in Pitt Football 1,635 Words

Boston College Preview and Prediction Thread

Hello everyone and happy day-after-Thanksgiving.  My apologies for not being able to post a preview at the regularly scheduled time yesterday, but the combination of fighting off some kind of bug and hosting Thanksgiving got in the way.  The good news is that the bug has been successfully dispatched and the dinner was a success, so no matter what happens with Pitt Football this weekend, I’ve got health and family to fall back on, and I hope you do as well.

I’ve also got the POV, and I’d like to take a moment to thank all you POV’erts out there, whether you’re a frequent commenter or simply a frequent reader.  So far this year we have had over 57,000 visitors and over 587,000 page views.  We’ve also had nearly 33,000 comments posted.  Half of the reason I maintain this blog is because I love Pitt and Pitt football, and the other half is you.  Whether or not you agree with what I’m writing, I’d like to express my thanks for keeping this blog as active and vibrant as you do.

And now on to football…

How many times since 1981 has Pitt won eight games?  Nevermind nine, nevermind ten; I’m talking eight.  Because that is what is on the table tomorrow.  A chance at an eight win season, at home, on senior day, against a team that Pitt is favored to beat, and has the talent to beat.

The answer is 12 times.  In 38 years, Pitt has won eight or more games 12 times.  Just two coaches have done it more than twice, and we fired both of those.  Pitt’s football program proceeded to wander in the wilderness for 4-5 seasons after each firing.  In fact, every single time since 1981 that Pitt has fired a winning football coach, Pitt has gone at least four years without winning eight games.  Case in point:

  1. 1982 – Foge Fazio – 9-3
  2. 1983 – Foge Fazio – 8-3-1
  3. 1987 – Mike Gottfried – 8-4
  4. 1989 – Mike Gottfried – 8-4-1
  5. 2002 – Walt Harris – 9-4-0
  6. 2003 – Walt Harris – 8-4
  7. 2004 – Walt Harris – 8-4
  8. 2008 – Dave Wannstedt – 9-4
  9. 2009 – Dave Wannstedt – 10-3
  10. 2010 – Dave Wannstedt – 8-5
  11. 2015 – Pat Narduzzi – 8-5
  12. 2016 – Pat Narduzzi – 8-5

And so, here Pitt sits, in a position to win eight games for the third time in Pat Narduzzi’s five years.  The irony, of course, is if Pitt doesn’t win eight games this year, there will be a contingent of fans calling for Pat Narduzzi’s head, and I can understand why.

It’s because bowl-game aside, BOSTON COLLEGE IS A TEAM WE SHOULD BEAT. And I’m not talking about squeak by with a field goal.  I’m talking beat like a bass-drum during the halftime show, because BC’s offense is about as one dimensional as they come.

But they do that one dimension really well.  The Eagles have rushed for 268 yards per game this season.  That’s sixth in the country.  They have two backs that will probably go for a thousand yards.  Lead back AJ Dillion is basically George Aston with more speed and more wiggle.  Dillon is 6’0″, 250 lbs and has already rushed for 250 yards.  BC’s #2 back, David Bailey, back would probably start for Pitt, and he’s another bruiser at 6’1″, 240.  He’s rushed for 786.  They are running behind a top-20 run-blocking offensive line.  Football outsiders publishes line stats, and BC is ranked 19 in “line yards”, which is a measure of how well a line run blocks.  (Pitt is 82nd by the way…).  BC is also 8th in “Stuff Rate” which means they don’t give up very many tackles for loss.  They are 2nd in “Power Success Rate”, at 89.6% which means if it’s 3rd or 4th and less-than-two, BC is going to run the ball for a first down nine times out of ten.  BC’s line is also 7th in sack rate, at a mere 3.1%.  That’s elite.

On the other hand, Boston College doesn’t pass all that well.  They are 104th in Passing offense, and are averaging just 188 YPG.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Because it should.  Last year’s Pitt Panthers ranked 23rd in line yards and 3rd in Power Success rate.  Pitt ranked 18th in rushing yards per game, and Pitt finished 120th in passing yards per game.  The point I’m trying to make here is that playing BC tomorrow is going to be a lot like playing Pitt last year.  Get them off schedule and keep them in third-and-more-than-six and they may not score a touchdown.  But…let them get to the point where they are routinely generating third-and-three or less and they are going to beat the crap out of our front seven.

