in Pitt Football 1,838 Words

Just What Did Beating PSU Do For Us?

(POV Roundtable Call-In tonight at 8:00, please call-in to debate Pitt Football)

This last season our Panthers had two of the most rewarding and hard-fought games that a Pitt team has had to play in any one season when we first beat Penn State’s Nittany Lions in Heinz Field by a score of 42-39.  Then only eight weeks later, limping along at 5 wins and 4 losses, we went down into Clemson’s Death Valley and beat their Tigers in a wild and wonderful heart-attack finish that found us on top 43-42 and began a nice three game winning streak for us.

It also shot Pitt into the national consciousness in a quick and bright-light way as the Tigers were unbeaten and headed for the NCAA playoffs,  which they eventually won for the 2016 season NCAA championship.

Of course the Pitt – Penn State matches are an 2985081_detailage-old rivalry that  has been in existence since 1983 when we Panthers traveled to Penn State’s cow-dung covered field and began what was, in time, to become one of the greatest rivalries in college football. 

It was played (fought) for school pride and for bragging rights and for personal satisfaction in that you could turn to your neighbor, who may well have been a PSU grad, and thumb your nose at him if we won that year.  Of course he, in turn, could do the same if his Nittany Lions won.   This has been the case for 97 seasons of playing each other.

For our younger readers it is almost impossible to explain what this series has meant to the students, alumni and fans who have gone before you at Pitt. It wasn’t just a game; it was THE game and it was played out on a national stage year after year.  As a matter of fact for a long period of time it was the highlighted college football game during  Thanksgiving week.

Back in the old days most of the Pitt-PSU games were the determiner as to who would hold the coveted Lambert Trophy which represented the winningest team in the East… back when the East had the best college football around.  Apparently the Lambert Award is still in existence (who knew?) because – in another stick in the eye to Pitt – it was awarded to Penn State again in 2016…

This pisses me off a bit folks – here we beat PSU last season and still they win the thing.  Here is a list of the Lambert winners for the last decade.

Lambert Trophy

The only opponent we played more than PSU was our nemesis in the Backyard Brawl we had in going against the Mountaineers from West Virginia which we suited up 104 times to slug it out with them.

  But it has always been “Beat Penn State!!” first and foremost for us fans.  The date il_570xn-253346168of the PSU games were always  heavily circled on both those old Girlie pin-up calendars in grimy Pittsburgh steel mill break rooms and on calendars tacked up on old hay barn walls in Central Pennsylvania.

It was the ultimate feel good win when we could get it and a heartbreaking loss if we couldn’t.  But now sitting back and looking at our recent victory over PSU I have to wonder just what lasting impact did, or will, it really have in the short-term for our football program these days.

I say ‘short-term‘ because we play them again in just five months and there will be the outcome of that game to celebrate or lament.  So looking at the win over Penn State in September of last year let’s ask ourselves what was the positive benefit for the Pitt football program itself?

The very first things that come to mind are those highly emotional feelings I listed above.  They are real, they are valid and they are what college football is all about.  But the truth is college football runs on many things and strong emotion is just one of them.  There has to have been some other benefits also, right?

Another positive thing that comes to a Pitt fan’s mind then is the belief in that win would give us a definite recruiting edge for local PA recruits, specifically western PA recruits, over PSU.  After all – wouldn’t you rather go to the school that was the better of the two on the actual field of play?   However, I’m not sure at all it works that way.

First off the recruits aren’t paying attention to things like this just in their senior year of high school – most have been contacted and hounded by the two schools’ recruiters as early as their sophomore year by the time the 2016 game rolled around.

In my Internet travels through the recruiting sites’ old records I don’t see a clear indication of a Pitt win being much of a deciding factor in where the better and more highly ranked recruits chose to attend for their undergraduate years. Therefore I think  that old saw about beating your rival leads to better results in head to head recruiting against them is pretty much a college football myth.  Maybe in other parts of the country it holds true, but in WPA I do wonder.

For instance, between that PSU win in September and the Class of  2017’s LOI Day we had 10 commitments for an average of 3.2 stars with zero of those ten being from PA.   No real impact right off the bat then.

But in that same time period Penn State had eight more 2017 commitments for an average of 3.9 stars with two of those eight being from PA, including one 5* in DB Lamont Wade.  Remember that a lot of us felt like Wade was an almost certain Panther after that win yet he went over to the Darkside to play Franklin-ball anyway.

Now there is good news in all this also as it shows that Narduzzi and Co. have expanded the Pitt recruiting base southward which is something he had to do to get speed and quality recruits.  Granted we were looking more southward and outside of the local recruiting area back in 2015 also, but then again PSU has always recruited nationally.

IMO that win didn’t do anything specific for us in recruiting last year and probably won’t have any impact this season either after we beat them by seven points in Happy Valley.   As of today the Nitters have these PA kids committed for their 2018 recruiting class:

PSU '18

God – I hate the way they recruit on the basis of their history alone.  After all while Franklin has done well in his tenure but PSU recruits like this every freakin’ season no matter what it seems. 

This season Pitt has one recruit in-hand so far; two star TE Jay Symonds  from Massachusetts who didn’t have an offer from PSU and who probably didn’t care about that 2016 game at all.  So there was no immediate boost from the PSU win to date… at least to my eyes .

Below are the last ten years of our two programs and where each ended up in Rivals.com’s national rankings when the LOI Day signing period was over.  In addition I listed the 2002 recruiting class to show what impact Pitt’s 2000 season’s  12-0 win might have had… Rivals doesn’t go back to the year 2001 so you’ll have to imagine a bit.

PSU Recruits

As you see just two years after that 12-0 win they were solidly out-recruiting us again.  But that is the benefit of a long and constant winning tradition they have had over the years.

We saw that writ large after the Sandusky scandal broke in 2011 and soon after NCAA recruiting sanctions were levied on their program.  We had our own serious problems with head coaches and coaching staff turnover during the years after 2011 also, so that probably impacts our recruiting ranks also but only in 2012 and 2013 did we best them.

We’ll have to keep a close eye on the head-to-head battles between us and the Nitters as this year’s recruiting season plays out.  It is still early days as we have 10 months to go before the 2018 class is signed on. But again, I wonder just how often Pitt and Penn State truly go head to head with each other for specific recruits – I bet it is actually less than we fans think it is.

What I do believe though is that televised and highly media covered win over Penn State gives us is more credibility to recruits who are on the fence with other programs and therefore that win gave us a lift overall.

You just know both the PSU win and then certainly the Clemson win will factor in and be strongly emphasized when our recruiters sit down with prospective future Panthers.  Beating two of the Top seven teams – #1 and #7 respectively – shows that we can beat any team at any given time and recruits want to win on a grand stage.

But perhaps the best and hopefully longest lasting effect that win over PSU did was instill in our returning players a true feeling of what this rivalry used to be like and just how important it has been to the fans and the university as a whole.  It is back in full swing now and they themselves are the contributing factor as to the outcomes of the games.

I don’t think a loss would have done any of that for the main reason it would have left a negative and totally unexciting pall over the local and national media and the university.

