in Game Day, Pitt Football, Pitt POV, Players, Writing 1,009 Words

Pitt vs OSU Gameday Thread

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We are about to play the third game of the 2016 season and things look like they are on the upswing for the team as we sit at 2-0.  After a rather shaky opener, a 28-7 win against Villanova at Heinz Field, we hosted our long-time rival Penn State in the first meeting between the two teams in 16 years.

We won that game in a match that had two distinct halves.  In each of the first two quarters of play we out scored PSU 14-7 for a 28-14 halftime lead.  At that point, and the way we were controlling the game with our running strength (with a TOP of 18:41), you would have thought the 2nd half would be a cakewalk for us.

1st-q

2nd-q

But that’s not how Pitt rolls as they say. During the 3rd quarter the scoring evened out at 7 points apiece with Pitt still dominating the TOP with a 10:29 to 4:31 margin.  That is when Pitt fans started to get nervous though because controlling the clock for that much time and not extending our lead was unsettling. So even though we still held a 35-21 lead things were getting shaky.

3rd-q

That set the stage for the 4th quarter in which PSU flipped the script.  During the last 15 minutes Penn State controlled the ball as they started a serious run to overtake us. You can see below that they out scored us 18-7 that quarter and held a 2:24 TOP margin.   What was almost our downfall was McSorley’s passing toward the end of the game when he racked up 119 yards in the last 15 minutes of play.

4th-q

Given the way the game ended – McSorley not seeing a wide open PSU WR in the end zone and instead threw the INT – you can see why Pitt fans are wary of today’s game as visitors in Stillwater.  We didn’t pull away for the win last Saturday after holding a nice halftime lead.  Instead we held on for dear life…but we won against Penn State and it has felt sweet all week.

Here are the post-game notes for the Penn State game issued by the Pitt Media dept.

Team

After a 16-year hiatus in the Keystone Classic rivalry, Pitt defeated Penn State, 42-39, in a thrilling back-and-forth contest at a sold-out Heinz Field on Saturday afternoon.

 The attendance of 69,983 set a Pittsburgh sports all-time record. The previous record crowd for a sporting event held in the city of Pittsburgh was 68,918 for the Pitt football game against Fordham in 1938 (at Pitt Stadium).

 Pitt’s 42 points marked the most the Panthers have ever scored against Penn State. The previous Pitt high for points against the Nittany Lions was 41 points in the 1931 contest.

 Saturday’s contest was also the highest scoring Pitt-Penn State game ever. The previous record for points in a game in the prior 96 meetings between the Panthers and Nittany Lions was 74 points in the 1968 game.

 The Pitt rushing attack finished with 341 yards on 56 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per rush. The Panthers held Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley to just 72 yards rushing on 31 attempts, an average of 2.4.

 The Pitt offense opened with a 99-yard drive on its first possession of the game, highlighted by 48 rushing yards from James Conner and 47 rushing yards from Quadree Henderson. The 10-play march in 4:43 was Pitt’s first 99-yard touchdown drive since an eight-play drive in 3:37 against Delaware on Aug. 30, 2014.

 The Pitt defense forced four turnovers in the game, including an interception by Ryan Lewis in the end zone with 1:15 to play that sealed the victory for the Panthers.

 James Conner

 Junior running back James Conner tallied his 12th career 100-yard rushing game and 13th multi-TD effort.

 Conner finished with 117 yards on 22 rushes for an average of 5.3 yards per carry, and had a one-yard scoring run

 He also caught a 12-yard touchdown on 3rd and 11 with 10:24 left in the game, putting Pitt up 42-31 and ultimately providing the winning points. It was Conner’s second consecutive week with a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same contest.

 Ryan Lewis

 Senior defensive back Ryan Lewis, whose first career interception clinched the Pitt win, also finished with a career-high nine tackles in the game, breaking his previous best of six set against Delaware on Aug. 30, 2014.

 George Aston

 Sophomore fullback George Aston scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his career, both in the first half.

 It was Aston’s second career multi-TD game after he caught two receiving scores against Louisville on Nov. 21, 2015.

 Quadree Henderson

 Sophomore wide receiver Quadree Henderson continued his impressive start to the season with another big game. After tallying 211 all-purpose yards last week against Villanova, Henderson accumulated 201 all-purpose yards against the Nittany Lions. He finished with 96 yards on kickoff returns (with a long of 84), 58 rushing and 47 receiving.

 Henderson also caught his first career touchdown in the second quarter, reeling in a seven-yard score from senior quarterback Nathan Peterman.

 Ejuan Price

 Senior defensive end Ejuan Price forced two fumbles in a game for the first time in his collegiate career. Price stripped Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley twice—initially on a seven-yard sack in the first quarter and then on a six-yard rushing loss in the second quarter. Pitt scored touchdowns on the subsequent drives off both turnovers.

Price was a force in the game, also finishing with three quarterback hurries, two tackles for loss and one sack.

Yesterday we all made our predictions and I noticed that more than a few of us picked OSU to win.  That certainly isn’t far-fetched give what we saw late Last Saturday afternoon.  But at the same time a bunch of national sportswriters have chosen Pitt to come out on top.

I think we pull it off because Canada opens the passing game up and that complements the run game.

So – leave your impressions as the game unfolds.  It should be a good hard-fought one and let’s hope the Panthers are the last team standing…

(I’ll not be doing in-game comments as I’ll be watching at Dan 72’s house with some other Pitt fans)

429 thoughts on “Pitt vs OSU Gameday Thread”

  3. Sorry to say the game day thread is so much easier to read on the Blather! Just saying I like the format. Sorry!

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  5. Conner most likely goes to fifth place all time rushing yards today, passing McCoy and Lewis.

