in Pitt Football 350 Words

MMQB re: VA Tech Stampeded by Pitt

Monday-Morning-QBWhen was the last time we saw Pitt run for 492 yards in one game?  Off the top of my head I really can’t remember. But we did it Saturday in a 52-22 victory that erased any doubts, at least for me, about the quality of the 2018 team.

Honestly I expect them to win out the regular season, be 8-4 and be crowned the ACC Coastal champs.  I never would have though that would happen – my prediction was five, maybe six, wins.  Color me pleasingly surprised…

Give us your GOOD, BAD  and UGLY that you saw happen out on the field last Saturday.

Here is a nice photo of a token of gratitude from the POV Tailgaters to FB George Aston for being a great Panther. The Aston family tailgates right next to the POVers

IMG_5775

Editiors Note: Let’s take a quite minute to think about our Veterans today; what they had to do in their service to the United States and how it might have affected them. Medical care is getting better for the Vets but some most in need slip through the cracks and don’t  get the help they need.

These conflicts in the Middle East have been costly in lives but also have introduced a dangerous problem… In-theater injuries are tended to almost immediately now and that means more of our service members live instead of die.  But a huge amount of those survivors are left with missing limbs and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) mostly.  One disabling injury highly visible and the other invisible.

Let’s learn what we can about this issue and do what we can to help. Sometimes saying “thank you” is enough to lift a Vet’s spirit so that might be a good place to start.

Here is a nice list of resources you can pass on to anyone who may have use:

Please consider doing what you can by sharing these resources on your page:

US Department of Veteran Affairs Crisis Hotline
Planning for Life after Discharge
Transition to Civilian Life
Mesothelioma Resources
Surviving Spouses Resources
Best Jobs for Returning Servicemembers

Thanks,

Reed

 

166 thoughts on “MMQB re: VA Tech Stampeded by Pitt”

  1. Thank you for the Editor’s note and reminder Reed. A heartfelt thank you to all of you out there in Panther land who have served our country. Never forget!

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Shhhhh! It’s like a library in here. Seems like everyone is either in shock or lying in the tall grass. So following Taxing’s start I will follow.

    THE GOOD:

    Just the big win, I don’t buy into the notion that what happened 30 years ago has any effect on game days now. (sop) but I do get a kick how when it’s brought up we only go back to when PITT’s football program struggled. Never seems to make it back to the late 70’s early 80’s. BTW, Warren Panther and I buried SOP underneath the Hyatt last Saturday.

    The run game, holy heck! PITT’s O-Line surprises even me and quieted down a few others. All of a sudden the Borbeley hire doesn’t look so bad and Heather looks pretty smart extending Narduzzi’s contract.

    KP looked like a different QB back there. Confidence is growing and the offense looks more balanced.

    Nice crowd for a very cold day. Home game weather this year really sucked.

    Right uniforms, wrong colors but I’ll take them

    THE BAD:

    It was the last home game, always sad for me.

    I find it funny that they put these restrictions on women’s purses and then hand out 6 inch bobble-heads that have to be lugged around. Buy enough and hand them out when the customer leaves. I saw bobble-heads laying all over the place from people getting tired of carrying them around.

    Again, it was cold and most games at home this the weather was bad.

    THE UGLY:

    The two thousand people sitting in the east club the entire game like they were at a bingo hall. The players deserve the support. (at least poke your head out for a few seconds). Saw a young man with a VT jacket on in a wheel chair that looked severely handicapped braving the elements while his team was getting crushed. He never left and sat outside the entire game.

    On to Winston-Salem!! . … … …ike

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Ike – You buried SOP on Saturday, but after the Panthers clinch the Coastal we need to dig up the corpse and drive a stake thru its heart.

      H2P!!

      Like

    2. Ike I have East Club seats but didn’t go in until the 1st half was over. Out of the 12 seats (I have 4) I managed to get for the game only me and another friend went back out for part of the 3rd quarter. Went back in to get a beer and by that point I just got carried away and celebrated there in front of the big screen with maybe one Bud lite to many but it was worth it!

      Like

  3. Greetings from Central Virginia, in the heart of Hokie Country, where its……………. crickets today.

    As this was a rather pic win, The Good, Bad and Ugly doesn’t seem to work for me today. It has a negative slant by definition, so I’m going to continue with “The Great, Good and the Bad” that I went with after the UVA game.

    GREAT

    The OL, Aston and the Ollison/Hall 1-2 punch running through the big holes all day.
    One of the biggest Pitt wins ever at Heinz Field. Charlie Brown kicked the ball this time. A total beatdown against a good program.
    Crowd noise at Heinz was great – especially on Hokie third downs
    Major Major’s efforts in producing the poster for Aston and Big B’s flag presentations to George Aston post-game.
    One Pitt punt all day and it went 50 yards.
    Awesome tailgate pre-game despite the temperature and the wind. Its a really special community of like-minded friends.

    GOOD
    Kenny Pickett’s throwing accuracy early in the game
    Defensive pressure on VT’s QB, registering 4 sacks
    Bowl eligibility when well-reasoned pre-season analysis suggested otherwise.
    Narduzzi’s bold – and crazy at the time – prediction about getting to the ACC Championship game looks more prophetic every day.

