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.

696 thoughts on “Pitt at Penn State Open Game Thread”

  2. #H2P #LockTheGates #GoodOmen

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  6. Tried to post a picture I just took of my Pitt hoodie an me in front of the big Happy Valley sign. Yes Happy Valley Oregon where I will be watching the game. Hail to Pitt from Oregon. 9 am game time. Here we go!

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  10. Kenny has to step up his game today. That’s our only chance. A lot of other things have to fall in place, but it starts and ends with him.

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  11. Can’t imagine they can get 107.000 fans through the security lines in time for a 12:40 kick. If they start in front of a half empty stadium, it tells you how much the conferences and administration cater to the network schedule versus the ticket-buying fan.

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  12. Oh puke! The Big10 network on WTAE. We get the homer Todd Blackledge for this game. Hopefully, th ACCN will sign a deal to let the local networks cover home games when not on the ACCN. And coverage on Comcast!

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  13. Welp. 3 and out, no surprise.

    We did flip the field on the pun though. I’ll take it

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  15. Pass rush looks good. Clifford going to be sore after this game if nothing else

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    1. agree, And we need Kenny not to throw screen passes in the dirt. Shoot. Anyone on this board could execute a screen pass

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    1. Running play where Houy missed his assignment / got beat. And a screen pass in the dirt…

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  19. Hello! First post of the year for me. I’ve been dreading our performance today all week but the D came out looking good! D might win games but you still need to score. If Pickett lays an eggs he needs to be benched. P-I-T-T Let’s Go Pit.

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  22. I like the conservative offensive game plan. I don’t like the execution. #23 ran into our ouwn guy on that draw. He was supposeed to get the LB

    wooooo DAVis

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    1. yes his brain is also not help. Look at his face. He’s stressed. He is the one guy on the team where i would say that he just needs to turn down the intensity. Just get out there, have fun and let his talent do what it will do

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  32. Well, no running game so far, and if they can’t possess the ball it will be a long day. The defense is stepping up but can they last 4 quarters?

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  33. oooooooooo 3rd and 9 from their 3 and how mannnny tackles did we miss. 3 at least. DDDDDDDDD

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  38. 4:31 into the first quarter and the long day has offically started. Missed tackles. PI. Then thier O line blew us off the ball two plays in a row.

    We’re done.

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    1. that’s the spirit…

      Other than that dumpoff to Davis I haven’t seen much of a spark from the offenense

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  62. Is Mark Whipple a Penn State plant? Has anyone investigated this? He calls 40 passes against Virginia, who has a great secondary. And now we’re trying to power it up the gut against PSU’s strong front seven. It’s almost like they’re determined not to be successful on offense.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Well the first 20 plays are probably scripted. Need to get through them…

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  70. Thoughts after 1 quarter boys? I think we are lucky to be down by only seven. By by the same token, if we could simply play fundamentally sounds defense, it would be 0-0

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  71. Tex, your exaggerating… a couple of 7 TD long balls attempted!

    No recruiting on the OL will limit this team as long as it continues!

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  72. The good news is the the second quarter is the one where we score all our points!!!

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  75. Offensive game plan:
    Run into the back of linemen.
    Crossing routes for three yards.
    Occasional screen pass.
    Punt.

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  79. I’m at a joint game watch in Columbus. About 50 fans, 60/40 them. Luckily, the bar is close to me.

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  83. Defenders got hands on the ball twice , both times picket threw deep down the middle. Yikes

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  92. There was my third and goal play from the three. MM we were both wrong on the call, but the result was still bad. I guess they didn’t work on it too much, but the fumbled snap didn’t help.

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  98. Settling for field goals has been such a problem for us and it will be the difference in a game like this.

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  104. You guys are the most hypercritical fans on the planet.
    Pitt is playing way better than I hoped for.
    PSU has a top ten defense on a rainy wet field.
    Pickett is playing very well. Line is giving him time.
    Defense doing great except for a couple plays.
    Special teams especially punter has been great.
    What game are you watching? And what did you expect?

    Liked by 3 people

    1. No you are right. Penn State is REALLY good. We are playing them tough with just a cuouple of mistakes. Unfortuantely we can’t win if we continue to make those mistakes.

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  109. Maybe I’m being too positive, but I’m seeing some encouraging things today from our Fightin’ Pitt Panthers…

    We’re playing against top talent and hanging in there…

    Go Pitt.

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  111. Reynolds does no look well. That is one position where have some depth tho… assuming Brightwell is healthy

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    1. All I have to say is that we better have some tricks up our sleeve for the 2nd half.

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  116. They only showed one quick replay of the pass interference call on the interception. Was the call legit? I couldn’t tell?

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  131. Michael, I stopped following the thread way back when you said “we’re done”. My dad used to annoy the hell out of me watching games. I appreciate how you post often and quickly, but some of us don’t want to live your emotional roller coaster. Sure 3 min left and we make a bonehead play comment warranted. 7-0 early in the game come on. It is like listening to the commentator you hate most. Posters can say whatever they want, but as the head of this your emotional negativity ends my following of this during the game. I like critical and don’t mind super critical comments not negative Nelly’s. I like to enjoy my game not feel yours. That is my critical comment. Love from Oregon. Up 10-7. Allen…

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      1. Lol maybe I’ll just keep responding to his so he gets an email every time.

        Haha just kidding AD

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    1. If we lose that timeout will 4ever be questioned. Linebacker shouldn’t have stopped in coverage though

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  156. Well fellas … tied at halftime after a very shaky first quarter…

    Thoughts?

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  157. Twyman was held on that sack…penalty would have pushed them back farther, no mention of by the pedo loving announcers

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  161. If Pitt doesn’t turn ball over
    And the defense limits big plays and continues to pressure qb

    Pitt wins

    Kenny is gaining confidence. That’s dangerously good

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  163. Only read a few comments, trying to watch my blood pressure. That said, I’m happy with the first half.

    Reynolds going down is not a good thing but next man up!

    PITT belongs in this game, the defense playing lights out.

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  164. I really try not to comment on broadcasters but this is almost like watching a PSU game cast. Oh how I’m hoping we somehow, someway win this game.
    BTW, they didn’t comment that Twyman got held on that sack, did they. Kid grabbed him, plain and simple.

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  167. 10-10 at half. I’ll take it all day

    Pitt dominating 2nd Q but so did Buffalo last week. Penn State all about big plays. Stop em and you beat the Peds.

    H2P

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  168. Pitt’s offense desperately needs to find a way to avoid their second half doldrums in this game.

    Line needs to continue to pass block well.

    WR need to continue making catches

    We need at least two more touchdowns to have a shot.

    And we need to keep the pressure on Clifford the big red dog.

    And tackle

    Keeping my fingers crossed

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  169. M… Not hard to be FRESH when you’ve been sitting the bench. Lol

    Don’t get TOO excited about Twyman’s big play. Center was PRE-OCCUPIED with Jones’ Stunt!

    No Double Teams today.

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    1. They’ll start doubling out DT’s after halftime. Bates needs to anticipate that

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  173. Pedo has more speed, and Pitt cannot give up those big plays. More important than ever to sustain some drives in the second half and keep the defense rested. Its going to take two more TDs at least to win this game.

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    1. We need to tackle like the 13-9 game in the 2nd half. I do like the fact that our overall attitude is the same for this game so far. We are pumped and Franklin & Co is panicking. The fist 5 minutes of the 2nd half is critical.

      H2P

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  175. Amazed at the pressure we are putting on their QB. Just imagine if we didn’t lose Weaver and Camp.

    Biggest factor is that we overcame all that early poor field position and the weather.

    Second biggest is the O-line giving Kenny time and great play calling. Plus Kenny looks as sharp as we have seen him.

    Can we keep it up? We’ll see.

