in Pitt Football 329 Words

A Sad Inevitability

There are few certainties in this world. Death. Taxes. The changing of the seasons. Pitt playing sloppy and losing a game it was favored to win.

I’m not kidding. Here’s a list by season:

  • 2020 NC State
  • 2019 Boston College
  • 2018 Miami (and Stanford)
  • 2017 UNC
  • 2016 Northwestern
  • 2015 Miami
  • 2014 Akron
  • 2013 Navy
  • 2012 Youngstown State
  • 2011 Rutgers
  • 2010 Connecticut
  • 2009 West Virginia (I can’t find the odds but we were #9 at the time, they were unranked)
  • 2008 Bowling Green
  • 2007 Connecticut
  • 2006 Connecticut
  • 2005 Ohio
  • 2004 Connecticut
  • 2003 Toledo
  • 2002 WVU (We were #17, they were #24)
  • 2001 USF (Yep, just read here)
  • 2000 Syracuse (I can’t find the line, but Pitt was 4-0 and had beaten Penn State just two weeks prior. Syracuse was 2-2 with losses to C-USA Cincinnati and East Carolina).
  • 1999 West Virginia (Can’t find the line, but Pitt came in at 5-5 with a bowl berth on the line and WVU came in at 3-7)
  • 1998 Take your pick. This was Walt Harris’ 2-9 year
  • 1997 Temple (Incidentally this was my first year as a Pitt fan)
  • 1996 – Final Year of Majors II. Not even going to spend the time…

You could write a script and paste it into just about every loss I listed above.

  1. Team didn’t look interested in playing for at least one quarter, usually more / did not appear ready to play / didn’t play with passion / got physically beaten.
  2. Excessive penalties
  3. Preventable miscues (drops, turnovers)

And look, this is more than just a Pat Narduzzi thing. This goes way back. All the way back even to Jackie Sherril. (Remember when #11 Penn State handed #1 Pitt their only loss in 1981? I’ll bet you do…)

And yeah, believe me, when I sat down and started typing I wanted nothing more than to rain fire and brimstone with my words, excoriate the coaching staff and use the might of my pen to attempt to hold them to a higher standard.

But who are we kidding? These kinds of losses are inevitable, no matter who we hire.

Hail to Pitt (and don’t let it get you down too badly)

Michaelangelo Monteleone

143 thoughts on “A Sad Inevitability”

  2. I’m pretty sure this is not unique to Pitt, Maestro. It is just the nature of sports. And thank God it happens. If the favorite won every game, no one would watch. Why would you? Upsets are what make sports fun. Unless it is your team that is upset. The other 98% of the world enjoy them.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Pitt doesn’t always know how to win; but if you’re lookin’ for drama, watch Pitt! 😳

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  3. Huff, whether or not Narduzzi and Lyke need to go or stay is a legitimate topic for discussion. But Tex takes things too far. The personal slander with meatball references and the obsession with the yellow blouse are below the belt attempts to demean or embarrass them. Tex has said in the past that winning is everything even to the point of burning the place down. I just don’t think most POVers are this extreme.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. It needs to burn. The athletics department is run by incompetents. Miss compliance has two probations under her watch.

      When was demeaning a crime? I don’t personally attack players or posters unless you low belt hit first.

      Is it extreme that I want a board for academics and a board for athletics.

      Is it extreme that I want a MPC.

      Is it extreme that I want heather and Narduzzi fired.

      Is it extreme that I view the student athlete model to be most hypocritical and broken.

      Is it extreme for me to advocate that Pitt not be part of the 30-40 school league that sells their soul to the NFL.

      Is it extreme for me to demand better recruiting and better bowls and top 25 finishes

      Is it extreme for me to not donate to football or say nice things when not deserved.

      You obviously don’t know me buddy. And I don’t care if I hurt your feelings.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Yet, when it comes to COVID-19, Tex wants to shut Pitt down.

      I lyke Tex’s passion to make Pitt great again, and I believe he has a well thought out top 5 replacement list for Duzz, but as MM says, it’s not just a Duzz issue, it spans the globe and it is called “The agony of defeat”.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. When it comes to football I’m for the safety of players

        I’m also not for special treatment of athletes over the general student body.

        I told everyone that money would drive decisions. Safety is just a cover for universities. A word that is loosely thrown about.

        I also have said I believe in fans in the stands if certain conditions are met like low positive rates in community, mask wearing, social distancing, constant sanitation, temp checks

        I’m very consistent on these things. And very mainstream. There is nothing radical about my thoughts. And I don’t make things up. I’m very grounded in reality and advocate pragmatic solutions.

        And I haven’t been wrong on Narduzzi yet

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  4. Michaelangelo, you could probably say the same things about every team that loses, 95% of the time. It’s why bad and good teams lose. They muck it up for themselves. PITT is too often the muckers in winnable games.. Example, how did PITT beat the eventual national champions at their home field? Clemson mucked it up.

    What does muck mean in slang?….. To make a mess of; bungle:

    Liked by 3 people

    1. To Pitts credit, they also have upsets that help offset bad losses. Some schools only have the bad losses. Pitt is known as a giant killer.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I’m 50. So no, I don’t recall the 1981 L to PSU.

    My all time fav, however:

    2010 Connecticut

    Yeah, I remember this game right before they hauled my ass into jail where I spent the next 7 months. For nothing.

    Thanks for the memories, MM!

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    1. I recall that loss. Made me hate Penn State all the more. More importantly, it opened my eyes to something rotten at Pitt. My eyes have been open and I’ve been awake ever since. Most Pitt fans can’t say the same.