    Who will get off the snide today? Tipton, Lopes or Matthews. Hopefully all three.

    Will Blewitt get off the Field Goal snide?

    Hopefully, Conklin uses more depth at D-Tackle today. Herndon, Watts and Camp need a few plays each to keep Jarrett and Soto fresh.

    Same with D-backs and linebackers, going to be doing a lot of running today, time to see some of the depth at these positions.

    Some turnovers and three and outs are essential for a win.

    Most important are many long sustained touchdown drives keeping the OKST offense on the bench.

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  6. Been thinking Lopes but not all that comfortable saying that. NP likes to throw the shorter type routes. I expect PITT will run until they can’t anymore. ??

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  8. Dr Tom – nice find on Pittsburgh.rivals. I’ve been saying this week that our D success depends on our being able to pound on the QB – sacks and/or hits at release. Mark him hurt!. That will make the DBs’ jobs a lot easier, and should lead to a couple INTs = Game Time; Rodeo’s over, and this time, the Bull (in White) WINS!

    Sorry Okies – no “Ride ’em Cowboy” this week!!!

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  9. I’m really excited. This game has the potential to be an unbelievably great game!!! The gun slingers throwing all over the field vs. the road graders running it done their throats. WOW!!!! The contrast alone makes it crazy interesting. Lets hope when the last gun sounds we’re the ones still standing.
    #H2P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  13. Marshall is playing Akron on the CBS sports network if you want to check out an upcoming opponent.

    Iowa is currently playing (and losing 7-0) to a really,really good FCS North Dakota State.

    Really good noon game tv schedule.

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  14. Tyler Palko screams at the coin toss….”I am so _ ucking proud of my guys for battling through the choices and picking heads”. Always pick heads on the road. Pitt is 1-0 today. I try never to be a realist when picking games on here. I am a realist with my friends in Vegas however!

    Good luck gentlemen. Getting the pre-game jitters already.

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  17. Thank God we aren’t playing Louisville this year (at least until the ACC Championship Game), they are smoking Florida State 35-10 at the half.

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  18. Lamar Jackson wins Heisman and L’Ville wins ACC and Petrino Coach of the Year.

    Guy is a winner even if he isn’t character of the year.

    Come on Pitt. Make me a believer like Doc noted. Couldn’t make it to Oklahoma. Called to West Palm and on the beach.

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  19. Reed – Hope I’m wrong but Vegas in my opinion wants people to take Pitt. They are tricky if you watch lines. Pure gambler perspective means Ok St by 15 ish pertracking this line.

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  21. What the hell are you using to source the weather Reed?

    Stillwater hourly below:

    1:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Cloudy 79° 82° 0% 62% NE 3 mph
    2:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Mostly Cloudy 81° 83° 0% 59% ENE 3 mph
    3:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Partly Cloudy 82° 84° 0% 56% ENE 3 mph
    4:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Partly Cloudy 83° 85° 0% 53% E 3 mph
    5:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Sunny 84° 86° 0% 53% E 4 mph
    6:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Sunny 83° 85° 0% 55% E 5 mph
    7:00 PM SAT, SEP 17
    Sunny 80° 83° 0% 61% E 5 mph

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  24. Akron beating Marshall 41-21 at the half. Ex Pitt QB recruit Travon Chapman scored a TD just before the end of the half.

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  26. Uh, Columbia is very nice here 20 min away. Out cutting grass and cleaning up yard to make the time pass.

    Should not say this but feeling good about this one.

    Pitt 32 Ok St 21

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  28. 92 sunny on Wes Palm Beach. Me Emel and some 22 year old Hungarian Exchange Students from CCAC LOL

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  37. Afraid today shows just how bad our LB’s and DB’s are. Cement shoes LB’s will be gassed and Jarret will struggle.

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  49. Constantino from Vandergrift Pennsylvania now playing quarter back for Florida State… Florida State has no quarterback and either first team or second string

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  50. Big B – This is not Lousiville’s 2015 team. They hang 60 on FSU it would be 120 on our D.

    Love Texas State Today ECU and Syracuse. Oh and Ohio St.

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  96. Don’t give Blewitt to much praise it barely went in and zero wind.

    We haven’t thrown deep since 1978.

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  118. This is like the Nard Dog’s last game as DC of Mich State in Cotton Bowl. Baylor was throwing for all kinds of yardage.
    Until the Nard Dog went down to the field in 4th q and got a couple stops.

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  131. The corners can’t cover at all, so they might as well blitz there on 3rd down. A 4 man rush was insane…I’m going to work in the yard. I can’t stand stupidity…

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  134. Maddox was just violated for the 44th time. All DB’s are terrible. Wait till they are gassed in 4th quarter.

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  143. I had no delusions about the quality of our D Backs. However, this is embarrassing. They look small, slow and clueless. PSU proved how bad they really are today.
    The offense has to step up and score at least 35 points. That won’t happen if our offensive line keeps getting blown off the ball.

    Very disappointing.

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  166. I want to know how the replay of OSU’s long TD run shows Whitehead’s shirt being stretched by the blocker as he turns to try to make the tackle, but there’s no penalty.

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  170. Why pass agains Pitt when you can run. Sloppy tackling. I don’t mind losing to a good team, however, I don’t want to get run out of the building.

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  177. As I said a few years ago, when Pitt was being mentioned for the Big 12…..this is Big Boy Football.

