in Pitt Football 168 Words

POV Sunday Podcast – Virginia Win, Yeah Us!

OK, so it’s  “…every loyal son.”

What really struck me yesterday was the real power Fran “Lastrowofsection4” has with PennDot when he had them change all HOV lanes to POV lanes…and changed Reedsdale St. to …

Here are the latest statistical standings Pitt has after this win – it shows our steady improvement as has been seen over the last few games.  At least we are out of the 100s in most categories…

Team Stats – Through games 10/28/2017
Stat Rank Value
Total Offense 99 363.8
Rushing Offense 88 145.3
Passing Offense 75 218.4
Team Passing Efficiency 80 126.45
Scoring Offense 95 24.2
Total Defense 90 420.7
Rushing Defense 55 156.8
Passing Yards Allowed 107 263.9
Team Passing Efficiency Defense 102 141.92
Scoring Defense 80 27.9

Here is something interesting I found – the Power Ratings for the Panthers over our first nine games. It’s a bit hard to read the info below but this site, www.teamrankings.com is great for getting into the weeds of college football.

Teamrankings VA.pngHere are some post-game videos for your pleasure…

51 thoughts on “POV Sunday Podcast – Virginia Win, Yeah Us!”

  1. Stealing Penn Dot signs is a felony. Better keep your real names anonymous. I should know I stole plenty of them when I was a kid. Good job fellas 🙂

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  3. Thanks Emel…we just “borrowed” the signs for the photo op. And ZERO chance we will grow up. 😎

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  4. Emel not so sure the sign was pilfered just doctored up a bit. Although you were probably just kidding.

    Reed, get some rest you sound tired from what little I’ve listened to but great points. I’ll finish reading a little later.

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  5. Fran and Scooter growing up? Fat Chance. Fran was born to be wild….

    That’s Fran and Scooter on the blue bike while Tommy is riding solo. Crazy mofo’s

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  9. Maybe it was already mentioned, but I as surprised that Hendrix didn’t play. What’s up with him?

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    1. HCPN claimed he was injured, but could have played if needed. Duzz was glad he could rest Hendrix for the bye week.

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  10. Miami #9, Va. Tech#13 in AP poll of 10/29/17. (Reed wasn’t sure in podcast.)

    Btw – I believe I won the prediction thread. I had PITT winning 31 – 17. Two weeks in a row. Had PITT beating Duke 24 – 20. Based on my predictions, I am underrating PITT’s defense.

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  11. Florida HC Jim McElwain was let go today after going 3-4 to start the season and winning winning the SEC East the past 2 seasons. Pitt’s Narduzzi is not rumored to be a replacement candidate.

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  12. Thanks for the podcast Reed, great job.

    I think this short bye week is just the ticket for PITT to regroup and refocus on UNC, while creating a good game-plan moving forward. Dinucci and Pickett need all the practice snaps they can get the next week and a half.

    What’s cool about the schedule it also gives PITT another 9 days or so to prepare for the trip to Blacksburg.

    I don’t know about PITT not playing a solid game. I thought it was their best complete game of the season sans the psu game which i think they played a good game as well.

    A QB battle next year huh? What if Narduzzi still decides to start Dinucci after that battle is done? Oh the uproar?

    Folston was another player that had a good game. Lopes coming back next year is big as well. It would be nice to see Aaron Matthews have more passes come his way.

    Rivers from San Diego has a worse sidearm delivery than BD. He’s done ok for himself imo

    Weah’s TD was off a short pass and run. Only 19 yards but 15 yards after the catch.

    Interesting side-note on Henderson’s punt return. He said he looked up at the jumbotron near the end of his return and noticed a player diving towards the back of his legs so he took a high step. That’s poise running 90 mph.

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  13. Ike, I rode a Harley Fat Boy for years…same one Arnold rode in Terminator 2…so you weren’t that far off. Loved Steppenwolf too. You nailed it!!

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  14. PITT still needs 2 wins to be bowl eligible at 6 – 6. With 39 bowls(+ national championship game), 78 teams out of 130 FBS can go bowling. As of games played through 10/27, there is a total of 39 teams with 6+ wins.

    There was 2 teams that went bowling with 5-7 records after the 2016 season. (3 in 2015). If there is a shortage of 6-6 or better teams, 5-7 teams eligibility is based on NCAA APR. PITT could be as low as #43.

