in Pitt Football 1,363 Words

Up Next: Clemson (+Prediction Thread)

By Richard Hefner

Editor’s Note: We are on a compressed holiday schedule this week, so had to delay this until today. Feel free to tee off on a prediction after digesting Richard’s always-thorough analysis. -Michaelangelo

Pitt is coming off their second straight 40+ scoring effort. Who would have thunk it? The 47 – 14 victory over Virginia Tech puts Pitt’s record at 5–4 (4-4 in conference). Pitt fans where happy to see another relaxing win. My worry stopped after the early 3’rd quarter goal line stand and the  following 99+ yard TD drive. The rest of the game was gravy.

Pitt’s next opponent is 7-1 (6-1 in conference) Clemson. They are coming off a Covid inspired bye week and game postponement after Clemson was already in Tallahassee. As I am typing this, I am watching a TV interview with Clemson’s head coach Dabo Swinney. Dabo is accusing FSU of not wanting to play and that the FSU is using Covid as an excuse. Dabo is demanding that FSU cough up $300k to reimburse Clemson for the cost of the trip (and upgraded hotel accommodations on a recommendation from Pat Narduzzi) if they want to reschedule. (Dabo did say that they had a team meeting in a “Circus” tent prior to game postponement. Cancellation, FSU forfeit.)

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney says Florida State administration ‘forfeited’ Saturday’s game (msn.com)

The scheduled kickoff time is Saturday at 3:30pm on ABC (was previously ESPN).

We all know the rise of Clemson under HCDS. Hired midway thru the 2008 to replace the departing Tommy Bowden, he won the 2008 rivalry game with the Gamecocks. He then promptly lost 5 straight to Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina squads. By 2013, the ACC started to change. Pitt and Syracuse joined the ACC. In 2014 Clemson finally won a rivalry game against U of SC and has not tasted the bitterness of a rivalry game loss since.

But the huge step up for Clemson began in 2015. For the time period 2015-19, Clemson has won both the Atlantic division and the ACC championship 5 straight years with an overall ACC record (including C/C) of 43-2. Those two losses were dealt by the ACC newest members (excluding the 2020 interloper Notre Dame) Pitt in 2016 and Syracuse 2017.

Clemson has also been a CFP team since 2015 winning the NCG twice. The ACC, wanting a 3’rd NC team, made sure Pitt was on Clemson’s schedule. It is Pitt that guarantees Clemson another NC victory. Pitt is the only team that Clemson played in regular or C/C games in the years they won the NC that they did not play in non-winning years. Iron sharpens iron (but so does a sharpening stone).

Obviously, Clemson is good. Recruiting has a whole lot to do with it. In the all- important Rivals 5.7 and above, Clemson has 82 of 104 recruits meeting that metric over the 2016-2020 recruiting cycles. That is 78.8% of all recruits. Pitt is at 31.4% (33 of 105) in the same time frame. In fact, Clemson has recruited 39 5-stars & 6.0/5.9 4-stars or more than Pitts 33 5.7 and above.

Clemson has not claimed anyone off the transfer portal. They did lose a top rated 2020 5-star RB recruit to the portal & Florida in October.

He choose Clemson over Florida so that his Atlanta area grandfather could watch him play. Once his grandfather passed away, he portaled to Florida.

Any preseason Stars to watch? You would expect there are and there is.

17 names covering 19 different positions. One (WR Justyn Ross) is out for the season. 5 were preseason All ACC picks. 9 on offense & 8 on defense.

It looks like Clemson has the punt/kick returner position covered. Both the punter or kicker are average or Clemson scores TD’s and have no use for either. I think they score TD’s.

In past articles I talked a little about the players on the Stars list. There is too many of them to discuss.

I do want to make a comment about the depth of Clemson. It could have been back in 2018 when Clemson beat Alabama by 28, Nick Sabin was throwing out excuses why Alabama lost. One of the excuses was the players got tired. Dabo later responded by saying Clemson plays an average of 70+ players a game. Alabama plays in the low 50’s. My take was that Clemson rotates their line up so that even the third player on a depth chart gets playing time and contributes. And everyone is rested during a game. Badly worded but I hope you catch my meaning or get my drift.

