With an extended time period between the last game and MMQB a lot of the Good, Bad and Ugly has already been discussed… But here goes anyway with one additional category.

GREAT!! (Old Gold font)

Fran’s work each and every week to make sure the POVers attending the home games can have the best time possible. I really regret missing the “BigB Memorial Tailgate” (even though he isn’t dead yet) on Thursday afternoon and evening before this game.  Fran started setting everything up soon after 2:00pm and from all reports the festivities were fantastic.

For those who missed the tailgate and didn’t yet see photos please jump over to this article and check them out.

GOOD

We have to start with RB Darrin Hall’s excellent day. To keep his 100+ yards per game streak alive is a real accomplishment but to do it while scoring 28 points is superb.  That was, save a FG by Kesserman, all the scoring we did on Thursday evening.

His stat line for the NC game was this:  23 for 121 at a  5.3 ypc rate and 4 TDs.  Excellent again but I think one of the more important facts from his work is that he did this with a longest rush of only 17 yards.

It is one thing to pile up 252 yards in a game when you have a 92 yard run and a 79 yard run – hell, that alone is 171 yards but in his last two games he’s broken 100 yards with longs of only 14 and now 17 yards.

In his last three games he’s carried the ball 72 times for 486 yards (6.75 ypc!!) and 8 TDs which is a career year for most D1 RBs.

Quadree Ollison and the TEs blocking for Hall... including #45 Devon Edwards on one of them.

In the video above you’ll see that Hall didn’t get those TDs all on his own. Since Shawn Watson opened his emails and read the one from Ike suggesting that he move Ollison into the H-Back position to lead block for Hall we’ve been getting great yardage on the ground.  Kidding about the email thing – but let’s do give Watson some kudos for making that move as it has turned out extremely well.

BTW – as you are watching said video remember that first passing play on it – more on that later.

BAD

I’m not going to label our QB Ben DiNucci’s work on Thursday ugly because when a QB throws zero INTs that is a real plus… but I have no qualms about calling it “BAD”.

Overall DiNucci completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 142 yards and no TDs or INTs. That was his passing but here is something else to note;  that first play on the video above was a 30 yarder to a wide open Hall on a swing pattern out of the backfield which only succeeded because it was on broken coverage by the NC DBs.

While Pitt fans will take 30 yards through the air anytime with this QB… if you take that lucky play away DiNucci was 10/16 for 122 yards.

I don’t know.  Maybe I’m splitting hairs here but DiNucci is just so very ineffective that it drives me crazy.  However his passing isn’t what lands him in the “BAD” column this week – it is his overall decision-making and simplistic approach to playing the position.

It is like he’s in binary mode out there.  Primary receiver open/closed?  No progression, no looking off defenders and really,  no run/don’t run? choices either.  Once he leaves the pocket it is like his brain blinks off…. on/off?

Maybe we should get him a shock-collar like the ones your dog wears to keep him in your yard. Make him wear it in practice and that way he’ll learn to trust his offensive lineman and stay entrenched in the pocket.

I think the setting #4 would do in his case:

Our run defense.  While we had contained NC’s running game well during the first 57:15 minutes of play when we really needed stops on NCs last drive to burn the clock down to 00:00 for the win we just could not do it.

Look at the sequence below – we had them in positions you would want; 2nd and 18 and 3rd and 2 and we blew it both times.  It was hard to watch but to tell the truth when NC started that drive I turned to my wife and said that NC would run over our tired DL – and they did… even though they only held the ball for 13:24 seconds in the 2nd half of the game.

 

2nd and 18 at UNC 29

(2:35 – 4th) Jordon Brown run for 23 yds to the Pitt 48 for a 1ST down

1st and 10 at PITT 48

(2:00 – 4th) Jordon Brown run for 6 yds to the Pitt 42\

2nd and 4 at PITT 42

(1:25 – 4th) Jordon Brown run for 2 yds to the Pitt 40

(1:09 – 4th) Timeout PITTSBURGH, clock 01:09

3rd and 2 at PITT 40

(1:00 – 4th) Jordon Brown run for 10 yds to the Pitt 30 for a 1ST down

1st and 10 at PITT 30

(0:25 – 4th) TEAM run for a loss of 2 yards to the Pitt 32

Qadree Henderson’s fumble on their one yard line.  He is fumble prone – we know that.  But this one was a killer for us and was, in essence, a 10 point swing to NC’s favor.  If you can point to any one play of this game that was a back breaker it would be this one because instead of going into the halftime with a 21-21 lead we trailed 24-17.