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    1. Needs to keep it up. I saw him spin that football after he ran it to the 3. That told me he’d loosened up a bit. And he’s playing like it. Stay loose Kenny

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  180. Which team makes the right adjustments

    Better be cocaine instead of sleeping pills in that locker room

    Narduzzi has the team ready. Game means more. Something to prove

    Got to limit the mistakes
    Offense also needs to take some shots
    Defense needs to continue being aggressive
    Limit big plays
    A turnover would help
    Field position and ball control are keys

    Pitt in a good position to win.

    Comes down to a field goal

    No blow out

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  182. Well, that’s a great half game. Now comes the interesting part. They have played beyond expectations, but I’ve seen this before at Happy Valley. 1973 I think. Anyhow, let’s see the halftime adjustments. These games have often been close at the half. Why not complete surprising me and make some halftime adjustments and not run out of gas in the 4th quarter.

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  183. Kevin Andrews. Pay him 3.5 million if you need to! Even if our players aren’t ready by the junior year when they graduate they are ready for the NFL as 2 and 3 stars. Recruiting picks up and we can continue to fill up that NFL hot.

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  185. The Nitters will make adjustments during the half, especially on offense. Will Pitt? They need to find a way to run the ball. The Pedo QB is rattled. They need to keep up the pressure and force a turnover or two.

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  186. Will be interesting to see how PSUx adjusts to counter our pass rush in 2nd half.

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  187. Last week Buffalo up at the half succumbed to 3 quick PS scores …. game over. Agreed w all POVers

    NO BIG PLAYS!!

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    1. What really impressive is how he’s been standing in the pocket and delivering. Franklin himself said that were going to dial up the pressure in the second half during the interview right before q3 started

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m stating to buy into the they aren’t in shape theory, they look slower.

      Also if I see another web sidestep an untouched blitzing DB on third down and make a play…

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  207. Campbell hast to make that play. This is where we miss having Weaver and camp in the rotation. Guys look gassed

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  209. Pitt defense worn down. Not as much subbing this game – and we’re down two Dlinemen…

    Need them to fumble…

    Go Pitt

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  210. Reynolds out really hurts. Nitter score and turnover pick 6 and its over. ( how’s that for a positive outlook?). lol. Trying to keep the blood pressure down with gallows humor.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. He’s either really good or really bad. Stepped right into the block on that play. Didn’t fire out at all. Not good

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  215. We simply need to answer. I’ve seen slight from KP to know we CAN. But I’m skeptical that we WILL

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    1. Really typical Pitt the whole game. Shaky first quarter. Really strong second quarter. Totally flat in 3rd quarter (and possibly out of gas) and if the trend holds we’ll implode in q4.

      What is duzz giving them at halftime? NyQuil?

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      1. I keep seeing these 5 hour energy commercials… I’m now thinking hey I have an idea

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  221. This is the time of game when a quick td is scored against us and we limp like ruptured ducks through the end of the game. We need a turnover and a chance to score!

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    1. To me it looked like they just dusted off the play script from the first quarter…

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  237. have not scored a second half TD in 11 second half quarters now. Fact.

    We look lifeless. PSU looks fires up.

    But needs to get mentally and emotionally tough and get in this game.

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  238. We are not a second half team. It really doesn’t help us that our offensive line is incapable of run blocking. We need to protect Kenny better. He’s starting to get pressured more.

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  240. The halftime adjustments are working just fine…for PSUCKS.
    Ours, on the other hand, are true to form.
    What do our coaches do at halftime?
    Shuffleboard?
    Tweet?
    Eat snow cones?

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  244. Horrible 2nd half play calling….but lets be honest- Narduzzi cant and hasn’t recruited O linemen and that is (and will keep) killing us….we are empty at talent that that position for the next several years and throw away transfers aren’t the answer.

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    1. I disagreed. D still the Strngth and plenty of time. 1 big play from the 50 sinks us if we don’t convert

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  247. If nothing else Kenny has played a good game. It’s safe to say that if he play this well against Virginia we would be 2-0.

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  248. You’d think a guy coaching for 40 years would throw one long pass by now, to stretch the field vertically…how many have the Pedo’s thrown ?

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    1. I’m proud of the effort today from the Fightin’ Pitt Panthers.

      (Head-scratching waste of time-outs though…)

      Bring on the rest of the schedule! 👍

      Go Pitt.

      PS: And how ‘bout we keep KP at QB…🎅

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    1. I agree he’s matured a lot since the first game. If he played like this against the hood we probably would have won

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  255. Not to criticize, but why are they playing the Freshman Davis deep in their own end? So far, no wheel routes and only one end around. Where is Sibley? What did that man do to get in the doghouse?

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  269. what a stupid comment by the pedo blackledge…a right hand qb rolling right is not throwing across his body..and that ball was right on target in the bread basket.

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  270. I hate to be negative, but this where the Nits score to ice the game. The script has been written too many times

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    1. Well I am complaining… well I was. I agree plays much better in q4 but damn it boys execute

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  273. I would bench Ffrench for the rest of the game. Let him remember that drop for the rest of his garbage career. You can NOT drop that ball!

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    2. Whipple and duzz are geniuses!!

      Pathetic and embarrassing.

      I am so sick of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

      We deserved to miss that for not going for the TD. You have nothing to lose.

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  295. The movie script has been written— we will be saying woulda, coulda, shoulda for years after this game. Franklin sucks and the cult sucks and I hate to say it but we suck too

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  296. Again good play call on third down and the RB is wide open. Guys just don’t block the defender and he disrupts a wide open td pass.

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  306. Compelled to post. If you can blame 19 year old kids for costing us the game, you can certainly blame 60 year old coaches. Whipple owes these kids a game or at least being tied with 4 minutes to go

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  308. 1st & goal on the 1 foot line and zero points. No wonder we can’t score in the 2nd half. On the bright side Pickett is looking good. A lot of bad drops too.

    Sibley needs to be benched for 6 months though…

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  314. Well no matter what happens we covered the spread and took the #13 to the wire in their house. Ugh but we could have had this game.

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  319. Is it me or does it feel like Narduzzi would rather have a respectable 17-13 loss than try to tie the game? I mean lord why not pin them at the 1 yard line in the worst case scenario.

    I just think this is not the guy we thought he would be when he was hired…tough, gritty, slobberknocker type.

    He is none of those IMO.

    Dave

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Or Whipple. I would like him to spread the guys out and run a QB sneak. You have to spread out their defense when you’re up against superior talent. He should have gone for the TD on 4th down though. Lose in style anyway.

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  324. Someday Pitt will score a second half touchdown. And all of Oakland will rejoice. Sadly that was not today.

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  326. I was wrong about so very many things on this game. However, the thing I was most wrong about was when I said keep it close and Franklin would choke. Well, there is no question, I repeat, no question who had the boneheaded coach today. I truly feel for these kids.

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  328. Kenny Pickett played unbelievable today. While it was a really tough loss that we could have won. It is good to see that we might have a pretty good quarterback for the next two years and most of the key players around him will be back as well. H2P

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  329. Well, the fourth and 1 call was the only thing that upset me about the game, that and of course losing.

    Way to many things to be positive about moving forward.

    Team played dramatically better than anyone could hope for.

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  331. Nothing like rooting for a team incapable of scoring in the 2nd half against any Power 5 team. Ridiculous. Can’t get a point on 1st & goal to go at the 1/2 yard line, you deserve to lose. Now the pedos will have forever The Goal Line Stand to brag about. I’m sick about that.

    That being said, it was a much better game than I expected. When we do the good, bad and ugly there will be a lot of good, starting with Pickett. 372 yards for him and a lot of drops.

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  332. Well, it was closer than I thought it would be, and Pickett played better than I thought he was capable of, and our defense was pretty stout. It stinks we couldn’t at least tie it up, but I can’t be too disappointed by the ultimate outcome.

