Need to get this win because 8-4 and top 25, feels a heck of a lot better than 7-5 and not.  Lets Go Pitt!
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.

600 thoughts on “Pitt Football: Pitt vs Miami Open Game Thread”

  6. Well, couldn’t have asked for a better first defensive series than that.

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  7. Now lets see the O. I have a feeling their D line is going to be pretty good…

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  8. Pickett takes too many sacks….can’t take one there. Would have gone for it on 4th down, not they can’t.

    Pitt’s playing well, but playing stupid too. Dumb penalty…

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  9. Yep. Also Pickett’s pocket presence still not great. If he steps up to the left instead of the right he buys a lot more time

    Liked by 1 person

  11. If they get up on us early with their D, Pickett better grow up even faster

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  20. This is exactly what worried me. Pitt unable to move the ball vs Miami studs. We can’t get too far behind.

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    1. In his defense he’s lining up against one of the best D tackles in the ACC

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  50. Hall got boat raced trying to block on that 2nd down. Pickett with happy feet on 3rd down.

    The O looks out of sync.

    Two sacks by the U so far and a whole lot more coming unless we find a run game.

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  51. Difference is that we just can’t do anything offensively. They ,on the other hand, are stopping themselves with drops and overthrows. Longer we let them hang in there the worse the outcome!

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  52. Yep, I think everyone agrees we need to get our act together, and soon.

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  53. Hamlin with a couple of nice open field tackles today. He’s really come in the last few games. Going to be very good next year.

    Liked by 1 person

  55. Agree with MM – Run the ball outside and short passes. Can’t have Kenny sitting back there too long.

    Mistakes need to be stopped as well.

    We can beat these guys.

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    1. Agree. But fortunately that pass was even worse than the mugging that Jackson gave that receiver.

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  63. Glad their QB stinks. So far 3 for 16 with a 32 QB rating. I wonder who their backup is? You would think that Miami would be able to recruit a decent QB.

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    1. #3 in the country. No Joke. Now we know why they won six games with that putrid offense.

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  68. Penalty nonwithstanding, we missed four tackles on that punt return

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    1. I don’t think we can come back down 10 with the way their D / our O is playing. We’ll see if they adjust at halftime, but I’m not feeling very optimistic.

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  71. Our offense and special teams get an F so far. A B for the defense. I sure hope we’re a 2nd half team again this week.

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  73. It was a heck of a block but he did lead with the helmet. 10 years ago no penalty on that one.

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  77. Horrendous tackling on that play. One chance in a hundred we win this game.

    Pitt is one team that can’t stand success….

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  78. Remember we were down 14 – 0 to cuse.

    This doesn’t feel good, but I’m willing to wait for Miami to get called for their 1st penalty.

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    1. These guys have a way better defense the the ‘cuse.

      Our only chance if they get overconfident and fall asleep

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    1. These seniors on the O-Line are not that good IMO. Jimmy was the star on the line. I won’t miss any of them when they graduate. The underclassman on the team we have now will be better next year than this group.

      Liked by 1 person

  89. Last five plays:

    1. Punt return TD
    2. Personal foul on a touchback
    3. Incomplete pass
    4. False start
    5. Delay of game

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  94. Holy smokes. Christendolu just completely redeemed himself for all his transgressions. Wow. Just wow.

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  98. OK, another great punt, now hold and get some field position, score and get ball in second half. Naw, that’s way too optimistic, lol.

    Liked by 1 person

  103. so, it looks like Jimmy Morrisey going down might have just tanked our season. At the moment 7-7 with three straight losses looks very possible.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 90% chance of that happening given the fact that Pitt wins bowl games about as often as the Steelers win at New England.

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  109. 5 drops by Miami receivers. They are 1 for 6 on third down. That is not going to happen next week.

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  118. Doesn’t Watsin have to stop calling so many plays with Kenny “statueing” in the pocket. He has no chance against their 4 down.

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  125. Looks like Hall is in Narduzzi’s dog house…and should be. Watson is calling a bad game too. This O-Line is garbage without Jimmy M. Clemson will kill us….

    Better things next year but we’ll still have 7 wins this year, more than most people thought.

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  133. This one may be over. If we had our set O line we might have a chance. But this makeshift line came at the worst possible time

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  137. What are they thinking? The end around takes them out of field goal range. What a pathetic first half.

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  138. The fact that we are only down 10 is a minor miracle. Thing is, if we can figure out their defense and stop making dumb penalties, we can still win this one.

    Liked by 1 person

  141. Not impressed with the play calling at all. Miami is too fast.We need to pick Miami’s QB or get one of the balls that are bouncing off their receivers hands.

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  143. Several POVers admonished my 13-10 pick as NOW FINALLY we are two dimensional ! Now I doubt we ll even get to 10.

    Still an entire half to go.

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  144. You gotta run quick hitters and counter plays & screens against a speedy defense. Plays that take long to develop aren’t going to work.

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  145. Good and bad of it. We’re only down 10 and offense sucks. Bad, they are up 10 with an offense even worse than us. We really needed to jump on them with that type of performance. Heck, what adjustments do you make? Kinda need a miracle today. I’m just happy there haven’t been bad snaps.

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  147. We’re back to looking like that awful embarrasing team from early in the year, with an O-line that can’t block, a happy feet qb who holds the ball too long and also can’t throw down the field, and super-suspect special teams.

    Liked by 2 people

  148. Halftime adjustments have been good lately.

    Plus Mark Richt will play a conservative 2nd half, right?

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    1. I admire your optimism my friend. I wish that I could share it. Seen this script too many times against Miami. I hope that i am wrong.

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  150. I know Miami receivers have dropped plenty of passes and made their own mistakes but! that’s for the Miami POV.

    Things that happened that cannot happen if PITT had or has a chance to win this game. << Field position and such.

    Campbell’s dumb penalty on the punt
    Ffrench has to field that punt that rolled for 25 yards. It’s why PITT put two punt returners back there.
    Hall’s fumble, terrible
    Great 72 yard punt for KC but a lousy 32 yard punt earlier.
    The block in the back against PITT. ?? What a bullcrap call.

    PITT has to stop trying to run the ball in a conventional style. That is just not going to work. Maybe the wild-cat? Can any of these guys throw a football?

    The worst announcers of all-time. Seriously. I keep thinking I’m listening to a Miami tv station. The refs are just as bad of homers. No sense getting upset when the odds are stacked as high as the Empire State building against PITT. Plus they are not playing the clean game they needed to play today. ike

    Liked by 2 people

  152. Not much reason for optimism at this point. Some POVers are at the game. Maybe it looks better in live action than on the TV. Any time your punter is the best player on the field you know you are in trouble

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  155. Pitt’s D is holding them to 101 total yards and we’re down by 10. That’s how bad special teams and the offense is right now. Only the punter is playing well.

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  156. We’ve outgained them 115 to 101, and we are beating them 2-1 in Time of Possession

    We are averaging 1.8 yards per rush (But that includes sacks)

    7 penalties for 70 yards + the punt return, otherwise it’s 0-0

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    1. Yea really impressive win for them. Where did that Wake defense come from?

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  159. I’m feeling an SOP attack coming on. There is no hope for pocket passing. Can’t understand how this OL could go South so fast with one injury. Every team has injuries at this point.

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  166. Well that was unexciting. Again other than losing Pickett, Morrisey was the one guy we could not lose.

    Miami is utterly …. oh you know

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  168. This isn’t Thug U, this isn’t getting homered. This is an undisciplined team, playing tight, and no answers offensively. The calls , we’ll rejs have nothing to do with delay of game, or false starts, or blatant pass interference. Not a good effort, but the penalties have been a year long problem. Last year, great, this year, pretty awful. Oh well, changed to lucky sweatshirt, can’t hurt, right?