QB’s- they are the heart of any offense. Does Clemson have a good one? You bet they do plus a 2’nd and 3’rd. Here are Clemson’s top two QB’s vs, Pitt’s.

QB NCAA rankings are based on 112 ranked QB’s. Minimum requirements are playing in 75% of a team’s games played plus at least 15 passing attempts per games played.

If I interpret the NCAA requirements to be a ranked, D.J. Uiagalelei is one pass attempt away from being #34 in passing efficiency. Sorry, but I have to admit Clemson’s QB’s are better. I left off the stats without OOC. Both teams played FCS. Clemson played The Citadel. Speaking of The Citadel, it was two years ago Thanksgiving weekend that my high school freshman grandson committed to The Citadel for baseball.

Who does the QB hand off to on running plays? Here are Clemson leading rushers.

They are not bad but are only ranked #74 in rushing. Travis Etienne is the bell cow. Preseason All ACC. 1’st team All ACC in both 2019 & 2018. Obviously better than any RB Pitt has. But in my opinion, I would have to go with Khalil Herbert of VT as being the better back in the 2020 ACC season. Better rushing average & means so much more to VT’s offense. In past articles, most teams had at most 10 players carry the ball. Clemson has 14 – depth and game experience. Also notice no WR’s as leading rushers. Jet sweeps do not seem to be a part of Clemson’s repertoire.

Who are the receivers that catch those passes thrown by the Clemson QB’s?

I listed the top 7 receivers. 13 others had at least one catch. Amari Rogers is the go-to receiver. Etienne did not go pro last year. I wonder if he was told to work on his receiving game. Dabo is happy to oblige. I almost forgot the TE’s They are just not blockers.

How about the Oline? Are they good at protecting the QB & opening holes?

From the data below, they are better than Pitt’s Oline.

Put all this data together and you end up with a comparison of offensive stats.

All of the above does not relieve my trepidations. Maybe looking at some defensive stats will make me feel better.

This makes me feel a little better. At least, Pitt is in the same ballpark with Clemson. Pitt is better at stopping the run. Clemson is better in pass defense. Both are very good at playing defense.

Both of the ACC preseason selections (DE Tyler and CB Kendrick) have been injured most of the year. LB Skalski has missed the last few games. It will be Pitt’s luck to have these “Stars” return to action. Probably does not matter as I cannot remember if I mentioned that Clemson has depth and pretty good back-up experience.

Maybe Clemson cannot pressure the QB. Maybe they celebrate TD’s and turnovers to exuberantly. It is time for sacks, TFL’s, penalties and turnover margin.

Nothing there that changes my mind on the outcome. Pitt will shut down the Clemson rushing attack. It did against Virginia Tech and the interloper Notre Dame. Both are still highly ranked in rushing. The problem – Clemson’s passing attack. I fear that Pitt’s defensive line will not be able to pressure #1 QB  pro prospect Trevor Lawrence. That will allow Clemson to ride his arm to victory. Kenny Pickett will fare better against Clemson than Joey Yellen did against Notre Dame. But Pitt’s rushing attack will revert to pre-FSU and Virginia Tech no matter who plays on the Pitt Oline.

I am calling it Clemson  48 – Pitt 24

110 thoughts on “Up Next: Clemson (+Prediction Thread)”

  1. I’ll start off the predictions. It’s pretty obvious that (on paper at least), Clemson outclasses Pitt in nearly every phase of the game. Rushing Defense, Sacks and TFL are the only exceptions. Still, our defensive line wasn’t enough to slow down Notre Dame, and Clemson showed they can hang 40+ points on the Notre Dame defense – which is probably better than ours (as a whole). Suffice to say that this is the kind of game where Pitt has to play nearly flawless, and Clemson has to play pretty close to their floor for Pitt to have a chance. I haven’t seen Pitt play nearly flawless against a good team since….well since I traveled to Death Valley in 2016 to witness history in the making. But I’m not traveling to Death Valley this time (as if that matters), and I (sadly) don’t think that lightning can strike twice. Pitt will probably score a couple of garbage time touchdowns though, and they’ll get Kessman close enough for a couple of 50+ yard tries.

    Pitt 20 – Clemson 48

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  2. Clemson 48

    Pitt 14

    Pitt races out to a 14 point lead on their first two possessions!

