by Eric Wassel aka “Missing Wlat”

PART 1, 2007 BACKYARD BRAWL: “13-9. HOW DID WE GET HERE?”

The Coronavirus lockdown has carried with it many awful things, not the least of
which was a shortage of a certain essential paper product here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This specific inconvenience during the crisis, brought to my mind a different kind of butt wiping: the one that occurred in Morgantown, West Virginia on December 1, 2007.  To Pitt fans, the game is simply remembered as “13-9”.
Thanks to the Coronavirus, I have had plenty of free time on my hands. Thus far, in
the past several weeks, I’ve watched full replays of Pitt-WVU 2007, Pitt-PSU 1976,
and Pitt-Clemson 2017. While they are all great, I hold the 2007 WVU game in
slightly higher regard than the others.

In this two part article, I first review the 4-7 season which provided the Panthers the
opportunity for us to even speak the words, “13-9”. Part two will recap the game
itself, with some insight from some of the key participants in the game.
I would ask that my POV brethren share in the comments, your own thoughts and
remembrances from what I believe is the best Pitt football victory in the past 35
years.

As many of you may remember, Pitt limped into the 2007 Backyard Brawl with a
disappointing 4-7 record. What you may not recall is that in Dave Wannstedt’s
inaugural season as Pitt Head Coach in 2005, Pitt finished 5-6., inclusive of an
embarrassing overtime loss to Ohio University. In 2006, Pitt had opened the year 6-
1, and then dropped the final 5 games of the season. So as the 2007 season
approached its end, the program was 15-19 in three years under Coach Wannstedt.
While his seat wasn’t yet hot, it was certainly getting warm for our Head Coach.
In what has since become known simply as “Pitt-ing” or “SOP”, there was an array of
turmoil that contributed to the 4-7 record that we carried into the final game of the
2007 season.

First, before fall camp could ever really get started, prized 4/5 star QB recruit Pat
Bostick, left the program. While he would return to Pitt before the season began
(and in fact was the starting QB in the 13-9 game), it was a foreshadowing of mostly
bad things to come for the football program that year.

During the first game of the season against Eastern Michigan, starting QB Bill Stull
tore a ligament in his thumb, had surgery, and was lost for the year. None of the
three quarterbacks remaining on the roster had any experience, which contributed
greatly to the seven-loss season which was about to unfold.

Though not directly tied to wins and losses, then Athletic Director Jeff Long, who
had hired Dave Wannstedt, left for the AD job at Arkansas in early September of
2007.

Contributing to this mess of a start, Pitt lost several players to injury early on. In
addition to Stull, other players who were expected to contribute and who were lost
for the season at various points included Derek Kinder, Doug Fulmer, Kevin Collier
and Jason Pinkston.

In the third week of the season, Pitt traveled to East Lansing, Michigan to face
Michigan State (and a defense headed by Pat Narduzzi, who was in his first year as
Defensive Coordinator there). Trailing by 4 late in the game, Pitt got the ball inside
the Spartans 10 but could not take the lead. Pitt eventually lost 17-13.

The next week, they trailed 27-7 at halftime, and got embarrassed 34-14, at home,
by a Connecticut team that had only became a Division 1 program in 2004. In the
two weeks that followed, Pitt suffered a 44-14 loss to Virginia, (where Dave
Wannstedt made the inexplicable decision to open the game with an onside kick
which failed), and then dropped a double overtime loss to Navy on a Wednesday
night (nice scheduling, playing Navy’s triple option with essentially 2 days to
prepare).

SOP reared its ugly head once again in Pitt’s eighth game against Louisville. After
tying the game late in the fourth quarter, Pitt needed a defensive stop to give its
offense a chance to take the outright lead. Aided by two 15 yard Pitt penalties,
Louisville scored easily to re-take the lead with under two minutes left. However,
Pitt did not quit. LeSean McCoy took things into his own hands and moved Pitt to the
Louisville 20. Pat Bostick then connected with Oderick Turner on what appeared to
be the game-tying touchdown. Unfortunately, while the catch was good, the score
was overturned by replay review. Pitt still had the ball inside the one yard line, first
and goal. What happened next is pure Pitt: McCoy and Bostick had a bad exchange
on a dive play, the fumble was recovered by Louisville. Pitt once again gave away a
game that was theirs to potentially win.

