University of Pittsburgh Athletics
SPRING FOOTBALL NOTES AND ANECDOTES
3/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
PANTHERS WELCOME BACK 18 STARTERS IN 2016
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi welcomes back 18 starters from last season's team. The Panthers return eight starters on offense, eight on defense and two starting specialists. Pitt returns 52 lettermen overall.
EIGHT WINS in 2015
Pitt completed the 2015 regular season with an 8-4 mark after going 6-6 each of the prior four years (2011-14). The Panthers previously finished a regular season above the .500 mark in 2010 when they went 7-5. That 2010 team defeated Kentucky, 27-10, in the BBVA Compass Bowl to finish 8-5 overall—Pitt's last eight-win season prior to the 2015 campaign.
The Panthers finished with a 6-2 ACC record and in second place in the Coastal Division. Pitt's six conference wins are its most ever. The Panthers finished 5-2 in the Big East five separate times (2002, 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2010).
Pitt finished its 2015 regular-season road schedule with an impressive 5-1 record, its best away mark in seven years. (The 2008 Panthers also went 5-1 on the road en route to a 9-4 overall mark.) Pitt's lone road loss in 2015 was to Iowa, 27-24, on a 57-yard field goal as time expired. The Panthers went 4-0 in away games in ACC play, their first undefeated conference road record ever.
Pitt's five losses in 2015 came against teams that went a combined 52-15 (.800): Iowa (12-2), North Carolina (11-3), Navy (11-2), Notre Dame (10-3) and Miami (8-5). Four of those teams finished the year ranked in the final Top 25 polls. Iowa finished No. 9/10, Notre Dame was No. 11/12, North Carolina ranked No. 15 and Navy was ranked No. 18.
Contrary to prior seasons, Pitt displayed an ability to win the close ones in 2015. The Panthers went 5-3 in games decided by single digits last year. In contrast, Pitt was 1-5 in single-digit contests in 2014.
Pitt rallied past Syracuse for a 23-20 victory in the Carrier Dome (Oct. 24) after entering the fourth quarter trailing, 17-13. Chris Blewitt provided the winning points when he kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired. The Syracuse victory marked the first time since 2009 that Pitt rallied to win when facing a fourth-quarter deficit. The Panthers previously had not overcome a deficit in the final period since Dec. 26, 2009, when they defeated North Carolina, 19-17, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
700 Club
Pitt's 26-19 win over Virginia (Oct. 10) marked the 700th victory in program history. The Panthers are one of 23 Bowl Subdivision programs to achieve the 700-win milestone. Only five ACC schools belong to the "700 Club"—Virginia Tech (718), Georgia Tech (714), Syracuse (712), Pitt (704) and Clemson (703)—according to NCAA.org.
127 Years and Counting
The 2016 campaign marks the 127th football season in Pitt history. The Panthers, who played their inaugural season in 1890, have a 704-515-42 all-time record (.575). The program's rich legacy includes 90 first team All-Americans, 24 College Football Hall of Famers, eight Pro Football Hall of Famers and nine national championships.
Four true freshmen played for Pitt last season: running back Darrin Hall, wide receiver Quadree Henderson, wide receiver Tre Tipton and strong safety Jordan Whitehead. Of that select group, Whitehead and Hall earned starting assignments.
Whitehead, in fact, was a consensus Freshman All-American after leading the Panthers with 109 tackles. He was also named the 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Whitehead played in all 13 games, starting the final 12 at strong safety.
Hall played in 10 games with one start (at Iowa). He finished as the Panthers' third leading rusher on the year with 257 yards on 64 carries (4.0 avg.) and two touchdowns.
Pitt lost three prominent players (either returning starter or significant contributor) to season-ending injuries in 2015: junior running back and 2014 ACC Player of the Year James Conner (knee), junior running back Rachid Ibrahim (Achilles tendon) and sophomore offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith (knee). Conner was injured in the Youngstown State opener, while Ibrahim and Jones-Smith sustained preseason injuries.
Pitt did an excellent job limiting penalties last season, incurring just 65 for 530 yards. The Panthers ranked among the nation's best in fewest penalties (24th), fewest penalties per game (5.00 avg., 19th), fewest penalty yards (20th) and fewest penalty yards per game (40.77 avg., 18th).
Among ACC teams, Pitt ranked second in fewest penalty yards, fewest penalty yards per game and fewest penalties per game. The Panthers were fourth in the league in fewest total penalties.
The Panthers were exceptional at protecting the football in 2015. Pitt ranked 25th nationally and fourth in the ACC in fewest turnovers with 16. Pitt quarterbacks threw only nine interceptions, the second fewest in the ACC and the 25th fewest in the country.
Pitt converted 84.6% on fourth down last season (11 of 13), which topped the ACC and ranked second nationally. The Panthers converted 11 consecutive fourth downs to end the season, dating back to their Sept. 19 game at Iowa.
Qadree Ollison, the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, entered the 2015 season as Pitt's third-string tailback. Four months later, the redshirt freshman finished as the Panthers' leading rusher with 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns on 212 carries (5.3 avg.). He is only the fifth freshman in Pitt history to achieve a 1,000-yard rushing season.
