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Something weird happened on Saturday, and I'm not talking about the fake punt. We've seen teams spread the field and throw on the vulnerable secondary. We've seen teams run misdirection to take advantage of a sometimes too aggressive front seven.
But Pittsburgh tried something new. They lined up three tight ends and two running backs, and ran straight ahead on the Syracuse defense. And it worked.
They used the three tight end formation four times on their first touchdown drive in the second quarter. They put all their tight ends on the line to form an eight-man line (which is legal) for four-consecutive plays to score their second touchdown. And they iced the game with seven-straight plays from the formation following the fake punt to set up the game-winning field goal.
But let's also talk about that fake punt. For context, when Syracuse lined up for a punt at the Pitt 47 in the third quarter, the Panthers left their defense on the field to guard against the fake. Facing a similar situation with 4:51 remaining in the game and the ball on the Pittsburgh 48, Scott Shafer sent out his punt return team. Pittsburgh lined up two gunners to the left, drawing multiple SU players over to match up with them, and ran the fake to the right.
The Orange were left with one defender covering the deep corner route, and one defender who had to choose to cover the receiver in the flat, or to stop the punter from running. Caught in between, the punter threw over his head to the open receiver for the first down.
What can you say at this point? Pittsburgh did something entirely different from what has worked against this defense in the past. They didn't torch the Orange, racking up 5.8 yards per play and 4.1 yards per carry on the ground. But what's becoming a theme is the Syracuse defense breaking when it's needed most, and we saw that with the free points at the end of the first half, and the two scoring drives at the end of the game.
Let's break down the rest before it gets too morbid in here.
First Quarter
| DRIVE 1 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 14:56 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 22 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA WR Screen Pass | Right | 4 yard gain | Hudson Tackle |
| 14:25 | 2nd and 6 | Pitt 26 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | Franklin, Simmons Tackle |
| 13:48 | 3rd and 1 | Pitt 31 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LCB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | Hodge Tackle |
| 13:14 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 33 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 8 yard gain | Hudson Tackle |
| 12:38 | 2nd and 2 | Pitt 41 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | PA WR Pass | Right | 38 yard gain | WR takes end around and throws to wide open receiver, Scissum Tackle. Cordy chased Boyd before he threw and left man open |
| 12:01 | 1st and 10 | SU 21 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 6 yard loss | Perfectly timed blitz, Franklin almost took handoff in backfield, made Tackle (forced fumble, recovered by Pitt) |
| 11:24 | 2nd and 18 | SU 29 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA WR Bubble Screen | Left | 9 yard gain | Cordy Tackle |
| 3rd and 9 | SU 20 | Offsides | 5 yard penalty, Ron Thompson | ||||||
| 10:31 | 3rd and 4 | SU 15 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 1 yard gain | Franklin, Cordy Tackle |
| DRIVE 2 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 9:06 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 24 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Left | 20 yard gain | Blitzing linebackers got sucked inside, exposed edge for run, Winfield Tackle |
| 8:40 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 44 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and MLB Blitz (rush 6) | Pass | Right | 6 yard gain | Quick pass before pressure, Dowels Tackle |
| 8:03 | 2nd and 4 | Pitt 50 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and LCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Simmons Tackle |
| 7:24 | 3rd and 3 | SU 49 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Left | Incomplete | Pass underthrown, good coverage |
| DRIVE 3 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 4:16 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 28 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA Pass | Right | 22 yard gain | Dump off to RB, Hudson Tackle |
| 3:42 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 50 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | Franklin Tackle |
| 3:09 | 2nd and 6 | SU 46 | 3 RB, 2 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Right | 17 yard gain | Hudson in coverage |
| 2:41 | 1st and 10 | SU 29 | 3 RB, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | RCB, ROLB, MLB Blitz (rush 7) | PA Pass | Right | 2 yard gain | Fake end around dumped to RB in flat under pressure |
| 2:06 | 2nd and 8 | SU 27 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | No gain | Samuels Tackle, Thompson forced running back inside on toss |
| 1:27 | 3rd and 8 | SU 27 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | Pass | Sack | 5 yard loss | Franklin sack on nice inside move on blitz |
Pittsburgh Play Calls: 9 runs, 9 passes
Defensive personnel: 17 base defense, 1 subpackages
Blitzes: 9/18 (50%)
The first quarter was kind of a mixed bag for the defense, as they let pick up some big chunks of yardage, but ultimately didn't break. Each time Pitt had a big play - the wide receiver reverse pass, a long run off tackle, a dump off and run by the running back - the Orange stepped up to limit them to just three points. Unfortunately, this did not continue through the fourth quarter.
