Here is an almost hour of my thoughts about NC game, Pitt’s State of The Team at the 3/4s of the season mark and other rants (mostly about Ike and Josh Conklin)…

Here are some great shots from Frans POV Tailgate on Thursday evening prior to the game.    We see that Bernie and his friends were there.  Here is a shot of Bernie and Annie.  Bernie came up to PGH with a few NC friends.

Bernie & Annie
Man of the Evening Bernie and Annie – our best poster

 

From top left: Joe L. & Randy; Cake for guests; Fran; Guests; Bernie and Miss Annie again; John (Major Majors) and wife Kathleen; Shrine to a living Johnny Majors; Mark (PittPT) and Ed Hill.

 

Bill & Beautiful

CoL with Victory lights tarped off (Thanks Souf!); Ike, Rich (Richman) and Eric (Missing Wlat); Snapshot; Ray; POV Flag flying proudly and Mark and Ed again and Bill & Lisa.

That looks like it was a blast and I’m sorry I missed it.

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

181 thoughts on “Saturday Edition of the Sunday Podcast”

  1. Truly a great time at the tailgate! Quick correction. My buddy in the pics with me is Ed Hill (looks like Carl on his name tag)……

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  2. And Bill’s wife in the last picture is the dear Lisa. Hey UPitt, notice the sign I made for you before you returned to post…it was your say “Come back… we miss you”. Need to meet you dude.

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    1. Iowa St this year reminds me so much of Pitt last year. A couple of real impressive wins and 4 very tough losses.

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      1. BTW, Iowa St this year also is like Pitt was last year … senior laden. Did you know that Matt Campbell began his college career at Pitt before transferring to Salem?

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  4. Can I go on record establishing the fact I’m definitely not very happy with this PITT football season so far? Especially with the UNC loss being the most disappointing. Cause I am.

    PITT is not 4-8 right now they are 4-6. for what that’s worth.

    Totally agree with Heather sitting down with Narduzzi which I fully expected to happen anyways.

    I think it may be time for Conklin to hit the bricks, however firing him mid-season made no sense to me. Again I mention Scott Shafer as a replacement and a co-defensive coordinator (with Partridge) and as QB coach.

    Narduzzi was tabbed a defensive coordinator guru by the national sports media not by me or Heather. It did take him 4 or 5 years to have one of the top defenses in the country. You know, when his recruits grew up.

    I surely wasn’t one that said this was PITT and Narduzzi’s year. The complete opposite of what I thought. BTW, If we are going to compare Paul’s and Pat’s first 3 year records, please include the competition and schedules.

    Raise your hands if you think PITT should recruit all 4 and 5 * players.. Ah, I see everyone raised their hands me included. Now raise your hands if you think that is even remotely possible. No hands? Wha? I recognize that better players no matter if legitimate would serve PITT better than taking chances on 3 *. Takes two to tango though. BTW, I didn’t raise my hand either thinking PITT can recruit all 4 and 5 * players. That ain’t happening and if you want to say you’re a rational fan than we have to walk the walk together.

    How do we know how Pickett is practicing? We don’t! I don’t buy the fact Narduzzi is playing players he doesn’t think gives him the best chance to win. If he wants to roll back to the Big 10 with a Big 10 contract he’s not fiddling around with his better players on the bench. << That’s Narduzzi hating.

    We think he’s leaving first chance he gets a good offer? Something doesn’t add up there. He’s not that stoopid! He’s playing to win games now and the next few years, he’s got pride and the future of his family to worry about than playing Dinucci.. ike

    H2P!

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  5. Agreed on most counts, Ike. I too am optimistic by nature but, I think your optimism for a win in the next two weeks and moving forward has everyone flummoxed. Narduzzi’s stubbornness is a bit easier to take when the team is having g success but when his decisions aren’t having the desired result it’s only right to question his decisions/coaching. Much like queztioning the QB loyalty to TS in an earlier time.

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    1. don’t you know it was the Strip District mafia that held 3 different Pitt HCs at gunpoint to play TS or else?

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      1. Something really caused Graham to skedaddle outta town at like Midnite. He couldn’t get a ticket out of Pittsburgh fast enough ! Word was him & Penny left everything in da burg and never came back !

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        1. In an interview Graham said he couldn’t talk about what really happened. Yea, Graham a creep and alw life but I think we’re all curious to know what really happened

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  6. Something overcame me and I feel compelled to let you all know again..

    Reed and I are friends from years of talking by phone and message boards. Now the POV blog. The respect I have for him is truly off the charts and believe me, I know how hard he works here on the POV. I could be wrong but I think he was upset he could not be at the tailgate because he has his priorities set and in the right order.