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  337. Final stats

    Pickett 35/51 372 0 0
    24 yds rushing

    If we had any semblance of a running game we probably win

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  338. Glad the series is over and and a big middle finger to ABC for having Blackledge do the game.

    Also did you catch when the other guy says ACC having a tough day with the Maryland loss to Temple.

    Guy doesn’t even know Maryland is in the B1G.

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  339. Tough game. Hopefully PSU is good so that Pitt could still have a decent season. This year may look s lot like last year.

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  341. Seriously how does Narduzzi face his team after that? No balls on both FG attempts. The last one is indefensible. And punting on every 4th and short but one – which was obvious and he needed Whipple to talk him into it and waste a TO.

    Kids played their hearts out and deserved better. H2P

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  342. So it’s obvious Tomlin and Narduzzi share an office. Weak kneed idiots both. 4th and 1 foot. Even if you miss The Peds start on the goal line.

    Great game. Narduzzi may be the worst coach in college football!

    This reminds me a lot of the 1975 7-6 loss where we beat Penn State all over the field but lost in the worst way possible.

    H2P. Fellow Pitt Fans.

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  343. Bad coaching today. Terrible use of time outs, first and goal situation stinks. Actually, the play calling wasn’t bad considering Whipple knows they can’t run the ball. Could use a RG though. The Pickett sack at the end came with the second team OL on the field. I saw Jerry Drake and Kradel were out there at a critical time. Tipton had a subpar game. Pickett came of age today.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I disagree. We needed 1/2 yard. Run at least one qb sneak. And why would you try a handoff from the shotgun formation

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  345. I agree guys. Either go down in a blaze of glory or go down in a blaze of shame. (coaches take their chances) You play to win all games and definitely play to win one on the road. Disappointing.

    That said, hats off to the PITT players, what a game.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Well said my good Man. Our d is very good. Just imagine if we had weaver and camp

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  347. The surprise with the fourth and 1 call was that they had the biggest play in Narduzzi history with the previous fourth down play that kept the drive alive. I know he was thinking get the 3 and win with a TD, but just wrongheaded.

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  349. The call on 4th down was great.

    But come on man!

    You need to direct handoff or let Pocket sneak a few times.

    Should have tied it with serious momentum.

    whip got too cute.

    Otherwise he coached a great game.

    Too bad.

    But. They’ve gotten better each week.

    Keeping the faith

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  350. It really needs to be said that these these kids (men) played an outstanding game. Yes, some player mistakes were made but I choose to leave this game believing that this team can play. And MM is 100% right. Pickett grew up today.

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  352. Mack was also subpar until the fourth quarter, really redeemed himself.

    The bottom line is that their great players made a couple more big plays than ours.

    We had incredible chances and in many instances outplayed them today.

    Just couldn’t punch it in on two occasions. The lack of a big power back for the first time in many years hurt us.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. A loss is a loss and I hate it, no other way to put it 76. It hurts me as much as you or maybe more. I just consider why this happened and the effort that the PITT players and coaches put into this game and the handcuffs that are put around the PITT football program. Yeah this was another loss…………

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  356. End of first half, Narduzzi fails to use the last TO to freeze the kicker, who makes a 57 yarder. Little things like this show that he is not a game day coach.

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  357. Let me state the obvious /// we have an OL that can’t block for a running play from the 2 foot line and we don”t have a power back who can blast through the weak line to hit pay dirt. Drives me crazy because PSU is over rated.

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  358. Hate we lost. Hate more we lost our running game. I really expected that MM’s siloliquy would bring the W.

    D was great. KP was great. Too many drops on good passes. No ground game.

    Liked by 2 people

  360. We had 43 yards running on 25 carries with only 1 sack. We aren’t going to win another game after the Delaware game with that garbage running game. The O-lineman need to hit the weight room. A bunch of weak flabby young kids right now.

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    1. Fat boys shoulda never posted with their shirts off… now every opponent knows what type of marshmallow they are up against… move Danielson to OL next year…

      Liked by 2 people

  362. Did you forget that we were 17.5 underdogs? Picked to finish in the middle of the ACC?

    It makes me laugh when all year most say how bad we are then we come close to upsetting

    a top twenty team in their house that somehow we should win these games.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I thought the guys all played well against superior talent on both sides of the ball (except for their QB). It’s the coaching decisions that stunk.

      1) Take a TO to freeze the kicker.
      2) Terrible use of TO’s the whole game
      3) Have to go for it on 4th down….and the other plays were all bad. You have to spread out their defense on those plays. Actually the one play is a score if Sibley blocks his guy though. He’s the goat of the game IMO. (Next to dimwit Narduzzi)

      These all simple calls a bus station wino would have had the sense to make.

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  363. Be honest here…

    how many would’ve been critical of Narduzzi for going for it on 4th and Goal at the one and not made it? How many would’ve been satisfied with a 17-13 loss instead of a 17-10 loss ( by the way, the former is an honest ?, the latter rhetorical).

    Dave

    Bottomline, I want to feel good about a Pitt team that went up to Happy Valley and played with all of their heart & soul. The head coach doesn’t prevent me to do so, but when your players bring all that they have and the head coach doesn’t it’s a damn shame.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I’ll go on record and say I would not blame him for not making it in 4th down. Unless he let whipple call a bone headed play.

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  364. We all knew that the O-line would be the weak link on this team. I say they played way above their pay grade today. They were playing against four and 5 star guys and lots of them.

    Liked by 1 person

  365. In camp the story line was that the RB room was deep with five good players ready to go. What happened? They now have A.J. Davis and a Freshman RB who is 165 lbs soaking wet to carry the load. The irony is that they could get a walk on power back to fill the requirement needed today to get one yard. No excuse for no power back.

    Liked by 1 person

  366. OK, I haven’t keeled over. These kids played about as well as I think they could. IF, and I mean IF, everyone comes back, they have a chance to be really good next year. Morrissey, Hamlin getting 5th year. 2 D linemen back.
    PSUs adjument offensivly was the swing pass to backs, negated Pitts rush. Defensively, you know, they just let their athletes make plays. Not really impressed, thought they’d be better.
    Man, what I would give for Georgie on this team.
    All that said, UCF is better than the Nitters. Don’t know how we can bounce back next week after that effort. Man, they are fasssssst.
    How can you have so many mixed feelings over one game?? Somehow I’m not as pissed as I feel I should be. Getting old?

    Liked by 2 people

      1. You mean like the way “we started to get it” When we beat Clemson back in 2016?

        I am sorry if this comes off overly harsh, but now valiant losses are replacing upset wins as being on the road to success.

        I am sorry, it is one game. I think I will wait for a string of consistent efforts to agree with this assessment.

        It still appears like this team will be 1-3 after 4 games in year 5.

        And that is also a pretty striking of where this program is as well.

        Dave

        Liked by 1 person

  370. With respect to UPitt… I’ve figured it out. Narduzzi and Tomlin are really gay lovers and share pillow talk about making themselves feel like real coaches by kicking meaningless
    field goals.

    I’m furious at this loss. Mentioned above are 5 mistakes a good coach doesn’t make. Our kids deserve better!

    I’m 69, and I deserve better. So when this team goes 3-9 or 5-7 can we stop with the “wait until next year” and go hire a real head coach?? !!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I think it’s the water on the North Side. Cowher did the SAME STUPID thing against New England many years ago. Mind numbing stupidity.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I give you credit Dan, You were on board today with a PITT victory. It didn’t happen, so no argument here. This PITT team did overachieve today though. Almost doesn’t cut it with me either. Today was a tall task and I’m happy with the boys of this fall….. I have no complaints. Sometimes there is not a fall person to blame.

      Liked by 1 person

  371. Landed in Charlotte during that last drive and missed the game. Will watch it tonight at home.

    I assume the game delay was due to lightning?