    Hopefully we can limit them in the 2nd half. We have to obviously make some defensive adjustments.

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  186. They have a 100 more yards(446) already on offense than they were avg’g per game(370). Pre-Pitt.

    Amazing we are still within 7. lol Go Pitt !!!

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  203. At least we are not FSU today. Still have some life. Finally a down field pass.

    Will need at least two turnovers to have a chance. That or break Washingtons leg or Masons arm.

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  205. The reason Peterman never throws INT’s is because he holds the ball like he’s holding his first tit. Throw the damn ball!! Poor coaching so far especially in D, let’s play for the pass not going to get to QB. Stop running into the heart of the D on O.

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  208. Maybe we get a few turnovers or sacks in the 4th quarter ala MSU against Baylor in the Cotton Bowl when Nard Dog was DC and pull this baby out.

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  212. At least the score is competitive. No sacks, a few TFL and a boatload of deep passes on our DB’s.

    J.Weah with a deep pass catch for a TD – surprise, surprise, surprise!

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  215. The good news is that it could have been worse. If we can keep this score in the low 80’s, we might hit a 3 at the buzzer and win.

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  222. Lamont Wade, Starter. Paris Ford, Starter. Damar Hamlin, Starter. Donovan Jeter, Starter. Hurry up dudes. Opportunity awaits. Did anyone notice that Galambos stopped about 6 feet short of their qb before figuring out to go after him. Thinking is not good!

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  229. I know we all know this, Pitts defensive backs are slow, tiny, stupid and late on every play.

    Slippery Rock has a better D.

    Amazing we are only down 7

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  247. Really big play by Caprara.

    Rudolph missing passes this half.

    Smart to make him throw underneath, needs to be more accurate.

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  250. GC – Haha.

    I’d appreciate more pans to the gals in Cowboy Boots and Skirts.

    We need to hold here. They will try deep. If they worked a TE into mix Ok State would surprise us in the middle.

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  260. For instance they all were saying how much improved Syracuse’s offense was this year. #35 in the country at almost 500 yds/game. Avg’g 30 ppg. Today they got squashed at home by USF 45-20

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  264. Highly doubt they cut in on Aub-TexA&M. Could go to ESPNews because the hockey game doesn’t start until 8. It also depends on when it gets restarted. It pouring down rain right now.

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  270. Erie… How’s your golf game? I went back to work 7/11 …one of those proverbial offers I couldn’t refuse!
    Sales Mgr w Fortune 500 company working for good friend.

    Haven’t played since !

    Truth is I hated retirement!!

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  273. The game has gone 3+ quarters…..at this point it’s been totally back-and-forth……How about we just call it a Tie 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 . Weather’s looking Really, Really Bad with lots of lightning —- Freakin’ Tornado-type weather going-on in Central Oklahoma there.

    Plus: you know the game has been delayed too-long to resume, when the football message-boards, in a Big-Time, Tie-Game, devolve into political drivel lol.

    2-0-1, UNDEFEATED (ha) Pitt vs. North Carolina (WE CAN PLAY DEFENSE WORSE THAN YOU PLAY DEFENSE) next week!

    Nice Catch Jester Weah!!!!

    Dude is at least 3 inches taller than the guys covering him (one-on-one, in Press) each play —- Back-Shoulder Pass is There for the taking, c’mon Nathan Peterman, that’s an NFL QB’s bread and butter gotta start making those throws.

    🙂 Quadree Henderson 🙂 —— we learned last week —- He’s ARRIVED and he’s most definitely going to make-a-Mark that will be remembered for Pitt 🙂 .

    😦 😦 😦 😦 Defense…..D-line is not Ight, Soto inside is a New Man in there, holding his own, a really-legit Starting Defensive tackle….Linebackers 😦 😦 yeah, we know already, real speed demons, dead-horse there…….Defensive Backs 😦 —– Avonte Maddox, Ryan Lewis, Tarrish Webb — they just are what they are.

    Gonna Have to Score A LOT of points this year, and Pitt can do it!!!

    #HailToPitt —– 2-0-1 lol, at least that will get Pitt some serious-Play on Sportscenter too!

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  278. I don’t know if its even possible to call it a draw and go home, but if they did that there would likely be riots in Stillwater. Pretty sure the Cowboys and a stadium full of their fans want/need a win here to wash the taste of last week’s fiasco out of their mouths.

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  281. Kind of slightly similar to the Gonzaga basketball game. Delayed due to weather conditions. Like no AC in the basketball gymnasium.

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  283. Dan 72 – my golf game is ok. I was the high HC’r this morning and took the money in my foursome by equaling the low score. I had pars on the final four holes to cash in. I made the final five footer with everyone else in with bogey – pressure putt for all the mulla.

    Now if Pitt can close this OK State game out with a W, I’d be a winner again –

    HTP!

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  284. I could go for a 3 hour delay. I think that benefits our team due to arm tightness…or I could be full of crap…or just deplorable!

    Will allow Q to get hydrated. One turnover away fro making a huge statement!

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  285. about 10 mins ago …

    Jerry DiPaola ‏@JDiPaola_Trib 1m1 minute ago
    4 minutes ago, OK State senior associate AD Kevin Klintworth said we are at least 30 minutes from warm-ups. Just had another lightning reset

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  290. Chris Peak Retweeted
    Pitt Football ‏@Pitt_FB 4m4 minutes ago
    The sun is out in Stillwater. Fans returning to their seats. We’ll resume the game shortly. Awaiting word on what TV channel it’ll be on.