But we won (yeah us!!) and that is now the standard which these new Panthers have to meet each and every year we play PSU up until 2019.  We’ll see what happens against in State College on Set. 9th.  After we win that one I’ll revisit this recruiting theory of mine to see if it is still valid given what we see in commitments afterward.

But I do know one thing now for certain – that Pitt vs Penn State is sure as hell a true living and breathing rivalry and not a dead one as I thought it was on the day before we played them last year. 

How soon I forgot the fundamentals of Pitt football…Penn State games matter.

Note: Tuesday night’s Roundtable Call-in will be back on its regularly scheduled time at 8:00 pm this evening.  Here are the instructions again (remember that I’ll have to post the phone call’s ‘unique code’ that I won’t get until I actually start the meeting at 7:45 or so in a comment to this article) – keep your eyes peeled.

FOR TONIGHT’S ROUNDTABLE CALL-IN…

Alright guys – we’ll take the first 3 or 4 callers starting at 8:00 pm (make it about 5 minutes early to login.)

Here is the info to get into the Bluejeans Roundtable meeting  for 4/11/17; 07:30 pm – 09:00 pm…

Meeting URL
https://bluejeans.com/377080111

Meeting ID
377080111

Phone Call-in:

+1.408.740.7256
Enter audio code on your phone
XXXXXXX – (this changes for each meeting – I’ll have the real one in a comment around 7:45 tonight.)

SEE YOU AT AROUND 7:45 OR SO….

 

103 thoughts on “Just What Did Beating PSU Do For Us?”

  2. Penn State is football first and has been for over 25 years. Their administration has committed three times plus more than Pitts has. We can all dream and hope for a great year but consistently we will not be in the running. If we play home games on Thursday in November Friday’s after Thanksgiving and accept low level bowls no one watches let alone travels to watch in person.

    We don’t travel well because would you go to Rose bowl or motor city bowl three years out of four. Our administration gets exactly what they put into it – minimal. As a fan it becomes disheartening every year to go through. Then add the obnoxious cult to the East who wins, wins and wins to shove it in our face.

    Last year was great victory but did we achieve anything out of it?? Tougher to pay for donations to panther club and get season tickets and in return we get little support and a poor home schedule. H2P. BEAT PENN STATE.

    My friend brought a “Shit on Pitt” t-shirt he got at a PSU-Pitt game in 80′ s to start the process of daily rubbing it in. He framed the darn shirt I dislike psu fans immensely…

    Edit: I left offending word in as it was a direct quote that had bearing on the content of the article.

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  3. To us old old guys beating PSU was critical. Even to the point of ignoring any NC trophy. Of course times change. Now winning is everything because it is all about money.

    We recognized the importance of the lost to Navy in 1963 but we were redeemed by beating PSU 22-21. Thus ended the season on a very high note.

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  4. Well selfishly since I live in Lancaster which is dominated by the Happy Valley cult that win has just been pure enjoyment for me here. Knocks the air of arrogance around here down a peg and dealing with friends and neighbors is a little more tolerable when I can shove 42-39 in their face anytime they tell me how great PSU football is and how they are poised to win a national championship next year. Winning again during one of their precious white outs would cause me to have a mini Pitt parade up and down my streets next September. From a rivalry standpoint that win did matter because it probably knocked PSU out of the playoffs…from a recruiting standpoint you are probably valid in a lot of your points that it hasn’t made a significant difference. Maybe a few more wins may change that.

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  5. You asked how often Pitt and Penn State go after the same recruits. I found this:

    PSU verbals with Pitt offers

    According to the Rivals Database

    2014 Class

    1 Saeed Blacknall
    2 Antoine White
    3 Noah Beh
    4 Marcus Allen
    5 Daquan Worley
    6 Troy Apke
    7 Troy Reeder

    2015 Class
    8 Kevin Givens
    9 John Petrishen
    10 Nick Bowers
    11 Shareef Miller
    12 Daquan Kelly
    13 John Reid
    14 Irvin Charles
    15 Jonathan Holland
    16 Brandon Polk
    17 Juwan Johnson
    18 Andre Robinson
    19 Jake Cooper
    20 Ryan Buchholz
    21 Saquon Barkley
    22 Kamonte Carter
    23 Ryan Bates

    2016 Class
    24 Shaka Toney
    25 Cameron Brown
    26 Ellison Jordan
    27 Will Fries
    28 Michal Menet
    29 Alex Gellerstadt
    30 Danny Dalton
    31 Zechariah McPhearson
    32 Connor McGovern
    33 Miles Sanders

    2017 Class
    34 Desmond Holmes
    35 Jonathan Sutherland
    36 Michael Miranda
    37 Robert Martin
    38 CJ Thorpe
    39 Yetur Matos
    40 Damion Barber
    41 Sean Clifford
    42 Fred Hansard
    43 KJ Hamler
    44 Donovan Johnson
    45 Lamont Wade
    46 Ellis Brooks
    47 Tariq Castro-Fields

    2018 Class
    48 Justin Shorter
    49 Zack Kuntz
    50 Chris Bleich
    51 Charlie Katshir
    52 Jesse Luketa
    53 Ricky Slade

    Pitt verbals with Penn State Offers

    2014 Class
    1 Alex Bookser

    2015 Class
    2 Jordan Whitehead

    2016 Class
    3 Rashad Weaver
    4 Damar Hamlin
    5 Aaron Mathews
    6 Amir Watts

    2017 Class
    7 Paris Ford
    8 Charles Reeves
    9 Carter Warren

    Final Tally
    James Franklin vs. Pitt since hired as PSU coach

    53 of 62 commonly offered recruits between PSU and Pitt verbaled to PSU

    James Franklin vs. Pat Narduzzi since they have been at PSU and Pitt respectively

    46 of 54 commonly offered recruits between PSU and Pitt verbaled to PSU

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    2. 2016: Franklin was after Pugh, Campbell, Coleman, Wheeler, Frrench for sure and I remember him getting publicly btfo’d by Hargrove and Garner as well. He’s a douche that tried desperately to flip a kid from Pitt right before LOI day for the public jerkoff fest that follows. Any one of those kids would have had a PSU offer if they agreed to flip.

      Felt a little less lopsided that year but your overall point about nard getting butt kicked by the Easter bunny on rivals.

      Good thing for us they’re played on the field. PSU hasn’t beaten us in football or basketball this millennium.

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      1. True, he flipped Givens and Bowers in the last few days two years ago. PN returned the favor last year by getting Matthews right before LOI.

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  6. That’s a good article Reed and believe it or not, I agree with it 100%

    Young people don’t like to hear the stories that we walked 3 miles uphill to school and then walked 4 miles uphill again to get back home, … but!

    The PITT vs penn state rivalry was and is almost indescribable. Seriously, it was one of the best of all times. Many of the games were played on the Friday after Thanksgiving and were much anticipated by not only the region but the entire country.. You younger fans missed out on that but you make up for with… well by being younger.

    What impact did the game have you ask? Well it certainly did not cause a ground swell of change in the local recruiting battles. I really do not think it had any impact at all last year. This year may be a different story altogether though??