Ollison was thrust into a major role following season-ending injuries to James Conner, the 2014 ACC Player of the Year, and Rachid Ibrahim. Ollison averaged 86.2 rushing yards per game, which ranked fourth in the ACC.
Qadree Ollison is one of just four freshmen at Pitt to rush for 200 yards in a game, joining such luminaries as Tony Dorsett, Curvin Richards and James Conner. Ollison's 207-yard effort against Youngstown State—in his college debut—ranks fifth (tied) for the most rushing yards by a Pitt freshman. Incredibly, Ollison achieved his 207-yard game on just 16 carries (12.9 avg.), all after halftime.
The performance of quarterback Nate Peterman was key in Pitt earning a 6-2 ACC record and runner-up finish in the Coastal Division. Against league foes, Peterman threw 15 touchdowns and just one interception. His 15 TD passes in ACC games ranked second only to Clemson's Deshaun Watson's 19.
Pitt All-America running back James Conner appeared in only one game last season—the opener against Youngstown State—due to a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Conner sustained the injury in the second quarter against YSU.
Conner entered the 2015 season as one of college football's most decorated players. He was selected the 2014 ACC Player of the Year after rushing for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns. Conner was named to seven postseason All-America squads as a sophomore, including first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He was the first Pitt running back to garner first-team All-America honors in 27 years, dating back to Craig "Ironhead" Heyward in 1987.
Pitt ranked 16th nationally and third in the ACC in quarterback sacks last season with an average of 2.85 per game. Pitt had 37 total sacks, 18 more than it had the year before Pat Narduzzi's arrival. Fifteen different Pitt players were in on sacks in 2015. In terms of team tackles for loss, Pitt compiled 88 in 2015 compared to just 54 in 2014.
Year Games Sacks Sacks/Game NCAA Rank
2015 13 37 2.85 16th
2014 13 19 1.46 102nd
Year Games TFL TFL/Game NCAA Rank
2015 13 88 6.8 41st
2014 13 54 4.2 120th
Defensive end Ejuan Price led the ACC and ranked eighth nationally with an average of 0.88 sacks per game last year. Price had 11.5 total sacks, the most by a Pitt player since 2000 when defensive end Bryan Knight also had 11.5.
Price had a game for the ages in the Panthers' 45-34 victory over Louisville (Nov. 21). He dominated the Cardinals' offensive front for five sacks, the most by a Bowl Subdivision player last season and one shy of the FBS record.
Strong safety Jordan Whitehead compiled a team-high 109 tackles last season, the most by a true freshman in school history. Only one other Pitt true frosh has reached 100 tackles, defensive lineman Marc Spindler, who had 106 stops in 1987.
Prior to Whitehead, the last time a true or redshirt freshman led Pitt in tackles was in 1999 when free safety Ramon Walker, a redshirt frosh, had 131 stops.
The Pitt defense scored three touchdowns last season to rank second in the ACC and 25th nationally in that category. The Panthers' three defensive TDs were their most in a season since the 2008 team also had three.
11/7/15 vs. Notre Dame:Ejuan Price (32-yard fumble return)
11/21/15 vs. Louisville: Avonte Maddox (30-yard INT return)
12/28/15 vs. Navy (Military Bowl): Jordan Whitehead (22-yard fumble return)
Chris Blewitt ranks second among Pitt's all-time kick scorers with 267 points. He needs just two points to surpass career leader Carson Long, who had 268 from 1973-76.
In terms of overall scoring, Blewitt ranks third. The Panthers' career scoring leader is legendary tailback Tony Dorsett, who compiled 380 points from 1973-76.
BLEWITT COMES UP BIG
Placekicker Chris Blewitt provided the winning margin with late field goals in two Pitt victories this season. At Syracuse (Oct. 24), he kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 win. It was one of three field goals on the day for Blewitt. A week prior at Georgia Tech (Oct. 17), Blewitt kicked a school-record 56-yard field goal with 1:11 left to lift the Panthers to a 31-28 victory. His game-winning kick broke Pitt's 21-year-old school record held by David Merrick, who had a 54-yarder against Texas in 1994.
The Panthers ranked among the country's finest in blocked kicks last season. Pitt had five blocks, which led the ACC and ranked fourth nationally. The Panthers blocked two punts (second in the ACC and 11th nationally), two extra points and one field goal.
The five blocks in 2015 marked Pitt's highest total in seven years. The 2008 Panthers led the nation and set a school record with 10 blocked kicks.
Five different players were responsible for Pitt's blocks last season, and each of those players are returning in 2016.
9/19/15 at Iowa: Ryan Lewis, Punt (returned 28 yards for a TD by Pat Amara)
10/10/15 vs. Virginia: Ejuan Price, PAT
10/17/15 at Georgia Tech: Shakir Soto, Field Goal
10/29/15 vs. North Carolina: Quintin Wirginis, Punt
12/28/15 vs. Navy (Military Bowl): Avonte Maddox, PAT
—PITT—