And BC is more than capable of beating the crap out of undisciplined or untalented defenses.

Here are BC’s rushing totals for the last six games:

  • @ Louisville – 45 – 259 – 1 (L 39 – 41)
  • NC State – 60 – 429 – 5 (W 45 – 24)
  • @ Clemson – 44 – 97 – 1 (L 7 – 59)
  • @ Syracuse – 65 – 496 – 5 (W 58 – 27)
  • Florida State – 64 – 281 – 2 (L 31 – 38)
  • @ Notre Dame – 43 – 128 – 1 (7 – 40)

It appears the key to beating them is to hold them under 400 yards rushing.

Of course Florida State and Louisville average over 30 points per game on offense.  Our wonderful Pitt Panthers offense averages just 20.2

So it appears that that  Pitt’s key to beating Boston College would be to hold them under 200 yards rushing.

On paper, at least, Pitt is capable of doing this.  The only team to rush for more than 150 was Penn state all the way back in week three.  They ran for 167, but if you take away the one long run…

The bottom line is that Pitt’s D Line needs to man up and out-physical the BC offensive line and Pitt’s smallish linebackers and safeties need to gang tackle.  Yes this sounds like Western-Pennsylvania high-school head coach talk, but at the end of the day isn’t that what most of us grew up on?  And isn’t that what we’re expecting to see?

The alternative of course is that Pitt’s defense treats BC like they treated Virginia Tech – i.e. the bring a good-but-not-great-effort and end up getting smashed in the mouth themselves.  It’s another cliché, but the defensive side of this game for Pitt will very much be won or lost in the trenches, and we don’t have the talent to bring our B game against these guys.

Speaking of B-game, lets talk about Pitt’s offense.  (heyooo!)

The good news is that Boston College is giving up 32.8 points per game.  That’s 104th in the country.  As I pointed out Tuesday, their passing efficiency defense (i.e. QB rating allowed) is 122nd in the country.  If there was ever a matchup that Coach Arians, er Whipple could take advantage of, this is the one.  Both talent and experience seem to be factors for the eagles.  Over the past five years, BC has recruited about 2 defensive backs per year, and these recruits averaged about a 5.5 rating.  They key if you don’t get talent is to recruit numbers, and BC just hasn’t being doing it.

Delving a little deeper, here is Kenny Pickett’s game log:

Kenny Pickett Passing Stats 2019_wk 11

His best games were against UNC (72nd pass eff def), Syracuse (44th pass eff def), State Penn (37th pass eff def – but rivalry game) and Ohio (72nd pass eff def).  So you have to like his chances to put up a decent game.  The lone outlier is Georgia Tech (75th pass eff def), but if you take away the two bad interceptions…

The other factor that will help Pickett is that he should (at least in theory) have time to throw.  We all know how he gets when he’s flustered.  BC’s pass rush is anemic at best (or at least it has been so far).  They’ve posted 12 sacks on the season.  Now this is Pitt, so if the O-line decides to take the week off, anything can happen, but if Morrissey can keep the boys focused, good things could happen.

I suppose I should also touch on the running game, since Coach Whipple does actually call the odd running play once in a while.  Boston college ranks 98th.  Considering Pitt ranks 112th in rushing offense, I guess we should call this a push.

The bottom line is that outside of the two FBS teams that Boston College has played (Richmond and Rutgers), no team has scored less than 24 points against the Eagles.  In order to win Pitt will need to conintue that trend, and also continue the trend of holding their opponents to 21.5 points per game.

The only other thing is intangibles…

Addazio and the Eagles have their backs against the wall.  If BC doesn’t go bowling he may be out.  So the team will be fired up.

Pitt just got blown out and Pitt fans are hoping they will take out their frustrations on this Boston College team.  It’s also Senior Day.  Pitt doesn’t have a ton of seniors but the following guys are in a position to make an impact, especially on defense.  Lets hope that they do.

