Pitt's off to a 3-0 start, and while some early struggles against FIU last week were enough to put a scare into the Panthers, there's no question they're now squarely in the mix for the Coastal Division. A win this week would give Pitt its first 4-0 start since 2000.
Of course, for the hype to keep building, Pitt will need to pounce on reeling Iowa this weekend, and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review expects Paul Chryst to open up the playbook a bit.
In three games, Pitt has thrown for only 304 yards, which is just short of 23 percent of the offense and only about 100 yards per game. [James] Conner is overshadowing the passing game, running for 544 of Pitt's 1,033 yards on the ground. Quarterback Chad Voytik's 29 completions in 50 attempts have gained only 284 yards, an average of less than 10 per completion.
Through three weeks, Pitt has thrown 53 passes out of 213 plays -- or about 25 percent of the time. The only FBS schools passing less often so far this year are the three service academies, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and New Mexico.
That's a sharp change from last season, when Pitt threw the ball 47 percent of the time, but it's also a game plan that's been easy to follow with the success of tailback James Conner. His 80 rushes are 14 more than any other Power 5-conference back, and only two other Power 5 rushers are within 100 yards of his rushing total this season.
Still, there will come a point in which the Panthers need to show they can move the ball through the air, too, and that remains something of a questions with new QB Chad Voytik at the helm.
Chryst already took the time to bench his QB for a series against FIU last week, a move he explained as an opportunity for Voytik to “catch his breath.”
Voytik hasn't been bad, but he also hasn't been asked to do too much. His attempts-per-game is the lowest among ACC starters outside of Georgia Tech, his yards-per-attempt is ahead of only Tyler Murphy in the conference, and his 58 percent completions ranks 10th, trailing true freshman Brad Kaaya.
The fact remains that Conner and the ground game will be Pitt's bread and butter this year, but getting Voytik some reps in advance of a tougher ACC slate that will have him face off against the stout defenses at Virginia and Virginia Tech to kick off the month of October is probably a wise decision.
Conner has been astounding thus far, but the workload has been heavy, and Pitt also has another budding superstar named Tyler Boyd who needs to be fed a few more touches, too.
Some more links for your Tuesday reading:
DeVante Parker is getting some high-tech help in healing his foot injury, writes The Courier-Journal. His return can't come soon enough. The Cards are already having QB concerns, and the receiving corps hasn't exactly wowed anyone. Louisville's top two wideouts — Eli Rogers (20 targets) and James Quick (18) — have caught just 57 percent of their targets and averaged 5.9 yards per target. Last year, Parker caught 69 percent and averaged 11 yards per attempt.
Ryan Williams' continued progress recovering from an ACL injury means Miami isn't worried about QB depth following Kevin Olsen's suspension, writes the Miami Herald.
North Carolina will be without guard Landon Turner for its matchup with ECU, notes CBS Sports. Turner was UNC's most experienced lineman (19 career starts), and the Tar Heels already ranked just 51st out of 65 Power 5 teams when running between the tackles.
Don't expect Chad Morris to slow his offense to keep Florida State off the field, writes The Post and Courier.
The emergence of Derrick Mitchell on Florida State's defensive line is a much-needed boost for the ailing Seminoles, writes the Miami Herald.
For Virginia, the early success this season is all about having an identity, writes the Daily Progress.
Virginia Tech is optimistic Corey Marshall will be able to play this week when the Hokies open up their ACC slate, writes the Richmond Times-Dispatch.