    Of the 39 current bowl teams, 13 have a higher APR then Pitt. There are 4 teams with 8 losses. Only 1 has an APR greater then Pitt (thanks UTEP).

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  15. Reed, pretty good analysis, and interesting analogy comparing 07 to this one.

    I doubt that we reach the 6 win mark but right now I very much like the improvement we’re seeing. To me, the final 2 games will be a good gauge. We may not win either one …. but if we can be competitive until the end, then at least we can look forward to next year when Pickett should be taking the reins.

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  16. We need a bloop and a blast. The bloop is a win over NC. The blast is a an upset of VT or Miami. Hope we get it. 6 and 6 sound so much better that what most thought two weeks ago. We are playing better, especially the defense. – Hobie

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  17. —Did anyone notice that our back-to-back sacks both came against UVA’s No. 55.

    ike, been disappointed in Mathews. I thought he would step up, but he hasn’t. Seems to be having trouble taking advantage of his height and getting position to make catches – though he hasn’t been targeted all that much…

    Go Pitt.

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  18. What a great football weekend. The Pitt Trifecta was terrific. Then Georgia and South Carolina added to my weekend..too bad Georgia Tech couldn’t have climaxed my Saturday!

    If Pitt can continue showing week-by-week improvement, they are going to be fun to watch. And I have to think all 3 opponents are well aware of our upward trajectory. They’ll have some serious concerns as they game plan. Stay tuned!!

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    1. I rooted for our top ACC team, Clemson. They are one of 3 teams who can beat the pedos or OSU. I want an ACC team in the playoff.

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  19. Nice meeting Lastrow, Richman and PittPT and seeing Reed at the tailgate!
    Glad we dressed in layers with Gore-tex golf outerwear as we needed both.

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  20. Fun with numbers:

    TeamRankings.com currently gives Pitt a 26.5% likelihood of bowl eligibility (including a 2.2% chance of running the table and finishing 7-5).

    ESPN FPI is more pessimistic. By my calculations based on game by game probability, they give Pitt a 20.2% chance of bowl eligibility including a 1.4% chance of a 7-5 finish.

    (UNC 66.6%)
    (VT 9.8%)
    (MIA 21.6%)

    Thankfully, the computers don’t decide the outcomes, but thought it was interesting. This team isn’t good enough to look past UNC so hopefully they won’t!

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  21. I would certainly hope our Panthers don’t overlook the UNC Tarholes as they are the division opponent that seems to have our number. Even without Ryan Switzer and Mitch Trubitsky, they are not to be taken lightly as thus far Larry Fedora has outcoached PD in their previous matchups . .

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  22. JoeL, nice meeting you, buddy. See you at the NC tailgate. Your pix of a squirrel drinking a Guinness is awesome.

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  23. I find it interesting how little props Henderson got for his punt return taken to the house. IMO, that runback was reminiscent of the Revis return against the Mountaineers Some 15 years or so ago. Unlike most of his other scampers, where he has found a crease and then his speed closes the deal, in this one he was trapped by the sideline and he had to go through a gauntlet of tacklers to reach paydirt.

    By my count, Henderson broke 7 tackles during that runback. He could have easily stepped OOB or been tripped up short but he would not be denied. That final dive & reach keeping the ball in play while the majority of his body passes the pylon on the wrong side was a real heads up finish to one awesome effort.

    Brightwell’s early INT & Henderson’s runback we’re two really big game changers in this one.

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    1. Revis’s punt return was listed as one of the top plays of the years. In addition to it being an excellent run, can anyone remember what really distinguished it as a POY?

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    2. Henderson also said he used the Jumbotron to help avoid the tacklers, amazing. I thought it was his best one to date. Didn’t realize there are two active players tied with him. Too bad the line hasn’t given him the protection on the jet sweeps. Shows how amazing last years line was.

      I remember his first at Navy and how it electrified the crowd, it was all down hill from there. He is definitely a difference maker.

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    3. Good call Dr. Tom. That return was truly amazing. Right up there with the Revis return down the same sideline — after the fantastic double block on the Eers…

      To me, those two returns are 1 and 1A…

      Go Pitt.