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  7. Ten thoughts on the Pitt-NC St. game, this year’s team, and the program …

    Pitt is like a toddler in the way it can make something so predictable – almost inevitable – seem as frustrating as the very first time
    Pitt is a “single point of failure” team. If their bread-and-butter (overwhelming pass rush) isn’t hitting like it normally does, they have nothing to fall back on. There’s really nothing else they do consistently well. Like most single point of failure systems, Pitt can function at a high level when its weakness isn’t tested but is ultimately unreliable (unless you mean reliably disappointing.)
    I was worried about the NC State game coming into the season (they’ve produced a decent amount of pro talent recently) but nudged it into the probable win column after the thrashing the Wolfpack took at the hands of Virginia Tech (should have known better). Hopefully the results of those two games fall into the “Any Given Saturday” category and don’t indicate the relative quality of Pitt and VT but this game didn’t feel fluky despite Pitt’s edge in total yards. (I mean, you knew NC St. was driving right down the field after the Pitt TD, didn’t you?)
    Pitt really seemed to struggle to create offense in their scheme. I know NC State was only rushing three much of the time, but it was still disturbing how much time Pickett had to throw but still couldn’t find anyone. Not sure if everyone was covered or if Pickett was just hesitant to pull the trigger, but there were numerous occasions where he had a sandwich back there and I’m just thinking “how can no one be open yet?”
    If you’re going to be a defense first team, you can’t have this many penalties game in, game out, especially when you’re offensively challenged. In modern college football, if you’re not a team that scores 35 points game-in, game out, you have to be crisp in every other phase because there’s just no margin for error.
    The way Pitt lost was a bad beat, but really there was nothing surprising about this result. I think I called a 30-23 Pitt victory on the prediction thread, which was about one play away from being the actual score. Outside of Clemson, Miami, and Florida State ( and maybe Wake at the back end) pretty much the entire ACC recruits in the same basic tier so unless one team has a really high number of upperclassmen or returning starters, a stud QB, or a massive coaching differential, there aren’t many huge upsets in this league.
    Unless Pitt makes a leap in recruiting or brings in a coaching staff that provides a significant schematic advantage, they should expect to have several tossup games every year (for me, a tossup is a game where you wouldn’t feel confident betting big money on either team to win more than 6 out of every ten contests on a neutral field). In a normal season, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech will be tossups (once Tech transitions from the option offense). I suppose you could include UNC since they usually win nailbiters over Pitt, but the way they’re recruiting they’re poised to move to a higher tier.
    Add the three tossups to at least one probable loss (Miami) and two in years when Pitt plays Notre Dame (although ND and VT are the only teams Pitt overperforms against) and three when they draw a tough division crossover game, and you have a good idea where Pitt’s current ceiling is. 1.5 losses (annual average) from the tossup games, plus a loss to Miami, a loss to a crossover or Notre Dame, and the traditional loss to an inferior team. That’s about 4.5 losses a year, or 7 or 8 wins, maybe touching nine when the schedule is favorable or the team peaks.
    It’s tough to watch this season squandered by an offense with no truly excellent position group (I rate QB and WR as better than average but no one is game planning for them), one group below average group (o-line) and one horrid unit (tight end). If even one of these units were a level higher, Pitt would be a threat to win almost every game but Clemson.
    The scary part is I’m not sure there’s even one position group on the team we can expect to improve next year – maybe linebackers? The secondary will almost certainly have a huge dropoff (not that they covered themselves in glory today). If the offense doesn’t compensate (with a first-year starter at quarterback) then a losing season is a real possibility.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Ten thoughts on the Pitt-NC St. game, this year’s team, and the program (this time with better formatting) …

    Pitt is like a toddler in the way it can make something so predictable – almost inevitable – seem as frustrating as the very first time

    Pitt is a “single point of failure” team. If their bread-and-butter (overwhelming pass rush) isn’t hitting like it normally does, they have nothing to fall back on. There’s really nothing else they do consistently well. Like most single point of failure systems, Pitt can function at a high level when its weakness isn’t tested but is ultimately unreliable (unless you mean reliably disappointing.)

    I was worried about the NC State game coming into the season (they’ve produced a decent amount of pro talent recently) but nudged it into the probable win column after the thrashing the Wolfpack took at the hands of Virginia Tech (should have known better). Hopefully the results of those two games fall into the “Any Given Saturday” category and don’t indicate the relative quality of Pitt and VT but this game didn’t feel fluky despite Pitt’s edge in total yards. (I mean, you knew NC St. was driving right down the field after the Pitt TD, didn’t you?)

    Pitt really seemed to struggle to create offense in their scheme. I know NC State was only rushing three much of the time, but it was still disturbing how much time Pickett had to throw but still couldn’t find anyone. Not sure if everyone was covered or if Pickett was just hesitant to pull the trigger, but there were numerous occasions where he had a sandwich back there and I’m just thinking “how can no one be open yet?”

    If you’re going to be a defense first team, you can’t have this many penalties game in, game out, especially when you’re offensively challenged. In modern college football, if you’re not a team that scores 35 points game-in, game out, you have to be crisp in every other phase because there’s just no margin for error.

    The way Pitt lost was a bad beat, but really there was nothing surprising about this result. I think I called a 30-23 Pitt victory on the prediction thread, which was about one play away from being the actual score. Outside of Clemson, Miami, and Florida State ( and maybe Wake at the back end) pretty much the entire ACC recruits in the same basic tier so unless one team has a really high number of upperclassmen or returning starters, a stud QB, or a massive coaching differential, there aren’t many huge upsets in this league.

