PITTSBURGH -- Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi watched his team let Navys meticulously executed option offense have its way in a lopsided loss in the Military Bowl last December and knew something needed to be done.So the coach who stresses taking it one week at a time did something a little different during fall camp. He looked ahead. To be more specific, he looked ahead to Georgia Tech, who will bring a scheme the Midshipmen used to roll up 417 yards rushing to Heinz Field on Saturday.Narduzzi called the cram sessions Panther Periods.We need to stop the run, Narduzzi said. Whether its a spread offense or a triple offense, we need to make the plays necessary to stop them. We looked at it during the summer just so we could get our kids further along.Pitt (3-2, 0-1 ACC) will get a chance to see if the extra studying pays off on Saturday when the Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-2) visit Heinz Field.They a have lot of magic done behind the line, a lot of stuff youve got to look at, Pitt linebacker Oluwaseun Idowu said. You need to have honest eyes.The Panthers edge Georgia Tech on a late field goal last season and figures to be in another tight one this time around. Each of Pitts past four games have been decided in the last 2 minutes, including a late 13-point outburst in the final 1:04 to put away Marshall last Saturday.That hasnt been the case for the Yellow Jackets, who are coming off consecutive home losses to No. 2 Clemson and No. 10 Miami, games in which they never led. Any chance of upsetting the Hurricanes evaporated when Miami returned a pair of second-quarter fumbles by Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas for touchdowns in the second quarter. Thomas knows those miscues need to stop immediately.Weve just got to stay consistent, quarterback Justin Thomas said. It will come but right now its just in spurts. We do something good a few drives and come back and we start going backward.TOUGH GRIND FOR YELLOW JACKETS OFFENSE: Each of Georgia Techs first three ACC opponents -- Boston College (1), Clemson (12) and Miami (7) -- rank among the top 12 nationally in total defense. Thats not the case with Pitt which is No. 72, allowing 406.6 yards per game. Those numbers are a bit skewed, however, and not necessarily in Georgia Techs favor. The Panthers have struggled against the pass but are fourth in the country against the run, allowing 69.8 yards per game.The Yellow Jackets struggled to a 17-14 win over Boston College in Dublin and were shut down in a 26-7 loss to Clemson. Their 124 total yards against Clemson were a low mark for the spread-option offense in nine years under Johnson.Johnson took a more hands-on approach in practice last week and Georgia Tech rebounded with 361 yards, including 267 yards rushing, in last weeks 35-21 loss to Miami.WHITHER WHITHEAD?: Pitt sophomore safety Jordan Whitehead dressed but did not play against Marshall, the 2015 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year watching from the sideline as the Panthers pulled away late to seal the victory. Narduzzi initially declined to get into Whiteheads status but earlier this week described Whiteheads absence on the field due to reasons personal in nature. Whitehead is second on the team in tackles and has rushed for 63 yards while moonlighting occasionally on offense. Narduzzi anticipates Whitehead returning to the lineup Saturday.BEEN HERE, DONE THAT: Georgia Tech also was coming off two straight losses to Duke and North Carolina in 2014 when it turned its season around with a 56-28 win at Pitt. That team finished 11-3, played in the ACC championship game and won the Orange Bowl.A lot of people were about to give up the ship and jump off and we ended up winning 11 games and the Orange Bowl, Johnson said. Theres still a lot of football to be played. Youve just got to take it one game at a time and play. Id like for us to be playing better than we are playing but who knows? Maybe this is the week.PASS HAPPY? Against Marshall the Panthers threw for more yards than they ran for, the first time thats happened this season. It was a welcome jolt for quarterback Nate Peterman and wide receiver Jester Weah, who connected on the game-sealing 54-yard touchdown with 64 seconds left.I feel my confidence is right up through the roof, Weah said. 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Two former teammates who will lock horns in Saturday nights All-Stars game are both still pinching themselves ahead of the first season of the AFLs national womens league.Western Bulldogs midfielder Ellie Blackburn and Melbourne defender Melissa Hickey, both marquee signings, have this week been in camp with their respective squads gearing up for Saturdays clash at Whitten Oval.Blackburn, who had previously played for the Demons in exhibition games, said it would be a little strange playing against her old teammates, but was looking forward to the contest featuring some of the best female talent from around Australia.It will definitely be different playing for the Bulldogs instead of Melbourne, but for me its the start of something new and Im so excited to be playing for the Dogs, the 21-year-old told ESPN.It will be a chance to showcase womens footy at the highest level; there are so many talented footballers playing this weekend and we can all come together and play a really great standard of football.The nationally-televised contest will feature players who will likely be early selections in next months inaugural AFL womens draft.Teams will be 16-a-side, with six interchange players, while the ball is slightly smaller than the one used in previous exhibition contests. The changes have been made with the aim of reducing congestion and increasing scoring.Hickey said she was proud to again be running out for Melbourne, adding the club had fully committed to embracing the womens game.Im really lucky to be playing for the Dees ... Ive been around the club for three years now and I feel were part of the culture and theyve really welcomed us into the inner sanctum, she told ESPN.[Theres] been nothing but genuine support and buy-in from the whole club and the players, whenever we come to the club. Its really special to continue that journey with them. I was absolutely thrilled when it was announced I could join them [as a marquee player].Ive been part of the Demons since 2013, with the exhibition series, and played every game with them ... Saturday should be an even better standard [than previous games].Here in Victoria weve had 12 months of improvement and it [the standard] has increased here, and Im sure the same is happening in the other states ... its probably not ideal the amount of time we get to train together to develop understanding of how each other plays, the game sstyle and structure, but the 16-a-side [match] should be a very free-flowing and high-scoring game, so hopefully its a great spectacle and a great display of womens footy.ddddddddddddHickey, 31, knows she is nearer to the end of her career than the start of it, but said she was so thankful the womens league was being introduced before she hung up her boots.Its amazing - I have to keep pinching myself, its a dream come true to be able to play in the league next year, she said. I think they initially started talking about 2020 as a date when it could start so I was concerned thatd be at the very end of my career; so when it was announced for next year, I was rapt.Im 31 but Im feeling the fittest Ive ever felt, so Im not too concerned about it; hopefully Ive got a few good years still left in me.Blackburn is at the other end of the spectrum, and could potentially forge a decade-long career at the highest level.Me coming into it at the age I am now is really beneficial and Im really fortunate that weve now got access to a womens league; Im only 21 and hopefully I can stick around for the next decade and play some really good footy, she said.While they will be on opposing sides come Saturday, the duo is on the same page when it comes to the importance of the leagues introduction.From a young age I used to joke around with my mates that I was going to be one of the first females to play AFL and to think back, it was literally a joke because we never thought it would happen.But when the AFL announced theyd set up a national womens league in 2017, it was overwhelming and it took my breath away, Blackburn said.Since then, theres been so much build-up and hype around it - its been amazing and the response has been truly wonderful. Theres so much excitement, all the girls are constantly talking about it, always using the hashtag #journeyto2017 - its always in our thoughts. Its something thats going to be great for the sport itself and for womens sport.As a young girl growing up, my idols were all male footballers and now, they [younger women] can look up and see someone they want to aspire to be, Hickey said. We get to go out to schools and a lot of the kids look up at you and say they play and love footy ... its very powerful to have female role models. ' ' '