Pitt Take 5: Undefeated Panthers insist ‘we didn’t do anything’

Pitt is one of 12 undefeated teams nationally, a distinction the Panthers (5-0, 1-0) share with just one ACC rival, Miami.

With that being the case, all I can say is: It’s time for Pitt to get serious and compete for its second ACC championship in four years.

Is there pressure to maintain this clean balance sheet? Offensive right tackle Ryan Baer says no.

“The pressure is the same every week. Just go out there and do your job,” he said.

For one man, players and coaches insist that No. 22 in the national rankings doesn’t matter. Of course, this is Pat Narduzzi speaking through his players, but the determination is admirable. No bravery. No predictions. It is a team that reflects its coach.

“We assume we didn’t do anything,” linebacker Brandon George said. “We are 0-0. We have to prove every week that we deserve to be where we are, that we deserve to win the football game.”

Such a mindset prevents players from overlooking an opponent. Cal-Berkeley will have Pitt’s undivided attention at Acrisure Stadium at 3:30 p.m. and into the early hours of Saturday.

A win would give Pitt a 6-0 record, its first of that magnitude since 1982.

1. Getting his kicks

There are 14 kickers in the country who have never missed a field goal. Pitt’s Ben Sauls is among them and one of just two in the ACC (Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald, 6 for 6). Sauls is 9 of 9, two behind Kentucky’s Alex Raynor (11 of 11).

Sauls has been Pitt’s kicker for three seasons, but that doesn’t mean special teams coach Jacob Bronowski is ignoring his 23-year-old kicker.

“He’s an older guy. He’s had a lot of ups and downs,” said Bronowski, who is in his first season at Pitt. “That’s why I always tell him to have fun. When he’s having a bad day, which isn’t bad at all for Ben, it’s just a matter of joking with him and keeping him light.”

When things are going well, Sauls is content and relies on his meditation. But according to his position coach, he can also be “very hard on himself.”

“People think that specialists can’t be trained hard,” Bronowski said. “Ben is kind of the opposite. He wants to be told that he is not a high achiever.”

2. There is an excuse for holding

Baer was called for holding twice in the game against North Carolina, and once it was intentional.

“We had a miscommunication and I drew the conclusion,” Baer said. “I’m not trying to get Eli (Holstein) killed. I accept the call on hold. I have to do it.”

Baer said Holstein, who is second on the team with 265 net yards rushing, helps the linemen with his athleticism and courage. “He breaks a lot of tackles.”

Left-back Ryan Jacoby added: “We’re going to stick with our blocks as long as we can. But we know he can get out of there if the bag collapses. He’ll make positive yards out of just about anything.”

Holstein played with so much poise in his first five games that Jacoby said he was surprised to find out his quarterback was only a 19-year-old redshirt freshman. He turns 20 on Oct. 26, two days after the Syracuse game.

“I didn’t even know he was a freshman until a few weeks ago,” Jacoby said. “Every time I see him, he doesn’t look like a rookie. He doesn’t act like a newbie. Every time I’m reminded that he’s a newbie, it really surprises me. It really does. Exactly the way he carries himself. He never gets nervous. He acts like he’s been playing football for 30 years.”

3. Bright red zone

A testament to Pitt’s ability to move the football is this statistic: The Panthers have more chances in the red zone (24) than all but nine teams in the country. With 22 points from the red zone (18 touchdowns, four field goals), Pitt ranks 31st and second in the ACC with a 91.7% success rate. Georgia Tech leads the ACC with a 95.2% success rate (20 of 21).

Indiana, whose offense is coordinated by former Norwin and Pitt wide receiver Mike Shanahan, leads the nation with 37 red zone chances (34 scores, 30 touchdowns, four field goals). Former Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri is co-offensive coordinator for the No. 18 Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten).

4. Come on, brownies

You’d think George, a hard-nosed linebacker, would appreciate the leaping, lunging tackle/forced fumble that Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts made on Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Sorry, George wasn’t watching.

In fact, it happened after midnight, and football players’ mornings start early. He was probably sleeping.

George also had to confess.

“People are not going to like what I’m about to say,” he told reporters. “Anyway, I’ll say it out loud. I’m a Browns fan. Sometimes I have a hard time watching a Steelers game. I’m cheering for them, but I can’t watch, especially when my Browns aren’t doing well right now.”

How did a Reading man become a Browns fan?

“My dad (Neil) is a Browns fan,” he said. “Every time the TV came on, (the Browns) were playing in the rain, in the mud, in the snow, just gritty football games. This is how football games should be played.

“‘Yeah, I’m going to be a Browns fan,'” a young George said to himself.

“In the 24 years of my life, it’s been anything but exciting,” he said.

Doesn’t matter.

“That’s loyalty. We’ll stick around through thick and thin,” George said.

It also explains how George accompanied Pitt for six seasons and 57 games. He is on pace to break the school record of 64 games played set by former long snapper Cal Adomitis.

George said he was unaware of this statistic. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” he said.

5. They must be a resilient bunch

No one has a more difficult task than California coach Justin Wilcox, who has to overcome the deficit of the 39:38 loss to Miami last Saturday night in Berkeley. The Golden Bears led 35-10 late in the third quarter.

“We’re not burning the tape,” Wilcox said. “We have to learn from it.”

The defense was on the field for 90 snaps and Miami scored three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes against a depleted force.

“It’s a punch in the gut when you don’t win the games you think you can win,” Wilcox said.

Previously, California lost to Florida State 14-9, the Seminoles’ only win in six games.

Still, Cal is a dangerous team, ranking third nationally with a plus-8 turnover margin (12-4) and No. 1 with 11 interceptions.

“They’re a really good football team that’s been tested,” Narduzzi said. “Whoever did the scheduling didn’t do them any favors.”

Cal (3-2, 0-2) played Auburn, Florida State and Miami within a month.

“Three really good teams,” Narduzzi said. “Hopefully fourth place.”

Pitt will be Cal’s third trip to the East Coast this season.