After a lackluster 20-17 win over a 2-6 Syracuse squad, Pitt faced Rutgers on the
road. Again, Pitt was in a position to win late in the game. With under a minute left
in the game, Pitt faced a third and seven from the Rutgers 34. Pat Bostick (who had
played so poorly in the first half that he was replaced by Kevan Smith) returned to
the game and completed a 28 yard pass to Darrell Strong, setting Pitt up with a first
down at the Rutgers 6. On second and goal, Bostick lofted a fade to Oderick Turner,
who pulled in the touchdown for an apparent Pitt victory. However the officials
threw a flag for offensive pass interference, presumably for a push off by Turner.
Nothing on a replay suggested offensive pass interference, and Pitt thereafter was
unable to score on third or fourth down. Once again Pitt had come up short in a
game that it easily could have won. SOP had reared its ugly head once again.

In the penultimate game of the year, Pitt could not overcome three Bostick
interceptions (including two pick-sixes and another that was returned to the one
yard line) and lost to the University of South Florida, 48-37. Despite giving up 48
points, the Pitt defense held the Bulls to an offensive output that was over 100 yards
less than their per game average. Despite the loss, it foreshadowed the defensive
effort Pitt would get the following week at Morgantown.

On the surface, it would appear that Bostick was having a decent freshman year
leading up to the West Virginia game. He had thrown for nearly 1500 yards and had
completed over 60 percent of his passes. He replaced Kevan Smith as the starter in
the fourth game of the year. However, he was mostly immobile. He threw an
interception on his first collegiate pass, and then would proceed to throw 10 more
in the next 8 games. His yards per completion and yards per attempt were both
very low, and it was clear that the coaches had little trust in the passing game as a
whole. Certainly after the debacle against South Florida the prior week, the coaches
were not going to put the WVU game in Bostick’s hands.

Meanwhile, LeSean McCoy emerged as a playmaking back in this, his freshman year.
For the season, he ran for over 1300 yards, and nearly averaged 5 yards per carry.
He scored 14 touchdowns, which broke the Pitt freshman record for touchdowns,
set by Tony Dorsett in 1973. He added 33 receptions, which trailed only TJ Porter
and Oderick Turner for Pitt that season. In short, the offense in 2007 was only as
effective as its freshman running back.

On the other side of the ball, the defense made strides under the watch of Dave Wannstedt and his defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads. They had lost several key players who left after 2006, including future NFL Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, and two linebackers who also found success in the NFL, HB Blades and Clint Session. Early in the year the defense was gashed in consecutive losses to Connecticut, Virginia and Navy, where they gave up a total of 126 points. But thereafter, they settled in and gave up an average of under 20 points per game the rest of the way (not including the game against USF where the defense only gave up 27 of the 48 points scored by the Bulls). Individually, Scott McKillop would finish the year with 151 total tackles, 98 solo, which were good for 4th and 3rd respectively in the NCAA. He had 18 tackles against South Florida.

As we now know, the tackling of McKillop and the rest of the Pitt defense (aided by a
heavy dose of McCoy running the ball), would be the primary reason that Pitt was
able to pull off 13-9. Of course they got a little help from their friends Pat White,
Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, Noel Devine, Pat McAfee , Rich Rodriguez and WVU
Offensive Coordinator Calvin Magee (Bonus Points if you know Magee’s connection
to Pitt without looking it up).