    PITT is most definitely involved and a player with most local recruits right now. Who knows where it may all lead but I think they have a better footing in the WPIAL this year compared to last year.

    I think the one thing the PITT vs penn state win did for PITT was to legitimize the PITT football program….and BTW, I really believe that the win last year is and will be way more important than if they had lost last year and won this year. To me, that’s what made the win so special. PITT needed that win a ton more then penn state did at that time. Looking back now, maybe penn state could have used that win. What do you think?

    Here’s a story of not too long ago. Aliquippa was playing Jeannette. Terrelle Pryor was the star for the Jay-hawks while the quips had a few guys. One was Jon Baldwin and another one was Brandon Lindsey. Pryor use to bully opposing teams and fans He once chided an entire section calling out for a fight. Well long story short. Lindsey would have none of that. Once they stood toe to toe and the remark came out. Pryor said something to Lindsey like. Ha, you’re going to PITT. That’s what the win over penn state means to me….

    BTW, I like to say PITT beat the Big Ten champs and the National champion the same year, that sounds even better..

    We All We Got
    We All We Need
    H2P! ………………………………ike

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  7. Oh I wanted to add. The Clemson win does look like it may have been more impact-ful than the penn state win. It sure got the southern man’s attention..

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  8. IMO, the 2 things the win over PSU did:

    1) the satisfaction of knocking them out of the national title playoffs Final 4. Similar to 13 to 9.

    2) showing that Pitt is still in the same ballpark as far as on-the-field performance. In the time between 2000 and 2015, PSU fans would tell you that Pitt didn’t belong on the same field with the Nits, although we all know that except for maybe a couple of years, Pitt was every bit the equal if not better … but unfortunately, that wasn’t the national perception. Comparing programs, PSU far and away has the upper hand — substantially more fans, much bigger TV and media exposure and coverage, etc.

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  10. saturdaysarebetter – thanks for that list. Could you post a link to where you got it please?

    I saw most of that info also but I had figured criteria based on the content of the article – and that is “what did a Pitt win do to our recruiting against PSU?”

    Yes, those players had both PSU and Pitt offers, but they also had many other Power 5 offers as well – so I don’t think you can say we went head-to-head with them for all those kids. Unless you want to say we went head-to-head with UConn or Cincinnati or WVU at the same time for examples.

    I believe if you have a recruit who has taken official visits to both schools then that is more honestly a ‘head-to-head’ battle for that kid as these recruits are allowed only 5 official visits and no more than one visit (official) per school per year.

    For instance Lamont Wade had both PSU and Pitt in his “Final Five’ so that is a kid we battled directly against PSU for.

    Damar Hamlin took an official visit to PSU on 1/22 then took one to Pitt on 1/26… and signed with Pitt. Aaron Mathews on the other hand visited PSU and not Pitt (official visits) and signed with Pitt.

    I believe that PSU sets their sites coast to coast – and that is because of the much higher football revenue they bring in that allows them to do that – as Wbb mentions above.

    It will be interesting though to see who both Pitt and PSU get in the ’18 class when the dust settles.

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  11. Ike – I ran across this tidbit about QB Pickett in Dokish’s blog…

    ” Pitt gets their QB Pat Narduzzi was looking to add a quarterback this recruiting cycle, and he managed to get a pretty good one when 6’3″ 190 pound Kenny Pickett of Ocean Township HS in Oakhurst, NJ verbally committed to the Panthers today. Pickett originally committed to Temple, but he de-committed after his star began to rise this spring due to his good performances in various camps and combines.

    Pickett is very accurate and has good mobility in the pocket. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but he should be able to make all of the necessary throws once he fills out physically. Besides Temple, Boston College, UConn, and Iowa were his biggest offers, but if he stayed on the market longer he certainly would have gotten more P5 offers.

    With Pickett in the fold, the Panthers now have him, Thomas MacVittie, Ben DiNucci, and Central Florida transfer Bo Schneider as young, developmental prospects.”

    BTW – did you notice I called for a 7 point Pitt win against PSU in Sept?

    As we know Bo transferred but this is what I have read many times about Pickett – that he was under the radar then blew up the camps when put up against higher competition defensive players.

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    1. Didn’t Narduzzi just make a comment about Pickett being the best young QB he has seen in camp in a long time? One has to wonder if his Red Shirt may only last as long as Browne stays healthy.

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  12. Yes and I’ve heard good stories on Pickett. Hell he’s already grown a full inch since his recruitment. Seriously, there is new story commenting on him be a fast tracker and quick learner. Hey, I’m all for the best whomever it may be. Wouldn’t that be nice to have a true freshman starter?

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    1. There is no doubt that Pickett is a very good prospect … but HCPN was praising MacVittie in training camp last August, yet there was no chance he was playing last season. We can speculate all we want but who was talking about Aston, Weah or Henderson (as a ball a carrier) this time a year ago?

      It will all work out.

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  13. That win over penn state did a couple of things for me personally, both acts of omission, first it prevented me from bursting a brain aneurysm & stroking out and/or second it kept me from sprouting a new hemorrhoid. I frickin hate penn state so much!

    In winning, we had that satisfaction of the win to begin with but then as the season progressed we also had the bonus of knowing that our win over those bastards kept them out of the NC playoffs! PRICELESS!

    Now regarding recruiting, we have been getting killed in that dept TRU but we did flip Aaron Mathews at the last moment during LOI Signing Day from penn state in 2016. So we got that going for us. And this year, let’s hope that Lamonte Carter comes on like gangbusters for the Panthers in fall camp on the DL! Nothing would be finer than to see him making against the Nitters and watch him make key QB sack in producing a second Pitt win in a rowthis season.

    penn state SUCKS.

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  14. This is what drives me nuts about the fact Pitt claims they are a public school when the budget is being set, but then they are a private school when it comes to disclosing financial data. I would bet the impact would be more along the lines of financial donations and would love to see the breakdown of the different tiers YoY to see if there was any impact from the PSU win.

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  15. Hey Ted, PITT did get the benefit of a windfall by just playing those JO’s at home last year.

    wwb, I’m the first to say, spring ball means very little to me with the exception of it actually being football of some degree.

    Of course PITT’s head CIA/FBI director or I mean head football coach doesn’t let the fans in on any football stuff let alone details.

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  16. Here’s hoping many of you guy’s plan on joining Reed tonite on the round-table. I probably will not be able to make it. The local senior citizen center switched our sizzling bingo and chocolate chip cookie night to Tuesday’s. Go figure.

    Be there! At the round-table not the bingo night… ike

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  17. Don’t forget, Pitt is just another game on their schedule. Although in 2016, it was the game that kept them out of the national playoffs. Ho hum for them.

