Well I did my best to tamp down expectations with my preview post last week.  Here’s to hoping Pitt exceeds whatever expectations we have and plays their best game of the season.  The 19 seniors on this team deserve it.

Hail to Pitt!

PS here is an interesting note on the Stanford mascot.  No matter what happens, we are going to win in that department, hands down.

Screen Shot 2018-12-30 at 2.00.41 PM

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.

630 thoughts on “Pitt Football: Sun Bowl Open Game Thread”

  3. Watching the Virginia Tech Cincinnati game… I did not know Luke Fickellwas the head coach of the 10-2 Cincinnati Bearcats..

    I’ll watch the game with you Gordon!

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  5. Anybody remember — might have been 2004 — when Pitt beat a Phillip Rivers led NC State in a bowl game?

    I was in Charlotte when Wanny’s team kicked a last second FG to win a bowl game — maybe it was against UNC?

    I’m trying to get some good vibs going… 😊

    Go Pitt!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I have no good vibes left after yesterday. Pitt is outmanned at all but 3 positions and badly out manned on both lines. I see the Clemson/Miami game all over again. Hoping for a Festivus Miracle!

      Like

    1. Good link Tex. Will be interesting to see what wrinkles Bates comes up with

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  15. Time for Narduzzi to get a bowl win. This is not the same Stanford team from the Harbaugh era. No Bryce Love so Pitt needs to get it done. I’ll take Pitt 24-21.

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  21. Costello looks like he may have had a few tequilas last night. I’ll take it

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    1. As usual…

      With that being said the line looks like they are getting a good push. If we can play clean we might have a shot

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  30. Their receivers and tight ends are enormous. Our db’s look like a bunch of elves out there

    RaRa came to play in the punt game

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Why In the heck are we throwing the ball twice in a row when we are running at will?

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      1. “So far this coaching staff not shown that they know how to prepare the team to win in the postseason, and I won’t believe they can do it until they show me.”

        Michaelangelo Monteleone

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  52. OK…..help me. Does Kenny suck or does he never have enough time to even see the field? I really don’t want him to suck!

    I hope be gets a play this half qith time and throws a bomb for a touchdown.

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  54. We are winning the yards but not the game!

    They should have tried the FG on 1st drive with the wind. It was doable

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  56. Damn Georgie. Saving up all your penalties for today or something ? That’s two in the first quarter

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  62. After one quarter we are on pace for 380+ rushing yards.

    Stanford not very interested in tackling.

    I will be perfectly happy if we don’t attempt another pass the entire game.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. Watson has been an idiot in a lot of situations when it mattered. Run the balll!!!! We can’t protect and Kenny is terrified….stop trying to prove how smart you are.

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  75. Agree on all Watson comments. If Stanford’s offense decides they want to play we are going to need a lot more than 3 pats.

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      1. Defense is playing pretty well but I’ve seen at least three badly thrown balls and one drop. Costello 1 for 6

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  80. Stanford has given us a prime opportunity to blow this game wide open early and we have 3 points. We better put it in gear now!!!! Come on Panthers, SCORE!!!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  83. i think we agree that stanford is stinking out the joint.

    the problem is that they are stinking out the joint and are only down 3.

    not a good sign for our team. we should learn how to capitalize on teams that don’t play hard for awhile.

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  88. I think the receiver read that one wrong and didn’t break. Good throw by Kenny

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  90. They called the play against Clemson two times… Same results… Receiver kept running and the ball landed harmlessly out of bounds… Must be one of their bread and butter pass plays

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  93. squandering opportunities…..will always bite you. Great teams don’t squander good chances to knock an opponent out.

    this one is up for grabs, but i feel uneasy

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  94. love you, MM, so I hope you’re right. That said, since we pass the ball 5 times a game you think we’d have the. “coached up”. Frustrati g watching thja being handed away and putting our D in the impossible situation of having to hold another team to 10 points.

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    1. Totally agree. At this stage in the season qb and wr need to be on the same page.

      Great hit by Chase Pine

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  109. salhuddin needs touches. or davis.

    Can’t keep hall in there if he can’t block, sorry.

    need to seize momentum right back. worse thing will be to go 3 and out.

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  111. Hi guys,

    Watson has clearly been hanging out on the other side of the UPMC building with those red zone calls. Run the damn ball!

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  121. Getting Pickett knocked around on those running plays might be the best call Watson’s made today. Pocket plays better when he doesn’t think

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  125. Wind is definitely a factor in the passing game. Maybe Narduzzi should call Billy Stull for some tips. Or not.

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  130. Haha there must be delay on my feed. You guys called that TD before it happened! Hail2Pitt!!!

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  138. I was wondering why they hadn’t used KP’s legs earlier. Thought they would on the first third down in the red zone.

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  146. Db was clearly early on the PI call. Good call by the sec officials

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    2. Here are my Halftime adjustments. Feel free to chime in wit your own.

      Offense:
      1. Keep Kenny engaged with those RPO’s.
      2. Keep feeding DH
      3. Keep Aston in to block that guy who keeps blowing us up (or chip him)
      4. Let Kenny throw a few deep balls to keep ‘em honest

      Defense
      1. Keep doing what you’re doing but watch out for the screens

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  156. VT is wearing the ugliest uniforms ever today. Must be something like that ugly Christmas sweater stuff…

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  161. keep doing what doing but take some more risk
    not too impressed with Stanford
    I know they are missing some starters on O
    But they just dont look they want to be there
    Pitt’s players must have laid off the Tequila last nite

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  162. Luke Fickell has to be a candidate for a higher profile job. Great coach! Possibly WVU if Holgerson bolts to Houston?

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  163. I guess KP didn’t get smacked in the head at the end of the half?

    I guess Stanford sucked giving PITT half of a chance in this game

    Not a big fan of Watson but he ‘s figured out to use KP’s legs this last game

    Not trying to be self important here but I think PITT represented well first half. I hope that continues….. Hope that didn’t piss anyone off… ike again… you’re all welcome to email me at ike210@comcast.net

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    1. Ike you are always welcome to state your opinion about the team. I agree they look pretty good, and Stanford looks really bad. We’ve got a shot at this one if we can keep it together in the second half.

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  164. Hall should be a prime candidate for a wheel route, with his speed versus a linebacker. Yet we don’t see it.

    Or, if Hall can’t block, send him out in the flat, let the blitzed come, and flip it to Hall. This isn’t rocket science…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  172. Ike,love your positivity, but Kenny cant throw simple short passes (certainly not consistently). So, we should be happy with the D and Hall so far and that will be our only hope.

    I keep saying this over and over so he proves me wrong today since I don’t win at gambling very often.

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  200. Absolutely no reason to not pound it between the tackles against this team.

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  209. What we need now is a clock-chewing, ground pounding touchdown drive to break their back

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  213. Ok boys – go down the field and score a stink’n TD or we could easily lose this game!
    Get er done!!!!

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  214. All kidding aside, CBS has shown the Pitt Band about 15 times. Not one picture of any Pitt Fans. Sad. I’m not sure if Heather or Gallagher had any pull, but they need to take note: Pitt fans don’t travel West of the Mississippi.

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  232. Have to admit we’ll designed d of the jet sweep by Stanford, deep safety sees motion and runs up. Now if only Watson could exploit that…

    Liked by 1 person

  242. Watson’s best offense with Bridgewater at Louisville averaged about 35 ppg. I’m beginning to wonder how much it might have averaged if there was a competent OC

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  243. PITT doesn’t win this game, I’ll be pissed more than usual. I beg then not to blow a great effort so far!!!!

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    1. It’s all on the D ike. Unless the o line decides to assrert their will

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  245. I am glad stampferd has lost three starting OL…..giving us a chance! Let’s shut them down right now boys!

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  267. I didn’t think you could fumble it forward on offense in college and get rewarded. I thought it was placed at the spot of the fumble…unless they ruled it a pass

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  268. Well that will be on ESPN as a top10….against our Tulsa uni’s

    Let’s go get it right back. Need to answer methodically and not panic. We have 2 more possessions, maybe 3 left.

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  276. Stubpanther, I came here to ask the same thing. Are you now allowed to fumble the ball forward on offense in college? Anyone know the rule?

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  292. sorry guys, Pickett might have a lot of heart but he’s not a DI qb. How many screwups will he be allowed before he’s pulled…. that last series showed us all we need to know

    Liked by 1 person

  295. Duzz and Pickett combining to lose this game. Horrible decision. Punt the frickn ball!!! This one may be over.

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    1. Tidying up for a New Year’s Eve night out at the comedy club.

      Laughter will be good for the two of us after that terrible display of offense.

      Huff you made me laugh with your wedge comment.

      I turned off the TV to go have dinner with my two nephews.

      Poor O, but the D sure came to play.

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  298. worse than the browns… The Charlie Browns. This team is embarrassing even if they lucknout and win because Stanford sucks. Ike, no sugarcoating this complete ineptitude and it starts at the top!! Must be in the water at the practice facility.

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  301. let’s be clear. we should not be relying on 53 yard field goals. That was a 1st, 2nd and 3rd down failure to gain yards. Actually, we lost yards.