    Liked by 1 person

    3. I think the guy he “blocked in the back” actually made the tackle. Water under the bridge now. We are not playing like we deserve to win, that play would not change it.

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  183. what a stupid play call against this defense. Watson crapping the bed today. Very frustrating to watch this garbage .

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  184. The only chance Pickett had was a sneak. By the time he turned around, the entire Miami line was in our backfield.

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  188. Joe, hope the sweatshirt helps, but Picket just can’t throw on the run. How can he miss Ollison? The play calling stinks, and they cannot run against Miami’s interior line. This Miami defense is exposing every Flaw in Pitt’s offense

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  189. If they are giving out a gameball for this pile of vomit, Christendolu gets my vote

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  190. EMel, 1 call, maybe. They have waaaayyyy too many unforced penalties that have nothing to do with refs. When you are this inept complaining about the refs is the least of our problems. Heck, we probably have more penalty yardage than total offense.

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  192. Why are they running the ball up the middle for a yard, when they haven’t been able to penetrate their defense all day long? What is wrong with quick slanting patterns. Where are the adjustments by Watson? Painful to watch.

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    1. I think Watson has run about 1 screen all year. For some reason he just doesn’t seem to like them. Could be a personnel thing, IDK

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  195. Defense is not quitting…

    That punt return and that end around when we were on the cusp of field goal range are really hurting now.

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    1. Now that the game is over….that’s how they make it look good in the box score. How many people took Pitt + the points since we’re ranked and they aren’t? They are fixing this one folks….

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    1. True story. If we had made the tackles the hold would be irrelevant

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  227. I hate to be a negative Nancy here, but I’m just not seeing anything remotely resembling a team that can beat Miami today.I hope I am wrong.

    Liked by 1 person

  228. Ok Pitt – here we go – the generous Watson will dial up a winning combo from here on out – Go Pitt!

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  230. Dan i’m going to have to strike this comment. Please no religious references

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  233. I’m going to have a hard time following Pitt in the ACC with this blatant bias against us with the officiating.

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  235. cant say it often enough…..Watson is horrible today. These plays have no chance when below average athletes are up against great athletes. Coaching has to matter and Watson is not giving the kids a chance

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  238. And yet Miami keeps giving us chances. No way we score against this D though.

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  240. Well, I have a tee time set for tomorrow. At least I have that to look forward to – this game is not entertaining (yet).

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  242. Since it’s clearly been ok to call out upitt and others for lack of comments during the win streak it must be ok to ask why no jrnpitt or ike today during this abomination. Or, maybe we just stick to commenting on Pitt football? MAM, what’s the ruling on that? 😀

    I’m still holding out hope we’ll come back,this could very well end up a .500 season.

    C’mon, boys! Let’s win this thing!!! We need to finish 8-4.
    Let’s go Pitt!!

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    2. lol when in doubt take the high road.

      Honestly after this debacle the best thing the can happen is we play a solid game against clemson and don’t get blown out then get sent to a winable bowl and then win it.

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  249. Gordon Conn..

    That can’t be true. 2 star players are as good as 4 star players… I’ve read it here dozens of times.

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  250. Someone said it earlier. Any play that takes time to develop is a waste.

    Hargrove et al are taking turns getting pancaked.

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  254. At this point, I just hope KP survives. What a sieve. I’m really not sure anything will work at this point. Chucking it up will just get Pickett killed, but hoping for interference might be our best chance.

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  257. Morrissey out hurts but if you recruit for FOUR YEARS and can’t replace ONE lineman, your recruiting stinks.

    Nevermind.. his recruiting is great. I’ve read it here dozens of times.

    Damnit Pitt! Let’s go!!! This is still winnable… Or maybe not.

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  261. And now the defense breaks … it was funny for a few weeks i forgot what it was like to be a Pitt fan

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  263. Miami has beaten..

    Savannah St.
    Toledo
    FIU
    UNC
    FSU

    ..and we’ve scored THREE points.

    Embarrassing! Didn’t someone on here bury SOP last week? Bad news, it’s Night of the Living Dead. SOP has come back to life and it wants Panther flesh.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Don’t worry Tower I am already preparing an appropriate graphic for MMQB

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  265. Are our backups so g*d awful that one or two injuries happen and the team collapses? Seems to be the case. This was said of the bad Pitt teams in the 90s and I guess a general feature of second rate teams in general. I wonder what this game would look like with a healthy starting center on our end

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  269. I’m not sure what’s worse. Watching the total ineptitude offensively of these two teams, or the lack of d in the Hoopies game yesterday.

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    1. Keep it civil Jay. You can comment on opinions but please don’t go after a person. Even in good fun, things can often get misread via a post.

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      1. I agree, MAM. I have no history of it but have been watching from afar while 2-3 posters, we all know who they are, savaged upitt for their own amusement. Turnabout is fair play. No?

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  273. Aww, let it go Jay. We see what’s up. I agree but at this point it serves no purpose, they really turned back into SOP today. Sad, but true.

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    1. Yes but during the fourth quarter of this dumpster fire I may temporarily lift it. (just kidding)

      Liked by 1 person

  278. Let’s go to th Military Bowl… great place … how and the heck did anyone score on the U this year… revenge game for them much like the Gobbler game was for us…,

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  282. Reminds me of that game a few years ago…where Savage was savaged….and the OC still kept calling same plays

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  284. Do really think that Morrissey would have made that much of a difference.?
    Their front seven is the real deal.

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    1. a 21 point difference? No. Maybe a 3 or 7 point difference because fewer mental errors on the protections, etc. But yes, mostly we are getting out played by better athletes. Case in point their nose tackle just took Darren Hall down with one hand while he was getting blocked.

      Liked by 1 person

  288. I’ll say this.. I LOVE Pitt. In fact, I was at WF last week watching the game with some great Pitt fans.

    I take NO joy in today’s game. In fact, I’m pretty damn mad. But guess what? Unlike you, I knew it could happen (look at my post on the previous thread) because Narduzzi hasn’t assembled enough talent to overcome the lack of focus/execution that all teams experience.

    I’ll be rooting for Pitt next week and in the bowl game but we will likely end up 7-7 or 8-6… IN A BAD league. We play in the Coastal and got Syracuse and WF as crossovers. BFD.

    That’s REALITY.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jay I admire your passion and respect your opinions, and i encourage you to keep expressing them. I’ve edited your posted and removed the content that could potentially bait other readers into a personal attack.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Jay:
      I agree with you.
      Loosing the center was much worse than all thought.
      Pitt is short on Athletes and Miami is not.
      Pitt really needed this game for the season.
      We have witnessed this many times with the U.
      If they are interested we are in big trouble.

      Liked by 1 person

  289. This is embarrassing. Good teams don’t have games like this do they? It’s amazing how we are incapable of changing game plans once it becomes obvious that plan A isn’t working.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I feel sorry for the great fans here who will waste their money going to Charlotte…just another revenge tour butt kicking coming up.

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    1. They ran out of gas and hope in the fourth quarter.

      Will be interesting next year to see if we have the chops / motivation to hang with them.

      Liked by 1 person

  292. Ya Jay, worked out pretty much the way ?I called it also, although I thought we’d score a few more. It’s fun when we win, but reality bites. I’m sitting here trying to explain to my wife why we are going to a championship game when we look so bad. She asks pretty good questions for someone who doesn’t really follow football. Also asked if Miami is that good. I have no answers!

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    1. joeknew..

      It’s because you’re a realist. You can love someone/something and still question them. It’s the only way things improve.

      I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

      Charlotte could be ugly..