    Based on what most said here and the Blather before the game, a reasonable takeaway is that Pitt kept it much closer than expected. There are no moral victories, but based on the box score, looks like it wasn’t a bad loss either.

    Troubling to hear about the lack of scoring from inside the 5 with 4 min left. Again, I will have to watch it, but guess with the OL situation and no George Aston, we will struggle.

    Liked by 1 person

  372. The other adjustment made by PSU was blitzing their linebackers in the second half.
    If only Whipple would have had the right plays called to take advantage of it.
    Lot of open space behind those blitzers.

    Hoping that we see this KP again and often, 372 yds no INT’s. Add a couple TD throws and we’ll have something.

    Question for the gallery, is PSU’s defense better than VA’s?

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  374. Mistakes were made on both sides of the ball. ACC officials made some questionable non-calls on both teams. Pitt not going for it on fourth down late in game was a mistake — I think Pitt coaches should have to watch the last five minutes of the game for two hours as punishment on how not to try and win a game.

    Pitt punter played a great game keeping Penn State from good field position. Pickett played his best game today against a good Penn State defense.

    Pitt needs to find a running game soon or Pickett will be running from blitzes every game.

    A loss is a loss, especially against the farm school from Centre County. H2P!

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  375. Real proud of the boys today.
    Gave it everything they had.
    I think everyone can agree on that.
    Ass for the coaching….
    Not much more to say

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The kids deserve better than these morons with headsets…

      I am sick of all the apologists saying we need stability. He’s bad in game day and a bad recruiter. This is a game we should have won twice.

      Heather and EJ – you watced this rare opportunity slip away 100% due to the double digit IQ head coach.

      Like

  376. Pitt should have gone for it on 4th down using the same 3rd down play that failed before. Have the back block the blitzer this time though. Sibley will down in Pitt lore infamy…

    Like

  377. I think I need to clarify. I think the TEAM has the talent to be good next year. I do believe the head coach is hopeless. Those are some really bad decisions he made, and continually makes. Don’t think that’ll change.
    I have seen nothing to change my 1-3 start. But it is the way they get to 1-3. Still think 5-7 is where they’ll finish.
    UCF will be the best team they play. Again, I’m conflicted. I’m happy we didn’t get killed. I’m crushed to finally realize the Duzz isn’t all that swift. Ya, I’m a little late to the party. This isn’t a one off. He really makes some head scratchers. I should have known when he lost 5 games with that 2016 team. Oh well.

    Like

  379. Proud of the effort, BUT
    no moral victories….

    …..just another tick mark in the “L” column….BUMMER.

    Too many dropped passes…
    …..and NOT ENOUGH TALENT on the roster. (It sure makes a difference to have game breakers on the roster, instead of a bunch of “plodders” & rely mostly on “scheme”)

    Like

  380. Very surprised that the game was as competitive as it was, I thought for sure PSU would embarrass us on national TV. Love the way the team played today, gave it their all. This loss falls squarely on the coaches shoulders. As noted above bad decisions with TO’s, again no 2nd half offensive, 4 & 1 no go with time ticking away. Next up #17 UCF. I take no solace in close losses. This game was eminently winnable, if you have competent coaching. Narduzzi needs to go. This is the 5th year for this joker and we are not headed in the right direction. Continually makes the same mistakes again and again. Every time I hear oh we will be good next year just wait, lots of returning players I want to puke. Somewhere out there is a young who is winning with lessor talent, who can recruit, coach and is capable of creating a program capable of winning and being ranked in his 5th year .Heather needs to quit asking us to call our cable provider for the ACC channel and start evaluating promising young coaches. With the money we are currently paying Narduzzi someone will take up the challenge. If Narduzzi can’t figure out how to call TO’s and whether to go for it on 4 &1 from the one with the PSU game basically on the line then he will NEVER be a capable of creating a top 25 program. I remember when Va Tech was a slam dunk win, same with UCF. Now years later we are the slam dunk win on everyone else’s schedule. Tired and fed up with this less than mediocre program.

    Liked by 1 person

  381. Post-Game News Conference…

    “You can go back, question the 4th and 1,” he (Narduzzi) said. “Go for it, not go for it. If we go for it and we don’t get it, it’s like ‘why didn’t you kick the field goal, because you need two scores, anyway to win the football game.”

    PghSportsNow

    xxxxxxxx

    Hey Duzz… there is something called OVERTIME.

    Not even an LOL… just a WOW!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. JoeKnew. I agree with most of what you said above – except your view that we have talent to be good next year. We have no offensive line talent and none in the pipeline. Also no QB. Not sure how we can ever even be modestly competitive with this staff.

      Like

  383. Note… this is TWO BONEHEAD “4th and Shorts” in TWO Games.

    “What the hell is going on here?” (Vincent Lombardi. Absolutely no relation to the Narduzzi family)

    LOL

    Like

  384. 5 comments…
    1) Hats off to the defense for keeping this game close; great effort;
    2) Keeping additional people in the backfield to help O-line limits the play calling of Whipple;
    3) So you go for it on 4th and 2 from the 48 but not 4th and 2 from the 2 yd line??? Still inexcusable to miss a 19-yd field goal;
    4) The 3rd down play on the goal line was an easy TD if the back makes a block on the LB; and
    5) Look out next week. If you think PSU has athletes, wait until you see UFC with a chip on their shoulder.

    P.S. can somebody get Kenny Pickett’s mom an authentic jersey? From what I saw, she’s wearing one of those faux authentic jerseys from China with the incorrect numerals.

    Liked by 2 people

  386. I’ve taken to Bourbon

    Damn proud of this team
    The players deserved a better fate
    The D and Kenny were very good
    Good enough to win

    Sometimes I think that narduzzi is being whispered in the ear by Tomlin

    That thought makes me want to drink some more so I will

    Liked by 7 people

  387. Excuse me for laughing out loud to myself………. All of those that predicted PITT to lose by 20 pts or more are now complaining about PITT losing by 7 points? One nut job suggested that Narduzzi didn’t put PITT in position to win the game. A 17 point underdog. What game was he watching?

    Disappointing and a missed opportunities, for sure. Face the facts here people. PITT and the the boys played a great game and they were NOT miss coached at all. It’s where the chips fell today.. There is no fault here unless you’re looking for one. You know, to reinforce your agenda.

    Like

      1. Who said anyone is Happy? It’s called perspective. If you walk around in life expecting to win lots and lots of football games as a 17 pt underdog at their home field. You should be better prepared to be disappointed. Not so much whining all the time.

        Liked by 1 person

  388. I’m not convinced that PSU team is all that good. Their QB looked awful. But they do have like 6 RBs, some electricks WRs, etc.

    I’m proud of our team, but disappointing the way they can’t finish drives. Even with more time, I’m not sure we get in the end zone at the end. If it went to OT, I think we’d have to settle for FGs which isn’t good.

    Who was asking the question in that one thread about what call does Whipple make on 3rd and goal from the 3? I think MM predicted exactly what we ran. Ashame we couldn’t make it work.

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    1. Well said bk. The thing was there was no body in the back corner of the end zone. That’s either a scheme issue or an execution issue. All I know is that Mack sucks at wide open catches but he’s the king go jump balls. You want to increase your red zone scoring throw it where only #11 can catch it

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  390. I have decided not to be upset about losing to our hated rivals Penn State. After all We did win the Coastal last year. And even though we stand a good chance of being 1-3 after 4 weeks our coach is only in his fifth year.

