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NC State at Pitt Postgame Thread

For want of some push up front a run was lost

For want of a run a yard was lost

For want of a yard a touchdown was lost

For want of a touchdown a fieldgoal was lost

For want of a field goal a game was lost

All for the want of some push up front

253 thoughts on “NC State at Pitt Postgame Thread”

  1. Pitt was a horribly coached horribly prepared team today. 17 penalties🚀!!!!!
    Duzz is the worst 4th and one from the one coach in football history!! If he even gets three there.
    Pitt lost both lines of scrimmage today and again was exposed putting our corners on an island!!!
    Morrissey got his ass kicked all over the field as did the rest of our pathetic O line.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Dan – I’m lyking your comment since I cannot do it through WordPress.

      MM – well written intro – I have no other words to add except I had a blast golfing at Willowbrook with some fine men, enjoyed the confines of Lastrow’s estate and the company of my best friend & love of my life, Mrs. Erie.

      The only thing missing was ONE YARD!

      Like

    2. Welcome back PoD.

      I hope you are doing well in this crazy time in history.

      On to BC – I may not ride along and get some last minute golf in before the weather turns.

      7-5 looks the same each year, doesn’t it…?

      Liked by 1 person

  6. That Bates/Narduzzi prevent defense with 1:44 on the clock was a loser for the get go. They gave up so many yards with hardly any time taken off the clock.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. 333k today Narduzzi stole and the chancellor
    Has the nerve to ask me
    For more money.

    He can go get a real job with meatball 🦍 arms.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. If I hear one more post advocating that Pitt should run the ball more I think I will choke. This OL is fair at pass protection and absolutely miserable at run execution.—–Did Shocky catch any passes today?

    Liked by 3 people

  12. More dropped passes.
    More penalties.
    More botched plays.
    More atrocious coaching.

    Put a gorilla in front of a computer and it would develop a better in-game strategy than wooden head.

    Hey Jerry, tell me again y you didn’t rank us?

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Yeah – but if you take away that 75 yard pass…

    Just kidding. I thought we looked pretty crappy all told today. To bad after that nice UL win. Narduzzi isn’t up with the elite brains in CFB.

    Liked by 3 people

  16. A 6 win season might be hard to achieve now. The running game should be put on the shelf absent an occasional draw play and Pickett called run.

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  17. Agreed on the awful prevent defense which still left our average corners on an island. I wish our coaching was even average. High School offense with a flabby pathetic O line won’t cut it. And Morrissey is average at best at center. He got his ass kicked all day.

    As a Pitt fan since 1963, I am again reminded what a difficult profession this is! Heading to my golf bag for my emergency bottle of Johnny Black. So sorry for you younger Pitt fans. 4-7 with BC taking us apart next week!!

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  18. At least I can go to the beach and relax, headed off to The Salt Life to drink my sorrows away.

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  19. Too many things wrong with Pitt today and no energy to even react. Simply “Pitt-ed” ourselves as usual.
    3-1. On to next week.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. What should $4 million buy you? For many on here, it’s 8 win seasons and crappy bowls. It’s saving kittens. It’s getting good grades. It’s graduating. It’s playing by the rules. Nope… Narduzzi got caught cheating under heathers watch and they are on probabation. So pitt is not clean.

    No good bowl wins. No top 25 rankings. Mediocre recruiting. More blow outs than signature wins. Very sloppy and undisciplined teams. And then you have to deal with his abrasiveness, undeserved arrogance, condescending attitude, non transparency and utter lack of brains.

    Koolaid is not a good drink. Being a member of the Narduzzi cult will not end well. I beseech you to drink vinegar or bourbon. It is far healthier for you and will keep you sane and numb to the pain.

    Now it’s not beneath me to say I told you so. I TOLD YOU SO.

    But I offer solutions to our nagging problem. I have a list of 5 replacements for Narsnoozi, gorilla calves, meatballs or whatever other names he goes by. But we also have this other problem dressed in yellow.

    Wake up Pitt fans. You’re not stupid but you may be suffering from fear, uncertainty and doubt regarding change. Don’t let the FUD’s worry you. Change is a good thing. Hope is a good thing. But Hope is dead without change. And change takes action. The first step is waking up.

    Tex

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    1. No – I told you so first on here!!

      Actually, I disagree in strong terms about “It’s saving kittens. It’s getting good grades. It’s graduating.” because regardless of how the team does fans of the university – not just of the football and athletics but of the university – recognize that as what a school should do.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Yes it’s that mission statement that is a sham because we all know these players aren’t really student athletes. They get special treatment and college is essentially the minor leagues for the nfl. Pitt like other schools is driven by money. Let’s not think pitt actually believes the stuff they say. Like the Nitters did with success with honor and concocting this thing called the grand experiment.

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  21. Hey – 3-1 at this point ain’t too shabby. I think we are so one sided that the better defensive teams will completely take away the rush and leave the game in KP’s hands – with this OL that might be a killer if teams can throw six or seven in the box and blitz more often in the 2nd halfs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reed you can’t count the Austin pey game, so we are really 2-1 with a bad loss to nc State favored by 14…..

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  22. On the bright side, KP played great. Too bad our OC and HC did not seem think so since they took the ball out of his hands on 3rd and 4th and goal fist half play calls (to put the ball in the hands of the smallest player on the field). NC State should have been forced to defend the endzone on both of those plays. Instead, they only had to defend the line of scrimmage which they did all day.

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  23. All I have to say is that Bates better figure out how to stop the TE deon the seam.

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    1. Surprised to see the inexperienced LB George get that assignment. And he did it poorly…

      Go Pitt.

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  24. That Beck UNCST coach did a great job and out-coached Bates and the PITT defense today.

    Thought PITT got a raw deal at times from the refs. This game reminded of the UNC game a few years ago when their big receivers pushed off constantly.

    PITT lost this game not the refs. The refs again played too big a part of the game. Another ACC ref discount game for State

    DJ Gordon stumbling down at the one inch line reminded me of the Ffrench fumble to lose the game. I knew PITT wasn’t going to score.

    This game doesn’t drip of irony but it pours of it. Oppo Soppo. Almost everything went wrong for PITT but they still had a 6 pt lead with under 2 minutes. The vaunted D let the team down today. Coaching and execution get an F!

    I liked it better when the defense was the good unit a lot better.

    Pickett proved just how good he is and what a gamer.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Kenny is a gammer. Narduzzi and his vaunted D let us all down. This is not the first time Narduzzi has let us down. When will enough be enough.

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      1. The defensive effort or lack of it today was on Bates. It’s the bosses job to correct mistakes made, up until this week there was nothing to correct on the defense. They WERE the #2 defense in the country going into today.

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        1. Ike: we played Austin Peay, a bad Syracuse team and a mediocre Louisville squad. Smoke and mirrors. I’m missing Twyman now. No pressure at all from the line. We are banged up a linebacker, and our corners are just OK. We miss Damarri Mathis badly. After we play the gauntlet of Miami, ND, VT and Clemson, we will be exposed further.

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    2. Ike, remember I changed my prediction to 6-5 after the Cuse game?

      Today is why. This team has no offensive line and the running backs are terrible.

      Add to that an awful caller in Whipple and this season and schedule looks really challenging now. Even FSU will eat our line’s lunch and I’m sure I will read everywhere how Morrissey is an NFL draft pick.

      Who would have thought we’d hire another staff and another OC who don’t understand a QB sneak from the half-yard line then not taking as many seconds off the clock on the final scoring drive. I was ready to move of from Chryst after the Duke loss at home in 2014 when he botched the play calling at the 5-yard line. Today was just as bad. We were better off with Kenny not getting pushed in and kicking a field goal so 35 or more seconds came off the clock.