Second Quarter
| DRIVE 4 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 7:35 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 30 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 11 yard gain | WR end around, Whitner Tackle |
| 7:04 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 41 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LCB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | PA Pass | Left | Incomplete | QB's arm was hit as he threw, underthrown pass |
| 6:57 | 2nd and 10 | Pitt 41 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | RB Screen Pass | Right | 10 yard gain | |
| 6:16 | 1st and 10 | SU 49 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | Pass | Sack | 8 yard loss | Franklin Sack on well-timed blitz, called for targeting but waived off after review |
| 6:00 | 2nd and 18 | Pitt 43 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Right | 17 yard gain | Clark missed tackle at line, Scissum Tackle |
| 5:21 | 3rd and 1 | SU 40 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Right | No gain | Franklin Tackle |
| 4:44 | 4th and 1 | SU 40 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 3 yard gain | Great trap block on Slayton, Scissum Tackle |
| 4:11 | 1st and 10 | SU 37 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB delayed blitz (rush 5) | PA Pass | Left | 14 yard gain | QB rolled left after fake, Taylor in coverage came up to stop QB run, TE wide open behind |
| 3:40 | 1st and 10 | SU 23 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | RCB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | PA Pass | Left | Incomplete | Winfield Pass Breakup at line on blitz |
| 3:35 | 2nd and 10 | SU 23 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and MLB Blitz (rush 6) | WR Screen Pass | Right | 7 yard gain | Raymon Tackle |
| 2:57 | 3rd and 3 | SU 16 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 2 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 5 yard gain | Dowels Tackle |
| 2:26 | 1st and 10 | SU 11 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Left | 9 yard gain | Arciniega missed tackle in backfield, Winfield Tackle |
| 1:57 | 2nd and 1 | SU 2 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | No gain | Slayton Tackle |
| 1:41 | 3rd and 1 | SU 2 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 2 yard TD | Hit at line, powered into end zone |
| DRIVE 5 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 0:26 | 1st and 10 | SU 42 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Designed pass, QB run | Middle | 13 yard gain | Zone coverage, 3 man rush, QB had lane to run, Thompson Tackle |
| :10 | 1st and 10 | SU 29 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Pass | Incomplete | Spike | |
| :09 | 2nd and 10 | SU 29 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Pass | Left | 17 yard gain | Zone coverage, no rush, completed in gap in zone |
Pittsburgh Play Calls: 8 runs, 9 passes
Defensive personnel: 9 base defense, 8 subpackages
Blitzes: 7/17 (41.2%)
This was a bad, bad quarter for the Orange defense. They gave up another long touchdown drive - this one 14 plays - in what's becoming a pretty standard occurrence. Then following the botched pooch kick and ill-advised penalty on the SU kicking team, they played a soft-as-a-pillow scheme to give up an easy three points at the half (which would turn out to be a VERY important three points). Chuck Bullough dialed up nothing but three-man pressures with soft zones that allowed a 13-yard QB keeper and a 17-yard pass to make for an easy field goal. Not Syracuse's finest moment on defense.
Third Quarter
| DRIVE 6 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 13:13 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 20 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | WR Screen Pass | Right | 3 yard loss | Cordy Tackle for loss |
| 12:47 | 2nd and 13 | Pitt 17 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Middle | 9 yard gain | Boyd on crossing route covered by Franklin |
| 12:05 | 3rd and 4 | Pitt 26 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Left | 24 yard gain | Boyd in corner route in gap in zone between CB and safety |
| 11:33 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 50 | 1 RB, 4 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and Safety Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Left | 2 yard loss | Slayton Tackle |
| 11:07 | 2nd and 12 | Pitt 48 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | No gain | Dowels makes nice play to shed blocker and make solo tackle |
| 10:25 | 3rd and 12 | Pitt 48 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | WR Screen Pass | Left | 3 yard gain | Whigham playing safety, comes up to make tackle |
| DRIVE 7 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 7:35 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 24 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 5 yard loss | Raymon great penetration for tackle for loss |
| 2nd and 15 | Pitt 19 | False Start | 5 yard penalty | ||||||
| 6:37 | 2nd and 20 | Pitt 14 | 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA Pass | Left | Incomplete | Pass overthrown |
| 6:31 | 3rd and 20 | Pitt 14 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Pass | Middle | 7 yard gain | Cordy Tackle |
| DRIVE 8 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 4:01 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 41 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Left | 7 yard gain | Boyd outran Franklin to sideline |
| 3:36 | 2nd and 3 | Pitt 48 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB and RCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Left | 14 yard gain | Zone read, blitz was perfect call, but Hodge ran right by QB on keeper |
| 3:05 | 1st and 10 | SU 38 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB, Safety Blitz (rush 6) | PA Pass | Middle | Incomplete | Cordy, Simmons Hurry, Simmons QB hit as he threw short |
| 2:58 | 2nd and 10 | SU 38 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Franklin Tackle, Unsportsmanlike Conduct 15 yard penalty on Pitt |
| 2:35 | 3rd and 24 | Pitt 48 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | N/A | Designed pass, QB run | Right | 8 yard gain | Simmons forced out of pocket then chased down for tackle, Forced Fumble OB |
| DRIVE 9 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 1:57 | 1st and 10 | SU 44 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and Safety Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 3 yard gain | Arciniega Tackle |
| 1:23 | 2nd and 7 | SU 41 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | WR Screen Pass | Right | 7 yard gain | Pitt had more blockers than SU players |
| 0:53 | 1st and 10 | SU 34 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and LCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 9 yard gain | Cordy Tackle |
| 0:25 | 2nd and 1 | SU 25 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | No gain | Pitt lined up with 8 men on line, which is legal, Bennett Tackle |
Pittsburgh Play Calls: 9 runs, 9 passes
Defensive personnel: 15 base defense, 3 subpackages
Blitzes: 10/18 (55.6%)
As bad as the second quarter was, that's how good the third quarter was for the defense. We saw a few different wrinkles, like Julian Whigham playing safety and making a key tackle on third down on a bubble screen. We saw them hold their own against the screens with a total of 7 yards on three attempts. And we saw them shut down the only two play action pass attempts. Pitt certainly helped the cause with some well-timed penalties, but the defense did its job in the third, allowing just 13 points against a top 25 team.