    BAD
    The weather was tough and kept some fans away.
    Ollison’s flip into the end zone. Not a fan of that stuff at the pro level and even less so in college ball. Having said that, in fairness the judges would have scored him at a p.5 – even the Russian judge.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Reed – I want to personally THANK YOU for your service in protecting us and rescuing others thru your long Coast Guard career. Thank you!
    I also want to Thant AII vets who read this great POV blog on Veteran’s Day! You ARE APPRECIATED!!!
    With a thankful heart,
    Jim (Pittman4ever)

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Good:
    —Sincere appreciation for all who have served or are serving our country.
    —We won! And that’s 3 in a row!
    —The simply amazing number of big plays…
    —The Fran/POV pre-game tailgate.
    —The Fran/POV post-game tailgate.
    —BigB’s generosity.
    —Elijah Z. making that first 3rd down stop – kind of set the tone.
    —KP hitting Mack IN STRIDE ACROSS THE MIDDLE on the first drive. One of our prettiest plays of the season.

    Bad
    —Reed wasn’t there.
    —Still much work to be done on the defense, but making progress.
    —Our total lack of a receiving threat from the TE position.
    —Poor Rachel getting injured (but then toughing it out in the cold = Good!)

    Ugly — that loss to UNC. (Though that game is kind of negated for me by the comeback win against Duke — still can’t believe we did that…and I’m sure Duke can’t either…)

    Hail to Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Good:
    – Lots of plays by seniors on Senior Day (besides the three backs and OL, Zeise and Roy blew up plays in the backfield and Briggs had a TD-saving tackle)
    – Crowd seemed to be into it (although I’m usually yelling so much that it’s hard for me to tell…)
    – Watching Amir Watts get excited
    – Mack’s concentration on bomb to set up Aston TD
    – KP looked as comfortable as he has all season
    – Perversely intimidating scene of crowd singing “Sweet Caroline” while VT was having a hard time picking up the ball on one of the kickoffs (the sort of thing that we’d see if David Lynch did a football movie…)

    Bad:
    – Some struggles with tackling
    – Bobblehead’s face doesn’t really look like Bill Hillgrove

    Liked by 2 people

    2. – Bobblehead’s face doesn’t really look like Bill Hillgrove

      That should be posted under ‘The Ugly’ 😉

      Like

  8. I attended that Pitt game at Beaver Stadium. A very pleasant day in good weather in 1988. PSU fans stood around not believing that Pitt won the game. Maybe this will be repeated next year.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. The good: the o-line, and my friend Eric who now wants to buy season tickets.
    The bad: how much delicious, but bad for me food. (And alcohol)
    The ugly: the urge to tell people to eat crow. I really want to say I told you so. Was so much negativity on this blog, now it is all sunshine and rainbows. But I am getting over it.

    Veterans Day today! Thanks for your service all those who have served.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Richman — Heather should hire you (and I mean to work for Pitt 😊). You could sell tickets and fill that stadium…

      Hail to Pitt!

      Like

  10. The GREAT… Pitt making my Pre-Season Prediction of a win against VaTech look like a MAJOR understatement.

    The REALLY GOOD… Ollison and Hall… the Offensive Line… and a Kicker working hard to become known as Alex “YES-Man.”

    The GOOD… A Defense that continues to IMPROVE especially when a certain Safety is not in the Game which if you haven’t noticed is more and more. A Kenny Pickett who is FINALLY looking like the part.

    The BAD… Tight Ends who continue to show absolutely NO ability to either run a route or make a catch.

    The UGLY… Narduzzi’s stomach which seems to be growing without BOUNDS!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The tight ends in this offense are mainly another offensive lineman. That is one of the reasons the offensive line play has gotten better with Tyler Sear leaving. He could not handle his blocking assignments. Our offense is based on controlling the line of scrimmage and running the ball. I keep using the analogy of Pitt being Georgia Tech north. The formations are different but the philosophy is the same. Run the ball as much as possible. We are executing better than Georgia Tech because of our fast, big backs. The quarterback has a much smaller role in our offense but our wide outs have a larger role with the jet sweeps.

      Like

  11. Good: seniors went out with a win at home, running game, blocking, receivers, game management and play calling, defense making some stops
    Bad: tackling, missed assignments, fumble into the endzone, penalties, return game
    Ugly: cold/windy day, game wasnt televised, some ref calls like usual

    Overall another complete game however and Pitt didnt choke despite being favorites in a meaningful game

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tex…the game was nationally televised on ESPNU and the announcers were actually good for a change.
      Andre Ware called us “Pitt” the whole game, as did the play by play guy pretty much.

      Even calling Pitt…..’Running Back U’. And went thru some of all-time greats at that position.

      A replay is on today, i believe around 4pm. So you can watch or record then.

      Like

      1. thx
        espnu isnt part of my cable and i wasnt able to stream it
        i’ll watch the replay but i did get to see highlights already

        Like

      2. You can watch the replays on ESPN3 here: Just click on the date and scroll down. The hoops games too.

        – Bobblehead’s face doesn’t really look like Bill Hillgrove

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  12. By the way… just a little something a certain Poster named “POD” wrote WAY back in August 2014 after a new Chryst Recruit named Quadree made his debut in the first scrimmage of Fall Camp.

    … “Ollison showed yesterday why I have pointed to him as the Freshman Back with the potential to be a FUTURE STAR.

    To date, Chris James has been the one getting all the publicity and attention. But it seems that is not James but Ollison whose abilities as a Breakaway Threat are translating to the next level.

    A BIG BACK with NATURAL ABILITY to “hit the hole” and “run to daylight”… and who is also FAST ENOUGH to “take it to the House.”

    I think pretty accurate in retrospect.

    Liked by 2 people

        1. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back POD, I don’t have a problem with that at all. I never understood exactly why Qadree wasn’t carrying the ball more after season one myself but figured there could be a good coaching reason? Just thinking that you could spell the young man’s name right at the same time you’re telling everyone how smart you are

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          1. Ikester… apparently this has hit a real sensitive spot with you.

            Actually, I have written about Ollison many times since he was a Freshman and have spelled his name correctly. This was copied and pasted from August 2014 which allowed the mispellina to slip through.