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  295. Feels like Pitt’s advantage in wearing down their lines is going to be taken away by this delay. I see OSU coming out and winning by two TDs.

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  296. So Crazy !!!

    #HailToPitt !!

    Oklahoma State fans seem like the absolute opposite of the fanbase of “Last Week’s Opponent”, lol. They seem super-enthusiastic, but in a cool way, and like they respect Pitt and treat Pitt fans well.

    I only mention that because……it’ll feel so sweet to send them home anguished after a huge Pitt-Victory!

    Heavy Rain + the Pouring Tears of Okie State fans in Central Oklahoma tonight!

    #DuzzArmy is gonna come-out firing at the Cowboys!!

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  297. Gave time for Okie State to re-adjust to Pitt’s defensive adjustments too DKF. So this should be interesting. Hopefully alot of Okie’s left so the place will only be half-full or less.

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  301. On the bottom of ESPN it says it will be showing on the ESPN app. I don’t know if that is the same as “watchESPN.com” or “ESPN3.com”. Not showing on either as of this second.

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  303. Larry Fitzgerald
    @LarryFitzgerald

    Weather delay for @Pitt_FB in a tie game. I know @CoachDuzzPittFB is giving them a great speech right now!!! #H2P

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  306. ESPN has the Texas A&M – Auburn game on now and I doubt if they’ll switch back to us. ESPN3 has the USC – Stanford game.

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  307. — watchespn.com — it’s also on the main screen on espn.com !!

    If you have cable tv you can access it on your computer!

    Or: watchespn app on ipads and devices

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  313. 😦 😦 Weah was Wide Open — why can’t Nate Peterman accurately deliver throws when he has to throw 30+ yards in the air????

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  320. PS Peterman missing the wide open Weah really hurt, really.. Luckily Ok St can’t get it together either

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  330. Nathan Peterman getting the “Chad Voytik Pass” —–

    Missed a wide-open Jester Weah for a TD with zero pressure…

    Throwing underneath when Pitt needs him to either run and get first downs, or throw the dang ball downfield.

    Receivers are 30 yards downfield Matt Canada does not come on the field and throw them the ball — not Mad, just being real.

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  331. Peterman is terrible

    Offense is a gimmick.

    The Henderson plays are no longer going to work. You have to pass at least havw a threat of it to win.
    Watch a hail mary beat them again. Haha.

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  334. Never thought we would win this but our DB play is deplorable. 500+/- yards in the air? For F$&@ sake pathetic.

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  336. We need wide receivers and defensive backs…question the pitch to Connor on 3rd and 4…
    Okie wide receivers wide open all afternoon …and evening

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  337. Would take Lafayette Pitts over Maddox any day of the week.

    Maddox thinks he can play with the big boys, so it is a lack of talent And arrogance that does him in.

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  340. We’d have a pretty decent team….if it was 1937 and we didn’t need to either pass or defend against passing….

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  342. We had the lead and the ball near mid field. Absolutely atrocious play calling from that point on! Very frustrating loss.

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  343. Somebody call Matt House. We really need someone running this defense so it doesn’t give up 540 passing yards again. Defensive guru my ass. Narduzzi better figure out that Maddox cannot play one-on-one against anybody unless its some slow white dude.

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  345. Lamont Wade…come to Pitt. You could start NOW. The worst DB’s I’ve ever seen. And we all thought Lafayette Pitts was bad? Avonte Maddox is infinitely worse.

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  346. You may ask yourself, why would Pitt run a sweep on third and 4 from midfield? Answer=Peterman sucks!! Peterman sucks! Peterman sucks!! Peterman sucks!! Peterman Sucks!!

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  347. Maddox HAS to sit next week. Don’t blame Canada, if you have a QB that can’t get it down field, yo can’t call the deep ball. Also still too many missed blocking assignments – including Conner, that kill plays, drives, etc. same for silly penalties that do the same plus put us in a hole time after time.

    Again, had this game as a loss pre season but it’s HOW we lose this game that bothers me.

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  349. The defense lost this game, not the offense. 640 yards given up? That’s worse than the old hoopie defenses we used to laugh about. 290 yards running and 237 passing for over 500 yards for us on offense.

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  352. Weah wasn’t “wide open”. Watch it again from the angle behind the quarterback. It was a tough throw in probably 99% humidity. Our offense scored 38 POINTS on the road. You can’t pin this one on Peterman or Canada. Our defense gave up 540 YARDS of passing. Versus Pedo State our defense gave up 322 YARDS of passing. Versus FBS Villanova our defense gave up 119 YARDS of passing. For those of you scoring at home that’s 981 YARDS of passing for a nice average of 327 YARDS per game. Narduzzi is supposed to be a defensive genius and I’m not going to hold him accountable until he gets “his players” in here. But those numbers are unacceptable. Laughable, in fact.

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  353. Jackagain – need a big shakeup in the D secondary. Might even need some upgraded coaching in offseason along w players.

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  354. I thought we’d lose this game but losing looking like a D-2 defense is embarrassing. Maddox was awful vs Penn State and worse tonight.

    A special kind Of adversity hit both teams with the delay. You can always count on Pitt to get the worst of any adversity.

    We have no chance with this defense and no passing game vs NC next week. None!!!

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  355. Looked like Henderson was on the sideline for the last drive…he should have been in there and why not use Whitehead on offense at that point in the game….

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  356. Maddox is just plain awful, BUT when you run across sweep on 3rd and 4 near mid field you are giving the one chance of victory over to the opposition. Horrible play call, and putrid secondary play lost this game, Peterman didn’t help.