UGLY

Our special teams play overall.  Yes, the opening KO returned by NC for a TD was bad. The tackling on that play may have been the worse coverage I’ve seen Pitt do ever, but after that Henderson had only one kickoff return for 16 yards and didn’t return any punts at all.  Pitt’s punting game was OK with Winslow’s 46 ypp average and Kessman was 1/1 on field goals so that was fine.

But because of the impact of that first play of the game had on our team and the way it took the positive emotion right out of the players and rocked them back on their heels I think it was the defining moment of the game.

Narduzzi’s use of time outs.  We already knew this is an area of game day coaching that Narduzzi is poor in but this game he swapped timeouts with NC to try to “ice” their NC kicker when he knew, or should have known, there would be times ahead where he would really need that TO back.

What happened then was the NC kicker made the FG anyway (as they always seem to do, I don’t believe these ‘icing’ TOs are ever worth it except maybe at the very end of the game) and we got the ball back by kickoff down by 7 points and :30 left in the 1st half.

So instead of having two TOs in his pocket Narduzzi had only one and couldn’t stop the clock twice while we tried to get into a last-gasp FG position.  That led to the ridiculous snap and scramble where DiNucci ran around like he had fireants in his crotchal area while the clock expired.

(0:30 – 2nd) Freeman Jones kickoff for 65 yds for a touchback

1st and 10 at PITT 25

(0:25 – 2nd) Ben Dinucci run for 8 yds to the Pitt 33

(Needed that wasted TO right here)

2nd and 2 at PITT 33

(0:05 – 2nd) Ben Dinucci pass complete to Chris Clark for 15 yds to the Pitt 48 for a 1ST down

(0:02 – 2nd) Timeout PITTSBURGH, clock 00:02

1st and 10 at PITT 48

(0:01 – 2nd) Ben Dinucci run for 31 yds to the NCaro 21 for a 1ST down

This was a terrible loss to a terrible 1-8 team and this game ensured that in no way could we end the regular season as a winning one.  I have seen Pitt lose to underdogs many times but for me this was a tough one.

W.e remember the 31-17 loss to YSU under Chryst and DW losing to Ohio 16-10 ans Bowling Green 27-17 and because those weren’t D1 or FBS schools they seem to be magnified losses.  But I felt that losing this one at this point in a down season but still coming off a two win streak and playing a 1-8 team (which lost 16 starters since the offseason)  was as bad as anything.

We needed this win badly because it would have shown that we could still ‘beat the teams we were supposed to’. Instead now it is that we are just a crap team with crap coaching and seriously looking at an 4-8 record… which would be our worse in 20 years since Walt Harris’ 2-9 year in 1998.

Good lord – that looks as bad as can be doesn’t 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.

98 thoughts on “Monday Morning QB; North Carolina”

  1. Pitt-Miami to Kick Off at Noon

    PITTSBURGH—Pitt’s November 24 game against Miami will kick off at noon and be televised by ABC-TV, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced today.

    The game will be shown locally on WTAE-TV, Channel 4.

    The Panthers’ remaining 2017 schedule with announced television coverage and kickoff times:

    Nov. 18: at Virginia Tech* (ACC Network/WTAE-TV), 12:20 p.m.
    Nov. 24 (Fri.): Miami* (ABC/WTAE-TV), Noon
    *ACC game

    Like

  2. GOOD – D.Hall with over 120 yards rushing and 4 TD’s; QO with his run & pass blocking; Pitt Band; Pre-game tailgating

    BAD – QO with ZERO carries; QH and his 15 return yards in total – numerous opportunities were passed up with fair catches or taking a knee in the end zone. Dion Lewis caught the ball 3 yards deep in the end zone last night and returned it for an NFL TD.

