Meet the Press: Backyard Brawl Week
11/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2009
Coach Wannstedt Press Conference
November 23, 2009
West Virginia Week
Opening Statement:
“I think history speaks volumes when you start talking about the Backyard Brawl, the Pitt-West Virginia game. I don’t think there needs to be a lot said, from the standpoint of the meaning of this game, the great tradition of this game, the great stories and legends that have surfaced and become household names because of this series, for over 100 years. I don’t expect it to be any different this year. I think you have two really good football teams. You take the records out. Both teams are very explosive run-wise. The one thing about (West Virginia quarterback) Jarrett Brown, if you watch him closely, he can make all of the throws. The guy is very talented throwing the football. They’ve got skill at the receiver position. They’ve got a defense that I think is back to being healthy now. They probably played as good in their last game against Cincinnati as they have played in awhile. I think that game will be something that they will build off of. Going down there at night and playing in front of that crowd will be a real challenge for our football team. We’ll have to eliminate any type of distractions going down there. There’s always a fine line when playing West Virginia. It’s a very exciting game for our players. It’s a very emotional game for our players. You also have to be able to understand that the quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted. So you have to go down there and play with a lot of emotion and energy, but at the same time you have to really be focused on the job at hand. So it will be another challenge for our football team. Our coaches were talking this morning…it will be the loudest place that we’ve played in all year. With knowing most of these players, I was looking through their roster last week, and so many of these kids we’ve recruited. A lot of them, I’ve been in their homes. Their players know our guys. There are a lot of common denominators there. A lot of common threads, that when this game is over it’s not that they get on an airplane and fly three hours away and you don’t see or talk about them until next year. This is a game where our players interact with theirs continuously throughout the year.”
On the impact of the 13-9 victory two years ago:
“I think that win, when you look back on it, it gave us life. That would be the way that I would classify it. By that I mean we had so many recruits that were right on the bubble. It gave us an opportunity to get one more shot at these guys and to say (to them) that it will happen, and to believe in us. I think it was energizing for our players. You know if you lose that game and come off of a four win season and go into your off-season program, that’s a challenge, from a coaching standpoint and from a player standpoint. Winning that game, I can remember the first day of the off-season program in January. We had as much enthusiasm, from a team standpoint to get started and to try to build on that for the next year, which was last year, as any. I’m sure just for our fans it was a shot in the arm, a little bit of hope. Hey, let’s hang in there, this is a positive thing. Let’s try to focus on the positives and go forward. I think it helped our program in several areas that today we look back on and probably it was the turning point since I’ve been here, without a doubt.”
On what the recruiting benefits of the 2007 win:
“I remember going out there for pregame warm-ups and the recruits were all lined up on the sidelines and I looked over and could see all of these kids that we were recruiting and that they were recruiting. Within 10-14 days (after the game) we got eight commitments. Two or three of those kids that were right there (at the game) committed with us.”
On what has enabled Pitt to beat West Virginia the last two years:
“I think our coaches have done a good job coming up with a sound scheme, number one. Number two, we’ve been very sound fundamentally with our tackling, which is one of the fundamental things (if you don’t do it well) that generally will hurt you with this type of offense. I think the third thing is athletically we’ve got enough players that can match up with them. And they’ve got great players. If (running back) Noel Devine breaks a run, he’s going to run away from anybody. I think for the most part though, we match up well with them athletically. That’s enabled us the last couple of years to be able to get a Pat White on the ground, or Steve Slaton, or Noel Devine last year, just from a physical standpoint. So I’d say it’s a combination of a good sound scheme, good execution by our players, by that I mean good fundamentals, and then physically having enough talent that when you get an opportunity to make a play, you make it.”
On improving tackling since the NC State game:
“We have improved in that area probably as much as in any other part of our defense. When you look at where we were at after those first couple of games… I remember coming in after the Buffalo game and about 250 of their yards were from missed tackles, on those screens and the one pass down the middle. Were we working on it prior to that? Most certainly, but that just really reinforced it to the coaches and to the players. Our guys are smart. They wanted to get better. You put the film on and can see that we weren’t doing it well enough. We’ve made it a real emphasis. (Defensive coordinator) Phil Bennett and our defensive coaches and our players are buying into it to really make a correction and to work on it.”