Amir Watts (DL – Starting)

Kylan Johnson (LB – Starting)

Saleem Brightwell (LB – Starting)

Jazzee (Jay) Stocker (S – Starting in place of suspended Paris Ford)

Damar Hamlin (Starting)

Dane Jackson (Starting)

Nakia Griffin-Stewart (Starting)

Will Gragg (Contributing)

Aaron Matthews (Contributing)

Nolan Ulizio (Starting…)

I wish I could say with certainty that Pitt will show up tomorrow.  Because if they do, it will be a lopsided affair.  If they don’t, then the cries of Same Old Pitt will resound through the streets of Oakland, and this and many other message boards.  And that will be a shame, because despite all its shortcomings, this team has a real chance to make its mark as one of the better Pitt squads in the last 38 years.

Pitt 24

BC 21

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

105 thoughts on “Boston College Preview and Prediction Thread”

  1. No need to apologize Maestro. Everyone is busy; just got home myself from Jersey and missed the NW BB game. And I’m thankful for you maintaining the blog

    FWIW, I see two different scenarios for tomorrow’s game

    1) Pitt is so hungover from last week and will look like the team that played Delaware

    or, IMO the more likely scenario ….

    2) they are embarrassed by last week’s output and will make BC pay, and we Pitt fans for once won’t have to hold our breath at the end

    I expect and prefer scenario 2) … P 34-17

    Like

    1. PS – referring to Rutgers as a FBS team is being kind; try NAIA (which receives > $40M per). Last I heard, Schiano turned down $32M for 8 years plus incentives

      Like

      1. He did but Buttgers refused to give him more money for his coaching staff and he wanted facility improvements.

        In short the Buttgers AD would not commit money, they are pretty much irrelevant in the Fat10.

        Like

  3. The line originally started with Pitt as a 9.5 favorite now Pitt is an 8 point favorite.

    Depending if the Pitt offense can minimize their mistakes and generate some type of consistency this can be a laugher type of game.

    But….

    We all know what can happen, Mr. Whipple squeezes the Charmin and makes Pickett run back and forth the entire game, making him tired on a cold day at Heinz.

    Pitt 17

    BC 10

    The Panthers finish 8-4, a successful season but we still wonder what if?

    Onto the Belk Bowl versus Kentucky (just a guess).

    H2P

    Like

  4. I am thankful for the blog and the community of Pitt faithful it has brought together. Glad you are feeling better and your Thanksgiving affair went well yesterday, Michael. We had 20 at our house and the party didn’t break up until after 11, so work was a bit of a challenge today. Anyhoo, this game could go either way given our schizophrenic Panthers. I choose to believe the “good” Panthers will show up and treat those who attend to a 28-10 victory.

    Like

  6. Glass half full: If we win tomorrow, we win 8 or possibly 9 games, an improvement over last year. Also Coach Duzz’ third 8 win season in 5 years. Possibly the first 9 win season in a decade.

    Glass half empty: The loss to a Miami team that lost to FIU should have never happened, nor should an embarrassing shutout at the hands of Virginia Tech. When you have a top 10 defense, and lead the country in sacks, you shouldn’t lose 4 games. Especially when poor coaching decisions led directly to two of the losses.

    Sorry, POVerts. This one has SOP written all over it. I REALLY hope that I am wrong given that I’m in town to see the game.

    It just drives me crazy that we are 10 games into the season and the offensive line has shown no improvement whatsoever. BC 24 Panthers 20.

    Like

    1. I am thinking the same but I just couldn’t bring myself to write it. Also with the exception of Miami – whom Pitt never beats – I think pat has won all the games he was supposed to. Covered the spread is a different story.

      Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if we laid egg #3

      Liked by 1 person

  9. If I were on this team, I’d be carrying around a really angry attitude all week long. If I was a defensive player, I’d be pissed that my efforts went up in smoke & were in vain. If I was an offensive player, I’d be itching for a chance at redemption. Nobody on the Panther’s squad will be wanting to be embarrassed two weeks in a row. That’s for sure.