So the 4-7 Panthers limped into Morgantown (literally and figuratively, Wanny was
on crutches you’ll recall). We had no chance, right? Aside from all of the above, WVU
was 10-1, ranked #2 in the AP and #1 in the Coaches Poll. They were headed to the

National Championship Game with a win over their hated rivals (us). WVU finished
the year 9th in the country in total offense, and heading into the Pitt game, were
averaging more than 40 points and over 300 yards rushing per game. WVU
Quarterback Pat White was Big East offensive player of the year in 2006 and 2007
and was a Heisman Trophy candidate. WVU was a 28 and a half point favorite.
Did Pitt have a chance? You bet they did.

NEXT WEEK:
PART 2, 2007 BACKYARD BRAWL : “IT WAS JUST A NIGHTMARE”

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.

84 thoughts on “Guest Article: Coronavirus Lockdown Pitt’s Greatest Hits Volume 2”

  1. because of the record, that Pitt 2007 defense was one of the most underappreciated units in Pitt history …I will withhold further comment until after Part II

    But wlat, thanks for the article …. we probably could use more articles like these nowadays

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    1. My thoughts exactly @wwb. Tired of all the negativity. It was time for something peppy.

      Like

    2. The Whole team was solid except at QB. The D-line was eight deep, terrific O-line, RBs, good receivers. Would have been an eight-win team with Stull. Should have won seven despite the issues under center.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Eric – great job on this article. Shady and Scott McKillop were such bright spots in such a dismal season. It was awesome to see how Scott developed in his junior and senior seasons. Scott’s good reads, filling of the holes, and solid tackling reminded me of Jerry O. — a huge compliment.

    Those awful losses are painful to recall. As was our QB recruiting under Wanny…

    Go Pitt.

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  3. Thanks Eric…great stuff.
    I had forgotten (blocked out) some of the details of the losses from that year.
    I will wait until part 2 to post my memory of game day.

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  4. Great stuff Eric. I still don’t know whether this game or the Clemson upset was the greatest upset in Pitt history, but this was a favorite because it was vs. our biggest rival at the time.

    I still say the game saved Wanny’s job because it really looked like he was going nowhere at the time.

    McKillop played the game of his life and Pat White played his worst, which is what it took. McCoy was the best Pitt back in Pitt History after Dorsett. His lateral moves were amazing

    I also kind of recall something about RichRod’s departure also being in the works and maybe leaking out, but not sure of the details.

    In any case the stars certainly aligned that day for Pitt.

    Just announced Pitt and WV extend their OOC matches. I hope it doesn’t work out the way the PSU series did.

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    1. GC, you may remember that Pat White missed part of the game due to injury

      IMO, if a QB was ever a perfect match for an offensive system, it was Pat White for Rich Rod’s system. You may note that Rich never came close to the success he had after this game.

      Meanwhile, I know this might not be popular here … but I use to love watching Pat White play QB. Did you know that he led the Eers to 3 Top Ten finishes and 4 bowl wins …. 2 of them as major dogs vs Georgia and Oklahoma

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      1. Pat White was fantastic as was that whole offense. I do remember he was injured and not effective running the ball a huge part of their scheme.

        I also enjoyed the WV offense with Major Harris, loved the play where he would run the option then drop to pass after running 3 or so steps. Never saw anyone else use that play. It was pretty cool and must have taken some real skill by his offensive line.

        I am pretty sure Pitt ruined a National Championship year for WV, not so for Clemson that year.

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          1. Gottfried recruited Harris as a DB just as several schools did. WVU was smart enough to tell Harris he can start as a QB and it paid off. It cost Gottfried wins in 1987-88-89 and only his job. The 1987 and 88 teams both could have gone 10-1 with Harris under center. It is these mistakes, like Foge with Kosar, that cost coaches their jobs.

            Worst part is it was Gottfried’s patchwork class. You take chances when you have a month to keep and put a class together. Take athletes and find a place for them.

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        2. You have to wonder if WVU would have made the CFP after 13-9, if it had existed?