    The blog erupts with enthusiasm!

    Clemson then scores 48 unanswered and the consensus is SOP!

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  3. Pitt covers

    Clemson scores over 40

    I expect Pitt to do better than the effort I saw at the Domer game.

    But in the end, the talent differential is key.
    Clemson has the better coaches and players.

    When Pitt beat them, they had the better offensive scheme and offensive coaching that day. Plus some nfl talent on that roster.

    This is not the same Pitt.

    Tex who will be watching

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pretty sly Richard. Go Bulldogs!

    I suspect Dabo will want to run up the score. I suspect Clemson will have several long TD plays to wide open TEs and RBs. I expect Dabo to try to score in the 50s…be as for a score prediction, I haven’t a clue.

    (I’d forgotten how long Dabo has been the Head Coach. By the way, didn’t Dabo take over without any head-coaching experience? Doesn’t Dabo rant and whine up and down the sideline during games? So there is that successful model out there…)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Dabo also lost 2012 Orange Bowl to WVU 70-33. The game before, Eers beat Pitt 21-20

        Things have changed since then

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    2. John – Dabo had no HC experience when Bowden recommended him to take over team. I believe the WR coach. He does rant & rave when he doesn’t get his way. ACC network showed 2016 Clemson – Pitt game. He expressed his opination on a Clemson penalty after three straight Pitt plays.

      I think he took a hit to his reputation on the FSU Covid go round. He managed to drag Pitt into it (and not to thank HCPN for the hotel upgrade).

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Fwiw Fans HATED that a WR coach with no HC experience took the helm
        For half a season and was then retained. Wonder if they still hate it?

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  7. For some unexplained reason Clemscum moved up to #3 without scoring a point last week. Must be the powers that be, in the event of a surprise loss, will be able to slide them down one position,, and still be in the Final 4.

    I fully expect #s 5 &6, Texas A&M, and Florida, to score in the 50s -60s this week in order to get into the Group of 4. So Dabo will be in full Head Hunting mode (if #s 4 &5 win big, AND clemscum loses, they may fall to #6 – and we can’t have that!)

    I fully expect clemscumbag to be going after Kenny’s ankle, in order to assure a huge margin of victory……..just to be sure.

    63-10

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  9. Pitt starts out with a field goal and later gets a TD. By then, Clemson will have totally shut down the run and figured out Pitt’s short passing game. It will be 21-10 Clemson at the half, and then 3 more TDs for Clemson in the 2nd half. This leads to a final score of 42-10, with Clemson having no need to even try for a field goal.

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  10. Dragons & Tigers tomorrow…..oh my. While Pitt has a chance of slaying the Dragon….unfortunately
    we might get consumed whole by the Tiger.

    Clemscum 70
    Plz Have Pitt(y) 10

    (would love to be wrong as I was last week)

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  11. Clemson definitely scores at least 50, maybe in the sixties. Pitt might, just might, get to the red zone once or twice.

    Clemson 55, Kressman 6

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  12. Pitt 26- Clemscum 24 (Pitt wins the turnover battle by 3, sacks Lawrence 4 times and holds Etienne to 49 yards rushing).

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    1. Dare to dream Pittdad. But you do get the luxury of saying I told you so if it actually happens

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      1. MM, thanks but I’m sure you meant to say that I get to say “I told you so” WHEN it actually happens. 😎

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    2. pittdad – agree with the Etienne part. Not so sure of the rest. I would love to share your enthusiasm.

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    1. The Cyclones of Iowa State are having like their best season in……..well forever. Haven’t had this few losses (2) since the year of D-Day….lol. 1944

      Hey if you can win at Iowa State, you should be able to win at Pitt. (maybe the BoT will remember, but
      with Nitters……….will……….but won’t)

      Matt Campbell is gonna be a Hot Commodity. Bowl games in 4 years in a row at ISU. After cleaning up the mess the program was in, during Paul Rhoads, final 3 years of 8 wins and 28 losses.

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        1. Off of ISU’s website. Yes/

          Dave Andrews, one of the most revered football strength and conditioning coaches in the nation, is in his first season as Director of Football Strength and Conditioning.