    When I post my disagreements with just not Reed but all on the POV I do try and be respectful and really only lean on the guys I’m a little more familiar with (Upitt as an example) so I know they will not take it too personal. Although it does happen sometimes. Friends can disagree.

    PITT football is just not my passion but it’s obvious to everyone here at the POV as well. Please don’t think I take liberties and try and force my thoughts down anyone’s throats. I have been known to be wrong once or twice in my life.

    PITT.. 27
    VT….. 23 < not official

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  8. but how do we know Pickett is practicing better or gives PITT the best chance to win. Hey I’m not saying I don’t want KP to play. I’m asking.

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  10. Narduzzi is going to have “Flummoxed” tattooed on his forehead in reverse so he can read it in the mirror after every game. But that’s just a rumor….

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  11. Right on ike, we have a qb who is what he is and one we have no idea about. I don’t know what the answer is, but I can see by the results this coaching staff doesn’t doesn’t either. I don’t see the future bright.

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  13. College FB is great. On Fox, OK State just beat Iowa St that took > 4 hours. Now Iowa is playing Wisc that may take more than hour less.

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    1. Wow, you’ve come a long way in dealing with your hatred of Chryst if you’re watching Wisconsin maul Iowa. Good for you.

      Hard to believe Iowa almost had PSU and had their way with OSU.

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  14. VT looked totally different against GT today compared to their Miami game last week. GT should have won going away but their Fr QB missed on 3 or so WIDE OPEN RECEIVERS on long passes and then also threw a WEAK interception to give VT a chance. He made up for those mistakes with great running and one big TD pass.

    Obviously, no way do I see BD doing anything to overcome his deficiencies so I would love to see KP start and have an incredible HUGE first win to make us really regret what happened Thursday night.

    C’mon PN, let’s start the KP era with a SHOCK the POV WORLD win!!!!!!

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  15. Wow….the Suckeyes pounded/obliterated Sparty today(48-3_, guess they need Ohio Fake much higher rated when they play Wisky in the BigJoke CC game.

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  16. Looking at Pantherlair recruiting rankings (and I get it’s right now) here are few names of schools in comparison of our proud #57 ranking:

    Army tied at 57
    Temple tied at 57
    Rutgers at 40
    BC at 47
    Cincy at 45
    Minnesota (a perennial bottom feeder in Big10) at 32
    Maryland at 14 (yep another Big10 bottom feeder)
    Indiana at 35

    Ok as I said I know it’s early but what does Pitt currently have on the burner that could make us leap over some of these programs? Anything? Anyone?

    Now looking at where we are compared to our ACC bretheren
    Miami #3
    FSU #9
    VA Tech #16
    Louisville # 19 (the cheaters)
    NC State #28
    Clemson #31
    UNC #43
    Duke #45
    BC #47
    Virginia #51
    Ga. Tech #52
    Pitt #57
    Wake Forest #67
    Syracuse #69

    Admittedly things change in February but congratulations University of Pittsburgh you are at the bottom rung of P5 conference in all aspects record, recruiting and when Reed posts them stats.

    Ike, I am relatively new to posting here and while I do want to find optimism in a program that has been mismanaged (the varying degrees of mismanagement are debatable, but mismanaged to say the least) for three decades now.

    People continuously say (not you necessarily Ike just transitioning 🙂 ) we need to support our school by attending games, donating to the program and being ambassadors to our noble alma mater. I will use a line from Judd Nelson’s character from The Breakfast Club…

    “What about you Dad?…No what about you!?” When this program starts to show the slightest commitment to producing a quality product, I will then agree with those who point to the lack of support being the fans fault.

    The fact they get the numbers they do after 30 years of incompetence is a testament to the commitment of the alumni.

    DaveD

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  17. ^^ DD as Mike Lange announcer of the Penguins says, I have more patience that Mercy Hospital. Plus I truly believe that PITT is about to turn a corner and walk down a block they haven’t visited in 35-40 years.

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    1. Well I can’t knock you for your good vibes…I just don’t/can’t sign up. I wish I could find a reason to join/defend for your optimism…I just can’t.

      My hope is that next year at this time I can post up here (the god lord willing) that you are a better man than I am (and that would not make me unhappy in the slightest 😉 )

      DaveD

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  19. The once proud program, and powerhouse…..Nebraska Cornhuskers went up to Minneapolis to play “perennial bottom feeder in Big10″(compliments of our newest poster DavidD), the Gophers of Minnesota. And got walloped by said Gophers 21 – 54.

    Knowing Pitt, if the Nard Dog left……we would hire Mike Riley of Nebraska and probably buy out his contract, even though Nebraska had plans of firing him !