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  305. So to recap:

    1. 4 star recruit drops pass that was on the numbers
    2. Pickett badly misses on a slant
    3. Pickett clearly holds onto well-booked RPO (or read option) too long on causing 3rd down fumble
    4. Kessman misses wide right. Way wide

    That will be too 10 for Pitt disastrous offensive series of all time

    Liked by 1 person

  307. If Pitt makes that fumble it goes through the endzone for a touchback.
    Redzone offense cost us this game. Watson + Pickett= not good enough.
    Looks like we sguandered a pretty good defensive effort.

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  315. Now we see the killer combo of Duzz poor game coaching and lack of attention to detail …wasted TO with wrong players on the field.

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  318. Ike——> sending you good juju so you won’t be as pissed as you should be.

    Can we please not go offside or rough the kicker and then have a 25 yard field goal attempt to win the game?

    Oh, and make it

    Liked by 1 person

  335. The sad part about it is that Watson is going to get another year.

    Hey Pat Major Applewhite just became available!

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  348. Season over. Lets start the hype of how great all Kenny’s off season youtube workouts are and get “psyched” for next year!!
    He’s not good and doesn’t have “it” and never did. Yet, the stubborn one will anoint him starter next year during this post game press conference….and offer Wataon a 5 year extension.

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  352. That last play….no Hall? He’d still be running. Yeah Narduzi, put it in your great QB’s hands. Just shoot me already…

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  358. good god, what was that?!? We’re awful. Just awful. Losing this game is the ultimate pathetic loss. give Jeff George a shot next year, what do we have to lose?

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  360. How much is Narduzzi’s buy-out?

    Like I said, he’s an 8 win ceiling coach that will never win a bowl game.

    Definitely not worth the $3.5M when you can get the Toledo HC for $2M

    Liked by 1 person

  361. Narduzzi, 0-3 in bowl games and 7-7 hitting the recruiting trail, and Pickett is his guy. What a future we have to look forward to.

    Liked by 1 person

  362. Just really inaccurate as a passer. Not sure you can teach accuracy. Not a QB coach though so I really can’t say.

    It can be less about his physical traits and the clock in his head where he rushes his throws because of phantoms in his head.

    Liked by 1 person

  366. Hats off tobthe D today. But offense, special teams and coaching looks foolish again like they have in the last 2 games.

    KP will not get better and don’t give me the crap that this is his freshmen season. He has made “0” progress this whole year – mentally or physically.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. So what is worse Huff, my hope for career ending injury or damning the Panthers to hell?

      I guess they would simply be joining us IN HELL.

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  373. Not a chance I even consider season tickets. MAY try to go to one game if the weather is perfect and KP is not at QB.

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    1. Me too. FWIW, I’ll have to convince the wife to skip next season.

      There has to be something better to do with our entertainment dollars.

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  375. KP has devolved into TS. This was sickening. The D played well enough. Another disappointment which is to say just another year being a Pitt Fan. We will get to see Pedo win tomorrow and just twist the knife a little more

    Liked by 2 people

  376. If that wasn’t SOP, I don’t know what is. Find a way to lose, that is what we do best.
    This one ranks with Houston.
    Tough break to lose Ollison, but they were playing without a lot of their stars too.

    Liked by 4 people

  380. One good drive when they used Kenny’s legs, then they forget all about it.
    The sweeps were just stupid. Especially the one to Hall.

    Liked by 1 person

  381. Time to get offensive coordinator who has some control. No throws to tifgt ends all year one dimensional. Picket has shown no progress in two years. He will play till he graduates and we will be 500 team every year. I’m discussed with the whole Narduzzi ego and lack of coaching skills. A lot of thought will go into season tickets next year. I’ll pass after fifty years of rooting. This game was lost in first half and all season with inept offense. You must be able to throw and use tight ends it’s been a frustrating year sign me out

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  383. We need a full and open QB competition in the spring and summer. Put the best QB on the field. I’ll just say this, Jeff George Jr must be an abysmal QB.

    Liked by 4 people

  384. I would love to know what the receivers truly think of KP… too much expectatation was placed on that 2017 Miami game… he could not live up to his own billing…

    D looked great for much of the game…

    Happy New Year to all my POVert friends!!! 💥💥💥

    Liked by 2 people

  385. Is Larry Fedora an offense guy, he had Mitch Trubisky and Ryan Switzer….How about AVP, isn’t he with Green Bay who is changing coaches?

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  386. No excuse for this loss but Narduzzi. That wasn’t a P-5 offense we all watched out there today. Heads should Roll!

    That said, the defense played a game worthy of a victory.

    Liked by 8 people

  387. So had we not waited 35 seconds to get the play off after ffrenchy’s no catch, we would have snapped the ball without a timeout by stanford. The reason was because the three or four replays didn’t show anything and then bam, the turf! Then double bam, the timeout. We needed to get to the line and get that thing snapped. Frustrating coaching.

    Glad we wore the Tulsa uni’s.

    We are not opportunistic as an athletic department and sports franchise. Tomlin future being discussed as we speak with ownership group. If they find someone they think is better, he is out. If not, he will be saved again. Two years left with Ben.

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    3. Huff – you speak like you know something about the Steelers. Hope someone in that meeting can see the Emperor Mike needs to be surrounded by more capable coordinators and an analytics guy/gal. Hope we don’t lose Munchack.

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      1. My apologies to all yinz of Eastern European descent on the misspelling of Munchak. Apple spellcheck should know that Munchack is not a word, but my bad on letting it get through.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Tomlin has been isolated as the problem. We have gone through his DC’s and OC’s.

        Most importantly and tied into this thread is administrative support. The Steelers have put many of the best offensive players in the league together….and paid them handsomely. You can’t get past the fact that the organization under-performed with excellent talent.

        This is similar to Pitt. If the Administration makes a full commitment to winning, they will win . If they just dip their toes in the success ocean to test it, they will be mediocre. Steelers got mediocre results with above average to excellent support. Pitt has been an interesting case because we have overachieved based on what the Administration has supported.

        Now, the pressure is on for the Pitt Administration to finally tell the truth and define who Pitt is to its alumni. Is the Administration going all in towards excellence or are they happy with mediocrity. That is the BIG question. Pitt needs to tell the truth, period. I am tired of being told how the bar is championships here and then support it like a YMCA league. So who will hold the Administration to the fire?

        Why has our OOC not changed? Why is it only the Pitt fans that challenge the OOC of Dairy and Syracuse? The answer is because nobody else cares because everyone else is just winning.

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  388. I’m with Ike…get out the guillotine…storm the Bastille.
    Let em eat cake.
    No, I’m not drinking…yet.

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    1. ^^ I suggest you start my friend Fran. As your brother of a forged friendship, a libation is good medicine and I wish you a very Happy New Year! I’ll raise a glass in your honor this evening. here here!

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  389. We averaged 5.0 yards per rushing attempt. Yet we passed 29 times (completing only 11). It’s like we didn’t expect the running game to work today, so we just stuck with the game plan mix. At some point you would say, “Hey, the running game is working. Let’s stick with it.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My thoughts as well. Watson has had a tendency to start a series with passes, which I guess is to make a point and keep the defense honest. Problem is, it doesn’t work. Teams already know we prefer to run and struggle with pass protection, so why throw away a series? That happened more than once today.

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  390. The question will be: Does Pitt think a 7-7 record is acceptable?

    I’m sure Pitt does because Pitt won the Coastal, made it to a bowl game, and achieved high GPA’s, graduation rates and did it all without scandal or cheating.

    So from Pitt’s perspective, this season was a success.

    To fans like me, it was a disaster.

    Pitt will be lucky to win 7 games next year.
    Pitt will be lucky to draw more than 30k fans to Heinz.
    More SOP and Pitting.

    Pittsburgh must love mediocre programs and coaches like the Steelers and Panthers.
    What is it? – 3 playoff wins in 10 years and 3 bowl wins for the Steelers and Panthers.
    Thanks Mr Rooney and BoT

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 7-7 is not acceptable and I’m sure the AD agrees. But a better record should not come at the price of not getting the things you noted in your 2nd paragraph.

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    2. Pitt doesn’t think 7-7 is an acceptable record, but Pitt doesn’t want to pay to bring in a top coach who CAN get the job done. A coach who CAN get the job done doesn’t want to coach at Heinz Field and doesn’t want his players bused to a practice facility.

      Pitt should give Narduzzi two more years to see what he can do in the 2020 season when the non conference schedule is thankfully a joke.

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  393. Lots on Twitter holding donation / ticket renewal unless changes are made.
    Mainly calling for Watsons head.

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  394. This was a game that most teams who are positioned like Pitt —throughout 4qrts — are going to win.
    Yes, I am very disappointed in this loss. The defense was very good. But again the pass game — take away one to TMack — was anemic. (Pitt likes to throw laterals under Watson, whether it be to an OL, RB, WR. But demonstrates a total unwillingness and lack of confidence to execute a simple screen pass. (Anyone here can recall the screen completed to Mathews about 3 weeks ago, and it was a big, successful play. So I am befuddled why there’s no work to make that a part of the game plan again, among many, many other things that could’ve been incorporated).)