            Hope this is an acceptable explanation given your personal HIGH STANDARDS for Posting Etiquette.

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            1. POD

              Great call! If you’re right, it’s ok to be a little boastful. It’s all in good fun. 4 of my favorite words are: I told you so!

              H2P!

              Like

  13. This brief article posted by Reed for me hits the mark as to why I appreciate him.

    I don’t think I need to say more. The way I write, better that I don’t.

    It sparks one partly selfish hope in that I hope it reignites the Reed K/Pitt football interest. The timing of him missing having watched these last 3 games of Pitt football joy would’ve been nearly tragic.

    H2P!
    H2R and all Veterans!!!

    Like

  14. I am one of those that was calling for Narduzzi’s head after the North Carolina loss. That was and still is justified given that North Carolina was a horrible team at that time and remains a horrible team. Reed said this offensive line could be one of the worst in Pitt recent history at the beginning of the season. We were both wrong! I am very happy to be wrong on this! Our offensive line coach deserves tons of credit as the offensive line has developed over the course of the year. Hopefully we can hold on to him for next year.

    The Good bordering on Great: The Pitt rushing attack! I for one have no problem with Ollison’s flip at the end of his 97 yard touchdown run. This is supposed to be a game and what is wrong with having some fun. Old men get upset by such stuff probably because they take the game too seriously.

    The Bad: The Virginia Tech defense.

    The Ugly: Do not know of anything. As I posted after the game, so many Pitt demons died on Saturday!

    Just as a reminder to all this giddiness, we need to win out or this great win will be for naught. If we back into the Coastal title, Pitt will get no love and our recruiting will not get any sort of bump. Win out and Pitt will be be ranked, probably in the top 20. Hopefully they will also get some love by the recruits as well.

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    1. Don’t worry John….we’re going to win out. Wake needs a win to get bowl eligible, but they’ll get that against Duke and not us. Plus we’re better than them !

      Miami, is going to be tough I think, cause they will remember last year, but we still win.

      Like

    2. I admit that I’m an old geezer, but I don’t like to see the stupid flips because of the chance of an injury if they land wrong. I don’t imagine it’s something they practice — just a joyfully spontaneous, but none the less stupid, thing to do, IMHO…

      Mumble, mumble, mumble…

      H2P

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I agree John, you were wrong, just kidding, a little. No I agree with you in the importance of finishing the season strong. Losing to Wake Forest will burst balloons. A win next week and the Miami game could be an extra week of healing. << Yes, I would like a win there too but…..

    Scooter, missed you at the post-game tailgate. We are almost there..

    TRUST THE PROCESS! … ike

    Liked by 1 person

  17. The Great – Our courageous young and older men that honor their country by preserving it’s freedoms when called upon. Reed, I always appreciate you allowing me this one day a year to thank all of those that served or are serving and to especially call out my nephew, a special force staff sargeant who was killed in action 11 years ago on the 10th. He was 24. Had his mom and now 12 year old son to my house for the weekend and candidly, for them, it never gets easier. Many tears and much laughter at our house remembering.

    One thing I must say is that ALL of the guys in his platoon and especially all that were shot/injured that day reach out every anniversary and many throughout each year to offer all they have emotionally to help. I worry and pray for their mental strength going forward, but my word, what a brotherhood they share. No love like theirs! Sport touts the “brotherhood”, but the brotherhood of team sport will always pale to the brotherhood they share. Amazing.

    More on the great game later…..

    Had we only played that easy schedule where we would at worst be 3-1 ooc, we would be sitting at 8-2 and ranked in the top 15, like cuse! #winstorecruits

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I am sorry to learn of your loss. Having a loving family who cares and shares together will help his son tremendously.

      Like

      1. Thank you sir. My family appreciates any kind word, gesture or thought. I left out women above and need to include them as well. My apologies.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. So I run into the Alex Kessman at SoHo’s on the Northshore after the game,,,had run Josh and Kathy, his parents, there at dinner on Friday who are great people who shared with me…..Getting back to Saturday late night, I go up to Alex and introduced myself and let him know I was a kicker back in the square toe -straight on era (I kicked a 35 yarder, 1st one ever kicked at our high school and the only one I ever kicked-giving you a kicker to kicker perspective on what I am about to say)….I said “Alex, I was at the Georgia Tech game last year… saw the strength of your leg on a long FG you missed..looked like it was going into the upper deck..I have never seen a ball explode of a kickers foot like you hit it !!!” Alex replies “Which miss?” and we both laughed…I congratulated him and thanked him for coming to PITT and his great kicking (a;lso a QB in HS) … then I said..”Alex, the question begs to be asked “What happened at Notre Dame ???” He stared over at his mom then looked at me responding ” My mom, well my mom loves loves Notre Dame…..and I hate Notre Dame” sensed the anguish and replied ” I understand…like standing over a 3 foot money putt.” it’s a kicker thing some of you might not understand. In the end it was momma’s fault.

    Liked by 4 people

  20. Keeping with the Original Theme of this thread:
    The Good /Fantastic: All things on the offense and the Red Zone Defense.
    The incredible spread and camaraderie of the Fran/POV Tailgate!
    The Bad: Pitt’s open field tackling remails below the bar.
    The Ugly: V Tech’s offensive game plan which ate up lots of clock for us!

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Hail to veterans!

    Saturday was awesome. Good to win a big one at home for the fans and become bowl eligible.

    Pitt MUST win the coastal or the VT win becomes pretty much meaningless. Sure we still make a crappy bowl, but the difference between the coastal title and another average season are huge!

