Pitt is favored

Kennethshannon20

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Two reasons I think but neither of which is a good enough answer to your question. One, Pitt is coming off a ridiculously easy creampuff win while Tech is coming off its second emotionally and physically draining conference game. Secondly, 50 points a game is pretty good even against air. Other than that, you will have to ask the bookies.
Yeah, thats what was said about UNC and their 2 weeks at 59 points. I get it, but i dont buy into Pitt beating us this time.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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I said this prior to the UNC game and I will say it again. After watching the condensed games and highlights for Pitt, I am truly not that worried about them.

Their D appears less than average, although their 3rd level defenders seem legit. Their O Line is far from Elite and I believe our team can bring pressure if they play with the same energy they have thus far.

You see 2 keys to this game. Our QB cant throw sloppy deep passes and must protect the ball from interceptions, again with 60%+ completions. And our Defense must pressure the opposing QB , at least enough to make him throw quickly rather than deep.

If these things happen, we win by 2 scores or more. If we fail at either, we lose.
I agree but I would add this caveat. Pitt has three very good wide receivers and an athletic, big, and fast tight end while UNC had Downs and that's about it. Also, I believe Pitt to have a slightly better offensive line. They can't be as bad as the Tar Heels. While Howell was running for his life there would be 4 of them standing around watching. Same thing on running plays, four guys standing around after "pushing" at a Tech player.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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Yeah, thats what was said about UNC and their 2 weeks at 59 points. I get it, but i dont buy into Pitt beating us this time.
Well, I didn't buy into them coming to Atlanta and beating us last year but damn if they did not do just that. I tell you, that guy, Coach Pat, has it in for us for some unknown reason.
 

Northeast Stinger

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Are you surprised they are favored or surprised they are favored by so little? I think Pitt is a fairly solid team. If we win, I’d be almost as excited as last night’s win.
I might be even more excited. When I watched Pitt’s passing attack against Tennessee I thought they could make mincemeat out of our defense. But that was before we played Clemson and UNC. Now I’m looking at Pitt as the test of whether or not our defense is for real. A win for Tech would be a shot across the bow of every other team in the ACC. 😊
 

slugboy

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I agree but I would add this caveat. Pitt has three very good wide receivers and an athletic, big, and fast tight end while UNC had Downs and that's about it. Also, I believe Pitt to have a slightly better offensive line. They can't be as bad as the Tar Heels. While Howell was running for his life there would be 4 of them standing around watching. Same thing on running plays, four guys standing around after "pushing" at a Tech player.
UNC is loaded on offense. They have 4-5 really good receivers including Downs, Green, Simmons, a really good RB in Chandler, and two good TEs. They have four receivers with individual receptions of more than 50 yards and one with 47.
They’re a big play receiving corps and we did a great job taking away the big play. But they’re a great receiving crew.
 

augustabuzz

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Well, I didn't buy into them coming to Atlanta and beating us last year but damn if they did not do just that. I tell you, that guy, Coach Pat, has it in for us for some unknown reason.
We were down to playing an all true freshman D-Line at times in that game and no Gibbs. Pitt had a defense that had some soon to be NFL players in it. There is no point of reference from last year that applies this year.
 

