in ACC, Defense, Game Day, Heinz Field, Pat Narduzzi, Pitt Football, Pitt POV, Predictions 371 Words

POV Gameday Thread: Duke

It’s Saturday morning and I’m getting ready for the drive up to Heinz.  We are favored by seven or eight points this afternoon depending on who you are giving your money to. I think we’ll be under that but not by much.  I predicted a 41-35 Pitt win.

I just received an email from our friend Bernie (BigB) who was the guy I quoted back in July when he told me he had some Outer Banks’ bar face time with our OC and who shared with us that Matt Canada was 100% firm in his belief that ‘We’ll score a ton of points this season‘ . Hey, that happened!!

Our body surfing DC was being carried out to the middle of the Atlantic ocean in a riptide as that shore-side conversation was happening because the exact opposite has transpired under Conklin’s watch.

Bernie and I think alike – if we had even an average pass defense as we did last season we may well be 10-0 at this point.

The season, so far, has played out pretty much like we all figured – with a surprise here and there.  Most thought we’d beat Penn State and we have, nobody but a handful thought we’d beat Clemson and most fans had us at seven or eight wins on the season.

Win today and we’ll be at that seven win mark.  But it might be easier said than done.

Quite honestly with a porous defense like ours with the amount of yardage we give up and the rather unbelievable 35.1 points per game we allow no wins are etched in stone this season.

I believe that it is vitally important for a new HC to show coaching improvement from year one to year two and Narduzzi has done that on some fronts.  Getting to eight or even nine wins on the season will be a huge step in that direction.

So let’s start with beating Duke this afternoon.

HTP!!

Notes:  I’ll be the tall guy with a mustache and a blue Coast Guard ball-cap on wandering around the parking lots before the game – I’ll get to PGH about 1:30 or so… I  also have a tattooed beard.  Here is my recent arrest photo from last month.

white-guy

353 thoughts on “POV Gameday Thread: Duke”

  1. In the make you sick category, Filiponi and Cook were talking about how Canada deserves and should get a head coaching job somewhere next year. Maybe so, but what pricks. Always looking for something negative regarding Pitt, even in the most positive week we have had for a long time, well at least since the PSU game.

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  2. Filiphony and Cook are the worst. Did you realize they didn’t really talk Pitts win vs Clemson until 3.5 hrs of their show! It was all Steelers. This shows the problem of being in a pro market, but really, on the flagship station of Pitt?? Where else in the country would this occur?? Not on one college football flagship stations. Cook can’t help it, whatever Pitt did to him has scarred him beyond belief. Filipino is just a provocateur, much like a less knowledgeable and slightly toned down Mark Madden.
    For those of you who live out of town, you cannot believe how frustrating it is. Penn State gets more time. Somehow,these guys spent over an hour justifying how they deserved being in the playoff! A team that will play only two teams in the top 25, beating one at home on two special teams plays, and getting whacked by 40 by the other. Never has a team road one win to so much!
    But you will never,ever hear that from those two, EVER!

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  5. Last Row,
    Looks like you’ll all have plenty of time to consume some “liquid courage” to take on the weather and the demons blue!
    #H2P brave warriors!!!

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  7. Just took a beer run and in Latrobe it is windy as all heck. Throwing the ball in this stuff will be rough to say the least. Good new is this weather was not unexpected. Hope MC adjusted already.

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  9. The weather conditions favor the Panthers, a healthy dose of Connor and Ollison will wear down 💩 ‘s defense.

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  16. The rain should stop but going to be very windy 15-19 mph.

    Power run game should work if we can stop their 210 lb QB from running on us.

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  17. Little known fact: Reed gave Tyson advice on face tats.
    Cook was a Penn State reporter and has publicly written this fall he still believes Paterno knew nothing. He is a JOKE.
    Canada will some day get a HC job, I wish he had a protege or two in our assistants on offense but he has all Chubbs people.
    getting ready to layer and leave. HAIL TO PITT!!!!!!

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  19. Well, we missed playing on a beautiful day by one day… Hoping the fans still come out, but I know better. I will be there – as my Mom would say — “Bundled up.” Looks like at worst we have some light rain or snow and the temp stays around 40 or high 30s.

    I have a bad feeling about this game but I’m hoping it’s just indigestion.