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  293. Don’t be upset. Until we get some 4-5 stars we will get our asses kicked by better athletes. Just a fact of life. We haven’t seen this speed all year. The problem is Clemson will be faster.

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    1. What do we have against George Jr.? Serious question, I don’t know much about him except that he must(?) have some raw talent at least, starting for a Big 10 program and all that. I dunno sometimes I think we should give someone besides Pickett serious playing time…

      Liked by 1 person

  300. Me and Mrs. JoeKnew will be there. It will be either her 1st or 2nd tailgate ever. She has made me promise to be positive. She is indeed my better 3/4. Hope to see you there Jay.

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  301. This game reminds me of palying Miami in the old days when they were the Alabama of football. I remember a game… maybe 1988 when Miami beat us 19-3. Pitt did virtually nothing all day. Like today, just running into brick walls.

    Oh well, bring on more two stars!

    H2P.

    Liked by 2 people

  303. Ugh, just an ugly afternoon. This should make sure our team is not overconfident going into next week. And Watson needs to come up with a game plan so the team can be competitive next week. Use Clemson’s speed against them? IDK.

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  304. One last puzzling thought…. this is the same Pitt team that crushed this same Miami team last year? What happened???

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  306. Alright fans, that was hard to watch. I salute all of you who stuck through it. I’ll see you in Charlotte next week. Be on the look out for an extra-special MMQB this week, where you’ll have the opportunity to vent it alllll out.

    Hail to Pitt

    MA

    Liked by 1 person

  308. On the plus side, we won a bunch of games we probably shouldn’t have won.
    We took advantage of a down year in the division and we exceeded our own low expectations.

    Liked by 1 person

  314. PoD – we could use some good news.

    Pitt is now 7-5 and unranked with #2 Clemscum rolling into Charlotte with a revenge chip on their shoulder.

    Uh oh!

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  316. Michaelangelo.

    Are you kidding me? That’s hilarious. You removed 2 sentences. And it’s one thing to edit me, but you could have done so without posting such for all to see for whatever agenda you have. You’ve allowed a number of personal attacks to go unaddressed since you took over. Now I take those people to task, and I’m the issue. Got it.

    Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.

    It’s been real..

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  317. It’s SOP
    a blow-out on national TV
    Pitt doesnt have the athletes…plain and simple

    7 wins is 1 win better than Vegas (I actually pegged the team at 7 wins)
    Won the Coastal
    Played some exciting ball on O
    The D continued to improve
    It was fun to watch this team starting with the Syracuse game

    But Pitt loses most of the line (thats probably a good thing)
    Pitt will be rebuilding the line next year instead of reloading (thats a bad thing)
    Pitt will probably be a more balanced team next year (less reliant on the run)
    The D should finally be good and might have to carry the team

    I expect another 6-7 wins next year
    No Coastal title
    Other schools are recruiting better
    And Pitt needs elites and playmakers on both sides of the ball

    Now it brings me to coaching and that dreaded emotional extension Heather made last year
    Typically, year 4 in a 5 year contract is when an AD makes that call
    There is a good chance Pitt finishes 7-7 this year
    Recruiting is trending down
    And like I said, a very good chance that Pitt finishes next year with 7 wins

    So does a potential 35-30 record after 5 years warrant a salary of $3.5M?
    You know my answer

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Time to follow the progress of Capel and the hoops team since he can coach & recruit. Football will be SOP long after we’re all in the dirt….trust me on this.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. exactly
        I knew he could recruit at Oklahoma and Duke
        Its just a matter of time at Pitt
        The question was – can he coach
        Looking good so far
        I’d pay Capel $3.5M all day long

        Liked by 1 person

  319. Listen, in all seriousness, I was as happy as anyone when we won those games. They exceeded my expectations. But I can also say I was always realistic about how good we really are. We were good enough to win a really weak division, which beats the crap out of not being good enough to win a crappy division. We just aren’t that good compared to the national programs. Every so often we can rise up and bite anyone. Maybe this is a baby step to where we want to be, but he really needs to get some studs, or it will be a 1 and done. Peace, love, and brotherhood, or whatever.

    Liked by 4 people

  320. After the ass kicking we just received Coastal Champions has a hollow ring to it. Although the game was close early we were never in it. Watson had no answer. Pickett is probably still running for his life.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The most points they ever gave up in history. If MSU loses to Buttgers the whole state will be in a funk.

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  323. I was actually looking for the game, yesterday….i was like wtf. See we played on the wrong day.
    The numbers were much better for the game yesterday than today.

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  324. That was tough. Outcome was predictable and all credit to the Canes. Their speed on defense is impressive.
    Pitt’s self-destruction was disappointing though.

    Would like to see a lot fewer penalties next week against Clemson.

    Liked by 1 person

  325. Hit hits keep on coming. My Nitter brother texted me “Meow, Panthers,Meow”. And my mother said she fell asleep as the game was so boring and Pitt stunk. Geez, she’s 91 years old and can see it,lol.

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  327. Lots of low camera angles in East Lansing….trying to hide all the empty seats. Funny when at Pitt, these networks go to wide & high angles all the time.

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  328. Tough loss but Pitt still ha plenty to be proud of. In a conference where anybody can beat any body, except for Clemson and UNC (who can only beat us) We won our division which is no small thing for Pitt.

    Today was a wake up call for those of us that thought we were better than we are (myself included, never thought Miami would completely shut us down) But we won a lot of games that easily could have gone either way. Only lost one that we should have won and that is pretty good considering last year and what I still say is below the line recruiting.

    There was an absolute difference in athleticism exhibited today which is really difficult to overcome. Numerous players on the other side that will excel at the next level.

    What is somewhat sad is that Miami is only half a football team. Our D played well for three quarters but was helped by a lot of dropped balls.

    What is really sad is the number of penalties Pitt incurred, the vast majority were not on the refs, but our players which happens when you are over-matched physically and end up jumping off sides or holding when you get beat.

    This team needs the offense to perform if it is to win. In some ways this reminded me of the Military Bowl, where Navy dominated, but on both sides of the ball.

    Liked by 4 people

  330. When you avg about 6 or 7 wins a year for 35 years….expecting more than 35K or 40K to show up at Mustard Jar(other than against you know the names) is absurd.

    Liked by 1 person

  333. Funny that people argue the Pros and Cons of a tough OOC, but Miami gets a bowl game because they beat Savannah St, Toledo and FIU. Our schedule still has two tough ones next year, but it is better.

    Also funny that they gave their coach a Gatorade shower today.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You would love 120 proof Stave & Barrel bourbon from Glenns Creek Distillery. So far, only available in KY.

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  335. If we are ever to develop a rivalry in the ACC, it will have to be with Miami. Need to recruit faster stronger more athletic kids, to make it happen.

    Liked by 1 person

  337. Lousy lousy game today by the entire PITT football team. Coaches on down.

    But I do remind. Final record, 7-5, how many predicted that many wins or lower than that for this year?

    It’s not a matter of dishing anything out or taking it. It’s a matter of timing and the class of which you choose to serve it.

    Either way, PITT needs to play a good game this next week against Clemson and win the bowl game to save a little more of the season they deserve by keeping it together this year. The Military Bowl would suit me just fine.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I predicted 7 and I’m not changing it.
      So looks like a 7-7 season to me (lose the last 3 games including 2 very important ones).
      But maybe Pitt wins their bowl game against a MAC team and that would make Eight.
      They arent beating Clemson next week unless theres divine intervention.

      I was just hoping 4 years ago when Narduzzi was hired that Pitt would win 9-10 come Year 4
      And thats when Narduzzi was making $2.5M and not $3.5M via the questionable extension
      Next year Pitt will be hard pressed to win 7 regular season games but I’ll call it now and say 7.