    It’s unfortunate, but there’s no doubt at this point that Pickett is no where near a lock to start at QB in ‘19. And our OC has no place calling another game IMO, either.

    I thought for a moment that PN might take a couple series with JGeorgeJr in the 3rd Qtr. Nope.

    Watson is in need of being sidelined indefinitely. And Pickett needs a more thorough evaluation. As many have stated, it’s looking like the optimism we took out of Miami’s ‘17 win was premature as a measuring stick for what amounted to a lot of confidence in the freshman signal-caller at the time. And whereas I was reluctant to judge too harshly, this game has my attention as poor play atop the other questionable performances.

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      1. It’s working for Clemson….what do we have to lose? One thing for sure, Pitt doesn’t have another season to throw in the toilet with Pickett at the helm.

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    2. That would have been at least six weeks ago RE screen pass at Mathews
      Was a nice example of play calling that I don’t care to look up at this time (with certainty as to date/time/place). Why is because there’s nothing congratulatory about looking back at this season. The highlight reel after Wake Forest isn’t complimentary and the season got stuck in SOP there-afterwards.

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  396. Was this year a success?
    Many will ask at this time and would tell anyone asking me with a definitive “yes and no” answer. And it’s a fair answer if being asked directly. And I will conclude more on the “yes” side (it was a success). BUT ONLY IF there a major personnel changes as indicated above. AND if not, and we (as Pitt fam) keep on in the same direction (i.e. retaining Watson; anointing KP as definitive starter) then it must be considered a fail in this postseason.
    Hope y’al recover from this let down.
    —Neil

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  397. Well, is anyone really surprised with this considering what we have seen from Pitt when we play any team with even a little bit of talent?

    Outscored 80 – 26 to end the season with three straight losses… Lost third bowl game and looked like crap in all three losses.

    Is this what anyone expected in Narduzzi’s third and fourth seasons?

    Keep telling us how great his recruiting is…in keeping with the fantasy that this HC can do anything at all with “his own players”.

    Sorry, but this is typical play from Narduzzi’s team when anything really important is on the line.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Typical of you Reed, tacking on a one point loss into the final three games point loss. Doesn’t jive with your theme to me.

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      1. I wrote the truth Ike, you should understand that.

        We just lost to a not so great anyway Stanford team that had five NFL draft kids missing from the lineup…five missing starters and all good players. Yet we choked anyway.

        PN holds form and blows it yet again.

        Liked by 4 people

    2. So when Pitt went on its winning streak you posted on here that you didn’t watch one minute of the games but now that the team ends with three-straight losses you’re posting after the games?

      Pitt has had a Pitt problem for three decades now. You don’t think Narduzzi can fix it then who can? Surely not someone Gallagher would pay the money to win.

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      1. Does what I do or don’t do change the outcome of Pitt football?

        I think not.

        I watched each game on DVR at my leisure and you know what?

        We still had another successive non-winning season under this HC in his 3rd and 4th seasons.

        I’m not sure I had much to do with that…

        Liked by 3 people

        1. I thought you were unhappy with the winning streak and happy with the losses, hence not posting and posting based on results.

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      2. We are paying this guy a lot of $$$ to lose game including three bowl games.

        Since he got that raise to what? 3.5M and the extension he has coached Pitt to .500 ball.

        Last year he had the worse W/L record in 11 years…this year .500 ball.

        Gee can’t wait to see what he does next year when almost all of his decent ballplayers will be gone.

        I Know!

        Cancel any decent OOC games we have and pay cupcakes to lose to us!
        But Delaware and Ohio might give us hard times as you know UCF & PSU are going to.

        While we are at it pay UNC millions to cancel that game also.

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  398. Missing a wide open Lopes…Argh….Announcer/Danielson commented that KP focuses on one receiver…I like KP but the lack of a passing game is holding back the team. Pitt post game show comments that KP had a disappointing season and failed to set himself apart as starting QB for next year very true. Time to open the QB position for some competition?

    Liked by 1 person

  400. Chance for 8-6 season and optimism for next season. Coastal division champs nice but team lost steam after Wake Forest win. Extremely disappointing end to the season!

    Liked by 5 people

  401. George isn’t the answer as the starter at QB for ’19. So, get yet another transfer or go with Patti.

    Belville won’t be ready so forget that bit of wishful thinking.

    The whole roster for next year, every single one, is either average at best or unknown… So more wishful thinking.

    Watson is poor but really we should jettison the whole staff and start over because there ain’t going to be any major improvements as long as PN runs the show.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. This was a wasted year. Not only did we finish at 7-7 but we lost any opportunity of getting rid of Narduzzi. The year started off promising in only one facet, the possibility of jettisoning Narduzzi at the end of it. Pitt then promptly goes out and plays pretty good football against mostly mediocre opponents to win the Coastal Division. After accomplishing that “lofty” goal, they revert back to their norm and finish the season by laying two eggs in a row before once again crushing us Pitt fans by losing a game in the fourth quarter. Unless we are absolutely putrid next year we will have Narduzzi two more years.

      If I was Narduzzi, I would look at changing my quarterback. Pickett is not the answer. During the game I saw him giving receivers heck for not running routes properly. Mr. Pickett perhaps needs to do some self criticism as well because he sure did not play an acceptable game. We need to give a serious look at Patti. If I was Watson, I would turn Pickett into option quarterback assuming they can put some muscle on his frame. He sure is not a passer. Yes he can fling the ball, but he does not go through his progressions well, if at all. While we are at it I would also suggest Watson replace his wide receiver coach. Next year we should have Pickett run and hope he is successful. If not, try another quarterback such as Patti or George. I agree Bellville should not be the starter but should redshirt if possible unless he is the second coming of Dan Marino.

      Looking forward to basketball season. Expect to win several more ACC games than we did last year:)

      Liked by 1 person

  405. As Reed has clearly pointed out, next year Narduzzi goes it without any more help from Chryst in the form of Player Leftovers.

    2019 should offer some DEFINITIVE evidence as to whether Narduzzi is someone to hang the future on.

    Factor in that other Teams in the Coastal like Virginia look to be ticking upward in terms of talent.

    Heather might very well be faced with a decision a year from now.

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  407. Chryst leftovers played positions that he never dreamed they would play. Don’t give me that crap.

    imo, big changes need to be made on the coaching staff. I would say Narduzzi as well but I know that ain’t happening.

    FUMBLE!!!! bounces into the arms of the Stanford player. ok, that would have been a good bounce for PITT if it landed in a PITT players arms. Such is life. It’s not like PITT totally sucked today. No I’m not happy with the offense.

    Pickett just may not have it. Can’t trade KP so get rid of Watson and see who was the problem…….. Kenny is like a rubber robot. Mechanical one second and loosey gooesy the next. He needs a QB coach or move on.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That bounce in the end zone for the TD and the sack fumble that bounced right back at the Stanford players. Pitt is still snake bit.

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  409. are we really sure a 7-7 record isnt fine by Heather?
    they keep bringing up winning the Coastal as this big accomplishment
    keep bringing up men of character and high GPA’s, graduation rates and community service accolades

    until i see an AD with a backbone, its same as usual to me
    Heather obviously thinks 5-7 seasons are worthy enough of extensions

    Miami didnt waste time with getting rid of their HC
    Their AD was openly critical
    Their fans and boosters complained

    Pitt’s fans and boosters are used to bending over and saying thank u please may I have another

    I will not have another

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ms. Lyke has plenty of backbone Tx! She fired two basketball coaches in one year as well and got two very good replacements. She also has done well with her wrestling coach hire! Unfortunately she seems to have faith in Mr. Narduzzi for some inexplicable reason. This year though her hands are tied due to Pitt “glorious” Coastal Division title. No coach worth anything will want to come to a school that fires their coach after winning their division in a P5 conference not matter how mediocre said division is! As I stated above the best we can hope for now is Narduzzi getting fired next year but only if we have a very bad year. I would think we would have to go 4-8 or worse for him to be fired next year.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. its easy firing coaches who have never won an ACC game
        easy to fire coaches from programs that dont matter
        much more difficult to make hiring and firing decisions on programs that make a profit (or in Pitt’s case generates millions in revenue) and gets national attention

        she owes Narduzzi her job. Narduzzi was on the selection committee for her
        thats why they are chummy

        Like

  410. Typical anti-Narduzzi bias here! You continue to talk about the W-L without any mention of the schedule …. when 4 of the 7 losses were to teams currently in the Top 12.

    Compare this schedule to any other schedule Pitt has played in the past 25 years or so.

    For that matter … compare the schedule Pitt has played in the last 4 years against any other 4 years. I’m not just saying another 4 straight years —- I’m saying compare it to any other 4 years.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. We lost to UNC this year. UNC fired their coach as his only two wins of consequence in last two years were against Pitt. Today we lost to a very depleted Stanford team that we should have easily beat. We got smoked by a very mediocre Miami team. Most of us are not upset with the PSU or UCF losses but these other games we had no business losing! That is the difference between an acceptable and an unacceptable coach. The Stanford team that competed with Notre Dame into the fourth quarter was not the team Pitt faced today.