Fourth Quarter
| DRIVE 9 (cont.) | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 15:00 | 3rd and 1 | SU 25 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 6 yard gain | Again Pitt had 8 men on line, Cordy Tackle |
| 14:31 | 1st and 10 | SU 19 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and LCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 18 yard gain | 3rd play in a row with 8 men on line, big hole to run through, Scissum Tackle |
| 14:04 | 1st and Goal | SU 1 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | Run | Middle | 1 yard TD | 4th play in a row in 8-men-on-line formation | |
| DRIVE 10 | |||||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | O Personnel | D Personnel | Blitz | Run/Pass | Direction | Result | Note |
| 9:17 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 5 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Right | 5 yard gain | Zone read handoff, Cordy Tackle |
| 8:39 | 2nd and 5 | Pitt 10 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | WR Screen Pass | Left | No gain | Scissum Tackle |
| 8:04 | 3rd and 5 | Pitt 10 | 1 RB, 4 WR | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Pass | Right | 17 yard gain | Again hit spot in zone between CB and Safety on sideline |
| 7:37 | 1st and 10 | Pitt 27 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB Blitz (rush 5) | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | Franklin Tackle |
| 6:58 | 2nd and 9 | Pitt 28 | 1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | PA Pass | RIght | 17 yard gain | Hodge was inches away from making play, play fake held him just enough |
| 1st and 10 | Pitt 45 | False Start | 5 yard penalty | ||||||
| 6:06 | 1st and 15 | Pitt 40 | 1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Left | 6 yard gain | Hudson made nice play to take on blocker and force out of bounds, could have been huge gain |
| 5:32 | 2nd and 9 | Pitt 46 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and Safety Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 2 yard gain | Arciniega, Samuels Tackle |
| 4:56 | 3rd and 7 | Pitt 48 | 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE | 3 DL, 3 LB, 5 DB | ROLB Blitz (rush 4) | Pass | Middle | Incomplete | Cordy Diving Pass Breakup |
| 4:51 | 4th and 7 | Pitt 48 | Punt Formation, 2 gunners spread left | Punt Return | N/A | Pass | Right | 12 yard gain | SU covered deep receiver, and underneath guy had to choose between punter or receiver, Anthony Tackle |
| 4:21 | 1st and 10 | SU 40 | 3 RB, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB and RCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | Bennett Tackle |
| 3:46 | 2nd and 5 | SU 35 | 2 RB, 1 WR, 2 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | Hudson Tackle |
| 3:11 | 3rd and 1 | SU 31 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | LOLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | 8-men line for Pitt, Scissum Tackle |
| 2:36 | 1st and 10 | SU 27 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | MLB and ROLB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 5 yard gain | 8-men line, Arciniega Tackle |
| 1:56 | 2nd and 5 | SU 22 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB and LCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | 8-men line, Slayton Tackle |
| 1:50 | 3rd and 1 | SU 18 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 1 yard gain | 8-men line, Franklin Tackle |
| 1:39 | 1st and 10 | SU 17 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 5 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB | N/A | Run | Middle | 4 yard gain | Simmons Tackle |
| 0:56 | 2nd and 6 | SU 13 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | ROLB and RCB Blitz (rush 6) | Run | Right | No gain | 8-men line, Simmons Tackle |
| 0:13 | 3rd and 6 | SU 13 | 2 RB, 3 TE | 4 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB | LOLB, LCB and ROLB Blitz (rush 7) | Run | Middle | 7 yard gain | 8-men line, Franklin Tackle |
Pittsburgh Play Calls: 16 runs, 5 passes
Defensive personnel: 14 base defense, 7 subpackages
Blitzes: 11/21 (52.4%)
Pitt dared the Orange to stop their heavy offensive package with three tight ends, lining them up many times all on the line to form an eight-man front. The Orange couldn't stop it on the first drive of the quarter, giving up a touchdown after four-consecutive runs. And they couldn't stop it on the final drive, following the fake punt, as Pitt just broke the defense's spirit. The fake punt only got the ball to the SU 40, so the defense could have made a stop, but instead gave up 34 yards on nine plays from straight-up runs up the middle, where they just got outmuscled and outworked.
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