    Unless Pitt makes a leap in recruiting or brings in a coaching staff that provides a significant schematic advantage, they should expect to have several tossup games every year (for me, a tossup is a game where you wouldn’t feel confident betting big money on either team to win more than 6 out of every ten contests on a neutral field). In a normal season, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech will be tossups (once Tech transitions from the option offense). I suppose you could include UNC since they usually win nailbiters over Pitt, but the way they’re recruiting they’re poised to move to a higher tier.

    Add the three tossups to at least one probable loss (Miami) and two in years when Pitt plays Notre Dame (although ND and VT are the only teams Pitt overperforms against) and three when they draw a tough division crossover game, and you have a good idea where Pitt’s current ceiling is. 1.5 losses (annual average) from the tossup games, plus a loss to Miami, a loss to a crossover or Notre Dame, and the traditional loss to an inferior team. That’s about 4.5 losses a year, or 7 or 8 wins, maybe touching nine when the schedule is favorable or the team peaks.

    It’s tough to watch this season squandered by an offense with no truly excellent position group (I rate QB and WR as better than average but no one is game planning for them), one group below average group (o-line) and one horrid unit (tight end). If even one of these units were a level higher, Pitt would be a threat to win almost every game but Clemson.

    The scary part is I’m not sure there’s even one position group on the team we can expect to improve next year – maybe linebackers? The secondary will almost certainly have a huge dropoff (not that they covered themselves in glory today). If the offense doesn’t compensate (with a first-year starter at quarterback) then a losing season is a real possibility.

    Liked by 2 people

        1. Location, location, location. They are closer to where the majority of the difference-maker HS players are located.

          Also, they can draw players from the north, where the milder climate is appealing, and players from farther south, who aren’t thrilled about going too far north.

          If you’re good, several teams are going to “make you feel like family,” show you how you fit into their offense or defense, and the rest of the recruiting game, but location is fixed…

          I’m not saying NC St. will out-recruit the big-boys in the South, but they have a better shot at the prime leftovers than Pitt does…

          Just how I see it if I were in the shoes of a recruit…

          Go Pitt.

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  9. In 2008, Stanford was a 7 point fave

    in 2009, (the 10 win season), Pitt lost to ….. NC State. Yes, that team had Russell Wilson (soph) …. but that team also lost the next 4 games en route to a 5-7 record.

    Another sad inevitability is that Pitt still has to play 4 more ranked teams to play … Miami, ND, VT and Clemson. That 2009 (10 win team) only played 2 ranked teams the entire season.

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    1. ….. and lost to them both

      As I continue to preach …. what part of this program over the past 25 years makes you think it can win 10 games per year? It plays a harder schedule than before and it is forced to go far outside of its area to find quality recruits that are passed over by Top 20 teams.

      And don’t give me this crap about low expectations. Several coaches over several years have failed.

      Yes, they went 27-10 in Wanny’s final 3 seasons but they also played only 4 teams which finished ranked in those season

      Liked by 3 people

  10. speaking of mediocrity, here is your NFC East after 25% of the season played

    Eagles 1-2-1
    Wash 1-3
    Dallas 1-3
    FB Giants 0-4

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  11. MM is correct. Just about every college team will lose a game they should win and win a game they should lose.

    I am more upset that I cancelled my Comcast and purchased Fubo TV to get the ACC network. Why Fubo? Because Fubo is only one of two streaming services that have Hallmark for the wife and the ACC network for myself.

    It was a pain in the arse and Pitt lost the freaking game!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Pitt has more than enough talent to play with all but a few teams in the country.

    Whipple’s offense is horrendous. It is not the players. NCST and every person watching the game saw the slow developing run plays coming from a mile away. It is schematic.

    At this point, Pitt should just go spread offense all the time. Four or five WRs at all time. Whipple’s pass plays are the only thing he can coach. Think Houston Oilers with Warren Moon, LOL.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was thinking the same thing – spread them out. Even at the goal line. Trying to bunch with the bigs doesn’t work unless you have the stronger bigs – and we don’t.

      Spread them out — go with a run -pass option. If you run Pickett, it gives you an extra blocker. If you spread them out, Vincent Davis has a much better chance of getting into the end zone.

      But it really comes back to no real presence at TE.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Pitt’s run game is obviously not its strength. Pass it downfield and have the passing game set up the run. But as many of you may have pointed out, It was the lack of defensive pressure that lost the game. What happened, I wonder?

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  15. LOL. If they would have thrown the entire game like they did in the 4th quarter, Pitt wins.

    No point even playing a TE if they aren’t fast enough to get open (Carrigan) or aren’t big enough to block (Moraga). They need Wright or Krull back.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Without a running game, there is no ball control aspect to this team, no way to kill the clock, rest the defense, move the ball in the red zone or score from the 1 yard line. Letting Pickett run 15 times a game is a recipe for disaster and he will eventually get hurt. Then what?

    What happened to the passing crossing patterns? With no TE or FB to throw to, they are throwing the long ball when 3-4 yards are needed and there is no running back to get them. I don’t think the WR group was above average going in when this year’s top receivers are a Freshman and a Sr. transfer. Where did Shocky and Wayne disappear to? Mack is not consistent. I mentioned at the start of the season that Addison would last maybe 3 games before he got hurt. Well, he made it to game 4.