      Liked by 3 people

  411. After that great win over WF at the post-game tailgate I said to George Aston’s dad, Rick, that his son and this team had the opportunity to be a pivot point of a historical portion… beat Miami.. give Clemson a battle and win the bowl game… it was all their for the taking…the season ended a total disaster…..

    Liked by 3 people

  413. Pitt had 4 blow out losses. You have to go back to Majors II to find that many.
    Pitt also lost to a 2 win NC team (we helped double their win total)
    Pitt also lost to Penn State at home in the biggest blow out since anyone can remember since most of us werent born then
    Yes the schedule was tough but Pitt wasnt even competitive in many games
    That Miami and Domer loss arent looking good now
    The best team Pitt beat was the Cuse in overtime at home with a hungover Dungey

    I’m anti Narduzzi because I’m pro winning.
    Heather and homer fans are lassoed to this loser of a coach for the next 2 years

    Pitt will win another 6-7 games next year, go bowling, lose again in a bowl, and yet fans will be happy.

    I became a Miami ‘fan’ today and I’ll become a Steeler fan when they get the backbone to do something they should have done 2 years ago.

    Winners dont accept excuses and mediocrity.

    Its been 9 years and counting since Pitt has been ranked in a final poll.

    Narduzzi has no bite

    Liked by 3 people

  414. and yet if Pitt played Cuse’s schedule, they would have 9 or 10 wins and be ranked

    BTW, did you know that UNC played at Syracuse this year and lost in overtime? Cuse is not better than us

    Like

  415. fact is that Narduzzi is not a very good coach but he tries very hard to be …. and he wants to be here!

    Like

  416. I actually think Narduzzi is a decent coach with some bad assistants
    Granted he cant recruit but thats solvable with better assistants
    and yes he is well liked by players, runs a clean ship, and wants to be here
    i’m not over looking those positives
    but in the end, its wins and losses that matter along with bowl wins (hardware) and final rankings

    for anyone that wants an easier OOC schedule, call Heather and e-mail her directly. There is no reason why Pitt is playing Tennessee. There is no reason why Pitt has to play the Domers and Hoopies in the same year if one is really worried.

    But bear in mind, scheduling a MAC or AAC team is no automatic win when you recruit at Pitt levels and have assistants that are incompetent.

    Liked by 5 people

  418. Regardless of the competition, you would think the team could demonstrate some competence in executing a simple game plan.

    They can run the ball but that’s apparently it. No screens, no passes to TE’s, few if any simple slant patterns, etc., etc. Add in bad penalties, poor game management, and less than spectacular in-game adjustments and you have a pretty bad team….such is Pitt football under HCPN.

    HTP!

    Liked by 2 people

  419. Drip, drip drip…
    A slow leak of fans away from the program…fans who grow more dispassionate after every season when we lose to North Carolina and blow a bowl game. For me, penaltypalooza this season discouraged me from making the hop across state to El Paso.. I thought beating North Carolina and winning the bowl game were quintessential to the program’s future under Narduzzi here. Houston dumped their coach after a horrendous bowl loss. Miami jettisoned theirs after the bowl loss. Let’s face it, Graham, Chryst, Narduzzi, what’s really different? What stays the same is the university’s lack of commitment to winning big.

    Liked by 2 people

  420. Richt was ‘fired’ at Miami despite going 26-13 in 3 years. In those 3 years, he won 1 bowl game and won the Coastal.

    After 4 years, Narduzzi is 28-24. He has gone 0-3 in bowl games but did win the Coastal this year. He will probably coach another 2 years at Pitt.

    Thats the difference in culture.

    Pitt is fine with mediocrity.

    If Heather had a backbone, she would realize that Narduzzi is not the answer. She would reach out to the Toledo coach and make him an offer. But she doesnt have the power to do this even if she wanted. The BoT will not allow it.

    The goals and expectations at Pitt do not align with fans like me and fans at top 20 programs.

    Again, Pitt is fine to win 6-8 games each year, go to a bowl game and run a clean program.

    But I have a MAC coach that can do that for $2.3M and he’ll win a bowl game in his first year.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. yes by a FG to a Butch Davis coached team
          FIU is a conference USA school…think UAB and Marshall
          Doesnt Pitt play Marshall next year?

          Like

        1. You’ve become a little more radical in comments TX. Used to enjoy your perspectives.
          I understand your views for the most part but your rants won’t change the opinions of the supposed BoT or our current AD. If anything you’re sounding progressively unhinged.
          So can you reel it in a little, man, is what I am asking.
          And now you’re a sports agent?
          Umm… Ok

          Like

          1. In ref to: TX Panther
            December 31, 2018 at 8:57 pm
            I’m actually his agent so I’m biased here. 🙂

            Like

          2. I like tx’s comments. Just because you don’t, you shouldn’t ask him to “reel it in” just because they don’t align with yours.

            Like

          3. I’m trying to add some levity albeit poorly I’ll admit. More importantly, who is holding Pitt accountable?

            I know my ‘rants’ wont change the Pitt culture but as a fan I can choose not to attend games and to not donate and to use social media as my platform to express my opinion.

            You wont find me donating or attending football games until Pitt fires Narduzzi and begins to treat football as a business.

            I’m sure many other fans feel the same way. If enough of them do, Pitt will be forced to make a change. Just like they did with KS.

            Liked by 1 person

  421. Would like to see both Watson and the WR coach replaced.

    Leaping catch by Mack may have been the only time this season one of our WRs high-pointed the ball. We usually wait for the ball to come down to chest level, giving the DB plenty of opportunity to make a play…

    And on Watson, it seems if you watch any other games (maybe except Mich State), you see creative plays. Where was the misdirection today? Where are the screen passes – which seem ideal against a heavy pass rush… And those roll-out pass plays did not work all season, yet we kept trying them. Even the announcer today said our receivers were not properly spaced on that play…

    And the total absence of a TE is a whole other story.

    Tough being a Pitt fan — and getting tougher!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 4 people

  422. OK……….. On this New Years Eve… Wish every last one of you that tolerates my constant commenting on the POV the best this coming New Year!

    I have four resolutions come tomorrow.

    )4 lose a few lbs. << maybe more than a few but I’m realistic
    )3 give the POV a rest for awhile. << it’s time for a break.
    )2 To refocus on more important things in life. I’ve had too much going on in my life and I find my mind going too many different directions.
    )1 To Be Happy…. It’s time we all step back and be Happy for what we all have. Like John suggested. Know when you have it good or you will never be happy!

                              HAPPY NEW YEARS ALL!!!   LOVE YOU...... ike

    Liked by 8 people

  427. My thought is that the Pitt Administration does not have a plan and is reactionary. This is where strong leadership leads. Pitt has been misguided in this area for 40 years. Most football schools give bonuses to their coaching staff if they get a top10 recruiting class. Do we incentivize our coaching staff for a top10? Top20? Does our coaching staff give up on potential bonuses because they just aren’t realistic in attaining. Poor Administration. Heather is going into year three shortly and candidly I do not see any improvement in the Administration of the football, revenue producing sport.

    She contributes to this mightily through scheduling and management of coaches and staff. She is quickly getting to another anniversary. The Temple AD seems to locate very good football coaches. Two of his last hires have quit and gone to major programs and Temple has earned over $5M in buyout money. Nice! My point wasn’t about the money, it was about identifying hot coaching prospects.

    At TX, to be fair, Miami has no discipline and their kids get into a lot of trouble because they think they need to have the thug u reputation. When they get a coach that cleans up the program, they will be a force.

    Pitt is lost and with no direction, could be in a huge mess like Rutgers.

    Like

    1. I don’t quite think so, in response to your last thought there, Huff. Our AD is solid and many comments here sound misogynistic at best.
      As for Rutgers, Rutgers is and remains to be Rutgers and rarely strays from Rutgers outcomes. Meaning that whereas our Panthers cannot withstand anything but Mediocrity, the foremost public NJ Univ cannot avoid fail at any level when we’re talking NCAA.
      I’m betting, like you, that the B1G would love to rescind that invitation.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. what makes our AD solid?

        Has she raised the funds needed for Victory Heights?
        Has she increased fan and alumni donations?
        Has she entered into any major advertising and merchandising contracts?
        Has she eliminated the yellow seat issue from Heinz?
        Will she force changes to the coaching staff?
        Does she understand contract negotiations and buyouts?
        Does she understand how to generate a profit for the football program?
        Has our Directors Cup rankings improved?

        I have heard nothing on Victory Heights since its in the silent phase when she tries to gauge interest from the whales. I will be against this project if any debt or student fees is used to finance. If this project is that important, coming up with $100M should be easy for a good and competent AD.

        I have seen no data on donations but I figure its no better than before and Pitt has the lowest giving rate in the ACC to begin with. Did any of you break out the checkbooks after our great Coastal title?

        I dont know of any major revenue or national exposure for the brand from any new advertising contract. I hope she doesnt mess up the colors next year.

        Pitt will be lucky to have a stadium at 50% capacity next year. Pitt’s capacity figures are among the lowest in the ACC. Is Heather doing anything to help ‘right-size’ the stadium?

