253 thoughts on “Belated Roundball Thread: Pitt vs Gardner Webb”

  7. Even game since the 14-0 lead…..aw shucks…i was hoping we’d pitch a shutout for the 1st half.

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    1. Yep he’s like a vacuum cleaner under the boards. To get 20 in a game u’d have to be !!!

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  9. Don’t understand why Brown is getting so much PT. He’s a known quantity. Webb was getting nothing inside pre-Brown insertion.

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  10. this game reminds me of just the opposite of Pitt-Northwestern. G-W couldn’t buy a bucket in the first 12 minutes but Pitt couldn’t put them away. Just hope it doesn’t end the same way

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  12. 33% FG for Pitt…dreadful…even more pathetic from 3. Zero made for the half. a pathetic 7 for 13 even from the Free Throw line. Unless they’re just dogging it !

    Clearly these guys don’t spend much time, practicing just shooting. Cause this is EVERY game.
    Last year too !

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  13. When we get a pass into the open area at the foul line, our guys always seem to rush that shot – even though they are wide open. It’s like they release the shot before they get all the way around to being squared up. Maddening.

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    1. No Fundamentals. And clearly, these kids could care less about fundamentals. That’s why you see better played games at lower divisions and the women’s games.

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  14. speaking of dogging it, I see Pitt South is doing it again …. Miami FB is losing to UNC 31-3 with 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

    FWIW, UNC FB was down 31-7 at halftime earlier this year. The Coastal remains a division of no sense

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    2. Makes it hard for Miami to complain about Clemson’s game being cancelled, taking away Miami’s chance to back into the ACC Champ game.

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  15. Miami (football)seems to always lose as soon as they get into Top 10. Much like Pitt losing almost immediately when they enter the Top 25. So yea….. Pitt South.

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  17. Amazing that Spud Webb is shooting 25% FG and is still in this game. Pitt will struggle to win any games in the aCC. Only on the night the opponent is playing horrendous.

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  18. Champagne looks like a man among boys out there. Other than that we look awful. Better defense than previous games though

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    1. Did you see him play against St. Francis?

      If he continues on this tear then yes. But let’s see how his first 2 ACC games compare.

      I lyke Champ and am excited with his play and monster stats.

      Let’s hope there is more to come…

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      1. This whole “lyke” versus just saying “like,” is wtf stupid. It’s not remotely clever.

        What exactly are your intentions here with this, Erie?

        I just don’t get it unless you’re with Tex and the rest of the misogyny for no good-damned reason.

        Stupid.

        Makes you look stupid

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  20. Seems to me, this would have been the perfect game to get Hugley huge minutes. But it’s not happening.
    He’s only got 2 fouls…so that’s not it. Wonder what is going on there ?

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  21. Just back from playing golf in the mud. Looks from the comments like a usual wild and out of control Pitt.

    Was thinking about Pitt awful shooting. Someone on here said they need to Practice shooting. Problem is, like golf, if you practice in bad form, all you’ll get is bad shooting.

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    1. Spud Webb didn’t score any points until there was like 7 minutes to go in the 1st half. Yet Pitt only had scored 14 in the first 13 minutes.

      Mud golf….requires much ball cleaning. lol

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  22. don’t know if anyone has noticed, but in addition to 20 rebounds in a game, there is another way Champagnie is remindful of Dejuan Blair …. his long wingspan. Check them out

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, he got his first basket as a Panther. Under normal circumstances he’s be a candidate to RS.

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  27. Pitt could use that Cornwall kid….44% from 3 . He’s from NYC so how did Capel miss him, when we have no PG’s.

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  28. To make this about me, I used to drive by Gardner-Webb when I took my John Deere lawn tractor for repairs. Owner sold business to a multi-location company & they moved to the big city of Shelby, NC. Ex owner works for them at new location. He remembered me when I bought some replacement parts a few months ago.

