Welcome to the Pitt mailbag, where Post-Gazette reporters Noah Hiles and Chris Carter answer all of your questions about the Panthers. If you have a question, tweet them at @_Noahhiles and @Cartercritiques or email them at nhiles@post-gazette.com and ccarter@post-gazette.com. Noah and Chris will answer your questions in full length each Tuesday on YouTube. You can read the condensed version of the discussion below.
Tony: Which game will be more difficult for Pitt to win: Cincinnati or West Virginia? I feel like Cincinnati is the better team, but WVU on the road is never easy.
Hiles: This is a great question! While I think the road element to the West Virginia matchup is certainly a challenge, Cincinnati is a far better team. The fact that Cincinnati will be the first legit opponent Pitt faces this year is a difference maker in this decision. The Panthers should be battle tested enough to handle business in West Virginia. They know what they’re getting into. Cincinnati could be a team that sneaks up on them.
Carter: I think the answer is Cincinnati. West Virginia is just a bad football team. I don’t think either game will be an easy win, but Cincinnati’s offense is no joke. Pitt’s secondary, specifically its safeties, will be tested Saturday. I could see that game being a battle. As far as the West Virginia game, I don’t expect that one to be very close.
Robert: Is it worth any concern that Cincinnati put up 66 points last week? If not, why did Pitt only put up 45 against its FCS opponent?
Hiles: I think it’s worth noting that Cincinnati’s offense looked good. Anytime a team scores 66 points, it’s impressive. That offense has eight players from the transfer portal. They looked like they’ve been playing together for years. I wouldn’t say it’s a concern, but I don’t think you can just assume Pitt’s defense will dominate like it did against Wofford. As far as Pitt’s offense goes, yes, there should’ve been more big plays, but overall, they executed well. After punting on the first possession, the next five possessions were touchdowns. The final drive by the first-team offense ended in a field goal. Those are strong results.
Carter: Cincinnati made big plays. It scored fast and often, and multiple people were involved. Pitt’s offense, meanwhile, I think could’ve been a bit more aggressive. However, that might’ve been by design. I think they could’ve scored 50-plus points if they wanted to. Their goal looked to be establishing the run and getting everyone involved.
Jacob: Which new Pitt player were each of you most impressed with last week (aside from Phil Jurkovec)?
Hiles: I’ll go with Braylan Lovelace for the simple fact that he was the first true freshman to see playing time on the defensive side of the ball. At this time last year, Lovelace was playing in WPIAL Class 1A. He worked his rear end off to get his body prepared for this big jump, and his play was good enough throughout the spring and summer to earn a spot in the linebacker rotation. To me, that’s impressive.
Carter: I’ll pick Donovan McMillon. I liked what I saw from him at safety, which is a position the Panthers are going to need to perform well this year. Last week was his first game in Randy Bates’ defense and he looked comfortable. Having him as a solid rotational player behind both Phillip O’Brien Jr. and Javon McIntyre will be a big boost for Pitt.
Aileen: Anything on Sean FitzSimmons? I wasn't sure if he played or not on Saturday. Didn't see his name on the defensive stat sheet. I saw you mentioned he was dressed - but off to the side.
Hiles: We don’t get an injury report, so there is no official ruling on what is wrong with Sean, but what we know is that he was dressed but didn’t play. He looked to be limping pretty heavily when the team came out on the field. My guess is he will be fine in the near future.
Carter: When facing an opponent like Wofford, Pitt will typically play it safe with guys who aren’t 100%. We saw them do the same thing last year with guys like Habakkuk Baldando, Rodney Hammond Jr., etc. They’ll dress you in case you’re needed, but you likely won’t play. Sean will probably be fine. This normally is nothing more than a precautionary step that is taken the week prior to a player’s return.
Lee: What can either of you tell us about Pitt’s new guard Michael Hueitt Jr.? Will he actually play at all this season?
Hiles: There isn’t a ton to know, honestly. This was a guy who was added to the roster so Pitt will have extra depth. My guess is that his biggest contribution to the team will be his efforts at practice. They need another guard who can challenge the guys who are actually going to receive minutes this season.
Carter: This guy might not play more than 30 minutes all season. He wasn’t a big-time player on either of his first Division I teams and didn’t exactly shine at the Division II level, either. He’s a depth add, someone who will likely only see time in case of an emergency. Like Noah said, his biggest contributions will be made in practice, on the scout team.
Thank you all for following along! Be sure to send questions on twitter to @_Noahhiles and @Cartercritiques or email them at nhiles@post-gazette.com and ccarter@post-gazette.com. And subscribe to our FREE daily all-sports newsletter, PG Sports Feed.
First Published: September 5, 2023, 2:34 p.m.
Updated: September 5, 2023, 3:22 p.m.