        Will she have the backbone to tell Narduzzi who to fire and who to hire and to make sure recruiting steps up? Will she do anything about the OOC schedule?

        I dont think she understands contracts after extending a coach who is now 28-24 and has never won a bowl game and whose team has never been ranked after the season. Pitt is also on the hook for the full buy-out for KS. Where is she getting this money…the school’s general fund?

        The last Pitt report I saw showed the football program to be losing millions. Football is supposed to help subsidize the Olympic sports. Does she have a plan to increase revenues and cut expenses so the program can at least break-even?

        Last year Pitt was ranked outside the top 100 in the Directors Cup. Only 2 other ACC schools were worse. Most ACC schools are in the top 40. Pitt is sitting in the 80’s right now after the Fall Season…again, at the bottom of the ACC.

        I think I just made a case to put Heather on a Productivity Improvement Plan.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Pitt’s AD does get an ‘A’ for Compliance. That is her background and I dont think Pitt will ever have a scandal, go on academic probation or have a criminal element with its student athletes.

          The BoT seems to place a very high value on the Compliance aspect of the position. However, Pitt needs help in the branding and development aspect. It really needs a CEO type at this juncture. A person who understands the business side and knows how to navigate the financials.

          The elephant in the room is that the football program loses money. Not only is it a drain on financial resources but there is an opportunity cost. Profitable football programs are able to subsidize Olympic sports, open doors to new sports like lacrosse and hockey, allow a competitive budget for coaching salaries, fund capital improvement projects like Victory Heights.

          Pitt’s primary goal should be revenue generation yet the only numbers I read and hear are those about GPA averages. It needs to think of the program as a business.

          Like

        2. Time will tell. I appreciate your point of view here, TX. But I think it’s premature to think Lyke is failing at this moment in time.

          Like

  428. Missed game because I had to drive back from Maine on account of the weather. So excuse my ignorance, but…

    11-29 passing?
    Really?
    We have spiraled down.
    Three straight losses.
    Mediocrity at its worst…and paying swollen calves 3.5M…..and giving him an extension.
    Come on, Heath, excellence or bust.

    Like

    1. Thanks for the reality check, JoeL. I was pretty certain my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Nice to have some sources to corroborate.

      Like

  430. I’m reading this morning that Holgy left wvcc to take the Houston job. If true, look for the hoopies to consider Tressel (ties to the school prez), Matt Canada and Fraud Graham.

    Pitt needs to fire Watson and Sherman this morning. The 7-7 record scrolling across the ESPN banner looks horrible.

    Fortunately the Comedy Club spurred much laughter last evening –

    Like

    1. Tressel was my choice for AD. If he’s good enough to be President of a school, he’s got high enough character to be AD.

      Like

    2. Pitt will wait until very HC and assistant is hired away so that only crumbs are left before they move. That’s the way they roll….

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      1. Or no moves will be made. Hey, we won the ACC Coastal Division. Fans must look past the three straight losses to end the season. Not this fan. I’m highly disappointed.

        Liked by 1 person

  431. I’m not going to read the comments, just read the last few, and I’m of the same opinion as Erie (& others), Watson should be let go this week. The only other reasonable option in my opinion would be to fire Narduzzi, however that’s not going to happen. The worst thing that could happen is status quo, at which point more and more people will just start checking out.

    Onto hoop season, where we finally have some hope, if not this year for the future…

    Like

  432. I got a kick out of what I just read about the Holgerson hire. Houston is apparently waiting to sign him until his buyout is reduced to $1M. It wasn’t specified when this is but I assume it will happen soon

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  433. I’m wondering if Luke Fickell is a possibility with WVU; he has ties to WVU Pres Reddenbakker, His Cincy team just finished with 11 wins. But he has little ties to the South and Southwest, so it probably isn’t a good match

    Like

  434. Pitt basically won every statistical category, rushing yards, paying yards, time of possession and still found a way to lose the game!

    Like

    1. I think HCPN is still trying to be like MSU…everything he does mirrors the Spartans who also won every statistical battle against Oregon but lost 7-6!

      Like

  438. Heather has a lot of growing to do, Dapper Dan or no Dapper Danette…I would be concerned over what seems to be a cozy relationship between Heather and Duzz….but maybe I am making the wrong assumption…

    Some thoughts…Yesterday’s game does not help with offensive recruiting…..

    TEs don’t want to come to PITT-Easy to figure….

    remember the game Aaron Matthews caught 5 passes in 1 game.. how many catches since??

    Tre Tipton caught a few balls and looked like he had potential when Canada was OC- how many receptions this year 1? 2?

    The Animal had 10TDs in 2016 and was a viable receiver…. TE Orndorf had 10 TDS in 2016….. quite a drop off in FB and TE productivity- I know we had a different cast of characters but still no effort seen to even weapon I even those positions…

    The team is taking on Duzz’s “D” personality and looks to be formidable going forward. Unfortunately, the is left out in the cold.

    Get rid of Watson and theWR coach… bring in a game changer as the OC with a personality and resume to attract play makers….

    Liked by 2 people

    1. while Watson is a problem, I’m not sure the WR coach is an issue at this time. Yesterday, I saw a handful of open WRs, just don’t see the QB delivering the ball to them. I am pretty happy with Mack, Ffrench, Carter, Mathews and Tipton going into nest year … and certainly believe Jacues-Louis will pan out

      Like

      1. D.Hall with 127 yards on 16 carries. KP had 29 pass attempts. Give Hall 29 carries and KP 16 pass attempts and I believe Pitt wins. The OLine was primed to power block for the run in honor of Bill Fralic. OC Watson called a bad game.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. And for that he should be shown the door. Beville has signed, so Pitt does not need Watson anymore.

            Like

  439. Here are a few thoughts — like them or not

    — playcalling depends on execution. Less than 2 months ago, Watson was much more highly considered than he is now. Had Pickett been able to connect on a handful of open receivers yesterday (and not just the final drive). things would be a lot rosier today

    — of course, Pickett’s passing has been less than stellar this entire season (except for Duke and WF). He has shown little improvement

    — Heather has shown that she is not afraid to make changes or to spend money for those changes. (remember Stallings’ buyout?) I would not be surprised at all if she would pressure PN to replace Watson.

    — IMO, the big downside to firing Watson is his association with Beville, just in case he may just be the real thing. From what I read, he has played against good competition in HS, has a strong arm, and is mobile. I would hope that he is not alienated if Watson goes. (note that Beville is already enrolled as a Pitt student)

    — Heather’s record here has been stellar thus far. Yes, FB attendance is down but that has been an issue since Wanny left. The only uptick was 2013, Pitt’s 1st year in ACC when there were home games with FSU and ND, She would fire PN if she had reason to, especially since she did not hire him. But I would not expect this to happen … she realizes all the factors and like it or not, has a big dose of reality. For one thing, having to hire its 5th FB coach within a decade provides so much ammo for rival recruiters … as if it isn’t hard enough to recruit here already.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. if our AD wont fire Narduzzi, then she has to force major changes on him. The biggest I see are much like what many already see and know:

      Clean house with your offense
      Firing Watson is easy but the hire will be the challenge
      I would hire some young offensive assistant from a pedigree program preferably with Southern ties
      Give him a market salary plus incentives
      I would go with a spread scheme
      I would realize that 2019 would be a transition year since Pitt hasnt really recruited the players for such a scheme

      I’d also do something with those yellow seats. I would tarp sections and sell advertising space on them. I dont care if Narduzzi is against the idea. Move fans down to the lower sections. Those changes will improve the look and atmosphere tremendously.

      And finally, I would hire a new recruiting coordinator and make sure Pitt has the right assistants to recruit 4 star players. I would build a compensation plan that focuses on recruiting goals.

      Narduzzi needs help. He does not need ‘yes’ men. He’s got another 2 years to reach 10 wins. And if I was Heather, he knows those things I outlined today. If he refuses, I pick up the phone and make an offer to the Toledo coach.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Where is the stellar record wwb, especially in the revenue producing sports? We all want to be supportive of the diversity, but if you are being honest, you would look at the Hurley debacle as a negative, and a good fortune. That was not skill. She fumbled that one. Glad to have Capel for sure. Firing Stallings, ummm, that was a no brainer that a 5th grader from Carrick would have executed. The AD didn’t stand tall by making that move. Stallings had ZERO support for him staying. Good grief.

      How is that Pitt brand going? Stellar? What colors are we really? Another fumble. Another year passes in a couple months.

      Be real about Narduzzi. She did hire him, again. Extending the coach is hiring him all over again. She didn’t have to extend him, but did, as a quid pro quo, for him getting her hired and tripling her salary. The best way to secure job security is to be on the hiring committee that approves your bosses hiring. The Pitt Admin is clueless. You don’t do that. Ever. Did she think strategically that firing him would cause a major defection of all of our 2-3 star recruits? Just silly that he leveraged her and said that his longterm deal was hurting recruiting! Well, she extended him and the recruiting has not gotten any better, has it. She was used because she didn’t have experience in these matters….and panicked.