    I feel sorry for BC, they are going to run into a buzzsaw tomorrow.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Not here to make a prediction but maybe give some insight seems to me that on this sight in the past there has been a lot of bullcrap on team turmoil or coaches not meeting recruits or as some anoles saying lots of problems lots of talk never anyThing of proof I think we all should listen to this senior class and their love for our coach that’s right our coach cause he has said from the beginning he is all in Pittsburgh and our kids have followed I’m all in are you quit believing fake news from the naysayers and Believe what the kids and their parents are saying we are all in coach Narduzzi excuse no proper English channeling my old buddy franken and my brotherbyadifferentmother plus a shout out Fran a good friend we all could love by the way Michael every time we converse I keep forgetting to ask any relation to the folks in Natrona Heights I know them all great family tmc

    Liked by 5 people

  12. Well, now everyone who could has won the Costal. Yup, major achievement alright. Every, single one. Anyhow, .I look for Pitt to come out flatter than you know what, but still win. Won’t cover.
    My hope is we hold on to all the recruits, especially the running back. Boy, we could use help everywhere on offense. I am surprised we rank that low, thought this class should be ranked a little higher.
    Capel does so many things well you’d think with all those coaches he’d have some better inbounds plays. They are really bad.

    Like

  13. Rut is PSU rivalry game over Thanksgiving. TCU is WVU rivalry. We have BC. Eastern college FB is a mess.

    Going for 8 wins again, Pitt 31 BC 24.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. OK, like I mentioned last weekend, I had a house filled with family over for the VT game, Eli “The Lucky’ lost all focus with the Grand Kids and mayhem so I will assume full blame for that loss. So Eli was in my doghouse for a few days but I believe we got that all straightened out and have zeroed in on a big day for PITT tomorrow. Now I’m not a dog whisperer but I am a puppy listener. Eli says and I agree:

    PITT…..31
    BC…….00

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Joe – it is looking good to keep RB recruit Parrish from the Miami area as the canes have 2 RB’s committed that are Rated with 4 stars.

    Pitt wins ugly tomorrow by a narrow 17-14 score with 2 TD’s in the 1st half.

    Kessman hits a long FG in the 2nd half and the D pounds the BC run game hard for the win.

    Duzz sends Amir Watts to lead the band and Heather lights the Cathedral one more time in 2019.

    H2P!

    Like

  16. — BTW, 9 of the 14 seniors already have their degrees…

    — The BC RBs are going to be tough to tackle all day. Good thing we’ve been playing a lot of guys on the Dline.

    — I’d like to see our LBs and DBs putting their helmet on the ball when the opportunity presents itself. I think we could trade some targeting calls for forced fumbles.

    — My wild guess, Pitt Fightin’ Panthers 27; BC 17.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  17. Penn State basketball is favored at Syracuse tonight. We have officially entered Bizarro World.

    Like

  20. MM – excellent article, I especially liked your second paragraph…

    I think to be fair you should have mentioned that of the 587,000 page views, 500,000 of them were ike!!!

    Just kidding ike, keep up the attitude and hope you’re doing well.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Last seen, SOP was treading water a few miles from the eastern end of the Ohio River. Apparently she was trying to decide whether to drift downstream, or swim upstream for a reunion at H-57, North Shore.

    Personally, I thinks she gets run over by a barge, and ends up in Cincinnati, gets married and changes her name to SOC

    KP has his best day, TEs have ZERO drops.
    Pitt – 34. BeanHeads – 17

    Not the a$$ kicking I’ve been asking for all year, but I’ll take it

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Maestro – glad you had a Thanksgiving to Beat the Band, AND Beat the Bug. We sure have enjoyed you as The Leader of the Band!

    Liked by 3 people

  24. I predicted 8 wins. I also said, if Pitt does not make 8, Narduzxi should go. I still believe that. HUGE game tomorrow for this program.

    Pitt 31-24

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Pitt wins but barely. Our football team never does anything easily. A win will make them 8-4 which is two games better than my preseason prediction of 6-6. With this defense next year and a NEW quarterback we should do better.

    Sunday is selection day for the NCAA Women’s Volleyball tournament. Hopefully Pitt will get a top 4 seed. Wisconsin is presently taking PSU to the cleaners in (not so) Happy Valley which does not help.