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  357. Pitt doesn’t have the correct personnel to play press coverage in the defense they are running. You saw the results today a lot of passing yards. Sure they mixed things up but bottom line the db’s got torched repeatedly.

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  358. Peterman was disappointing and I think likely the reason Canada could not to mix in a few more passes in the second half. You would think a few more play actions would have been available, then again Peterman missed on a couple.

    Didn’t like NP throwing check down automatically on the last drive while needing to go 90 yards with only 2 time outs. Anything not close to a first down should be thrown into the ground.

    Backing off the press corners worked until whatever Maddox did on the last td.

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  359. PSU only had the ball for 24 minutes on offense last week too. The defense is the first thing we need to get shored up. We get that done and no one will be complaining about the offense. 631 yards rushing in two games will win 90% of the time if the defense is even average. Only 50% of the time when it stinks.

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  360. I said I’m my prediction that Maddox & Webb would get torched not really going out on a limb. So now my next prediction Pitt wins the next four.

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  362. No doubt we need a QB, but Potato Paul the QB genius couldn’t get a warm body to come here. This team is a 2-4 year work in progress. A crap bowl this year is the best we can expect until we get some real QB & DB talent in here and Duzzi can coach up the D.

    We made some good adjustments in game today, but the original game plan of press coverage was stupid. It’s on the job training for Duzzi too….

    Duzzi is already starting on the DB’s.

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  364. Surprisingly, I am not as upset as I thought I’d be. This is a severely flawed team. They are going to give up a ton of points. If they can’t pressure the QB this will be the norm. If you can’t stand that you will have ulcers with this years team. That said, they will be highly entertaining. Pass the Rolaids!

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  365. As usual #14 was targeted. He is just not big enough or fast enough to cover big time receivers. He is tough and scrappy but a liability who will be targeted in every game. The other DBsw ere targeted too but it was mostly Maddox. Pass rush was not consistently good enough. Pitches to Connor wide just do not work. Whitehead might have been a better option to go wide there at the end. Overthrown pass to Weah who had beaten his man near the end was a cojone breaker. The Pitt kids are scrappy, aren’t they? I clicked on ESPN3 on my computer via my Time Warner Cable and the game came up. Henderson couldn’t get loose on sweeps at the end, but he is a STAR. He is something great. His long punt return had to come back. Bring on UNC who ran up 56 points today. Sigh….

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  367. Who the F—k at Pitt scheduled this game? Post PSU .. On the road…pre NC? Idiots!

    4 big plays last week should have beat us.

    4 big plays this week did beat us.

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  368. Lots of good thoughts up top here and some not so….. We all have our opinions and I try not to be so negative as some. All in all I thought PITT represented well enough and this is still a different football team out on the field from days gone by.

    Looks like PITT needs to expand the passing game and I know that is an understatement. OBVIOUSLY!! When you can run like PITT did in the first half you would think some downfield passing would be on the plate? I still like the team going forward and can get over this disappointment without too many tears in my beers. It’s still only an out of conference loss with a long season to go. Let’s try to keep it real………ike

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  369. Bobby – our offense scored 31 points, not 38. The defense gets credit for 7 points in the 2nd half.

    Not sure why there is no passing game other than the fact that a guy named T.Boyd is no longer on the team and the talent pool left behind is very shallow.

    I said this earlier in the game, that either Henderson or Whitehead must be on the field with Conner so we have dual threats for play calling. That last series had Conner and neither of the other two. THERE ARE NO OTHER THREATS ON PITTS OFFENSE. NONE.

    I hope the game film makes that clear to our new OC. It was sure obvious to me.

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  370. Not happy but I feel a lot better thinking back to last Saturday.

    Flip these wins and I wouldn’t care much about any other football games this year.

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  371. Don’t know who’s 3rd down play calling is worse Canada’s or Chaney’s! We should just punt on 3rd down going forward!

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  372. I’d pull whitehead from the D and put him on offense and on the field at the same time as QH, Conner and Weah. That would make things better. As for the DBs – Maddox has to sit. Lewis was still replaying his PSU int in his head and thought he was the ultimate – he is not and whitehead had a pedestrian game. The D must get fixed. Not too overly concerned w the O with the points we have been putting up. Back to the D. With the size of #6 in the nt position, he gets stood up an awful lot. Makes no press into the backfield.

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  374. I’m lust glad we made an addition by subtraction in getting rid of that over rated Tyler Boyd…If you think our receivers suck now, imagine how bad they would be if Boyd was still here getting open and catching everything thrown his way.

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  375. Good point Pitt it IS….our defense is pathetic anyway, so put Whitehead on offense. The kid behind Whitehead is not bad. Our offense needs the help more, since the D will suck anyway.

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  377. AND ANOTHER THING! What is with the lame award stickers on our helmets?! They say “Pitt”. Yeah we know. What about handing out panther paws or a canine tooth. Something.

    Dan 72 – you can thank Pederson 🤔 for the schedule. They are made years in advance (minus psu).

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  381. I wasn’t surprised we got torched, but I was somewhat surprised with the offensive play book. Nothing really new. I would have thought with the smurf-like WRs we’d show some bunch formations and quick slants which don’t require much from the QB.

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  385. Narduzzi won with 3 stars at msu because he had time to get the right guys. This is why you have to give coaches a few years, the cupboard was pretty bare on D when Duzz took over. You can’t expect freshmen & sophs to make immediate impacts & the upperclassmen are subpar.

