Cale Berger and Chris Peak of Panther-Lair.com preview the 2020 Pitt season and the Panthers' season-opening matchup against the Austin Peay Governors.
Cale and Chris begin by discussing how pessimistic they were at first that the Panthers and their ACC counterparts would be able to play this season when the Big Ten and PAC-12 conferences originally announced they would not be playing this year. Now that Pitt is set to kickoff on Saturday, they are more thankful and relieved than anything.
Switching to a preview of the season, the guys share their biggest key to success for the Panthers, which they agree is improvements across the board on the offensive side of the ball. In addition to simply scoring more points, Cale and Chris feel that the Panthers need to avoid beating themselves.
Chris points out that the Panthers had over 130 penalties in 2019, while Cale mentions that they led the nation in dropped passes. Improvements in the running game would also go a long way in providing balance to an inconsistent offense from a year ago.
Chris' biggest question mark for the coming season pertains to the Panthers' offensive line, who will play a big factor in improving the running game and keeping senior quarterback Kenny Pickett upright and healthy. Cale is interested to see how the Pitt defense will overcome the loss of starting cornerback Demarri Mathis, who suffered a season-ending injury. With redshirt sophomore Marquis Williams stepping in as the starter, he is interested to see if he can match Mathis' stellar play from a season ago.
Lastly, the guys share their expectations for Saturday's opener against the Austin Peay Governors. Going 11-4 a year ago, the Governors advanced all the way to the quarterfinal round of the 2019 FCS Playoffs.
While the guys both expect Pitt to win, they also anticipate the game being closer than many Panther fans would like. Chris reminds Cale that Pat Narduzzi's teams have a tendency to hold some things back in season openers against FCS and Group of 5 opponents. Still, they expect Pitt to try and get off to a fast part to put those fan concerns to rest.
The Panthers kickoff against the Governors at 4:00 PM on Saturday, with the pregame show starting at 2:00 PM on 93.7 The Fan and the Pitt Panthers Radio Network.