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  18. Pitt Spring Football Drills: Day 13, Videos & Quotes

    POST-PRACTICE INTERVIEW VIDEOS:

    Head Coach Pat Narduzzi

    Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach Shawn Watson

    Defensive Coordinator Josh Conklin

    Quarterback Max Browne
    Linebacker Quintin Wirginis

    Linebacker Chase Pine
    Head Coach Pat Narduzzi

    On today’s practice:

    “Practice 13 today was a really good day. Thursday we have a shorts day, and obviously the Spring Game on Saturday, but we are pretty ready for that. I think our guys are ready to wrap it up. We had a good practice again today and had a 134-play scrimmage Saturday, so we really got after it. Saturday was a good day. We’ve got a couple guys banged up; but overall, we came out of it really well. As a head coach, the main priority is coming out healthy and being smart and making sure we don’t go too far. One hundred thirty-four plays, a lot of work and we finished with overtime, which was not planned. It was 53-53 and a great day all-around. Probably one of the best scrimmages I’ve been around.”

    On last Saturday’s scrimmage:

    “On first down, the offense ran it from the 25-yard line and took it down the left sideline away from the scoreboard. Great run by Chawntez Moss, with a late hit out of bounds by an offensive lineman. So we had to back it up which gave them more adversity, which you like. You’re thinking, ‘Oh, the defense is going to win this one,’ but then the offense pulled it away and [DeAndre] Schifino had the touchdown to win the game in overtime. I didn’t want to go any longer, but it was fun. [Ben] DiNucci and Max [Browne] played really well and the young guys played okay. The quarterbacks that were running with the ones played pretty well.”

    On his tight end corps:

    “Devon Edwards will be out there. Schifino and [Nathan] Bossory will get work.”

    On injuries keeping players out of the Spring Game:

    “Nothing major. Knock on wood, but we have been lucky. You know, you read the newspaper and see guys that are out for the year with ACLs and it’s a priority to get through Saturday. You have to get your work done, but you want to stay safe with it too. We will find out as we go this week, but they have four days to get their bumps and bruises and twisted ankles ready to go and I think everybody wants to go and we will probably hold some guys just in case.”

    On quarterback Ben DiNucci:

    “He is just a young kid. Redshirt freshman last year, and he has a long way to go as far as years playing here at Pitt. It takes a while. It’s not easy to come in here and be the guy. To be honest with you, I’m a little surprised he is as far along as he is right now. It is hard to continue to get better and learn the offense. He is just so much more composed in the huddle than he was a year ago. And so is [Thomas] MacVittie. With those young guys, that’s why it was important for us to get an older guy.”

    On quarterback Max Browne:

    “We will see Saturday how far along he has come, but I am happy with where Max is for sure.”

    On the running backs:

    “We really have four. Kyle Vreen and [Shawn] Wood have also gotten a lot of reps and gotten better as spring has gone on. So we will have guys to carry the ball. All four will get as many reps as needed to try to win the game. When I was at Michigan State, we tried Le’Veon Bell out, but there were no reps that would get him out. He wasn’t going to be like, ‘I’m the guy. I’ll take my 10 carries and get out of here.’ That guy was going to take it all the way to the fourth quarter to win, and that’s what our guys are going to do—compete. We obviously have short numbers, but our depth is good enough that we can split it up and go blue and gold.”

    On placekicker Alex Kessman:

    “He did okay. He had one in regulation that bounced off the left upright and then bounced off the right upright and fell out, no good. But overall, a little wind and a freshman in Heinz Field, it was average. He was 6-of-10, but two of the misses were 45 and 47 yards, and those aren’t easy field goals.”

    On Brian O’Neill’s move to left tackle:

    “He started off really slow the first three or four days, but he has really turned it on. It’s totally different one side to the other. It’s a different stance than one he worked on for two years now, but he is pretty good at left tackle right now.”

    On defensive linemen Keyshon Camp and Amir Watts:

    “They have come a long way. It has been up and down, but both of those guys have been impressive. As a matter of fact, I’ve been bouncing back and forth with who is running with the ones because they have both been impressive. Those are two guys I see right now as starters. Again, I could name four starters. Obviously, [Jeremiah] Taleni is playing really well, but those two guys are playing well. Good class of defensive tackles.”

    On the linebackers:

    “I like [Quintin] Wirginis inside and Elijah Zeise has had a really good spring. I mean really good. He had a great scrimmage the other day. Oluwaseun Idowu is playing really well; probably a guy we have not mentioned enough is Anthony McKee Jr. He’s a sleeper and has really played well. He is a guy that has really come a long way and I was hoping he was playing special teams last year; we couldn’t get him ready mentally, but he has come on strong. He’s going to play a lot of football for us.”

    On the amount of time it takes a player to learn:

    “That’s high school football, that’s college football, that’s English in your freshman year and English in your junior year. Some guys pick it up at different times and that doesn’t mean they are good or bad. It is part of the process and it’s not easy, but that’s a thing you understand. Guys are going to get it at different levels and that’s why you never give up. Coach [Mark] Dantonio used to always say, ‘Don’t throw your trash out.’ Guys are always ready to go.”

    On the stakes for the Spring Game:

    “We are playing for steak and lobster or hot dogs and beans, so certainly it is something to play for. They don’t want to eat hot dogs and beans.”

    Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Coach Shawn Watson

    On quarterback Max Browne:

    “He’s got a lot of experience and, because he has a lot of experience, he has made an easy transition. He has been in similar offenses that are taught in similar ways to how I teach mine. I think the major thing for him was getting the verbiage. Once he got that, he has been really good. What he has done a nice job of, really since the first week when he got through some rough spots and I think a lot of that is tempos and whatnot, is being comfortable. You can tell he is comfortable and just managing the game. He doesn’t make impulse decisions or take sacks. He finds check-downs and gets us in the right play and makes sound run-pass decisions. He leans on his experience and I think everything is falling into place for him.”

    On the progress of the players learning his offense:

    “I really started to feel like we were making some headway last week. You know, we were beginning to get in to a rhythm. You can tell the players were comfortable in what we were doing and how we were doing it. Since last Tuesday’s practice, I felt like we were really becoming us, the 2017 version of the Pitt Panthers.”

    On running backs Chawntez Moss and Qadree Ollison:

    “I think what you see right now is that it is very competitive in terms of reps. Both of them feed off each other. I thought they did a nice job of running behind their pads and running after contact. The competition has been awesome. They are good for each other.”

    Defensive Coordinator Josh Conklin

    On the performance of Elijah Zeise this spring:

    “He’s had a really good spring. It’s unfortunate the injury he had last fall in the first game because I thought his progress was going to be really remarkable. When he came in this spring, he picked up where he left off. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s more explosive and he’s starting to use it a lot better, which is encouraging to see. He’s had a really good spring; he had a really good scrimmage and gives us some more athleticism. He’s a guy who can run, especially to the boundary, and in our system that guy has to be able to run with the wheel routes and do those things. I think he will be a really big dimension for us going into the fall. Keeping him healthy will be important.”

    On if he sees an opportunity for more impact plays from this year’s linebackers:

    “I don’t know if I would say I see more. I think the more comfortable they get in the defensive system, they will understand where they fit. You can take it to the second or third teaching progression where you worry about gap control defense and teach these guys to get to your gap. Then you progress to seeing an offensive lineman coming to you and have to decide, ‘can I snap underneath him and still get to my gap or can I use his body to cancel out the gap?’ Those are the things that take time for guys to learn. With the athleticism we have at that position, they can do some of the higher-level things, which is encouraging to see.”