      So disappointing being a Pitt fan and you know this administration can’t find a gem coach to change the culture.

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  25. I am beginning to question having Narduzzi. I don’t like changing coaches too often. However the other ACC top teams, especially now, seem to have higher level coaches. Our kids don’t seem prepared sometimes. Two yrs ago we had a poor passing offense. Now we pass well but can’t run. Offensive line shows it can’t complete with the top teams. I know recruiting isn’t easy. But improvement need to be seen or we need to move on and start over again.

    A BC loss will finish this season.

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    1. The avg tenure of a coach is only five years. Narduzzi is on year six. The vast majority of good coaches have their breakout season by year five. Narduzzi will never have one. His ceiling is nine wins. Walt Harris was fired because he reached his max. And yes he was forced out because the boosters who had more sway then than today knew Walt couldn’t break through.

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      1. And after eight years of Walt the job should have been appealing since he was given enough time. After Wannstedt first said no due to Nordy’s low-ball offer the final two candidates were Rhodes and Cavanaugh. Pitt football at its finest being really thorough in its coaching search.

        I’d expect the same from a chancellor who OK’d the Stallings hire.

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  27. There were several posters last week who called this a trap game. I strongly disagreed with their points of view; now I am eating my words. It’s a bitter taste. I don’t know if PITT was trapped or just plain whopped. Boy, there are a lot of faults to discuss in this game. I figured PITT might lose to a team they are supposed to beat this year…I just didn’t think it would be NCS. Not after their performance last week against VT. I need a day or 2 to digest this game and to sort out my thoughts about this team as far as the rest of the season goes.

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  28. SK, start with digesting how good Beck and Leary were and how ill prepared PITT was for the both of them.

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    1. What exactly did Beck do that was so great? Really Ike? Our D line got blown off the ball, we committed ridiculous penalties, and we couldn’t cover anyone.

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      1. Beck had a good game plan Eric threw the ball deep and had Leary get the ball off quickly. Plus he used the same technique Narduzzi used in the first game against psu… The dreaded hand clap.

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  29. You can commit all the penalties you want as a starter because the recruiting is so bad there is nobody behind you to take your job. No accountability and no discipline. And the worst part guys is it will not get any better in the foreseeable future. The line recruiting has been horrible and it takes 2 or 3 years once they get here. That will kill us for a long time no matter how many 2 star D linemen we get lucky on. There is no escape from this and the occasional P5 throwaway transfer is not the answer.

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  30. We had a couple guys fall down while carrying the ball. Turner falling down at the one was unbelievable….
    Mack – of all people — drops a good 2-point conversion pass…

    I thought NC St. used the UNC offensive plan – throw 50/50 balls to tall WRs…

    We are cursed…(but we sure are entertaining)…

    Coach Duzz said the right things post-game, but sounded as disappointed as I can remember him sounding…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mack dropped at least 3 balls yesterday, none more damaging than the 2 point conversion.

      Penalty yards were more than our rushing yards.

      V.Davis regressed against a poor D to 2.7 ypc. Let’s keep feeding him the rock and let veteran Sibley sit on the bench.

      Come on man!

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  31. Missed most of the game today watching our grandson play soccer. My TV is still intact thanks to youth soccer.

    I’m so glad that fans have not been replaced by cardboard cutouts like at some schools. I would hate to subject even a cardboard cutout of myself to our play today. I think my cardboard self might have walked out at halftime.

    Liked by 4 people

  32. well, I was thinking of getting out bowhunting more and this frees me up for Saturdays now

    dawn breaking is great 30′ up

    would prefer to cut the day short and only hunt the morning but…

    Liked by 2 people

  33. Coach Bravado eating crow tonight. Embarrassing performance by coaches and players. The officials left much to be desired, but definitely weren’t the reason we lost. Both the offensive and defensive lines were beat in the trenches all day. The final possession was just atrocious. And while the outcome was essentially decided, why no fair catch on the final kickoff? Seconds were more important than yards at that point. Just details that are always lost on our coach. And of course we had no time outs left at the end as per usual.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Really a sign of bad coaching, when you have no time outs….at the end. In Crunch Time. So what were they wasted on…..stealing breaths for Pickett for having to come to the sidelines to get the 75 plays ?

      I mean NOBODY does that, but us !!!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. We have blow outs to Miami and clemson to look forward to. Along with the usual crappy bowl against a Mac team in Detroit.

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      1. Except if they ship in yellow seats. A yellow seat is a typical pitt fan. Fairweather and yellow…not willing to fight for your right to be ranked. Cowards most of them.

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  36. Narduzzi peaked last week … nuff said…..I thought BC would be the team to stop our 4 game winning streak- they might might extend our losing streak….. Damn- NCSU dissed us….and I will hear it when I return to Carolina….. Pack has eaten PITT 3 straight and 4 outta the last 5 with PITT last winning in a bowl game many years ago- Peach Bowl I think…

    Liked by 1 person

  37. I thought Narduzzi’s press conference sucked. He said the kids played hard, which he always says. And then he says he needs to review the tape. He will not address the lousy running game, or the defensive breakdowns like their TE going down the middle of the field for an easy TD. (and he actually said the OL played well!)

    Sorry, but Pinnock has been reading his press clippings and he played a terrible game. Camp was a no show today. And not a word about the number of penalties. This coaching staff just cannot get that problem corrected. Looking at the rest of the schedule, we could indeed be seeing a 7 win season again.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. For my consultant fee, heather can have my vetted list of five potential replacements for Narduzzi. The writeup includes the coaches bio, coaching tree, season stats, interviews with former players and coaches, thourough private investigation, recommendations based on my proprietary scorecard using scientific analytics and some intuitive art.

    Again all are proven head coaches. All have already won ten games. All have offensive backgrounds. All can be had for less than $4 million. And all will have pitt ranked and in good warm weather bowls.

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  39. I would give him 1 more year.
    He has his defense set and the recruiting is good.
    I would fire him after next year.
    The team is going to be bad next year.

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  40. How do you have over 500 yards of offense and only score 29 points ? It’s like TinoTime 2.0
    All this yardage in-between the 30 yard lines, resulting in nothing or FG’s.

    We all should have expected this after lackluster wins over Cuse and L-Ville, where 1 or 2 plays change those outcomes over below avg. teams.

    Beginning of a 4 game losing streak ?

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  41. i don’t think anyone believes you Tex

    no matter, you sure don’t need a list of 5

    best thing about Pitt Football for many(too many) years has been the POV, so thanks Reed and MM
    and as I said earlier, hope MM is fully recovered as even though the football may not motivate me to return, most all of the posters here do!

    and of course Tex and upitt too

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    1. I do have that list and I have created a scorecard. So my candidates are in rank order. But again, it will cost you to see it. My upfront fee will cover the PI and former player and coach interviews. That’s all candy anyway. I’d hire a murderer if he could win ten games.

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  42. Oh Yeah, thanks for extending Narduzzi Heather! He is a God awful head coach, over his head in strategy and recruiting! He has been out game planned in almost all his losses, today no exception.

    What on earth do the do at practice?
    Not drills for sure.

    Can anyone tell me who else on the schedule Pitt can beat?? “Crickets”
    4-7

    And yeah Majors. I was too optimistic thinking Pitt would eke out a one point win!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Who’s the 4th Panther win ? Maybe FSU since Jacksonville State was leading them at halftime, now tied in the 3rd Q.

