Growing up in the City of Bridges, it is sad to say I have not attended that many Pitt Panther football games. I can count how many times I have been to them on one hand. But the game that I remember the most was the game versus Notre Dame in 2015.
The Pittsburgh Panthers play in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA Division One FBS Level. Notre Dame is independent. But in this year, they both wore gold helmets. Both teams had a really good game when passing the ball, but the formula has proven that running the ball most of their games has given them victories.
Source: Qadree Ollison | Pitt vs. Syracuse
In 2015, The Pitt Panthers had a mediocre season like always, but nonetheless an 8-5 winning record with some of their matchups being rather difficult. They played a highly ranked #5 Notre Dame mid season where they lost 42-30.
Qadree Ollison, was their rushing leader with 1121 yards in the season. He carried the football 204 times the entire season.
In the game versus Notre Dame, Pitt had given opportunities to a few different stars like Jordan Whitehead and Tyler Boyd. Both had handoffs and tosses for big yardage and touchdowns. Ultimately it was not enough to stop Notre Dame’s momentum.
More often times than not, Pitt has shown dominance on the ground, with James Conner returning a year later. In 2016, Pitt beat the #2 ranked Clemson Tigers, 43-42. The tigers went on to win the National Championship that year.
Pittsburgh had three All-American Running backs with Ollison, Conner and Darrin HallJames Conner had 53 total touchdowns, with 50 of them being handed off. That’s a lot of running!
Source: #RTDB | Notre Dame
Notre Dame has a history of running the football. So much, that they have a hashtag called “#RTDB also known as “Run The Damn Ball.” The old fashioned way of the game is to run the football, and the numbers don’t lie.
Statistics have shown that the Fighting Irish wins more games when they keep the ball on the ground. Passing the ball all game can lead to turnovers if your schemes are not effective.
When they run the ball more than 30 times, they won 76 games out of 100. When they run for more than 200 yards, they win their games by a landslide. They passed the ball a lot in the game versus Pitt. But at the end, when Pitt needed a stop, Notre Dame ran the ball and won the game by two scores.
Source: Jeremiyah Love | On3 Sports
This season, Notre Dame did just that by using Jeremiyah Love to run the football, which helped them make another National Championship run in their program. Love was named the “Top Returning Running back in College Football for next season.”
Notre Dame and Pitt caught my eye with the creativity installed in their infographics. Both programs want players who are hungry and want to get involved early on the field.
The statistics not only show what the schemes can do, but highlights what the players can do as well. Players like Ollison, Conner, and Love all fit the bill for their teams offensive schemes.
Source: Pitt vs. Notre Dame | WTAE News
The two programs both used their similar school colors to show the pride they had in their teams. They also used bar charts to show their success against their opponents. I love the graphics of them showing action shots in the game as well.
If I am a high school running back recruit, I may not be as worried about playing for the best school in the country, when I can go somewhere and be developed young and early into a great superstar.
Jaeden Gordon 