    Liked by 2 people

  391. And before anyone gets too excited about how good either of these teams are, Buffalo is getting whacked by 0-2 Liberty and tThe Ohio University is losing to Marshall. lol

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oy vey. It’s clearly because they got beat up by Pitt and penn state last week (haha)

      Like

  392. Pitt needs to hire a Cyrana de Bergerac mouthpiece…someone in Narduzzi’s ear, telling him when to call timeouts, when to punt, when to take a sip of water.
    I truly do not believe that he has the intellect to make extemporaneous decisions.
    I have no idea if he is da man to deliver us from the abyss (his record so far says he is not), but if the powers-that-be like him, then put a game-time coach in the box.
    Hell, you’d think the line would stretch halfway around Heinz…the adrenaline of coaching with none of the week-long headaches.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Duzz is a head scratcher. He can get his team up and get them to punch above their weight (Clemson, this game) and get them for the most part to limit their mistakes (this game was a great example, I don’t think there was one pre-snap penalty). But I’m game he is clearly lost. At this point it is what it is and yes I agree an advisor would help

      Like

  394. I asked the third and 1 question, newbk1. And I also said if they couldn’t make it on 4th and 1 it would be game over. Because we all knew going in that Pitt has no running game. George Aston was a walk on, and we could have used him today. Where is his replacement? A decent walk on fullback could have been found two years ago.

    Like

  396. I think we can all agree that our team played a great game today. We gave the #13 team in the country, in a very hostile environment, everything they could handle. I’m as disappointed as anyone that we lost. I have a family full of Nitters, which makes it worse.

    I have been very patient with Pat Narduzzi. I strongly believe that transforming our program into a consistent top 25 team, was something that would take time. I believe that there are constraints (financial, scheduling, recruiting, support) that impact how long it will take to achieve higher goals.

    So I’m not ready to say “start over” like many others. But COME ON!!! Burning timeouts unnecessarily, play calling at the goal line, decision to kick the FG instead of going for it??? You have the best center in the ACC. Spread them out and sneak Kenny up the middle. You need ONE YARD!!! Do it 4 times in a row. Sibley doesn’t play the whole game. You bring him in in a critical situation and he misses a block. That’s more on the coaches than it is on the kid.

    The kids deserved to win today. Penn State had 3 or 4 big plays. We otherwise outplayed them. Kenny was awesome. His receivers intermittently looked great and then horrible. The defense is stout. We have a lot to be looking forward to from what I see, if we can cobble together a better offensive line. That’s a big if.

    But for one day, I’m just going to be sick to my stomach. I’m not sure what happens if we go for it on fourth and goal and score. We could still lose. But I’d love to be able to go back and find out.

    One of the worst coaching decisions in the history of Pittsburgh sports.

    Thank goodness I stayed home and didn’t use the ticket that was offered to me.

    Surgery Tuesday. So I’ll be out for awhile. Looking forward to seeing my friends at the UNC game in early November.

    Hail to Pitt!!!

    Liked by 12 people

    2. Great post WLAT and Godspeed on Tuesday. Looking forward to having you back in action in November

      Like

    3. ERIC, you know where my thoughts and prayers will be come Tuesday. You’re OK, you will be in great hands. and remember….. walk walk walk wlak.. << I did that on purpose

      Like

      1. Ike: One thing that has been beat into my head is WALK. The more I walk, the sooner I come home. Thanks for the advice, the kind words and the prayers.

        Liked by 2 people

        2. Missing – good luck this week. I donated a kidney in 2002 to my 15 year old daughter. We both came thru with flying colors! You will too. At that time, recipients were isolated for several weeks. A lot has changed since then. You’ll be fine!! Prayers are up for you!!

          (Duzz, I’m not so sure about!)

          Savannah

          Liked by 1 person

  397. I’m no longer furious. We have a 5 year track record for Narduzzi and what do we have:

    a coach who’s arrogance and abruptness pissed everyone off his first 4 years.
    a coach who has difficulty recruiting and who has lost every major recruit for the last 5 years.
    a coach who pays little attention to detail and loses his head on the sideline often
    a coach who cannot lead and inspire …. it’s always all about him
    a coach who’s made some of the most God awful game time calls in
    football history.
    a coach who’s assistants don’t seem to respect him

    Why? Is this loser still here???

    And I don’t want to hear it Ike!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. LOL Dan, I ain’t sayin nuffin. Enjoy this PITT loss, more are a coming. I just don’t understand why people that knows what’s coming next and are surprised when it gets here?? It boggles my worn out brain….

      Like

  398. Last but not least… States first TD and previous 74 yard run occurred with only 10 men on the field for Pitt. Can you imagine any other 5A coach surviving that?

    I’d fire Narduzzi so fast he wouldn’t have time to find his car keys.

    Coach Whipple .. you’re up!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I watched the replay and Blackledge stated Pitt was getting no penetration.Maybe it was because we only had 10 men on the field.

        Like

    2. They can fire Narduzzi yesterday, I don’t love the guy. Let’s start over from scratch, hell that has worked out perfectly for PITT.

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      1. Ike your tongue is clearly in your cheek.

        For the rest of you guys … it is obvious that duzz’ Achilles heel is game day coaching.

        But this season is a marathon and not a sprint. This game hurts. That is for sure. Let’s see how we fare next week. Let’s see how we fare 8 weeks after that. ( or at least 5). Then we can judge whether we was fans think the Duzz deserves to be our head coach.

        As a cautionary tale I will throw you Virginia . A very consistent 7-8 win team under Al Groh. They thought they could do better so they fired his a$$ and hired Mike London. Several 2-9 seasons later London was gone.

        Let’s see what duzz does with this team. I’m not saying I’m happy with 7 wins but I sure as hell don’t want to drop down to two.

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  399. Danh72:

    I forgot to mention the ineptitude of having only 10 on the field. Apparently it happened on two plays, not just one.

    Like

    1. Correct … two plays in a row. The 74 yard run to set up the TD and then ( no Pitt coach catches) on the first State TD. Let’s see .. that the incompetence cost us 7 points. What did we lose by???

      There’s that attention to detail thing with Duzz what a clown.

      Liked by 1 person

  400. He is actually defending that 4th down call. Does this man understand there is overtime? If he has no confidence in the running game, who’s fault is it? I thought that the OL might remember something about run blocking from last year.

    Liked by 2 people

  402. For the Record… Narduzzi did NOT put his Players in a position to WIN the Game today.

    Putting them in a position to WIN is not just getting them down to the ONE Yard Line with 5 minutes left.

    It means calling the ENTIRE Offense over to the sideline on the 4th and ONE… giving them Whipple’s BEST play… and then looking them all in the eye and telling them it was now ON THEM to get the job done!

    That would have been a GREAT moment in Pitt Football history.

    Instead, we got a SHAKY Head Coach deferring to a SHAKY Field Goal Kicker… and for what?

    Liked by 4 people

  404. Yeah you can criticize Narduzzi and what not but I think PITT put a quality team on the field today. I think today was the day KP grew up.

    The running game? Not so much. PITT runs when the other team thinks they are running and passes when they think PITT is passing. They need to pass the football forward more often to get the linebackers and safeties out of the box.

    PITT played a really good game today, they just didn’t have enough against a good team. Yes I hate it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Honestly I think a big portion of it is mental. They bowed up in the 4th quarter (except for 3 plays at the 1…)

      Like

  406. Well, I’m not quite so sure about the quality of either team The Ohio University goes down again, and the mighty Buffalo gets whacked big time by Liberty, or Library or whatever.
    Both ACC and BiG had very embarrassing loses. Keep an eye on that UVa FSU score. Could end up being huge. Ya, the Coastal is a mess again.

    Like

    1. At least Ohio played it close. Buffalo got killed by an 0-2 basketball school. The pedos should drop several spots in polls this week. But they won’t because they’re a name school that the TV people love.

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  407. For as much as I want to put this game in the rear view mirror, I could talk about it for hours.

    For a moment, I’ll quit focusing on the negative, and say this: our Quarterback played an outstanding game today. He did everything you could ask of him and more. His numbers would be even more impressive it for 4 or 5 dropped passes. Maybe he’ll continue to be inconsistent, but if he keeps making even incremental improvement, we will have ourselves one fewer question mark.