      How is that football OOC scheduling going? It was great that all of you finally got to see that the OOC is not scheduled 10 years out. She just finished the scheduling 2 years out and onward. She went out and scheduled Tenn, ND and WVU for the same year. Who does that as an AD, anywhere? Anybody actually read about Syacuse lately. They got all the buzz and look at their OOC. Pick anyone in the top20 and do the analysis. I have done it and our AD has failed to support the football program in that regard, hands down. Instead everyone on here says “Wow, we had a really difficult schedule” No crap sherlocks!! We control that!

      If you want to go to non-revenue producing sports, we can look at women’s volleyball. They have had great success. Tell me what she did 4 years ago to help bring in those athletes? She wasn’t here. Those players deserve the credit and trying to give credit to the AD is just misplaced. It’s like the AD at OSU who got a big bonus for a wrestler that won the NCAA title a couple years ago. The uproar about him getting a bonus for a kid winning a title in an individual sport….caused his contract to be re-written because everyone new the AD had nothing to do with it.

      Speaking of wrestling, things look good there! Yay! A Good hire I think. But again, wrestling is not getting us national news positively. Not helping the brand. Revenue sports drive the brand. Please someone tell me I am wrong in my realistic look at the sports department. I’ll listen. My lens is clear and not scratched or jaded. It is a societal issue. Everybody wants to just get along and not really look at the realities.

      I hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2019. God Bless each of you!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Huff, what’s wrong with you? She has been here less than 2 years and is succeeding 8 years of AD disasters, Her hiring of non-revenue coaches has been STELLAR, and I don’t see anyone complaining about Capel, whose team has already surpassed last year team in wins

        As far as FB attendance, you are delusional to think this is an issue that can be resolved over night .. unless you think she should be able to get the Steelers to leave town.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. you do realize that many of these Olympic sport coaches were collecting ‘welfare’ checks from Pitt. Many had been around for decades. Many hadnt even won an ACC game. Pitt was rewarding mediocrity.

          It was easy for any new AD to see that. I give credit to Heather for getting rid of the dead weight.

          Now will she hold those new hires accountable?

          Moreover, will she hold Narduzzi accountable?

          Like

  441. Other schools don’t need ‘ammo’ in recruiting against us…we shoot ourselves in that arena ourselves.

    I 100% disagree that bowl games don’t mean anything. One of the reasons our recruiting is poor (currently at #44 and dropping) is the fact that we end every season on a down note on national TV.

    It isn’t the sole reason but I’ll say this again…in ’16 had we beat NW in the Pinstripe bowl we would have finished 9-4, ranked between 19th and 15th and more firmly placed on the better HS players’ radar screens.

    But every ‘trend’ Pitt has had under PN has been average or worse… and because HS players start really paying attention to colleges beginning in their SO year what they have seen from Pitt lately is a losing season and a .500 season where we lost the last three games including getting ass-whipped twice in those losses on national TV.

    Then the see us playing kind of like the Keystone Cops in a losing bowl effort.

    Pitt fans have been slobbering over every recruiting class PN has had since he’s been here yet very few of his own recuits; kids he’s personally convinced to commit to Pitt, have played much above average ball for us.

    This is a problem that keeps on giving into the future and without a strong coaching staff, which we absolutely do not have, these average kids don’t learn to play exceptional D1 P5 ball.

    When that happens, especially on offense where the talent is so lopsided, you are forced to go all-out in one offensive direction which this year was our great run game.

    But with no passing game to offset that we saw what that did… Made us very predictable and cost us against any decent opponent.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Good one Reed, with one big exception. I don’t see or hear about Pitt fans “slobbering over every recruiting class…”. Of course Pitt fans want, and would rather see, a class full of 4 and 5 star players. Duh!

      Speaking for myself, I want Pitt to bring in elite players (really, who doesn’t want that?), but I’m always hopeful that the guys we do sign will help us win games.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  442. Narduzzi isn’t happy with his record but can he see the forest for the tree(s)? We need him to stay to show consistency in the program. We all complained about the revolving door of hc’s. And, I have total faith in Heather to tell PN to get assistants that will improve the program.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. But what have you seen over the last two seasons that give you any confidence that what Narduzzi will do is going to be any different than a new HC could do?

      After DW was fired we went 24 – 27 or .470 win percentage.

      In the last two years we have been 12-14 or .461 win percentage – lower than before.

      It has been worse the last two years then it was under both TG and PC…plus we won a bowl game in those three years.

      I think it is a missconception that things would be worse with a change of HC because we have absolutely no idea that 2019 is going to be any better than what we saw in ’17 or ’18…and it may well be sub-.500 again.

      It is all about risk taking and if Pitt and the AD had any stones at all they would take it…at the very least I think the recruiting would be better with a change.

      But as others have said Pitt is content with a mediocre program, and that is sure what we are, as long as there are no embarrassing incidents off the field.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The only positive I’ve seen is the way our 2 CB’s play press coverage now, which is a Narduzzi trademark. That and a bit of the pass rush lately is better. The defense has improved. Good running game but zero passing game.

        I guess a decent defense and good running game will get 7-7. Want 10 wins? Vastly improve the passing game.

        Like

  444. Will be interesting to see what if any changes Pitt makes after the completion of this season. I will be shocked if no changes/additions to the offensive staff are made. Surely there I are better options out there. Last time, I remember Pitt announcing Watson after just about every other school made their coaching changes. If there is a better OC option out there (or 5 better options), go out there and get one before all the other schools have offered!

    Liked by 3 people

  445. After having a night to sleep on it, although still frustrated, I am looking at things a little differently.
    First off, I never really believed we would win and have been saying all year we don’t have the players to play with the big boys. With that as a back drop we really did outplay Stanford with the exception of their two drives and a couple big plays on those drives. Our defense really came to play shutting them down for most of the game. The play of the game was when we forced a fumble deep in their territory but could not recover.

    Yes Watson’s play calling in the redzone was dumbfounding at times, but a lot had to do with KP’s execution of many plays during the game. He never looked comfortable, made bad decisions and many inaccurate throws compounded by a few drops and miscommunications. Missing a wide open Lopes and focusing on Hall who would not have scored even with a completion is mind boggling. Talk about poor execution, Hall’s poor pass blocking is pretty much inexcusable for a senior.

    Losing Ollison, who was a major part of the game plan really hurt, probably most in the red zone, he is by far our best offensive player.

    So I don’t feel as bad today as yesterday. Looking forward, our biggest long term problem still is recruiting players that make big plays on a consistent basis and when it matters most. Our immediate problem is putting together an O-line capable of both Run and pass blocking. But foremost is getting better overall play from the QB position. I have to hope that KP can get better or that Patti or Beville can jump past him.

    Face it, we have a caliber of players that are capable of playing and beating most ACC teams, but not capable of playing top twenty teams. Yesterday we outplayed a solid Stanford team, we just didn’t get the big play at the right time.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. GC, that is fine but most Pitt fans look at Ws & Ls to determine if Pitt is “good” or not.

      Overall I think this years team was as it showed in wins and losses…mediocre at best.

      When you look at where we stand according to national rankings we are firmly esconsed in the lower half of D1 teams…and mostly in the lower third.

      The exception was the run game of course.

      So, was this a good team? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I wasn’t overly impressed when the final whistle blew.

      Here is a good question:

      In all honesty when we were 7-4 and looking at Miami, Clemson and a bowl game – did you really think we’d get a win out of those three games?

      I didn’t and was surprised we didn’t lose by a bigger score yesterday…but I knew we’d be 7-7 when the dust settled and I believe the majority of Pitt fans felt the same.

      Like

      1. Yes Reed, while I agree with everything you said, but you still have to take into account who we lost to.
        Our only really bad loss was to UNC. In the rest we were heavily out-manned with the exception of Stanford where we more than held our own. Against Miami, we had a newly rebuilt O-line. We are not in the same league with PSU, UCF, ND, Clemson even Miami when it comes to recruiting, not even close, haven’t been for thirty years. If you want more wins you have to recruit better players and/or ease up on the OOC. Will another coaching change make a difference, it hasn’t for thirty years with the exception of Wanny’s one good year.

        To get those seven wins we beat Syracuse’s best team in many years and won 5 additional ACC games, which is better than most expected and shows some progress. Obviously not enough for many, but I just don’t see that a coaching change is a positive thing right now. To me it looks like Narduzzi has finally turned the corner on defense. It has taken much longer than most expected. I would give him two more years to see if his players can do the same for the offense.

        Liked by 1 person

  446. Look, you can blame Watson, but the real problem is that we have no passing game and that is because we have a poor offensive line and mediocre QB. We threw 316 times and only completed 182 passes and only got 12 TD passes all year. Less than one per game. That just doesn’t cut it in today’s football. KP just did not make enough plays against the better teams.

    I think the good news is that the defense is coming around. Yesterday we played with our third string middle linebacker so it tells me Narduzzi has depth at defense. Unfortunately in today’s football, you need to be able to score when you have the ball at the end of the game, if you want to win the close ones. In other words you need to be able to pass, especially in the red zone. 12 TD passes in a season is not nearly enough.