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  43. I didn’t see the game. My almost 95 year old dad, let’s call him Pitt Zeyda, said he thought the officiating was awful but no excuse. He thought the coaches should have been arguing some calls to light a fire under the players since they clearly weren’t spending time worrying about what plays to call.

    H2P!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Games like this could kill seniors. I’d seriously take the remote away from your dad. This game nearly killed me. But I had enough bourbon to pull through.

      Liked by 2 people

  44. Can anyone explain to me why the time out was called in the first half with our punting unit on the field?

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    1. Two explanations: Narduzzi is inept, and called it instead of taking a meaningless five yard penalty. Or they had a fake punt called and he decided not to run it because of the formation of the defense/punt return team.

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    2. To give their OC time to craft his play calling.

      Whip can’t craft his play calling anymore so no need to use a TO for the O.

      But, Duzz miscalculated and his D could have used all three TO’s on the last drive. His boyz were tired.

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  45. In defense of ….. I wrote in the beginning of the prediction thread that either Pitt will romp or they will fall behind early and may or may not eke one out.

    And I wrote that because the players on this team READ THEIR OWN HEADLINES. I figured the D would be full of itself and they played like it.

    Coaches don’t coach pre-snap penalties, offsides, dropped passes ,etc, These are all signs of lack of focus and are clearly on the players. You can preach and preach about trap games, letdowns, etc but if the players feel too complacent and are unfocused, you see the results.

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    1. He is coach during practice. He decides who to play

      It’s all on him.

      I know

      Tex the coach

      I never blamed players. If they didn’t perform, they didn’t play. Real simple.

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    2. Hey you might be right, however this happens every year the last several years, with his teams. Isn’t is part of the job of coaches and especially the Head Coach to get the players focused on the game at hand ?

      Last year Pitt was among the worst for Penalties. No. 121 (out of 130)
      2018 Pitt was No. 102.
      Now Duzz’s earlier teams were not so heavily penalized, but he was coaching Chryst’s recruits

      Most of Whipple’s teams at UMASS were also in the bottom third of most penalized.

      So the two of them together seem to be a recipe for Many Penalties.

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  46. Duzzi’s win ceiling has been reached. And that ceiling was 8 in 2016. And it took only Pitt’s Highest Scoring team EVER at 41 ppg to reach it. Only to be beat by a stinky 6-6 Northwestern team in the Joke Bowl game.

    It’s been downhill since then. Got punked in all the bowl games except for the miraculous catch by Mack against a scrub MAC team last year. It’s time to move on.

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    1. He needs to go back to Youngstown and retire. I’ll personally pay for his bus ride back. And I’ll treat him to some meatballs handed down from my Sicilian in laws. I’m a good guy after all.

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  47. I can’t disagree with anything being said. However, I am going to go all “Back to the Future,” disruption of the timeline -technical stuff. I read in the previous post some references to kicking the field goal instead of going for it, because those 3 points we passed up ended being the difference in the game. I am sure most on here know what I am about to say, but for those who don’t….
    … if you change that play- by Pitt kicking/making that field goal- then every play after that is different from what actually happened. There is no telling how the game would have turned out. For example: maybe after the field goal, NCSU returns the ensuing kickoff for a TD and they go on to defeat Pitt anyway. Or, to be fair, maybe they return the kickoff and a Pitt player lights up the returner forcing a fumble-6 that leads Pitt to roll on and cover the spread. The only play that can be altered that can definitively change the final score is the final play in a win or lose situation. Such as Harper missing a chip shot FG in OT against Notre Dame that would have ended and won the game.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. can you please copy and paste that as it will be useful EVERY SINGLE TIME PITT LOSES

      if you don’t, I will as I have to think it every time someone makes that kind of comment

      sincere thanks!

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    2. I have said that for years on here jamers and got ridiculed each time and glad it resonated with you. That is what is so awesome about football. There is never one play that causes a loss or a victory.Every play affects the next one.

      I cant believe what you all typed here. We were winning when i left to watch my kids hockey game….and poof.

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      1. It’s no different than catching a red-light on the way to work. It could change your life or have no impact at all. Chances remain that you will arrive safely without an incident. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets YOU! Today the Wolf-Pack won.

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    3. Or maybe Pitt wins by 10 and NC St knows they can’t win it so they fold in their last drive. You know…..the realistic ending.

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  48. And yes Ike the trolls come out after a loss to say to all you Koolaid drinkers drunk on the Narduzzi and heather punch – I told you so

    And I’ve been saying it for over three years now. Now will you believe it’s not a hoax. That SOP won’t miraculously go away. That I’m not fake news.

    I figured not.

    Tex

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  49. Also, watching the BC/NC game is like watching Pittsburgh Central Catholic versus North Allegheny. As opposed to watching PItt which is like watching Monessen versus Charleroi (no disrespect to those schools.) My point being that these two teams look like what college football should look like. The play is crisp. The play calls are smart. The players are executing and look like they have talent. The coaching looks sound. You know, completely opposite of Pitt – as in everything that has been said by us POVers. And I say all of this while acknowledging that both teams have very good quarterbacks, while ours is one gutsy SOB.

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  50. BC just got the shaft.
    The ACC takes care of the original members.
    It is BS, but as I said before without them we are out of p5.

    Liked by 2 people

  51. This team has the best players we have had in a long time but they forget they have to play every down. KP played well but the lines not so much.

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  52. if UMass also had a lot of penalties, then maybe Whipple’s offense is too complicated and the players are thinking too much about the execution, rather than just playing. Remember Pitt in 01, when Pitt started 1 and 5 and then won its final 6 games after Walt scrapped the read-option offense and went back to his standard West-Coast?

    But on defense … there is no excuse for these playing jumping offsides. Total lack of focus

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  53. Red zone scoring. They need TDs instead of FGs. The lack of a running game will be the undoing of this team. And today I saw a Pitt secondary that was horrendous. Ford was not a factor. There is no way that NC State QB should drive the field like he did.

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  54. Funny enough, I was reading some Wolfpack articles this week leading up to today’s depresser.

    And NC State was having serious QB problems. Only avg’g 220 yards per game and 3 TD passes for the season. And proceeded to torch our defense for 336 yards and 4 passing TD’s.

    And their QB was wearing No. 13. Insulting to say the least !!!

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    1. Insulting is the meatball masquerading as coach on the sidelines. Maybe the Pirates could use another mascot for a race. Meatballs should beat kielbasa but not sure about pierogie.

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      1. With those calves, doubt he could beat kielbasa…..maybe the Pirate Parrot, if it ran backwards.

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    2. This was the first game Leary started. He was 12-16 against tech and looked just as sharp as he looked against us

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  55. not to make excuses but this game reminded me of the 2016 Va Tech game when a handful of WR push offs were uncalled. If they are not called, it’s impossible to defend back should passes

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We are part of Appalachia. Pittsburgh is considered the Paris. So yes, Pitt will get the calls.

      Tex who was part of the Whiskey Rebellion.

      I’d rather die over alcohol tax than tea. New Englanders never had it right. Bean eaters.

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  57. This was definitely Pitt Deja Vu all over again. SOP if you like.

    The most disturbing thing was that the NCST O-line manhandled our vaunted D-line pretty much all day.
    The hard count, in this case the hand clap made our guys look stupid.

    When it comes down to it, we played our worst and they played their best and beat us by a point. They were up for the game and we were not. I can’t blame the coaches for that. A bunch of senior defenders should have more self motivation.