          Andrews spent the last five years as the head strength and conditioning football coach at Pittsburgh. His leadership in the weight room was a crucial factor in the Panthers’ rise in the ACC. Pitt played in four bowl games in his five seasons and the Panthers achieved the third-winningest conference record among the 14 ACC football schools during his five-year tenure.

          The Panthers are coming off an 8-5 season and a victory over Eastern Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl in 2019.

          In 2018, the Panthers won the ACC Coastal Division championship. Andrews had his players in prime physical condition, helping the team record four second-half come-from-behind victories.

          Pitt players bought into Andrews’ training regimens, and during the offseason, a large group of former Panthers in the NFL trained under his guidance, including two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.

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          1. Gee….it almost sounds like we were good or something. You gotta love these puff pieces that litter
            coach and asst coach pages of the schools websites.

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    2. They will fire their coach before pitt fires theirs. They are bottom line and results oriented unlike Pitt. Herman gets one more year. Ten wins plus big 12 title or bust. They don’t fool around in Austin.

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  15. If Dabo can score 100 he will try. With the FSU non game, Lawrence coming back, and a need to solidify their poll position I look for them to really lay it on. Anything close to the spot will surprise me, but I’ve been depressed since that mess on Wednesday. It is really hard to be a Pitt fan when you care.

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  16. Strange factoid, while looking over Iowa State’s football history. Not only did Johnny Majors go immediately from Iowa State to winning a National Championship at another school (Pitt), just a few short years later, but so did Gene Chizik.

    Gene Chizik went from 2 horrendous seasons at ISU, where he was 5 wins & 19 losses, to winning the NC, at Auburn(14-0) just a couple years later.

    Guess it helps when one gets Cam Newton, by hook or by crook.

    Or it was just meant to be !

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    1. No doubt … Mat Campbell has been a proven commodity for a few years now. In fact over the past few years, the 2 best programs builders are a pair of Matts …. Campbell and Ruehle. In fact, in 4 years, Ruehle went from Temple to the NFL (via Baylor)

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      2. Yea yea…the billionaire Hedge Fund guy from Pittsburgh who owns the Carolina Panthers raised some eyebrows when he tapped….Matt Ruehle to be his new HC.

        And Hedge Fund guy has a knack of making pretty good decisions 🙂

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  17. Clemson 59
    Pitt 30

    Both teams put on an offensive exhibition – Pitt’s just happens to be more offensive to it’s fans.

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    1. Maybe we should start drinking now…..just to well oiled in case we lay another Egg….in the 1st game of tomorrow’s Doubleheader against…….the Dragons of Drexel.

      (on a side note, we use to hang out on Penn/Drexel’s urban campus in West Philly, mostly at
      Smokey Joe’s) Kinda snobby over there. Hope we destroy them !

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  18. 31-20 CLEM. I’ll be interested to watch who/how the OL performs. I don’t have high expectations, but I am curious after last week’s game.

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  19. Clemson 48 – Pitt 31. I think Clemson’s defense is a bit more vulnerable than in recent years, enough to allow Pitt to cover, but I just can’t see Pitt’s defense holding the score low enough to give Pitt a chance. Clemson has scored 40 every game except against B.C. (when they had 34) and they put 40 or more on Notre Dame and Miami, two pretty stout defenses. It would take a huge special tams play and probably a +3 turnover advantage for Pitt to hang around into the 4th quarter.

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  21. I’m probably naive but I don’t think Coach Swinney would run up the score on Pitt. From listening to both coaches, I think they have a healthy, professional respect for each other. A 45-10 win by Clemson would be decisive enough. I don’t see Dabo throwing to run up 50, 60, or 70 points, even if he could. As I’ve said before, he can’t get into the ACC Championship game unless Miami loses another game or Florida State agrees to reschedule their cancelled game. Running up the score doesn’t change that. And if Notre Dame faces Miami in the ACC Champ game, Clemson might get into the playoffs with a ND win. I see no chance for them if Miami wins.

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    1. Farmer’s – I don’t think you are correct. If Clemson wins out, they go to the championship game regardless if the FSUx game being played.