    On the competition at linebacker:

    “We are using Elijah [Zeise] at both the Star and the Money position. It’s been Seun [Idowu] and [Anthony] McKee at the Star linebacker. We’ve been using Elijah and [Saleem] Brightwell at the Money. We felt like Elijah has a good feel at the Star position because he played it last year, so we wanted to try him at the boundary to get as much athleticism as we can. We’ve done the same thing at safety. We felt Jordan Whitehead had a lot of reps at boundary safety.

    He fits that position really well because he erase a lot of things and doesn’t have as much coverage responsibility. We felt that if we can get him in the field [safety position] this spring and get a lot of reps there, once we figure out our best safeties, we can decide where to put each guy. If we need to move him back to boundary, we can do that. We’ve done that with [Jay] Stocker. Some of the younger guys, you don’t want to mess with their minds because it’s a bit different but some of the older guys you can do that with.”

    Linebacker Quintin Wirginis

    On if the linebacker group is starting to take shape:

    “Yes. These guys fly around. They want it. They’re hungry, just like the rest of the defense. They’re starting to really get it, too. The Spring Game is going to be a good tool for us moving forward.”

    On Saleem Brightwell being dynamic at linebacker:

    “Saleem has always been that kind of guy, just a baller. We got a bunch of those guys on the defensive and offensive sides of the field. Saleem is a baller and he is starting to really get it. He’s putting the pieces together. I have kind of taken him under my wing when watching film, teaching him a lot of the stuff I learned from older guys in my past. I’m excited to get after it with him on Saturday.”

    On if Chase Pine is taking over the role that Wirginis played last year:

    “I don’t know if it’s a specific role, but all the linebackers are very versatile. They can be put in different positions. Chase is ready to player wherever he can. If he needs to go in all three positions, he will and that goes for the rest of the guys in the room as well.”

    Quarterback Max Browne

    On the process of getting in sync with the wide receivers:

    “Process is a perfect word for it as far as getting to know what guys do well and what routes are their go-to routes; I think overall the corps is great. Ones, twos, whatever it may be, the corps is great for sure, and I think we’ve shown this last little bit we are in sync, making big plays and that’s exciting to see.”

    On the competition with the young quarterbacks:

    “Ben [DiNucci] is doing great. Thomas [MacVittie] and Kenny [Pickett] are doing great as well. They are playing good ball. This is a deep QB room; we have four scholarship guys who can go out there and get the job done. I think as a whole we are playing good ball, which is great for our team because, to be successful as a team, you have to have a quarterback that is doing its job, and I think we are all showing that we can do that.”

    On what he’s seen from Aaron Mathews:

    “When I first got here, his mold was kind of the high school quarterback who is making his way to receiver and he’s been doing a great job. You can see he’s big, tall, athletic and can run a little bit. I’ve hooked up with him on a bunch of deep balls, which is great to see the explosive plays using his size. He’s just an athlete. You mentioned getting him in the slot or wherever it may be, I think utilizing what he has to offer will be a mismatch for the defense.”

    Offensive Lineman Brian O’Neill

    On how his transition to left tackle has gone this spring:

    “It’s gone well. I am really happy about where I am now and where our offensive line is right now. It was definitely an adjustment the first couple of practices, switching over from right to left tackle. After practice three or four, I got the rhythm of it. Now it’s about fine tuning the details and getting better every day.”

    On if he expected the move to left tackle coming into the spring:

    “That conversation happened with Coach [Peterson] right around bowl season when you look to the future a little bit—definitely not looking past the game, but you start to think a little bit about what it’s going to be like next year. He [Coach Peterson] said ‘I don’t want to plant anything in your head too soon, but start thinking about a left-handed stance a little bit.’ Then after the bowl, it was more of an every week reminder to keep working on my left. Right before spring ball, we had a conversation about if I felt comfortable with it, which I did. I understand the importance of the position and why they want to have me over there.”

    On what the first few practices at left tackle were like:

    “It was definitely an adjustment. I kind of expected just to get it because I’ve made a bigger transition before, but the finer details needed to be honed in a little bit. I think I did that by the second practice in pads; I was able to get my footwork and hand placement down. It’s an everyday process and that’s something that we try to keep in our minds, that it’s an everyday thing trying to get better. I’m playing now at the level I want to play at as opposed to the first couple practices.”

    Offensive Lineman Alex Bookser

    On Brian O’Neill’s move to left tackle:

    “We knew going in that was going to be the best thing for him. The first couple of days you could tell he was not doing too well. He came home one day and said, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing out there.’ Next day he went out there and had a great practice. He had to realize that he had to make the right adjustments and do the right things. He is capable of playing wherever he wants, and now I think he is doing a great job.”

    On the experience of the offensive line:

    “I don’t think that matters. Experience is games played, but you look at a guy like Jaryd Jones-Smith who doesn’t have all the starts that guys like Brian [O’Neill] or Alex [Officer] have, but he has the confidence like they do and I think that is the most important thing. Everybody is confident enough to perform and make the calls like they have been playing for four years.”

    On the younger offensive linemen:

    “They have all taken huge steps forward. It was a group of really raw freshmen, but the steps they have taken this spring have been enormous for a lot of them. Justin Morgan has been playing really well. Jimmy Morrissey and Brandon Ford have taken big steps forward and so has Tony Pilato, just to name a few. They have all been making big steps in their footwork and the technique, and I have been relay impressed with and proud of them.”

    Linebacker Chase Pine

    On where he projects to play:

    “I would say I am more in the middle. Mike linebacker is what Coach Harley has been emphasizing, but we have a lot of schemes so I don’t really know as of now.”

    On what he learned while redshirting last season:

    “Being on the scout team last year, I got acclimated to the speed of the game. I got my muscle up. The play calling is something that I did not get as much time to learn, but Coach Harley has prepared me well. He is putting time in to help me.”

    Punter Kirk Christodoulou

    On how Ryan Winslow has helped him adjust to American Football:

    “It’s good. He [Winslow] has been a big influence for me and been a big help. It’s great coming here and having someone who’s been here for four years and have that experience to guide me through, show me how it’s all done and get my knowledge of the game up.”

    On how much American Football he has experienced before coming to Pitt:

    “Coming here is the first live snap I’ve ever taken. Working with Pro Kick Australia taught me the fundamentals of punting and how the game works, but actually taking a real snap and having people rush at me is completely different.”

    On his ability to throw the ball if the coaches asked:

    “Throwing the football? (Laughs). We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Since I’ve been here, I am starting to get used to it. But everyone thinks I throw it like a girl.”

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  19. Spring Game Info

    This year’s festivities will include:

    Panthers Pregame Tailgate Party – Join us out on Art Rooney Ave. beginning at 11:00 am for interactive games, inflatables, face painters, music, and food/drinks for purchase.

    Poster Giveaway – Free Blue-Gold Spring Game Poster will be available to all fans as they enter while supplies last.
    Panther Club Athletic Scholarship Fund Auction – Bid on signed memorabilia, merchandise and exclusive experiences.
    Postgame On-Field Autographs – Kids in 8th grade and younger will have the opportunity to take to the field following the game (weather permitting). Be sure to sign your child up at the Jr. Panthers tent on Art Rooney Ave. or the table behind Section 105.