    This NC State game brought everyone back to earth as far as 2020 potential goes. There will be no more talk about 9-10 win seasons. As for what position groups are above average, I’d say that Pickett is having an okay year (look at his efficiency rating for the NC State game). The defense as a whole is above average, but can’t win a game for them. And as mentioned previously, a look ahead to 2021, with 6-7 players gone to the NFL, is not a pretty site. Narduzzi desperately needed this to be a good year…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Narduzzi needed to be good for all you guys sitting on his lap. To validate your love of him. But this is reality. Narduzzis ceiling is 9 wins…and I’m probably being generous.

      It’s year six and no breakout yet. Year seven looks less promising. Walt was forced out for results like this and he didn’t have the budget.

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      1. There are a lot of Texas, Oklahoma and Tx A&M fans that are gravely disappointed today as well. For Texas and Oklahoma, they are in year four and losing badly. A&M in year three and fans are calling Jimbo a thief as he is paid over $700k per game.

        It is not just Pitt fans who are frustrated.

        My expectations won’t change, just my investment in my time and funds will change.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I have nearly zero interest in starting to pay extra attention to your posts but iirc, and I might not, you already started to waffle on your expected outcome for this season basically looking to cya on your otherwise consistent ranting mock

        Aaand as I’ve said before, carry on, but don’t claim superiority of opinion without laying out your plan or at least revealing more of it…There are a few ways to rationally look at things with the Pitt program that should include taking in all factors. Money and support are one piece and yet while you can flip a switch on the money, and potentially more quickly increase the support with the right AD doing all the right things, there are many programs out there trying and likely doing more of and even exactly what YOU are calling for and yet not immediately having success to the level they’d like.

        At this point I am only willing to see out this season with PN and the same with every part of the coaching staff. For Heather, her response to what happens also seals her future for me.

        I am hopeful for this season and oddly sitting at 3-1 am realizing there needs to be a huge turn around for the trajectory to not lead to nearly ALL OF WHAT TEX IS SAYING.

        Aaaand, I’m still up for the bourbon,,,,whatever origin and vintage,,,,we’ll trade rounds until someone can’t stand or pay. 🙂

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  17. Haven’t seen the injury bug hit Pitt this hard in a while. Twyman wasn’t an injury, but then losing Camp hurts the middle of the line. Also Baldonado goes down. Losing Mathis didn’t help. Although playing well Dennis is playing because of injury. On offense, AJ Davis and Carter are hurt. Krull goes down, Mack misses games, Wayne is out and of course Addison. Houy is out.

    Injuries are a big part of football, and this year you have Covid as well. Not an excuse for the NCST game but moving ahead, Pitt can’t afford to lose many more.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. If a team has a QB who throws for over 400 yards and fields a #2 rated defense in the country and loses against a nondescript team? It isn’t a head scratch-er, PITT was out coached plain and simple. Clap on clap off, clap clap won the game and no excuse but the refs did suck …AGAIN!

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  19. What’s frustrating to me is the lack of progress, week to week. All the factors that made the Syracuse and Louisville games closer than they should have been not only weren’t addressed, but seemingly got worse in the NC State game. Dumb penalties, dumb turnovers, dropped passes, inconsistency on offense, etc. Do these coaches actually, ya know…. coach? Do they have the players practice during the week? If so, what is it they’re practicing? Because whatever they’ve been working on the past few weeks, IT SURE AS **** DIDN”T ******* WORK.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. One thing that stood out to me was how fast and crisp NCS was on offense compared to Pitt. How many 3rd and 1 did Pitt have that they couldn’t convert? Was hard to watch.

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    1. Exactly. They have a real college OC. I think the game has passed Whipple by. Those NC State quick passes were torture to watch.

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  22. I remember the 2001 USF loss. My wife of 3 months (who is a Pitt grad as well) was so mad at the Panthers that she called the head coach of USF on Monday morning and left a VM congratulating him on his Big East win and how great it was to see a well prepared football team despite the fact that he beat “her” team. She also mentioned in the message how we drive up from DC to see Pitt. The next day was 9/11/01. Later that evening once we got back home and digested the day, her phone received a delayed VM. It was Jim Leavitt. He called her back to see if she was alright.

    Liked by 10 people

  23. I’ve been thinking about OC Whipple and Pitt. Is he 1) overrated at UMass having success at a lower caliber program; 2) unable to teach and translate past success at that level over to a P5 program; or 3) a victim of Pitt’s current offensive players who aren’t sufficiently skilled to implement his offensive schemes? Also, does the man do any actual recruiting to bring in players that fit his schemes?

    I don’t really see in him an OC who is on top of his game, who is energetic, creative and staying up with the latest offensive concepts. But it could also be that he is being held back by a HC who limits the offensive approach to traditional methods. Were the OL players recruited for pass blocking only when a more balanced approach is needed? I can’t figure out what is going on with the offense, whether it is coaching, schemes or poor recruiting.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. All

      Pitt hires a senior citizen, Old Pappy, to implement an offensive scheme last used in the Pop Warner era.

      I’d go air raid the rest of the year. Play to your strengths. It’s not the line and it’s not the backs. Go five wide on every down. Kenny would thrive.

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    2. The scheme certainly seems a little more conservative this year, which…who knows, that may or may not be a Narduzzi directive. On the other hand, the offensive line is terrible, and there’s certainly no way to hold Whipple responsible for that, given that he just got here about 18 months ago.

      Liked by 2 people

  24. If Heather and/or Narduzzi ever get caught picking their nose, they would not only be ridiculed for that but they would also be criticized for picking the wrong nostril. Nit picking if you will.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. I think Gorilla Arms could kick a baby in a stroller and turn a terrible towel and say Prmantis sucks and Coal Miners are wussies and people would still give the guy credit.