      Miami lost to Clem

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  22. In addition to its academic rankings, Pitt has also been recognized for its positive campus atmosphere, with The Princeton Review rating Pitt as having the 8th happiest student body and the 11th best quality of life in the nation in 2010.[143]

    See we were just coming off our only 10 win football season(in 3 decades) and everyone was happy, happy, joy, joy !

    (btw Pitt is a much higher rated University…….academically than Drexel. Not even close, so THERE snobs !)

    Liked by 2 people

  25. Correction. Just read the ACC tie-breaker criteria and it looks like Clemson would face Notre Dame barring an upset, even if Florida State refuses to reschedule. There is a clause that reads, “in the event there is an unequal total number of conference games played among teams tied in the loss column, head-to-head results will take precedence over win-percentage.” Clemson has beaten Miami.

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    1. Even if that clause wasnt in there…..I can’t believe the ACC wouldn’t step in and force Fl State Pen to reschedule that game.

      FSU in their jealously of Clemson, probably rigged a false Positive PCR test. Not that those tests don’t give plenty of false positives any way. lol A very flawed test indeed.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It was Clemson who had the positive case not FSU. The problem was Clemson took the positive player to Tallahassee. Clemson tried to say Pitt did the same thing & had a positive player in Florida. That statement by Dabo was wrong.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Thanks for the clarification. Still sounds like something FSU would try to pull. haha
          And Clemson’s AD is from Pittsburgh. Dan Radakovich. He must be Bad Rad’s son I would imagine.
          Bad Rad coached the greatest NFL linebacker trio in NFL history. Those being Andy Russell, Jack Lambert and Jack Ham. All 3 started for the AFC pro bowl team one year.

          Me thinks you might not be a Clemscum fan. ha

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  26. One More ACC Bowl Game gone !

    College football’s bowl season has already taken a hit because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Those hits keep on coming as the Pinstripe Bowl announced on Friday that it would not field a game in 2020 out of “an abundance of caution and in conjunction” with the ACC and Big Ten. The game, held at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, was scheduled for Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. Jerry Palm’s latest projections had Pitt and Purdue taking part in the game.

    Manhattan is like a ghost town, with many many Restaurants closed/boarded up in iconic neighborhoods and all the bars are closed down. So it wouldn’t have been much fun anyway. DiCrazio Apocalypse 2020

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  27. I wonder if Dabo could win with Pitt’s talent level. I doubt it. This suggests that Narduzzi and staff are limited by their recruiting results rather than being bad game preparation and game day coaches. When I see some of the good TEs and OLs around the country it is obvious that the talent gap between Pitt and ND, Clemson and other top programs is huge. The question for Pitt’s AD is will recruiting ever reach a sufficient level to complete with these problems.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. for the umpteenth time, what does Pitt have to sell? Especially when recruiting against teams who are located near where most of the quality recruits are …. like Clemson?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The same thing Iowa State has except without the OCS. Or how about Indiana.

        Top 25 teams have good players who are coached up by good coaches.

        Pitt has mostly good players (I did not say great nor all good) who are coached by mediocre to good coaches who don’t seem to coach up enough to break the mediocre string of seasons we’ve experienced in our lifetime.

        The one thing Pitt does have to offer is playing time and a few good players became great players at the next level with some developing at Pitt. Examples: Fitz, Shady and Aaron Donald.

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        1. so once again, you pick out the one or two successes and ignore the next 10 failures. Let’s wait a while until you anoint Tom Allen as the next big time success. And after Matt Campbell gets hired at Michigan, Iowa will go back to being St

          No doubt that the 2 one-point losses were big disappointments but remember … after today, three of Pitt’s losses will have been to Top 10 teams. The Pitt program has had one 10-win season in the last 38 years and in that season, they faced only two teams that finished ranked (Cincy 8th and WVU 25th), and lost to them both.

          But of course, the next hire (the 5th since Wanny) will be our savior! No doubt about it

          Liked by 1 person

          1. yes Indiana played a real good game vs OSU …. but their wins have been against PSU, Rutgers, Mich St, Mich, … which has a total of 5 wins among them (by beating each other)

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      2. Who is Pitts competition. Well it’s the coastal schools.

        Can pitt outsell Miami. Probably not. Historically Miami has been far better recruiting. Better name, location. Pitt can’t do anything about location.