    UGLY – blasting stadium music while the Pitt band was performing in their seats; Attendance once again; Special Teams coverage; Use of TO’s and coaching in general; Punting with 3 minutes left in regulation, behind by 3 points after our D gave up a 58 yard TD drive on the previous series; Tackling or lack thereof…

    Like

      1. I third that. I was griping to my sister about it repeatedly throughout the game.

        Hopefully somebody from the AD’s office checks in here every once in a while.

        Like

      2. My brother who used to be a season ticket holder won’t go to any games at any venue due to the music and the timing of it.

        Like

  4. A real atmosphere and real crowd would need no more than 10 total songs a game. This junk they play would stop me from bringing my daughter. Hell I’m only 40.

    Like

  5. EE..agree about the nasty over the top loud stadium music being turned on while our great PITT Band ..we have a really good band and they were coming through loud and clear form our seats on the visitors side…

    Good..you will hear it from me…the 4 Carolina peeps I had traveling with me were totally impressed with their Burg trip. They wanted to see PITT and one of the wives thought it was near the football field (imagine that?)
    They were blown away by the Cathedral with the International rooms and I bet we spent a full hour in Heinz Chapel. Frank is a Greek and you thought he had arrived in the homeland when we found the Greek classroom open and unoccupied by students. Our Cathedral beats their wishing Well and the famous Top of the Hill restaurant on Franklin Street is no match for the Lamont and of course my high roller friwnd loved have our PITT stadium share a parking lot with a gaming casino….

    They talked about how friendly the Pittsburgh people and fans treated them. They loved the tailgate and special surprises we had for them. They were in awe that a group of this magnitude formed from a blog and people who had never known each other…amazing work…they were made to fit right in and for most that comes naturally through a giving caring heart…it’s all about the love.

    With that in mind, maybe PITT needs to consider marketing to the visitors..PITT and the Burgh- something truly unique to offer to our guests…never take what you home folks have in that area for granted…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. May I also suggest the following excursion. Take guests up to St. Anthony’s in Troy Hill. Largest collection of Catholic relics outside of the Vatican. Takes 30-45 minutes to listen to the talk and even if one is not Catholic, its pretty impressive what they have there. Its an understated church in and understated place.

      On the way back down the hill, hit Penn Brewery, with views of the old Heinz factory.

      Like

  6. Off Topic:
    I call the ticket office for 1 ticket to Miami game. I am in the club section. I was taken back when they wanted 70 dollars plus 10 bucks to mail me the ticket.
    I can get a ticket for 5 dollars outside the stadium. If it was someone contacting my company and I saw a multi year customer and my product was poor I would offer a discount at least.
    Zero thought or training to change the experience for a buyer.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I understand that. My point is I did not and as a season ticket holder someone in the department should know that I can get a ticket for 25 bucks. Therefore, they should have a plan to add service to the best customers they have.
        a) match stub hub
        B) just give it away. (It is likely not going to be used)
        Anything that shows you are engaged. Even hey 20 percent off free mail.

        Like

        1. KMan..Don’t know if you know this but the Pitt ticket office is NOT run by Pitt. They farmed the entire operation out about 6 years ago to a private firm. That firm makes $$ from alums who are too naive to know there is Stub Hub and other outlets by over pricing tickets.

          Pitt was so inept at running the ticket operation ( you could hear the Duquesne fight song in the background while on hold) that SP made the decision to farm it out. Bet he made a bundle on the side!

          This crap could only happen at Pitt!

          Like

  8. Just watched a replay of last year’s Pitt vs VT game. Amazing how many key players are missing from that team. Price, jarrett, soto, talent, blair, caprara, galambos, webb, mitchell, Lewis, wirginnis on defense. On offense conner, peterman, aston, parrish, orndoff, ford, tipton, bisno, johnson, guy.

    This year’s team is almost entirely made up of first year players with the exception of some who were not the best players at their positions last year.

    The won/lost record this year is hardly suprising.

    Like

    1. You mean other than O’Neill, Bookser, Henderson, Weah, Officer, Idowu, Maddox, Whitehead, Jones-Smith, Ollison. and Motley who all started for Pitt last year or the year before? Hodges started for Texas last year. Flanagan started for Rutgers last year.

