They are going to run wild against us.

That’s really all you need to know…but here is what the media is saying:

P-Gs Brian Batko with: ‘Hard to say’ how Pitt will respond against Georgia Tech

“Right tackle Alex Bookser took his encouragement from realizing that fundamental mistakes can be fixed, and he isn’t worried about the talent on Pitt’s offensive line.

Linebacker Elijah Zeise couldn’t stew over Penn State because he had to get right to work preparing for what might be the most “annoying” offense Pitt faces all season.

And tight ends coach Tim Salem, well, his recovery plan for the weekend was to just not sleep. Or barely sleep. As usual.

“I’ve been in this building since 7 a.m. on Sunday,” Salem said Tuesday afternoon following Pitt’s first practice of the week. “I haven’t left. I worked yesterday morning in this building for, like, 18 hours and I slept here. That’s just the way it is.”

Remember this guy?

From the Pitt News:

Georgia Tech (1-1) vs. Pitt (1-1)

Spread: Georgia Tech -4

Over/under: 55

Analysis: Coming off a 45-point loss at home to rival Penn State, the Pitt Panthers will look to bounce back and play strong this weekend. Visiting opponent Georgia Tech is also coming off a tough loss to South Florida, 49-38. Both the Yellow Jackets and Panthers want to start 1-0 in the ACC.

Looking at the spread, Georgia Tech is favored to win the game by four points. That may not seem like a lot, but something like a game-winning field goal could easily be the difference in this game. Pitt’s offense will rely heavily on the run, as it did against Penn State when the team had 245 yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets laugh at only having 245 rushing yards — that’s about what they rush for in one half. They had 419 yards on the ground against South Florida in their loss last week. However, their starting running back KirVonte Benson is officially out for the season after sustaining a knee injury in last week’s game. He had 1,053 yards on the ground last season and will definitely be missed going forward.

Bet: Take Georgia Tech to cover the 4 points and the over.

Ok, this is a good spot to start with our predictions…FYI, here is what GT’s been doing so far this season:

gt stats 18

Basically two things jump out at me, their rushing (#1 nationally with 429 ypg) and their scoring so far (39th with 39.5 ppt). Just that alone makes me think there is no way we’ll keep up with them by points on the board.

But then I when I looked to see what Georgia Tech was doing on defense and I see that their rushing defense is pretty good at 74th nationally at 150 ypg and then also their passing defense isn’t bad, which is different from it’s been in the past few years. They are currently at 14th allowing only 135 passing ypg.

That isn’t good for us. They were beating a good USF team before surrendering the lead and game and I don’t think we are anywhere near USF as far as talent and coaching goes. And forget about their starting halfback’s injury ; they probably have three or four runners who can succeed in that triple option offense.

Pay close attention to what Johnson is saying at the 2:20 mark on about slipping the wide-out wide receiver out past the cornerback or Safety closing in for the pitchout.  All the QB has to do is stop and pass the ball over their heads.  With our defensive backfield they might dine out on this for big points.

Oh yeah, we’ll be see the backs of their players all day long.  One thing that really worries me is that we scored exactly 6 points in the last six quarters of play.

To me that says something especially since we kept our full 1st string offense in almost the whole 2nd half against a poor FCS Albany team. With the exception of Davis at RB then late subs on the OL.  We still should have been racking up points but Albany adjusted to us and shut us down.

I’m calling this one:

GT 47 – Pitt 20

 

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.

218 thoughts on “Know the Enemy & Predictions; Georgia Tech 2018”

  1. GT 42 Pitt 31

    Georgia (38-7 final score) and Miami (25-24 final score) both beat GT in 2017. Both teams held GT to well less than 300 yards of total offense. Both schools have athletes with speed on defense. Both schools used, at least part of the time, the 5-1-1 defensive alignment.

    The 5-1-1 includes three d-linemen with their hands on the ground, two d-linemen standing up and slightly back from the line of scrimmage (can use LBs here), and then two middle linebackers stacked with one of them 3 or 4 yards off the ball and the other one behind him at 7 yards off. The LBs must have speed to use this formation.

    Pitt will stick with a 4-3 and occasionally shift to a 5-2. The corners need to stay with the WR until the runner is just across the line of scrimmage and then need to come up to join in the tackle. Everyone else needs to know their assignments. Speed, physical play, and tackling are essential. Play the guys who enjoy hitting someone.

    Pitt will wear down by the end of the 3rd quarter if not sooner. They will need to substitute early and often. Our offense will need to sustain drives and score for Pitt to have a chance. GT seems to fumble the ball a time or two per game (four turnovers last year against Pitt). We need to recover any fumbles.

    I’ll go with the experienced QB and offense and pick GT.

    Also, with regards to the chop/dive/cut block – I believe that this type of low blocking can only be used within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage? Is that correct?

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  4. Also, I expect to have less penalties this week. And, I expect at least some of the players to be playing mad and with attitude. At least that is how I would play after getting embarrassed last week.

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    1. Then they’ll be out of control and GT will eat their mistakes.

      And I expect to see Pitt’s defense tired and sloppy in the 2nd half which will lead to personal fouls and then also holding on offense. I say we have close to 8 or 9 penalties on Saturday. At least that will be down from the 14 for 116 yards we had last week.

      Ours is not a well-coached team. We are undisciplined and that will show in frustration with the chop-blocks and in being behind.

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      1. True, if Pitt plays out of control. I meant more that players will be fighting off blocks, flying to the ball, and hitting the runner with authority. Rather than the gentle tackling that we see so often from Pitt.

        Watch the first few series of the 2017 Georgia v Georgia Tech game (or Miami). The full game is on youtube and the link is below. Granted, Georgia played for the national championship last year. But, witness how Georgia played assignment football while flying around and torpedo-ing the ball carriers. A thing of beauty.