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    1. actually, Nebraska suffers from the same disease that Pitt does ….. the Pedersen Plague. He has spelled doom for both programs … and the sad thing is that it continues even after he has is long gone. How else do you account for firing Pellini who had a 67-27 record at Nebarska? And as for Pitt, look who we hired to replace Stevie?

      Face it POVers, we are doomed

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      1. Yep, which is how I came up with his nickname of Cornhole 🙂

        I was one who thought Pitt should have hire Pellini. Pitt was outcoached by YSU & Pellini this year and we were fortunate to win that game in OT.

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    2. I am not getting defensive mind you but do you think Minnesota has been top of the Big10? And I used to post on rare occasions on the other blog you and I frequented.

      I used to appreciate FRANKCAN and his unbridled enthusiasm…

      Was sad when his posts stopped appearing.

      DaveD

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      1. Yes FRANKCAN was one of our most unique bloggers. You had to have the FRANKCAN cypher code to ‘get’ his posts.

        Which was kind of fun, in it’s own right. FRANKCAN is up in Panther Heaven relieving the 1976 season I’m sure.

        And nope Minnesota hasn’t been at the Top of the BigJoke since like early ’60’s. Just giving you credit for that phrase. Although I think they’re a middling BigJoke program, not quite as bad as Indiana, Buttgers, Maryland, Illinois. The Gophers had more wins than Pitt last year.

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  20. The only corner that Pitt is turning will be into a long dark alley where Pitt will be jumped and left for dead. Thats the Pitt I know.

    Most schools know the streets. Know its not smart to walk in dark alleys alone. And if you do, you carry a gun.

    Pitt has no street smarts. Ironic for an urban school.

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  21. ^DD, it appears after the UNC game, I quickly became a lone wolf. I have always paved my own way so I expect to be fine.

    imo this was supposed to be a season PITT struggles and with Browne falling flat it went downhill and bad fast.

    Thinking Narduzzi is on the schedule he had set for himself from the beginning. We shall see.

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    1. I can’t atopmlaughing out loud on the streets of Texas. Exact schedule he planned Ike. 4-6 and lost to a 1-8 team. His recruiting only rivals Gannon. Yep gorilla Arms is right on track. His smarts and iq are way below grade.

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  22. Tx_P. Why torture yourself so? Find a team that cheats and has plenty of cheating boosters with plenty of money and save yourself the heartaches. Me? I’ll have my PITT gear at hand and will with all my heart think they beat VT.

    Then get up in the next morning smiling and thinking they will kick Miami’s ass come the following Friday after Thanksgiving regardless of what the do against VT. It’s what I do… ike 🙂

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  23. Ike, you glossed over all the reasons that I thought Kenny Pickett should be playing so that we have a decent competition going into the spring or the fall camps.

    Raise your hands anybody who thinks Ben DiNucci is the quarterback who can actually get anything accomplished on the field that Kenny Pickett, or any other quarterback on the roster, couldn’t do at this time.

    Okay I see. Almost everyone.

    Also nobody ever said we should have all four and five star players. But don’t you think every each recruiting class should have as many as possible? We have 0 in this 2018 class. None.

    As of right now out of the 76 recruits who have committed to Pitt while Pat Narduzzi has been thehead coach we have a total of nine 4 stars…again that’s 76 total recruits with nine 4 stars and that’s terrible.

    The guy who couldn’t recruit before him he got 13 4 stars and one 5 star kid out of 67 total recruits and while that isn’t great it was better than our last three years.

    And since you firmly believe that recruits and players get better in their upperclassmen years you can see that those recruits that Chryst got who were upperclassman in ’15 and ’16… and we won 16 games. That was on the strength of Chryst’s players.

    We’ll see what happens the next year also but this year, with the majority of HCPN’s players, on defense at least, we’re seeing what happens. Again we suck on defense.

    And why not fire Conklin in the middle of last year? Do you think it would have been worse if we had??

    We gave up 269 points in the last seven games last year Ike… 269 and that is an average of 38.4 ppg.

    Here is the kicker though… We scored 308 over the same games and went 3-4. Had we had even a bit of a better defense the we would have won the VT game (L 39 – 36) and the NW game (L 31 – 24) to end up at least 10 – 2 with a bowl win. And who knows maybe Miami wouldn’t have put up 51 against us.

    But Narduzzi’s not a risk taker and can’t, or worse won’t, make a risky and bold move to save his life.

    That is what great programs do Ike, they roll the dice and they try to maximize every little bit they can instead of playing scared so that they are trying not to lose instead of to win… it’s a huge difference.

    This too is interesting; fans applauded Pat Narduzzi for going out and getting Max Brown as a quarterback for this year because nobody wanted Ben DiNucci to be the starting quarterback. But now that he is the starting quarterback and playing as bad as we thought he might, some of the same people don’t want to have him replaced… isn’t that strange?