    Better yet, win out. 8 wins, a trip the the ACC championship and most likely a good bowl game. That is one hell of a season.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Another “Good” I just remembered:

    Whenever ike thinks about Pitt football this week, he’s smiling like a butcher’s dog…

    H2P

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yea me too ! Clubbing Duke & UVA is one thing. Blowing out VT is another. VT has played for the National Championship and has been to 25 straight Bowls.

      Pitt most likely put an end to that bowl streak ! H2P !

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Credit where credit is due. Dave Borbely

    He took a MAC grad transfer at tackle, two RS senior guards that hardly played and Bookser playing out of position and made a dominant run blocking OL out of them. Also, at TE, you have a walk on playing in Medure, a RSFR TE in Carrigan and a RSFR OL in Van Lynn.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. LOL…the butchers dog.
    John, I had such a hard time carving the first ham Bernie sent me that I bought a meat slicer for the next ham. Trying my best to focus on the thinnest slicing possible I failed to notice my dog Koal had stuck his head between my legs looking skyward for any random manna falling from heaven.
    He got a little..

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Fran “Franchise” Lokar — forever doing whatever it takes to make the Lastrow/POV tailgates the best they can be!

      Thank you, Fran, for all you do for the POV community. You and the Reedster are awesome. 👍

      H2P

      Liked by 2 people

  27. The Good : (wow not enough space to list all the Good) (so the Best of the many Good)(could even miss some Good) (nonetheless)

    Pitt became Bowl Eligible after starting 3-5……with 2 games left to play
    Pitt’s Dynamic Duo (espn website even picked up on this theme) of RB’s. Q & (you can’t)Catch 22
    Humongous holes, where our RB’s in some cases, not even being touched so the O-Line of
    walk-on Jimmy Morrissey(all teams have guys that walk-on, even Alabama, imagine that) Mike Herndon (very resilient kid), Stefano Millin (yea he’s from the MAC, so was Big Ben), Connor Dintino (another kid who waited his chance, paying dividends), Alex Bookser stayed HOME to play, cudos bigguy.
    Our great 6th Offensive Lineman, The Animal George Aston, who can catch too !
    All part of the greatest Amount of Offensive Yards in Pitt Football History
    Mad Bomber 2.0 was da Bomb again. 220 Yards of Total Offense and the Bomb to Fffrenchy
    Der Kessel got us off & running with another long FG of 48 yds under difficult conditions
    Shane Roy & E. Zeise both made Tackles for Losses, both almost like sacks
    The Bend but Don’t Break Defense. Yardage means squat if you can keep them off the board!
    Nard Dog outcoached Fuentes
    Got out of the game with no major injuries including Q’s previous leg injury

    The Bad :

    When you win 52-22, by 30 points or almost 5 TD’s……there is NO BAD

    The Ugly :

    The amateur looking Pitt in white circle 50 yd logo reared it’s amateur looking head.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Great to see some posters citing the names on the Oline. Millin is a great story; Herndon is a great story; Dintino is a great story; and Bookser is a great story. (Morrissey is still working on his story. )

      Shows that you pretty much can’t go wrong recruiting big guys who can run – which is what Herndon and Dintino were when they arrived at Pitt.

      Hail to the Hogs! Joe Moore would be proud of these guys – and Coach Borbely…

      Hail to Pitt!

      Liked by 2 people

  30. 104 points at Mustard Jar (the venue formally known as Ketchup Bottle) in 48 hours.
    Is that a record in Stiller/Pitt games played on same week ?

    Game scores were almost identical. 52-21 Stillers 52-22 Pitt

    I’ve had a tough time deciding what baseball cap to wear, to rub it in, to all these ACC/Carolina Panther
    types.

    Like

  31. In fact…… had VT not gone for 2 point conversion after their 2nd to last TD….scores would have been identical. What are the chances ??

    Liked by 1 person

  32. The good: Pitt administration for believing in Narduzzi with the contract extension to provide stability within the program.

    The bad: all the negative waves thrown at the program.

    The ugly: all the references regarding how incompetent Heather Lyke is and Watson couldn’t hold a job at the “O”

    I’m LMFAO how about those Panthers!!!

    Like

    1. I would have liked your comment Wlat radio guy but it was a little over the top imo. but thats just me. I do agree with what you said. ike

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      1. Just saying what I feel, sometimes the comments about the administration, coaches and players bother me. Narduzzi has his shortcomings but we all do. The guy is trying and this team has never quit no matter how bad it was.

        H2P

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        1. I agree 110%. He who laughs last should laugh best. It’s just more about the team than it is about me. I knew I was right all along, right?

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    1. Ike, I completely agree with you. If they had not lost their first string quarterback it would be an even more difficult game. They just beat NC State with the backup. NC State was overrated but still!

      By the way Wake Forest has an off campus stadium no matter what you may be told. Their athletic facilities are away from their main campus and the football stadium is even further away. I consulted for over half a year not too far from their campus and visited it several times. I also attended basketball games when Pitt played them.

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  36. I’m with you Ike Wake with 2nd string QB beat #23 NC State on the road last Thursday. They have the extra two days to get ready for Pitt and it’s probably their Senior day this week. Also they like to play their offense very fast getting the next snap off in under 15 seconds most times. I’m not comfortably with Pitt having to play fast defense.—-Hopefully our O can eat up the clock and continue to score TD’s like we did against VT and Duke. I’m also hoping the giddiness of all from last weeks VT victory doesn’t come back to haunt us this week.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. ike – you are dead on with Wake. Saturday was their best game and they have speed on offense.

    What is amazing to me is that every team knows we won’t throw (staring with ND) and still can’t stop us. Remember when Narduzzi baited VT to put “15 guys in the box” at his press conference?

    My only bad about attendance is that I felt a little alone in the stands in the West Club until I went in for a beer. Lots of folks at the game but a lot inside watching.