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          1. I do know that. I concede that we are not nearly as talented as Georgia as well. But, why not 1) try a different defensive scheme (different from the 4-3), and 2) how can you not be amped up and pissed off after giving up 52 points?

            If Wirginis can only go straight ahead then he should be one of the stand-up defensive linemen in the 5-1-1 or possibly the up LB. Gt is unique. Use the scheme, and play the guys that give you the best chance.

            Hell, shift from the 4-3 to the 5-2 to 3-4 and then to the 5-1-1 to possibly throw off the GT offense. Do something!

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  6. I’m going to go on the ‘bounce back’ side and say the d has a huge game containing the run (no way you outright stop it)

    Pitt 27
    GT 21

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    1. GT has averaged 35.8 ppg against us in the last five years – and the lowest score of those years was 21 points against a better Paul Chryst defense.

      Holding them to 21 points will be “The Miracle on Art Rooney Avenue”.

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  8. More heat gets applied to the narduzzi hot seat after this game. I expect the Pitt offense to score but Tech will pound the Pitt D into submission by the second half. Tech wins it running away.

    Tech 38
    Pitt 24

    Tex

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  9. You know – reading these predictions is fun and it makes me look up stuff as you all post yours. Unfortunately every time I look something up I want to change my prediction to more GT points.

    Look, a not-so-great- PSU offense laid 51 points on us. Some of those were short fields due to our bad special teams play.

    But our special teams coverage units are truly bad and have been for the whole time Narduzzi’s been here. I expect to see us punt a lot (which will be entertaining in itself) and it will again be shorter fields fot the opponent.

    I also expect over 150 yards passing from them which will mean some longer pass plays against our poor DBs. They will suck us in with the triple-option and go over the top when we over-commit – which we will do in panic mode. Just like the description in the video above. They run the ball on a 68/32 split and that makes the passes a surprise for the defense.

    They have only given up 2 sacks on the season so the QB has time to throw when its a called pass play (in addition to the Run/Pass Option (RPO)

    Last year their QB threw for 970 yards and 10 TDs in a heavy run-first and most offense. They will test our pass defense on Saturday. Here is an example of that in action against USF last week.

    http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=24614968

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  10. If we score 20 points it will be by divine intervention. Funny, we’ve been fixing our fundamental mistakes for four years now.

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  12. It looks like we’ll have to listen to the game on the radio outside of the PGH area – any suggestions how to do it via Internet or something?

    BTW – if you have a chance to listen to the 93.7 coverage of the PSU game with hillgrove and Bostick it is very telling by what Bostick says about not only how they played each play but also on the state of the team.

    Have to say it pretty much mirrored exactly what I was writing about the program and team before the season started. He doesn’t pull any punches.

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    2. You may be able to stream game through WatchESPN via ACC Network provided you subscribe to a supported network (ATT, Xfinity, Charter…). Download WatchESPN from Internet. I run this application on my iPhone and connect to my 68″ TV via a few USB cables and it works great.

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  15. Reed – the game is on TV in the Washington area. Its on CSN Washington and probably on ESPN3
    At least its showing on my channel guide here in Central VA

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  16. Re-posted from the last article as I jumped the gun.

    Like I said yesterday, I really do not like PITT in tomorrows game at all. GT is so hard to stop because they use all 4 downs throughout the game in their possessions. That means all they have to do is gain 2.5 yards per down, which doesn’t sound all that daunting. What this means to PITT is, they have to stop GT when they have a negative play such as a penalty, an in-completion or a good play and a stop by PITT on a particular down. Johnson will go for it on fourth down in his territory so it makes it difficult to stop them.

    To beat GT it takes discipline so we will see if Narduzzi has instilled any of that in this years team? This game also puts a lot of pressure on Pickett and the offense. They will have to score and score a lot. PITT will also have to stop with the mistakes but who didn’t know that. Can they do it? ?? I have doubts and this point in time

    Reed the only two sacks given up? C’mon man. They only throw the ball every so often and it’s usually a player wide open, that’s a non stat imo.

    GT 42
    PITT 28. . …ike

    Liked by 1 person

  17. GT defense is really bad, but can our O take advantage? Once again special teams will be the difference. If we give them short fields and we have long fields again like PSU it will be a long day. But if we win the field position game we might sneak a win out.

    Unfortunately I think it will be the former, the punter won’t suddenly morph into Ray Guy. I say GT 35 – Pitt 27

    Narduzzi showed such promise after that first season. Decent first class. Then Ford committed and it seemed like his second full class would roll also Then of course the wheels fell off. Losing Hinnish to ND seemed to be the start of it all.

    I admit I am losing faith also. I guess I read too much of Dokish who was absolutely giddy about the Narduzzi hire. Thought it was a home run and recruiting would just take off under him (he really hated Chryst). How could Doke be so wrong on this?

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      1. special teams need to be special, turnovers need to be for GT and not us. Sounds cliched, but if those two things go in our favor we could win. Need short fields for us and keep GT to field goals. If that happens we can eke out a 27-24 win.

        But I think we see more sloppy punting, fumbles, etc, and GT most likely wins 35-27

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  21. Friendly reminder about our 2️⃣🆓 home matches this weekend! 😁Fri., Sept. 14🔸7 PM • Charleston🔹Free🍕 for students!Sat., Sept. 15🔸7 PM • High Point🔹All fans can enter to win spikeball!#OwnIt • #H2P pic.twitter.com/u781ccTUH8— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) September 13, 2018

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    If they’re offering pizza to watch our nationally-ranked volleyball team, they ought to be giving away dinners at LeMont to every fan willing to attend Pitt football games at Heinz Field.

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  22. If they’re offering pizza to watch our nationally-ranked volleyball team, they ought to be giving away dinners at LeMont to every fan willing to attend Pitt football games at Heinz Field.