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    1. Reed, are you saying that Narduzzi now has “his guys”? We heard that need expressed quite a bit last year.

      Former defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has been the head coach at Pitt for 36 games in nearly 3 years. I will go out on a limb and forecast that VT and Miami will score more than 30 in the remaining 2 games. If that proves true then Narduzzi’s defenses will have allowed more than 30 points in more than 70% of the games Narduzzi has coached.

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  24. VT got beat down in Atlanta today. So Pitt had/has a chance against them. Since we seem to always play them tough and it’s a close game.

    What would be very heartbreaking is you beat VT ……lose to Miami (as we usually do) and you end up with 5 wins. And all you had to do, was beat 1 win UNC to be 6-6 and off to a Bowl Game.

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    1. Wow. Now success is 6-6 and playing in the garbage bowl in Detroit. Emel – Remember when you would say forget that slop.

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  25. I dont believe Pitt needs to cheat but I wont torture myself either. If the game is on TV, of course I’ll watch. But I wont believe things will get better until I see the following:
    1. Firing of Conklin
    2. Hiring of an assistant coach
    3. 4 star recruits
    4. Development of players
    5. A new QB

    I’m not asking to hire a more competent and experienced AD. I’m not asking to fire the Dog. I’m not asking for a feasibility study for an OCS (yes I am). I’m not asking for a new BoT.

    I’m focusing on the low hanging fruit.

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  26. I thought the classless move of the day was the Pedos trying an onside kick up 21-6 vs Buttgers. If someone did that to them they would have a fit. What goes around comes around. Karma will get you sooner or later.

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    2. The supposed great Barkley…..had a meager 35 yards on 14 carries, against Buttgers. That is a whopping 2.5 ypc against a liteweight of a liteweight conf. The pedo QB had more yards rushing the ball.

      This guy Barkley is one of the biggest supposed Heisman candidate frauds I’ve seen in a long time !

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  28. Interestingly enough upon further scrutiny of the Minnesota Gopher football program.

    Since 1999,,,,,,both programs (Pitt and Minnesota) have been to same amount of Bowl Games. 14
    Sort of belies the bottom dweller moniker, I suppose

    Their Bowl Games include:

    The Citrus Bowl
    The Holiday Bowl
    Sun Bowl – twice
    Music City Bowl – 3 times
    Insight Bowl – 3 times
    Other assorted lower tier bowls – 4 times

    Why do I bring up Minnesota ? (other than them destroying Nebraska today)

    Well they like Pitt played in a Pro Stadium (the Metrodome) for decades. Finally built a state of the Art
    Campus Stadium that sits around 53,000 or so.

    The University of Minnesota never really placed much emphasis on athletics either, since their heydays of the
    the late 1930’s thru the 1950’s to their 2 Rose Bowl appearances in the early 1960’s. After that they never competed at a high level.

    But even they recognized the need for a 50K seat On Campus Football Stadium.

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    2. Yes and back in the day Minnesota won the first AP national championship in 1936, Pitt the second in 1937.

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  30. Wow! Those ladies in the pictures above with the POV guys are stunners! At the Iowa game some seasons ago I was also stunned at the good looking women in their Iowa wear present at Heinz Field. Whatever.

    Does anyone remember a Harris-coached Pitt team in the midst of a losing streak that rose up and kicked the butts of a Michael Vick VT team in Pittsburgh? College football can be unpredictable. This year Iowa and OSU, MSU and PSU, GT and VT today, ISU and three ranked teams this year, us and Clemson and PSU last year. That’s not being blindingly optimistic.

    Stuff happens in college football. Unless the Pitt kids and their coaches go into a funk in the next two weeks and just try to play out the season, stuff can/might still happen this season. Maybe it is a stretch to think so, but why the hell not.

    I don’t comment very often, but here is my final point/question. Have we played a game this year when we have not given up at least two TD passes? Even in the games we won? It seems a long TD pass occurs every game, even when Whitehead and Maddox are in there.

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    1. This year, except for Minute Rice….you are correct sir. Last year I believe only D2 Villanova didn’t have 2 TD passes. And the year before it was only Akron and Duke I think.

      We’ve been notorious since the 1984 season in giving up ….wide open TD passes, where literally nobody is within 10 yards of the opposing WR.

      I believe it’s in our DNA now 🙂

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    2. You’re talking about either 1997 or 2001. In 2001. Harris had a lot more to work with than Narduzzi does.

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  32. Georgia and the mighty SEC lol. If there is any team you want to play from the SEC with a chance to win it it’s UGA. They might come back, but they are as overrated as you can be. Also, Bama can most defiantly be had this year.