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  5. Eric – thanks so much for the effrot and ’twas a great read.
    Your review of the season brought back vivid memories…most were frustrating, but memories nonetheless. 🙂

    The game at Virginia was a particularly tough for Bostick. He had absolutely no time to throw all night due to a kid known at the time as “Howie Long’s son” from the local Charlottesville prep school, St. Anne’s Belfield. Chris Long dominated the Pitt line all night – as he did that entire season and the ones preceding it. He was simply unstoppable. I had fortunatelt forgotten the ill-fated onside kick attempt at the beginning of the game.

    The Navy game as I recall it was an example of Wannstache’s inability to make the right pl[ay call at the right time.

    And how many times did we allow UConn to beat us when we had a better team (answer – all of the losses, save perhaps one).

    Looking forward to part two of the article where we beat not one, but two opponents.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Joe L: We most certainly were facing two opponents, and I assure you that the article makes note of it. However there was one critical call that went our way that played a big part in carrying us to victory. Tune in next week.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. BTW… Not sure what’s going on with the formatting of the article, but MM has made efforts to fix it. I sent in in WORD, which Reed always asked that I do. Word Press is a PITA.

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  7. I would say this ranks up there as the best. I’d also say 42-39 against penn state was pretty good. That loss denied them of the BCS.

    Tex

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    1. Plus it was at home against a vicious rival after a very long hiatus (16 years). Since Mid-80s, I’d rate 13-9 at number 1, 42-39 over PSU as number two, and 43-42 over Clemson at #3. My POV friends who attended Pitt-Clemson would likely not agree, and I certainly understand why.

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  9. Overconfidence, home game, sellout crowd, national champ next game next, national TV, rival game, opponent having bad season, etc. all lead to defeat. One of my best friends is a WVU fan. We never talked about the game. H2P

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  10. wlat, in Part II, will you address the significance that 13-9 had on the entire college FB landscape … not just WVU playing in the title game?

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    1. I touch on it. That could be a whole separate article of its own. The impact was massive.

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  11. I have been scolded that the PSU game wasn’t an upset, Pitt was actually favored.
    Great game though.

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    1. It was not an upset, Gordon. You are correct. But it was a huge victory for a number of reasons. Most enjoyable game I have attended in many, many years. I live in NEPA and get harassed by Nitters constantly. Quiet as a church mouse the week after that game.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I have a WVU neighbor…an otherwise good gy, but will occasionally say, “back in the day, we used to say Eat S**t Pitt!”…especially after a couple pops.

    I simply reply, “13-9”

    Its like a kryptonite dagger. Works every time.

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  13. A Hoopies hatred of Pitt is real. I never strongly hated them. But I was surprised by their level of hostility towards us city slickers from PA. I always hated penn state. And loved to root against the Irish but never hated them.

    Now being married into a hoopie family, I’ve developed a special hate. I really think it’s a rural versus city thing with them. And city being synonymous with your typical stereotypes.

    Tex who married into Appalachia and the mob

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  16. Nice, formerly wwb! So, if we start seeing anti-Pitt posts under your name, we’ll know she saw this post of yours, and figured out your Word Press password! 😉

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    1. we were broken up well before 13-9. The last barb I threw at her was way back when it came out that the governor’s daughter was given a bogus MBA by WVU … so I emailed her to tell her that despite the news, I thought her own degree was legit.

      The last communication with her was about 10 years ago was her emailing me that she was getting married to a lawyer from Charleston (or was it Clarksburg)

      She probably doesn’t know PittPOV exists ….. but we’ll see

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  18. I can second what Tex said. WV wants to beat Pitt as much as we want to beat PSU. They see themselves as underdogs even though they have had the best of us since the eighties.
    13-9 kinda made up for a lot of Pitt losses though.

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  22. Nice post, Eric. Certainly enjoyed reading up on the events that led to The Great Appalachia Couch Burning Calamity.

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  24. I love the PITT > WVU 13-9 win but for my money, the more recent win over Clemson was pretty darn sweet as well considering the circumstances. Death Valley my you know what?