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    1. The volleyball team has experienced seniors and a real good coach. The football team should be forced to watch them and they should bring the pizza.

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  25. I think Narduzzi screwed up big time on recruiting with the assistant coaching turnover. There seems to be confusion over the areas to recruit from, including locally. They seemed to give up on 2 and 3 star local kids, instead taking 3 stars from elsewhere over local 3 stars. They just don’t get the value to the local high school head coaches in getting one of their players an offer from Pitt. The local area should be a constant source of
    some 3 star talent that keeps the local coaches interested in Pitt. I don’t know if any of the current Pitt assist. coaches is assigned exclusively to Western PA. Maybe Coach Salem could spend some of his waking hours recruiting some local talent.

    VOR

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  29. I normally don’t make predictions on games, but I will make two this time.

    Prediction one – If Pitt loses this game by as much as some of you have indicated so far, the rest of the season could come apart like a cheap suit at the seams.

    Prediction two – if Pitt wins this game, there will be disproportionately fewer positive comments about Pitt’s performance than there will be if Pitt loses. 🙂

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  31. As far as recruiting, Terry Smith was the best recruiter in Western Pa. when he was at Gateway. Funny, the HS coaches really didn’t like him much back then because of that. Somehow, our staff has made him look like the good guy. Simply amazing!!!

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  32. I made some pesos taking the Jackets and the points last year… same this year.

    No punter, no semblance of a D1 passing game, the gurus D is the same gurus D( couldn’t recognize a jet sweep last week- Nit revenge)…
    Tech 40 PITT 16.

    Any thoughts on hiring the JMU or Noth Dakota State Bison HC…

    How’s our former D coordinator doing??? If he goes umdefeated then I conclude we are cursed!!!

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    1. BigB. Its early but here are some QB numbers

      Pickett 25-40 for 209 yards 2 TD’s 8 yards per pass play
      Marshall 18-36 for 287 yards 2 TD’s 15.94 yards per pass play

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  33. Terry Smith was/is a cheater. That’s why he was fired and why psu hired him. Pretty simple.

    Did Marshall play in a monsoon? Again, Heisman trophy candidate 14-30 for 145 yards. Pretty simple.

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    1. Again, Heisman trophy candidate 14-30 for 145 yards

      With about 6 or so dropped passes by wide open wide receivers otherwise his numbers would have been pretty good. Our passing sucks because our oline sucks, receivers suck, and can’t pass longer than 5 yards, good weather or bad.

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  37. Last week I couldn’t get 31-17 out of my mind and my guesstimate was Pitt over Penn State. Whoa is moi! Man was I wrong. Still have those numbers in my head. May be I was just a week too early. So, I’m going with 31 – 17 again, but with GT over Pitt. Hope I’m wrong. I won’t be watching the game. I’m sure I can find something else to make better use of my time.

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  39. Broncco Mendenhall was honest about his team said they have maybe 20 Acc players. Guess what folks that’s more than the sh!!!t roster Narduzzi is marching out there.

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  40. Welp, I gotta say…being negative is really emotionally taxing. I think I have reached my limit after what seems like a month of writing and reading nothing but depressing crap since Saturday. I can’t do it anymore. Either I inject some optimism here or I just go totally numb.

    And, there is plenty of time left this season to go totally numb.

    So: Pitt wins 40-20. HTP. Players will read the POV and unaninously (The President spelled that) use the criticisms (mine included) to pull it together and play over their potential.

    Or not.

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  42. They say you’re not as bad as you show when routed and you’re not as good as you look when you blow someone out. Having said that, I think Pitt is as bad as they showed last Saturday. There are too many “holes.” Special teams, O-line, DB’s to name a few. Even when Pitt had better players they had trouble with GT’s triple option. I will be shocked if Pitt outscores GT. 38-20 GT.

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  43. Two things Mr Anonymous, last time I ever respond when the poster doesn’t tag their comment. How hard is that to do? (that’s why I put ike at the end just in case) Just type in Larry Lipshitz (still anonymous) or something at the end of the comment. or not, fine by me.

    Anyways, last response to you. That was my point, the weather, same as the botched holds and dropped snaps caused the numbers to be deflated. Pretty simple.

    Can anyone provide proof where I said they were WRONG? I disagree all day but I sure hope don’t judge someone and tell them that are flat out wrong. Pretty simple

    …………………………………………………….IKE

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  44. I’m awaiting moderation on my last comment. I’ll modify it.

    Two things Mr Anonymous, last time I ever respond when the poster doesn’t tag their comment. How hard is that to do? (that’s why I put ike at the end just in case) Just type in Larry Lipstick (still anonymous) or something at the end of the comment. or not, fine by me.

    Anyways, last response to you. That was my point, the weather, same as the botched holds and dropped snaps caused the numbers to be deflated. Pretty simple.

    Can anyone provide proof where I said they were WRONG? I disagree all day but I sure hope don’t judge someone and tell them that are flat out wrong. Pretty simple

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  45. My hope is for significant improvement over last week. I don’t predict that we will win. I want to see O-line improvement. I want to see play calling that keeps the GT defense guessing and off balance – throw on 1st down etc. I want to see points in all four quarters. I want to see 200 yards on the ground and more than 225 in the air.

    The Pitt defense has a tall order in front of them. Improvement, to me, will be keeping GT to something less than their points per game average of 38, holding them to 325 yards on the ground and 100 yards in the air. The offense actually gets a say in what the defense does this week, because if the offense can’t sustain drives and give the defense a break, we are screwed, and GT will score more than their current average.

    Improvement on special teams should be easy to accomplish given that we are starting at the bottom.

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  46. It’s do or die for Pitt’s season this week. Coming off a god awful performance last week the Pitt team will be focused and IMO beat GT 28 to 24.

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  47. We should not take any solace in the fact that GT lost their #1 RB. The kid that is his backup would almost be Pitt’s leading Rusher. And in fact has more yards rushing than the kid who got injured.