    This is what frustrates me, there aren’t any great teams, but everyone is improving. I was one of the guys who predicted 4-8 5-7 before the season, so ya, I expected it given all the losses. However, and it’s a huge however, it’s how they are losing. Having watched the Nooch thru HS I said he’d never,ever see the field. I remain stunned that he is our starting qb.

    The next time we hire a coach I think we should hire someone who has a better fit with our current conference. I just think the Duzz is a fish out of water in the ACC.

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    1. mixed bag … I like the fact he is kind of local (Youngstown) but as you had indicated, he has a B10 mentality … as did his predecessor

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  33. just saw score on the TV scroll … Syracuse 43 Wake 37 in the 2nd half. And I thought why are two ACC BB teams playing already and then realized it was FB. These days, it’s hard to tell the difference.

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      1. What like 76-61 🙂

        It’s all about offense these days and has been for several years, another reason not to hire a DC as HC.

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  34. My guesses are that OSU will play WI in the B10 champ game, Clem will play Miami in ACC and AL play GA in SEC. Winners into CFP.

    Next year for us could be murder with PSU, ND and UCF.

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    1. Notre Dame is still in the mix provided they beat Thug U tonite. And I guess Oklahoma/TCU is huge tonite too, with Okie still having a chance of going to the Final 4.

      Pitt’s non-con is insane again next year and with no experienced QB, next year is going to be another rough one, i fear.

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      1. it may well be the 2nd straight year where we get ranked as the toughest non-con. And just 3 years ago, we played Delaware, FIU, Akron, and Iowa (which finished 7-6 that year)

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        1. Yep Cheesehead Paulie had the benefit of some incredible weak schedules. Still couldn’t win 8 games though and only 6 twice. And a Pizza Bowl win over a MAC team.

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          1. Yet someone early last night said Pauly would win 10 games with Pitt players and schedule this year.

            Now that is a psych ward comment.

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      2. Miami is no where near Thugs. Richt is a stud. Pitt has more wanna be thugs than Miami. They have balllers not ifiots who
        Celebrate down to 1-8 UNC after a tackle.

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  40. I will probably get more with my bookie. lol Although I believe PITT can beat that sinful school in central PA next year I’m just playing with everyone right now…

    The mood is way too tense and uptight for me today.. Bunch of Francis’s right now. Not you Fran, you’re anything but.

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  46. Oh but Miami plays freshman and I know it’s only their coach his second year and I know they’re selling out a 65,000 person stadium in pro town.

    They didn’t hire some loser like Heather like from an effing school nobody even knows had sports. I’m done Jennifer these lifetime losers with the worst sports administration worst fun raisers Sam freaking Clancy Heather like all a bunch of puppets who are happy to suck the government tit

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  48. Geez o man, Mark. Even a Carrick third grader knows that the only reason that Miami filled their stadium tonight was because of the opponent. You lose credibility when you come off with something Lyke that. A few weeks ago I watched a game there that was half full. Bars in Blawnox are more crowded for Robert Morris telecasts than most Canes games are.

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  50. Yeah Mark Riech in his second year of head coaching? …and Miami didn’t have 4 and 5 * players already on the roster.

    Mark you sound like you graduated from WVU so yeah, you should have went there because your so embarrassed from going to PITT.

    …and Reed, I raised my hand to the question if KP should start or at least get quality playing time. I have had my hand raised for weeks now. I’m saying that I only have one clue that KP may be the better option and that is you. Who I trust but you’re not there everyday in practice.

    That said, I want to see how Pickett plays in live action. BD is no answer for the QB spot for PITT going forward. I agree.

    I would like to see a three way battle for QB next year and yes time to talk next year, between Pickett, BD and some new grad transfer QB. I thought it was time to move away from that option but PITT doesn’t have enough options so far next year.

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  51. Pitt is never going to change. If you want to play with the big dogs you need to pay 3 mill a year for a proven head coach and at least 1 mill a piece for oc and dc.
    Does anyone think pitt will do that this is a joke program that is happy being a joke and we the fans are suffering.

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    1. Yep.

      Ike you jabronis said Richt was washed up and sucked.

      I see talent, passion and excitement. And BS on tons of ND Fans. I see all Orange and Green.

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  52. Raise your hand if you believe pitt would ever actually make the commitment to play championship football.

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  53. I’ve been looking at some numbers Ohio State has won 10 or more games 21 times in my 34 years. Penn State has won 10 or more 16 times.
    This program is bush league. Cinncinatti has won 10 or more games in the last 34 years more than pitt. And in 09 we won 10 after winning 9 the next year the joke administration fires a coach who was winning and winning on a budget!!!!

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  54. The Irish,lol. People go crazy. Stacked,smacked,and whacked.