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  24. Tar Heels have a lot of guys injured 16 starters out according to my Carolina buddies who will accompany me to the Burgh… never take them lightly as they might get a few of their players back in time for the Star Wars Extrvaganza… it’s a shame there isn’t a competing Trekkie convention in town the same week…..

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  26. 1) I hate UNC because they have beaten us every game except for the Meineke Car Car Bowl since I began following Pitt football as a young lad in 1998. I don’t care what their record is…let em’ have a butt whoopin.

    2) Where is Max Browne? He should be on the sidelines helping the Nuch and getting coaching experience with Nard. Is he in the booth with Watson? It was great to see Maddox so enthusiastic on the side lines helping his teammates. He has a genuine love Pitt…hope to see 14 back on the field soon.

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    1. Min/Max was on the field for the coin toss with the other captains and he was on the sidelines with a headset on (at least for part of the game). With his arm in a sling after shoulder surgery, he is limited on sending in game signals.

      I agree on unc – let’s make this our “playoff” game for 2017. One game at a time – but the unc game needs to be a revenge game, a run-up-the-score game, a never stop pounding them until the final gun game.

      In fact, Kenny Pickett must get in if Ben DiNooch has two – “3 and outs” at anytime during this game. We (and the Pitt coaches) need to see what Kenny can do in live game action.

      Running the ball will be key to beating the heels.

      HTP!

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  27. The team has started to make enough big plays to win, and it has been a nice assortment of guys.

    Most importantly DiNucci looks to be getting better along with the O-line, making enough throws to keep drives going. He needs to keep getting better as the game will speed up again vs VATech and Miami, providing we get buy UNC.

    The D-line and Linebackers are also making plays. This has not been the case since Aaron Donald, but it is more than one guy. They are very young except for Roy and Folston who also had big games. Even Zeise is looking much better and made some nice plays.

    Things are looking better for next year, except for the schedule.

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  28. I remember the 1982 opener vs UNC. Fazio’s first season. We expected a great offense with Dan Marino, but squeaked one out at 7-6. Shades of things to come with Fazio at the helm. Really too bad, he was such a great Defensive coach but a lousy head coach. And a really great Pitt Guy.

    At least we should finally have a better kick returning than them. That guy killed us for four years.

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  30. Note that some of Hall’s and Olli’s runs were to the opposite side of where the jet sweeps were taking the defenders. The opposition definitely has to take Henderson seriously when he’s in the “sweep run mode” and as such the weak side gives our running backs a fair chance to break some long runs. Previously our backs were just running into what ever the called play asked for. I do believe they are finally breaking off some of desired plays and running more to day light in the recent games.

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    1. if you remember last year, as the year progressed, QH sweep’s became less effective while Conner’s running increased. The attention to Henderson’s sweeps also helped open up the pass game as they often faked to him before passing …. whether to Weah, Orndoff or the forward lateral to Aston

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  31. Duzz should announce early that he plans to get Pickett into the UNC game to avoid a QB controversy. It will also help Dinucci so he won’t lose confidence if he is taken out. Dinucci still as a long way to go before he becomes a solid P5 QB. Moss must be in real trouble to be suspended this long. I suspect he won’t be back next year.

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  33. I don’t agree with the clamoring for Pickett. We know what we have in DiNucci.

    Yes Pickett appears to have a stronger arm, quicker release, and better legs.

    However, we have no idea what command of the game plan he has, can he read defenses,will he panic under pressure, is he accurate, will he throw it up for grabs?

    There will always be someone calling for the second string QB, but now when DiNucci has won two games,
    and appears to be gaining confidence, is not the time, to bring in another guy.

    Bringing in Pickett last time cost us the game. His three and out did us in. We will never know what DiNucci might have done. We do know he brought us back vs Duke, on the road and salvaged some semblance of dignity for this season.

    I don’t play Pickett unless it is in a mop up role or in an almost inconceivable blowout.

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    1. Didn’t Picket lead us into NC State territory and Nard Dog decided to kick the FG ?

      Also they drove again into NC State territory and had that strange QB option play called on 4th and long.
      They moved the ball, cause Pickett had 61 yards passing and he was Pitt’s leading rusher as well.

      He didn’t cost us the game. The Nooch was totally ineffective in the 2nd half.

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