    I said Pappy Van Whipple was a dinosaur 2 years ago and was outdated.

    Headed to DC. Anyone in Georgetown meet me for a beer tonight.

    -Upitt

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      1. Not buying the players out for state Mark, PITT was missing many starters as well. btw, didn’t PITT do what they should have in that scenario? Something PITT is often accused of not doing?

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  28. Some on here suggested that Pitt throw deep and often and all day, before the game was even played. When you study the opponent and see a weakness, you exploit it……continuously, until victory. The gameplan this week should have been something like 4 passes to every run. This is especially true when you watch your vaunted defense not performing as a whole, from the onset. As a head coach or an OC, you have to think, trust what you are seeing, and adapt to a different methodology to try and win. We did none of that. Zero, zilch, nada, goosegg, caput!

    When I read stuff like, well if we score more by passing, the defense can’t rest excuse, it makes me want to put a nail in my eye so I dont have to read that ever again. The defense is your alleged team strength. These are 18-23 year olds allegedly in top condition. Think about a basic play. A typical play lasts 5-6 seconds. That requires 5-6 seconds of max effort and then you get to rest! Think about that and let it sink in. Is it too much to ask? If you get tired, you go out. Mental cupcakes are what I see being developed behind the gates.

    It is really odd that some are calling the Krull injury critical. The same folks said he cant catch a cold (not political) are saying we miss him and maybe we do and maybe we don’t. We will never know. Injuries, shminjuries. Even with the ones out for the game, the line was still 14. Awful!

    We lost. Some will argue that if only we would have held a two point conversion, or had one less penalty, or a bad ref call, we would have won. Narduzzi may have tried those excuses. Okay, he did. What he didnt say is that those things work both ways. They dropped passes, we threw a pick 6 that but for a post pass roughing the passer call, it was 6 more points for them, and on and on. Final score was what it was. I dont make excuses because I am not a nitter or a wv high fan. For the most part, we were out coached, outplayed and out administratored. That sums it up! Move on to next week. I think we beat BC to go to 4-1 which was my expectation a few weeks ago. Just shameful that we couldnt be 5-0 going into ND….and ranked highly!

    I don”t watch who beats who this year because of the sickness component and team players availability. Its futile to try and make comparisons with anything this season.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Fully agree with your post, Huff.

      NCS out gameplanned us. Thats on the coaches 100% and Narduzzi should take that and say as much in his press conference.

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  29. PITT scored 30 pts and Gordon fell down at the two yard line without a defensive player in sight. 37 pts should win a team a game.

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  30. what does “comment awaiting moderation” mean? Is that being in the queue because my fingers may have typed something offensive, or kind of like waiting for Pitt to be able to score in 1st and goal situations? I’ll be really disappointed if the I love Ike comments gets moderated….:) lol.

    Pitt game plan was offensive and needs moderated.

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    1. It means you have a verbooten word in your post. Swear words and certain political terms. I skimmed your post and couldn’t find any so o approved it

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      1. gracias. i swear i really try to abide by at least half the rules. Kind of like a narduzzi coached squad.

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    2. aha, I knew it Huff. You live a secret life of potty mouth and live on the edge. I’d bet you use the word poop all the time? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. dogdirt is my go to word of choice……..and fiddlesticks! Ask my kids. I embarrass the bejeebers out of em! Dont drink, dont swear, don’t smoke, dont live like others. Boring, but fun because its contrarian!

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  31. why do so many here coach up and criticize the game plan after the game without having laid out anything prior to or at least give real time opinions/adjustments DURING the game

    some won’t even predict a real outcome

    not saying anyone is pretending but c’mon, Monday morning QB’ing is kinda’ easy, many of us could win an extra one or 2 if we could coach that way

    so much 20/20 looking in the rear view mirror with some

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tvax – do your homework before accusing generally. Go back to the prediction thread BEFORE the game was played. Actually the day before if i recall. One person and one other (lastrow?) looked at the two deep and the three deep and realized the ncstate defensive backfield was forced to play freshmen and a sophomore, with a freshman walkon as a backup due to injuries and serious ones at that.

      I am not saying I deserve the goldstar for homework. I am saying that if I knew the seriousness of their defensive back problems, and couple that with a 3-3-5 scheme, the intermediate to long passing game was there for the taking. That is why I am not impressed with the yardage KP put up. He should have been given the opportunity to get more. Instead our head coach and OC tried to establish a run game with OL that couldn”t move some really talented pudgy run-stoppers. The main mission of a 3 DL front is to plug the run and take as many OL with you to free up the tacklers. Their 3 were better than our 5….+FB or TE. Awful.

      That said, I expect them to come back with a better effort against BC.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. one point hard to overlook is that VaTech put up over 300 yards rushing on them the week prior, obviously that was a huge fail and for me it was a fail more because Whipple doesn’t seem to have much to offer with the run game at all

        yet trying to run SOME was not unreasonable

        aren’t you one Huff who criticizes the inept O-line, long passes take time

        but if you aren’t just MMQBing, good, carry on and I really mean that

        maybe you can give your list of 5 and the HL replacement

        and I will continue to accuse as I see fit, but thanks for the request 😉

        Like

  32. Mississippi State was the darling of college FB last week when they went to Baton Rouge and beat defending national champs LSU. On Saturday, they were upset at home by Arkansas, a team that has lost its last 20 SEC games.

    This is college football, people. And only the really good FB teams can overcome their bad days. Enjoy it, it’s actually fun to watch

    Liked by 2 people

    1. But miss state wasn’t undisciplined and not ready to play. They had a down game as expected after beating the national champs in Baton Rouge. Narduzzi has no excuse. He’s just a flat out bad coach after six years and is regressing below the mediocre baseline established by previous and existing athletic directors.