    My first wife’s mother got her nursing degree from Gardner-Webb, My wife’s brother got his BA from Gardner Webb.

    Gardner Webb’s big moment in the sun was beating Kentucky in Lexington. Then HC Billy Gillespie was fired at end of season, opening the door for Calapari.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. They made the NCAA’s just 2 years ago, winning 23 games. Losing to National Champion Virginia in the 1st Round.
      And they gave UVA a better game than Pitt did that year.

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      1. Gardner Webb is only 20 miles away but is in the Charlotte TV market. I am in the Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville, NC TV market. I know more about the Socon then the Big South conference. And my favorite Bulldog is THE Citadel Bulldog.

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        1. Gardner-Webb has a branch campus in Charlotte….off of I-77. So yea they’re in the Charlotte TV market.

          Use to have a tennis partner who had played for The Citadel and then became a tennis pro.

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  30. back to Pitt South …. Miami just lost 62-26. I just turned it on to see if it was over and heard Herbstreet …”it’s like they’re not here, like they didn’t get on the bus to come to the stadium”

    I have been saying this for years. But to their credit I guess … they just did it once this year, usuall it’s at lest3 or 4 games

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  31. Don’t look now…..but we gotta play Clemscum again next fball season.

    With that in mind, it is not too early to commit to 2021 season tickets. You can place your ticket deposit for only $100 per seat. A timestamped deposit ensures your priority to pick out the best available seats for our highly anticipated 2021 season, featuring #3 Clemson, #10 Miami, and #17 North Carolina.

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    1. I get the rub with Clemson, but Miami and NC put themselves in those positions with coaching hires and recruiting. We can’t play scrubs all the time.

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      1. The only real scrub we play is Syracuse. But even they won 10 games a couple years ago.
        Duke was a annual scrub for decades, but Cutcliffe has made them more than respectable for
        awhile now.

        Pitt’s non-con is usually more difficult than most schools.

        So the premise that we play scrubs all the time…is not accurate.

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        1. If they are all scrubs, we certainly are as well. There are generally teams that can easily beat us as we can them on each years schedule. Take UNC’s drubbing of Miami today. Nice win. They finish with three losses without playing Clemson or ND.

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          1. ND beat Carolina…

            Should just declare ND National Champs and let the kids go home for a much needed break… they beat everyone, 11 victories, one their schedule and screw Ohio State who only played 6.games …

            Army-Navy was fun to watch… AMERICA’s GAME!!!

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            1. Alabama may want a say in who the national champ is. Clemson may pound ND in the ACC championship – wouldn’t that be a treat.

              Would have lyked to be at West Point for the game yesterday. The fog made the game even more “ old school” – the uni’s were cool too.

              Syracuse finished 1-10

              The greens were fast yesterday my friend – lyke an old man returning a bowl of cold soup at the deli…

              Liked by 1 person

  34. watching USC v UCLA game and Chip Kelley puts in a 4 tight end formation for UCLA in the RED zone

    4 TIGHT ENDS!!!

    do I need to say any more?

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      1. Our five TE’s on the roster (yes 5) had a total of ten catches, each with at least one.

        With Pitt not going to a bowel game, we might see the coaching changes sooner.

        Don’t hold your breath waiting for the first change to happen or you might miss Christmas…

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  37. continuing the FB scrub conversation …. an ACC scrub of the last couple of years is FSU whom Pitt just beat the crap out of. Yet FSU took a 31-7 lead on UNC earlier this year, and beat them … the very same UNC that laid 62 on Miami.

    Pitt belongs in the Coastal … they are right where there are supposed to be. And they have won more than they have lost. 39-33 since joining the ACC… and 29-20 since 2015

    Liked by 2 people

  38. Unwatchable IMO. Other than Champ and on occassion Johnson watching Pitt BB is a little like having to go to the dentist. You are never quite sure how the visit will go or end up.