    Like

      1. Actually if you are a Pitt supporter you wanted PSU to win. Wisconsin was in front of us in RPI so there was a possibility they would have gotten a higher seed in the tournament. With PSU beating them in 5 sets is harms their RPI and actually helps ours as we swept PSU there. If PSU beats Minnesota today, then Pitt has a split with one of the co-champions of the Big Ten, another argument for Pitt to be a top four seed.

        Like

  27. It was the game against BC I believe in the early 2000s after the painful 90s when we were down big and some random “foolish” singular fan starting chanting “Let’s Go Pitt” in the club. I remember laughing at first as some people’s sense of hope springing eternal. But then a few more joined in after he wouldn’t let it go. Then it happened. The game started to turn. It was like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch. “It started in low, then it started to grow.” And thus that win started the best days of Wlat’s era.

    Liked by 8 people

  28. I thank michael for his work on taking over from Reed. Excellent job thus far

    I thank that we have both optimists and pessimists and those in between for commentary and opinion

    I thank anyone for reading my comments

    Liked by 7 people

  29. Congrats to Virginia in an entertaining game today.

    I think Pitt will bounce back and win this one maybe 27 – 18.

    Like

  30. Pitt should kill BC but they won’t.
    Their desperate coaching staff will out coach our disparate coaching staff. Not only will Pitt lose but it will be an excruciating last second loss on a trick play BC 21- SOPitt 20

    Like

  31. Pitt women’s BB team had another bad loss today. The guards just can’t make a shot.

    Plus Pitt had 19 turnovers. Tough playing with a true freshman point guard – who ended up filing out…

    Only good news — freshman Amber Brown scored 14; freshman Rita Igbokwe, who is 6-4, had 9 points and 18 rebounds…

    Like the men, the women’s team struggles to score. The freshmen are playing a lot of minutes.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

      1. Women’s basketball is going to be a slower rebuild than the men’s team. Coach White is going to be a good solid hire but in not in the same league as the Coach Capel hire.

        Like

  32. Michaelangelo, our appreciation for your efforts in keeping the POV alive is unlimited! Keep up the good work!

    On the football front, I just don’t get how the running game collapsed so badly. Go back to camp and Pitt had 5 potentially good RBs and the position was considered a strength. The OL produced 2 1000 yard rushers the year before, most offensive linemen grew up run blocking first. Moving people out should be easier to figure out that dropping back to pass block. I have yet to hear a good explanation by the coaching staff as to why the running game went South. It appears that the RB recruits were all overrated.

    Like

    1. Our RB recruiting has been disappointing for a good while. We went from bigger guys with some speed but little wiggle, to guys with some wiggle but no size.

      Maybe the smaller guys will be better once they bulk up a bit – if they can. Hopefully the guys coming in have some burst…

      What we’ve seen is that a four-star rating on a RB doesn’t mean much…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. It all starts with this big palookas up front. Run blocking was and continues to be a work in progress.

      Whipples lack of commitment to the the run…. Is not helping.

      AJ Davis is not bad and Vincent Davis is going to be really good if we can keep him in one piece.

      Like

    3. I see guys have jumped in on your question. I think there are a number of reasons, first being the new passing philosophy with less emphasis on the run. The run is an afterthought. Playcalling shows it when you have an empty backfield needing two yards on third down.

      Second is that the O-line is not opening holes to run through on nearly enough plays. Probably not enough reps in practice due to the emphasis on passing.

      None of the four backs have stood out as the guy, also affecting reps in practice. Most backs need enough carries to get the feel of the game and finally break one off. Our backs seldom get two series in a row.
      Our backs all have different skill sets, which is good and bad.

      Injuries to the backs has also been a problem.

      In any case it is a problem and has been a disappointment, considering Pitt’s great history of running backs.

      Liked by 3 people

  34. Elijah Zeise filling in for Paul Zeise on the FAN. I just happened to come across EZ.

    He has had some interesting things to say. Said there was an amazing change in culture going from Coach Chryst to Coach Duzz. Said, for example, that conditioning is way different. Under Chryst, he said you could go in and do a couple reps and be done. Now the conditioning is much more regimented.