        Va tech. They’ve done better historically than Pitt. But not significantly particularly recently. They do have an OCS.

        Virginia. Snobby academics

        Duke. See above. And it’s a basketball school

        Ga tech. Tech geeks. But they are in a recruiting hot bed. They should be a sleeping giant.

        North Carolina. Closer to more recruits. Pretty campus. Big state school. But they’re more known for basketball as well.

        Pitt has its own great selling points. But you need to know your competition and how to pick it apart.

        But not every kid wants a city campus in a cold location. I think those are the two biggest drawbacks.

        So soften Pitt up with that pedestrian boulevard by tunneling Forbes for about five blocks. Raze some of the slums in Oakland and create housing, open squares and draw in trendy small business, open cafe concepts.

        Build that damn MPC with a retractable roof and great view of Touchdown Cathy.

        I’d like to see the other schools tear pitt down now.

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  29. Funny, I’m thinking this will be a closer contest than most expect. With KP back and getting healthier, this translates into a better defensive and overall performance. Figure Clemson will win by 2 touchdowns but Pitt will still be in the game at half time.

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  30. Which Pitt team shows up today. The one from the last two games or he one from the others?
    Also what are the Covid/injury issues? On both teams? Certainly need Dennis if any chance to slow down the run game.

    Would love to see an effective pass rush today, with a Heisman candidate on his back side a lot.

    Turnover will be key, which side wins that battle?

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Pitts only hope is Air Kenny…Clemsons weak spot is their secondary.
    Have no idea who will be held out since Secret Squirrel won’t say…but I expect 40+ pass attempts and maybe a few shovel passes to The Anaconda.
    A Kessman last minute game winning fieldgoal would be sweet but I think we lose but cover 35-24.
    If we knock out Trevor early we win 13-9 Haha.

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Trevor get’s held out today because of a positive Covid test.
    The Tigers try to mail it in for the win but with so many postal workers off for the Thanksgiving weekend the USPS can’t keep up & the mail doesn’t get delivered on time for today’s game. The result, Pitt 28, Clemson 27. The final chance for Clemson is a missed FG. However it becomes apparent that the FG was missed because of a bad hold. Swinney will definitely contest this result, since a subsequent investigation will expose the fact that the Clemson holder’s Father is actually a Pitt alumni. Dabo rightly claims the game was therefore rigged & protests the final result to the ACC only to have it appealed to the NCAA for the ultimate decision.
    We’ll know if Pitt won by December 14th.
    Hey, it’s 2020, could happen.🤷🏼‍♂️

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  35. Pitt has plenty to sell a recruit. Will it get 70-80 percent rated 5.7 and above? No

    But it should be doing far better than 25-30 percent

    Really needs to be at least 40 percent to stay competitive based on talent alone in the Coastal.

    Then of course coaching takes over. Can your player stay in school and stay healthy. Pitt does a good job there despite the higher academics and real classes

    Does the staff develop you. Help you reach your potential

    Moreover are you playing the right position. Placed in a position to succeed and max out your talents. That’s where scheme and system are important. And how a recruited player fits

    There is absolute no reason why Pitt should have only four top 25 rankings in the last 35 years. Pitt is ranked roughly once every decade. That’s pathetic. That’s on coaching.

    Given who pitt plays schedule wise, pitt has the talent. The gap is only wide when pitt plays Miami. Or when pitt has played clemson, Domers and Nitters. Most of the time pitt has the higher average star.

    Why did pitt beat clemson and the Nitters in those years. It was due to offense. Key skilled players. Better coaching that day. And the better scheme.

    So my new coach will be a guy that knows offense. Has a proven system like spread or RPO. Can recruit quality quarterbacks and tight ends. Knows how to develop linemen.

    Make sure the money is there for good assistants and my new coach could win with a bunch of Elon recruits.

    Remember I have that list. You’ll want to see it again after today’s game.

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    1. Pitt has nothing to sell, especially when you compare Pitt to successful programs. You can’t make a statement like that without evidence … heck, you may even start to believe it.

      I do agree that good offense is more relevant these days, but academics? At least half the schools in the ACC are on a par or rated higher than Pitt.