      But, I can pay someone else closer to $2M for 7 wins though that also comes with a recruiting class ranked in the mid-50’s if you look at avg stars (recruiting is trending down).

      Pitt was lucky to win the division this year.
      But Pitt will not be able to compete against the Va Techs and Miami’s if Pitt cannot improve their recruiting.
      Narduzzi’s not that bad of a game day coach. Far better than Wanny.
      Where he fails is player development and recruiting.

      Looking forward to basketball season.

      Liked by 4 people

  339. Watching Clemson game. While I’ll be in Charlotte, it could be the ugliest game of the year. Yup, worse than the Nitters. Maybe Dabo will have a little mercy.

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  340. What is it about Pitt (or the Steelers for that matter) and penalties? My God! Is it a matter of discipline? is it coaching? Every time I thought we would get it going…penalty! Penalty! It’s hard to overcome a Miami team with all that speed on the defensive front, as it is? Narduzzi needs to get a handle on this issue! There is really no excuse for it.

    Liked by 1 person

  342. Point One: I doubt Morissey made that much of a difference but I suspect that the OL did not give 100%. That’s all it takes against a defense like Miami. The fact of the matter is that it isn’t easy to play full out and by full out I mean 100% when the game really does not mean what the last 4 games meant. Miami after all did lose 5 games this year — 3 to teams Pitt beat this year. Unless Miami just found themselves today there is no reason to think that Miami is that much better a team than Pitt.

    Point Two: MM, I don’t know the facts and maybe you were right to edit Jay Tower A’s comment but he seems pretty adamant that your edit wasn’t fair. I don’t want the POV to lose him and I’m sure hundreds of others agree with that.

    Liked by 2 people

  343. Boy, what was the combined scores of our two games in a Florida this year? I know we can use the fact that we play down there as a recruiting tool, but man for some reason we have struggled more than usual on our trips to that state.

    Playing in warm Florida weather certainly doesn’t seem to favor us. Maybe Pitt needs to turn the heat up in that indoor practice facility of theirs to prepare for these games.

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  345. Clemson has beaten their last 6 opponents by 41 points on average
    The line will probably be around 25 to start and I bet moves up to around 27 by start
    I’d take Pitt with those points
    Curious as to what UPitt thinks

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  346. at 6:22 Jay says himself that he is going after someone:

    JayTowerA
    November 24, 2018 at 6:22 pm
    Someone can dish a lot but can’t take it coming back.

    Y’all ok with personal attacks?

    Like

    1. It was a reply to a comment made at 6:20… which was a repeat of a sarcastic personal comment made at least FOUR times on previous threads.. but don’t let the facts ruin a good story.

      Like

      1. you mean 6:21 ? try to get the facts right

        then you think it is ok to dredge up posts from prior threads?

        quite a grudge holder for those unable to reply themselves, admirable

        Like

  347. Here’s what I saw today:
    1. The ACC refs didn’t beat us
    2. Watson’s play calling didn’t make us lose.
    3. Not having Morrissey didn’t Cost us the game.
    4. The reason we were a 5-6 point underdog, and rightfully so, was simply because Miami’s defense is loaded with 4&5 star studs who are stronger, faster, and better athletes then our players. College is still all about who you recruit – and our list doesn’t have any stronger, faster, better players on it. We faced reality today and reality wasn’t pretty. Fortunately we got 7 wins this year against teams that also don’t have many prize recruits.

    Liked by 5 people

  349. Pitt is short on talent, and losing by a respectable score to Miami is not embarrassing. But how does one account for a total across the board stinker of a performance? Was this team ready to perform today? Did they under estimate Miami? There were no second half adjustments made, and even after turnovers they didn’t respond well. The coaches didn’t have this team ready to play. Carter shows up for maybe one play. Is he part of the game plan or not?

    Like

    1. The defense didn’t play bad, they only gave up 17 points. Not bad considering the fact that the offense gave them no hope.

      Like

  350. One final thought ( or 2) before I call it a night. This season is EXACTLY the type of year the administration thinks is great. Bowl game, winning Coastal, and no one in jail. It’s also the type of year some fans are satisfied with. It shows progress. I do believe that’s the way it is. I just think we should do better. Just because we are better than the rest of a bad bunch, it doesn’t mean we should be satisfied. There IS a difference between that, and being relevant.

    I fault no one for thinking what we’ve done this year is great. Their opinion. Mine, well, I guess I expect more, and lean toward Jays opinions.They did better than I thought, but not as good as I want. My opinion, but that’s all it is. I could be wrong, but Ive never noticed Jay being snarky, he and Upitt, usually tell ya straight up. That’s my final 2 cents.

    Liked by 1 person

  351. My problem is that some expect more but at the same time recognize the difficult OOC schedule PITT had. Can we have both??

    Like

  352. First …. I doubt we would’ve beat Miami w our offensive line intact. But we would have been in the game. I have been no Morrisey fan but he called the signals as well as gave continuity to the O line. His pass blocking was his weakness but others knew how to cover for him.

    You can move Dintino to center and put Hargrove at tackle and practice all you want vs tackling dummies and the B team but you cannot simulate the speed and intensity of game conditions. Especially Clemson.

    It’s a lot like practicing foul shots in basketball before and after practice and then wonder why you can’t make them in game conditions!

    At least today, the O line got it out of their system against a better D than Clemson.

    Like

  354. Unfortunately Tex, at this moment that looks quite true. But hey, we can always hope a 4 star somehow shows up instead of a walk on.

    Like

  357. Miami has been beaten 5 times… we had a lot of good reasons to lay loss # 6 on them…

    Didn’t work out .. shucks…

    Has been a fun year….

    Liked by 1 person

  358. GOOD: nothing?
    Miami’s D

    BAD: P.Ford never saw the field, yet V.Carter’s redshirt was burned for one play that yielded one yard.
    Coaching – offense and special teams.
    Head coach.
    Team leadership in general.
    A seven win season.

    UGLY: 3 points on national TV and played in Pitt’s recruiting base of Florida.
    Penalties galore.
    Senior efforts in general.
    Announcers – Pitt gave them nothing to talk positive about (relating to the Panthers).
    On to Charlotte?

    It will take me a few more hours to get over this “waste” of 4 hours yesterday – but playing golf this morning will surely help.

    On to Charlotte…

    Like

    1. Narduzzi plans to use Carter against Clemson and in the bowl game that we have to win….that’s why he played against Miami.

      Like

  359. My take is it boiled down to we could not block their defensive line and we could not pick up their blitzes. Simply put, their players were quicker than ours. No plays are going to work when you are so over-matched on the line, IMHO.

    The ACC has two tiers as far as recruiting. There’s Clemson, Miami and FSU, and then everyone else. You could shuffle and interchange the recruiting classes for all the other ACC schools and no one would know the difference.

    Which says to me that our coaching staff did a good job this season in beating GT, Syracuse, Duke, UVA, VT, and Wake — teams that are pretty comparable to us in talent.

    Like it or not, regardless of who our coach is, we have recruiting limitations in football due to our location and lack of fan support. (Not so in basketball, where we check all the boxes and have legitimate shots at elite talent. )

    Charlotte will indeed be a replay, except Clemson won’t be dropping passes. I hope we use the second stringers a lot in the second half so we at least get some benefit from that game.

    Pitt giveth – the 4 game win streak was total fun – and Pitt taketh away —PSU, UCF and Miami were all painful to watch.

    Hoping we can win our bowl game and finish with some good recruits.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 4 people

  360. No doubt yesterday’s game leaves one scratching his/her head. Too many early mistakes lead to poor field position.

    )1 Campbell running into the punt returner at the 4 yard line

    )2 PITT had two punt returners back and they stood too close to each other. letting the ball bounce in front of them and then rolling another 30 yards.