    Go Pitt.

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  20. Anyone around and wants a beer I’m in lowest level of the Red Garage on General Robinson St…right at the Reedsdale entrance. White Volvo.

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  21. Wish I were there with you guys. Been years. I’ll be in ATL waiting for my ride back to LA LA Land watching the game at an airport bar.

    Thought 1. We’ll learn a lot about the admin. when we see what they do to keep OCMC. Why in the world he’d want to leave any time soon, I don’t know. He’s going to have so much fun and be a local hero. Why go all Norm Chow and be miserable with some loosing team?

    Thought 2. I’m looking for a sea change today…win or lose (and I see a close win), I want to see this as the first leg of a run to the 2017 ACC Costal Title. I want to see some serious leadership and “professionalism” in doing the job the right way.

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  25. Looks like about 10,000 at the Purdue on campus stadium, with Whisky.

    PSU vs Rutgers, Michigan vs Indiana, big difference between the top and bottom in the B1G.

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  52. “Jones starts 6 for 6”

    any walk on QB with zero division 1 offers can look like a consensus 4 star with this secondary..

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  61. Where’s all the shifting around on offense this week…looks like a traditional offense. Drop backs, etc.

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  82. henderson also turns 8 yard gains into 52 yard TDs

    it’s rare you see a guy so fast you get the optical illusion you do when he turns it on and defenders suddenly look like they’re slowing down as he goes past them but they’re not slowing down at all

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  99. “right in his hands,”

    right through his hands without touching even a finger and bounce off his pads

    gotta have better hand eye coordination there dontez

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  103. Hall could have made that catch and Ford had no business leaving his feet….

    What’s up fellas!!! Big opportunity today!

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  113. the color announcers anymore don’t seem to realize they aren’t supposed to talk as much as the play by play schmoe.

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  114. the thing i love most about the ACC is hearing all the twangs from the announcers like they just came down out of the hills from hiding from the revenuers

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  115. It’s just constant prattle between the two on most of these broadcasts…like women on the phone ! 🙂

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  123. There are no such things as laughers with our defensive backfield. We gotta keep scoring!! FFrench ffor ssseven

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  138. @Reed

    Now that was a sloppy throw not reading the safety, it let them back in the game.

    Pitt is letting these guys hang around

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  148. i think pitt may just be officially a better team and program than duke

    something that was definitely not official two years ago

    that’s progress anyway

    hope pitt doesn’t make me eat these words later lol

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  154. If Weah gets it together he is a definite NFL prospect.

    A big guy that can run and catch (sometimes)

    Ok time for the defense to shut them down

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  159. Reggie Mitchell – dreadful
    T Webb -dreadful

    If Duke marches down the field, we should start the third team defense

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  173. QO rushed for 111 yards last year against duke. Put him in the d@mn game if Conner is hurt.

    Come on man!

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  175. Maybe a timeout on the illegal substitution but I don’t think that’s Narduzzi’s job. That’s on the asst. coaches…..and sometimes that isn’t even called. PITT could have had another chance to score again?

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  178. That was a beautiful first half with a pimple or two thrown in there. I think it’s all time we believe in this team without question. Knock on wood.

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  180. we weren’t close on illegal participation. I counted 13 and maybe one more.

    important to set the tone for the second half on our first drive. points preferred. Would love to see them with a 6 minute drive ending in points.Set the tone in the trenches!!

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  187. Game blacked out here in the atl, but it’s a gas reading this thread. Like watching a troop of brownies at their first haunted house !!!

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  193. don’t tell me pitt has a ball control offense again

    pitt has an offense that runs ball control plays but scores in 3-4 minutes or faster anyway

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  205. Don’t anybody change doing anything…..no peeing, no drinking….and I won’t even doink the misses until after the game….well, maybe.

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  206. i’d be depressed too if i got the pitt game where the other team doesn’t even try to throw downfield

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  222. The D has only given up 7 points today. Should have been 10, but not bad. Not much of a drop off without Whitehead.

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  229. I have to laugh, a couple friends asked a while ago if anyone thought PITT can blow this lead. It’s not SOP it’s still the little shaky SOPFans. No let down today fellows

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  234. we look better and quicker because webb has been off the field a lot and this QB isn’t very good and we’re bringing a lot of pressure against him

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  236. Agreed deep…..thought we were going to get a flag for hitting a defenseless player and they missed a face mask….whewwww!