On what changes, if any, were made after the NC State game:
“I think schematically, offense, defense, and special teams-wise you’re always looking to make corrections. We did make a few changes and emphasized some things that really I thought were the difference in that game. If you look at the end of the game and you talk about two offensive penalties in your last four possessions that keep you from getting a first down and then defensively getting two pass interferences penalties in one drive on the touchdown. Them getting a 50 yard kick-off return, because there’s a face-mask penalty on top of the return. I really give our players a lot of credit and obviously we had to stress it as coaches, for understanding what will lose games for us. Forget about what wins games. Let’s understand what will lose games for us. We know about turnovers, but penalties and field position and those things (also play a critical role). We played Louisville the next week, on a short week. It was our first conference game. It was down there. I think playing them on the road and not having much success down there helped us to realize that we needed to turn the page and turn the page in a hurry. In order to win the next week, we had to turn the page quickly. That’s when we really started playing a little sounder on defense, eliminated some of the mistakes from a penalty standpoint, and started to get better results.”
On how West Virginia’s offense is different with Jarrett Brown:
“They’re different, from the standpoint that they are doing a little bit more conventional stuff. By that I mean that they are going to maybe jump into the I-formation and run the power and give you some play pass. Then they are going to jump into their quarterback spread, their read-option, and run their Pat White type of offense. A year ago Pat White was carrying the ball about fifty percent of the time. Their running backs carried it obviously, the other fifty percent of the time. This year it’s changed. Jarrett Brown, he’s keeping the ball on the option, but the numbers aren’t as high with him running the ball as they were with Pat White. Early on they came out and threw the ball. He’s had a couple 250-300 yard passing games. So I think they’ve moved a little bit towards the more conventional offense, similar to what we do, and drifted a little bit away from the spread, quarterback-read game, even though that’s a major part of what they do.”
On what makes the Pitt-West Virginia game different from other games:
“I really think that for the most part if you went back, both of these teams are probably closer ability wise than a lot of people may want to admit. I think the talent level, for the most part over the years, has been pretty close. I think a lot of our players’ families will attend the game, theirs will too. It’s home and away, but it’s one of those games where both teams are going to be represented. There’s an extra incentive to play well in this game. It’s usually a national TV game. I think that this is one of those games that the guy who maybe hasn’t been able to find a way to step his game up, all of a sudden in the Pitt-West Virginia game, he does. That’s probably been a difference. In games like this, I would be willing to bet that it wasn’t the team that made the greatest plays, but the team that made the fewest amount of bad plays that won the game. When you think of our game last year, we played sound, we played good on defense. We came up with the two turnovers on defense at the end of the game. When you think of the game two years ago down there, it was a missed field goal, a fumbled kickoff, Pat White fumbling the ball. All of those things, if you add up the turnovers and the mistakes, that was probably more of a difference than who made more great plays. That’s usually what happens. When you get down to big games like this where things are pretty even, eliminating those negative plays is usually the difference between winning and losing.”
On concerns for the offense because of West Virginia’s unique defense:
“They play a three-down lineman scheme. We’ve seen the four-down lineman scheme for the most part. They’re really a 3-4 team. They’re a little bit different. They use that strong safety really as a linebacker type of guy. So, their defensive scheme is different from anyone else’s that we have seen. So recognition for our offensive players will be as important as anything. Then, you have to find a way to block them. They’re talented. They’re good up front. They have good, active linebackers. They’ve got good athletes right across the board. You’re talking about a talented group of players doing some things that we haven’t seen week in and week out.”
On how Pitt’s offense has become unconventional in the college game:
“We’re definitely in the minority with what we are doing here. There are very few college teams using a fullback like we use him. We’re running a pro-style offense. That’s one comment that we get after playing opponents, that their defensive coaches express to our coaches afterwards, that they don’t see our offense week in and week out. It is different, playing against a power attack. It all sounds good, but very few people are committed to it like we are. I believe in what we do. I know that you can be successful doing what we are doing. We recruit players to fit into our system. We’re going to go out and recruit great running backs, great receivers, and great tight- ends, and quarterbacks that can throw the ball. I think it helps our defense, too. Our defense has to be tough. Going against our offense all training camp and in spring practice, it’s not finesse.”
On if running a pro-style offense helps to get players ready for the NFL:
“I know this. All of the pro people that come in here and that I talk to, I get more questions (from them) about other teams, saying where do you think this guy would fit in? Where do you think he would play? Do you think he’s tough enough? They see our guys like Nate Byham playing right now. They know what he can do. They know what John Malecki can do. They see Dorin Dickerson. They come in and they can see our guys and can make a visual comparison to where they would fit in on their teams and at the next level.”
On Pitt seeking a third consecutive win in the Backyard Brawl:
“I think it’s that type of game, regardless of the records, that takes on a life of its own. Throw the records out. Show up. You better be ready to play. You want to be the best team on the field that night. That’s a challenge for our football team. Our guys have accomplished a lot, this year and last year, of first time things. This is another thing that would be something that I know these seniors can carry with them forever.”
On injuries:
“We had some guys banged up. They’re feeling a lot better. I don’t expect anyone to be ruled out. We’re taking it day-by-day. We have three more days of practice, but I’m counting on everyone playing.”