    I will fault Whipple though, there is no rhythm to that offense, just a bunch of disjointed plays, mostly called at the wrong time. I changed my mind on the Wildcat, it should become our red zone offense, it can’t be any worse. Anytime we get close to the goal line it looks like the Keystone Cops out there.

    No one should ever run back a kickoff, when you can always get it to the 25 yard line, without risking coming up short, getting injured or fumbling the ball.

    Pitt just isn’t good enough to win without emotion. This wasn’t the NCST team that played last week. Their QB was back, and a number of good hitters on defense, took it to our guys. They put Addison and Camp on the bench and almost did the same to Ford. Also lucky that KP has a hard head.

    They made more big plays than our guys and fewer mistakes. Falling down on an easy TD sprint ended up being fatal. V. Davis can’t be your goal line guy. why isn’t Sibley or Carter that guy?

    But the bottom line is the vaunted D has to stop that last drive, no excuse for that.

    Liked by 1 person

  58. For want of a coach, this game was lost.

    Let’s not be afraid to say the dirty word. Narduzzi sucks.

    Will u Koolaid drinkers ever learn? Probably not.

    You’re like talking to a turtle.

    Liked by 1 person

  60. So did Pitt win or lose today? Having trouble ascertaining what the outcome was from the above comments? We were supposed to win by a couple of touchdowns weren’t we?

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  61. Posted the same at Cardiac Hill:

    HCPN needs a reliable OC. Might as well talk to M Canada at this point — Pitt has the money for purchase, and he’s in the same building and wouldn’t be surprised to find he’s interested in being more than a QB coach. Bring him back.

    But can Pat (or for that matter, M Canada) swallow their pride?

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    1. I find myself WANTING to agree with you, BUT given that Canada’s track record is that of always seeking a better opportunity…I am going to be like Pitt- I cannot run away from that idea, but I sure will pass!

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  62. This game was a punch in the gut. I’ll be depressed for 2 days.

    An awful loss – and something of course told me this was coming when Turner fell down at the one. Especially after we didn’t score – and absolutely hated the fourth-down call. (We really need to send out a search team to find a real TE…)

    Something else that I didn’t like at all today were the displays by Williams and Sirvocea. Way too cocky – whether they backed it up or not, and of course, they didn’t. Not a fan of their on-field behavior.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  63. If Pickett leaves after this year and I think he will, might be a good time to try another OC with a new starter? Maybe Canada might like another try since his career hasn’t rocketed to the moon after he left LSU.

    Heather, her yellow blouse and Narduzzi ain’t going anywhere in the future. Might as well as be harping on a Covid vaccine instead, wearing a mask and social distancing, it would do more good. Otherwise it gets annoying.

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    1. Why? What’s annoying is watching the self-assassination this team does in addition to the effects of poor recruiting on offense.

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  64. We have been playing with fire a long time and letting lesser teams hang around. Today it caught up to us. Just an awful loss.
    I will not be carving out 3-4 hours to watch this garbage every week. Life is too short and I got better things to do.

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  65. WE all said all year how lousy PITT’s offense is and how great the D is, today, KP throws for over 400 yards and was the teams leading rusher. Gordon doesn’t fall down untouched? PITT scores 37 pts. Such is football but it wasn’t garbage. imo. (refs didn’t help)

    Bill you’re right, it was VT not UNC. The push off king kid (forget the one guys name) new he wouldn’t make it big in the NFL? or maybe he has?

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    1. Ike, I forget his name also. I believe he was number 14. If we are talking about the same kid, he had a cup of coffee on the Steelers practice squad- or at least was a camp guy. I remember reading a snippet about him whatever that year was.

      Like

  66. I watched the game after work today. Got as far as 7 to 7. Then I opened the browser on my new phone and it decided to auto post the end score at the top of the Google screen even though I had those settings turned off.

    So I fast forwarded to the last 2 minutes of the game.

    I dont have much to go by when commenting on 10 minutes of gameplay.

    But I saw an apprehensive defense, a bad running game, a lot of penalties during states first drive and 2 crucial dropped passes by Mack.

    Did I miss anything?

    Liked by 1 person

  67. Weaver and Jones didn’t show up today . Five tackles and half a sack between the two of them with BC throwing 45 passes. And what does it say that a last minute WR pick up in Turner leads them in pass receptions and yardage? Giving up 336 passing yards to BC is ridiculous.

    Like

  68. one paradoxical key to the bad first half and in particular the penalties with the D-line jumping offsides was the easy first TD by Addison,,,think about it

    think what that did to the D who already were reading the hype, the press clippings, the rankings,,,,if you know how youthful minds operate in an already undisciplined coaching environment>>>>disaster

    also served to focus NC State

    Liked by 1 person

  69. Let’s control the excitement first about Pickett. The defensive secondary of ncst is awful. That has been their weakness and we exploited it a few times. I posted yesterday that we needed to go deep early and often. Remember, NCSt had a pick 6 called back due to a late hit on Pickett. The penalty call was correct and I am sure that Kenny would take a hit to the noggin in exchange for bringing back a TERRIBLE decision, every time. That was fortuitous for Pitt. Pickett is average. It will be same stuff next week. The weakness of ncst is their defensive backfield. They may have had a walkon freshman back there as pointed out yesterday. The staff will build him up falsely because on its surface it appears he had a great game. He should have!

    Instead, we tried to force a running attack. Awful, just awful! Our OL is pathetic and I agree that Morrisey got manhandled by the d-line most of the day. In my opinion, they should have called K picketts forward progress stopped on his qb sneak in the 4th, that everyone knew was coming. He was pushed in to the endzone by the running back. His jump attempt was really bad since the OL got shoved back into him. Awful. Take what they give you coach and they were giving you the deep ball all day. I guess the plan was to not use it until absolutely necessary. That said, i think the rb’s are okay. The OL is not.

    Dennis was high risk high reward today. He’s young. He will be fine. I called B. George out as soon as that play occurred. Big, slow LB dropping in coverage was exploited correctly. Poor coaching with personnel. Pinnock was awful. Williams was awful. He can wave all he wants, but he just wasn’t good enough. Hamlin was awful. Ford had a couple nice plays but also got beat taking a poor angle as he tried for an interception in the endzone. I will say that the pitt db’s always say they were interfered with on just about every completion against, or touchdown. Like a ref is going to listen to their pleas…..it’s a bad look.

    “We will not play football without our fans in the stands”. Greatest quote from our AD who is in the know obviously. She did announce that the full allotment of tickets were used today. A different way of saying a sellout, i suppose. I jest, but the truth is that she is in over her head and her and nardingy are co-conspirators and have taken advantage of gallagher and the board by letting this continue. They have scratched each others back long enough and have gotten away with the double secret handshake for much too long. Need a shake-up.

    The defensive line was terrible today and it’s not like their qb was taking 2-3 step drops. They had time to get to him, just didn’t. I think they converted a 4th and 9 after Kancy batted down a pass. We can never seem to get over the hump.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I didn’t see the game, had to listen while traveling to DC. In reading the post game comments I too was surprised to see so much love for Kenny. Bostic was often very critical of Pickett’s decision making, whether not throwing to the open receiver or keeping the ball when he should have handed off to the RB.
      To paraphrase Dennis Green “We are who we thought we were”.

      Like

    1. True point soccer. Easier to accept, right? But then you need to figure out how to get better for next time. Pitt hasn’t gotten any better in 5 years under the head coach and going on 4 years with the AD.