      Besides them, Hall, Folston, Brightwell, Jackson, Ffrench, Aruajo-Lopes, Mathews, Briggs, Roy and Edwards all played multiple games as backups at their positions (ok, Brightwell wasn’t an MLB) last year.

      The only true first year players who will letter this year are Hamlin (played last year too), Clark, DiNucci, Zeise, Garner, Pinnock, Mathis and Morrisey.

      Hendrix will be 23 before summer camp.

      Sorry the youth excuse has been done. Besides, Pitt just lost to a 1 win team in game #10 of 2017 last week.

      Reed, are you going to post the weekly rankings? I look forward to those.

      Like

  9. Reed – if you added two things to your list we’d be in perfect lockstep:

    1) Bad – Watson’s decision making. Two particular calls irked the heck out of me. With a 1st and 10 at the 50 on PItt’s last drive of the game, Watson calls an empty set spread formation. WTF?!!! BD takes a 9 yard, drive killing sack which effectively ended Pitt’s chance to win the game. The other was putting Whitehead on oeffense with 1st and 10 on our 25 and giving him the ball. Can we use him as a decoy ONCE PLEASE!!!

    2) The issue with the PA crew drowning out the Pitt band with garbage tunes again. They need to get on the same page.

    Like

  10. Getting dominated at home by Akron was a far worse performance than the NC loss.

    I’m not sure anything is more important for a QB than ability to read defenses, but in DiNucci’s case, his inability to actually throw the football accurately or with pace is alarming. This is why I believe he had a low ceiling. If I’m getting paid a few million to coach a football team, is how I’d have the courage and foresight to do the right thing. Narduzzi’s clock is ticking. Chryst was too stubborn to get a right DC, I’m hoping Narduzzi’s stubbornness doesn’t Exxon out as well

    Like

  12. Reed,

    Great write up as always and your Good, Bad, and Ugly is spot on.

    I share your opinion that Dinucci is just not a D1 quarterback.

    The scramble at the end of the half shows that he has zero field awareness. He makes a nice move to avoid the rush and doesn’t know how to set his feet and give his guys a shot for pete’s sake.

    He is maddening because he does all the things that are part of the play within a play wrong. I have heard some say the receivers aren’t very good. Well would you like them to run back for the ball?????Unless they run all the way to back to line of scrimmage Dinucci ain’t even looking in their direction.

    Then over the weekend to add insult to injury I watched countless games with running QB’s (or any quarterback and a lot of them young) that when they avoided the rush they set their feet and made a completion for a first down or a big play when outside the tackle. In fact, I watched the red shirt freshman backup that came in for the injured Iowa St transfer starter come in the game and do it again and again and again.

    Another addition to the ugly is Q Henderson should sit and Ra Ra Lopez should not come off the field.

    If You need a decoy on the jet sweeps do it exclusively with French.

    Like

  13. Good – Hall. Weah wrestling the ball away for a catch the 1 time (I think) he was targeted well.
    Bad – Q. Henderson on kicks and punts. He is afraid to catch it in the air and it is bouncing to him, costing time to try to beat coverage and costing lots of yards. B. DiNucci not seeing the 2nd, 3rd, etc. receiver who is wide open.
    Ugly – Tackling. Q. Henderson’s fumble. Watson not adjusting to the Carolina adjustments in the 4th quarter. And, tackling.

    Like

  14. I don’t know if we could afford him but Louis Riddick would be my chosen candidate for a coach to replace Narduzzi. Also I’m sure there is a lot less stress in being an analyst for ESPN than there would in being a head coach at PITT.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Good: Darren Hall, excellent effort. 4 TDs in one night. The weather. A little chilly but in November at night it was as good as you can want.

    Bad: Q. Cannot fumble at the goal line. Cannot take the touchback right before halftime. The defense. Yeah the offense didn’t help, but giving up 20 yards on a running play on 2nd and 18 with the game on the line was very bad.

