University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Matchup Preview: Pitt vs. Youngstown State
9/1/2017 11:00:00 AM | Football
The 2017 Pitt football team opens the season tomorrow afternoon at Heinz Field with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Youngstown State.
Here is a matchup preview of the Panthers' 128th football season opener:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Youngstown State Penguins are coming off their best season in 17 years. YSU advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship Game last year for the first time since 1999 after a dramatic run through the 24-team FCS Playoffs as an unseeded program.
YSU, which plays in the extremely competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference, returns several key pieces from last year's team, especially in the passing game. Quarterback Hunter Wells and a talented wide receiving corps of Alvin Bailey, Damoun Patterson and Isiah Scott are a big reason why the Penguins enter 2017 ranked No. 8 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll.
One of the favorites in the FCS this season, YSU's roster features 14 players from western Pennsylvania, and the Penguins will be hoping to repeat their 31-17 upset of Pitt in the 2012 opener at Heinz Field.
Despite that defeat, Pitt owns a 3-1 edge in the all-time series against YSU. The Panthers won comfortably in 2005 (41-0) and 2009 (38-3) before edging the Penguins in the 2015 opener (45-37).
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUP
The Coaches
Saturday's game between Pitt and YSU at Heinz Field pits a head-coaching matchup of Youngstown, Ohio natives against each other for the second time in three openers.
Both Pitt's Pat Narduzzi and YSU's Bo Pelini grew up in Youngstown, and their football careers first crossed paths in high school, with Narduzzi's Ursuline besting Pelini's Cardinal Mooney 35-0 for the 1984 Steel Valley Conference championship. Legend has it, Narduzzi even sacked Pelini in the game.
Narduzzi went on to play linebacker at Youngstown State for his father before finishing his collegiate career at Rhode Island; Pelini attended Ohio State and was a safety for Buckeyes.
More than 30 years after their high school football meetings, after years of building up their coaching credentials at national powerhouses like Michigan State (Narduzzi) and LSU and Nebraska (Pelini), both made their debuts at their current schools two years ago.
Pitt bested YSU, 45-37, in that 2015 season opener at Heinz Field. And this Saturday, the two Youngstown products will meet once again as they both continue to make their hometown proud.
When Pitt Has the Ball
Despite losing four players to the NFL Draft, the Pitt offense returns several key weapons for 2017.
Senior wide receiver Jester Weah and sophomore all-purpose threat Quadree Henderson are the big-play threats for the Panthers, while 2015 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison is hoping to shine again as the team's leading running back.
Southern California graduate transfer Max Browne will start at quarterback for the Panthers after winning the job in training camp, and he'll be protected by an offensive line that features returning starters Brian O'Neill and Alex Officer, as well as several others with big-game experience.
Pitt is hoping for a few more players to break out on offense in 2017. Running back Darrin Hall, tight end transfers Matt Flanagan and Chris Clark and some young wide receivers, namely Maurice Ffrench, Ruben Flowers III and Aaron Mathews, are all set to play big roles this season.
Meanwhile, YSU brings a defense to Heinz Field that held opponents to just 19.9 points and 320.0 yards per game last season. Linebacker Armand Dellovade, a West Allegheny product, returns as a junior after leading the Penguins with 105 total tackles last season.
However, the Penguins will need to replace two of the most productive defensive ends in the FCS last season, Derek Rivers and Avery Moss, who were selected by the New England Patriots and New York Giants in the NFL Draft, respectively, after combining for a remarkable 39 TFLs and 26 sacks in 2016.
When YSU Has the Ball
YSU quarterback Hunter Wells and his wide receivers all got hot in the postseason to lead the Penguins to the brink of a FCS title, and they all return in 2017.
After taking over as the starter in the middle of the season, Wells passed for 1,714 yards and played very well in the playoffs, posting an 8-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Alvin Bailey, a former Florida Gators wideout, leads the receiving corps after tallying 47 grabs, 511 yards and five TDs last year.
Wide receiver Damoun Patterson and tight end Kevin Rader also caught multiple touchdowns last season and will provide the Pitt defense with further aerial tests.
The Panthers bring a mostly young but talented and athletic group of defensive personnel into 2017. Cornerback Avonte Maddox and defensive end Allen Edwards are the only seniors slated to start, but a mass of underclassmen will take on increased roles this season, including projected starters Keyshon Camp on the defensive line, Saleem Brightwell at middle linebacker and several others in the secondary.
Defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise could also give Pitt's defense a huge lift by returning after suffering season-ending injuries in the 2016 opener against Villanova.
Special Teams
Pitt's special teams are led by dynamic returning All-American Quadree Henderson, who set school records in kickoff return yards (914) and touchdowns (3) last season. Henderson also returns punts for the Panthers and is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball.
In the kicking game, the Panthers return the reliable Ryan Winslow at punter, while Alex Kessman, a redshirt freshman with a big leg, is set to take over the team's placekicking duties for 2017.
For the opponents, YSU must replace its primary returners, but the Penguins do bring back former all-MVFC selection in the kicking game with placekicker Zak Kennedy and punter Mark Schuler. Kennedy is an extremely accurate mid-range kicker with a career long of 49 yards, while Schuler averaged 42.5 yards per punt as a freshman last season.
