Blue Beats Gold 14-7 in Annual Spring Game
(Pittsburgh,PA) This year’s edition of the Pitt Annual Blue/Gold Football game wasn’t about the score (It never really is) but it was about the performances of certain players, plus the first game in which they wore their new blue and gold colors which ‘respected the past and represented the future.’ For the record, it’s the first time Pitt has wore Royal Blue and Gold since 1996, the year before they switched to Navy Blue and Vegas Gold.
On the field, it was Junior QB Kenny Pickett who was impressive passing for 125 yards, completing 10 of 14 passes while passing for both Blue Team’s TDs. His target on both scores was senior wide out Tre’ Tipton. Tipton finished with 43 yards on 3 receptions. Pickett is expected to begin the 2019 season as the starting QB, and under a new offensive coordinator in Mark Whipple.
Who also made an impression on the Blue Team was Saftey Paris Ford, who’s looking to finally make an impact after 2 seasons in which he played in only 8 games, mostly on special teams. The redshirt Sophomore led the game with 7 tackles and an interception in the end zone that stalled the Gold Team’s potential scoring drive. Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi has already declared Ford the starter at Safety. Linebackers Cam Bright and Chase Pine also recorded six tackles apiece.
For the Gold Team, it was freshman QB Davis Beville who led his team to their only TD of the game, an 11-yard TD pass to redshirt senior TE Will Gragg. Beville passed for 157 yards.
Narduzzi was impressed with what he saw from Pitt’s passing game, especially Pickett, the team’s returning starter from last season’s ACC Coastal Division winners.
“His feet are better in the pocket,” Narduzzi said of Pickett. “There were some changes that Coach Whipple wanted to make just as far as his fundamentals. The ball is coming a lot quicker out of his hands. I think that’s the most impressive thing we saw. The ball is being thrown on time and before the receivers are out of their break, the ball’s coming. That will make our offensive line better.”
The defenses dominated the first half of Saturday’s contest, which was played with 10-minute quarters. The teams finished with minus-32 rushing yards in the game, but that was aided by several touch sacks of the quarterbacks in red jerseys.
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