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    1. It’s a great debate Ike. A win against the team that eventually won the National Championship, at arguably the toughest place to play in the country, and with (nearly) a last second field goal? It’s pretty awesome. But to prevent your rival from going to the National Championship game (which as a result, they still haven’t won one), while upsetting the entire college football landscape? And putting their fan base into a deep depression because they were beat not only by their rival, but by a 4-7 rival whose defense dominated the best offense in the country? Hell, they even wrote a book about it. I understand the argument from both sides. If any of you POVerts are on the fence on this issue, I simply recommend watching the RichRod post game presser. You will likely be swayed immediately.

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      1. I agree but those were different times. PITT should have knocked Clemson, like WVU, from national championship consideration but the playoffs were invented. So it does change the significance of the two games and PITT wins. I will say, being the hoopies makes that win all the more sweeter.

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        1. The Pitt clemson game was not near season end. The hoopie game was.

          Clemson had plenty of time to recover

          That clemson game is nice but overrated

          Clemson still went BCS

          Pitt still stunk

          Clemson is not a rival. The ACC didn’t even care until they became relevant.

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          1. I thought the PITT vs Clemson game was towards the end of that season? A win on national TV against the eventual at death valley is nothing to sneeze at. Also Clemson’s QB is still playing in the league.imo, that was a major accomplishment and not celebrated enough. As I mentioned before PITT did rob wvu out of possible national championship but only because there were no playoffs that year in D-1 college football..

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            1. You give way too much credit for pitt beating clemson. Was it a program changer? No

              The pitt vs wvu game that went to three overtime’s was. It secured Walt a bowl when it was very badly needed

              13-9 secured Wanny and led to a ten win season and national rankings.

              12-0 creates bragging rights for 16 years

              42-39 denied penn state the BCS.

              Even palkos f bombs against the domers were more meaningful. That’s pitt pride right there. Forever a hero in my book.

              Tex a pitt history Minor. And who knows enough Russian to make a good vodka martini.

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    2. Clemson was sweet but 13-9 delivered the double bonus of upsetting a hated rival on TV and keeping them out of the National Championship. That’s like once in a lifetime stuff right there

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  25. The pitt vs wvu game changed the national football landscape. LSU will forever be grateful.

    Pitts win over clemson was just a hiccup in Clemson’s march to a national championship

    I’d put palkos and F bomb win over the domers right up with clemson

    And don’t forget that other win against the Hoopies in morganhole that went to multiple overtime’s. That win allowed Pitt to go bowling and helped save the program under Walt Harris. Yet another bigger game than clemson which was nice but overrated as far as what it did for Pitt.

    12-0 was as nice as clemson if not nicer since it gave bragging rights for over a decade. I mailed joepa some depends after that game.

    Tex

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    1. I was at 12-0 and 42-39. They were both great. 12-0 had 16 years of staying power. But I have to say, the buildup to 42-39 and the game day environment was tough to beat. Tough call for me.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Maybe about 20,000 white Nitters at that game. I was very impressed with the Pitt turnout. Pitt has 50,000 fans when needed.

        I also saw many pitt fans tailgating with Nitters. People were well behaved. It was a great rivalry environment despite the north shore.

        Tex who will never allow a son or daughter to attend penn state. Seriously that’s tgevonly school that’s forbidden. 🚫

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        1. Tex, the only school we specifically forbade our kids to go to was WVU. Despite my hatred for PSU, at least a degree from there means something. Can’t say the same for WVU.

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  26. Two things to add on the season summation

    USF- On the third interception returned 60 yards to the one- the D stuffed them three times. USF went for it on fourth down and converted for a touchdown.

    Navy- neither team could stop the other teams run game (Shady went 32/165/3 td). After Navy took the lead in OT on a field goal, Pitt came out and immediately ran it down to the goal line. On first and goal -as was alluded to in the article, DW inexplicably decided to throw the ball four straight times. Mark May was co-hosting espn’s studio pre/post game. It was one of the greatest conniption fits I have ever witnessed. I fully expected his head to pop like a zit.