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      1. See my response above

        What do you think Pitts biggest drawbacks are. What do schools use against Pitt

        I would use slumy and dirty Oakland. And play on fears of it being unsafe. I would use the weather. I would use no ocs and yellow seats.

        All those can be addressed with the right AD and chancellor. And city leaders.

        Those are the biggest drawbacks from my vantage point. Pitt had plenty to sell me over penn state.

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      2. in latest US News rankings, Pitt is even with Syracuse and Miami but Duke, NC, ND, UVa, WF, BC and GT are rated higher

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        1. But I believe Pitt beat penny state in those rankings. And that’s all that matters to me. I’m sure IUP beat the Hoopies.

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  36. I always blame management 1st and foremost… the coaching is the result of management… the reason the Browns and the Lions have not been to a Super Bowl is bad management… same with college except for the bagmen who loom in the shadows……

    I thought PITT would play ND tuff and QUIT….. I think Clemson will blow us out( just like in2016) … I say we play them tuff today…Dr. Tom and UPitt should put those VICTORY CIGARS on stand-by….

    ND has a good team- love their TEs and Skowronek….good OL… WPA well represented…always hated them but starting to feel and attachment… might convert to Catholic and go the full monte!!

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Hate ND even more now that they are getting the best out of WPA plus Kelly is a jerk.

    They also got to play Clemson without their best player and at home, luck of the Irish?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. having its own network has more to do with the Luck of the Irish. No doubt they have a good team but if they beat a healthy Clemson team in a couple weeks, my hat is off

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  39. BTW, yet another of example of a proven HC in a middling program is Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern (speaking of academics) who BTW does it with defense. Yes NW was 3-9 in 2018 but have rebounded nicely

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    1. But he plays in the weaker division and the big ten isn’t the ACC where offense reigns supreme. It’s slog ball in the Midwest. But he is a good coach. A good fit for that school and conference. He would not be successful in the ACC. And what is he selling recruits on?

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      1. precisely, my point exactly. But the last time they played Oh St (last year), they lost 52-3. The lost to PSU 31-7 on 2017, the same year they lost to Duke 41-17. That was Narduzzi’s worst team yet they beat Duke 24-17 at Duke (although there is still a recount because apparently two long TD runs are still in dispute)

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Another good example – my point was show me a top 25 team once or twice every 4 years.

      We have gotten none of that from Duzz, who was never a HC and probably never will be at the P5 level again after Pitt.

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        2. Pitt pays natduzzi top 40 pay. Now he sits at 25 with his $4 million

          Pitts saragin and rpi rankings over the past 6 years is in the 50’s. This takes into account sos.

          Natduzzi is a thief

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  40. Now that the Pitt – Clemson game has been moved from ESPN to ABC, that dastardly Franklin is probably scheming to use all his timeouts, play for overtime, and any other delay tactic he can think of to prevent us from seeing the start of our game.

    BTW, the Ohio State – Illinois game today was just cancelled. There is talk that if their next game is also cancelled they would not likely be eligible for the BIG 14 title game.

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    1. this true. I’m hoping Jim Harbaugh pulls a John Harbaugh, and his team starts testing positive in the week before thus preventing OSU from the title, and possibly the CFP. That would be great! Ranks wiht Cal Tech as far as CFB legend

      Like

  41. Pitt favored by 10 over Drexel today. Course they were favored by 15.5 over St. Francis.

    Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

    Liked by 3 people

  42. Frauduzzi, AARP OC, Lyke and Capel all
    Underperform. I said Video making Capel was terrible before it was cool to say it.

    Clemson 48
    Pitt 16

    Like

  43. My preseason picks had this as a loss. Why are we again playing a second game in a row AT Clemson? ACC loves us. With virus cancelations we wind up on ABC and another nationally broadcast bad look game.

    Like

    1. Look, the last time Pitt played Clemson in a prime time spot in front of a national audience, KP threw for 8 yards.

      It cannot get any worse than that, can it?

      How about steel grey unis, minus 8 yards rushing and 8 yards passing? That would be worse…

      wwb – a few of my posts responding to your points that I cherry picked winning programs did not make it through WordPress – we both have good points, I just think Pitt’s administration does not give a rat’s -.. about sports and it has shown for the past 38 years.

      Was WordPress developed in the USA?