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  39. 1-18 three point shots will not win any ACC games. How is that even possible against a rent-a-win on your home court? Very poor foul shooting as well. At least the defense is much better than the last four years, and they are going to the hoop a lot stronger, best way to improve shooting percentage.

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  40. So this might be the most Pitt guys drafted since the 80’s, which doesn’t make the season any less disappointing. Weaver, Twyman, Jones, Mathis, Pinnock, Hamlin, Ford, Kessman, Morrisey, Hargrove, Turner, all possible, many probable. Possible free agents Camp, Campbell, Mack, Pine. Not sure what happened to Mack this year, injuries probably.

    It will be very interesting.

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    1. after the 2010 season, the following drafted were

      J Baldwin 1st / J Sheard 2nd / D Lewis 5 / J Painkston 5 / G Romeus 7

      I know that Hynoski was a FA, probably a bit more

      after 2009 season, only Byham and Dickerson were drafted

      Note that K Williams, D DeCicco, A Berry, J Malecki and Lucas Nix were also FAs who would play in NFL (K Williams is still playing)

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      1. after 2008, L McCoy 2nd round / S McKillop 5th / and 7th rounders L Stephens-Howling and D Kinder

        and B Stull also was a FA after 2009 who was on a NFL roster for a short while

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  43. taking NOTHING away from JC but who here would rather have him on their team over DB?

    NOBODY who knows basketball

    only a few who don’t know basketball

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    1. Good question. Blair certainly made quite an impact (literally) in his 2 years at Pitt. This bring the question … would he be as effective if he was playing today, and especially in the ACC where the refs drive me crazy with these touch fouls.

      The BE physical style of play was perfect for him. However, who knows? Maybe today Blair would be suspended for ‘Tossing Thabeets’

      Liked by 2 people

  44. It would have been nice if Tre Mitchell and Julian Champagnie were Panthers.

    Mitchell had to get out of Pittsburgh and Capel was recruiting him. If true Julian didn’t want to leave New York then there really wasn’t much Capel could have done about both.

    Reminds me years ago the bad luck Dixon had with some players. James Harden’s HS coach was going to be Pitt’s operations director, but Maggie passed and the hire was put on the back burner. James was going to follow but ASU offered the same job.

    Blair’s teammate who ended up at St. John’s needed to get out of Pittsburgh but had a change of heart late, but there was no spot available.

    A terrific shooting guard from NY, Durand Scott, was likely a Panther until Miami hired that shady coach who paid to get Scott. That coach jumped from Miami to Missouri to Tulsa to run from the NCAA.

    The guard to replace Fields, TJ McConnell, had his growth spurt too late. He was blocked from transferring to Pitt and ended up at Arizona.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. DeAndre Kane was going to come to Pitt for his last year, but the family wanted benefits that shady Hoiberg obliged to at Iowa State. He would have been on Dixon’s last good team at Pitt in 2013-14.

      Birch would have been terrific had he stayed and was a rim protector. Paired with Zanna down low imagine how much better that 2014 performs.

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  47. Despite the fantastic effort by Champ, this Pitt team has some major weaknesses. They have got to get Horton going for an outside threat. And the Freshmen, while very good players that work hard, have got to continue to improve as they move into the ACC schedule. It is good to see that Brown is finally on the bench where he belongs.

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    1. Horton has his two big games for the season against the Little Sisters of the Poor and Central Northwest Middle Eastern State.

      I see Billy the Kid Jeffress claiming that spot very shortly, if he hasn’t already.

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  49. Pitt women basketballers just beat Clemson at the Pete 80-71. Trailed by 11 at the half. Amazing comeback.

    15-14-20-31
    That was Pitt’s scoring by quarter.

    The Stars today were Soph. Day Harris who Scored 21 (fouled out with 4 min. left), transfer Junior Everett had 16, Soph. Amber Brown had 14, and Frosh King had 11.

    Like the men, the women couldn’t buy a 3 until they started to fall in the 4th quarter.