    In all seriousness, I pity Heather. The two revenue generating sports aren’t, and are in disarray. The Olympic sports for the most part are even worse. Anytime we are on national ?TVS we are a national embarrassment. Can’t recall all sports tanking at the same time for quite awhile. She will have to have “the talk” with a lot more coaches than the ?Duzz.

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    1. And every coach will laugh her and her compliance pencil out of the office. She is a puppet and all know it.

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  55. Either make a commitment or drop down to the mac. Pitt would not win the mac or swac or sunbelt or any conference with this joke d.

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  57. Maybe Larry Fitzgerald can coach when he retires. Come to pitt he’s already made a gazillion dollars so he’d be happy to retire and make an extra 1 million a year cuz that’s what pitt wants to pay.
    Maybe he can teach how to catch and instill some fundamentals that our current coaches can’t. Lol I desperately want pitt to succeed I’m losing faith I’m just fed up.

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  58. This program is so toxic even in two years when they give up on duzz what good coach would want to come here.
    Have they really helped duzz succeed in any way. No ad to sit down with him and say you need help on d let’s make a commitment to hire a good one open the purse strings.

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  59. Last year we were only getting out coached on one side of the ball. This year were getting out coached on both in year 3 shameful.

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  60. Aside from Sherrill and Johnnie 1, no modern ay coaching staff has been able to have sustained success, let alone 2-3 year success at Pitt. The common denominator is the school. The BoT. The administration running the program.

    Bring in whoever you want – without a cultural change, success will never happen. We will always be mediocre and have what we consider a “good” season every 5-10 years.

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  61. And in case I didn’t make it clear earlier. Reed, I salute you on Veterans Day and all veterans that served or are serving in our military. Your commitment and allegiance to our great country is greatly noted and appreciated. ike

    H2Reed and all our Veterans.

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  63. Big B – We suck and Heather Lyke from EMU was hired to fix it. Say it our loud and if you don’t cry laughing I will send you a $100

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  64. And remember that Miami, for those of you quoting them above are only 2-3 years removed from nearly getting the death penalty. Now in year 2 of Richt potentially getting in the playoffs.

    The Hurricanes (who I hate) have “corporate” support from the university brass.

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  65. did you hear them talk about the promotion for next week’s FIU-FAU game next week? $20 and all the beer you can drink … not making this up

    Now Heather – that’s a promo (not a Fanta for staying the whole game)

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  66. Mark, I will say this. If Miami comes at us like they did tonight against the Irish, we might lose by 50. Our offensive line will get a QB killed against a team like Miami.

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  67. I’m so angry so angry at pitt. At the same time I know what is going to happen duzz is going to have another mediocre year next year and the administration will give him one more year than hire a mac coach for 1 mill per

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  68. Better than some jabroni pride filled stubborn youngstown Stunad.

    If you are Heather Lyke you give the Iowa State Coach or Manny Diaz a blank check.

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    1. Who cares for God’s sake. Unless it is Football or Baketball it doesn’t matter.

      Did you really bring up wrestling? What next Woman’s basketball?

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        1. When they beat the best programs say something but playing at EMU is silly. She hired a no name in a no one cares sport. How much money is wrestling making Pitt? Loss of 3-4M

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  71. I’ve changed my mind. Do NOT play Pickett vs Miami, he will get killed. You know, ?I’ll be at that game, same as usual, and I already know the outcome. I truly wonder what is wrong with me.

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    1. Help me understand when you figure it out – I’m in the same boat.

      Because of the money involved, my wife calls the Pitt season tickets and donation an investment in our entertainment desires.

      Golf in November around PA is a hard sell.

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    1. And their team is real young too. Their freshman players looked great. Pitt will never win the Coastal…

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  73. Year 2 he wins Coastal and has talent everywhere.

    Narduzzi could coach till 2072 and he wouldnt smell a coastal.

    Professionals vs pikers from Youngstown

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  74. JoeKnew – I hear you on not playing Pickett against Miami. The ND offensive line is significantly better than ours and they got man-handled.

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  75. The next two games will be brutal to watch. So tired of its only PNs third year so should give him some time. As UPitt said, second year Miami coach has them winning the costal. Our 3rd year coach has a losing season. It says it all when we have one 10 win season in the last 36 years.

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  76. I’ll say it again, it all goes back to recruiting. The real question on Narduzzi is can he bring enough quality players in to be competitive? The one thing that stood out most to me in the Miami-Notre Dame game is the fierce hitting and gang tackling. Their guys are all jumping into the play while it seems our guys are either standing around or on the ground. I have a hard time figuring out how much is poor coaching vs inferior talent. I would love to see those explosive tackles when the receiver is catching the ball and the D-back just blows the play up. Some of that is scheme but most is just raw talent.

