Pittsburgh Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
Offense
The Pittsburgh Panthers offense will have a new quarterback under center but he’s a familiar name to most college football fans. Max Browne, the backup quarterback for the USC Trojans in 2016, takes over the starting role with the Panthers this season.
Browne will have a lot of weapons to work with next season. He’ll be able to hand the ball off to a solid running back in Qadree Ollison, a former 1,000-yard rusher in 2015. Or he could end up handing the ball off to Quadree Henderson out of the slot position. Henderson returns as Pittsburgh’s leading rusher (631 rushing yards). He has been named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Hornung Award and Maxwell Award watch lists entering the season.
Browne also has the option of throwing the ball to Henderson through the air. Or he can pass it to Jester Weah, the team’s lead returning receiver (870 passing yards). Weah had 36 receptions and 10 receiving touchdowns last season. He is one of six ACC players on the 2017 watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.
Henderson could be used in a variety of ways while the team looks to adjust with Browne at quarterback. Jet sweeps played a big part in opening up the field for Henderson last season. With three returning starters on the offensive line, getting the running game going will be key in using Browne’s arm to the team’s advantage.
How will Max Browne fare?
Max Browne should have a better opportunity to prove himself in a more balanced offense. He has plenty of returning starters (6) that have a lot of experience in the scoring department. The Panthers offense scored 40.9 points per game (10th in the FBS) in 2016.
They are a team that relies heavily on its rushing attack to open up the passing game. The Pittsburgh Panthers’ offense averaged 225.1 rushing yards and 221.7 passing yards per game. Whereas the USC Trojans averaged 276.1 passing yards and 201.1 rushing yards per game in 2016.
It will be interesting to see how Browne fares in a more pro-style system. It could improve his NFL Draft stock for the better by the end of things. Quadree Henderson, Jester Weah and Tre Tipton should get a lot of looks if Browne picks up the offense like Peterman did. Browne is on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, annually presented to the top senior or fourth-year junior quarterback in college football entering the 2017 season.