      At least we have Pitt futbol. The number 2 ranked team in the country. My donations are providing me with tremendous value.

      I wouldn’t give a penny to the bozos running American football.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Kessman has been hitting all his fg’s from the left hash after missing 2 from the right hash. Has coach whip been setting him for success?

    Like

  34. Are any of you POV insiders hearing any grumbling going on within the Athletic Dept. or Pitt administration? After all, Pitt has given Narduzzi most of what he asked for, and as Tex has said over and over, the budget is top third of the ACC, with Narduzzi overpaid at $4 million. But contrary to popular opinion, Narduzzi’s extension had to be approved by the Chancellor and BoT, so Heather isn’t solely responsible.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Don’t listen to Tex VoR, there are no rumblings at all, None. PITT lost one game out of the first four games. Disappointing loss? Yes, life changing? No! In this case, the terrible rusty hinge gets no grease. In fact no one hears it.

    Liked by 2 people

    3. It’s very early. But I doubt any negative words will be uttered. Narduzzi is navigating through and as much as I think he is not the answer, he will get high praise for keeping things together through a pandemic.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Jimmy, I just can’t express enough how Pat is not going anywhere unless it’s his decision and that doesn’t look likely.

        btw, it is one loss. I say let them have their fun and enjoy the loss and I told you so’s. I’ll hang up and listen.

        Like

  36. I have suffered with Pitt football for a very long time like many of you. I actually was a Pitt alum when they won their last football national championship. I was in Three Rivers Stadium for the 48-14 game. I was seated behind the end zone where we scored our two touchdowns. As Mike has pointed out this type of game always seems to happen. I knew we were going to lose the game when we were down 17-7 and said so. Even when we were ahead I just knew NC State would march down the field and score. Oh, by the way, I was also at the Russell Wilson NC State win over Pitt game in Raleigh. It was a miserable rainy day. I was also at the game where we got blown out at Virginia. So I should know by now to just take it easy and be surprised when we win. Alas as this year progressed it looked as if this year would be different. It is not to be. There is no way Pitt will have a winning season this year. Even if we beat BC this week where are the other three wins? I personally do not think we will beat BC.

    So what does Pitt have to do to turn this around. Well I guess we will have listen to Narduzzi’s BS for at least another 2 years. After that hopefully he will be shown the door. This was to be his year. He failed miserably. If we did not pickup a last minute grad transfer from Maryland, we would not have been in the game at all! As poor as Wanny was as game day coach, I would rather have had him all these years than what we got as replacements.

    For rest of this season and the next two I am just going to watch Pitt football with very low expectations. If they somehow manage an upset that will be great but I do not expect them to be even receiving votes for the top 25 anymore. Narduzzi has to be gone before that will happen again.

    Like

    1. Stinks getting old John -and I hate to correct you, but 48-14 took place at Pitt Stadium. My older brother is a big PSUcks fan. Pitt had just scored to go up 14-0 and he threw a fit. I told him to relax because Pitt was going to lose. That made him more mad because he thought I was rubbing it in. I told him that too many Pitt players were carrying on like the game was going to be a walk in the park since they were quickly up by two scores. The next series, Pitt drove down the field ready to score again and, well…everybody knows the rest of the story.

      Like

    2. Is that the fishy version?

      I’ll take everyone on a slippery, fishy ride – what if Pitt just had a bad game and they get back on a roll and win their next 3 games?

      BC, Miami and ND.

      Then what?

      Well, if UNC and Clemson go undefeated, that is your ACC championship match-up.

      Or, could a one or two loss team get there. Losing to NC State smells bad right now, but if NC State can beat UNC and stumble on their own, the smell gets better…

      If Pitt gets on a roll. And not the kind a dog gets on in your back yard.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. What leads anyone to think that narduzzis team will begin rolling after barely getting by two bad teams and losing to anothet bad one?

        I expect Pitt to lose to Miami. Given my presence in da burg, they will beat the Domers. I have something up by boot.

        Like

        1. How bad is Texas who lost to TCU and barely beat Tx Tech or Oklahoma who lost to Kansas State and Iowa State (both losing to non P5 teams in their openers)?

          This is a weird season. Let’s look at this last game as a bad loss and nothing more for right now. There are many things to fix – let’s see what the 3 million dollar man can “whip” up. If they lose to BC, the joint sticks and I’m finding other entertainment real fast. I’ll still follow, but dedicating my free time to watch a smelly product, can do it when there is golf weather awaiting.

          Oh, to be a Pitt fan.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. $3 million? He’s paid 4 based on what Pitt disclosed. Probably even makes more than that. He’s a thief.

            I’m a subway alum of Texas only. That’s no worse than a subway alum of the Domers. I don’t donate to Texas. I donate to pitt volleyball, soccer and wrestling

            All programs in the top ten now or finished near there last year

            Suckers donate to football.

            Like

  38. Mark (Upitt) brings up a great point that NC State was missing a lot of players but how great would it have been to have had Twyman, Camp, Baldonado, Bright, Davis, Pine and Mathis that last drive?

    Like

  39. btw, I may have some little itty bitty inside info and I’m told Narduzzi and Heather aren’t going anywhere anytime soon unless they choose to themselves.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. They are married Ike. The cost for the marital breakup would bankrupt pitt. How does that make you feel.

      Like

  40. I flipped on Mark Madden today to get his take on Pens news and he discussed Pitt.

    Called the entire program and fans out. Went nuclear on Narduzzi. A couple of you would have really enjoyed it.