    Jordan Mason is the backup and he has 180 yards rushing on 24 carries. Folks that is a 7.5 ypc avg.
    The kid who got injured had 116 yards over 2 games. Still with a 7.7 ypc avg.

    With Pitt being a pretty bad tackling team, and them being so good rushing the ball (the QB leads the team in rushing with 190 yards and a 8.6 ypc avg.), Pitt is going to give up tons of yardage on the ground. And of course will give up 1 long TD pass, where the WR is totally wipe open (hey it’s Pitt right and we’ve seen these re-runs for 35 years)

    They will attempt to do what Psux did in the 2nd half on defense, stack the box to stop the run and force
    Pickett to beat them. With a total of only 10 pass receptions by the WR’s and a very suspect pass blocking O-line, Pitt will struggle to move the ball.

    GT will have numerous fumbles giving Pitt a short field twice to score 2 TD’s and keep the game from being a
    total rout.

    GT 38 Pitt 17

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  48. I would never ever pick PSU over Pitt even if the evidence was overwhelming.

    I have watched GT this year and in this game I predicted a loss based on my 6 – 6 year record prediction.

    So – GT 42 Pitt 31.

    .

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  53. On an administrative note:

    I’ve blocked some posters for either personal insults or excessive swearing.

    I’m through having to go back and moderate individual comments, which is too bad because some posts are 3 or 4 great paragraphs of intelligent football talk with only one banned word.

    Don’t do the dropping one letter out of a word either like “sh*t”. Honestly if you can’t do this one thing I ask…no crude swearing, politics, overt sexual stuff or religion…go somewhere else.

    Take the lead from me. I use “crap “, “damn” and “Hell” a lot in my articles and posts and the subject and intent is very clear.

    Also any posts with more than 3 links in it is deleted. That hasn’t changed.

    I’m not a babysitter on here and will never be. I have told you I don’t want to be tethered to this blog after I publish an article…so I have stopped WordPress from emailing me every time a comment is held in moderation. From now on if you don’t see a comment posted that’s why.

    But I have said many time I want this blog held to higher standards than other blogs and message boards and have sincerely asked you to stick to those rules.

    The posters I have shut down know who they are. I’ve had it with snarky insults directed toward me after all the effort time and money I put into this site.

    Liked by 1 person

  56. College football is hard to predict. Everyone including me was disappointed in the coaching and response. But to think GT is some powerhouse is not the case. Pitt has talent and it will show Saturday. Pitt 34.GT 24. Watson lets Pickett play and he will provide the O.

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  57. Reed, sorry about an earlier comment I made I want Pitt Football to do well I just think we’re slipping backward. It’s the same 4 to 5 year cycle were stuck in need a win really bad this week just do not forsee it. I let my emotions get the best of me won’t happen again.

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  59. You never know with Pitt. GT has a terrible road record.
    The Panthers come out ready to put the PSU game behind them,
    force a few turnovers and score on a punt of kickoff
    return. Ollison and Davis carry the load on the ground and
    the D steps up just enough. Pitt wins 34-31

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  62. Honestly, I think this staff is scared about the team this season and it rubs off on the players.

    If you have a chance to watch the 15-20 second clip of the Pitt locker room before the game started pay close attention to how Pickett looked and listen for the other players…crickets. That was a way too tense lockeroom when they should have been having fun looking forward to the game.

    Narduzzi didn’t help matters with that idiotic penalty.

    That has to change and I wonder if it will or can. We’ll see tomorrow but I’d tell those kids go out there and have fun, make memories and bring home a win!!!

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    1. Aside from the talent level on the field (remember that qualifier please), one difference between 2 yrs ago and last Sat night was that Pitt looked loose and fired up before the kickoff. You could sense a difference on Saturday night. Tentative and a bit stiff looking at the beginning. I haven’t seen the video you reference, but your observation doesn’t surprise me one bit.

      The only way they were going to beat the Nits was to be loose and fired up. Instead, it was the Nits who were loos and fired up. Guess its not surprising, considering that the game environment was hyped up, prime time and a full house. Some of those kids werent in the stadium 2 yrs ago and therefore it may have been their first in a Pitt uniform. I purposely discount the Miami game form last year since it was daytime and a much lighter crowd.

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  68. The next 2 weeks will determine the fate of Pitt football for the next 4 to 5 years, if we lose both, our poor attendance will be even worse, and you can forget about season ticket sales next year. My Kool-Aid is getting warm. Ga.Tech 42 Pitt-14. But I will be there in 219 cheering on Pitt, and I hope my prediction is completely wrong.

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  69. One comment to change the subject very briefly. Boy, is the ACC b-ball schedule going to be tough. I mean really, really hard!

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  70. Yep JoeK the basketball schedule does look tough but it always is in the ACC.

    What are the uni’s looking like tomorrow?

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    1. Not quite as fugly as last week. At least they got the Gold/Yellow hats this week. But white psux pants.
      See below

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  71. I wonder if Capel ever offered that last scholarship for this season. Was hoping for a one year paint eater to help with the rebounding.

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      1. I really hate white pants. They don’t look good in ANY sport. At least the weather should be nice tomorrow….

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  73. Moe – I don’t disagree at all. If they go 0-2 the next two games, I will not be the least bit surprised if Narduzzi gets canned at season’s end. I will be surprised – scratch that – shocked if he got canned mid-season.

    Before anyone says that won’t happen because of his extension, I ask if anyone knows the buyout terms of the deal. In offering an extension, there probably wasn’t much of a need to negotiate terms of the deal, including the buyout provision. In the words of Paul Chryst, I wouldn’t be surprised if ADHL “just offer”-ed the deal to HCPN. Coming off of a bad season and a couple years of subpar recruiting results, its not like he is in demand for another HC position at another Power 5 school.