      Like

  72. I can accept it when another team is just better (e.g. Clemson). it’s the self inflicted stuff that drives me nuts–like jumping offside again and again and again. My wife just told me to come up and look at the moon with a stat in front of it. Much better than spending any more energy on this game. I may even howl at it. (The moon that is.) On to next week. H2P

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  73. Kind of strange that Charlie Partridge’s name hasn’t come up all day? Why not? He’s the D-Line coach but most like the guy, me included and he’s not on the “list”. You know the list?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, Coach P’s buddy, the NC St. Head Coach, got the better of it.

      Guess we could have used Twyman and Mathis this week…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  74. Arizona st will play USC in Fox Sports ‘Big Noon Kickoff’. That’s noon Eastern time or 9 am Pacific. And it won’t be the only one this year

    So next year when noon kickoffs are being moaned and groaned here …. remember 9 am. Also note that for the umpteenth time, this year’s ‘Red River Rivalry’, Oklahoma vs Texas, will start at 11 am local time

    Like

  75. Out coached, out coached, out coached.
    Preparation and discipline – out coached.
    Offensive scheme – out coached.
    Defense – out coached.

    8 wins or Narduzzi is fired.

    Like

  77. Only listened to the first 10 minutes and the last 12 minutes….. in between I enjoyed life and it wasn’t bad….it was so easy to give up all pro sports, PITT FB not so much but I took a small step yesterday’s

    For all youWPA peeps living elsewhere- the maples are yellow, orange and red and there is a chill in the air. So beautiful. October in Penn’s Woods. Can’t beat it!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Still green here in north Texas. We won’t see color until late November. And mainly just yellows and browns. Actually October and November are the best months to visit. Can’t beat the weather.

      Like

  78. I hated poopy pants, but he was NEVER OUTCOACHED!
    Out devoted Wooden Head is repeatedly outcoached.
    People think last years record was the norm…I disagree: it was an aberration.
    He is mediocre…a 1-win bowl Game victor against a MAC team that finished sixth in the division.
    Bottom line: good coaches find ways to win.

    Liked by 1 person

  79. Agree with Biggie on Peaks podcast and the beauty of the fall colors in SWPA.
    Sadly the boats and docks come out tomorrow but golf lives on until it snows!
    Shout out to the POVerts that stopped over to watch the game…bad results again but what great people I have come to know through the POV.

    Liked by 5 people

  80. Nope – your 10 minute window was the whole picture. You did not mention poor coaching, but that was on display the whole game –

    I’m ready for a change.

    Liked by 1 person

  81. Johnny Majors 1: it’s the attention to details that wins games — something this Pitt coach needs to learn and teach.

    Penalties kill momentum and Pitt mastered this trait very well yesterday. This loss reminded me of “Houston.” Ouch!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Pitt players have dumb football IQ’s despite their good classroom grades. Maybe they should go to less class and more practice.

      Narduzzi on the other hand needs a complete meatball transplant.

      Like

  82. Its clear that this is solely a coaching problem. Lack of preparedness, focus, desire, execution, over confidence are all the purview of the coaching staff. It’s their job to avoid these types of failures/mistakes. i know the players have to catch the ball etc, but if you focused, prepared, have the desire you don’t commit 17 penalties, giving away 8 first downs. The performance we witnessed yesterday is not a rare or unusual occurrence for this program under the head coach. In Columbus, Creepy Valley or Tuscaloosa this type of aberration happens rarely, not every single season to teams that you are favored to beat by 14 pts or more. So in Narduzzi’s 6th season, while its clear he has built a more than respectable defense with 2 & 3 star recruits, he has failed completely with respect to the offense and game day coaching, with his ineptitude consistently on display. A list of examples is unnecessary because we have witnessed them repeatedly. The rare upset is not enough to make up for these other shortcomings.

    So the problem is this for those of us still supporting the program. H. Lyke will not replace Narduzzi, he is incapable of elevating this program to the level we believe it should be at (national relevance/interest). With Narduzzi what we’ve seen is the best its ever going to get. How do we as fans convince the administration that change is necessary? Clearly coaching staff salaries are competitive, facilities are more than adequate (please no on campus stadium nonsense, that changes nothing regarding coaching, recruiting, winning its just a nostalgia talking point) winning cures a host of ills and next young super star coach is out there somewhere and would want a crack a P5 program. I ask this because I am a long suffering Pitt fan. Returned to this area a little over 20 yrs ago now, went to the games, supported the program, waited and waited and waited and I’m tired of waiting I’m not going to live forever, so I want action and results. Otherwise as the movie title says is this as good as it gets, which I find frustrating and not really worth the time to watch/follow/support.

    Do the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is the definition of being a Pitt fan.

    Liked by 6 people

  83. Heather gave Narduzzi an extension. She’s owns the coaching failure. I doubt she ever buys out another coach after stallings. So we fans are stuck with him.

    We can vote with our pocketbooks but unless the financial hit is more than the buyout, it will never happen.

    The only thing we can hope for is heather leaving for a big ten job or Narduzzi leaving for a pro job. Until then we pitt fans have to expect 8 win seasons and crappy bowls.

    But the players will be great at saving kittens and getting good grades. Pitt obviously thinks that’s well worth a top third football spend in the conference.

    Like

  85. I vote to give him 1 more year. I would then go after the BC coach. He won’t be a jerk leaving after his second year there .
    I would try and keep Partridge everyone else is replaceable.
    Big B is right about sports in general and Fran is right about friends made from the POV.

    Liked by 2 people

  86. No doubt there are some major coaching issues which will have to be addressed at the end of the year.

    I completely fail to understand how a defense, especially the D-line can look like as good as we have ever seen one week against an excellent offense and be pretty much inept against an unheralded offense the next week? There was rarely any pressure on the QB all day. OK the reffing seemed a little one sided, but Pitt made too many obvious mistakes, on the line and in the backfield.

    The D could not get off the field on third downs.

    The offensive woes in the red zone are disgusting. Coaches were so frustrated by it that they didn’t take the field goal on fourth down after being stuffed three times from the one. What made them think fourth down would be any different?

    I know there are coaching issues, but games are won by players making plays. Their guys made more than our guys. Yesterday, their lines played better than ours, their QB played better than ours, their receivers played better than ours. While some of this is on coaching, most of it is on the players. The coaches didn’t jump off sides, the coaches didn’t interfere. The coaches didn’t miss assignments. The coaches didn’t fall down going into the end zone. Players have to make plays, ours just didn’t make nearly enough.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You can trace a players mistakes back to practice. And as coach, if players make game time mistakes, you pull them. It comes back to a coaching issue.

      But Narduzzi has closed practices so we’ll never know if the team even practices. By the way they play, I think the players just practice playing video games.

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  87. Someone please explain to me why V Davis gets 15 carries, Izzy gets four, Carter gets 1, and Sibley gets 2, especially behind an O-line that can’t make holes to run through.

    KP also had 15 runs, so between him and Davis 30 plays averaging 2.7 yds per play. I know sacks factor in a bit, but it makes no sense to me that Sibley be good enough to run the wildcat, but not good enough to take a handoff? Also why use the wildcat two or three times a game? If you are going to run it, run it.

    I am also sure that Addison going down screwed up the offensive game plan, no jet sweeps etc. By the way the coaches didn’t drop the 2 point play. Players gotta make plays.

    Like

    1. Based on Narduzzi’s interviews I would bet V Davis got the most carries because he practiced the best. Definitely thought Sibley would get more opportunities in the goal line situations (my apologies if he did, I didn’t see the game).