    Like

  41. Madden can sure dish it out but man he can’t take it… My one son would call him and ask a question and then call him tubby. Boy did he flip out. It was a running joke for a while. LMAO!

    Like

    1. I met Mark Madden at the Bottle Shop in Heidelberg PA in 2012, I was with a business associate who hangs out on occasion with professional athletes and Madden was present but very quiet.

      He projects himself on the airwaves as arrogant and rude, his physical appearance is an image of one unhealthy individual.

      Didn’t talk to him and he just seemed to be a wanna be with the group.

      Like

  42. Erie, it doesn’t matter if none of my sons tuitions goes to Texas football. It supposed to be for academics only.

    Student fees support football. Along with ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, parking, naming rights, advertising, third party fees and donations.

    He’s getting a FREE ride on academic scholie. Why the hell should I care. It’s not my money.

    Seriously chill down.

    Like

  43. Erie, some of us have gotten less bright during this pandemic. It has nothing to do with gaining wait. You drew it. Not me.

    Tex Rambo

    Like

    1. COVID-19 is just a speed bump for me Tex. I’m brighter than you’ll ever know.

      By the way, four of your five candidates will fail at Pitt. It is written in the stars – all two of them!

      Like

      1. They will not fail if miss yellow blouse is replaced by riddick. And if four fail, one succeeds. That’s my top pick. You can have it for a top shelf bourbon. 🤠

        Tex who has a LED for a light bulb

        Like

        1. Hey Tex, since you know so much about P5 college athletics administration, why aren’t YOU working in that field? Aren’t major universities banging down your door begging you to save their programs? If you are such an expert put your $ where your mouth is. Put up or shut up. I am so sick of your know-it-all comments. Why are you such an expert? Because you coached high school? Give me a break! Continuously berating Narduzzi and Lyke won’t hurt their feelings or make them go away. So PLEASE spare us the repetitive whining!! Maybe you can just type your bit** then delete it so we don’t have to read it ad nauseum. Do us all a favor, PLEASE!!

          Liked by 3 people

  44. I listened to Madden today and his Pitt rant. I think Narduzzi is a horrible head coach and has created a bad public image in the Burgh but I hated Marks diatribe. I’ve met Mark several times long ago and in person he’s a decent guy. Hes a Duquesne Grad he hates all things Pitt but that rant was hard to listen to. Duzz is a lot of things but not a blowhard!

    Like

  45. Mark this down: it is 7:42 PM, 10/5/20. The Panic Button has officially been punched.

    I wudda thought it would not have been punched until after the 3rd L, or so

    Like

  46. tvax – not to keep going on this subject, but you tried to call out the group generally for being monday morning qb”s and how easy it is ranting about this or that. During the game thread, if you look, you will read that someone said that KP was pulling the ball in and running it, losing yardage instead of handing the ball off as designed as part of the run option. He made bad decisions. He tried to do it himself because he thought he was having a great game and was all that. Coaches should have corrected that after the first time and he did it on multiple occasions. Narduzzi addressed just that (except for the all that comment).

    I have to admit something here guys. This was the first time in a long time when Narduzzi actually seemed humbled at his presser because he realized what an awful product was put out Saturday, from penalties, to OL, to KP decisions, to not having the kids prepared, etc. I was actually glad he spoke so openly about this. Maybe he turns the corner, maybe not. He wasn’t angry. He told it like he was a commenter on the POV. I can respect that 20 minutes of presser.

    Doesn’t mean I like him. I just respect that he humbly took it. I don’t think he was being fake either. The reason that this game was a good loss, was because they all played poorly except for special teams. I will coin this, feel free to use it. Pitt lost 3 of the 4 aspects of the game. Offense, lose. Defense, lose. Special Teams, tie. coaching, Lose.

    Go back and read the in game comments. There are some smart people that aren’t necessarily college football coaches with some halfway decent insight. Its not always negative, more like constructive criticism. I will disagree with the coach when he said that you learn from losses. You learn from wins as well. You learn how much preparation and effort it took to beat your opponent. Would always recommend learning with winning, hence the easier OOC rants.

    Like

    1. Thanks Fran and I couldn’t agree more about EE. Personal attacks are off limits, especially when it comes to friends. Since I no longer read Tex comments I’m glad you came to Rick’s defense Fran, great job.

      Like

      1. Well when you personally attack my son and his weight, what do you think is off limits Dad?

        And I’m as skinny and mean as ever with drinking during
        Covid.

        Tex the prodigal son who understands Reed more every day.

        Like

      1. Tex – at 6:26pm my weight comment was clearly directed at Mark Madden. Turn the LED bulb on and you’ll see. My MO is to never talk down about a specific college student nor athlete, which would include your son.

        EE who thinks Tex should switch from Bourbon to Kool-aid for a week.

        Liked by 2 people

  48. “Since 2018, only 6 receivers have more receptions than Tyler Boyd, 7 who have a better Ctch%, and 10 who have more yards. So yes, Tyler Boyd is currently a top 10 WR in the NFL.”

    jus saying.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. The 2-deep released today is the exact same as last week.

    Does that mean we get the same result?

    I was attempting to be optimistic regarding the remaining games, but that flies in the face of Pitt fans – poor in every sense of the word.

    EE asking for two friends in Texasss…

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Not only is Boyd an above average WR in the NFL but he’s an above average hometown citizen. He’s a big time contributor to his community and just like most local players……… hasn’t forgotten where he is from.