    My ongoing lingering concern is how wide open the other teams’ receivers always seem to be – so I guess I have to trust the “bend, don’t break” but it doesn’t look good in person.

    Like

  39. OT: Bengals fire former Pittman Teryl Austin DC after Drew Brees tore up their defense yesterday.—Also the Pitt Miami game will be played at 3:30pm on either ESPN or ESPN2 depending on the results from the games this coming week.

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  40. Reed, Thanks for the reminder. I think Veteran’s day started as Armistice Day, recognizing the end of WWI which was recognized in France this weekend. I had two great uncles who I knew as a child that survived being gassed in that war. The War to end all Wars. They were lucky to live long prosperous lives.

    The Good:

    The list is really too long to mention, but a great day starting and ending with the Fran’s great tailgate and being with POV Peeps.

    The Bad: KP’s fumble and not wrapping up their QB when they had him down. A very short list on an otherwise perfect day.

    The Ugly: Can’t think of anything

    Hopefully we don’t get overconfident, there is a lot of football yet to be played.

    Like

  41. h2p, what makes the club even worse is that when there is a tv/monitor at every turn and people still don’t watch the game boggles my mind. I get it was cold but look up and or peek your head outside to say HEY, we support you.

    Watch out for the tall grass PITT. (inside joke to myself) and a few others that get it.

    Like

    1. The deacons play on field turf, so the grass doesn’t grow tall there my friend.

      This WF team has a veteran starting line-up – they will play Pitt tough on their home field.

      One game at a time.

      Go Pitt!

      Like

      1. Hey EE, wasn’t really referring to the grass at Wake. Referring to the creatures waiting to pounce when and if PITT loses. You know they are out there, just laying low in the tall grass 🙂

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  42. I can’t come up with anything bad or ugly to report from that butt kicking. A lot of us (myself included) didn’t expect it, it may have been the best all around game our men played in years, and there are still a lot of smiling Panthers out there.

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  43. Don’t worry about Wake guys….they have almost no home field advantage. They don’t have a conference win at home this year. If we got 10,000 Pitt fans there, it would be like a Pitt Home Game !

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  44. In fact this is 4 of their 5 wins. Tulane, Towson, Rice and L-Ville . (Rice & L-Ville appear weekly in the Bottom 10 teams)

    We’re going to roll over them like a Steamroller.

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  46. Good—we are 1 win away from Charlotte
    The run game domination-that stiff arm and subsequent trucking of VT’s Farley by QO was a work of art
    The Bad—NONE
    The Ugly—NONE

    ON TO WAKE!!

    Like

  48. George Aston didnt predict a win next week…they will show and play…”One game at a time” from the mouth of George “the Animal…a man of few words…let’s his play do the talking for him.

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  49. Wow, This has been one of my all time crazy weekends. Unbelievable chain of events, and I don’t mean football game. Anyhow, we have exceeded my head win total, and met my heart total. Wake is a game I had preseason as a definite loss. Then they got crushed with 11 or 12 injuries. Now, last time we played a team like that it didn’t work out so well. I am very, very nervous about this game.
    The good: Team is on a roll and believes in themselves, just don’t get cocky
    The bad: I’m stumped, Guess maybe the wind and weather. Strongly feel we would have had over 50k if decent weather, showing me the region will support a winner.
    The Ugly: Not sure if this qualifies, but… the criticism after the first 5 games was well deserved, as is the praise the past 5. No one was wrong early, as long as they come around. It’s just really nice seeing them win, and play better ball.
    I literally made hotel reservations for Saturday, then within 5 min. had to call and cancel, like I said, really bizarre.

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  50. I agree with those saying this game isn’t a gimme. Absolutely it is winnable, but Wake has shown they can beat a quality team in NC State. Plus Wake has a couple extra days of rest.

    One thing I saw on Pittsburgh Sports Now was a bunch of links to various articles, including one from a VT blog. It was absolutely fascinating to read what people were saying about Fuente, who has struggled in his third year and doing a solid job in years 1 and 2. It sounded almost exactly how people here were frustrated during Pitt’s campaign of 5-7 last year. Of course, the discontent snowballed after we were noncompetitive in early games this year; who knows where VT goes from here.

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  52. Don’t be praising Narduzzi just yet. If this team loses the last two, much criticism is deserved.

    Winning both, elevates the program.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Completely agree with the need to win the next two (both not just one of two)! This victory will be wasted. Perceptions are of Pitt and Narduzzi are starting to change for the better. They will regress back to the norm (SOP) if we lose the next two and end up at 6-6.

      Like

  53. I love the Hallison offense. Also really nice to see that Mack looks back to form.

    I heard that Narduzzi guaranteed the next two wins. If so that is the opposite of coach speak.

    Anyone that thinks that Pitt can’t lose the next two games hasn’t been paying attention for the last 30 years.

    Wish I could go to the Wake game, love to see Pitt win a division title, first time ever.

    Like

  54. Gordon. Narduzzi had a slip of the tongue and he quickly corrected himself. Leave it to the Pittsburgh media to keep it alive and festering.

    Liked by 2 people

  55. The Good: The run offense, especially Q and D. And Ff and K can run great too, can’t they? Watch out for some speed burner red shirts like Carter to make some appearances as Pitt finishes up in the South. Opponents have to worry about Pitt’s speed now, don’t they? Q and D have more breakaway speed than anyone outside the team probably thought. Give Mack props for his ability and guts to get open and to make difficult catches. We mustn’t forget the K-man either.