      Like

  88. The Good: I didn’t break the TV or kick the dog.

    The Bad: pretty much everything except the weather

    The Ugly: pitt fans coming to narduzzis defense and making excuses again

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tex, I don’t know why I’m responding to your latest comment by you but here goes.

      I wish you would have broke your TV and not only saved yourself but the rest of us as well. Glad you didn’t kick your dog though.

      Happy the weather was nice in Texass 😉

      Name one POV comment that defended Narduzzi after this last game? Don’t bother looking cause you won’t find one.

      One question, do you or don’t you like Narduzzi and Heather cause you haven’t been clear enough on the subject?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The Ugly is directed at anyone at this point. I have utterly no respect for anyone who try’s to defend the man at this point. Too bad 95 percent on here didn’t listen to me and about five others for the past three years. Again it’s not beneath me to say ‘I told you so’

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      2. Tex continues to miss the complexity of this.
        I didn’t waste time looking for defense of PN either, wacky…..again.
        Narrow focus, can’t imagine why, seems extremely smart….?

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    1. 92-62 doesn’t make me feel any better, especially when they passed all over us.

      We usually win most of the stat battles except penalties and final score.

      Now BC is a must win or things are going to get ugly.

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  92. This team is a victim of its own successes. 3 – 0 and all we have to do is show up. The players and coaches sometimes lose focus and that the other team may actually play better and get coached better than them. I guess that this goes as well for us fans. BC played very well against UNC so …

    Liked by 1 person

  93. I was listening to the NC State coaches post game interviews, and what they said was interesting. They said that on that last drive, everyone knew they would need to throw the ball, but Pitt’s DEs were not effective, and failed to disrupt their passing game. They basically said that their OL handled the vaunted Pitt DL, in that most crucial drive of the game. With the game on the line, was there a more important time for these guys to step up? I thought Jones said this year “we mean business”…

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    1. In the end talent wins when coaches don’t get in the way

      Pitt doesn’t have enough talent and Pitts coaches don’t seem to have this thing called a practice or a scheme.

      For a bottle of PA bourbon, I’ll share my list of five replacements for Narduzzi. And in order of preference.

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        1. If heather leaves, Narduzzi is toast. Few if any big boosters like the arrogant jag off.

          And Gallagher is keeping a close eye on miss yellow blouse. BoT not pleased with her money losing decisions.

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    2. They probably were gassed in the fourth quarter. I thought Weaver slowed a bit at the end last week. Seemed like they were bull rushing versus trying to use quick moves…

      Would be nice to get Baldonado back to help out on the pass rush…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  94. Oh and by the way. Kenny’s stats say that he had a good day. And he did bail us out with some good runs. But he also ignored a number of wide open receivers, threw a pick 6, and was off target in several important situations. The bigger problem was the O-line, but Kenny is not blameless.

    Liked by 1 person

  95. Does Borbeley get fired today? Or, does Borbeley get fired tomorrow? Surely, he and Whipple will be gone after this season, hopefully Narduzzi too.

    I have a good friend, a Pitt PhD grad, who lives in Virginia. I got an email from him about an hour after the game.
    “Hey Pete —

    I have the ACC channel, so have been able to see Pitt lethargically play 4 games, including the one they just gave away to NC State. Looking at their schedule, I’d say their season is over.

    Jack”

    I’m revising my season prediction of 6-5; now it’s 4-7, although I can’t quite figure out where the fourth win comes from.

    Liked by 1 person

  96. Maybe the problem is us and our irrational expectations. Let’s face it. We pretty much universally agreed that last year’s offensive line was weak to putrid. But in all our preseason assessments we expected or hoped that they would improve. Based on what? The fact that they had another year of experience. That’s it. Not quality players being added to the OL roster. No talk of new quality depth to spell an exhausted or injured player. Does a year of being shoved into the backfield make you a better player? Does a year of flailing at an opponent whipping around you to smack your quarterback make you a better player?

    Last year our “running” game included a lot of sideline passes to get out from behind that wall at the line of scrimmage. We seem to have cut down on that and replaced it with hand-offs to backs crashing into that wall. Wonder if Coach Whipple is being urged to balance the running game and passing game and scratching his head trying to figure out how to do that?

    Take heart. At least we are not the Fighting Camels. They are 0-4 and got blown out by Wake Forest.

    Liked by 4 people

    3. The small defense of Whip beginning the game running a lot is understandable, until you look at HOW VaTech runs the ball with RB’s with speed and power and size and a line that uses a different scheme than ours.

      I am seeing the light on Whip being MAYBE a decent pass oriented OC but he is not even a below average OC for the run game and that includes both play calling and scheme. Can’t even believe the youth league level of the QB to the sideline bit.

      Someone mentioned with Addison out no jet possible. IMO, Shocky J is just as capable. I was looking for that a couple of times.

      Whip is a huge part of the problem and if PN is to be around another year, HE must make an OC change. The ONE benefit of Whip that his style might attract better talent sounds possible, but without any of the run piece, that talent needs to be ELITE.

      Like

    4. Yeah – we have absolutely no deception in our run game. No misdirection. Our plays look like they are designed for a big-time Oline, which we don’t have…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Right on… we have a mediocre OL at best…..haven’t recruited well at all….WPA’s best LUGG,HAINSEY and HINNISH all wear the IRISH Blue and Gold!!!

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    5. I have Said that for years farmer and glad you caught on. It is obvious that each player should improve with reps from one season to the next. The issue is whether each player improved more than their counterpart from the other team.

      I think Morrissey got manhandled by a big run clogger yesterday. He took on 2 of our OL each time and pushed us back most of the time. Maybe the OL can bounce back against BC.

      Like

  97. Don’t overlook the fact that 29 points should have been enough to beat that team. There is not enough explanation as to why the defense failed to show up and make critical plays. This mediocre QB threw the ball 45 times for 366 yards without an interception from our vaunted defense, partly because there was not sufficient pressure from our vaunted DL and DEs. And needless to say, the number of penalties is not characteristic of a well coached team.

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    1. Now everyone is realizing this is not a well coached team? Been that way with penalties that carried over from last year. Ever since lock the gates. I really don’t think pitt holds practices. Players play video games while Narduzzi gorges himself on pierogis…meatballs on the side.

      Like

    2. DE D.Hayes did not play again, yet our DE’s looked tired, gassed and ineffective. Anyone know if he is hurt or in the doghouse?

      The RB situation is puzzling and has been under Duzz dating back to Q.Ollison.

      RT C.Van Lynn started in place of Houy (who later was hurt while subbing for the starter.

      I trying hard to shake this loss – Bates, Whip & Duzz did not coach well, but the players sure did not show up either. Five trips inside the red zone and ONLY two TD’s. This team & coaching staff does not know how to win. There are three HC’s on staff and yet we struggle to win games we should win. Peak addresses five such games in the past 2-1/2 years. Yesterday was a winnable game…

      Peak was not happy on his latest Podcast last night – he stopped short of saying Duzz needs fired, but if you read between the lines, he touched on the subject extensively.

      Pitt-Cocks (Richard) – what did you learn new yesterday?

      EE – who happens to be missing the run game by RB U.