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    1. When has Pitt ever fired a coach in hoops or football mid-season ? Otis….no. Dave Hart…..no.

      Unless the coach was involved in some major felony, ain’t happening I agree.
      And with the new Heather provided extension to 2024 or something absurd like that.
      Don’t see cheap Pitt eating 2 large contracts in the same year.

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  74. At least we’re not wearing the drab, worn looking matte blue Helmets. God are those ugly, along with the all blue akron look.

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    1. The all blue are awesome! Actually a modern look for the younger kids to like.

      I think the normal uniforms should be the throwbacks and wear the all blues occasionally like other programs do. Scrap everything else.

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      1. Actually all the young recruits when on an Official Visit….. when they take a pic in a Pitt uniform , take them in the Royal Blue and Yellow variation. Every one of them

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        1. I don’t get the limitation on the throwback. Is it a contractual thing with Nike.

          The games I have attended, it seems like the fans are buying up the brighter blue and yellow (it isn’t gold).

          Also, most teams have a secondary team emblem. It may not show on the uniforms but they have one for merchandise. Like PSU oval logo with the lion head inside it. It was mentioned Pitt was looking into one a while pack. Never heard anything else.

          Pitt has had some bad ones…

          http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/803/Pittsburgh_Panthers/

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  76. Well, I’m supposed to golf Tuesday with Mikey the ?Nitter. Maybe it will rain! Only thing more ugly than the game last week is my current game. I have about as much chance of getting it together as the Panthers do this week.( preview: next week will be better!).

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  77. No trust in Narduzzi anymore … Johnson will try to rub it in just like Franklin did.

    Tech – 52
    Pitt – 21

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  79. “Bet: Take Georgia Tech to cover the 4 points and the over.”

    A parlay on that would be like stealing…

    GT 38 – Pitt 21

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  80. Thanks Emel. Are those white or the wrong colored gold pants? Ya gotta look sharp and feel good when you play the game.

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    1. Yep ike. they might be the worn out gold ones. But GT always wears gold/yellow pants, so would have both teams in gold pants ?

      Agree I remember Little League All-Stars, we’d go out into the suburbs to play some of these teams in Hampton, North Hills, etc. Their All-Star teams had compete uni’s, whereas ours only had All-Star hats and a hodge podge of all our regular season different team uni’s.

      It wasn’t a great feeling. Dress for Success !

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  83. Welp.. In true “battered-wife” fashion and against better judgement…

    I WILL be attending tomorrow’s game. Why can’t I stay away? Why do I do this to myself. I need serious help. You’d think last week’s “aversion therapy” would have done the trick. I’ve got it bad.

    Someone help me..

    .. those white pants are f*ugly.

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  84. Hobble your butt in there Jay and watch what happens and root like heck. I alway’s keep in mind that being a PITT fan can be very painful in a lot of ways. I roll with it but sorry to say, important family matters to attend to. I’ve already informed everyone that it will not interfere with me watching the game. Didn’t go over well but hey? I’m watching the game, life can be dealt with after 4:00 PM tomorrow. One day I will reveal the bizarre story we are all going through. It’s as crazy as my bio. trust me.. ike

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  85. Emel.. same with us.. a brand new “Harvard” felt hat with a star on it. We each wore our team unis, just like the big leaguers. Damn proud of that hat- I earned it and still have it.

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    1. Likewise BigB….got a huge trash bag full of all my former baseball team caps. And the All-Star one, with the Huge Star on it, is in there too ! Actually have 2 of them, as I was an All-Star at both 11 and 12 years old. I was the only 11 yr old on the team that year. And I started. Loved baseball, until a few years ago, always had 2 mitts. a ball and bat in the trunk of a car of mine.

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  86. I wore one of my new Pitt throwback shirts to work today.

    I work deep in WV so it was quite the effort. Even stopped into a Sheetz with loads of people with there WVU apparel.

    I guess that I am over last week, resigned to having to root for a mediocre at best team, but nonetheless proud of my university.

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

  87. If Pitt isn’t going to tarp the upper deck. Got an idea…..Redo every other seat in black or navy blue.
    So you have a yellow one then a black/navy one, a yellow one, etc.

    The Met Center (?) for the Minnesota North Stars was like this and from typical long tv camera angle of the full ice, it looked like peeps were seated in them.

    Anything would look better than the swaths of Sea of Yellow.

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    1. Tarping would have to be less expensive than a seat color change. Also, the Rooneys would never go for it. Sounds like a decent idea though. Anything is better than empty yellow seats.

      Like

  88. Every once in awhile you have an epiphany. I read the POV and so much is just blah,blah,blah. But when I read 15 of the 22 starters in the Penn State game were not Pat’s recruits in year 4 I suddenly woke up. And to top it off a lot of these players are seniors and will be leaving. I am to the point that I don’t care if we lose to GT. I think Narduzzi is a done deal. Pitt loses by 17 no matter the final score.

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  89. PJ and Narduzzi hate each other. Should be a tight game since neither team is that good. Ollison will run for 175+ on these chumps… easily. I think they get it together but lose on a missed FG late.

    GT: 28
    Pitt: 27

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  90. I do not buy the 15 starters are not Narduzzi’s recruits. imo, that is not true. 12 players yes. Reed doesn’t count transfers that Narduzzi brought in. We disagree there.

    I also stick with this theory. Tomorrow when you watch the game at Heinz or at home, look at all the players coming in and out. The term “starter” is only in name. The amount of Narduzzi players and the amount of the time they play is nearly the same as the starters. Lot’s of substituting going on. Look beyond. Still trying to find snap counts played. It’s an elusive stat like the GT QB’s… ike

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    1. Again, I was speaking in terms of HS recruiting which is the lifeblood of a good, solid college football program.

      15 of those 22 players were not recruited or comitted out of HS.