    Three games in, and it’s pretty clear that we have a very good defense. We got a lot of pressure. Some from the line, and some from some excellent blitz schemes designed by Coach Bates.

    Get some problems fixed on the O-Line, and the season has some promise. I’m with MM. I’m curious to see how the story of the season unfolds.

    Liked by 3 people

  409. National Headline – “Pat Narduzzi’s decision making casts cloud over Pitt loss at Penn State!” Read it tomorrow in papers across the country.

    It’s not just me…. it’s across the country! Many Others think Narduzzi a complete idiot!

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  411. Kenny was amazing. How he transformed from what we saw week one, I can’t imagine. Makes me believe even more, the drops in the first game were the key and even though today there were a couple, HE never faltered. Obviously there were too many in this game too. Game changers.

    The line looked decent on pass blocking but missed several key run blocks or were blown up on others. Someone wrote that the backs stayed in to block on most pass plays which may have made the difference, I don’t know, but I don’t remember seeing much pass rush pressure without blitzes.

    Should have gone for it on 4th down from the 1. I said it then, makes little sense to kick the FG.

    Beaver Stadium is a craphole but the crowd was pretty impressive. Not quite full though…some upper sections had empty seats, maybe a few thousand or so. Pitt actually represented pretty well IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Give me a break…Pickett threw exactly 2 passes longer than 10 yards. Mack basically just outjumped the defender. Meaning Pickett just threw it up for grabs. Love the kid, but…….

      Like

    2. Kenny has moxy. You cant teach that. He just needs to build up his confidence. The kids a decent QB. He just plays behind a bad line, had a bad coordinator, and has some bad drops by his receivers. He can be just as good as Palko and better than Sunseri.

      Like

  412. Dan, Good luck on your tests. As someone who went thru that type of issue I wish you the best. Hey, and don’t worry, Pitt will still be here when you get out( unfortunately so will the Duzz) . lol.
    If I praise the team for the effort, Imguess he gets credit too. But he also gets the blame. You’re right, National guys think he’s a maroon. It’s even worse when he tries to rationalize his mistakes. Man up, coach.

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  413. More total yard. More 1st downs. Win time of possession. 3-3 on 4th down. Lose game. How does that happen? You have to go for TD at that point with time running down in 4th qtr. Also Our kicker needs to be better. Remember ND last year. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Need attitude and smarter coaching decisions to win tight games.

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    1. Pitt spending $0 dollars on football, but wasting alot on non-revenue sports. Katz Business schools shakes their head.

      Like

          1. We all need some good Pitt sports news or else we become raging alcoholics and start yelling at the clouds. The clouds that look like Heather and Narduzzi.

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  416. I think I’m being taunted, guy sits down next to us at bar….his profile was spitting of NoDoz……and the schmoe went to MSU, and graduated in 1983. FU

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      1. the guy didn’t even act like he knew who Dantonio was. I said he came from Cincy…he was like, u mean the Bungals. lol He didn’t even know of the 1966 undefeated Mich State Duffy Doherty team and the famous tie with ND. What u have to put up with smh

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  418. Not going for the TD on the 1.5 HD line as dumb as that decision may have been did not cost Pitt 7 points. It cost the possibility of 7 points.

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    1. nice try…..fla state sux…lost to boise at home and beat the powerhouse UL-Monroe by 1 point in tallahassee. 45-44

      Like

  420. Bless all you Pitt Fans. I’ve been doing this for 51 years. It’s up to you guys now. Don’t let Pitt circumstances control you speak out and hold people accountable!

    Things can be better st Pitt. Heather knows …. trust her. 3-9 to 5-7 is going to require some tough calls. Don’t be afraid of change and hire a real head coach. Blessings and Peace to you all ! H2P.

    Like

  421. Of course everyone knows that but it’s also true that when we talk about the stupidity of the decision that we conflate the decision with what may have been. Well, what may have been is that there would not have been a TD. Actually, the more I think about this the more stupid was the decision. And to hear Narduzzi defend his decision without any humility to allow him to think that the decision was wrong. Ugh! What might have been.

    Like

    1. The play calling on 1st and goal from the 1 yard, didn’t include ANY attempts of just ramming it in, via a QB sneak or just FB plunge. Lame. What does that tell the O-linemen. Pitt-i-ful. Toilet Paper is just part of the coaching fraternity and is owed a job. NoDoz obliged.

      Liked by 1 person

  422. Am glad that Syracuse got the crap knocked out them, since it seems the media is over promoting them.
    Go figure. Based on history when Syracuse is good, Pitt is bad. Syracuse be BAD !

    Like

  423. First and goal at the one yard line. Forget these sideline passes and so forth. Doesn’t anyone remember the Seahawks a couple of years ago against the Pats in the Super bowl, for God sakes? Run the ball up the middle 4 times and if you can’t get in, well at least you took the high percentage chance. I wonder how the running backs feel knowing that the coaches have no confidence in them. How many games have we lost due to coaching in the last few years?

    Like

  424. As I see it, that Horrible decision shows HCPN has either no Y chromosome or no brain. Either way, Pitt is once again a laughingstock nationally for that call. There are articles all over the place about the stupidity. I can no longer him support after today. I just can’t.

    Proud of that defense even though they were out there at least 2 times with just 10 guys (more coaching failure ). To be in a position to tie (or win with 2pt conversion) at the end of a game like this (when I was expecting a blowout) and have that decision made (and somehow rationalized or even defended afterward) is Maddening.

    Like

  425. Pitt beat themselves today. Well, the coaches didnt help the players and got in the way of a win. The players should all be proud of their performance. Its not their fault with some of the calls and tactics.

    I thought the strategy was good however and the team was ready. But Pitt absolutely needs to find a running game, take shots down the field and not take sleeping pills at half.

    My bourbon has worn off and rational thought permeates my mind at this late hour.

    Santa may still deliver a 7 win season but the presents are smaller this year. I personally had too many black marks and made his naughty list unbeknownst to me. Hence the victory today was not delivered.

    However, I do hear from good authority that Narduzzi will be getting a lump of coal in his stocking.

    Liked by 1 person

  426. Pitt needs to find a running game. And all the passing yards aren’t worth squat unless it results in points.

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    1. Exactly sobertex…..akin to all the passing yards when tiny tino was qb. doesn’t mean squat. 300 yards passing and 10 points is pathetic. Pitt has yet to score a TD in the 2nd half. U can’t win with 3 star players when you’re out coached….. except by a miracle.

      Like

  427. Wonder if the combination of a proven 2019 running game, 3 plays in succession that failed to punch it in from the 1 and a flashback to 2016 and Blacksburg where we failed to punch it in from the 1 yard line entered into Duzz’s mind…when he should be thinking” Hey, we haven’t scored a 2nd half point all year and we can’t get any closer than this with 1 play left to tie the game and try to win this in over-time!!!”

    Like

  429. @PittExpos – Try watching and learning a little more about American football.

    He was 95% accurate, felt and reacted to pressure almost perfectly, looked like he checked down to 2nd and maybe 3rd receivers, he looked off defenders at times, and yeah, he took a couple of shots and when he did, his receiver went up and won the perfectly thrown 50/50 ball.

    I’ll take that and count it as amazing.

    Liked by 1 person

  430. I mentioned that yesterday BigB at least the miss last year.
    I still don’t like the call this morning. It taints a very special performance by this year’s Panthers.
    Even though it is probable that they would have been stuffed on fourth down, they should have had the chance. But you also have to question the earlier play calling, why no QB sneaks?