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  387. Well, our passing game is not better than last year. Not even close.

    Ford, Wade and Hamlin are starters when they decide to join forces.

    I said at the beginning of the year that Maddox would be a good nickel back. Lewis and Maddox will always struggle when we can’t get pressure on a good thrower.

    Query : Did Robert Foster get injured again? I looked at the box score and saw he didn’t have a reception. We lost this in the trenches….on both sides. On our last drive, two more running first downs and we are in position for FG. Speaking of which, can we stop the Blewitt beatings? He is solid and kicked another 48 yarder today.

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  388. Nick, I just want Duzz to let the QB throw the ball somewhere other than the backfield when it is 3rd and 4 or 5!

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  389. I want the toss sweep on 3rd & short to be publicly executed. Take it out on the plaza in front of Heinz Field on gameday & hang it for all to see.

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  393. 4/18 I believe on third down conversions…. Always either a run or screen. Weak shit.

    That stat right there is probably the biggest void left by Boyd (yeah it rhymed, deal with it).

    Many things “cost us the game”… But that 3 and 4 at midfield was the black mark of the game to me in regards to offense…. Peterman looking soo unimpressive. Not necessarily BAD, but so benign.

    Maddox is disappointing this year. he got torched last year but had enough PBUs and INTs for me to tolerate and root… This has just been painful. We did poor at getting pressure on the QB. Radio stations talked about the questions on the OSU line down here all week so this is really surprising to me.

    You take away that one big 60+ yard run we held them to only 40-some yards rushing. Pass defense is our Achilles heel

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  394. Emel. Reed was at my house with the MD Pitt grads. We were all kind of stunned at Maddox and Webb. How can anyone be that bad? My god, give a cushion, let him have the underneath throws but don’t get beat long. I think we were all in total exasperation at the way Pitt lost this. Peterman is a damn good QB. He missed 2 passes late but other than that put up 31 points. We have no,wide receivers and OSU actually double teamed and took away Orndorf. Doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to beat this team.

    Horrible horrible play calling on that last Pitt drive. Don’t mind losing to a very good team. Hate getting punked on National TV.. No chance against NC with this D!!!

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  395. They have to stay out of the press/man coverage with Maddox & Lewis on the field and stick with the zone. Worked much better in the second half

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  396. ~ Dan72 Ok thanks for the update on Reed. We were getting ready to put out an APB. lol

    What you took Reed’s ipad/laptop away from him. Yeah right. You guys had Asian hookers. 🙂

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  397. Oh and Np isn’t that good Dan72. come on. The Temple QB threw for nearly 300 yards against the Pedo’s.
    25 of 34 and we’re throwing shovel passes 4 of the 11 completions. Give me a break ! 🙂

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  398. @Huff just got a quick glimpse of the Amabama game to see a player “Foster” getting carter off the sidelines.. Didn’t hear his first name

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  400. That loss felt a little bit like the Iowa game last year. We lost to an “ok” team that we should of, and could of beat. Then Iowa goes undefeated in their regular season games. Mason Rudolph is a good looking QB.

    I just peaked at the stat sheet – lots of odd #’s for Pitt:

    11 punts (we gave them the ball too many times without scoring)
    4-18 on 3rd downs (lack of a passing game OR missing T.Boyd)
    -0- sacks in the 1st half – (3) in the 2nd half
    -0- QB hurries to OKState’s (3)
    -0- INT’s on 46 pass attempts
    -0- carries for QO (ACC rookie of the year in 2015)
    – D.Hall 5 carries for 17 yards – 3.4 ave (same result that we’ve seen for the past 16 games – below average in my book – but he looks good in practice?)
    – J.Weah 2 catches for 85 yards (can’t we throw to him more? Suggestion – eliminate Hall’s touches and throw to the Jester)
    540 passing yards by OK State (I’m still shaking my head)

    HCPN and the staff have a huge clean-up project this week. The tar holes will NOT fear our passing game on either side of the ball and they will stack the box to stop the run. Maybe O’Canada held back the playbook for one more game – doesn’t seem possible, but I need to believe our passing game could be better than we’ve seen in the 1st three games.

    The goal is to be 3-1 next week.

    Tar the Heels!

    HTP!

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  401. Huff – R.Foster fumbled in the previous game and was in Saban’s doghouse. He has been passed on the depth chart by a sophomore. I hope he is going to class and pursuing his degree.

    I wish Mr. Foster the best…

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  402. How did we only lose this game by seven points? Maddox was burned so many times that I thought his uniform was going to spontaneously combust!
    News flash, we need better, faster, TALLER defensive backs. Pitt can’t get new guys like Miller & Hamlin involved in this defense fast enough.

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  403. Meanwhile, nd is 1-2, the pedos honored their enabler yesterday in creepy valley and Chubbs Chaney is pushing the right offensive buttons at Georgia with a true FR QB as they are now 3-0.

    I wouldn’t be suprised to see a change in our defensive scheme this week – maybe a 3-3-5 or 3-4-4. Jarrett did nothing yesterday but stand up and get pushed around. That has to be obvious on tape – why not put Wirginis or Bam in as a 4th LB to speed rush? Or Mitchell as a 5th DB to cover over the top?

    We need better, not more of the same to beat the tar holes.

    HTP!

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  404. Emel – Dan72’s food was too good for me to get out of the kitchen.