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    2. as I recall, Matt Cavanaugh was infatuated with the fade pattern when Pitt had the ball on the opponents 1 or 2 yd line. And it failed vs Navy, but was successful on its 4th try to tie the game at ND the following year.

      But vs WVU in ’08, Pitt marched down the field with a few minutes left in the 1st half, handing the ball to Shady. They got to the 2 yard line and Cavanaugh once again orders up the fade … and fools nobody as Baldwin is doubled-teamed and the ball is intercepted in the end zone with about 30 seconds left in the half.. Pitt was able to win … but as is Pitt custom, the game was unnescessarily close.

      I always thought that that sealed Cavanaugh’s fate, as he was sent packing after the season

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      1. Yes – he loved those fades. Refused to change his scheme to the talent on the roster. Not the proper approach at the college level. Glad he left. Thought Cignetti showed how to get the most out of Bill Stull a season later.

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        1. Yep JoeL, Dave Wannstedt had finally established a good coaching staff and was winning football games at a pace PITT hadn’t seen since the early 80’s. What happened?

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          1. In the year he was canned (2010), we lost to UConn in a game that could have been won with the talent we had.

            4th & 1 for UConn at our 41 yard line with under 2 minutes to go in a two point game…Pitt makes a stop and gets a chance to win it… only needed a stop and 25 yards to get in FG range.

            We layed off the line, expecting a pass….and “amazingly” the Huskies run the ball, picked up the 1st… game over. Another almost win thwarted by bad play calling.

            I thought that moment exemplified why he needed to go.

            What happened? Too many blown opportunities like that. Great Pitt man, but he wasn’t meant to be a head coach. Im sure my BP just popped up.

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            1. And then the real embarrassment came after firing Wannstedt. Who would have thought when it came to Pitt? Ten years later and Pitt is in a similar situation with a coach many want fired. I sure hope the Pitt leaders don’t Narduzzi if he has a winning year.

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      3. I lost my mind when that INT was thrown versus WVU in 2008. So bad that I was in Vegas and I told my wife I am done watching and as we were walking the strip I was yelling into the phone to a Pitt friend at how stupid of a play call that was.

        I calmed and caught the rest of the game at another hotel sports book. Those fades versus Navy were also extremely stupid. I thought we had the game won with the ball inside the 2 with two plays to run Shady behind Otah. Shocking these years later those plays were 1. thought to be called and 2. Wannstedt didn’t over rule Matt and pound the ball twice.

        What is it with Pitt coaches making the game so much more difficult? That is why I laugh when people want Narduzzi fired, like Pitt is going to find a coach who is different from the rest of them since 1982.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. The sad thing is that we have to relish these few if spectacular upsets in a sea of below average football. Even Wanny’s best was marred by the Cincy game. Nothing compares to the Dorsett and Marino years when we had many meaningful wins vs. the best of the best.

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    1. Please don’t mention the Cincy game again, Gordon. It gives me the shakes. And mentioning the guy whose last name begins with a G would make it even worse.

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      1. I hear you. It was a great game until it wasn’t. One of the most obvious coaching blunders ever.

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  28. I think fans over 50 view penn state as the main rival. Those fans from 30-50 in age view West Virginia. Under 30 fans probably don’t see Pitt having any rivals.

    Pitt will probably never play penn state again in our lifetimes. West Virginia is back on the schedule but it’s no longer a regular occurrence. Thank goodness Pitt still plays Notre dame. Pitt are the Irish fifth most played school. Long history between schools. Syracuse is Pitts next rival at least in number of games played. But I view them like I view the Browns.

    Football needs rivals. And frankly you need conferences based on geography. Ideally comprised of schools with similar mission statements.

    The Hoopies were an easy 90 minute drive south. The Nitters were about 2-2.5 hours. South bend is around 7 hours but worth it.