    This team is maddening to watch with ridiculous decisions with the ball and copious amounts of turnovers — but of the 12 available players, 10 of them are Sophomores and Freshmen.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Several coaches fired today – Gus Malzahn Auburn

    Kevin Sumlin Arizona

    Lovie Smith Illinois

    Jeremy Pruitt may be next at Tennessee if they have the money for the buyout.

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      1. Narduzzi won’t make that list, but how about Dino Babers from Syracuse?

        The ACC and B12 yet to have a team cut ties with a HC.

        Tom Herman Texas and Matt Wells Texas Tech are both on the hot seat.

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    1. The Texas AD announced that Tom Herman is their coach (yesterday). Not a rousing endorsement unless you (VoR) found a more convincing statement mentioning his retention as the HC.

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  53. It’s going to be some rebuilding job next year. Not sure if Pickett has stated his intentions yet.

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  54. David, the announcement simply said that Herman would be back next year. Not a rousing vote of confidence. I guess this means he hasn’t resigned and they don’t feel like firing him this year.

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    1. They are using covid as an excuse. He must win the big 12 next year or he’s gone. Tough to do when you lose your senior QB. He should be gone this year. Texas BoT is far too kind. Must be the holiday season.

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  55. If Nardoozi had gone winless after the first 3 games, he wouldn’t have gotten fired either. Covid is the
    reason why all is amiss . You call up a company and even though the call is switched to someplace like the Phillipines (who’s only had 8k covid deaths), your wait time has tripled. You ask why…they say Pandemic.

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  56. Probably should have added, the Philippines population is 110 million. almost exactly a third of the USA.

    Whatever they’re doing, it’s working, as they’re reporting 450,000 infections and only 8k deaths or……

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  57. Mack Brown won the NCAA title at Texas in 2005. He followed that up with 10-3, 10-3, 12-1 and 13-1. Then beginning in 2010: 5-7, 8-5, 9-4 and in final year 2013: 8-5. He then was let go allegedly due to salary reasons as the university was undergoing many cutbacks. (He was making $5M)

    Yet, Texas paid $9.375M for Charlie Strong who really did well at Louisville. Strong’s $5M salary plus $4.375 buyout at LVille. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/01/13/charlie-strong-contract-texas/4455069/
    Strong had 3 straight losing seasons

    Tom Herman was hired in 2017 and is 31-18. He best year was 10-4 in 2018. Now 6-3. He currently makes $6.785M

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  58. Northwestern AD Jim Phillips is reported to be the next ACC Commish replacing the retiring John Swofford. He is a midwestern guy, an Illinois alum and was No Illinois AD before NW . His only ACC connection is that he was Assoc AD at Notre Dame from 2000 to 2004, working under current Duke AD.

    Don’t know what, if any, effect this will have on the chances of ND becoming a full time ACC member. I would doubt it. IMO the only way ND joins a conference is if NBC doesn’t want to renews agreement with ND, or is asking for a much lower payout

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  59. Love ND playing a national schedule with their traditional rivalries..leave them alone- that’s my opinion…the elites in charge have screwed up the game enough…I wonder how the schools could play the game before they BIG TV bucks…ya know back in the day!!!

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  61. What about the possible effect on Pitt. AD opening at NW needs filled – Heather Lyke under some heat for Narduzzi’s extension after a losing season and she lived in the mid-west most of her life (Ohio & Michigan).

    Could be an interesting situation to keep an eye on.

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  63. there has been some talk about if ND joins the ACC, it will add another team to make it a 16 team league. And further, the FB will divide in a North South situation

    North: ND, Pitt, Cuse, BC, UVa, VT, Lville.

    Cincinnati is one of the considerations, which geographically work well, located near both ND and Lville. And it has maintained a pretty decent BB program through the years.

