tuesday's a different day. You are only as good as the last practice."
On players seeing a new opportunity:
"I would hope so. When I first came in here, the first meeting I had was it's a fresh start for everybody. So I hope they all have taken that to heart. Same thing with Michael Caprara. I mean there's another guy, I don't know how much football he's played in the past. The word I got coming in here was he felt like he didn't have a chance to play. He's a great football player and I'm really impressed with what Mike's doing as well. So there's a few of those guys from what I've heard and I didn't watch any tape or don't know how many reps they've had. There's some guys that haven't played a lot of football in the past that we need a lot of good football out of."
Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney Quote Sheet
On the scrimmage:
"Our defensive showed up today. The offense had a tough go of it. The defense had more energy. We had enough positive plays to build upon, but we had too many negative plays. We were behind the sticks the whole day. We have to stay in front of the sticks because it is hard to call a game when you are behind the sticks the whole time. Hats off to the defense today. We will go back to the drawing board and correct all of our mistakes and build on it."
On what stuck out about the offense:
"Tyler [Boyd] made some plays on vertical balls, as usual. James [Conner] had a couple of nice screen plays. I though Chris James made a couple of nice plays on inside runs. I think the linemen made some nice plays down the field on some screen plays. But I don't think the offense had their `A' game today. I think we were a little off. I don't think Chad [Voytik] or Adam [Bertke] had their `A' game so I have to do a better job of putting them in position to be successful."
On James Conner in the passing game:
"James Conner has the ability to do whatever James Conner wants to do. He has tremendous balls skills and I like what he can do when he has the ball in his hands. James has the ability to be a good pass protector. He is big and physical and we don't have a lot of complexity in our system so I will look for him to do that."
On the defense today:
"They came out with a better attitude. They were ready to roll a little more than we were. They made some big plays and got some enthusiasm and they kept that going. We would get a little momentum and then couldn't build on it. We weren't there today. It just felt like we weren't clicking on all cylinders."
Linebackers Coach Rob Harley Quote Sheet
On Mike Caprara:
"He is a guy who plays with a lot of energy. He is a guy we have had play multiple positions. We had him in the middle early on and saw a chance for him to be on the field. We look at the depth chart every day and it is fluid. Guys don't just get a starting spot, they have to earn it. The depth chart is fluid and we tell them that every day. It is awesome because it is built in competition. Our goal is to get the best 11 players on the field and we feel like Mike may give us a chance to do that and he hasn't let us down yet. All 14 of my guys have stepped up to the plate, and he is one guy who made major strides today."
On moving players to new positions:
"It starts in the classroom. It's about making sure they know where to line up. You look at a guy like Jameel Poteat who came from running back, Dennis Briggs who was a running back and is now playing corner. You start with them in the classroom and then it is throwing them out there with a sink-or-swim mentality--go line up and if you make a mistake, just go run around and see what you are about."
On Bam Bradley:
"The competition is so heavy. It is big time right now. I don't know if he has taken a step back, but other guys are making plays--Mike Caprara being one of those guys. Bam is in the mix. You have a defensive head coach. He has created an atmosphere of pure competition. I think it stunned a couple of people early on, but they are rising to the occasion. I look forward to have six to eight people in the mix. He is one of those guys who is starting to push and starting to understand the standard we want to set on defense."
Defensive End Rori Blair Quote Sheet
On the new coaching staff:
"They are great. I like how they have simplified things. They are doing good things with the offense too. The offense is doing great."
On his development from year one to year two:
"Honestly, we can all get better. We just need to keep working and learning the plays and get better as a team."
On the scrimmage today:
"We played as a team today. I was where I was supposed to be today and we played well as a defense."
On being a three-down player:
"Coach wants me to use my speed, go out there and make a play. I have always been a smaller defensive end, so adding a little more weight will give me a little more of an edge."
Quarterback Chad Voytik Quote Sheet
On today's scrimmage:
"It was alright. The offense didn't move the ball as well as last Saturday. We learned a lot and I think it was good for us. If we can learn from it and come back it will be good for us."
On his scrimmage highlights:
"I had a few. I know the third pass of the game was a touchdown to (Zach) Challingsworth, a fade route. It was nice to get the scrimmage started like that."
On wide receiver Zach Challingsworth:
"I think he is coming around. He's grown up a lot and is making big plays for us. So, he had a good day."
On his observations of the new offense:
"(Coach Chaney) is going to throw it and he's going to run it. Offense is offense. He is going to do the same thing as we did last year, I feel. We have James Conner at running back and everyone knows that. We are going to give him the ball because he is a great player. We have Tyler Boyd, he's a great player, so we are going to throw him the ball. That's our offense."
--PITT--