    )3 Hall’s fumble

    )4 Kirk Chooduludo’s 32 yard punt

    )5 The terrible block in the back called against PITT, just showed where the officials heads were at.

    Anyways, that was the last regular season game so time to reflect just a little. First stop, our grand predictions. Did anyone have PITT winning 7 or more games before the season began? Did anyone have PITT winning the ACC Coastal Division? Point and question is, Did PITT do a little better than most thought they would? The Miami loss wasn’t good but let’s remember the goal of the Panthers, Too win the Coastal and they did that. First divisional title in their history.

    Did the defense start playing better this year? I think they did and many young players started to show up and play well.

    imo, there was a lot of over-achieving going on this season. The O-Line expected to be really bad didn’t play half bad. By that I mean their run blocking was the half that played really well.

    Being satisfied with a 7-5 regular season record is kind of relative to the expectation put on this football team before the season ever started. We can’t moving the goal posts folks.. I picked PITT to go 7-5 but never thought they would win the division. Remember, you play the teams on your schedule. If its a bruising OOC schedule or an easier divisional schedule.

    Either way, I really don’t get all the sad faces today when PITT exceeded most fans expectations and they are about to play for the ACC Championship in 6 days. . .ike

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I would have rather lost to any other team but Miami
      Miami exposed Pitt on national TV as a fraud just like what Pitt did to them last year
      I still think of Miami as Thug U
      I cant stand their arrogant and ignorant fans
      I cant stand that Turnover Chain
      I cant stand 80 degree weather in November
      I cant stand playing in pro stadiums off campus
      I cant stand their 4 and 5 stars coached by a guy that got run out of Georgia
      I cant stand the national love for this program that has cheated their way to championships

      I hope next year its a raging blizzard at Heinz and Pitt upsets another over-rated Miami team. They can all depart with an icicle up their arses.

      Like

  361. Seriously, where is Upitt. Is he okay, did somebody piss him off or….. . He is one of the main reasons I read this board. Upitt come back!

    Like

      1. I totally agree, when they are good they are great. I have no desire for them or anyone to go away.

        H2P!!!

        keep pushing above atrocious, yesterday didn’t outside of Kessman

        Like

  362. Well now we now why they were favored. The question is how did a team with that much talent have such a poor season. Funny to hear the announcers rave about Miami’s coaches who only won seven games with that front seven. I know they had some problems on offense but wow.

    Without the multiple dropped passes they score 50 on us yesterday. Even with two turnovers, we could not get near the endzone. None of our O-line could open a hole or hold a block. It was like watching the Steel, Curtain, Fearsome Foursome, or Purple People Eaters. Jail breaks on every play. It was like they had four Aaron Donalds the few times we got through the line the rest of the team closed immediately.

    They blew up the sweeps after the first one worked a little. Their guys were disciplined and made no foolish errors.

    Our guys truly ran out of gas after their great run, and Miami owed us for the big upset last year. A wake up call for those that thought we really turned a corner.

    We still have the trophy which was no small achievement for this bunch of guys, but yesterday was a sad reminder of where we really stand, among the haves and the have nots.

    .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They have to have them in for TV ratings now that Michigan is out. Too many eyeballs in B1G territory.

      Like

  364. Did this season exceed expectations?
    To me it did only because they won the weak Coastal but still an accomplishment since now Virginia is the only school still trying. So that monkey is off Pitt’s back.

    Going in, Vegas pegged Pitt at 6 wins so we did better than the experts thought

    But the bigger picture question is where do we think a program should be come Year 4 and heading into Year 5?

    My thoughts have always been that if things are on the right track, the program would achieve at least 9 regular season wins and a division title
    Pitt fell short of that mark
    But theres that OOC schedule that muddies the water
    Hence, to me Pitt meets the Year 4 check

    So then I look at recruiting progress and what Year 5 holds
    It doesnt look too promising unless you believe Narduzzi’s 2 and 3 star recruits can make a difference in games
    Unless you believe that next year will exceed this year and I highly doubt Pitt wins the Coastal next year
    Remember that Pitt replaces 80% of their O-line, 2 stud running backs and the best FB in college

    I dont want to beat this to death so this is the last time I’ll say it. Pitt needs to step up their recruiting or else they will be left behind.

    I think Narduzzi is a decent game day coach. He runs a clean program and his players seem to like him.

    But he fails in developing enough players to make up for the deficit in recruiting elite talent. We all saw what 4 stars can do yesterday. Miami was not a very good team but they were dangerous.

    If your expectation is for 6-8 win seasons plus a bowl, then Pitt is on track. I think most fans think those are fine goals and the administration loves it since Pitt maintains relevance, they dont have to enter the expensive arms race, and they dont have to cheat.

    Now if your expectation is to compete for the Coastal every year and I mean truly compete that means 9-10 regular season wins is the mark. That means winning the division probably every 4 years. Pitt is not on this track and for some fans like me it creates bitterness since I know Pitt can do better.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. this one finger lefty typing sucks, but my brief reply is just to say we are already at that 9-10 win season with something other than a stupid OOC schedule.

      So why not a little more positive tilt rather than the vitriol toward anyone positive on this site, and this isn’t directed at you particularly TX.

      Like

      1. I dont see Pitt being a consistent 9-10 game winner given the recruiting regardless of the OOC schedule
        If Pitt plays a normal OOC schedule, Pitt should win 3 out of 4
        That means Pitt needs to go 7-1 in conference play
        I just dont see it when the other division teams are improving their recruiting
        And when Va Tech and Miami get at least 4 four stars each year while Pitt is lucky to get just one
        Previous division champs have all won at least 9 games (9-11 wins)
        Pitt is the first school to do it with just 7

        I’m positive that Pitt won their division but frankly that was more a fluke than anything else
        Pitt will be lucky to win 7 games next year (4-4 in the ACC)
        Mediocre recruiting gets you mediocre results
        It just shouldnt be hard to get some elite athletes each year
        1 last year and zero so far this year is unacceptable

        There was nothing positive to say about yesterday’s game though.
        I’ve already commented on what I saw as positive for the season
        But I like to present both good and bad
        And I see the program trending down despite this year…just look at the recruiting

        I’m not sure what Heather can do to force Narduzzi to make changes to improve his recruiting since all her leverage is now gone given the foolish and emotional decision to extend Narduzzi in Year 3 of a 5 year contract.

        Liked by 1 person

  370. Watching the game, there were several issues that were quite obvious:

    Kenny Pickett still has a long way to go to be a top flight QB. He really doesn’t have a good sense of where pressure is coming from. Of course, against Miami pressure was coming from everywhere, but one play that kind of summed it up was on a corner blitz coming from Pickett’s right side….Pickett never saw the guy coming from 20 yards away.
    We are way deficient in talent in the trenches (particularly O-line). Miami simply dominated us physically. Had nothing to do with scheme’s or assignments or calls. They simply blew by our guys or overpowered them. There is no game plan on earth that will compensate for a physical ass-whipping. If we don’t improve our recruiting dramatically, we’re going to boat-raced by teams like Miami, Clemson, or PSU.
    How good would Miami look with a QB? Their QB was horrible and their receivers were equally bad. My god, if they had a guy who could throw the ball and a few receivers who were paying attention they would have beat us by 40.

    I see absolutely no reason to believe that Pitt is ever going to be anything better then a 7 or 8 win team with the talent level we currently have.