      Liked by 1 person

  98. Lots of places to place blame and I agree it should be focused on the head coach and OC. Honestly this is all about 1 single personnel decision and that is Vincent Davis, the flea. Those of you who are old like me will remember the 5’5″ shortstop of the Pirates Freddie Patek, who was called the flea. Please name for me one other major college football team or NFL team who uses a diminutive RB in short yardage situations? If your going to run him there, give him a pitch and let him beat the defense to the outside. 170 pounds and they pound him into the middle of the line. Sibley’s second carry out of the wildcat was up the gut and he pushed the pile for a few yards. Vincent Davis isn’t pushing anyone. Like they used to say, bring in the big uglies or the jumbo package, which never include a back at 170 pounds or one who loses yards as often as he gains them. Every team has a short yardage package except for Pitt. If this personnel choice is Whipples, then shame on Narduzzi for not stopping it. I’ve seen enough of Vincent Davis. I’m thinking a bigger back makes the line look a lot better. Time to swat the flea.

    Liked by 2 people

  99. When is the last time a Pitt coach didn’t have his detractors? It kind of goes with the job.
    When they lose it is all his fault, when they win it is in spite of him. I’m guessing even Jackie Sherrill had some.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wanny got to 10 wins, still had detractors. But the detractors were stating things like, wow, we got 10 wins and if not for a few in-game decisions, we could have had 11 or 12. I don’t call that detractors necessarily. That”s what I call pointing out the gaffes in an effort to get to the next level. It’s a different complaint. Constructive criticism versus, just plain awful mediocrity. What we have had since, is mediocrity. If I perform mediocre for two years running, I expect to be shown the door at my job. That said, 2 of my last 3 jobs have been with firms that were ranked #1 in worldwide revenue for their business segments.

      Again, 35 + years of mostly terrible football. Of course there will be detractors. There should be. I think you are coming around GC…maybe? just a bit?

      Like

  100. I’m not a big Ron Cook fan, but his article was pretty spot on. Most of us here on the POV have given Narduzzi every opportunity to turn this program around. I have often said that he needs 10 years to build the program to top 25 level. But he doesn’t need that much time to get his team to play with effort and discipline. He has had multiple coaches at different positions, especially at OC, but the problems remain. Is it that complicated to add a decent FB to the offense, or to recruit a decent TE? I see below average teams on TV with better TEs than Pitt routinely recruits.

    Like

    1. A good coach can reach ten wins in 4 years. And get the program ready for consistent annual top 25 seasons before leaping to the pros or the sec. Narduzzi is not that coach.

      It’s year 6 people. It’s not that he inherited a dumpster fire or has a low budget or plays and practices in dumps or recruits in Alaska.

      Which one of you brave posters who have mocked me, reed and UPitt for years will finally admit to being wrong. I don’t charge for mea culpas.

      Like

        1. I’ll mock the fools who sniff his jock strap and worship heather. I expect you to be the last to admit you’re wrong.

          Like

  101. Tex, your brand of football is not my brand. I don’t believe in football factories or breaking all the rules just to win. As you said before, you would burn the entire place down if necessary. Your views are seriously radical, and are not in line with most POVers who wish the best for Pitt. I think we can win with a program like VA Tech, without compromising Pitt’s academic integrity.

    Pitt has serious deficiencies in athletic marketing and fundraising, which hurt the program and make it difficult for any coach to succeed. That said, a big part of Pitt’s past failures is its approach to the coach selection process. However, based on the Capel hiring, I’m a believer in Heather as an AD and think that if and when Narduzzi’s time runs out she will find the right head football coach.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. My brand is still going to class. It’s still not cheating. Narduzzi already was caught cheating. Program on probation.

      I would not focus so much on saving kittens and helping old ladies cross Fifth Ave.

      my brand is winning. You and other Pitt fans think winning can’t be done because of xyz excuse. I call that a loser mentality.

      If Pitt has serious deficiencies, why is heather still AD. ???

      You guys just walk into it.

      Like

    2. I agree with you that the selection process is flawed. Narduzzi helped select heather. And heather rewarded him with an extension. Both need to go.

      Heather won’t be around when meatballs contract expires. She will make sure she is long gone.

      My views are very rational and not radical at all unless you like SOP. I advocate change. And as previously stated you start with structure and then the culture run by the right leaders.

      I don’t just spout off. I’ve offered details on what must be done in regards to the BoT, revenues and leadership.

      But it will never happen because too many people are just like you who hope things will somehow get better. You’ve been hoping for over 40 years now. Hope needs a plan. Without one, it’s no better than a wish.

      Like

        1. Definitely, Ike. I’ve got to get off of here before I say something I’ll regret. So many things in life that are more important than a one point loss.

          Liked by 3 people

  103. Pitt dropped to 44th place in the polls and won’t sniff the Top 25 for at least another 4 years where the those seniors will try their best. Hopefully under a different HC.

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    1. 23rd highest paid coach now has his team ranked 44 and falling

      Great use of $4 million dollars in a covid year with lost revenues and higher costs.

      Heather is the gift that keeps giving. She needs regifted this Christmas.

      Like

  105. You’re a funny and strange guy Tex but what is really funny is that you think all your talk will institute changes. Last comment of yours I will pause to read. Last comment same as the first. Have your fun buddy, wouldn’t want to let this opportunity to pass you by. To victors go the spoils.

    BTW PITT is still 3-1 I’ll wait and see how things go. Good luck to you Tex.

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Ike – you must be related to heather in some way to always come rushing to her defense and providing unwarranted excuses. I’d leave my own blood relatives to hang if they deserved it.

      And strangeness allows you to see beyond the fake normal.

      Like

  106. My rant, my opinion;

    It sounds like a majority of Pitt fans are clearly disgusted following yesterday’s loss.

    14 point favorite, a top 5 defense the perfect scenario playing a far inferior opponent, I don’t think any picked the Panthers to lose?

    Yesterday the offense scored 29 points and did not turn the ball over, was it perfect, no but it did what it had to do to put the team in position to win with less than 2 minutes left in the 4th. Could they have scored more points, sure but again they put the team in a position to win.

    Yesterday’s loss is on the defense, they had the majority of the penalties and couldn’t pressure the QB.

    Time of possession was equal yesterday both teams at 30:00.

    Pitt has issues but yesterday the much aligned offense scored and handed over the game to our defense to hold and they didn’t.

    The defense just didn’t execute upfront mostly all day and our defensive backfield was exposed for what it is.

    Looks like a 6/5 season best case scenario anything less will be disappointing and completely disastrous for some.

    The administration is going to have a decision to make regarding if they are committed to fielding a mediocre team year in and year out, to be SOP or not to be SOP, is that the question for the administration?

    PN’s ceiling is 8 wins, this was to be the best team PN has assembled in his tenure at Pitt.

    Well it’s not and what should Pitt do?

    In following Voice of Reason, Capel is a great hire and Heather Lyke is a competent AD.

    I don’t follow other Pitt sports too closely but it seems Lyke has made some good hires regarding head coaches.

    Extending PN’s contract was done to reflect program stability, because of the disaster Stevie P created with the carousel of coaches.

    The key clause in the PN contract is the buy out for termination.

    The length of contract has been discussed by some of us as Pitt really screwed up on that one but the buy out clause is the key and I bet no one knows what it is, if you do know the exact specifics please enlighten.

    It’s a wacky year but unless PN and company produce I can see this possibly being his last or next to last season because if this is the best team and staff he can assemble since he was hired there is clearly an issue.

    I know some will say PN has a lot of ACC wins, second only to Clemson but I really can’t see us being too competitive this season with VT, Miami, ND and Clemson, I could be wrong but wow yesterday’s game drastically changed my perception.

    Did the defensive players and staff become enamored with their press clippings, did we look past NC State or was Austin Peay, Syracuse and Louisville just as mediocre as us?

    BC , GT aren’t gimme games, FSU is a train week but we play them in Tallahassee again not a gimme win.

