Eli Holstein and the Pitt offense may have stolen the show in a 73-17 beatdown against Youngstown State, but a couple of defenders have been named to some teams of the week.
Holstein was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for the fourth straight week, and a couple of his defensive teammates have been named to the PFF Team of the Week. Kyle Louis earned a place on the ACC Team of the Week, and Tamarion Crumpley earned a place on the ACC and National Team of the Week. Louis isn’t a surprise, but Crumpley certainly is.
Louis was dominant against YSU, playing just over half the defensive snaps before giving way to the reserves, and racked up six tackles (four solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, an interception and a quarterback hit.
Crumpley only recorded one stat, but it was a big one. A 22-yard pick-six. According to PFF, Crumpley was only targeted once in his 36 snaps — 15 of which were in coverage.
Louis has been one of the best defenders in the ACC through four weeks, racking up 33 tackles (12 solo), four tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, two interceptions and a pass breakup. Crumpley only played a handful of snaps before the YSU win, but he impressed — more could be on the way.
Pitt isn’t off the best start defensively this season, allowing 25.5 points per game (13th) and 342 points per game (ninth), but there are pieces in place. The bye week is an important period to correct the mistakes and get back to doing what the unit does best — stopping the run and hitting opposing quarterbacks.
Pitt is back in action next weekend against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. It’s a chance to beat UNC on the road for the first time in program history.