    Heinz Field gates will open at 11:30 am exclusively for Panther Club Athletic Scholarship members showing their membership card. Gates will open to the public at 12:00 pm. All seating is general admission.

    Please note that the Heinz Field Bag Policy will be in effect for the 2017 Blue-Gold Spring Game.
    For more details CLICK HERE.

    It looks like the parking lots open at 10:00, look for the POV Flag.

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  20. It gave me and all Pitt fans a minimum of 12 months of satisfaction.

    When was the last time Pitt athletics did that…

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  21. I’m taking Pitt and the points when they play PSwho this September.

    This is going to be a pivotal game that launches the Panthers 2017 season.

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  22. Reed,
    Just a heads up that I’m currently out of pocket visiting grand kids and wouldn’t be able to be at the round table tonight to dine with our great Pitt Pover’s!
    Look forward to next Tuesday’s round table.
    Pittman4ever

    Like

  23. Beating the Dairy College is just another victory. I can’t say that I enjoyed the Dairy victory more than the Clempson victory though. I do like playing the Dairy School more than the WVCC however. We just don’t hear too much about the WVCC any more. They are so out there on an island.

    Saw a note that indicates Kradel may be leaning to OSU. He would be a great addition to PItt and would help solidify our OL for years to come. At OSU, he could easily get lost amongst the 4 and 5 stars. At Pitt, he shines for his hometown team and he could be similar to Dorian Johnson. At OSU, he is just another guy. Look, Urb does not treat non-ohio guys that well candidly. He is all about ohio kids and giving them every opportunity before an out of stater. Plus, he sits for a couple of years at OSU. At Pitt, he doesn’t.

    Hopefully the brew crew can put on a show tonight. Reed makes a great Ed McMahon!

    Like

  24. “Of course the Pitt – Penn State matches are an age-old rivalry that has been in existence since 1983 when we Panthers traveled to Penn State’s cow-dung covered field and began what was, in time, to become one of the greatest rivalries in college football. ”

    1983??? Lol

    Wanted to call in tonight but have an awful spring cold and don’t want to cough and hack my way through it. Gong to get some rest instead.

    Regardless, see you all Saturday at the tailgate…

    H2P

    Like

  28. Hold on Mr Riggs, I think Reed may be tied up in the reading room. As they say… This station is experiencing some technical difficulties.

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  34. BigB, you startled me there a bit. Probably went to 7-8 or more J Geils concerts. All the girls loved the Magic Dick.

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  36. I have to apologize for tonight… had to drive my neighbor to the emergency room at 7:30 or so .,… he had a bad turn so I took him up and I’m there now.

    Many apologies…

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  40. As another recruiting guess, expect Micah Parsons a 5* to flip from dairy college to OSU. The sooner the better but it may take a while, but i see it happening. He is the 5th overall player in the country according to Rivals.

    In reading the Max Browne story, I started to think of one Robert Foster. In Browne’s case, the USC head coach had to name Browne the starter or Browne would have transferred last year. He got pulled after 3 games. Same thing going on with Foster. Saban needs to keep Foster interested by naming him a starter for fall or co-starter. If Foster falls for it, he stays. On the other hand, he might just be ready to say that he has had enough of the state of bama and everything in it!

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  41. Huff, you got it. Here’s another possibility. Browne started the first 3 games that were arguably the most difficult stretch of the season schedule wise for USC. If USC wins all those games there wouldn’t have been a change at QB.

    BTW, look at Browne’s stats over those 3 games. They are not all that terrible.

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  42. Don’t forget, come the end of May is when some of the grad students can jump on a plane and transfer. Maybe we see a surprise??

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    1. The lack of depth and experience at the LB-er positions is my biggest concern. The grad transfer from MSU deserves a 2nd chance and Duzz knows the young man – could be a good fit as he has played at all the LB spots in the Duzz system.

      We finally heard that McKee is playing well this Spring, along with Wirginis, Zeise, Brightwell and Idowu. Chase Pine’s name gets a mention from time to time, but he doesn’t have game experience. That’s a total of six LB-ers with three having game experience.

      I’d take two (LB) grad transfers with game experience and let them compete for playing time.

      But then again, I don’t have to figure out the scholarship counts.

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      1. HCPN reinforced a point that we already knew …. sometimes the light goes on at different stages for these players. Some may catch on pretty quickly (Dan Mason) and for others, it may take 3 or 4 years (Lumpy Jacobsen).

        You may remember how hard HCPC recruited McKee .. even after he left for Wisconsin. I assume he has great athleticism.

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  44. Reading between the lines I’m concerned about our new field goal kicker going into this season. We could easily drop a few games just with some key misses on that front.—The 6 and 6 prediction sounds right to me until the defense proves to me that they can hold the opposition to less than 20 points per game on average. And right now I can’t see us holding the 30 point mark(and maybe even the 40 mark).

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    1. If there are concerns with the kicking game could we possibly see a place kicker grad transfer ?

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  45. You are a good man, Reed. Regarding J. Geils I still play the Bloodshot album on my turntable. Made of red vinyl…looks cool. Remake of “house party” always my favorite. Looking forward to the golf / spring game tailgate weekend.

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  46. ‘Live, Full House’ recorded In Detroit, 1972. Magic Dick jammed on “WammerJammer” Peter Wolf was in great form “Take out you false teeth momma, I just want to suck on your gums” “You heard of the Boston Monkey? You heard of the Philly Freeze? Well, tonight we have the Detroit Demolition for you”

    Wolf always had my profound respect … he married Faye Dunaway back in ’74, or so. (Probably didn’t last long but who cares?)

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  47. The previous concept that I floated a few weeks ago about who may fill the many leadership voids left by our departing Seniors got a lot of flak when I proposed that Elijah Zeise will come in at LB to help with that issue.

    Now Conklin is showing some love his way in comments about how he anticipates Zeise developing at that position as the year progresses into the regular season.

    I stand by my impression of this guy. He is going to be a force in the LB crew for this coming season.

    The really good programs routinely reload with quality backup players that simply have to wait for their opportunity for playing time until graduation or NFL defections with the starting lineup. That isn’t an issue when you have a deep talented roster of 4 & 5 star RS players riding the pine waiting to contribute.

    Us Pitt fans have little experience with this phenomenon. We haven’t recruited well enough historically to really have any two deep talent pool to just reload.

    That is one of the attractions of Pitt to elite players right now like Paris Ford, the opportunity for early playing time if they can come in ready to play at the next level right out of HS.

    That window is closing with the uptick in talent that Narduzzi is recruiting now though. The doubters are concerned about all of the neophytes coming into the two deep with little to no experience, worried about how that impacts the team’s performance. Valid concerns when you have recruited a class full of “projects” that require both coaching up and a year or two of strength training to just become acceptable football players at the college level. Thanks HCPC.