    Like

  51. I was going to comment further but I’m too depressed revisiting many of the games listed above!!

    Maybe Duzz realizes that he has created the poor public image. His presser was exactly how a coach should act post a horrible loss.
    Maybe there’s hope.

    Like

  53. I would hope that Narduzzi at least shows some anger in the locker room over the penalties and uninspired play.

    Like

    1. Yes my feeling exactly. But I don’t think he does. And does he get a Covid pass for underperforming this year?

      Like

  54. Well this really sucks. I’m just sitting here on a late Monday night just waiting for something………. anything. Has my life been reduced to waiting for PITT to play BC 5 days from now? I always said I was born to retire and now that I have achieved that, my new motto is to wake up to go back to bed. Staying awake and being a PITT fan is a real struggle. Pills are no long an option but they would cure my ills or at least help……… a lot!

    Like

    1. Ike — one of the tricks I use is that I always have a book I’m reading during football season. In weeks like this, I’ll get a ton of reading done – displacing much of the Pitt drama from my brain… 😊

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  55. @Huff, did some homework:

    Prediction thread you done good>>>gives you get out of jail card for MMQB’ing

    Game thread, you blew the KP lawsuit(can HL and PN sue you for slander or defamation?) and agree to disagree on the PI calls, the rest was pretty reasonable

    Keep up the B- work
    but if you need bail money, nah, they don’t lock you up for overzealous wishful thinking, do they?

    Like

    1. lol…..potential lawsuits for concussions come much later, after playing is completed. That’s how it works. There is video evidence of a clear shot to the head. A vicious collision, especially in slow motion. He will have video evidence that shows he tried to get up, and couldnt/wouldnt. In the heat of battle, kids continue on because they are competitors. That is the basis for many concussion lawsuits. There is not a statute of limitations on these things. Ask the NFL. Ask the NCAA. Ask the individual institutions that have been getting sued and paying billions in damages, years after kids leave the schools. That’s just the facts.

      Most schools and conferences require immediate testing once a hit like that occurs. I am sure Pitt followed the current protocol. The protocol does include half time evaluation too. Again, presume he went through that. It’s not an absolver of future liability however.

      The POV lead doctor, MM, suggested that there was no way KP wasn’t concussed.

      We won’t know the answers for awhile, but if I represented him after his playing days are over, it would be easy money. Understand the legal process and liability before throwing lazy punches. There was no wishful thinking on my end and that statement is ridiculous. I was supporting the injured player who put his future on the line with every hit to the head. If you want to debate concussions and future liability, lets go. Also, good luck trying to find an insurance company that will now cover or make a payment based on concussion protocols. Losing billions of dollars is not a good business model for insurance companies. But go look. Even try London. It aint there either.

      Like

      1. the wishful thinking is always about HL and PN being removed for you, not about the concussion

        how you know from your tv screen view what protocols were or were not followed I don’t know but I’ve seen some of your opinions on many observations to realize you miss on many, DVR slowed down or not

        btw, who is the lead doctor of the POV? nobody who would give a real judgement based on a television screen view and little or no other info,,,i guess you even backed off and say you are sure Pitt followed protocol

        Like

  56. The 1981 blowout to Penn State was followed by a Rousing last minute win over #3 ranked Georgia and a final ranking of #3 or #4. But Narduzzi just muddles along. If Pitt had kept Sherrill the #1 ranked ’82 team would have won the national championship. No such hope now.

    Like

    1. that ’81 team included ….. Marino, Covert, Collins, Dawkins, Sweeney, Flynn, Maas, and Fralic

      ALL WESTERN PA 4 STARS (and I may have forgotten a couple)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. and just off the top of my head, here are a some Western PAers Majors/Sherill didn’t get — I can guarantee you there were many many more:

        Joe Montana, Bruce Clark, Scott Radecic, Jeff Hoffstetter, Jim Kelly, Gregg Garrity, Bill Contz,

        The FIRST point is that Western PA was loaded with talent back in the glory days … and Pitt probably didn’t get half of them.

        the SECOND point is that if you back over the past 60 years, the late 60s/70s was the aberration … not the norm. The norm is above average with at least one head scratcher per year …. and that’s many, many years and many, many coaches

        Liked by 2 people

        1. And the 20s and 30s were an aberration ensures by a certain chancellor who ran off Pitt’s best coach and created the failed effort to join the Big Ten – we lost out to Narduzzi’s former employer until Mikey Mike resurrected the program.

          Like

    2. I don’t think any Pitt loss has or will come close to that staggering defeat.

      Having been on the sidelines for that one hardened me for things like last week which people here are treating like the Last Supper. Things look bleak but not that bleak.

      Amazing though how a one point loss causes Pitt to drop 20 slots, never happens to any other team.

      When Pitt upset WV or Clemson, how many slots did they drop?

      Too bad there weren’t playoffs in Jackie’s last three years, I think there might be a couple more trophies in the case.

      Liked by 2 people

  58. To piggyback on formerlywwb from this morning, there have only been 2 aberrations in Pitt football in the past 70 years. Their names are Majors, and Sherrill.

    Makes me wonder what we’ll be able to get if/when old “gorilla arms” decides he’s had enough. We’ve all heard it before… be careful what you wish for……

    Like

    1. It’s fair to say that all coaches understand that criticism is part of the game…

      Like

  59. Right Mike, they consider the source and then chuckle to themselves. It has to be amusing for them to be thinking about the guy who knows everything while sitting in his easy chair making peanuts compared to them. Hell, I find it amusing myself making peanuts by comparison. That’s kind of my point on the POV. What experts we are…………. huh?

    Like

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