      Liked by 1 person

  44. Pitt has the opportunity today to show the nation it belongs on the same field as perennial powerhouse Clemson. Do not play in an embarrassing manner. Make your fans proud of your effort today. That’s about it.

    Liked by 2 people

  45. Honest prediction:

    I think PITT’s defense can keep them in the game for the first quarter, after that it will be mostly downhill. KP needs to move the ball and try and give Clemson a long field to score points. This will only go on for a short while. I have very small hopes for an upset down there.

    Not getting blown out in a loss? Again, at the end of the day I can’t see Clemson handily beating PITT down there. Clemson will be playing mad and trying their best to win big. I have very small hopes PITT doesn’t get blown out.

    Covering the point spread? Here I think PITT may have a much better chance at succeeding if you can call it that. I say PITT covers the spread but is still blown out.

    Clemson…..45
    PITT…………24

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    1. That’s close to what I predict

      It’s a win if they don’t play like they did against the Domers.

      It’s a win if they wear blue and gold

      Tex who has friends in low places

      Like

  47. Pitt’s in a tough situation today. Clemson lost one game to ND and had their game with Fla State cancelled last week. They need to score big against Pitt(much like ND did) and not let up at all to bolster their chances to get into the college playoffs. Clemson 45 Pitt 9.

    Like

  48. Will the Pitt BBall team outscore Clemscum’s football team ?

    That is the big question of the Day !

    (hopefully they will ! ) Let’s Go Pitt !!

    Like

  49. Erie @ 11:49, concerning the Pitt admin not giving a Rat’s …. I cannot agree with you more. But it’s not the current admin, but previous admins that is the blame (especially the early 90s)

    Fact is Pitt contemporaries from back in the 80s, ND, PSU and WVU, have consistently maintained its support of the its programs. This is certainly not the case for Pitt ….. and without a recruiting base (the final straw) Pitt doesn’t have a snowball’s chance of rebuilding the program where you ‘realists’ want it to be.

    There is very, very little to sell this program to outsiders who are being pursued by a number of attractive offerors. Yet, you ‘realists’ continue to blame the current HC, AD and Prez.

    Like

    1. We were in our 40 year cycles. 1930’s to 1970’s = 40 years. 1970’s to 2010’s = 40 years.

      Would have happened too, except for the Pederson led coup on Wannstache, endorsed by Nerdenberg
      and the spineless BoT. (any many posters that frequented the blather)

      So let’s see…. next 40 year cycle would be the 2050’s. See you there !

      Like

    2. Yes they are to blame. How serious are you about football when you play off campus in a rental stadium. That says it all to me right there as a recruit.

      Like

    3. All I want are more than one top 25 ranking every decade. How is that not real?

      ‘Lessor’ schools can achieve this marker. Why not Pitt?

      Hire the right people. Not an assistant coach from a big ten school. Not some AD from a MAC school that had a real bad expose regarding their athletic program via a national syndicate.

      Pitt doesn’t do their due diligence. It doesn’t know their identity.

      It has always been run by idiots regarding sports. When it should be run by Savvy business people. And those that know sports.

      Atom counter doesn’t know jack and the BoT could care less.

      It’s teal simple. People make the difference. Pitt just hires the wrong people. Look at the hiring process. Begin there.

      Pitt has my list and my choice for AD.

      But Pitt will continue to Pitt. It’s not rocket science people.

      It’s people.

      Like

  50. Pitt’s BBall will outscore Clemscum’s football team !!

    (i just checked my Crystal Ball)

    Final Score, Pitt BB 80….Clemscum 70

    Like

  51. It’s amazing how many slightly above average players at Pitt remain… above average. Shocky and Pine come to mind, and there are many others including most players on the OL. Even Pickett would be included if he played only 3 years like most college QBs. Pitt must think that if you recruit a 320 lb. lineman, regardless of skill level, he will simply drop 20 lbs, plug a hole and be a good player. Pitt’s LBs are notoriously average in general over the Narduzzi era. Not all players can be coached up.

    Like

  52. Even though I don’t think will be able to run the ball, I say Pitt covers the number. Take advantage of a rusty Lawrence in the first half. Clemson 31 Pitt 16

    Like

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