    The people in the know however are less concerned about that in Nard Dog’s 3rd year. With the combination of JC/grad transfers, guys returning from injury & our Narduzzi prior recruiting classes coming of age, we will be “reloading” (kind of) ourselves this season.

    I’m already sold on Max Browne as our QB starter. He showed up here for a reason & it wasn’t to sit on the bench. Lamonte Carter could be another gift from the JC ranks if he really is motivated and is seeking D1 redemption at Pitt. Then guys just like Zeise return to the field. Add to him guys like Whitehead, Hendrix, Clark & Hamlin who hopefully will all be 100% recovered from their assorted ailments and you already have a solid core of replacements without even dipping into the newbie pool of untested recruits.

    Make no mistake here this group is talented. The names are beginning to be emerge, Coleman, Weaver, Garner, Pine, Camp, McKee & others.

    These guys may not all be solid 4* recruits right out of HS but with a year of college under their belts now they aren’t the same players that they were right out of HS either. It is exciting to anticipate who decides to grab there chance for early glory and excels come 2017. There will be pleasant surprises.

    Then you got the true Freshmen coming in during the summer. Sibley, Davis & Ford all have a chance to immediately get into the two deep line up if they’re ready. The talent is there now with these guys.

    Consider the rededication of proven stars like Ollison coming back too and it is obvious to me that this won’t be a 6-6 season.

    It might be something very special indeed instead. It will take some early success in a very tuff OOC schedule, a lack of injuries plaguing our starters and just some good old fashioned luck, but a 9-3 regular season Coastal Crown title is there for the taking if we beat the right teams.

    Time to “reload” H2P.

    Off to Pittsburgh today see you guys attending the golf outing on Friday.

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  48. I’ve been a big fan of Zeise from the beginning. All of a sudden PITT’s dept at linebacker is growing very nicely. They are still young and mistakes will be made but they will be made with guys flying around at 110 mph

    Loved the interview with Wirginis. Nice humble young man. That’s exactly how he described the linebacker, as flaying around. He also used the word, magic, wow.

    Yep and McKee finally had his name mentioned.

    Love the new dog and cat game Conklin invented.

    Pine now at 250lbs, if he can still move at that size, wow.

    Conklin did more then hint that Paris Ford could also be in the mix this coming year. another wow.

    A guy I mentioned keeps getting his name in the paper with little fanfare. DeAndre Schifino. I don’t know him but that family is very athletic and he’s super smart.

    Does anyone else think EJ looks like a young Albert Brooks? I sure do.

    These were my notes for last night, sure hope all went well with Reed and his neighbor.

    We All We Got
    We All We Need
    H2P! …ike

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  49. Just woke up – and I’m usually up by 5 am… stayed at the hospital until midnight. The guy is my next door neighbor who, if you all remember, I was going to donate my kidney to a few years ago – his family was out of town so he called me. He’s admitted int in-patient so I’m home and his wife flew in.

    But – it sounds like you all had great football talk without me.

    Doc – I think you mean Kamonte Carter or “Kam” as he’s called.

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  50. I can’t fight the positive flow today. Nice article about the O-line in the paper. If they stay healthy they will be very good.Plenty of experience and size. Interesting how they are being shuffled. Will make it easier on Browne. Browne is the key for us to have any chance against PSU and OKST. He has to play well and pretty much mistake free. The other key is that the other Transfers have to step up, Clark, Hendrix and Cam Carter. They are all filling positions of need. Looking forward to some wide receivers stepping up.

    At least we won’t play the Murderers Row of QB’s after we are done with the OOC games. Defensive speed needs to surpass the loss of experience. A very low bar to surpass. We need to see some gang tackling and harder hits, starting with Barkley and Sanders. The depth on D is much better this year and should make a difference. I would still like to see the LB from MSU come, but I would let the team vote on it, he must get 60 %, too soon?

    I set the over/under this year at 8 games, one better than I set it last year. We have to win a bowl game. I think 9 is a solid season and 10 is a home run.

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  52. and a couple more things:

    What is cooler than pin-up poster in a grimy break room? That’s old school right there.

    Reed asked a kind of hypothetical question in, “After all – wouldn’t you rather go to the school that was the better of the two on the actual field of play?” Obviously no. That question brings up an even more important point. After all, wouldn’t you think twice before deciding to go to a school that turn their heads to such horrible atrocities.

    My point there is simply, If that kind of criteria doesn’t deter a potential recruit then how would a penn state loss affect anyone’s decision when it comes down to going there? I’ll say, all this does make me wonder about that school. I use to dislike them a whole lot. It runs much deeper than that now.

    Another point I’ve made too many times but it’s been about a week and half since I mentioned it but it is on point here. The damage steve did to the PITT football program has to still be taken into account. It will take a few more years to overcome the mess he created for all of us.

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  54. Wait, unless the D holds opponents to less than 20 points per game 6-6 is what is coming?

    Less than 20 points a game would be one of the top 17 defenses in college football, from last year’s rankings. Top 13 if you only count P5 teams. There is no way that’s happening unless the D-line exceeds expectations by about 300% and no way Pitt needs to do that to be better than 6-6 this year. If they can shave off 10 points a game or so and get down to the mid-20s, that’s more than enough to get back to 8 wins and maybe more. Penn State was 47th at about 25 points given up a game and they had a pretty good season last year didn’t they…

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  55. Since I’m expecting a dramatic falloff in our offensive production, IMHO it will be necessary for the defense to have a dramatic turn around in their performance this coming season for Pitt to equal last years 8 win mark. So maybe limiting the opposition to 20 points maybe going a bit far, but not by much if we want to equal or better last seasons results.

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  56. from DiPaola’s blog today:

    No matter how much happy talk is released this time of year, fans shouldn’t get too excited about spring ball. Maybe that’s just me being a cynic, but playing against your friend is different than playing against Penn State.
    Plus, it’s more than three months to August and there is so much room and time for improvement — self-improvement, actually.

    Read more: http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker-room/2017/04/11/is-pitts-defense-better-maybe-but-it-did-give-up-the-decisive-td-in-the-scrimmage/#ixzz4e3hySY6T

    The above is the point I’ve been trying to make. While we all are interested to see who is looking good, spring practice is mainly focusing on the fundamentals .. and getting a feel for each other. I wouldn’t make any judgements about who is starting or who we are going to lose to just yet.

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  57. Our expected dramatic drop off in offensive production is going to be a non issue by midseason.

    Mark my words. Browne to Weah, Mathews, Tipton, Henderson, etc. becomes the big news in the ACC this season.

    Browne will be good enough himself but ALL of the wide receivers really step up their games more so to keep the offense potent. The wild card, Chris Clark, if he can do an adequate impersonation of AJ Holtz or Orndoff then we really get productive.

    Also, Dree Henderson simply explodes this season. Enjoy it because this will be his last season as a Panther, unfortunately for us.

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  58. Hey Doc, you forgot about my man Lopes. 🙂

    Schifino will catch more passes this coming year than the grad transfer from Rutgers.

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  59. while there is no reason to expect the offense to maintain is last season’s high standards, there is also no reason to expect a dramatic drop-off. Not only are there proven offensive weapons, there are two 4-stars RBs coming in, a position where it has shown that a freshman can really make an impact. Also, the O-line won’t be as as good as last year, but it still should be way above average.