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  268. did pitt yet i didn’t lose about 4 pounds in sweat over the last 3 hours so pitt couldn’t have played yet right

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  274. Schedule is setting up nice for us. These teams have less depth than Pitt and we have better athletes than both Duke and Cuse.

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  275. Each week the bowl game gets bigger! Turn on the victory lights!! We win next week we might see top25.

    Program on the rise!! Hopefully FSU puts a hurting on Syracuse!!

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  276. BTW, thanks for the shout out gc. Saw it, Felt it, Lived it last week at Clemson. This team is the real deal. One or two more years to get the right athletes in across the board and this Panther Squad will be a top 10 team. Mark my words, by 2019 at the latest. Hail to Pitt!

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  280. Very positive that Taleni stepped up when Jarrett went down. He is very quick. Donaldesque, without the sacks. Fills a major need for next year.

    D-line put pressure on Jones all evening. Makes the d-backs jobs much easier. They did very well today.

    Another unsung hero for last week and this week is Bam Bradley, making plays.

    The return of Henderson’s heroics made it a laugher, along with wide open receivers.

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  282. Great followup win for our boys in Royal Blue and Yellow. We’re going out to the local Bourbon and Bbq joint to have some fine bourbon. Have fun bro’s.

    H2P ! VeV !

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  285. Don’t know if it has been said … this D of ours has pitched shutouts in 3 of the last 4 -2nd half quarters

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  288. ND loses their seventh game. Started the season in the top ten.

    When are these local kids going to wake up, stay home and be stars in their home town?

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  289. Agreed. They are playing as a team. A lot of hand slappin on good plays……and even on the not good plays where our guys are applauding our teammates efforts!

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  290. gc… it’s probably a “Catholic thang”
    We end this season on a 4 game streak .. look out – here we come!!!

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  291. Just back from the Frozen Ketchup Bowl
    Observations 1Jay Stocker can play, he was everywhere making plays 2) Taleni has played well, the DL got a lot of pressure even when not sacking 3) Puke QB and WR not what we have been seeing but with better pressure even CBs looked around once or twice 4) QH is the best special teams threat I can recall at Pitt in decades 5) on one long jet sweep run Animal ASton leveled his guy and made the play 6) crowd lousy 35 K 7) unless OCMC gets a head coaching job we need to pony up and keep him here, period.
    Gotta go get a drink and thaw.
    HAIL TO PITT. CRUSH THE CUSE.
    ps reading the comments afterwards is hilarious, luv ya guys.

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  294. Yeah BigB, he handled the mop perfectly. Wish he could have handled it in all the other games and we’d be undefeated. Did they give an attendance number? Looked light but the camera angles didn’t focus on it much, which was good! Any recruits on hand to watch?

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  295. Beautiful! Next year’s run to the coastal title has begun. Play Pitt, get smacked around and wish you had stayed home. D gives up ZERO in the last 53+ minutes. That wasn’t just that we had better players, if we do. It felt like we had a game plan and it looked like a team of really tough kids.

    I don’t see Canada going anywhere soon. He’s going to have way too much fun and build a big time national rep at Pitt and himself for a few years. Nobody talks about Louisville OC or Clemson OC–it all about one super star player and an egomaniac HC. And anyone who thinks LK at ‘Bama is worth spit, didn’t live through his years at USC. (“Never has a coach done so little with so much.”) OCMC has some nice 3 star players and he’s lighting up the ACC. Maybe after a couple ACC championships and a final four win or two.

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  296. Pitt is very vulnerable to losing Canada with the way this offense has performed this year. The BIG names schools that pack in a 100,000 plus for every home game can afford to pay Canada head coaching money for the OC job. He will become a very valuable commodity this year on what he has done with Pitt’s 2 and 3 star players.

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  297. A shout-out to Matt Galambos – been playing really well lately and laying some hits.

    And a shout-out to the OLine – on a few runs today, Connor gained 8 yards before anyone touched him.

    Go Pitt.