    Ugly: Play calling/offense – Going 3 and out and running about 50 seconds off the clock after UNC misses the FG. Should have iced the game there. But to make matters worse, with the game on the line you call a 5 wide set from the 50 yard line on 1st down resulting in a 10 yard sack and for all intents the ball game.

    And once again…..the sea of yellow empty seats on national TV. All things considered it wasn’t a bad turn-out for a Thursday night game against a 1-8 team. But OPTICS! A decent crowd of 35k looks like crap in a stadium designed to hold twice that many. Sorry you can’t bring Pitt stadium back but that decision may go down as being as bad as the decision to join the Big East in the 80’s instead of aligning with Paterno.

    NOTE: I have a very strange feeling we beat an over-rated VaTech this week and much of the hysterics die down for a while

    Like

    1. If they didn’t lose 2 in a row I’d say there is a chance and if the game was not in Blacksburg with a stadium on campus that supports the team. We lose by 18

      Like

  17. OiaL…45000 in a stadium still looks mighty empty..can’t cut the mustard any differently.

    All things considered, I thought the crowd wasn’t bad but numbers are dropping. We planned on taking our Carolina fans to the game via Riverboat which usually start running 3 hours before the game but on Thursday boats didn’t levae the dock until 2 hours before the game..someone at the dock and the hotel told me Pitt attendance has been dwindling…..that is happening in a lot of places..maybe we could try committment to developing a winning program to see if that reverses the trend.

    Like

  18. Ok, I posted this earlier today, but it was the previous post and not thinking that the conversation was pretty much done there. I’m curious on others’ thoughts….

    Trying to be realistic objective as possible – what should the university do?

    Is it realistic to see a significant change next year in performance?

    Seeing what we are see unfolding this season, particularly from a coaching stand point – is it realistic to expect much more?

    I didn’t have high expectations for this season, but the frustration is coming from games that we should win.

    New ADs usually like to make their mark. Normally, I would think that would put such under performing coaching under a watchful eye, if not all out hot seat.

    Again, I expected this year to suck, but suck winning what what was achievable.
    Add to that the inexplicable red shirt issue/QB debacle.

    What is realistic…?

    Like

  19. I have been a loyal Pitt fan since I was a young boy in the 50’s, and have a post grad degree. I did do my undergraduate work at Miami. I have always rooted for both teams and when they go head to head hope the one that has the most to gain wins the game.
    I am having nightmares that some how Pitt will pull a rabbit out of the hat and knock the U out of the playoffs. I can only hope that PN will stick with Ben at qb. Then I know the Canes are safe.

    Like

  20. PITT is set up for a possible decent season next year. We know and so should HCPN and Watson know, that Ben isn’t the QB of PITT’s future. Of course, we don’t know if KP is the future either. I see another QB Grad transfer in PITT’s immediate future.

    …..and that sucks…

    PITT missed everyone’s whipping boy, Avonte Maddox last week. Weaver has pretty much replaced Edwards so PITT didn’t have a senior starting on defense. < Just in case you’re looking for an excuse? but no more excuses.

    Like

    1. I’m hoping PITT is set for a much better year in 2018 Ike. But that OOC schedule is once again a bit daunting. I get it,,,you schedule them, so you play them. However, if our young squad is maturing and playing better, then it’s not so daunting. I say no to QB transfer. Pickett will win it in spring/summer practices. I feel very confident in that.

      Like

  21. JoeP…I only see us losing one game that if QH doesn’t fumble we should win .. on 2nd thought if he scored we would have found a way to lose to the Heels- like one POVert posted on an earlier thread “ I am just going to pencil in the Carolina game as a Loss “ until the end of time.” LMAO..

    You were a smart one- you had good enough judgement to have lower expectations…

    Like

  22. ok looking forward to next year and Coach Nard-dogs master plan.

    Non-con games
    Albany – W
    PSU – L
    Notre Dame – L

    Conference Away games:
    Miami – L
    UNC – L
    Virginia – W (hell let’s give em this one)
    Wake Forest – W

    Conference Home games
    Duke – W (feeling generous on a Monday morning)
    Ga Tech – L (not feeling that generous on a Monday morning)
    Va Tech – L
    Syracuse – W

    Tallying the results of the Nard Dogs master plan for 2018:
    6 – 6

    Bowl game:
    Loss

    2018 final standings:
    6-7

    Hey lets give him a 5th year so that he can recruit more 3 star talent…

    I am not saying fire him this year…but 6 – 6 next year is not acceptable.