    But this is likely some pipe dream by sportswriters who have a lot of time on their hands these days (just like me)

    Liked by 1 person

    2. If ND losses its status as Conference Notre Dame from losing its lucrative TV contract, methinks ND will join the Big Ten. Money talks and relationships walk. Methinks the Big Ten generates more money than the ACC.

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      1. PS. Methinks Louisville will not allow Cincinnati in the ACC for the same reason that Boston College blackballed U-Conn, don’t want competition that close by. I understand that Pitt got the offer once U-Conn was eliminated from consideration.

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          1. Pitt has nothing to fear from the Hoopies. Just like Louisville has nothing to fear from Cincy. I can’t see how those schools would be blocked. Cincy makes the most sense. I’d love to have the Hoopies in a division with Pitt. And I really think the ACC should look at Rutgers and Maryland. Poach those two and you strangle penny state. Maryland belongs in the ACC.

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      2. If I’m ND I would be concerned to become another Michigan, PSU or Nebraska in the B1G. Teams that were always top 10 and won National Championships, but are now impotent with tOSU.

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        1. GC – Good point. However, I wonder if ND would ever consider themselves as anything but special. Don’t forget they play in the presence of Touchdown Jesus. 🙂

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          2. Even though it is an outdated mindset, they are the preferred school for Catholics and Irish. Hence they have a following of nearly one third of the US.

            With the Cleveland baseball club now removing Indians from their name, will Notre Dame remove Irish from theirs?

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            2. According to my mother, I’m 1/16 Irish. I am Catholic. Therefore, I have proper standing in this controversy.

              I am not a hooligan ( offensive code word to my people for Fighting Irish). I am offended because all my life I have been a lover not a fighter. I believe in making LOVE NOT WAR.

              I wish not to be branded. I demand recompense.

              I propose a change to the Notre Dame Loving Irish or in the alternative Notre Dame Irish Lovers.

              If done, I will drop my claim.

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      3. It does. And Big Ten schools receive funding from the Big Ten Academic Alliance in addition to conference television & contractual funding.

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  64. If ND recognizes they have a much easier path to the playoffs through ACC membership and that is worth much more than their TV contract they might join. Their membership makes the ACC much stronger which will get a bigger payout for all. They could still play some of their old rivals in their OOC, but unlikely since they want to have sure wins. The ACC would get a stronger ACCN and maybe a couple better bowl contracts. The addition of Cinci, UConn, or Temple gets balance and more TV’s, and a bigger footprint.

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  65. Class Clown: Mark Whipple, here is a fake quote: “I really got the quarterbacks this year. The whole group irritated me. Kenny shows up with quarentine weight from mama’s New Jersey Italian Sunday dinners. Coming from Arizona State and a good high school program, Yellen has never had to run before in his life and needs to hustle and that Nick Patti…has anyone seen that mustache? What the hell, it makes me think I’m at Gilly’s from the movie Urban Cowboy and I’m going to get slugged by Johnny Travolta. Makes my face get red. You know how I got them back this year? No offensive signals. They can jog their butts to and from the sidelines each way. I’ve whipped Kenny back into shape…get it, maybe Yellen now has the hint that with this o-line and receiving core he needs to get used to running for his life, and Patti’s mustache didn’t go away because Nard caught me trying to break into his room to cut it off during the Georgia Tech bed check…but at least he ran the entire year in practice as a punishment. Now how can I get that Beville?

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  66. Miles Sanders and KJ Hamler having great days in the NFL, also Gesicki. Big reasons Pitt lost 3 of 4 from PSU. Major difference in talent level.

    Looks like the portal is going to be huge this year with the extra year of eligibility. Wonder if Pitt can find a few key guys to fill needed positions?

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  67. Injuries to the Steelers are starting to add up, that and defenses have figured out how to counter their new offense. Poor running game and no deep threat, sound familiar?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The key is how they will adapt and change on the fly. First, you need to recognize the problem. Then you find solutions.

      I think the Steelers know and I think they have options. But getting players healthy is also key.