    EZ also said not to believe those who say that the players would rather stay home than go to a lower level bowl. He said the players want to go to a bowl, whichever one it is. There are benefits…

    This bowl discussion was in reference to BC needing a win tomorrow to go bowling. EZ said BC will be fired up to get a win.

    Interesting stuff from EZ.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

  36. I’m thankful for Maestro picking up the POV reins – a fantastic job BTW – And for all of you here. Very thankful to ha e met and gotten to know some of you as well. What a great group of people.

    No way do we lose tomorrow- ain’t happening. The kids play hard and have pride. Last week got out of hand early in bad conditions. There won’t be a repeat of that.

    Liked by 7 people

  37. BTW, Bean Boyz can’t get 300 yards on the ground if they don’t have the ball. We need our D to supply numerous 3-and-outs, AND KP to have long clock eating drives. Scoring before we get to the Red Zone.

    Like

  38. I look for Pitt to come out and go 3 and out a lot. The bc running game will wear Pitts defense down and make this a really close 4th qtr game. The kicker wins in it either way.
    Pitt needs an offensive system not an offensive style.

    Like

  39. Hard to believe tomorrow is the last regular season game. Michelangelo has truly been an artist of the POV, we are all in your debt.

    Will Pitt finally finish a season with gusto?

    One never knows do one?

    Liked by 2 people

  41. The timing seems strange for Salahoudin to leave the program when he did. There must be more than we know.

    Like

    1. If you read between the lines your can infer that he did not come back from
      The injury all that well.

      Like

  42. I’m going with another nail biter with Pitt pulling out a very close 20 to 17 win. I can’t see Pitt stopping the BC running game to any great extent. Pitt will need much less dropped passes to win this one. I’m hoping this team will try to make up for the last week debacle at VT.

    Like

  43. The key will be Pitt’s D stopping the run. BC’s HC has an interesting nickname – Straight Ahead Steve.

    Ky Wright and Brandon George filled in on the practice squad at RB this past week trying to duplicate the size and speed of the two BC running backs. Yes, they have two – one (6’ 250lbs) with over 1,500 yards rushing and the other (6’1” 245lbs) with 786 yards.

    Important note – BC plays their home games on artificial turf. Heinz Field is known for a rough, loose natural turf. A cold, loose footing day for the big fellas could play into Pitt’s favor.

    Then I began to think about the Pitt offense and realized SOP is living in the exhaust pipe of the Pitt player’s bus. Let’s hope SOP didn’t make the trip back from Blacksburg.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Good thoughts as usual EE…love the “living in the exhaust pipe” line.
    Weather predictions changing to rain in later evening…channel 4 says holding off to maybe 9pm.
    Good for tailgate and passing game (fingers crossed)
    I’m always optimistic and hoping we see a focused and determined team show up today.
    Good guys 31, Boston Baked Beans 17.
    Today’s menu: Pulled pork, chili and potato casserole.
    Hope to see yinz in Red5A.

    Liked by 3 people

  47. BTW, saw The Irishman last night …. 3 1/2 hours long but certainly holds your interest and the senior citizens obviously still very much have it

    Liked by 2 people

  48. Question…. will Duzzi continue to play his aggressive press coverage against “straight-ahead “Addazzi…..?

    Winner of the “Meatball Bowl“- BC 24. PITT 27 in overtime.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. I don’t know, MM. After all, it is a Shovel PASS, not a Shovel RUN…😊

        Maybe we’ve been dropping shovel passes so Coach Whip doesn’t want to go there… 🤔

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

  50. Read somewhere that Junior OLineman Brandon Ford will be walking with the seniors today…

    I always had high hopes for him – he’s a huge guy.

    Opens a scholarship…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

    1. Yea me too. Glad he was able to provide quality depth and ostensibly get his degree

      Like

  51. Saint Nick comes 6 days early and delivers Pitt fans a win instead of SOP in their stockings

    No coal or onions left in those Cowboy boots. Only fruits and candies.