    In any case, I am probably in the minority, but feel better about this year’s team today than I did Friday.
    The fact that they would play that well never entered my mind. Yes, Narduzzi made a bad call and did waste time outs, but he had the team ready and is just as responsible for the mostly good stuff that happened yesterday as the bad.

    UCF will be brutal, but if the team can keep getting better, the season may not be a total loss, and most guys will be back next year, when PSU and UCF will not be on the schedule.

    The growth of the O-line is still the key, for this season and next.

    Liked by 2 people

  431. And that said GC, PN looks more like the guy that won’t quite get them to the next level so I am left hoping for a minor miracle happening for the remainder of this year starting next week while looking over the football landscape seeing a lot of 2nd tier teams out there that Pitt COULD be among but Pat unfortunately may never get them over that hump.
    So if this season pivots and finishes “amazing”ly we are left with him for another year of him learning on the job and I’m not certain he is up to it.

    Or like others I am left hoping that the season implodes and he is gone so we all can enjoy another transition/rebuild over the next few years. 😦

    Like

  432. I predicted as always, that Pitt would be 1-0 for games played on 9-14-19. I was wrong. I don’t play point spreads to lessen the pain of a loss. To all those that competed in sports, a loss is a loss, period. It’s 11 versus 11. Both teams played in the rain, the snow, the heat, etc.

    Did anyone get triggered when Pitt was first and goal at the dairy 2 foot line? I did. I thought of the virginia tech game immediately and woila, same result. We had George too back then. I would have been happy with 4 qb sneaks. Allegedly, our best OL is our walk-on center. Go to your strength on the OL coach! Bad, just bad. That’s when your qb goes into the huddle and says “if we need to do the mf’r 4 times straight we will. We are going to go over our leader of the OL and expletive, expletive, expletive, score this and win the game. RB’s get behind me and push me in if i gt expletive stuck.

    Narduzzi screwed up not calling a timeout at the end of the first half.

    Narduzzi screwed up his post game comment about needing two scores to win. FALSE! A touchdown and 2 point conversion wins the game but he would have needed balls to win that way. He got none. He has no football Head coach IQ. Neither does his head coach counterpart yesterday.

    Pitt will be favored in maybe 2 games the rest of the year, so as long as we keep it within the point spread, the majority of you will be happy? C’mon dudes. You all have to be better than that. Starts with recruiting and ends with recruiting.

    Heather will extend Narduzzi after keeping the game within the point spread because it’s not about winning. It’s about staying within the point spread. Good grief people. Only excuse makers and non-athletes are happy with this result. That is why the Chancellor is fine.

    Like

  433. Huff you are wrong about one thing. It was 10 on 11 for at least two defensive plays. One being that huge big play.

    I thought I was watching a Mike Tomlin coached team yesterday. Any word about his seat getting hotter after that embarrassing loss?

    At least Pitt’s loss was respectable albeit still frustrating.

    Like

  434. The defense is looking good, and generally Narduzzi’s pressers have improved, but it is alarming that his game day coaching does not look to be improving .

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  435. 0 touchdowns in the second half of 6 straight games is both a severe lack of talent and horrible coaching…..BUT mostly coaching. Stop talking about the value of “stability” in the program.

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  436. The biggest games will be @Duke then @Syracuse. If this team is 2-3 and wins both it gains some huge momentum. If Pitt wins these next to then beats Duke and Cuse to get to 5-2, it could run the table or lose just one more and finish 9-3.

    Liked by 1 person

  437. I think the culture is generally good within the program. No discipline issues. No cheating. No fake classes and tutors taking tests.

    But not enough emphasis on winning and what it takes like easier schedule but more importantly better recruiting and coaching

    Pitt has not been stable over the past five years. Too many changes in coordinators. Too many system changes. New playbooks.

    A head coach sets the culture, strategy and manages staff, media, boosters, administration and players.

    Stability is a word that’s just thrown around. Most people don’t know what it means.

    The average coaching tenure is 5 years. 15 percent of P5 teams turnover head coaches every year.

    If you believe the ceiling on this coach is 9 wins, you need to act. Unless you are happy with 7-8 win seasons. And the other good stuff culturally.

    The more narduzzi looks like Tomlin, the easier it becomes.

    Like

    1. Tex, let’s not be so sure about the academics. There are problems there too, but not as bad as NC.

      Seat is hot on Tomlin, but as I explained, they will not get rid of him until they know for sure, they have someone better as a replacement. He did the least with the most offensive talent in the league for 5-6 years…and most expensive.

      Like

  438. 13-9 was Wanny’s signature win, 17-10 is PN’s signature loss. He had a chance to take an underdog to a big win in a rivalry game on national TV and drive a point across…instead he choked!!! 4 QB sneaks gets you a tie and the defense holds and you drive to a game winning FG…worst case you have PSU backed up to their one. You blew it Pat!

    Liked by 1 person

  440. Narduzzi officially the LAUGHING STOCK of College Football.

    While showing highlights of the Game, ESPN goes as far as to put up a GRAPHIC to illustrate the ABSURDITY of the decision to kick the Field Goal.

    Including yesterday, it showed something like 130 times that Teams were faced with a “4th and Goal” from the ONE Yard Line and trailing by 7.

    ONLY 16 times did a Head Coach opt to KICK!

    Worse yet… Kessman was the ONLY one who MISSED!!

    Like

  441. How do you like that extension now Heather?

    I never thought Pitt would be outcoached by Franklin.

    And Whipple is too smart for himself. Infatuated with 300 plus yards passing that produces zero touchdowns.

    I have no issues with Bates.

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  442. Eric and Dan, thanks for the dose of perspective. It is sorely needed today. Best to both of you. Come back stronger than ever.

    Still goes through my mind that a coach has probably 2 to 5 seconds to make a decision allowing enough time to call a play, get proper personnel on the field, huddle, etc. without a delay of game penalty. And Duzz probably has 3 assistant coaches chirping ideas in his headset while contemplating. So easy to analyze and criticize from your couch. But that’s what we do. Happens in all sports at all levels. Coaching is way harder than it looks.

    Liked by 1 person

  443. But that’s why Narduzzi is being paid 3 million dollars a year, and those calls should have been no-brainers, as was 3rd and six vs 4th and one. I’d extend Bates though….

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    1. Exactly. He’s being paid millions.

      All us couch potato’s knew what to do. That’s experience watching the sport for over 40 years.

      Not one person in national media thinks what narduzzi did was right. Pitt is an embarrsssment on Twitter today. High school coaches don’t make that mistake.

      If the job is too difficult, narduzzi should be shown the door. Wanny would have won this game.

      Watching Pitt try to play football and being a fan is way harder than it looks.

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  444. Let me make myself perfectly clear:

    There are NO such thing as a moral victory! Never said there were and never inferred such a claim. The only reason I ever mentioned the point spread was when someone suggested the PITT team was not put into a position to win a football game when they were 17 point underdogs on the road in the first place. PITT was at the one yard line down by seven near the end of the game…. That, is being put in a winnable position imo.

    “THE CALL” ? It was one of the dumbest decisions I can remember. The way the defense was playing even if PITT doesn’t get the TD, PITT stops psu and they get the ball right back in great field position. GUTLESS!

    psu field goal kicker sets a record for the longest field goal (57) and for kicking 2 field goals over 50 yards for the first time since Moses. Kessman sets a record for missing the shortest field goal at erector set field. Folks, that’s nine points.

    A loss is a loss is a loss is a loss << I could go on but I won’t……. but I see nothing wrong with being encouraged by a really great effort from a football team I root for…. and again a loss is a loss is a loss………..etc

    People continue to think I’m married to Narduzzi?? Hey, he could go anytime and I wouldn’t be upset over Narduzzi leaving. Someone suggests we don’t bring up stability and or continuity anymore. Nah, that will always be my philosophy until it’s proven to me that a change would be for the better. Speaking of which…..