    I missed the last part of the game because I was driving any my phone kept going in and out on the game broadcast. I am working on the Sunday Podcast as we speak…

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  405. Sure I’m disappointed about the defense, but I give them credit for only giving up 14 points after halftime. We showed way more heart and toughness than FSU — our game was easily headed the same direction as theirs, but we didn’t give up fighting. That said, the lack of carries for Ollison bothers me. How many snaps on offense did he even get? Especially in a game that played out the way this one did, I feel that his fresh legs could have really helped us. It’s tough coming back after a delay like that after you’ve played hard for 45+ minutes of action. Heck, I remember games where it was hard even coming back out after half time.

    Is Whitehead one of our fastest players? I know he is a physical player and that’s probably why he is at safety, but we could use some help at corner. Can’t we try him at corner?

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  406. Like most here I’m happy with the fight this team showed. Didn’t
    Quit and didn’t SOP. They easily could have and would have in the past. That said, our lack of speed and athleticism on both sides of the ball is glaring and scary. I really thought NP would show a lot of improvement this year. He’s not any better and may be worse. He is what he is..a below average P5 QB. Our running game will have no chance this year if our opponents can a bring LBs and safeties crashing to the line because we don’t have a QB or receivers not named Henderson.

    All that said, this game is on Narduzzi. His stubborn insistence on his defense when we don’t have the athletes to execute it is ridiculous. If he doesn’t change things up and provide more safety help we will give up more than 40 points a lot this season. Washington had 296 yards receiving and was often 7 to 10 yards behind our defense taking a nap waiting for the ball. Coach – your kids didn’t quit and played their hearts out…that’s also on you and great job. Now, give them a chance to win by admitting that They can’t execute your scheme and make some adjustments. They aren’t suddenly going to become faster bigger or stronger this week, so you have to adjust whether you want to or not.

    Love for someone to tell me I watched the wrong game and I’m wrong. I really want to be wrong!

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  407. This team plays hard, and offensively although one dimensional is putting up points and playing exciting football. Pitt is at a talent deficit on defense. PN will get that fixed, it’s only year 2. The Coastal is still there for the taking. Focus on NC.

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  408. One last thing, the weather delay helped the pokes. Even Gundy said so. They were reeling and that time was used to adjust and rest. Not that his receiver needed any, he was burning PITT’so db all day.

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  409. UNC is a better team than OK St. More true balance. QB may be young but I agree loss on Narduzzi. No QB, No DL, No LB’s and No WR’s or DB’s. Connor needs to play less. He isn’t the same and that is to be expected. The gimmick offense will not work anymore. OK St. Shut it down in the 4th quarter. The sweeps etc. you must have at least an appearence of a passing game to win.

    I hope Lewis and Maddox if they were brought back to Pitt find another sport. Worst DB’s since Pitts.

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  410. Pitttastic – Narduzzi can go Juco route for DB’s. No excuse. He has been here longer than Herman in Houston. Yes Top 5 Houston.

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  412. Man, huge pass plays on both ends of this game! Realistically, SOP loses this game going away, folded tents headed for the exits by the 4th Q. Didn’t happen. We got beat testerday by a pretty good football team.
    I’m not making any excuses for our defensive secondary that collectively got beat like a drum, all,,, game,,,, long, but we just need bigger, taller, more talented DBs in there to defend the likes of WRs such as Washington. That guy was Boyd like in his performance yesterday! The other issue was that the required constant pressure that the DL needed to be put on Rudolph was inconsistent. When he had time, Rudolph just sliced and diced us. Good for him, he tossed some nice rainbows that he lobbed in there where only his guys could pull them in, and pull them in they did.
    In any case, another entertaining contest to watch, if you didn’t have any skin in the game. For me though, I’m not happy. I see more of the same problem for Pitt against UNC with the troops we have as CBs right now. Hamlin can’t get healthy soon enough for me.
    ACC play on Saturday onward! The Pursuit!

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  413. A list of observations that mean absolutely nothing….

    The loss to Oklahoma St. is meaningless, and I expected much worse, given the Pitt defensive personnel and OSU team speed.
    The OC clearly has no confidence in the QB.
    Do the coordinators actually scout the opposing team’s personnel when putting in a game plan? Hate to second guess, but 1 on 1 coverage and HB tosses against a team with great speed seems pretty short sighted… or stubborn.
    If you measure statistics against D-1 personnel only (exclude Villanova game), this defense has the chance to be spectacularly bad this year. The thought of what teams like UNC, Va Tech, Miami, and Clemson could do is really scary.
    Marshall gave up 65 points to Akron, who scored 10 on Wiscy the previous week. Despite that score, that Marshall game will be treacherous. Also meaningless when it comes to winning the Coastal.
    Chad Voytik has been replaced at QB and Arkansas St. is 0-3. Looks like OU transfer Justice Hansen (soph) will lead the Red Wolves going forward and vindicating some on this board. I hear the duck hunting in Jonesboro, Arkansas is fantastic in the fall.
    A top 10 1-AA team (or “FCS” as the politically correct refer to it) is a tougher opponent than bottom feeders of the Power 5. The risk/reward is too great. For the life of me, I cannot understand why P-5 athletic directors schedule these teams expecting a win. There is absolutely no upside to beating them and only downside when you lose. If you want weak opponents, go find out who has the smallest recruiting budget in the MAC, Sun Belt, or Conference USA. Those are the programs you can schedule out of conference and keep your job.
    A follow up to point 7…The Missouri Valley Football Conference is damn good. The South Dakota St. Jackrabbits gave my TCU Horned Frogs everything they could handle. Illinois St. beat Northwestern. Northern Iowa beat Iowa St. Then there are the North Dakota St. Bison. They have won the last 5 FCS championships IN A ROW!!!! Yesterday, they did what neither Todd Graham nor Pat Narduzzi could do…go into Nile Kinnick stadium and beat the Iowa Hawkeyes. What a win for the MVC.
    The Army Black Nights have their best football team in 15 years. They will beat Navy this year.
    I am a huge believer in the concept that most things in college football can be explained by demographics. Unless there is some major migration to the Northeast or some transformational athletes become statistical anomalies in Pennsylvania, I don’t ever think we will see the days where Pitt, Penn St., Syracuse, and WVU compete for national titles on a consistent basis. Maybe if all the stars align, one of these teams can go 11-1 and pose a threat, but not year in and year out. As much as any of us older (I am 39) fans wish for the 70’s and 80’s glory days to come back, I think 9-3 is the ceiling for most of the rust belt teams east of Columbus, Ohio.