    Miami shows me that coaching makes more of a difference when you have talent.

    Look at Chryst, same coach, now undefeated, yes easy schedule etc. but he has some linemen on both sides of the ball, a decent QB and good RB’s and receivers.

    It looks like Stallings may be able to recruit, but whether he can get enough ACC level guys is yet to be seen.

    Both coaches and assistants need to overcome all the negatives of Pitt with their personalities to bring in the talent, a tall task.

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  78. these other schools have better coaches and staffs
    they also play freshmen who are 4 stars
    they have money to recruit and pay for proven and good coaches/recruiters
    they have support from the top
    they have a sports culture

    pitt will never have a sports culture with the current bot in place
    pitt will be cheap
    pitt will make sure sports doesnt get more attention than academics

    you need to have athletics report to a 7 member board
    the ad reports to this board and not the chancellor
    then you raise the money to hire a competent and experienced ad
    then you raise the money to hire proven head coaches (they can coach and recruit)
    then you start winning
    then attendance improves and more money comes in and boosters open up their pockets

    but it takes a new org structure
    a change in culure
    the right hiring decisions
    and money

    the bot is pitts culture – cheap, doesnt value the front porch, not committed to winning, doesnt know the difference between a football and basketball, and has closet nitters working to put pitt down

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  79. It sure was and think how much better Miami would be if they had their own stadium. If you win, they will come.

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  80. who does the bot report to
    and how do members get elected
    if its a democracy,we might be able to change the composition
    i know people are nominated and terms are a certain length, but does the public have a say
    can the public vote
    does anyone know

    all alumni should have voting rights
    i feel like im 1/8 of a person

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    1. That is the problem with Non-Profit Boards, they report to no one. Unless there is significant malfeasance, they are difficult to change. The real problem is that there is no pressure from the alumni who mostly don’t care.

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  81. Ike, I’m just giving you a hard time. I know you look at Pitt with a critical eye and see what is happening this season and, unlike me and others, tend to find the positives in the trash heap.

    But I have to scratch my head when you right I think Narduzzi’s right on his schedule. I’m not sure any head coach has a schedule that says I want to go 4-8 in the third year of my contract.

    As I wrote earlier third years do tend to be down for most head coaches. But this is a pretty big swing when you go down four games… from 8 to 4 is pretty dramatic.

    I think the majority of Pitt fans feel that it’s more than just now he’s playing with his players; we see it as more systematic problems in the program.

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    1. Right of the schnide you see the mayor of Pittsburgh on the list @ Bill Peduto – educated at both Pitt and psu.

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  83. Gloom, despair and Narduzzi. Deep dark depression and Heather Lyke on me. If it weren’t for a bad team, Pitt would have no team at all. Gloom, despair and H2P. Bring on MIami. – Hobie PS With a tip of the hat to Hee Haw.

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  84. how many of these state officials have penn state degrees?
    does anyone know how the other 24 members are appointed?
    and what is the thinking behind a board this large in this day and age?
    i would argue that the BoT is a clear and present danger to Pitt athletics and it must be disbanded immediately

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  85. Going private I think is the only way the BoT changes
    Its a relic of the state school era but what % of money does Pitt get from the state these days (5%?)

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  86. Upittbaseball why all the hate towards my hometown? Y-town may not be South Beach but it’s not that bad. One thing about us Y-town folks is that we are loyal and stubborn and I think Duzz displays those qualities. He stayed at Mich St longer than anyone thought, he hires some buddies, and he doesn’t like to change or admit he has made a mistake. That’s him, that’s his personality. He is cut from the same mold as Bo Pellini and Bob Stoops who have had success too, but often were criticized for being stubborn at Nebraska, Oklahoma and now Bo at YSU(they are 5-5 in his year 3). I truly believe Duzz can stabilize things and we win 7-9 games a year going forward, BUT he does need to remove or at the very least demote Conklin and seriously consider removing Peterson as well. The defense and pass blocking have really been poor this year and for the defense going on 3 years. Hiring a Scott Schafer who is buddy and local guy makes a ton of sense, let’s see what happens in December.

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  87. Reed, post podcast question…any chance Pickett is dissatisfied and floated the idea of transferring and Duzz responded by not giving him playing time? I am dumbfounded by this kid getting no playing time after burning his redshirt.

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  88. Can most likely meet at Archie’s…that’s a 12:20 kickoff. So I suppose I will be in Archie’s parking lot at 7:20 tailgating.

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  89. Giving Narduzzi the benefit of the doubt, he probably was going to Pickett if Ben flopped, but he played well enough to win 2 and probably in the other 2 if the D would have got some stops. I still believe he should have gone with MacVittie and saved Pickett’s red shirt. But coaches don’t play for next year except in the Pros when there is a Mario or Crosby available next year.

