When Paul Chryst came over from the Wisconsin Badgers to try and provide stability to a program that was in utter turmoil after going through four head coaches in a two year span.
Chryst’s staple wherever he went as an offensive coordinator was a strong power running game. His success was well known, from Steven Jackson at Oregon State to P.J. Hill’s three year runner as Wisconsin top rusher – when his offense was running efficient they were pounding the opponent with the run game.
In 2010 Chryst’s offense fell four yards shy of having three running backs to run for 1,000-yards. Knowing the city of Pittsburgh, implementing this style would be met with great fanfare. It seemed to be a match in heaven, Chryst would arrive with Rushel Shell waiting to dispense on opposing defenses.
A freshman year filled with hope and potential quickly turned into an ugly divorce and Shell having to restart over in West Virginia. Using both Isaac Bennett and James Conner last season, Pitt was able to have two 700-yard rushers – a step in the right direction.
While Bennett and Conner complemented each other in their skill sets, neither possessed the raw skill Shell does and in a way limit how far the offense can really take off. Hitting the recruiting trail hard, Chyrst was able to land his marquee man, Chris James.
James was rated as a four star running back – the 21st best in the nation – by Rivals.com and gave the Panthers their highest rated runner since Shell. Through a freak workout routine, James has been arguably ready to handle college touches for a few years now.
Some of the top offers he turned away for the Panthers included Michigan State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The same school Chyrst had come from had pursued James, only to lose out in the end.
Now with their top recruit in place, the Panthers have running back reminiscent of Brian Calhoun – one of the current assistant strength and conditioning coaches.
After two seasons at Colorado, Calhoun transferred to Wisconsin and took over the running back job the same year Chryst became the offensive coordinator there. After rushing for 1,636-yards and 22-touchdowns that year, Calhoun started a line of seven 1,000-yard rushers in six years. Montee Ball ran for nearly 2,000-yards and scored 33-touchdowns his last year at Wisconsin.
Paired with Conner, who has also been taking reps at defensive end, and with Bennett as the team’s third down back, the Panthers may finally have enough weapons to run the offense as close to as it was when Chryst was at Wisconsin.
A offensive line filled with experience (three starters with at least a full season) and potential (Dorian Johnson was a consensus five star recruit), looks to be in as good a position to pave the road for a run game that could become one of the better in the entire ACC.
Consistency has been the major haunting factor for Panthers in recent years whether it was not being able to hold down a coach for pre-Chryst or the team alternating wins and losses last year for the last six games of the year – the program needs some stability.
What better way to do so than with a ground game that finally looks ready to take off?
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