      But they are playoff bound. Anything can happen. It depends on the matchup. Depends on who’s healthy. That’s a long 4 weeks away.

      I’m not too worried at this point.

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    3. Bens arm is shot. He’s afaid to take hits. He’s got two bum knees as well. And he’s a $40 million cap hit. I’d say cut him before June 1 and use the savings to get Dak and Zeke from the Cowboys.

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  68. Following the money is a basic principle of capitalism. ND will obviously do that. The ACC is trying and failing to do that with Comcast but fans suffer. College sports show their true colors to players during a pandemic. At least we have wonderful holidays to look past all this. Sorry for the philosophy.

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  69. Interesting stat, Pitt scored 35 points per game in it’s last 4 and 21 points per game in its first 6 ACC games, albeit with KP missing the toughest two in the first 6.

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    2. So comparing the first four to the last four it is 26 to 35. An obvious improvement, too bad it didn’t start earlier.

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  71. Cincinnati and Louisville joined the Big East in 2005. Here is a list of Cincy’s coaches since then

    Mark Dantonio 2004-06 (moved to Mich St)
    Brian Kelly 2007-09 (to ND)
    Butch Jones 2010-12 (to Tenn)
    Tommy Tuberville 2013-16 (retired from coaching)
    Luke Fickell

    Here is an interesting comparison when both Cincy and Pitt were in Big East

    Year Cincy / Pitt

    2005 4-7 / 5-6
    2006 8-5 / 6-6
    2007 10-3 / 5-7
    2008 11-3 / 9-4
    2009 12-1 / 10-3
    2010 4-8 / 8-5
    2011 10-3 / 6-7
    2012 10-3 / 6-7

    Overall Cincy 69-33 / Pitt 55-45.

    Note that in 6 of the 8 years, Wannstedt was HC, who is thought by many to be the best Pitt coach over the past 30 years. Yet, many of you Pitt fans likely hold the idea that Pitt is the superior program.

    Yes, in its history, Pitt is .. no doubt, but ….

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    1. Pitts football spend in those years was pathetic. Yes, it had and still has the better facilities but budget is key.

      And many regard Wanny as a good, not great recruiter. I don’t hear many praising his coaching abilities. He was well known as a poor game day coach based on his pro stints in Chicago and Miami.

      Pitt hired him because he was a pitt Guy, big name, needed a job, and would work for peanuts.

      A very emotional and cheap hire by Pitt. Yet he’s still the only pitt coach since Jackie to reach 10 wins.

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  72. I think I read that Butch Jones left his Alabama assist. position for the opportunity to coach Arkansas St. at probably less than $2 million. Apparently, the previous coach, Blake Anderson, was making less than $1 million and jumped to Utah State for the big bucks. Jones took Alabama assistant Applewhite (previous HC at Houston?) with him to be his OC. I’ll bet that gig pays a lot..

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  74. The acc’s only leverage is adding new members. Then and only then would ESPN be required to renegotiate the contract.

    Notre Dame football has their own lucrative deal. They aren’t joining the ACC in football.

    So what other schools would provide large fanbases, new TV markets and be super regionally/nationally appealing.

    I can think of one.

    Like

    1. Very interesting. I would rather see PSU, Rutgers and Maryland in the ACC and Maryland, ND and WV in the B1G. Truly Atlantic Coast. It would be nice to have Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but nothing to trade.

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  76. Rumor has it Narduzzi wants to retain his entire coaching staff including Mr. Whipple. Hope its an unfounded rumor that doesn’t pan out as suggested.

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    1. There are some reasons why

      He doesn’t need Whipple as a scapegoat. He has covid and the schedule

      He can also point to the offensive explosion over the past 4 games

      He doesn’t want his future replacement

      He doesn’t want his players to learn yet another new system

      He and whipple get along

      Pitt doesn’t want to spend the money to hire a qualified candidate

      I wouldn’t be surprised if whipple was retained

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      2. Mr Whipple get’s Pitt an extreme wholesale price on TP. And the University uses a lot of bum paper.