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  91. Greg.. your a man!! Wore my new Royal Blue and Yellow ( not Mustard) that I bought at Heinz Friday to the airport on Sunday… there were others in the airport in their PITT hats and shirts.

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  92. If there are 24k there then I will be surprised. Lyke will be passing out plaque to 104 year old letterman from 1898

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  93. I predict 34k in attendance. Thats actual butts in the seats and thats how Pitt calculates attendance these days. Paid is probably more like 46k thanks to all the Nitters that were forced to buy season packages.

    As far as I’m concerned, Pitt’s season begins with ACC play. Pitt is 0-0 right now in the march towards a Coastal title. I believe in Miracles.

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  94. Wore my PITT garb through the lobby of the hotel Sunday morning. For two reasons. I only brought PITT shirts and I wanted to wear them proudly either way.

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  96. GT 35-Pitt 24. The team will have to show me something before I cañ pick them again this year. Also was thinking of traveling to the Virginia game, but I’m not putting any extra effort if the team isn’t competitive. Show me something Panthers !!!

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  97. 35-30 pitt. 1st time reading since the game. Basically what I expected. It was a bad game in miserable conditions. One game does not define a season.

    Liked by 1 person

  98. If Pitt can get the coin toss call correct and Nardog keeps his cool, Pitt has a chance to beat the crippled Yellow Jackets, but…

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  100. Darn it grizz…I was going to take 7-6. So I’ll go with Pitt winning 101-99 in 5 overtimes. 😎
    Jay, come early. I got lots of beer.

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  101. Tomorrows game may come down to seeing what kind of coach and what kind of coaches Narduzzi has on his staff? < Note the question mark. PN is 2-1 against GT so far and I think they are fairly even in talent. PITT has the home field advantage (allegedly) so it would seem to fall back on how well each team may be coached up. Now, the old adage, you can only lead a horse to water may hold true and I’ll watch this game with an open mind unlike many on the POV and determine for myself if PITT has any future with Narduzzi.

    Sometimes other forces are a factor in the outcome and that is not forward excuse making. Just how an oblong ball bounces. I’ll stick with a close game but not so sure of who wins? Yet, I do think this defense will be good against a conventional offense later in the season. Plus Pickett will rebound as well as the season moves forward. . . . . ike

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  102. I just honestly ask, what do some people see that I may not that provides even a glimpse if optimism that Narduzzi could ever be successful?

    He clearly had some good tangibles to position himself to get a P5 head coaching job. BUT, really, what has he accomplished?

    I say the big wins over the last couple of seasons were great but likely due to credit by the offense, particularly with Matt Canada. Most recently there is ZERO imagination. And the Defense overall just sucks.

    I hope there is some lightbulb that magically cones on but really?

    Don’t get me wrong, I’ll continue to root for success and particularly for our fine young men.

    H2P!

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  103. Pitt’s fate tomorrow hangs in the balance. For me, the key is whether GT’s defense overwhelms the Pitt offense. If Pitt can throw deep on GT and open up the running game then they stand a chance. If not, it is all over. I think our defense, if it gets back some of its star players that were absent last week, can be respectable, which would further our chances. Is Gt’s offense as formidable as in years past? I don’t think so. I will buck the trend and say that Pitt squeaks this one out. At least that is what I’m hoping. Pitt 28, GT 24.

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  104. Going into the season, I was surprised how many people predicted a Pitt win over Georgia Tech. I’m not sure that Pitt has outplayed Tech since they’ve been in the ACC. Pitt’s two wins over GT were nailbiters and one was greatly aided by Paul Johnson’s questionable in-game decision making.

    I didn’t think the game setup well for Pitt before the season, and I’m even more concerned now. Three-and-outs are death against a team like GT that keeps the chains moving and wears you down. It’s hard to see Pitt holding the Yellow Jackets under 30 and I don’t think they have big play ability to counter Tech’s methodical attack.

    With the possible exception of Miami, I see this as the game Pitt is most likely to get boatraced.

    GT: 41
    PT: 24

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  105. I think the Pitt running game will be OK, and Pickett will have a bounce back game (mostly by scrambling because he will be running for his life). But Pitt D will not stop Tech triple option (why don’t we run this offense!)
    GT 41
    Pitt 27

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  106. I may not be Iek, but I’m usually more optimistic than pessimistic. But I can’t bring myself to see anything other than a blowout tomorrow.

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  107. GT replaced all four guys in their secondary from last season. And, GT is not huge on the DL with one of the three DL (they play a 3-4) weighing in at 245.

    Watson needs to call a good game and throw the ball early, often, and on first down.

    We will need the points, field position and time of possession.

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  108. I pretty sure about the coin toss, especially if we lose it and only need to answer which direction.

    As for the game, Reed’s comment about Narduzzi creating tension with the team is hitting home with me…therefore since I see GT grinding this out, I think when things go wrong, and they always do, I don’t see us responding.

    GT 40
    Pitty 16

    Hope most of us are wrong

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  109. Okay, so I have never predicted against Pitt, because I am a Pitt fan. I don’t take solace that i predicted a loss when it is against my team. I never stepped into a batters box and didn’t think i was going to get a hit, or the team win a game. Never. Therefore, Pitt is 1-0 tomorrow with a 37-35 win with GT hitting the goal post on a game winning kick as time expires.

    Pitt players try to carry Narduzzi off the field but the lift is mishandled and he is dropped by the punter.

    Narduzzi needs to play his best tacklers and physical players at the cb positions and at the safety positions. Ford, Campbell, Turner, etc. PLAY them now coach. Anything less than that and we give up big chunk plays. Aaron Mathews shows up and gets some receptions. If he doesn’t, he will either transfer or be a tight end next year. Zeise needs to not start. Give me Pine or Mckee. It is time for the younger players to pass the old dudes.

    No more Roy. Twyman should be in there.