    Liked by 2 people

  447. This loss is all on Watson. I will have a hard time supporting this team if they don’t get a new OC.

    He is horrible. If PN will not make a change, he should be fired.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We crushed them in every offensive category and lost by one point.
      We lost because KP was 11-29, that is just not good enough.

      Like

  448. Reed, I disagree with your statement “ most thought we would end at 7-7. We played our most complete game against and the “O” looked like hit was finally hitting on all cylinders especially when WF did a good job controlling our run game and the passing game looked D1 caliber (only time this year) Have to mention Jimmy’s freak accident here and who knows how that affected the remaining 3 games but……Miami was totally beatable and we crapped to bed… Clemsonwill probably win it all and yesterday shoulda, coulda woulda….but didn’t get’r done.

    Lot of knowledgeable fans on here and we all know the biggest problems are on the O side ( D is improving -a lot of vets returning) and the biggest problem is with recruiting.

    An offensive player’s parent told me they wished Canada never left- that inferred a ton about the current OC.

    Duzz is a .500 coach- heck, PITT has been a .500 team if you average it out over the past 35 going on 40 years.

    Keep an eye on Carolina who hired old-timer Mack Brown- he will be a CEO- figurehead and the administration will surround him with top notch coaches and recruiters… they are embarrassed who their program has fallen off and aim to do something about it…and it’s easier to recruit where going to class is optional.

    Like

  449. Peak said Pitts passing yards per game was the lowest since 1993. That was a low point for the program. Pitt basically gave up on football and brought us ‘Back to the Future.’

    I’m not saying that we are at a new low point for the program, but the future doesnt look too bright. I see several negative trends since Narduzzi’s hiring:

    Trend down in recruiting
    Trend down in wins
    Trend down in attendance
    Trend down in confidence

    The wheels are about to come off this program again. I see instability in the future unless a coaching change is made.

    Just like with Tomlin, you’ll see more media starting to talk about a coaching change. Narduzzi is definitely now on the hot seat or should be if Pitt truly cared about its program.

    Like

  450. Notrocket… KP couldn’t hit easy 5-7 yard slants, wide open overthrow to Mack …all would have kept the ball in the Panthers hands…not to mention his terrible sacks… OC and QB issues- I hope those 2 don’t have a “ cozy” relationship…..

    Liked by 1 person

  453. Can we just stop lamenting the loss of Canada? He did a great job with an assemblage of future pros.
    The cupboard has been pretty barren for Watson. Seriously apples to oranges.

    Like

    1. Canada’s offense also seemed extremely well coached on the “little” things – the details. We had few pre-snap penalties that season and the timing of the handoffs for the jet sweeps, which isn’t that easy to do, was outstanding.

      Seems to me the offense has not been “crisp” since Canada left.

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    1. He may have improved their draft status a little, but cream always rises to the top. James Conner didn’t need Canada to make him a Pro.

      Liked by 1 person

  455. You anti-Narduzzi POVers need to stop your narrow focus of just Pitt FB and look at the entire NCAA FB landscape

    — you want wins? NC State had 9 of them this year. They were also beaten by Clemson 41-7 and Texas A&M 52-13. And they also lost to Wake Forest.

    Do you think they would have had 9 wins playing Pitt’s schedule?

    — blow-outs? Michigan has many 4/5 stars and has been known for its defense since Harbaugh arrived. His very first hire was defensive coordinator Don Brown (from BC) who is very well regarded and I believe is the highest paid DC in NCAA.

    Michigan has given up 62 and 41 points in the last 2 games

    — do you know who was the highest paid DC last year (2017)? John Chavis of Texas A&M. The Aggies finished 78th in total defense which led to the staff being let go

    — Pitt has played against 3 of the most dynamic playmakers in McSorely, Rudolph and Milton … and has faced a large handful of high WR and QB draft picks over the past 4 years … including overall No.1 Mitch Trubitsky who just led the Bears to its first division tile since 2006.

    I can go on and on …

    but what good is it when you measure Pitt FB against your own delusional expectations and refuse to look
    at all of the constraints for program’s like Pitt. Hey, trust me, I wish Pitt would approach what it once was … but not only has it not come close for the better part of 30 plus years, it is getting harder and harder to do. There never has been a wider gap between the haves and the have nots as there is today

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Add UCF who hasn’t lost in the two years we played them. We almost beat ND a playoff team but for two field goal misses. Add one miss yesterday. Penn State with the best running back in the Country and Narduzzi beat them once. Also the only team to beat Clemson when they won the NC. WBB is certainly right about unreasonable expectations considering the obstacles for success facing Pitt. The budget being the biggest one and recruiting territory being the second.

      Like

    2. I expect 10 win seasons
      Cuse got one after Dino’s first 3 years
      Buffalo picked up a recent one
      Temple and Cincy are getting them
      Why cant Pitt?

      If the OOC schedule is too difficult, then Heather has the power to change things. That might pick you up an extra win or two. But who is going to show up at Heinz to watch New Hampshire play when it could have been West Virginia? So it cuts both ways.

      And what are the real constraints for Pitt anyway?
      Pitt is actually in fertile recruiting territory if you look outside the WPIAL and into bordering states plus Florida. PA isnt as good as it used to be so you need to expand your footprint and Pitt has been doing so. The bad recruiting is not because good players dont exist. They are out there. Narduzzi has to close on them.

      Pitt has the 4th largest budget in the ACC last I checked. Pitt spends money these days. Maybe they havent done a very good job at getting value for their buck and they may be a bit wasteful. But thats the AD’s job. When Heather needs the money, she’s getting it.

      Pitt has a yellow seat issue. Fix it by winning, marketing and tarping. Responsibilities of an AD.

      Pitt’s football program is not a profit maker. To me this is the biggest constraint. Its the elephant in the room. But it is solvable. CEO’s get paid to generate profits. Find one to run your program. Again, thats the AD’s job. Profits can be re-invested in the program, in the Pitt brand. The program is deficit spending right now. Thats not sustainable and will have dire consequences in time.

      Part of Pitt’s problem is also that it doesnt know what it wants to be. It doesnt have an identity. Hence, it has no brand. Pitt has nobody to blame but themselves for that. There is a constraint of common sense and brain matter at Pitt.

      More importantly, Pitt doesnt believe it can reach those higher expectations. So it doesnt even try.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. based on 2016 data, Pitt trailed only FSU, Clemson and Miami regarding money being spent on football

        Pitt and several other ACC teams were around $23M. Again, this is before the Narduzzi extension so Pitt is spending more today.

        Clemson spends 50% more than Pitt. Miami only spends about $4M more than Pitt.

        So lets not say budget is an excuse.

        Competing for Coastal titles every year should be the goal.

        Achieving 10 win seasons should not be too difficult…with the right coach.

        I really dont see any significant hurdles preventing Pitt from top 20 rankings each year.

        Like

        2. What a straw dog argument. We are obviously competitive in the ACC.

          The budget issue arises when you are competing nationally and especially regarding recruiting.

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  456. Maybe Pitt’s renewed commitment to athletics is a little thin???
    Foge Fazio was at the helm for four seasons. In that time, he lost a miserable Cotton Bowl to SMU and a game he could have won in a wild ’84 Fiesta Bowl. But by year four and a 5-5-1 finish, it was clear to the Pitt brass that the program was stagnating. The administration then hired Mike Gottfried, considered to be a solid hire at the time. Now, after year four of Narduzzi, three bowl losses and a 7-7 final record, no changes are contemplated?

    Yes, we really have enhanced our commitment to winning.

    Like

    1. Foge followed two legends and had all pro players. Ancient History about as relevant as Jock Sutherland.

      Narduzzi followed three 6 win seasons from Chryst and two terrible hires prior to that.

      Like

  458. Great post disaster comments by everyone. Enjoyed them all.
    Here’s a question to ponder: My dear Watson holds our *4 QB recruit in his back pocket and is assuredly using this kid as ransom to keep his OC job (IMO). So the question is: in Duzz’s mind is he willing to cut Watson loose with the realization that he will also lose the QB if he does?
    My opinioned answer is this:
    Duzz knows his recruiting ability is nominal. He will kill to keep that *4 QB (Belville?) to loudly proclaim he recruited a highly rated QB. So my conclusion is he will protect Watson at all costs – with the exception of losing is own job.

    Like

    1. My take is that Beville has signed. If I’m Duzz, I tell him Watson has to go but I’ll bring in an even better OC. I’d take my chances, but Watson has to go, IMHO.

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  459. Call me crazy but I think Watson did a pretty decent job considering, we just came off a 5 win season, had a first year QB with unknown abilities and an offensive line with two returning starters, one moving from guard to tackle in his senior year, a transfer from Kent and two journeymen who hadn’t done much previously.p, plus a center that got routinely trampled the year before.
    No tight ends to speak of, no line depth whatsoever, no proven running backs, and a rag tag bunch of receivers.
    So what happened?

    Like

    1. So let’s recap.

      We win our warm up game handily as expected but not much passing.

      PSU crushes us after a hard fought first half.

      We get a hard fought victory over GT

      We have a bad loss in a very close game vs UNC

      We get crushed by UCF

      In the turning point of the season we beat a very solid Syracuse team

      We lose to ND, a playoff team because Kessman couldn’t duplicate his previous brilliance.