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  90. How many on that BoT give a damn about Football or Basketball. All they are concerned about is their fiduciary responsibility.

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  91. Fran nice meeting you the other night. Ike thank you for the tickets much appreciated looked for you after game but didn’t get out of stadium till long after game by the way did you let Reed know about the cap thanks again you guys are the best.

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  92. We need a turn over chain.
    I propose an empty yellow seat on the chain. The players can sit in during game because it wil never be used.

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  93. Fran great meeting you the other night. Ike thank you again for the tickets great seats we looked for you all after the game but we got out of the stadium late after the game. Did you get a chance to tell Reed about the cap? Thanks. By the way the BOT main job is to mange the whole university sports are just a small part Of that pie. I know a few members they are very well respected in the community and work hard to keep the university in high regard in all areas. Sports are just a small of that job it takes lots money to do it all. Tim

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  95. It’s impossible to manage all areas of the university being that large in size. Certain areas get neglected or mismanaged. Athletics is a large part of the operating budget alone. I’m sure some on the BoT care and understand the athletic side but most don’t. Their primary focus is on the academic mission. Hence I argue for a split between athletics and academics with much smaller boards.

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  96. You’re very welcome Mr Anonymous my pleasure and did you see the pic up top? The cap is in Fran’s hands and he may be able to present it to Reed come next Saturday as I probably won’t be able to make it down.

    Reed, no I don’t think being 4-6 at the moment is or was exactly Narduzzi’s plan but having to throw two of his starting D-Lineman off the team wasn’t either. Yet on schedule he is. This was going to be a down year before all the trash happened.

    Now when I mention or talk about PITT I usually take into account what Reed has laid out for us all. Believe it or not I think Reed knows a thing or 3. Reading the blog this morning kind of makes me chuckle. So now we are comparing Miami with PITT and Richt with Narduzzi?

    Richt has been a head coach at some big big schools unlike the learning on the job Narduzzi…. and don’t most think that the Florida kids are the kind of players we want on our PITT team. Well who do you think was making up almost all of the Miami team that Mark Richt inherited? It’s apples and oranges.

    Reed had a great article a while back on PITT and the administration budget constraints. We were told PITT just doesn’t have a big budget to keep up with most teams and I believe that. Well imo Miami is one of those teams. I’d be interested in knowing how much money the entire Miami coaching staff makes?

    Keep reading fire this guy or that guy, hey I agree that a few of the coaches having done a good job up until now but who we gonna get? Why do you guys think Conklin was the D coordinator in the first place? << He fit the budget.

    Yes I believe Notre Dame became much better when they exchange practically their entire coaching staff. Narduzzi can do that until the cows come home and he wouldn’t get one coach to come to PITT close to the caliber ND got.

    Here’s a good one, look how Miami, playing in a pro stadium, has this huge crown. << Kind of like PITT vs psu last year, right? and the way it will be next year and the year after that for ND game. Man it’s perspective guys and gals.

    Reed again, please, PITT is 4-6 right now not 4-8. A defeatist attitude I didn’t know you had in you? . . .ike

    H2P!

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  97. Pitt should force players to wear a chain of shame. Given to players who miss tackles, get burnt, drop passes, lose yards, get penalties, do stupid things. Pitt would need multiple chains. I would color them pink and have a donkey as the symbol.

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  98. Ike it comes up that anonymous because of work that’s why if I ever post again I will put my name at the end thanks again. Tim

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  99. Given recent events, not sure how our endowment funds will work in the future to help the school or athletics. The BoT should research.

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  100. Tim, I didn’t mention your name as I thought you wanted to remain anonymous?

    Tx- (Mike), that really did make me laugh out loud. What an idea.

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  101. Guess I forgot to hit the post button. Here goes again.

    I have decided that after watching Pitt football and hoops this week there is only one reasonable and responsible thing to do— Road Trip! Going golfing down to Williamsburg and will blame my golf game on the Gods, not Pitt Athletics. Miami attendance still stinks, lots of Irish in the crowd. But it’s getting better, as everyone loves a winner (even Estonians,lol).

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  103. I was wondering if there were running DiNucci so much hoping to get him dinged up to give them an e c use to bring Pickett in. But, Nard dog , you’re a man , you’re 40, you don’t need an excuse , DINucci’s gave you enough of an excuse anyway.

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  104. Tim, I mailed the cap to Reed in case we don’t meet up on Saturday. It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife.

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  105. Pelusi and Covert are on the BoT – good starting point for Athletic BoT…

    12 members appointed by the State… maybe the State should have the 2 in- state rivalries do battle each year.. because both parties are Pa taxpayer funded…

    PDY and Peduto suck

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