    ScottsValleyPanther

    Liked by 1 person

  371. PoD lots of piss poor effort @“tackling” in yesterday’s game… who teaches these kids to tuck in their arm and bump with the shoulder….you see it at all levels

    Liked by 1 person

  372. I see a LOT of Big Hits being made on Saturdays. No shoulder in the Arm Tackle referred to above. And not much Arm.

    Really was a matter of NOT wanting a piece of Miami’s #24 bad enough.

    Just keepin’ it REAL regarding the AVERAGE Safety wearing No. 3.

    Like

  374. As I’ve said before, you are what your record says it is. The tough OOC schedule is offset by a weak conference schedule. So things tend to even out. We are currently staring at a 7-7 season ending with 3 losses if Pitt gets any decent P5 team in their bowl game. This is still mediocre, and many POVers won’t accept it as progress after year 4. With so many scholarships already awarded, it will be tough to plug holes for next year with transfers. Realistically, a 7-5 record next year is probably likely with the Coastal title probably out of reach. Is this acceptable after year 5?

    Like

  375. While I say that Pitt has to recruit better if they want to be better, it isn’t easy like some people think.

    As was mentioned, Clemson, Miami and FLST are the ACC schools that recruit at a high level.

    We recruit at about the same level as all the others, except possibly Louisville.

    We will never recruit at a top ten level, the question is can we get to where we attract 4 or 5, four star guys a year, with an occasional 5 star guy?

    By the way, funny to pick on one guy when pretty much everyone missed making blocks and whiffed on multiple tackles.

    I would also say we over achieved considering most pundits picked us to finish close to the bottom.

    Liked by 1 person

  376. Hamlin led the team in making tackles yesterday and for the year.

    Pickett a lot poorer QB when running for his life. Most are.

    A little disappointed in Watson’s game plan but really not sure what would have worked, with zero execution.

    Our guys were just manhandled all day long.

    They made many big plays, we made very few.

    Liked by 2 people

  377. So in the end Pitt football is simply mediocre. No way we can consistently compete with the big boys.

    Having said that, it was a nice run during the winning streak to get the Coastal Division Championship. Most of us were caught up in the excitement, even if guarded. It was actually fun!

    The OOC results were really poor and prove to me at least where this program remains.

    We had a good chance at ND and didn’t make it happen. More of those kind of games along with an easier OOC schedule and we are on the cusp of staying in the lower tier of the Top 25. That could help recruiting but will take much more time.

    This I believe is our new bar for the program under this AD and staff. Add in a magical year where the stars align and we’ll crack the Top 10-15 on occasion. Not terrible.

    H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Mediocre: just how the BoT wants it. Who’s going to help change it? Narduzzi is building the program and what Pitt really needs is to luck into a game-changing quarterback. Kenny will be under fire next season, and I don’t mean because his O-line might stink.

      Like

      1. Really? I think Kenny takes a step forward next year. A full year’s experience and another offseason of grooming will pay nice dividends.

        Like

  378. Love to know the good news POD? Recruit I’m hoping.

    Maybe I missed something but I haven’t read any misgivings directed at anyone in particular. Calm down, have some dip

    Like

  381. Vegas had Pitt’s O/U at 5.5, so it overachieved. Start scheduling UConn and Rutgers to boost the win total in the future

    As for this season, try to finish with eight wins.

    Liked by 2 people

  382. We had to play a mistake free game to have any chance … no penalties, solid special team play, no dropped passes…. we were anything but…..

    Like

  383. For those that say that “stars don’t matter”, the chickens have come home to roost.
    Seriously though, what could be done to improve recruiting besides the obvious-win games?

    Like

  384. Gordon, the 3 schools you mentioned have been known to stretch the rules a bit. The others not so much, except Louisville. Hope Pitt gets better at recruiting without breaking the rules. Ike, too much bean dip will provide gastric distress to match the football distress!

    Like

  385. Success on the golf course today – took money from a nitter, hoopie and Georgia fan. I’ve erased to poor performance from my brain.

    Only once did the Pitt embarrassment surface and it was before the first tee. Condolences was the word used by the nitter.

    The overnight rain of 2+ inches caused us to have to walk the course. Good workout and my wallet is much fatter than when I teed off.

    H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

      1. You could say that I’m a mudder (lol) – the course actually drained well. The low spots were mushy and I understand the no-cart rule on days Lyke this.

        The best for me was the chip shots stuck and I could be aggressive. I won at least four holes that way.

        Like

  387. I scoured the various bowl projection sites to see where the various Nostradamases think Pitt will end up after the debacle in Miami. I found 3 projecting the Pinstripe in NYC against a Big 10 opponent, 2 votes for the Belk Bowl in Charlotte against an SEC opponent, and one vote each for the Camping World Bowl in Orlando and the Sun Bowl in El Paso Tx, against a Big 12 opponent, FWIW.

    Like

    1. Mark – I’m seeing we will fall to the Military Bowl in Annapolis. Unless we upset Clemscum.

      The Camping World Bowl folks left Miami convinced they did not want Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Clemscum is Pitt’s bowl game. Break every bone in your body if it results in a win. The nation will not remember Pitt’s bowl game against a MAC team in Detroit.

        ACC will not be pleased but screw those Southern Hicks.

        Liked by 1 person

  390. The Steelers have so much talent that is wasted by poor coaching and a QB who thinks he can pull rabbits out of his arse.

    Like

  391. How is winning the ACC Coastal Division being mediocre? That’s fake news. PITT loses, PITT stinks, PITT wins, the other team stinks. Things that make me go hmmm? Give me a break! IKE!

    Like

  392. My impression was : since Pitt is Coast Champs..we are assured of a ACC Tier 1 Bowl, regardless of what happens come Dec 1.

    Think I read that was a certainty.

    Like

    1. That would pretty much guarantee a 7-7 season after a 3 game slide….not what recruits want to see on TV.

      Pitt hasn’t beaten a superior team in a bowl game since the Pop Warner days….if then.

      Like

  393. I really can not see the Belk Bowl in Charlotte being remotely interested in having Pitt, 3 weeks after playing there. Unless David Tepper is involved in the decision.

    Like

  394. We could really throw a monkey wrench into EVERYTHING if we could somehow pull a 13-9, out of the hat…again.

    Like

    1. and the nation will remember it and it will cost the ACC millions literally
      The game is a coveted 8 PM slot and theres no other meaningful major sporting event on
      It will also be the best or worst publicity for Pitt…Pitt could also lose intangible millions

      Liked by 1 person

  395. TX – as mentioned a month and a half ago, Tomlin is on thin ice. You can’t spend the way the steelers have on offensive talent for the last 12 years and only have 2 Super Bowls. I fully expect him to be gone (90%) if they lose in the first round of the playoffs and 75% if they lose in the 2nd round. Ownership is getting restless.

    As far as Pitt is concerned, they are not fixed. They had a win streak against a lot of mediocre teams. On the flipping 2 star thread, I indicated that the realist sees a lot of issues despite the wins. I don’t want Pitt to lose. We are not close to being fixed. The anointment of Pickett as an arrived passer was apparently misguided hopes…for now. Is it doom and gloom, nope.

    It is what it is and that is we are a .500 football team in a very average division of a very average conference this year. This Year. Not every year! It’s not debbie downer time. It’s realistic time.

    Pitt is positioned to ascend to the top for awhile if we can have a couple strong recruiting seasons. The good news is that we are all hovering around the same .500 team level. The opportunity is in front of us.

    Like

    1. There’s a lot of very average divisions in college football, besides the ACC Coastal. Take the BigJoke West, take the Pac 12 South. The Coastal is being used as a whipping boy by the media, specifically because Pitt won it. These schmucks use to say the same thing about the BIgEast in basketball when Pitt won in it too. BigEast was having a down year, etc. etc.

      Liked by 1 person

  396. That would allow Ohio Fake into the Final 4. I don’t really think the nation (at large) wants to see another Alabama vs Clemscum title game.