    The Bad: The negative thoughts that too many of us still have about SOP rearing its ugly head, a la Cincinnati, Houston, UNC, ad nauseum. When Q did his flip into the end zone, I myself expected the official to negate the TD and put the ball on the 16 for a first and 10. So did the annnouncer Andre Ware who praised Pitt the whole game. But SOP didn’t happen, and the 15 yard penalty was assessed on Pitt’s kickoff. Open field tackling by Pitt is still a skill in process of developing as well as defense of a long pass, but there is improvement from earlier in the season. WF’s hurry-up offense may exploit these weaknesses. (Wake’s weaker run defense, however, should be exploited by Pitt who has pounded very good run defenses every week from the ND game straight through VT’s.)

    The Ugly: This is speculative. Fans’ cockiness about Pitt’s ability to smash through Wake “like crap through a goose” (quote from the great movie Patton). Wake can move the ball and score with its speedy spread offense. Witness the ND game and their recent games. They have won 5 times Their defense just can’t stop good offenses by good teams that can run. Pitt must climb down from the high of the VT game and finish business against Wake.

    By the way, Coach Pat was clean-shaven for the VT game. He was not superstitious about shaving off that goatee or whatever you call it that he had for previous wins. He is a believer in what you do well in practice will do well in a game, not old superstitions like not shaving when you’re winning. His players seem to believe in him. They seem to be practicing and playing well in games what they practice and practice the week before each game. I give the coaches and the players the credit they are due. They may not be perfect, but they are getting closer to that ideal each week. They may still stumble and fall short, but it won’t be because they did not give their all. I think each kid’s character and the leadership of their coaches, and especially that of Coach Pat will keep the kids’ heads on straight and their desire focused on the right goals. Just my opinion.

    Like

    1. Did you say “Pitt fan’s cockiness?”

      Haven’t seen that combination of words literally in decades.

      Suspect you could fit all the cocky Pitt football fans into a phone booth — if you could find a phone booth…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  57. First, Gordon, if you watch the Narduzzi presser as I did, he did NOT guarantee the next two games as wins by any stretch, he just honestly misspoke, then again that doesn’t mean anything to guys that want a story (not implying you).

    The good:
    This is really “the great”, but my goodness what a rushing attack, who would’ve seen this coming several weeks ago?
    And Kenny Pickett’s 3 long throws, with accuracy, who would’ve seen this coming a few weeks ago? And now this is something other defenses have to plan for.
    The aussie – this guy struggled much of the year, but his one punt Saturday for 50 yards (?) is a good sign!
    We not only won, but we won with style
    Hey, even the unis were good (not perfect by any means but way better than the dark blue & beige)

    The bad:
    Kick coverage

    The ugly:
    My prejudgment of the coaching staff, I was down on Narduzzi and wanted Watson fired after this year. There’s a ways to go here, and losing the next two would reverse things, but I feel confident in saying now that I think I was way off on those guys. And so, insert Narduzzi, Watson and Borbs above in the “good” category for me.

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  61. Does anyone know on what channel the Pitt-Wake game will be televised? Might it be only streamed for watching on a computer? ESPN 3 site shows only ACCN Watch ESPN as the noon time site. I live in NE Ohio and I have to rely on some real TV feeds.

    By the way I honestly believe that while the ND game made Pitt kids believe in themselves, the Syracuse game the next week was the turning point for them. I was there, my only in-person game in two years, because of some health problems, and I could sense that they were not going to give up unless they won. They did. When I left, the stadium was empty except for some grounds crew and the Pitt band that had just finished playing the Alma Mater. For me, it was a very moving moment. That might have been the last Pitt game I might ever see again in Pittsburgh. In my opinion, that game marked Pitt’s real turnaround.

    Liked by 2 people

  62. I’ll begin by saying that I picked Pitt to win each of the last three victories, so I’m not down on the team by any means. But some of you over zealous POVers should hold your water a bit longer before flatly stating that the era of SOP is behind us. This has been claimed before over the past 40 years since Sherrill left, and has never been fully eradicated. This year it was UNC rearing its ugly head, and there is still time for Pitt to choke on one of the last two games, limp into the Clemson game and get blown out by 30 points.

    Remember that over confidence is the surest way to demise!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. No VOR my buddy. Not letting go of something is the surest way to never be rid of it. Let it Go!! and follow me, I’ll show you the way!

      Like

  63. Where you live Justin? The old Root sports network is carrying it locally in Pittsburgh. My channel is 843 on comcast. << now something like CCHS??

    Like

    1. I live in Mentor, OH, a city 30 miles east of Cleveland. Spectrum is our cable provider. All day Saturday the listings showed the teams as TBA for many of the channels that often show ACC games, including Pitt’s game.

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      1. I worked in Mentor the past 8 years …. before retiring this summer and returning to WPa.

        Lived in Painesville and Willowick

        Like

  65. When an offense plays the most efficient college football game in a GENERATION (13.9 yards per play – best since 2005, when Pitt freshmen were in kindergarten), that calls for unqualified celebration. Someone posted the SB Nation article above, but that was a beatdown of historical proportions. Thanks to SB Nation for documenting and for this line “It was like the Hokie defense was butter and the Pitt running backs were light sabers.”

    Agreed. Also, extremely happy to be wrong about my 5-7 prediction. The team has showed tremendous growth and surpassed all expectations. Really fun group to root for and the blackened crow with some habanero hot sauce is delicious!

    Liked by 2 people

  66. Hey Justin, do have a smart TV? If you do and have an affiliate of some sort of comcast you can find an app of ESPN3 and watch it on your TV. Go to search and type in ESPN3.

    Like

    1. Yes, I have one smart TV. I will give it a try. Thanks, Ike. BTW, I can’t seem to get the hang of a Word Press confirmation or whatever it is called in order to either post a comment or to let a poster know I Like the comment. I get by with my Facebook to post but not to indicate Like. Any advice on Word Press?