    Mark Whipple, is he good or what? Pickett throws for 372 yards against a highly thought of defense…. on the road? Wow!

    Narduzzi deserves all the criticism he’s getting today but it looks like to me that his defense is finally playing up to his reputation. << See that’s the kind of thing that gets lost when he makes a stoopid offensive play call at the two yard line. When it comes to offense HCPN should go Greyhound and leave the driving to the driver and in this case that would be Whipple.

    Love all the new screen names that appeared yesterday and some semi familiar ones that rarely post..

    Not looking forward to this upcoming UCF game, it might be pretty ugly. PITT will need to score way more than 10 points and they will have to score in the second half, a lot. Good news is UCF’s defense is not nearly as good as psu’s.

    That’s all for now… you guys can bitch at me all you want… I’m never going to change… Have a Great Day folks! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ike – I’ve seen your honeymoon pictures with Narduzzi. 🙂

      I’ll send you my picks of him as my cell mate

      Like

      1. That is funny cell-block 🙂 … Why don’t you go with the screen name, incognito ? I know who you are buddy. Take care friend!

        Like

  445. Coaching is indeed harder than it looks, no doubt. But that’s his job and he makes $3.5mm per year to do it. Average and good coaches make these decisions all the time under pressure and with all kinds of distractions and noise. He’s demonstrated over and over that he’s simply not smart enough to be a head coach. Combine that with world class arrogance and stubbornness, and you get what we have. He has reached his ceiling and has banged his head on it many times.

    But as Reed and others have pointed out many times, Heather and the Administration are perfectly fine with a bottom half program and a bottom half coach as long as the kids don’t get in trouble and embarrass the program.

    That, too, is fine but tell the Alum and students that is your goal and we can adjust (or bail) accordingly.

    Like

    1. Heather should be upset. Pitt is trending on social media for all the wrong reasons. Memes are being made. #Gutless

      National TV saw this and said WTF?

      All the saving of kittens from trees and walking little old ladies across the street won’t make up for this game that was there for the taking and Pitt coaching refused.

      If I was a player, I’d light a bag of dog crap on narduzzis front porch.

      I feel crapped on this morning. To refuse to win against your rival should be a cardinal sin.

      The more I think about what happened, the more I want to walk into Heathers office and say what the hell were you thinking. The buck stops at the top.

      The Piss and Vinegar is back!

      Liked by 1 person

  448. This from team rankings. PITT actually moved up in perception

    After losing to Penn State 17-10 yesterday, Pittsburgh is now projected to finish the regular season 6-6 (4-4 ACC).

    The odds that the Panthers end the season bowl eligible are up to 60%, an increase of 15% since yesterday.

    We currently rank the Panthers as the #7 team in the ACC (and #51 team in the country).

    Next game: Sat, Sep 21 vs. #10 Central FL. Our power ratings give the Panthers a 16% chance to win.

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  450. The probability for Narduzzi’s firing just went up as well

    I place the odds at 3-1 that he gets canned after next year.

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  451. A team full of 2 and 3 stars went to the 110k fans home of a team full of 4 and 5 star players and gave them a game they might expect from the OSUs of the world. A loss is a loss, but we can be proud of the effort from our players. I’m not so sure all wins are equal. Every PSU fan knows they dodged a bullet.

    Liked by 4 people

  452. When you’ve gone over the Devil’s number in comments, its time for a new piece Michael 🙂

    Being the spawn of Satan himself, I made sure it was I who made comment number 666

    Liked by 3 people

  454. How’s this for creative thinking: don’t fire Narduzzi since that would lead to at least one down year and since the players seem to really like the coach a lot. Instead, hire an on-field game coordinator/recruiting coordinator/assistant head coach and pay him/her well. As an added benefit, that would allow the head coach more time to count how many players are on the field for each play.

    No, I don’t know who that would be.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I wrote pederson the same thing when wanny was here….crickets. That got me to hating pederson and i knew at that point he wanted wanny to fail.

      Saban and others hire ex head coaches for the very reason.

      The new york yankees in baseball did that with don zimmer for many years. That is how I thought it was appropriate in the ncaa. The only one that went with the idea was the yankees.

      Liked by 1 person

  457. But everyone, including me… failed to include the “Duzz Factor!”

    Not one, but TWO bonehead Fourth Down calls in TWO Games.

    Question is… “When is the NEXT one coming?”

    A track record is forming.

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    1. Pitt should have won 20-17
      But like I’ve always said, coaches can do harm when they get in the way
      Narduzzi’s brains or lack thereof (meatballs inside) determined the outcome as opposed to the players
      As AD (I’ve self appointed myself), I would have canned his arse after the game
      His gutless play calling and game mismanagement gave this game away

      Liked by 2 people

  458. Still don’t see Narduzzi going anywhere. That would mean Heather admitting to a mistake.

    He’ll get one more Season.

    However, if Narduzzi stays… I would not be surprised to see Whipple leave. Obvious FRICTION between the two during Games.

    Only way I see Whipple staying if he were to get the Head job.

    Pretty clear he sees himself as the one ALPHA Coach in the Room.

    Liked by 1 person

  459. He needs to go back to Youngstown and coach high school
    Big games like this expose him for the fraud that he is
    A $3.5 MILLION DOLLAR FRAUD

    Like

  462. The fourth down decision shouldn’t have been made yesterday, but years ago…when he became a good coach.
    Critical thinking is rarely extemporaneous, but cultivated by considering various solutions before the problem presents.
    Put yourself in a position to succeed, not in a position to be surprised.

    Liked by 3 people

  463. We have been talking about the 4th quarter calls and the non TO call to ice the kicker at the end of the 1st half, but to me the prior TO call with about 1:45 in the 2nd quarter was also a mistake as it gave PSU time to move down the field into FG range.

    Liked by 3 people

  464. POVers assuming that if PN did not go for the field goal that Pitt would have won the game is as crazy as PN refusing to acknowledge that the decision to go for the field goal was dumber than dumb.

    And although there were other coaching mistakes there was an awful lot of fine coaching by Pitt’s staff and presumably PN as well.

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    1. Fine coaching?
      Maybe on D
      Where did the O go in the second half?
      Burned time outs
      Stupid situational decisions
      Narduzzi couldn’t get a job as a high school coach in Texas
      Complete bum

      Like

  466. Good point Gas…and a key component of critical thinking is self evaluation.
    Not sure Duzz ever sees his decisions as being wrong…you wont correct what you dont see as a mistake.
    Hopefully I’m wrong on this.

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  468. Lots of good thoughts by a poster or two that say that won’t comment anymore. Great to hear from you…………

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  469. Pickett put up huge yardage for 2nd straight game. But it was on 51 attempts which comes out as 7.2 yards per attempt. Not very good really but those 51 attempts had to be called because Mark Whipple, again, can’t field a running game.

    At UMass:

    2018 – 102nd in Rushing

    2017 – 99th – ”

    2016 – 124th – ”

    It ain’t going to change any time soon. Pickett needs to start throwing beaucop TDs starting next week. Right now he’s at 1 TD for every 18 completions (career) which is terrible. But this season he’s at 1 TD for every 41 completions which is unbelievable ineffective.

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    1. one thing they haven’t solved yet was not scoring TDs when they are within the opponents 10 yard line. You may recall that in the bowl games vs Stanford, they had to settle for 2 shorts FGs after they were inside the 10. And it happened twice yesterday.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And we had Ollison and Hall vs Stanford – something is wrong when you can’t draw up a play to score from the 1.

        Yesterday, KP mishandled one snap – kept the ball on another when he (KP) pulled the ball from AJ Davis’ belly – AJ would have walked into the end zone for a TD.

        Only one play was made by psuX to stop Pitt on 4 attempts. The Panthers shot themselves in the foot on 3 of 4 plays – go back and watch the video.

        Oy vey!

        Like

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