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  61. Three current work colleagues attended Nebraska, Texas and Colorado. All three are avid football fans. Our new O coordinator coached in some capacity at all of these schools. Colorado as a position coach (I think), then Nebraska and Texas as the O coordinator, I believe.

    None of my colleagues think highly of Watson’s offense or play calling. I know that there could have been other issues. Especially in the case of Texas…

    Here’s to hoping that he’s a really good coordinator and that Narduzzi guides him along towards an exciting, productive, and explosive offense. While past performance is not always indicative of future performance, it usually is… I’m a Watson skeptic at this point.

    Time will tell. This is one of the real wildcards of the upcoming season, IMO.

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  62. I’m just going to say this once. Narduzzi is usually a pretty upbeat guy, and he seems a lot more upbeat this spring then he’s been during the last two. For what it’s worth…

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  63. Rocky, I think Chaney had the same knock on him, and after watching one season of him at Pitt, and hearing the feedback on him from the UGA fanbase, I would have to agree with the assessment on ol’ tub-o-lard. However, he still managed to eke out 35 points per game. I’m cautiously optimistic of Watson’s abilities, but I agree that we could be in for some frustration.

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  64. I can always hope I was dead wrong about the falloff in the offense. But I can almost foresee the posts come fall calling for Watson’s head with Upitt continuously posting about Pitt not paying the dollars to keep Canada.

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  65. I would also argue that we were blessed/spoiled with a world-class playcaller last season. When you get 10 TD’s out of your fullback and 2 out of your Right Tackle you are damn good at calling plays.

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  66. Upitt cannot make the golf Event and or Game. Childcare schedule changed bc of meetings I have. Very dissapointed I can’t hang with you guys. Stinks.

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  68. I’m going to throw this out there now – cause I know Reed is going to jump all over it if true – but it appeared that Pickett was chosen in the Spring Game Draft before MacVittie (at least from how I read it).

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    1. Not so fast

      Pat Narduzzi‏Verified account @CoachDuzzPittFB

      TRADE: Blue team has acquired @Camp_thatdude & @PMFFOE23 from the Gold team in exchange for @B_DiNucci3 @PineStar11 & Rob Boatwright. #SG

      I know Dinucci and believe Boatwright is a walk-on, and I assume Chase Pine is PineStar but don’t ask me about the other 2

      Like

  70. Upitt, ship stogies! Golfers, played QS today. Shaping up nicely. Hope they keep the rough down.

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    1. Joe – will your 4th golfer (I believe brother-in-law) be able to play or will you only have 3 golfers, including yourself?

      I need to know for the final count (due to Quicksilver) today and UPitt needs to know for the stogie numbers.

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  72. Saw J Geils open for Stones in Cleveland 1975 – kicked butt.
    Back to original article – the game meant so much back in the day it affected recruiting somewhat but not entirely. Pitt being up at the top was actually able to get E Pa players, believe Bill Maas was. Winning is what counts but the game is great. Unfortunately after 2019 PSU is again showing disinterest. Only state pols can get them playing and most are in Peds pocket. Enjoy the series while it lasts but presently it has little to do with recruiting vis-a-vis Pitt and Peds.
    HAIL TO PITT.

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  73. Hey rkb, good to hear from you. I think we may have talked about that Stones concert in Cleveland, I was there as well sitting directly behind the third base dugout. I remember Geils’s bass player (Danny Klein) falling flat on his ass during their show.

    Didn’t Maas marry Marino’s sister. I know Larry Richert married a sister too. Maybe the same one??

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  74. Here is a super interesting topic. The Pittsburgh Athletic Association is about to go under. Two weeks ago they lost their liquor license for not paying the drink tax then last week their water was shut off. This past week it was their electric that was cut off displacing 20 or so students.

    This is semi old news but it’s getting more serious by the minute. I’m thinking the POV should look into purchasing this historic building. ??

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  75. Pickett is the future at QB for Pitt. Much like I predicted Peterson would beat out Voytek ( and thanks Dr Tom for the scotch!) for QB …..I ptedict Pickett who does have a gun for an arm…will be the QB after OK St. Anyone want to bet?

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    1. Dan, that’s quite a prediction having to pull Browne(assumed starter) after 3 games. Seems highly unlikely to me, but winning games is the answer in all cases and if Pitt comes out of the box and loses all of their first 3 games then your prediction may just come through.

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  76. rkb and Ike,
    Well, there were 3 POVites in Cleveland for that Stones concert along with 80,000+
    What a day trip that was!

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  77. Rick, Going to hospital with him now for tests,etc. will only have max of 3 unless something changes. If we need another, as in only me and Mike the Nitter show, we will take a walk on. Sent check for three, will donate round if only two show up, sorry, this has been a really unexpected and stressful thing. I’m sure I can work something out with Carl if needed(although he is somewhat pissed at me) lol.

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    1. No problems – I’m trying to set the final teams.

      See you tomorrow – very nice course – tough rough!

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  78. BTW, My buddie Mike the Nitter knows Tom Bradley pretty well and might have some stories to tell if he gets loaded, lol.

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  79. Saw the Beatles tribute show performed by the band ” Rain” A really good shoe as Ed Sullivan would say.. BigB sexy yinz Ole POVerts should go see it while yinz are on this side if the grass
    See some of yinz tomorrow!!!

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  81. That’s all right BigB but wasn’t it… a really “BIG” show? With your screen name how could you not get that one?

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  82. To Cary Middlecoff (aka Dr. Tom) and the rest of the POVer golfers — have a great time tomorrow!

    If any of you are in Oakland over the weekend, walk through the first floor of Posvar Hall. On the walls is a history of Forbes Field in pictures. Exact location of home plate is right outside of the General Studies office. Pretty cool stuff.

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    1. I always thought that was the exact location as well. But when my son went to a tour of the campus his senior year of HS, the guide said the exact location was about 15 feet away in the Ladies room, so they couldn’t place the plate there for obvious reasons.

      I told her that Babe Ruth his last 3 HRs, 712, 713 and 714, at Forbes Field. She wasn’t aware but said she would include in future tours.

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  83. In another article a day or so ago I mentioned the lack of vision the PITT administration has demonstrated with the Campus and the Oakland neighborhood infrastructure. I also mentioned in a comment above in this article concerning the PAA building possible going up for sale soon.

    We Also talked about the large endowment that PITT is sitting on and unlikely use any of the money on athletics. Well now would be the time to take a very small potion of the endowment and buy up this beautiful building in the heart of the PITT campus. No excuse to let someone else buy it. NONE!

    I got most of my information from the channel 2 news last night.. So no linkie.

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  84. Pitt already took over and runs the University Club. Just no demand for these private clubs anymore. The Allegheny Club merged with the HYP Club. Pitt will probably by the building and repurpose like they did with the Masonic Temple next door (Alumni Hall). An upscale boutique hotel would be cool on campus, but doubt there would be enough demand, but they seem to be the thing. Too bad they can’t put Fifth and Forbes underground through the campus.

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