    No more OC conservatism. Our offense is dinosauresque. Imagination wins in college football. Maybe the OC needs to have a couple beers befor the game. Defense will be discipline city. If you play disciplined you can beat this offense. All these dudes played against this type of offense in high school.

    Watching this pitt team reminds me of my time working at the muffler shop……exhausting!

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  110. Things I am wondering about tomorrow’s game:

    Does Watson have Pickett come out throwing to start or give GT big doses of Ollison?

    Question: if Pitt wins the coin flip…do they receive or “defer”?

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  112. I’m with Huff—could be a Tee Shirt, right? Can’t pick against Pitt. So, what can happen?

    D actually IS good against the run and snags a couple 50/50 balls.
    O is aggressive and gets lucky when GT is in the right coverage but ball is deflected to our guys
    Reverse Karma from that ugly five fumble game
    Nard goes for it on every 4th down
    Drop kicks for EPs and FGs

    Score?? Pitt 34 (5 TDs1 xp, 1 fg.) GT 33 (5 TDs, missed xp early, go fo 2 pt conversion to win in regulation, but holding calls screw them up…)

    Now I feel like I’ve been at the muffler shop and breathing the fumes. Night all from the left coast. Stay safe you all in the Carolinas.

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  113. See, those who ‘can’t pick against Pitt’ aren’t being honest on here. I understand the sentiment but these predictions are supposed to be what your true opinion of the Panthers and our opponents are.

    Predicting a Pitt loss isn’t rooting against the team. I pick them to lose and root like hell for us to win.

    But in pure football discussions, which we aspire to on here, it’s OK list what your head and gut says.

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  114. Good post Huff…punter drops Duzz almost made me spit out my coffee.
    Agree that “exhausting” is an appropriate feeling to have with this team.
    Hope our Southern POVerts are safe.

    Liked by 1 person

  115. Good morning Reed. My prediction was just me goofing around. No disrespect to you or the blog…I love this place.
    My head says we lose 35-28.
    Some improvements but not enough to overcome our not so special teams and Secret Squirrel’s overall coaching.
    REALLY hope I’m wrong.

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  117. Why? If Ford is running 3rd team he should not play. I thnk we play too many players especially on defense. The coaches need to figure who the best players are and play them. I don’t think we owe 2nd and 3rd string players playing time because we recruited them. Make them earn 1st string status. Beat GT.

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  118. Pretty sure he’s listed at multiple positions and #2 for kickoff and punt returns. He is a natural safety anyway.
    Why not a few plays on offense? Some kids step up on game day.
    Duzz isn’t secret squirrel for nothing…he wouldn’t even say who the holder will be on field goals.
    Maybe he has some surprises for GT.

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      1. Reed, we don’t know, and won’t if Ford is ready until he is given a chance to play. Even if he is “just a player” his upside would have to be higher than those in front of him. If not, why bother fretting over recruiting ratings. Also he has been here 2 years already and other higher profile P5 schools play blue chippers early. If he isn’t ready it would seem to fall on the coaching staff largely for not having him ready.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I think Ford’s case may not be football related skills but that’s just a gut feeling.

          Safeties and Middle Linebackers have to be the smartest guys out there on defense and not being that was what kept Wirginis from starting over Galambos… and I wonder if the same thing might be what is keeping Ford on the bench also.

          Again, just a gut feeling on my part.

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  120. To win PITT has to consistently move the chains and keep the Jackets from doing the same. Obviously we do not have a punter who can win the field position game- at least from what I saw last Saturday at Heinz and that is huge

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  121. Not to beat a dead horse, but did any POVer out there who was at last week’s beat down, see Paris Ford in uniform on the sidelines? I was looking (I sit in the lower level right behind the Pitt bench) for him through the raindrops and never saw him. Can anyone confirm that he was in uniform? Is it possible that some sort of discipline was handed down that kept him from being on the field?

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    1. Well, on the Pantherlair website this week, one of the writers at practice in the time allotted for the media noticed Ford was in back of the line during drills and moving gingerly. It is possible he is injured and Narduzzi never discloses that stuff.

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  122. Who plays QB if Pickett goes down? Heaven forbid, but it could happen. If Pickett plays terribly in the first half and say into the third quarter, would Narduzzi replace him? Use a Plan B or stick with doing the same thing over and over again, expecting success but achieving nothing but the same bad results? Doesn’t that kind of significant failure signify insanity? I have being saying this about his pass defense since year 1. Make your plan fit your players, not the other way around, when it doesn’t seem to work after 4 years. Maybe all coaches work this way? The successful ones?

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  123. All the data points to a big GT win. But the data can be explained away with unconvincing rhetoric. But, but unconvincing rhetoric is a qualitative term. If Pitt wins today then that W will be the only stat that matters. If, if Pitt wins today man o man is the POV gonna be fun this week. I do hope they win for many reasons including being able to say “really, it was just two quarters of ugly football played in the rain”. I am not a believer in this team (data just too ugly) but really it is true that it was just two ugly quarters of ugly football played in the rain.

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    1. 6&34,
      Well, actually it is 4 straight quarters of ugly football as for the entire 2nd half of the horrific team called “Albany” we were SHUT OUT while they scored.

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    2. Do you think that scoring 6 points in the first half of a game is good football?

      I sure don’t and think that a huge rationalization. The fact is we have scored 6 points in the last six quaters of play.

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  124. My gut says fire Narduzzi
    My head is torn though because of the buyout

    But one thing I’m sure. The offense and recruiting stinks.

    Thank goodness this game isnt on national TV. I do expect points to be scored but Pitt wont be able to catch up.

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    1. I’m feeling the same. I don’t think he’ll be fired after this season regardless, but Narduzzi has hired just an awful staff who cannot recruit.