    DaveD

    Like

      1. David, now add in the one game that Pitt should win but seems to find a way to lose every year and you have 4-8. Scary.

        Like

  23. It has been noted quite a few times, including in the above comments, that Paul Chryst didn’t hire a good DC while at Pitt. And, that Nard has repeated this mistake, and then has stubbornly refused to change. I agree with these conclusions to a large degree.

    However, some it is just plain luck (bad luck). Here’s why I say that: Paul Chryst hired Jim Leonhard as the Wisky DC for 2017. Leonhard was the DB coach for Wisky in 2016. Prior to 2016 he had ZERO coaching experience at ANY level. He played at Wisky through 2005, then played in the NFL through 2014. The Wisky defense, after loosing key 2016 contributors like Watt to the Steelers (similar to Pitt loosing Juan Price and LBs) is playing better than in 2016. A weaker schedule contributes to this better play to some degree, but much of it is good coaching. I’m concluding that Chryst did the same thing at Wisky as he did at Pitt – he went cheap and hired a guy with little experience – and just got lucky this time…

    Like

    1. He hired an inside guy because he’s too inexperienced and too isolated at Wisky to actually know and evaluate any other DC’s.

      Like

          1. I don’t think that he’s a stooge. He knows football particularly the offensive side of the ball. When it comes to the power run, no better coach than Chryst.

            I just think that he got lucky with his Wisky DC. Pitt didn’t get lucky either time – House or Conklin.

            Like

  24. The Good:

    Meeting new and seeing old faces at the Fran and JoeL’s POV tailgate.
    Darrin hall << he’s not the same straight ahead runner the past few weeks.
    The O-Line’s run blocking

    The Bad:

    No adjusting to the short passing game.
    Special teams in general. Keep seeing players racing to get on the field last second.
    The O-Line pass blocking.

    The Ugly:

    KP not taking serious snaps. << silliness
    It was a little cold and my knee’s locked up << oh, this isn’t about me?
    BD, speaking of locked up, he doesn’t go through his progressions, locks into one receiver. .. . ike

    H2P!

    Like

  25. Narduzzi sticking with DiNucci reports the Trib today. Looks like the only way Pickett will get any chance is if DiNucci literally gets knocked out of the game by the opposition.—-Frankly I’ve seen about enough from Narduzzi’s decision making the past 3 years to come to the conclusion that he’s not going to be Pitt’s savior for football. if I were Lyke I’d seriously consider cutting him loose at the conclusion of the season or BEFORE.

    Like

    1. It depends to me how Narduzzi handles the QB selection in the Spring and August, not now. If he goes with Nooch, I’m done and will call for his head. Nooch has zero upside…

      I figured with a bowl game still possible he wouldn’t make a change. Also, why throw Pickett to the dogs? I would like to see some snaps though if (when) Nooch falls flat…

      Like

  26. Pride and Stubbornness are career killers.

    He has both and bravado. Not sure what he did to ever earn that.

    Like

  29. Since when did The PITT POV start standing for “Posters Of Valedictory” ??

    I was going to suggest starting a POV softball team to play against various celebrity and groups around the area but after taking a look around at the mentality, not enough with a winning attitude.

    Like

  30. Someone may have mentioned this earlier, but Tennessee made it a point to emphasize that they would not hire a search firm to find the next HC for FB.

    The AD would make the connections and find the right fit.

    Brilliant!

    Like

  31. Montana Beat the Mighty Whitworth Pirates by 8. I will give anyone here a bottle of TX Whiskey if they know what state and city Whitworth is??? Not to be confused with Wentworth.

    Like

  32. FWIW. Hall has run very well the past three games. Opponents were not ranked teams. Let’s see what he does against the next two very good teams. I hope he does well. The next two games are truer tests of his real ability. And Pitt’s O-line.