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  299. Great game. Unlike Jamie Dixon’s basketball teams, Narduzzi’s team seems to be getting better as the year goes. Get out of that crappy Heinz Field, though. No excuse for Pitt as wealthy as it is to play in an ugly pro rented stadium.

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  301. Yes, the announcers were poor. Buy the one seemed to have legit football knowledge. He claimed we were in a different D this game then what we normally do. The term he used was a “cover 2”, which IF he is correct, worked extremely well. Would like more info on this.
    #H2P

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  302. Matt Canada 🇨🇦 has made this season something special.. his offense has become unstoppable since he has opened the full playbook… only that can stop this blitzkreig is mental mistakes and turnovers
    An the D is coming around.. the more 2nd teasers start the better they play… and Galambos has been bringing IT!!!

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  304. Unfortunately, I was watching the game on ESPN3, but had to leave in mid-3rdQ and missed the rest of the game with no way to record the remainder of the game.

    Does anyone know how the replays work? Will ESPN show a replay sometime this weekend or is there another Internet source that would have the game available?

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  314. i don’t think they will, no losses by teams 20-25 this week except no. 22 washington state

    if they beat cuse maybe they’ll get in at 24 or 25 depending on who loses next week

    if they beat cuse and win their bowl game they should be ranked in the final polls

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  317. I know it will never happen but if you need a role model and a solid football player who just set two ACC records, Conner should be in Heisman discussion.

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  318. I understand Pitt has 4 losses and 3 were close games but we have defeated two top ten teams and powerhouses Troy (8-2) and SDSU (9-2) are top 25 as is LSU 6-4 is ranked 16. Fd up.

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  320. Pitt move one spot on the AP poll to 31st and stayed the same on the Coaches poll at 32nd.

    Meanwhile, the pedos who beat buttgers, the worst P5 team in college FB moved up one spot to 8th.

    Go figure!

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  322. Penn State the is better than us, just ask them.

    Although that was a lot easier for them to substantiate back when we didn’t actually play one another.

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  323. Sorry to miss the Podcast on Sunday. I drove over the mountains, that took me a long time and then I had some family medical stuff.

    We will have Monday Morning Quarterback tomorrow morning.

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  324. gc – I wasn’t looking to be ranked yet – just thought we should get a better bump upwards, and not the same movement as the pedos got for beating THE worst P5 team.

    Just sayin…

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  327. I guess LSU is the best 4 loss team (ranked at #25) because they lost to B1G Joke Wisconsin early in the year.

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  328. PSU is 9-1 and the B1G has three in the top 5.

    Pitt and the ACC get little respect.

    Still happy that we appear to be getting stronger and no doubt the Clemson game saved the season.

    Some are talking about us vs WV in a bowl. Would be a cool Pinstripe game.

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  329. PSU is 9-2 and hopefully facing a loss to MSU next weekend.

    If Pitt wins out and finishes 9-4 and the pedos lose out to finish 9-4, who gets the higher ranking?

    gc – would love to see Pitt place wvcc in a bowl game. I believe Pitt fans would travel for that one.

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  330. The way Pitt is playing at this time even with significant injuries, I think if any top ranked team were asked which teams they least wanted to face, Pitt would be HIGH on their list….much higher than 31st. That is, of course, any top team other than Clemson and PSU for obvious reasons….although not really sure PSU wants us again this year.

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  332. 23 point favorite this weekend?
    Cuse can’t be that bad.
    Unless their starting QB remains out with a concussion

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  334. BigB – possibility is low. Currently six ACC teams ahead of Pitt with WF and GT right even with Pitt. We are usually low on the southern run ACC administrators minds when it comes to good bowl games.

    Sorry to be such a downer – but it does ring true. We got to win more games – simple as that…

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  336. Had a chance to congratulate George Aston at the post game tailgate. Quality family and seems like he’s grounded. He was smiling like the butchers dog. Let the good times continue to roll.

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  337. Root seems to have a habit of scheduling the replay of the Pitt game and then yanking it. Based on what I read on here. The did the same thing last week according to posters, not showing the Clemson replay on Sunday Nite.

    Who owns that network, Pedo or Hillbilly grads/supporters ?

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  338. Eric Dungey Questionable Concussion Dungey has missed the last two games with concussion-like symptoms and is uncertain to play November 26th against Pittsburgh.