Jacketman99

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We were down to playing an all true freshman D-Line at times in that game and no Gibbs. Pitt had a defense that had some soon to be NFL players in it. There is no point of reference from last year that applies this year.
This was so true. We were soooo depleted in that game. We still played pretty good passing d. We just could not stop the rb. The good thing about being forced to play a bunch of freshmen last year is that now they have experience. Guys like Ivey and Kennard are making huge contributions. Domineck has improved. We have added guys like Harris, TK, and big Zeek. We are much deeper than that team that played Pitt last year. Even Robinson is getting a few snaps and making plays.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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UNC is loaded on offense. They have 4-5 really good receivers including Downs, Green, Simmons, a really good RB in Chandler, and two good TEs. They have four receivers with individual receptions of more than 50 yards and one with 47.
They’re a big play receiving corps and we did a great job taking away the big play. But they’re a great receiving crew.
Maybe so, but I will take Pitt over UNC. I don't think UNC has it. Just like always, they are frontrunners who, as we saw last week, can't handle getting punched in the mouth. I see Pitt as more of a challenge simply because they will fight you getting off the bus, on the field, and getting back on the bus again. It is what they do.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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We were down to playing an all true freshman D-Line at times in that game and no Gibbs. Pitt had a defense that had some soon to be NFL players in it. There is no point of reference from last year that applies this year.
True, they lost the two NFL types they had at defensive end but they got another monster who, believe it or not, was once an MMA something or another. In the Tennessee game, the first Vol drive of the 2nd half, Hooker got out of the pocket and tried to juke that dude and he slapped the ball right out of his hand.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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I really covet this win because Pitt is a team we should consistently beat, but yet we don't. The same is true of Duke, whom we managed to lose to even during our best season since 1990. These are games GT needs to win four out of five times, but the opposite has been true as of late. That needs to change.
Yep. They are a team that that is not flashy and really does not have the talent that some of the teams we play have but Pat gets about all he can get out of them. After watching the Tennessee game closely, I think we can run on them using Sims, Gibbs, Mason, and company. They had trouble with Hendon Hooker who came off the bench and very nearly led a pretty depleted Tennessee team to a second half comeback but a late interception killed any hopes they had. Until the fourth quarter, Pitt had no running game worthy of mention. If Pickett and his receivers don't get it done, they lose.
 

kalld12

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Maybe so, but I will take Pitt over UNC. I don't think UNC has it. Just like always, they are frontrunners who, as we saw last week, can't handle getting punched in the mouth. I see Pitt as more of a challenge simply because they will fight you getting off the bus, on the field, and getting back on the bus again. It is what they do.
You wouldnt have said this before this past weekend. UNC has more pure talent than Pitt. If we play with the same tenacity we saw on D against Pitt that we did against UNC im not worried. We actually put pressure on the QB, its amazing what happens when you do so. I think we win by 10+ points in this game
 

forensicbuzz

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You wouldnt have said this before this past weekend. UNC has more pure talent than Pitt. If we play with the same tenacity we saw on D against Pitt that we did against UNC im not worried. We actually put pressure on the QB, its amazing what happens when you do so. I think we win by 10+ points in this game
Well, he might have said it before this past weekend. It's just that most everyone would have laughed at him for saying that before this past weekend.
 

slugboy

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Something tells me if they trot out 22 we will have a 4-3 package for that where we trot out another DT , atleast i'd hope we do
It would be a smart formation; they might push us to remove a DB or LB, and those have played well lately
 

jgtengineer

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It would be a smart formation; they might push us to remove a DB or LB.

We'd just move a DT in and trot off the nickel corner since thomas can fill that roll if they shift out. Honeslty i'd probably go to a 4-4 look by rollgin carpenter down into the outside backer position agaisnt a 22 I. That'd put thomas and carpenter on the Tight ends in coverage responsibility leave us with man up on the outside and juanyeh playing center field., Thomas and carpenter would have tight end to flat coverage depending on if we had a cover 3 zone off of it as well. Free's up a blitz from the line backers sicne 22 is a heavy run formation.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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You wouldnt have said this before this past weekend. UNC has more pure talent than Pitt. If we play with the same tenacity we saw on D against Pitt that we did against UNC im not worried. We actually put pressure on the QB, its amazing what happens when you do so. I think we win by 10+ points in this game
More pure talent in Chapel Hill equates to what Steve Spurrier once said about the Mutts. "Gee, they have all these great recruiting classes, I don't know what happens to them" What happened is that pure talent still has to be coached and developed. Something that usually results in Howell running for his life while four UNC linemen are standing around befuddled.
 
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