      Like

  67. Watching the game on replay. Pitt should win this by 30. Find it interesting that many teams, including vtech will only play 11 games because of the hurricane damage and cancellation of games. Wondering if that will make those teams eligible with only 5 victories.

    Another something that i think i know, that i might not. Defending the Pitt offense is rare. Most teams in the ACC play a spread. In fact, most colleges outside of the big10 play some form of spread. Therefore they recruit defensive players that are smaller and can run. When they come up against a pro style offense with a fullback and real tight end, they don’t have the right personnel to defend it. Maybe?

    Thanks all for the kind words earlier. Much appreciated.

    Liked by 1 person

  68. Yes Huff the third. I remember you talking about your loss last year at this time, Terrible for sure and the hole in your hearts. So sorry..

    Also on a much less important note. Narduzzi does mention something along the lines that this old school smash mouth football is becoming the new offense to defend that these teams are not used to. Kind of like the hula hoop and bell bottom jeans… What’s old becomes what’s new sooner or later.

    Liked by 1 person

  69. Watching the replay was fun. Obviously the big offensive plays will be what we remember, but the defense is starting to hit people and making some good open field and gang tackles. That is very encouraging.

    Maybe the conditioning program is working as well. Ollison runs for 98 yards, flattens a guy on the way and still has enough left to somersault into the endzone and windmill across the field. That one will make the yearly highlight films for sure.

    Like

  70. The Good: Pitt averages 13.9 yards a play on 47 plays! Pickett’s throws to Ffrench & Mack. The running game and the O-Line improvement (the Pitt story of the year IMO) and the best one is a sophomore.

    The Bad: Pickett’s fumble.

    The Ugly: The jackasses at the NCAA still give Georgia the NCAA record of 13.5 (Georgia Tech vs. Kansas in 2011) because you need at least 50 plays to qualify for the record which is ridiculous!

    Liked by 2 people

  71. Hope when it comes time for next years game against VT that Narduzzi has a week long talk with the NCAA and the game refs to WATCH FOR THEIR WIDE RECEIVERS CONSTANTLY PUSHING OFF!

    Liked by 1 person

  73. Mad Bomber 2.0’s stats are much better in ACC conference games only,

    Currently sitting in 6th place with a 132.6 Rating. (proving that he is getting better)

    Like

  75. How about this for media bias….So even though Q is leading the ACC in rushing avg with 127.2 yards per game to BC’s AJ Dillon’s 117.3 ypg.

    When you Google Q…you only get 40,000 results or less
    With Dillon you get 21,500,000 (that’s 21 million)

    Well I’m sure BC’s local sportswriters are getting Dillon’s word OUT. the PGH scum are NOT!

    Liked by 1 person

  76. 40-35 Pitt at half
    shooting well and playing good D actually but allowing Troy to take too many shots
    scoring spread out

    Like

  77. Ike, you’ve shown the way in many aspects of life. When things were going South with this team you refused to call for Narduzzi’s scalp. But the taste of the UNC loss lingers, and the SOP curse will take another season to fully resolve.. But your positive outlook provides hope!

    Liked by 1 person

  78. Pretty funny reading some of these VT comments from a Gobbler blog.

    I really do like Justin Fuente
    but I think if the AD walked onto the field and fired him right now I’m not sure I would mind. Of course I’m kidding, but his decisions this season, not just this game, have been really poor.

    Posted by VTRedwolf on Nov 10, 2018 | 5:42 PM

    Like

  79. Fuente is showing he’s not the real deal
    Horrible coaching. Im a huge patterson fan and a big willis fan. He couldn’t make up his mind and it continues to cost us. I think if patterson had been given more than read options (aka some throws) and more than 4 snaps at a time he’ll play well. I also think Willis will play well if he’s not only in on 3rd downs. Fuente proves yet again he has doesn’t have a grasp of coaching for a power 5 school. The playcalling is horrible and the decision making is just as bad

    Posted by warnerj18 on Nov 10, 2018 | 6:27 PM

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    1. He lost a lot of players to graduation and injury this year. They need to get a clue and lighten up.

      This goof thinks the offense lost the game…

      Like

  80. Words and a song to live by my friends. Don’t let people get into your space you don’t want them to… They will take it forever. I live by it!!!! PITT is welcomed in my space.

    Liked by 1 person

  81. I have to update my prognosis a little. BBall team looking much better. Much better coaching looks to make a difference. Guards look really good, better defense, even rebounding and foul shooting tonight. Still no power underneath, but Chukwuka plays hard. Maybe they will win a couple ACC games.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. BBball team has a great coach and recruiter in Capel! Future looks bright. Could use some big men as you pointed out. Hopefully that will be addressed in the next recruiting class. Lyke hit a grand slam when she hired Capel!

      Like

    1. Nice meeting you too Ike. George reminds me a lot of another big-framed running back that used to play at Pitt not too long ago. If they keep him at RB he could indeed be the next beast RB for us. 4.2 shuttle is fast for a 6″4 240 lb guy no matter what way you slice it, and his film shows good athleticism and vision. He’s a man among boys out there in Berks County right now though.

      The future is bright my friend. No matter how many stars…

      Liked by 2 people

    2. He looks like the next Conner if he stays a RB. He’s a bit big though. Would make a good MLB, a position we need.

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  83. The good: Kenny Pickett was pretty good!
    The bad: Qadree and Darren are bad, bad men!
    The ugly: George Aston and our Offensive line are downright ugly!

    The great: All the veterans that served and will serve this great country.
    The great2: Fran’s tailgate and the POV vibe. Was my first of what I hope to be many.

    Hail 2 Pitt!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Michaelangelo — glad you enjoyed your trip in for the game and Fran’s tailgate. (Was impressed with your one-of-a-kind POV coat!)