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Here is a matchup preview of the Panthers' 128th football season opener:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Youngstown State Penguins are coming off their best season in 17 years. YSU advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship Game last year for the first time since 1999 after a dramatic run through the 24-team FCS Playoffs as an unseeded program.
YSU, which plays in the extremely competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference, returns several key pieces from last year's team, especially in the passing game. Quarterback Hunter Wells and a talented wide receiving corps of Alvin Bailey, Damoun Patterson and Isiah Scott are a big reason why the Penguins enter 2017 ranked No. 8 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll.
One of the favorites in the FCS this season, YSU's roster features 14 players from western Pennsylvania, and the Penguins will be hoping to repeat their 31-17 upset of Pitt in the 2012 opener at Heinz Field.
Despite that defeat, Pitt owns a 3-1 edge in the all-time series against YSU. The Panthers won comfortably in 2005 (41-0) and 2009 (38-3) before edging the Penguins in the 2015 opener (45-37).
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUP
The Coaches
Saturday's game between Pitt and YSU at Heinz Field pits a head-coaching matchup of Youngstown, Ohio natives against each other for the second time in three openers.
Both Pitt's Pat Narduzzi and YSU's Bo Pelini grew up in Youngstown, and their football careers first crossed paths in high school, with Narduzzi's Ursuline besting Pelini's Cardinal Mooney 35-0 for the 1984 Steel Valley Conference championship. Legend has it, Narduzzi even sacked Pelini in the game.
Narduzzi went on to play linebacker at Youngstown State for his father before finishing his collegiate career at Rhode Island; Pelini attended Ohio State and was a safety for Buckeyes.
More than 30 years after their high school football meetings, after years of building up their coaching credentials at national powerhouses like Michigan State (Narduzzi) and LSU and Nebraska (Pelini), both made their debuts at their current schools two years ago.
Pitt bested YSU, 45-37, in that 2015 season opener at Heinz Field. And this Saturday, the two Youngstown products will meet once again as they both continue to make their hometown proud.
When Pitt Has the Ball
Despite losing four players to the NFL Draft, the Pitt offense returns several key weapons for 2017.
Senior wide receiver Jester Weah and sophomore all-purpose threat Quadree Henderson are the big-play threats for the Panthers, while 2015 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison is hoping to shine again as the team's leading running back.
Southern California graduate transfer Max Browne will start at quarterback for the Panthers after winning the job in training camp, and he'll be protected by an offensive line that features returning starters Brian O'Neill and Alex Officer, as well as several others with big-game experience.
Pitt is hoping for a few more players to break out on offense in 2017. Running back Darrin Hall, tight end transfers Matt Flanagan and Chris Clark and some young wide receivers, namely Maurice Ffrench, Ruben Flowers III and Aaron Mathews, are all set to play big roles this season.
Meanwhile, YSU brings a defense to Heinz Field that held opponents to just 19.9 points and 320.0 yards per game last season. Linebacker Armand Dellovade, a West Allegheny product, returns as a junior after leading the Penguins with 105 total tackles last season.
However, the Penguins will need to replace two of the most productive defensive ends in the FCS last season, Derek Rivers and Avery Moss, who were selected by the New England Patriots and New York Giants in the NFL Draft, respectively, after combining for a remarkable 39 TFLs and 26 sacks in 2016.
When YSU Has the Ball
YSU quarterback Hunter Wells and his wide receivers all got hot in the postseason to lead the Penguins to the brink of a FCS title, and they all return in 2017.
After taking over as the starter in the middle of the season, Wells passed for 1,714 yards and played very well in the playoffs, posting an 8-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Alvin Bailey, a former Florida Gators wideout, leads the receiving corps after tallying 47 grabs, 511 yards and five TDs last year.
Wide receiver Damoun Patterson and tight end Kevin Rader also caught multiple touchdowns last season and will provide the Pitt defense with further aerial tests.
The Panthers bring a mostly young but talented and athletic group of defensive personnel into 2017. Cornerback Avonte Maddox and defensive end Allen Edwards are the only seniors slated to start, but a mass of underclassmen will take on increased roles this season, including projected starters Keyshon Camp on the defensive line, Saleem Brightwell at middle linebacker and several others in the secondary.
Defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise could also give Pitt's defense a huge lift by returning after suffering season-ending injuries in the 2016 opener against Villanova.
Special Teams
Pitt's special teams are led by dynamic returning All-American Quadree Henderson, who set school records in kickoff return yards (914) and touchdowns (3) last season. Henderson also returns punts for the Panthers and is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball.
In the kicking game, the Panthers return the reliable Ryan Winslow at punter, while Alex Kessman, a redshirt freshman with a big leg, is set to take over the team's placekicking duties for 2017.
For the opponents, YSU must replace its primary returners, but the Penguins do bring back former all-MVFC selection in the kicking game with placekicker Zak Kennedy and punter Mark Schuler. Kennedy is an extremely accurate mid-range kicker with a career long of 49 yards, while Schuler averaged 42.5 yards per punt as a freshman last season.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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