    PN has been given time but is the program progressing or is it regressing under PN?

    Danh72 the always eternal pessimist predicted a 4/7 season, he could be right but again they could go 3/8.

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  107. @VOR – I don’t think you have polled the entirety of the POV. I clearly feel that the Football Coach and AD have to go. There is zero culture established by the AD, nearly four years into her taking a job she was not qualified to handle.

    The reactions from the game cast were spot on except for the head coach and AD apologists who support Pitt regardless of how much wool has been pulled over their eyes for the last 35+ years. Accountability is lacking at Pitt. Mediocrity only works in a decentralized environment like higher education. Academically, doctorate researchers get ranked on how many people cite their work. Guess who usually cites someones work? Their students or understudies!!! It’s a scam. It’s funny you mention academic integrity and rankings at Pitt. We are no different than any other university, especially with on-line classes taking over. Most places letting kids take pass fail! How many of our players go online now? Every last one that was interviewed during the covid cycle that I heard. They are athlete students, period.

    Same can be said about the value of education generally. Administrators are protected because they protect each other. Go read the 5 year plans in higher ed and then read a three year plan in private industry. You either produce in 3 years or you are gone. For some stupid reason, higher ed tries to convince people that they need 5-6 years to execute a business plan. Heck, a President of the United States only gets 4 years to execute a plan. Why do AD’s and Head Coaches get more? Because of people that think with their hearts.

    The Capel hiring was a fiasco that our AD didn’t plan or execute cleanly. She was given the opportunity to close the deal with Hurley (who she didnt select because she had to farm that out), and whiffed. She whiffed. Granted, I am personally really happy that we got Capel as the 2nd or third choice. This was not her doing. She failed on Hurley. Hopefully, Capel does well. I am not convinced that he will fail as I want to see him with 4-5 years to improve team recruiting and team performance. He seems to be doing that, but it is early. It”s not early for Narduzzi.

    Tex isn’t radical. Where else in the world do you get to pick your boss? It’s human nature to want to take care of people who got you your job. This is why coaches and AD’s always talk good about other coaches, AD’s and Administrators. It’s a joke. Think about how Nardingy was saying what an incredible coach, person and recruiter Babers is….what??? It’s a scam. Biggest scam in Pittsburgh since the pirates.

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    1. That is not true Ike. I said baber was a good fit at cuse and could have success there. And he finished ranked 15. Narduzzi has never sniffed the top 25.

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  109. You can see why pitt has such a small fan base. Years of kicks in the balls like this game just take a toll. I really wonder if it’s worth it. We were on vacation this weekend and instead of spending Saturday with my family I stayed at the hotel and watched that garbage. Big mistake that I learned from. I won’t do that again.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Come on, 03. You had your family to go back to. Count your blessings. Hope to meet you soon at a POV tailgate!

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    1. not so sure of that grizz ) ….looks like 6-7 more chances to find out.

      lew evil is still 1-2 so not sure what that win meant, if anything yet. They should beat GT easily to be 2-2.

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  111. Giving up a score on that final drive was disappointing. But I was more disappointed that I didn’t get to spend the day with Bernie, Ike, Annie, MM times 2, Mark, Reed, and others here. There will be many more wins and losses. I’m not sure I can get the others back.

    Liked by 3 people

  112. I am not sure who is on the Tex list, because his bourbon preference is too rich for the likes of me.

    Remember too that Pickett threw a pick six when he read the route and threw to the wrong jersey. It was intercepted and returned for a pick 6 which was awful. He was saved by a fortuitous and well deserved roughing the qb call. Let’s not forget the terrible decision to throw that ball when evaluating performance as well as several read runs that he pulled back from the rb and kept for lost yardage. I just think he has trouble with quickly reading situations. I do too candidly. I like to ponder and then respond.

    That said why did pitt continue to force a run game with a diminutive back, when a deep pass game was clearly the easiest route to victory? Everyone knew well before game time that the defensive weakness of the opponent was the defensive backfield.

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  113. @Tex, I’ll admit I’m wrong if and when

    I don’t sniff, I don’t involve myself enough to know enough to pretend I know

    I don’t have an agenda like some, I don’t pretend like others

    carry on

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  114. Right Huff, too many mistakes in the red-zone Pickett included. The thing is, the answer isn’t more complications but to come up with a simple solutions. I hate that fade down that close.

    Carter with one carry and he limped back to the sideline. Shouldn’t have even had that one carry. The O-Line got shoved back consistently. Running V Davis down there is also dumb.

    That far left corner of the end zone is haunted. The ghost caused Ffrench to fumble and tripped Gordon on their way to a score. My 2020 motto is……. don’t say it can’t get any worse because it will and continues on and on.

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  115. Discipline isn’t difficult.
    If you are offsides, you’re going to sit.
    If you false start, you’re going to sit.
    If you drop a pass, you’re going to sit.
    We live in a productivity driven society (well, most of us), so when you error, you will pay for it.
    Boss doesn’t mean pal, friends or buddy.

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    1. Well Gasy, like your thinking but there’s a little finer line between having a human’s life in your hand than catching a football though.

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      1. Ike,
        As an anesthesiologist, if I screw the pooch, the state, the DEA and every attorney would be out for blood.
        That’s just the way that it is.
        If our boys and gals in Afghanistan screw the pooch, a company of soldiers is at risk.
        Don’t think it’s too much to say if you can’t watch the ball before you move, then you’re going to sit.
        Just sayin, my brother.

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        1. I get that Gasman, our daughter is an anesthetist and I can and can’t see how jumping off sides correlates exactly. But I want an anesthesiologist that thinks the way you do. (still think i may know you)

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  116. Don”t look now but Coastal Carolina is ranked 35th, ahead of Oklahoma, Pitt and NCSt in the AP Poll. Got to have some jocularity these days!

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  117. It will take a lot a lot more than one really disappointing loss for me to start with the ranting and calling for heads to roll. PITT’s defense was ranked #2 in the country going into this last game and that included a game against a top rated offensive unit in Louisville and PITT absolutely stunk out the joint and were seriously out-coached. No excuses but schitt happens. I’ve got much bigger fish in my life to fry, literally and figuratively. I will switch rooms to watch the game next week just in case though and have Eli much more focused. A bowl of small treats works wonders.

    Liked by 2 people

  118. FWIW …

    — Totally agree this L is on the Defense. The O did score 30 and gain > 500 yards

    — Having a let down after an impressive defensive win is one thing but all the penalties plus giving up 2 TDs on long drives in the 4th quarter are inexcusable.

    — How the team responds next week will be interesting. Don’t know if they take it out on BC or be so disillusioned, they will fall flat on their face — kind of the way they responded in last year’s BC game after being embarrassed at Va Tech

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  119. BC HC Haley and QB Jurkovich will be motivated to beat Pitt and pour it on if they get the chance.

    My guess is V.Davis will have his usual 15 carries for 40 yards and KP will match Jerk yard for yard. The difference will be who converts inside the red zone.

    Our D will need to play more FR next week as the regular upperclassman were visibly gassed in the 2nd half – DL, LB’s and secondary. Look for DE D.Hayes, LB Kamara, S Hill, CB’s Battle & Royal to get minutes early in the game so the starters are fresh at the end of the game. None of them played meaningful minutes on D against NC St except for Hill.

    Iowa State with a 2-1 record & loss to a non-P-5 team is ranked 24th.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iowa State’s Campbell has been named Big 12 coach of the year twice. There just isn’t much national respect for Narduzzi. Totally unfair, but that’s the way it is.

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