      Somewhere I posted that with michaelangelo in the house, we got a masterpiece of a game from Pitt! Okay, kind of corny, but true…👍

      Hail to Pitt!

      Like

  84. Couple thoughts:

    —Some May disagree, but a nice move by Coach Duzz to put Kellen McAlone on the field for the first play Saturday — for senior day. Kellen is the guy who was just awarded a scholarship this season; normally plays special teams.

    —And hats off to Coach Bates — just because I met him and I liked him, and I think he is slowly toughening up our defense.

    — Speaking of which, Reynolds made some nice plays at MLB. Hope he’s learning quick. (Don’t forget we’re missing two defensive starters…)

    —Finally, our former 4-star TE Mr. Reeves has participated in 4 games since transferring to YSU and is yet to record a statistic. I remember a time when I had high hopes for him as our answer at TE — shows the uncertainty of recruiting…

    Hail to Pitt!

    Liked by 2 people

  85. OT: Tuesday morning notes on Pitt Football–(1) Pitt offers Lackawanna College tackle Darius Tisdale 6′ 5″ 296 lbs OT. Keep in mind that Brown from Lackawanna hasn’t played this year and may just being red shirted this season. (2) Damarius Good ATH 5′ 11″ 175 has decommitted from Miami and is said to be considering either Pitt or Syracuse. He is said to be very fast and has also been a track and field star in Florida. (3) Jimmy Morrissey was named ACC offensive lineman of the week. That gives us 3 different ACC OLman that won the honor Dintino and Herndon(week before). Go Panthers!

    Liked by 2 people

  87. Paul Zeise last night said if Pitt wins the Coastal outright and then wins a bowl game it will be the best season since the Marino era..because that hasn’t happened in quite a while.

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  88. -Extremely happy about the win and the record. How we got to that record..

    -Paul Zeise speaks in hyperbole. So let’s say Pitt goes 1-1 vs. Wake and Miami to win the Coastal. Then, loses to Clemson and then wins a mid-level bowl to finish 8-6. Best season since Marino era? Uh, no.

    -Four comments on upitt despite him not even posting on the thread… way to stay classy, gentlemen.

    -I hear there’s a group of POV’erts headed to Winston Salem. Would’ve loved to join you. Bring back a win.

    -No criticism of the game this week. Oh, there are definitely concerns. But, I’ll just lay here in the tall grass..

    H2P

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    1. What was classy or classless(your implication IMO) about 4 people looking for Pitt’s comments? He certainly has commented much in the past and now for the past 10 days plus he has disappeared. Maybe there is a very good reason he hasn’t commented. But then again maybe there isn’t a very good reason he hasn’t commented.

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      1. Don’t be obtuse.

        You and I, and those who posted, know that the comments were sarcastic in nature and meant to imply some version of “look who’s quiet now that Pitt is winning.”

        And they were made out of the blue, considering that upitt has commented very little over the last few weeks.

        I won’t speak for him, but I do speak to him, and can assure you that Pitt’s winning is not why he’s been posting much less.

        But hey, keep supposing from the safety of your keyboard.

        Good luck to Erie Express and his group heading to Wake. I hear golf is on the itinerary. Hit ’em straight, boys!

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    2. Couple thoughts Jay.

      You are probably correct on the Zeise comment. But it will be the best season in the Heinz Filed era – which perhaps isn’t saying too much.
      I went back and watched the game last night. Although some media outlets reported it as a total beatdown, we weren’t as good as my beer goggles at the game suggested. We had some luck (but I guess we shouldn’t apologize for that) and VT had some injuries both before and during the game. Of course the whole SOP thing is about being on the wrong side of that, so perhaps it wasn’t luck after all – maybe karma is a better word…or the law of averages finally swung our way. Having said that, the record is what it is and I’m really glad we are bowl eligible. No guarantee of anything more than that at this point.
      Regarding UPitt’s absence, he deserves most shots he takes. You wanna talk about hyperbole? Thats your man; forget about Zeise. Enjoyed meeting him and would enjoy the chance to do so again. He’s a sharp and funny guy – even when I vehemently disagree with his opinion. That’s a talent. When he takes the time to articulate his views he makes great points. But he’s earned his reputation all by himself and I’m quite certain he’s able to defend his position without your help.

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      1. Fair enough.

        However, I wasn’t defending him because he’s “my boy” or because he’s incapable of doing it himself. I just feel like there’s a select few “keyboard tough guys” on here that feel the need to take shots at people, as if it somehow justifies their point. While some people (upitt being one) have made comments in jest toward each other in the midst of a disagreement, this was different IMO.

        I hear people blasting upitt for his negativity.. and then those same people pop off about him when he hadn’t even commented on any of the previous 3-4 threads. But that’s not negativity? It’s silly and it’s hypocritical.

        I would have defended you, ike, Rick or anybody else in that situation. In fact, I’ve done so for Reed in the past as well.

        Now… on to Wake!

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  89. Early betting coming in on Wake Forest since the betting line is now down to minus 4.5 versus the 6 points Pitt was giving up on the opening line. Let’s hope these folks are betting after only watching our PSU, Central Fla and NC games.

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  91. I actually heard Zeise on the radio last night make the comments that if Pitt was to reach 9 wins this season (Ws vs WF, UM and bowl). it would be best accomplishment since Marino considering the schedule they played. But 1989, 2002 and 2009 were also discussed.

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    1. to finish above ….. if Pitt gets to 8 or 9 wins, it will be a very good year no matter where you rank it. And it will be even better if Pitt is able to bring in a couple good OL prospects to finish the current recruiting class. Time will tell just how effective this late season surge will be

      Liked by 2 people

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