    Like

    1. I like Clemson and their HC. They’re the only team right now making the ACC look good. A class team all the way IMO.

      Like

  397. Pitt won the Time of Possession battle handily yesterday, 36 minutes to 24 minutes.

    Proving that ….that stat is almost useless anymore.

    Like

  398. Obviously was very disappointed yesterday, but was extremely disappointed in Watson continually calling plays that involved Pickett taking deep drops. It was only near that end that he called some quick throws on short dropbacks to WR’s (like Lopes) in the flat and we got some decent gains on them.

    It was almost like the play calling resorted back to the first month of the season.

    Like

  399. Watching the Steelers was like watching another undisciplined and turnover prone team from last Saturday.

    However, it is more egregious for the Steelers to have all that talent, spending all that money, in a weak division to not produce more championships

    I look at this years 16 recruits and I’m not impressed. I look at the avg stars and see that only 3 are borderline 4 stars. Last years class there was 8 borderline 4’s and one 4. This year no 4’s.

    I look at the offers of these recruits and I’m not impressed.

    People bring up Patrick Jones and that he was a lowly 2 or 3 star. But he had multiple offers from P-5 schools including Va Tech. Our 2 and 3 stars have offers from Holy Cross, Elon and Bowling Green. Recruiting is trending down.

    Pitt has proven under Wanny that it can recruit 4 and 5 stars. If anything, it should be easier now since Pitt is in a stable P-5 conference, and the recruiting budget is much larger. I dont understand why Narduzzi has a difficult time closing 4 stars. If Va Tech can get 4-5 of them each year, why not Pitt?

    If Pitt can send so many players to the pros, why hasnt it produced more division titles?

    I’m just not sold that Narduzzi is the future and the extension makes removal financially prohibitive and a black eye for Heather.

    More 6-8 win seasons and crappy bowls will be the result. But as long as Pitt doesnt embarrass themselves by pulling a Rutgers or getting caught in some scandal, the administration is ok.

    I just dont see how fans can be o.k. spending their money on this type of product.

    Pitt basketball has a future. Not so much for Pitt football.

    Like

    1. Yes, you lost me, there is a salary cap in pro football so everyone spends the same money.

      As far as an easy conference, they have Baltimore, New England has Miami, Jets and Bills as soft as it gets.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Do teams spend the same amount? The Steelers are hard up against the cap, but is Cleveland? The Browns have $81 million in cap space next season. PIT will have about $16 million.

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      2. the steelers are often over the cap resulting in players having to restructure. You can only run a business for so long that way before you pay the Piper

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        1. Next year Dupree makes $9 million and does little, Heyward and Tuitt’s salaries rise to $14 and $13 million, respectively. Ouch. You’re not getting 10 sacks from either and neither are worth that against the run.

          Like

      1. The Steelers lost the game today for a variety of reasons. To me, reason #1 was they abandoned completely the running game. Conner is a back who likes to be fed the ball often. You can’t just use him now and then and expect him to perform. The interception by Ben was the single most egregious play of the day as it completely reversed Big Mo. Denver out hit the Steelers and wanted the game more. The rest was window dressing.

        Like

    2. Big Ben seems to feel the need to feed the ball to Brown. Brown is terrific, but forcing the ball to him gets Ben in trouble…

      Those 3 play calls at the goal line at the end of the game seemed pretty lame…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

      1. He had an 8 game TD streak trying to match or beat the record. Glad that’s over….now Ben can try to win instead of please Brown.

        Like

    1. I still say a big part of that is the elite players want to play in front of a stadium filled with rabid fans… We don’t have that to offer.

      Furthermore, we have fewer and fewer local elites who might want to stay home to play…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  402. I’m becoming more confused as I read comments. The team exceeded my expectations. By exceeding low expectations does not make them good or bad, just better than my opinion.
    As others have mentioned, the difficult OOC was made up by what was perhaps the weakest Coastal lineup in years. I’m thrilled we were mostly successful in those games, and finally won a division. This by no means fools me I to thinking we are good, just better than a very poor group, this year.
    The team matches up well with the certain style of others. Not so well in matchups with more athletic, speed teams. Our guys, for the most part, aren’t the best athletes. They try hard, put out effort, but for the most part are plodders and bruisers. Again, not bad, not good, just who they are.
    I doubt this division will be so vulnerable in the future. One way or another they’ll have to upgrade recruiting or fall back in the pack. Miami, unfortunately worked out as I thought. We could have played all night and never scored.
    Pound our chests when we win, say we suck when we lose. Both are right/ both are wrong. I will enjoy the ride this year, but not be fooled that we turned a corner, or are anything more than what we are. But guys, that’s not bad. Too much linear thinking. It’s not white or black. It will take years of seasons like this to improve the program. It’s a nice year. Enjoy it, you never know how long it will take to do it again.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. JoeK and seriously with all due respect. If PITT exceeded your low expectations then you were wrong. Sometimes the little tree gets in the way of the big forest. This season was another baby step forward. No, not what we all would have like to see but better than most expected.

      Like

  403. Huh? Not sure I follow. Last year I was the only one who correctly predicted our record. Do you mean I was the only one right and the rest of you were dead wrong. That’s just not the way I look at it. You met, exceed, or fall short of expectations. That is not right or wrong. That is a very limited way of seeing things. I’m thrilled they did better than I thought. If they only met expections are you happy, sad, neutral? Same if they didn’t meet expections. If you thought 8-9-10 wins are you not happy they finally won a division? Right or wrong? Strange.

    Like

    1. Pitt has a chance to change national perception next Saturday
      They have an opportunity to brand themselves with a lasting impression
      Read the article and you’ll understand

      Like

      1. Yea look at the company we’re in. A program with 9 National Championships and scores of NFL stars and all-pro’s in the same company as Wake Forest, Missouri & Minnesota. Even Northwestern (which was a laughing stock in football for several decades) has got a better brand than us, according to the article. Duke, was another laughing stock in college football for decades. Kentucky…another one.

        You had to work very hard to destroy Pitt’s brand of Johnny & Jackie…..yet they managed to accomplish that.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. TX — have seen that article before, but thanks for posting it. Here’s a key statement in that article:

      “When all else is relatively equal, recruits will then default to the program with the most momentum and buzz, the school that will impress his community members the most, the destination university that is sure to provide him 3-4 amazing years, or the childhood favorite.”

      I think a lot of this comes from making a recruiting visit when a school is playing a game where they have a packed stadium. This is “buzz” and so picking this school will impress his family and friends… Is there a “buzz” at a typical Pitt home game?

      Go Pitt.

      Like

      1. Jamie Dixon provided that buzz for many years – for all sports. Like it or not, in major college sports mens bball is the easiest program to turn around, and one that can provide the buzz that the other programs build on.

        Years ago the ACC was more a basketball conference then today – but the original ACC schools parlayed that basketball buzz into profitable football programs. Just ask Clemson, Duke, UNC, Wake and NC State who from the 60’s on slowly build football programs of note…in a basketball ‘only’ league. They pulled in Ga Tech in the 70’s and then Florida State in the hope their football prestige would add luster to the brand. I believe they think that Pitt football has the history and can do the same – in the long run.

        I’m not really sure the ACC understands that Pitt is not the same Pitt of the 70’s and 80’s. From one who looked at football for a long time from that ACC southern vantage point – Pitt has ALWAYS been seen by the casual fan as a good solid program. One with up’s and down’s, but due to it’s history it’s reputation as a tough football school was established.

        Food for thought.

        BTW was sick game day and missed most of it – but still proud of the Panther’s for what they accomplished and the ride they took us all on the last few weeks…it was priceless fun.