    Like

  34. You are so full of it is hilarious. You don’t know anything West of the Monongahela River you old goat.

    Keep up the attitude and I will fly directly into Arnold Palmer and make you forget about that rachety knees Iek! (Misspelled on purpose)

    Like

  39. There are no direct flights to Arnold Palmer Regional from BFT Mark Jimmy Joe Bob. There’s an ordinance from planes flying in from your area due to the cow-crap smell on the landing gear. << or is it the bullschitt? 🙂

    Like

  42. assistant coaches: Barney Goober and Floyd the Barber Personnel Director (and my personnel favrite): Ernest T Bass

    Like

  44. Ike, do you remember Eddie Feigner? Softball pitcher so good he only had 3 other players on the team and kicked a$$. “The King and his court”…I saw him when I was about 12 years old…early 1960’s. The dude was striking out guys while blindfolded or pitching from second base.

    Like

  45. Oh yes I absolutely remember the King. Never saw him live though. Another tidbit, Its easier to throw underarm than over. Less torque on the elbow and shoulder. (rotator cuff) Plus whip pitch pitchers only throw from 46′ instead of MLB’s 60.6′

    Like

  48. Reed, posts above suggest you have “lost the team” here on PittPOV. Not your fault, product of bad Pitt football and worse Pitt basketball yet to come.
    :))

    Having trouble Hailing to Pitt!!!

    BTW, I have to think the game day basketball threads will see about 6 to 9 comments, nobody is even hopeful enough to care. 😦 Attendance will be DISMAL at the Pete…Bryce Golden or whomever needs to be our savior.

    Like

  49. Good: Darrin Hall and the run game. JuJu and Conner entertaining the crowd.

    Ugly: (Bad would be too nice) Ben DiNucci decision making and arm strength , Shawn Watson’s 5 wide sets, Josh Conklin’s 4th quarter Defense, Pat Narduzzi’s post game pressers, yellow seats, stadium music, Peterson’s pass block coaching, kick coverage tackling and angles, wasting 4 hours of my life watching that crap, yearning for Wanny to be roaming the sidelines, missing Tino, realizing we will never see 9 wins again, dreading basketball season, etc

    Like

  52. ^^ Sorry tvax but when PITT loses the posters come out of the wood work. Doesn’t matter which sport. Hater hate.

    Like

  53. Bad BD quotes. He has watched too much Roethlisberger when he is pouting at Haley a few years back. The quote many of you missed this week.

    “Coach Watson calls the plays and we just execute them”. Seriously dude! When you are Roethlisberger you can say that.

    When you throw for 140 yards a game, trying to blame your offensive coordinator should get you benched. , Sorry, those are the facts.

    Look son, when you learn to throw a football over the top and not off your back foot going backwards and actually win a lot of games and championships, question the offensive coordinator all you want. At that point you earned something and others will listen. But not now son. Shut your trap and quit trying to give pro answers you heard on tv growing up.

    Almost as bad as “I am going to take out the OL this week”……yadda yadda Roethlisberger said it.

    Like

  54. POV couldn’t field a team because we wouldn’t have enough pinch runners on the squad……

    We would need ghost runners…..

    Like

  56. T-vax, I haven’t ‘lost’ the team because I never ‘had’ the team in the first place. All I do on here is write my impressions of Pitt football and the coaching staff and the administration.

    I try to look at things with a critical eye and I mean critical in the true definition of the word and not what people think it is meaning negative. Other form make their own Impressions and their own opinions about what they see and hear and read.

    Like

  57. Here is a case in point;. Some posters on Facebook just flat out hate me and anything I write. About the above article someone read it and posted:

    “For those of you who don’t want to take the time to read this I will sum it up for you. The team is crap, the coach is crap and nothing good happened in the game at all.”

    Well, he was correct that I inferred the team is crap which it is… However the only time I mentioned Narduzzi was his use of TOs and the poster completely glossed over the stuff I wrote under the “GOOD” section. That same poster, and others on there, have said I want Narduzzi fired when I have never once said that or thought it.

    But this is much the reputation I have on Facebook… Some haters just don’t want to ever read anything that isn’t positive about the program.

    Not so much on here. Here we discuss all 360 degrees of Pitt football and respect other’s opinions.