      I don’t put it all on Narduzzi. The university flat-out stinks when it comes to handling football. No need to give examples. The proof is in the pudding, which is why it would be great if Narduzzi can somehow win seven games this season to show that he could possibly be building a program.

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    2. Everything I have read indicates buyouts on contract extensions for coaches not in demand by other programs are not the same as those for initial contracts.

      So, my belief is that it’s not a large buyout.

      Like

  125. couple items of note:

    Fran has had the flags flying for nearly two hours already. A true PITT man he is

    Ricky Town should be first off the bench in case of a Pickett injury.

    BigB is right, best way to beat GT is not let them have the ball.

    Looking out at this weather I can’t believe we sat in that mess last week.

    PITT is favored but many PITT “fans” have already thrown in the towel although the experts think PITT is the better team today with “home field advantage”. Lots of quotation marks there. ike

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  126. Oh and Eric, can’t say I did see #12 but I really wasn’t looking. I kind of think his lack of playing time could be from a school problem. Secret agent Narduzzi will never tell us anything like that.

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  127. Couple things I’m looking for and think about today’s game:
    1) I’m going to give the d a pass today. No one stops this offense. Play hard, do t quit, create some turnovers. That’s about all you can expect.
    2) I’m looking hard at what the offense is going to do. While there are many anomalies the defense will face there are no excuses for the offense. It’s a perfect day. If Watson cannot open up the playbook today and be effective there is no reason to expect much for the season.
    3) Dan and I think alike, it’s really hard for a team to bounce back from that type of loss. Show me something. Coaches and kids alike.
    4) Depending on HOW they play, the season could unravel. Lose but play close, OK. Another miserable loss with an ineffective offense and I really think it’s over.

    As others have probably already pointed out, GT is the favorite today.

    Liked by 1 person

  128. Reasoning for a blowout: When you invest so much emotion in one game, and you get absolutely killed, it’s really hard to bounce back. If they do it will show me something. I will be greatly impressed and readily admit it.

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  129. PITT 35 – Ga.Tech 28

    Volleyball team offering Pizza is because the match was moved to PITT. The original site was at Coastal Carolina. Short notice so offer pizza. Good move. Doesn’t cost much. Probably limited in amount per person. Clemson a few years back offered free pizza for attendees – ONE slice per person.

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  132. Unlike the MAJORITY, I actually would NOT be surprised to see Pitt pull off a WIN today.

    Now, this is NOT a guarantee like those I’ve successfully offered in the past. Very difficult to guarantee anything when you have a Head Coach who could lose control of emotions and single-handedly COST his Team the Game.

    That said, if Pitt WERE to win… it’s going to come down to Kenny Pickett finally getting it going with the Passing Game.

    That SHOULD be the strength of the Pitt Offense today. Unless they’ve replaced the turf at Heinz, the less than good conditions will again help mask some of the shortcomings of Pitt’s “Athletically Challenged” Offensive Line.

    Of course, there is also the question of whether Pitt’s Defense can even SLOW DOWN let alone stop Tech’s Run Game? Chances improve if we finally see someone other than Damar Hamlin occupying the Safety position.

    Possible score? I have no idea. Not my forte. Possible win? Yes.

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  133. However, the WORST thing about Pitt eking out a win would be having to watch all of the Kool-Aid Drinkers fighting to be first back on the Narduzzi Train.

    Not a train you want to be on. That I can GUARANTEE.

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  134. Ike – doing fine. It has been windy for last day or so but it has only started raining (so far only a slight drizzle). Forecasting 5-7 inches through Monday. I mowed yard (2 acres) and still have one to go. Picked up limbs, twigs before mowing & yard will have to be policed once again. All in all, so far I have seen worse from a thunderstorm but still a day or so to go.

    Bib B – Wofford is ok. Beat Citadel by one in a close game. 28-27. Beat a VMI team by a ton. Both Wofford games were broadcast on a local TV station. I watched some of Wofford – Citadel game and tv production left a lot to be desired. No announcers, just the P.A. system. Got that straightened out for VMI game. Will miss the Furman – Colgate broadcast to watch PITT.

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  135. The top rated 2020 receiver in the country is a kid named Julian Fleming from Southern Columbia High here in Pennsylvania. Last night J. Franklin visited him wearing a PSU #4 Jersey. The same number Fleming wears at SC. Franklin flew in by helicopter and stayed for the entire game. Just shows the difference in recruiting. Pitt staff no where to be found.

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  137. Be careful Fred!
    Watching This team has led many non drinkers into the street gutter holding an empty Mad Dod 30/30!

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  141. Game not on TV because Narduzzi and Lyke created zero interest in the team and bc PSU destroyed them. Every ACC Team on Espn except us. We are on the faux ACC Network

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  142. lol, Narduzzi now has control over the TV networks. Mark, sometimes you can go a little too far out of your way to display your disdain. Why in the heck would you want to watch this PITT team anyways? Actually I get it, for new material to rag on the University of Pittsburgh… You’re like the DARK energizing bunny, you just keep going and going.. on and on…. enjoy the game Mark… your buddy ike 🙂

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  146. In defense of always picking Pitt:

    I never pick pitt to lose because, factually, a bunch of 18-22 year old kids are really unpredictable, so I truly believe there is always a way to win. I just try have to have some doing it. In da ‘Burgh, I taught underserved, inner city kids who faced a lifetime of being the underdogs in the game of life. Most of my last 33 years in LA have been doing the same. I know, statistically, how many will be pregnant or addicted on the streets before they are 15. I know how many will be dead before they are 30. But I have to engage in the believing “game,” and it isn’t just a heart vs. head thing, it’s an informed heart thing. Why the hell else do I read 200 or 300 POV posts each week. I learn from my much better informed POVers, and my heart gets an important reality check. And then I play the believing game. No apologies. Just as I have no apology for rooting for Pitt 2000 miles and 33 years away from home. HTP

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