    The BC Krampus goes down today

    Pitt 27
    BC 13

    Liked by 2 people

  52. I’m hoping Pitt defenders “target” the ball today and not the head and neck of the BC ball carriers.

    I want to see us force a couple BC fumbles.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  53. I think I’m guilty of over thinking this one yesterday:
    -Beanos have one of the BEST running games in the Power 5 world;
    – pitt is one of the best at stopping the run;
    – a top running game the past 2 years only netted us 12 Ws, combined;
    -beanos have won only 5 games this year;
    -ERGO – We win big

    Like

  54. Saddest part of today is looking at the national schedule and seeing all the inter conference rivalry games. Mostly in state teams, managing to play rivalries Thanksgiving weekend. Paris just a hot mess in every way. Sad

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Paris?
      Yeah, I miss the good ole days too, but worse is how bad the ACC screwed us schedule wise this year.
      Giving us VA at home to start, probably the most consequential game of the year. Then VA Tech on the senior night Bud retires. Finally a crossover with BC, which guarantees poor attendance in a lackluster match-up in our last game.Sorry, but as the defending Coastal champs, we should have gotten BC in the opener a crossover like everyone else and finished at home today with VA, which could have been a very meaningful game.

      Like

      1. If they switched the UVA and Vtech games things may have panned out very differently…or they may have not. Water has a way of finding its level

        Like

  55. Sorry fellas but looking at BC’s record and who they have played, I don’t see how this is not another very hard fought close game that can go either way.

    We have been hoping for a break out game for our offense all year, but it just hasn’t happened. This is the last chance for that to happen. Will our receivers actually catch passes today? Can we avoid fumbles that have cost us games and kept most others closer than they should have been? Will we avoid our obligatory targeting call? Will we actually execute a Whipple game plan? Good Kenny or Bad Kenny?

    Will we have great Senior Day and finish the season on a positive note?

    Like

  56. Joe knew- perhaps we should start playing Steubenville every year, and they can be our Txgiving Day Rival. The visiting team each year could take a ferry up/down the Ohio River to the game, just like when we played the Inbreds. TV loved that boatride!

    Like

  57. OT Last week Terrlle Pryor was asking the Steelers to pick him as they are the only team he wants to play for. Well today is in critical condition after being stabbed overnight. Sorry to say but this is not surprising to me.

    Like

    1. I don’t know the whole story but sometimes you leave the hood but the hood never leaves you. You are the product of who you hang with.

      Be safe and hang with Fran at his tailgate. Only knives there will be used for cutting the food.

      Liked by 1 person

  59. You would have to think the three straight losses to end last season was on everyone’s minds down on the south-side this past week. Today’s game is another opportunity for PITT to show (or not show) all the PITT fans out there that the times are a changin.

    Like

  63. OT: I’m glad Pitt plays Cuse twice this year in hoops, 2-3 zone not withstanding. They stink this year and got clowned last night by the pedos.

    Like

  64. Once again looking at the comments and media we’re on game 11 and still wondering about what this team is going to do. No sure thing and that is the only thing we know for sure. That all said if the defense shows up, we’ll figure out a way to muddle on offense to a 21-17 win….ever the optimist.

    Like

  65. Boy, ike, I hadn’t thought of that, but if they lose to BC today, and then do their customary choke at a bowl game, it would be a second straight year of 3 losses to end the season. This can’t happen if Pitt is to be considered as a team on the rise.

    Like

    1. Seems to happen every year doesn’t it. I hope the seniors assert themselves this season and go out happy and actually win a bowl game for once. An 8 win season will get us a good team to play though.

      Like

  66. Michael…..THANK YOU for all of the great work you do on this blog!

    Pitt 31 (the usual unacceptable # of dropped passes & penalties….// SIGH //)
    BC 27

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. One thing nice about this game is the southern biased refs won’t know who to screw today. I guess it would look better if we win, but BC would get a bowl….

      Like

  67. All, lee harvey shot jfk , we landed on the moon, and the acc refs could give a crap about screwing Pitt. We are irrelevant.

    Like

  68. Not saying anything derogatory about the ACC referees but one observation, the BC offensive line really holds a lot. They have been flagged once this game.

    Like

Comments are closed.