    Like

  58. and Reed, you have been right on this group for this year..you always provide well thought out commentary..not so much with some of us who shoot from the hip, especially myself. There is so much love for PItt and you can feel it on here and that love can be displayed on this blogs both from a positive and negative perspective…examples: Ike and Upitt both love PITT, no doubt about it, but they post as polar opposites from the central topic “Pitt sports.”

    Hey Reed, I asked Jeanie B if she was interested in returning to Annapolis to the Military bowl if there is a good match-up ? She says lets see who plays….I enjoyed that week-end so much I would go back..too much to explore……

    Like

  59. Good – Darrin Hall
    Bad = WR who cannot get separation and do not come back to help a scrambling QB
    Ugly – Tackling, tackling, tackling

    Like

  60. Just frustration on my end. Every kid is trying and that is a positive. Nobody ever walks onto a field/court and tries to lose, unless you play basketball at Boston College.

    I don’t like the fact that our defense has not hit an opponent hard enough (not necessarily to injure a player) but to just hit hard. I miss that and have missed it for many years. I keep challenging folks to list out the top one or two hits from our defense in the last 5 years and we just can’t get the list started. When your FB’s (Aston/Hynoski) have the hardest hits in the last 10 years, there is a problem. Our guys are too nice!

    I have nothing against our qb personally. I think he is trying to do too much with his skill set, which can be problematic.

    @rkb, hey neighbor, hope you are well – don’t disagree with your 3 points except that when our qb is scrambling he usually isn’t looking to pass downfield. Granted, I haven’t studied every play so I am sure there are instances when he did. My perception is that he doesn’t.

    Odd thought – When most teams go 5 wide, it is usually a qb draw!

    Like

  61. Huff, Huff…I think I remember one hit…..Galambos on the Iowa QB in Iowa during Peterman’s first year..I think that is the last bone-crushing hit I remember…I don’t count that 4th and 1 stop Tyrique had last year-the mass size was too different between the participants in the collision.

    Like

  62. Huff he was looking downfield most of the time, nothing there as WRs don’t move. A fan sitting next to me commented on this independent of my thoughts. Poor KP will find this out soon enough when he gets a chance to pass him as the starter. The WRs except for RaRa never try to find open field when the QB runs for his life. Heck one time he did look to run only and Brandon Hodges just stood there and did not try to block either guy next to him to spring a long run. The only reason the Nooch is playing per inferring thru local media interviews with PN is that he has become obsessed with not turning the ball over. Nooch could use the dog collar to stay in the pocket as that was supposed to be one of his flaws from High School.. 🙂 Scary thought, when Nard burned the redshirt of KP he gave an example of a player he coached elsewhere who used his RS as a freshman then took his second year as his RS. That is the stuff of nightmares when it comes to QB at Pitt. Expect when Miami blows us out KP will play, if not sooner.
    Scott used to play for St. Louise BB, think Pitt would have to give them 5. Gonna be a long year in hoops.

    Like

    1. rkb – many have commented and I saw it in person at Heinz as Pitt WR’s were running wide open in the secondary with no one to throw the ball to them.

      When BD locks on to a receiver, the D knows that is where they need to cover and they either force a pass out of bounds or the QB runs with the ball.

      OC Watson will be severally challenged vs VT as they will stack the box to stop the run and force the pass to beat them. Their run D is ranked 35th in the nation giving up 135 yards per game.

      Like

  63. And when Pitt tries to throw, they are facing the #14 ranked passing D who gives up a messily 179 ypg. Pitt hasn’t passed for that much since the Rice game.

    It gets a lot worse when you look at miami’s D. But let’s take one game at a time.

    OC Watson needs to earn his keep this weekend.

    Like

  65. I really do, but I’m not a gamblin’ man.

    If by some chance KP replaces BD early in the game, then you may be in trouble giving the points.

    I see this as a 27-10 game with no line-up changes, best case scenario. Could be as bad as 45-3

    Hall will be keyed upon and OC Watson will need to beat VT through the air. Maybe Watson will go back and watch the Voytik win over VT from a few years ago – that could be a winning formula.

    Like

Comments are closed.