    Maybe covid will force the NCAA to break apart sooner than when the tv contracts expire in 2026. I don’t see how the elite schools will survive a year without playing or without fans. They are far more dependent on game day revenues. These small towns won’t survive.

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    1. FWIW, this is why I wrote the other day here that in the the title game rematch, LSU currently leads Clemson 30-23

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      1. Your humour is too high brow. If you lower your level into the gutter, I’ll finally get what you say. 🤠

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  30. Tex, I’d say the Clemson win was pretty big although diminished by what happened subsequently.

    No one in the ACC has had the total dominance of Clemson and it was on their turf which is pretty much impenetrable. It was accomplished by a Pitt team with little defense and was done in Narduzzi’s second year on the job. It was not done against a rival where emotions play a major role.

    It is also Pitt’s greatest accomplishment since joining the ACC, bigger than the Coastal Title. Certainly the highlight for Pitt’s best offense since the eighties.

    If Pitt is to ever return to greatness Clemson is the team to beat in the ACC. Just like in the past ND, PSU and WV were the teams to beat, if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.

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    1. It was big but didn’t change the program. Narduzzi was awarded a contract extension though. Probably damaged the program more than it helped.

      Wanny was awarded an extension prior to 13-9

      Wanny was a horrible coach. Cornhole was a poor judge of coaches.

      That big win over clemson was wiped clean by that big loss in the ACC title game.

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  32. Pitt will never win anything meaningful because it always looks for the easy way out. Pitt is one of the most laziest and stupidly run sports programs to know. Think Cleveland Browns. You do something because it’s hard. Not because it’s easy. You aren’t afraid to fail. You have a goal and you find ways to achieve it. Problem is that pitt has such low goals and diverts your attention to grad rates and grade point averages because it consistently fails on the field or court.

    Tex who knows JFK and the moon speech.

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  33. I see even DiPaola has jumped on the 10-win bandwagon https://triblive.com/sports/analysis-10-victories-represent-reasonable-goal-for-pitt-football-in-2020/

    I guess it is a credit to the staff that ten wins are expected this year by a large handful. While it is indeed possible, I still look at the schedule and see Pitt being the dogs in 4 of the 12 games. (ND, at Miami, at FSU , at UNC …. and even possibly VT at home)

    But maybe the biggest obstacle is not playing a 12 game schedule …. no guarantees here either

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  35. Yes PITT will be underdogs many times this year………. Main reason? They are being overlooked and disrespected as usual. Also Bill, PITT probably won’t win 10 games this year because I don’t think they will play 10 games.

    Liked by 1 person

  36. The more things go on and the more I think about it I see that football will not go on this fall. For example what if several players on Pitt and Miami oH develop corona virus after the opener but before game 2 vs Marshall. Will the teams from game one isolate all players for weeks 2 and 3? Or will week 2 opponent (Marshall) not play the game because of covid. ( yeah I know Marshall is in West Va) It is the isolation thing that has changed my thinking. If you were just holding out the players who developed covid after game one it would be much like high school starters vary week to week, especially in the Pittsburgh City League. Eminem this is not RACIST, my mentee at da office helped his dad coach at Brashear for years and in city football where kids live at risk lives rosters rarely were without significant changes week to week. But this could get messy week to week. I am not sure if the NCAA has addressed this. It could be each team would only play a handful of games (except for the SEC where they are of a lower IQ level in players and fans and administration. Does anyone know if NCAA has addressed protocol on this?
    HAIL TO PITT.
    ps I knew JFK and you are no JFK. OK I didnt but neither did you. 😉

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  37. Eric, thanks for this article during this time of little real sports news in the traditional sense. I remember listening to the end of the 13-9 Game on the radio, I believe coming home from my grandfather’s house. Was the game on Thanksgiving?

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    1. The Saturday after Thanksgiving (12/1/07). I have memories of watching 13-9 in Columbia but they are false after checking schedule.

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