    With the Orangemen at only 4 wins, I doubt they risk Dungy in a meaningless game for them. Cause if he got knocked out again, the NYC media would be all over them.

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  339. Gotta love this:

    Brian O’Neill said Canada challenged the offense to score at least 40 points against Duke, which had not allowed that many all season. Pitt reached 42 only four minutes into the second half.

    So, what did Canada say after he was reminded that the offense had met his challenge?

    “Just congratulations,” said O’Neill, who didn’t expect a pat on the back. “We have to focus on next week. We can’t take the foot off the gas.”

    http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11501435-74/pitt-neill-team

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  340. And this:

    Pitt became the highest-scoring team in school history in its 56-14 victory against Duke on Saturday, reaching 432 points in 11 games and breaking the previous standard of 428 held by the 1977 team, which played 12.

    That team had All-Americans at quarterback (Matt Cavanaugh) and center (Tom Brzoza), plus two more on defense (tackle Randy Holloway and defensive back Bob Jury).

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  342. Working some of the sites on college football coach movement. Strong will be out at Texas. He will get rehab work with a top10 blue blood program for a year or two and be back as a headliner. They say Hermann will take his place. No effect on Pitt. Also, Sumlin at A&M is on the hot seat again. They had a lot of off field problems this last year. So the question would be who goes there. LSU also is looking as we all know. If they don’t keep Orgerin, the rumor is Jimbo Fisher. I think Fedora would be a fit at LSU or A&M. Also, Holgaredbull could make the move to LSU or FSU. If that happens, I can see PJFleck going to WVHigh.

    Just saw an updated bowl projection that puts the Dairy College against Western Michigan. How does that happen? I mean, i know how it happens, but candidly, i looked at their appearance similarly to how we were in the bowl game against Utah and put Urban on the map! Puts Pitt against NW in the pinstripper bowl. It was a cut and pasty.

    If you wanna gross out, look at Minnesota’s record of 8-3 and who they beat. Sickening and an embarrassment. It is the same for Dairy too.

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  344. A BIG difference between 1977 and 2016 is that 2016 is far more consistent. Our LOW scores for the year have been totals 28, 28, 36, 36, 37 so far. In ’77 our lows were 9, 13, 17, 28, 28. The average of 35.7 was bumped way up by a score of 76 against Temple. I know this is a different era, but we showed exceptional consistency scoring an average of 39.3 against a real variety of defenses, including some really good ones–#12 Clemson @ 18 ppg, #16 Miami @ 19 pp., and 4 more in the top 50.

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  346. “Pitt is going to be really good next year. Like really, really good.” Not sure I’d agree with that statement until we know just how our new starting QB will perform in 2017.

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  347. jrnpitt – plus who will replace Conner, Biz, Johnson, Parrish and Orndoff.

    On D, many to replace (like 9) plus Blewitt. There are many questions for next season. But the future seems bright.

    No more excuses…

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  348. Recruiting! Finish this season with a 9-4 record with wins over both PSU & Clemson clinch a bowl game victory and recruits will know for sure that Pitt is It going forward.

    Finish strong Panthers, Conner Strong!

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  349. Conklin was very late in shoring up the secondary, maybe he finally got the message. If not, there are 3 or 4 defensive formerly head coaches looking for employment. Maybe Pitt could snag an upgrade like Miles or Strong or Sumlin or was Orgeron a DC?

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  350. For what it’s worth I still think Maddox and Lewis are our two best corners on D. Notice how much better they played on Saturday with the Duke WR’s that were about as tall as they were. This year Pitt has faced some very talented QB’s and WR’s many of whom will be seen next year in the NFL.

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  351. I’m still beating the drum for Scott Schafer , ex HC of Syracuse and a Narduzzi buddy as a great DC candidate .

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  352. Yep, Duke didn’t employ the hike and heave philosophy as past teams and maybe it was because they didn’t have the same type of receivers and or QB that could execute these types of plays. Their QB held onto the ball a little longer and we saw the results. There hasn’t been much wrong with the pass rush all season, it’s just the teams got rid of the ball too quick.

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  353. “D” has pitched shutouts 4outta the last 5 quarters with lots of newbies getting PT… might be onto something here.. See how they do with the Orangemen .. wouldn’t jump the gun

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