Pitt Defensive End Leads Power Four Defenders in QB Pressures

Matlack is tied with Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon with 28 quarterback pressures this season — two more than Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku and Indiana’s Mikail Kamara.

Matlack has played 313 defensive snaps this season, the most in the defensive line room, and he’s recorded 11 tackles (10 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two pass breakups. So, while he isn’t racking up the sacks, his impact is being felt.

There’s another level for Matlack to hit, and if he can turn those pressures into sacks and get home a step more quickly, it could make a world of difference in the second half of the schedule.

He’s tied for second on the team in sacks, trailing only Jimmy Scott (who racked up three sacks against Cal), and the team numbers are rising. Pitt is 16th in college football in sacks (18) and 10th in tackles for loss (48).

The six sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Cal were season highs. The pressures and hurries turned into tangible production against the Bears.

“It’s a lot of different things, but sometimes it comes down to coverage, number one, and again, if they’re going to drop back and throw it — I think you get zero sacks against Youngstown State, you think you’ve got to get 14 of them,” Pat Narduzzi said Saturday night. “But if they’re throwing the ball real quick and they’re scared to death to get a sack and they’re throwing it out — I think going into this game, again, I think it was 27% screens on third down, but when they’re running screens, you’re not going to get sacks, and it gets frustrating.

“But when you get into the ACC play, as you guys know from the past, is when we start to get our sacks because they’ve got confidence in their protection and they’ve got confidence in their receivers and quarterbacks. I think that’s what it comes down to is the opportunities in a drop-back compared to screens and three-step just trying to get the ball out making sure they don’t take negative plays.”

Matlack himself hasn’t racked up huge sack totals this season, but if the advanced stats are any indication, he’s due for more sooner than later.