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  415. Dallas Mike – someone else must have your edit button.

    Great list of observations by the way.

    I hate to lose – we need to fix some things fast and be ready for our ACC revenge game against unc next Saturday.

    HTP!

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  416. UPittbaseball: Do you mean the Pitts that plays for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL? Yes HCPN needs to upgrade the DB’s because his scheme calls for a lot of single man to man coverage and not to many CB’s will stay with Washington one on one on a slippery field.

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  417. Well we now know how we stand up to one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country.

    Easy enough to blame the D-backs, and they certainly deserve their share of criticism. But football is one or lost on the line of scrimmage and our inability to put any pressure on the QB had as much to do with result as anything else. Even many of our blitzes were ineffective.

    Kudos to the coaches for the halftime adjustment forcing Mason to throw underneath, putting pressure on him to be more accurate. Major reason we made it close. Watching him air it out with our guys running in pursuit, and their great receivers adjusting to the ball was getting tiring.

    I place as much of the blame for the loss on the offense, not nearly as many long sustained drives as needed. The offensive line not nearly as dominant as we hoped for. Too many breakdowns in pass coverage. Peterman not rising to the occasion often enough.

    There is still a lot of good to say about this game. We didn’t get blown out which looked highly probable for a while. We made a lot of big plays on both sides of the ball. (just not enough) Conner made big plays running and receiving, Henderson is special. Weah is coming on, and we look to have another receiver in Tipton, who almost became a big star.

    Galambos and especially Caprara made some big plays to help keep us in the game.

    Hendrix and Hamlin might have really helped in this game, but we will never know. We certainly could have used more talent at D-End and corner.

    I didn’t really expect a win knowing our history against quality QB’s with great receivers and the current level of defensive play. My hope was that our offense would be more dominant. It’s still pretty good, but not Big 12 good.

    We get another chance at them next year. Hopefully Rudolph and Washington will be in the NFL.

    The obvious answer is recruiting, I don’t think this game hurt us there, National TV, big time crowd, lot’s of excitement and fun. Maybe best that the fourth quarter was played on the internet.

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  418. Ike – Yes that Pitts and he still
    Sucks and wont smell the field here in Miami. Selling cars on 51 next fall.

    Boyd – I hope Timmons shows your prima donna ass how football is played today.

    DallasMike – What are our numbers after last night?

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  419. Nice stuff Dallas Mike. Narduzzi will have to bring in more players from outside the WPIAL, but it doesn’t help when when he isn’t getting many of the best local players. Kelly is eating his lunch, this year, and has Jurkovec lined up. The latest is Robert Hainsley of IMG Academy formerly of Gateway HS.

    You never get them all, but you need to get most of them, and right now ND is getting most of them.

    I agree that having our D-backs try to run with their receivers on on one was a big miscalculation. Especially when our pass rush was ineffective. The halftime adjustment should have been made sooner.

    However the game was lost by an ineffective fourth quarter offense. Two games in a row, hope it doesn’t become a trend.

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  421. One thing you can always rely on is the fact that when Pitt loses a football game that those who like to criticize quickly locate their keyboards.
    Another game where the cumulative points bust through the 80 barrier.
    I’m not apologizing for our loss, but how did our team keep up with these guys to lose by only seven? Scoring 38 points wins a lot of games this season. Putting it in a different perspective, I’d rather have our +80 point contest where we are in the game until the bitter end than the 80+ WTF happened beat down that FSU just endured. As a matter of fact after Pitt’s own WFT moment in the first few seconds of the game going down 7-0 I was surprised that we didn’t have the exact same kind of ass kicking handed to us by the Cowboys.

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  422. UPITT – We all want the team to progress faster bit through Houston comparison is not fair. Sumlin was successful there as well while PN followed Potato Paul.

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  424. I’m not in the game for moral victories but I can actually see and siphon what happens on the field. Yes PITT has hole that need plugged but they gave a great team effort yesterday and we need to take the game for what is was. imo that is a big improvement from what we all getting way to use to.

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  426. Doc – Find the koolaid. We gave up 500 in the air to a team and a QB that was held in check by Central
    mich and a bad team.

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  427. Step off the ledge boys. We lost a game we were an under dog in. They have the best pass game we’ll likely face all year. Most teams have a hiccup against an inferior opponent, theirs happened last week. Focus on the division .

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  428. Root Sports has the Pitt OK State game on right now.

    Just watched Maddox blitz and hurry the QB’s throw for an incompletion right before their missed FG. The stat sheet on Pitt’s website shows no QB hurries. Hmmm…

    I’m closing this game out and looking forward to our revenge game vs unc.

    HTP!

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