        H2P

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  405. If I remember Conner’s fumble occurred in the same area then the fumble they had during a playoff game in Denver. They lost then because of it

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  406. We’ve had these discussions continually forever on these blogs. Pitt is what it is.

    We are never going to be a Power Elite again unless there is a huge decision at the Top.
    We haven’t been ranked in the Top 10 since Marino’s senior year. That was 35 years ago/

    And if that hasn’t happened in the last 35 years, it is very unlikely to occur again, as football
    is dying in America. Nobody is packing them in(all the time), even Alabama was playing to empty seats.

    Saw some empties at Creepy Valley.

    You gotta accept Pitt for what it is….our alma mater .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Meant Season Ending Top 10 ranking. We were ranked in the Top 10 under Wanny for 3 weeks in
      November in 2009. So they promptly forced him out, the next year.

      That showed that Pitt didn’t give a hoot about having a good to very good football program.
      End of Story !

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  407. Hey EMel, What’s there to do in Charlotte on Friday or Saturday am? Anyplace that’s a must see? Even though my daughter was there for a few years we really didn’t go downtown too much. Restaurants? Any advice would be welcomed.

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    1. Lots of great restaurants. The usual high end corporate places like Capital Grille, Morton’s, Ruth Chris,
      McCormick & Schmicks, are all along the main drag…Tryon Street. The Ritz Carlton has a good restaurant and their bar is tops, use to have jazz,last time I was there. The four aforementioned, the
      Capital Grille has the best bar.

      The Charlotte Chamber of Congress would want you to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

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      1. Is that Saturday Morning you’re asking about Joe…(not really my time element in downtown)
        But if you’re into Museums, there is the Mint Museum, the Museum of the New South and
        Discovery Place. If you have a car there is Latta Plantation a little outside of town,

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  408. It’s not a Pitt and other better option problem in my opinion. It’s a head coach problem, coaching staff problem and institutional problem. Players want to play for coaches not institutions. Institutions set the table or not for sports programs through support and buy-in. If players went to the best institutions, the Ivy’s would be powerhouses.

    Players tend to matriculate to the best coaches that sell a vision and then execute it.

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      1. They all get cash, i mean stipends! Some more than others.

        And of course, other benefits.

        That is why I think the Capel era will be interesting. It is known that there is cash payments associated with five stars and high 4 stars. Will the Pitt Administration allow Capel to play the game, turn their eye or tell him no. Let’s see how it goes.

        The trials are bringing out only some of the dirty details and few will take the fall for the scam. It doesn’t mean that it will ever stop because it won’t. NCAA sports is a dirty business. For the most part, the ncaa looks the other way unless it is too egregious.

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    2. I think the vast majority of coaches know how to sweet-talk a recruit… It’s what they have to offer and to show them that matters, IMHO

      GO PITT!

      Go Pitt.

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  409. Pitt is 2-0 lifetime against Clemson. Meanwhile….

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    1. Al McGuire coached at Belmont Abbey(not the one you’re referring to, but jogged my memory banks) outside of Charlotte before getting the gig at Marquette.
      7 years later he beat both the Tarholes and UNCC 49’ers in the Final 4. Go figure !

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  411. I hope Pitt has 4 star recruits on the sideline against Clemson along with former greats
    And then I hope Pitt goes out and kicks butt
    But then again the best made plans can always backfire and everyone can be treated to a game of Pitting with SOP on top

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  412. For the record, YES, PITT fell well below my expectations last year and I said it numerous times. It really isn’t that hard.

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  413. You have to wonder, how the image of Pitt, as portrayed by the TV Sports networks who have described us continually over the years….as a blue collar, hard working type team. They have all used the same
    notes for years to describe us.

    Does that help or hurt us ? And I’m talking with the generation of today and today’s high school players.

    Imo it hurts us. The way Pitt is presented, it’s usually pretty negative, has a lot today with our brand
    being so lowly rated per that article Tex posted above.

    For example, we play Wake Forest last week and the 2 announcers spent most of the game, yaking about Wake Forest this and Wake Forest that. A nobody that has never been close to a football power.

    Yet if you were a high school kid, watching that game, you’d think, (without knowing the history), that Pitt was the nobody, never was. Not Wake.

    One’s of Pitt’s biggest problems is the way it is presented, in these games on national or regional TV.

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    1. thats why its important to play an exciting brand of football…spread on offense and up-tempo. And then a very aggressive D that focuses on turnovers. You’ll attract playmakers that way. You’ll get the elite athletes.

      Then the AD needs to market the school and campus as something exciting and vibrant and diverse. It really hurts that football is played off campus in a pro stadium associated with the Steelers.

      The color change next year could be huge with kids. I hope we wear retros against Clemson.

      And keep developing new traditions that engage fans and alumni. Ways to make the weekend fun. Ways to connect back to the university.

      Get these recruits on campus. Get them to Heinz (but tarp the upper decks). Get them to a basketball game.

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  414. And before anybody scoffs at that notion. I’ve been in marketing for close to 40 years.

    The way a product(and Pitt football is a product ) is presented, is EVERYTHING.

    Even an inferior product, presented properly….can be a huge success. (witness 30 minute infomercials)

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  416. Ike, I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I’d rather just forget it all if it’s OK with you.

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  417. EMel, Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I’d like to check out some of the museums, maybe some out of my comfort zone, like the left turn, left turn, left turn one. Something different might be a lot of fun! Thanks again!

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  418. Call it a ‘Conspiracy Theory’ if you will…. BUT

    Could it be possible that PN is doing what he likes best? Throwing smoke at the most important time in his tenure as Head Coach? (Deceive the Enemy at all costs, be it Jersey No.s, or a throw to an unrecognized O-lineman; CLOSED PRACTICES at the extent and consequence of loosing the fan base?)

    There are approx 600 comments here, and I cannot say I have read them all. So if someone has already posited my ridiculous theory, then credit is due to that individual….

    Is there a strategy in all of this, I wonder. Chances are slim. And I acknowledge it’s a preposterous thought. But I wouldn’t doubt it entirely.

    PN certainly fits the bill here, IMHO.

    So it’s an entertaining question… Would HCPN purposely hold back the team with uncoordinated, undisciplined play? Allow his coordinators the same vanilla play-calling — as he does in BLUE-GOLD games — to deceive an FBS opponent (See FCS OOC foes prior to facing off with PSU in these last two years and it wouldn’t be a shocker).

    HCPN is a very, very competitive man. So I wouldn’t entirely doubt this theory considering that he’d likely do most anything to call he and his team ACC CHAMPIONS.

    Food for thought.

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  419. Neil, I can see PN placing more emphasis on Clemson than Miami last week thus sending a message to staff and players that lead to playing it close to the vest with game planning and a loss of focus with the players.
    I hope it works and we shock the world Saturday.
    Also TOTALLY agree with Emel regarding marketing…too many thoughts to put on paper right now.
    Joe knew, where are your seats at the game?

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    1. Heya Fran,
      Thanks for entertaining my question. It’s my hope we meet up one day at your tailgate. Mightn’t be this year. But really hoping to meet you all at some point next season. Always enjoy your comments. (Would be a lot of fun bumping into the rest of the hardcores here, as well (i.e., Ike; Big; Erie, etc.)
      —Neil

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  420. I agree with those saying Saturday is our bowl game … if we win (obviously a huge if given the odds), we would get a New Years Six bowl which I’d be excited to see. If we lose, can we decline a bowl invite and just accept a 7-6 record? Or is the extra practice really that valuable (I’m skeptical). We’d also probably get a lesser bowl against a more beatable opponent, so I guess we’d have a decent shot at an 8th win. But I personally just can’t get very excited for that scenario.

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