      A tough win vs Duke

      Another win vs VA

      We crush VA Tech with a brilliant running game

      WF sells out vs the run and the passing game comes through in a big way. WE win a trophy for the very first time, but lose our center.

      Miami’s D-line makes mincemeat out of our rebuilt O-line

      Clemson, as expected

      Hard fought loss vs Stanford where we dominate in all but one category.

      So we won six games with hardly a passing game.

      I’d say that is pretty good coaching. The lack of a passing game was 100% on the players not on Watson.

      It was about a line unable to block most of the time, receivers unable to get open or catch passes. But most importantly a QB that just didn’t play well enough to win under those aforementioned problems.

      Like

      1. GC,
        You stated above “So we win 6 games with hardly a passing game. I’d say that is pretty good coaching.”
        To me, good coaching is when you have an offense that can pass and run. Therefore, how can you be a good coach when you make your team play with 1 hand tied behind their backs?
        Just my opinion.

        Like

      2. Syracuse was not solid. They had a good record because of how they scheduled.

        We played against a Stanford team that did not have three of their starting Offensive Linemen and their pro running back.

        I would bring Watson back as a qb coach only and hire a new offensive coordinator stat.

        Like

    2. No Tight Ends or the loss of all decent TE options due to a refusal to include TEs in the offense other than to block?

      Like

  460. I think there are lessons to be learned from this game. The defense was found to be slightly above average, but functional as the year progressed. But on offense, the team was one dimensional and could not score enough points, especially in the red zone.

    As the game commentators repeatedly pointed out, there were WRs open but Pickett was not seeing, or missing them. And Watson was calling conservative plays because Pickett cannot execute well, cannot avoid pass rushes, does not know when to throw the ball away, and flat out can’t hit the long ball or even mid-range passes. And his run decisions were highly questionable in many situations, almost panicking when the first option was not open. So I think it is pretty clear we have learned that Pickett is not a P5 QB after 15 starts. This is more than enough time to see improvement in technique and passing efficiency. He has not really improved.

    The biggest lesson from this year is that you build a team around a top flight QB first and then fill in the other pieces. Narduzzi has not done that, instead thinking he can make Pickett into a top QB. If PN is fired it will be because he could not recruit a good QB.

    Liked by 1 person

  461. If finding a way to lose was a lucrative business, Pitt would have more money than Jeff Bezos and the Federal Reserve combined.

    Like

  462. I am not completely giving up on KP. While I don’t think and never did think he was going to be a star, I do think that with decent pas protection and a solid running game, he can be more than adequate. Look at how much better Stull got in his second year. The game will slow down for him, when he gets more time and doesn’t have to think as much. He should get better at reading defenses and decision making and you only learn that through experience. But unfortunately all bets are off if our O-line is a sieve once again. We also need running backs that can pick up the blitz.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. KP is not a Div. 1 QB and never will be. He would have a hard time as a senior unseating the QB at Robert Morris or Duquesne. And I’m not just trying to be facetious.

      Like

      1. KP did not win FB games as a HS senior. Why does anyone think he will at the D1 level.

        He is a .500 QB at best.

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      2. I disagree. Give KP some consistent protection and he will be fine.

        And he could have been helped considerably, IMHO, if Watson would have done some things like run some screen passes – if you run a screen against the blitz you likely hit a homer.

        And why did Watson wait so long to have KP run it and then go away from it? Where was the misdirection? When Stanford was having a safety run all the way across the field -pre-snap – to stop a jet sweep, was there no counter move, like sending a TE, or Matthews impersonating a TE, into that vacated area?

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. My fear is that our QB has the yips, akin to a golfer when he drops back for a pass. He does not have confidence and trust that he can let a play develop. MMajor hit the nail on the head with the safety tracking the jet sweep. A solid fake to the jet sweep runner pulls the safety down and allows for a post to the TE or WR from the wek side for paydirt. It is the next move where we struggle.

          I also saw a bunch of three step drops and quick releases thrown into tight windows that weren’t there because he is a smallish qb.

          If watson doesn’t take demotion to qb coach so we can get an innovative OC, I would redshirt beville. If he takes the qb coach job, may the best qb win.

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  464. If Narduzzi was building the program down, as you suggest Dan, we would be in a “Pirates” type of situation. But unlike the Pirates, where ownership is content to make money as long as the foolish fans keep coming, and I don’t think Pitt athletics has the money to give up on football and its revenue.

    Like

  465. Not saying fans should be content with the program, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

    Other than Clemson, most ACC teams are on a level playing field and a lot would be happy to be us right now.

    Would any other ACC team have given Clemson a game? Not bloody likely.

    Should anyone be happy we lost our last three games, no, but it is not like we screwed the pooch.

    We lost to Miami after losing Morrisey and Miami owed us one. Clemson beats everyone except for maybe Alabama and we lost a 1 point decision to a good Stanford team.

    You can’t have it both ways, we have no passing game because we lack the players, but you want the coaches to be miracle workers and win more games. How many games were we favored in this year?

    We played the toughest schedule in the Country this year and won half our games and our division.

    Time to fire the coaches and start over again, rinse and repeat. LOL

    Like

    1. The schedule is on PITT. Pitt shoots itself in the foot every year. It is Pitt’s fault. Using the schedule as an excuse for a poor record is comical. WE make the schedule and just made it more difficult 2-3 years from now.

      We all have been saying next year for the last 40 years. I sense a big blind spot by Pitt fans. We need to be realistic and take Pitt is for what it is!!

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  466. Several posts above TX sees instability ahead IF WE DON’T FIRE THE CURRENT COACH. Er, what?

    Reed and others have to be the most forgetful or stubborn in considering the OOC Pitt has faced.

    Some of this gets really tiring…not sure I can take it for the remainder of 2019.

    I am sticking with the need to see either Pickett or Watson gone. All the time in the world isn’t fixing that combination….and PN only has 8 months.

    Gordon Conn, I am calling you crazy about KP(you said to). I am with you on a ton of what you post but not there.

    Like

    1. Declining attendance = instability
      Falling recruiting = instability
      Declining win totals = instability
      Program losing money = instability

      Stability equals improving attendance numbers and 70% of stadium capacity (not 50%), top 30 recruiting classes (4-5 four stars per class), and 9-10 win seasons (including winning your bowl games and being ranked come years end).

      If your idea of stability is keeping a HC that cant deliver on those things, then I think your definition of stability is not what you think it means.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I’m OK with that. The WF game showed me what KP could do with pass protection. The big thing is that there should be competition this spring so let the best man win.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Totally agree with that post. One caveat is IF he has a normal OOC to develop, maybe KP builds confidence and improves. I have no confidence in that happening but we will never know.

      OOC is not only about wins and losses.

      Like

  468. The apologists are out in full force. I have watched a number of bowl games and our offense is inferior to all of them. We are an embarrassment. When Narduzzi stated in his post game presser that he has complete faith in Watson I couldn’t believe it. Arrogance will be Narduzzi’s downfall.

    Liked by 1 person

  470. Our Pedo loss is looking bad right now
    But Kentucky has been a program on the rise over the past 2 years unlike Pitt
    Kentucky also beat us out for a recruit recently
    If I were a recruit, I’d give Kentucky a hard look
    Pitt has zero momentum heading into next year

    Like

    2. Kentucky is ideally located to recruit north and south. Always puzzled me why they didn’t have better FB teams…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  472. MY PERSONAL notes, feelings, and views:

    1-Narduzzi needs to get “all star” RECRUITERS. We need people who can attract the top talent. Yes, this does mean 5 stars. We not getting the talent. What is wrong with Narduzzi’s personality? He has the high energy to attract players. There is obviously something about his demeanor turning off the kids. This a instant must fix or he has to go.

    2-Bates has done a adequate job with the defense. Defense has gotten better. Keep him and the rest of the defensive coaches.

    3-Watson sucks. I believe he is ruining/ruined Pickett. The offense, while fired up for the Sun Bowl, was unprepared for Stanford’s PASS defense. It could have been easy to come up with better pass protection against Stanford. Obviously they were going to try and stop the run. They did!

    4-I wish the fan base would quite pushing the royal blue and yellow colors They look like shit. 1976 is over. I love the PITT script!

    5- Heather Lyke was a great choice. She is gold. She will continue to improve anything she touches.
    It is important to have ALL your teams showing excellence. Hope she stays. What does her husband do?

    6-The administration needs to get PITT”s ranking in US News and World Report back up. We are down to number 70!!!! PiTT was a #45 or a #48 when I attended in the early 60’s. Setup a staff just for improving rankings.. I don’t care if we have to bribe people, just do it.

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  473. Kentucky recruits Ohio and Florida hard and consistently.

    Kentucky committed to Football when they hired Stoops and Stoops made demands financially. Kentucky backed the coach. Kentucky invested $130M in their on campus stadium.

    Kentucky attacked recruiting confidently, with a confident coach who can sell. We had a confident coach that I wouldn’t buy ice cream from in the desert. He knows how to manipulate the AD and that is all that matters. We need an AD with a backbone who will take the entire program to the next level.

    Like

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