FSU vs. Pitt breakdown: Inside look at Panthers as Seminoles look to clinch spot in ACC Championship

The Florida State Seminoles sit at a perfect 8-0 on the season after their victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this past Saturday. The Seminoles jumped out early before cruising to an easy 41-16 win.

This weekend, FSU heads north for a showdown with the Pittsburgh Panthers. It’s been a rough season for the Panthers and head coach Pat Narduzzi. After opening the season with a victory, the Panthers have struggled to only one additional win on the season. Heading into Saturday, Pitt stands at a record of 2-6 with a tough four game stretch (including Florida State) to finish the season. Can the Panthers turn their season around on Saturday with a win over the Seminoles? We’ll discuss that more with Corey Cohen of the Pitt Talk Network.

Each week, as part of our Line of Scrimmage series, we’ll be speaking with members of the beat that covers FSU’s upcoming opponent, getting all the details from those who know those teams best.

Entering this season Pat Narduzzi had compiled a 62-41 record at Pitt, with his worst season being 6-5 in 2020. The Panthers came in as a possible dark horse for the ACC championship game but this season has been far from successful. Phil Jurkovec went from NFL draft prospect just two-three years ago to demotion, the Panthers are 2-6. High level, what has gone wrong for Pitt?

Let’s focus on the quarterback position (if not covered already). Jurkovec transfers in from Boston College and was rather abysmal with a 50% completion percentage. He was moved to tight end and Christian Veilleux has been behind center since the Louisville game. What happened to Jurkovec and tell the fans what to expect from Veilleux?

The backfield is a two-headed monster in C’Bo Flemister and Rodney Hammond Jr. The two backs are pretty close in carries and yards but do they have similar styles on the field?

The Panthers have a pair of talented wide receivers in Konata Mumpfield and Bub Means. But for the first time this year, I think FSU is facing a pretty legitimate tight end receiving threat as well in Gavin Bartholomew. How might we see Pitt get these three involved on Saturday? 

Finally on offense, let’s take a look at the line. The big guys have allowed 16 sacks on the season and only allowed the Panther to average 3.5 yards on the ground. It’s a young offensive line with four underclass men and one senior. Where has this line struggled and is there an area they’ve been successful?

Flipping over to defense, it’s a defensive line that has accounted for 14 of the team’s 23 sacks. The Panthers appear to have a decent rotation on the inside with David Green, Deandre Jules and others while Dayon Hayes and freshman Samuel Okunlola are the names to know on the ends. What has allowed this group to have success in the backfield and is there an area teams have found success against this defensive line?

Solomon DeShields leads this linebacking corp. On paper, this has shown to be a solid group stats wise and PFF grades wise. How would this group grade so far?

Let’s jump back to the secondary. Donovan McMillon is the safety that flies over the field making the tackles while Phillip O’Brien and MJ Devonshire have split four interceptions on the season at cornerback. This appears to be a solid group. How will they stack up against Keon Coleman and the talented Seminole receivers?

And finally, thoughts on how Saturday plays out

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