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            1. Happy Birthday ! ! !…..bro Tex ! !

              You’re mission today….is to blow out all the candles….and wish for a competent Pitt HC and AD !

              And maybe some new BoT members, that aren’t Pedos.

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      3. Reason he would fire Whipple…
        PN likes a run game. Especially a power run game for short yardage and goal line.
        Crappy red zone stats drive Narduzzi nuts.
        He likes smash mouth football.
        He likes winning time of possession.

        The problem, all of that leads to another bad OC hire, lol.

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    2. I heard an alternate rumor that whip was as good as gone. Until somebody says or does something definitive – that’s all they are going to be. Rumors

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      1. That would be a lot of candles wishmaster. I don’t think I have the lung capacity at my age. But I’ll be making some wishes as I drink some sips of bourbon today.

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  77. Not a big Whipple Fan, but changing OC’s every one or two years hasn’t worked real well.
    We need to recruit better, can we find a guy that can do that?

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      1. Recruiting classes are like little black books. Some of them come thru and ……some of them don’t.

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      2. I saw yesterday that the recruiting ranking slipped to 21st.

        DB K. Anderson not planning to sign until Feb. 2021 as interest from “bigger” programs has his attention.

        Northwestern longtime defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz plans to retire at the end of the year after 51 seasons as a college coach, according to a report (from FootballScoop.com).

        Pitt could lose two to NW – DC Randy Bates and AD Heather Lyke. Interesting developments indeed.

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    2. If Whipple’s red zone e offense had been anyting close to average I’d agree with you. But it’s dragging the team down

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  78. I had high-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes for Coach Whip in year 2 with an experienced QB and some decent receivers. Was very disappointed in the play calling and lack of creativity – at least to my untrained eyes.

    I’d like to see some young, up and comer at OC. I want to see plays that set up other plays… I want to see deception and trickerazation… Recruit speed, speed, speed, but find a RB with some shake.

    One caveat- I still wonder how effective Coach Whip’s offense would be with a decent TE and half-decent OL…

    Go Pitt.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  80. updated CFB news:

    — USC was to play UWash in Pac12 title game. USC is now playing Oregon instead due to UW Covid issues

    — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday he had “no doubt” that the Irish and Tigers were two of the nation’s best teams and returned fire at the suggestion the ACC was protecting its own (canceling their games this past Saturday).

    “If the ACC was trying to really protect Clemson and Notre Dame, why would we even play a game this week?” Swinney said. “I mean, if six wins can get you in the playoff, shouldn’t nine get you there? Shouldn’t 10 get you there?”

    — LSU already has “shoe” t-shirts in response to them upsetting UF on Saturday, made possible by a UF DB tossing a shoe that resulted in a personal foul at a key moment

    Liked by 1 person

  82. Yep, Swinney hit the nail on the head with that quote on the Big 10 6 game qualifier for the playoffs. If Pitt could just have eliminated our 5 loss games this year we would have been in contention for the playoffs with our 6 and 0 record. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I prefer … if tOSU wins this Saturday, it will match Pitt’s win total who played a much harder schedule

      Like

  83. Saw this on the Lair regarding Pitt’s ineptitude in the Red Zone:

    “Pitt’s RZ TD% vs FBS the past two seasons is a combined 49.4%. The FBS average is 61.3%. Only 6 other teams are < 50%. Pitt is 12-10. SDSU is somehow 13-7. The other 5 are combined 19-67.”

    I’d like to know the percentage of red zone TDs caught by TEs. I can only remember us having one such TD all season…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  84. Virginia Tech Athletic director Whit Babcock will hold a press conference tomorrow where he will field questions about the football program. Justin Fuente’s buyout drops $2.5 million at midnight.

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    1. Only other Whit i knew/know is Whit Bissell. A fav on a show that didn’t stand the test of time.

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    2. An AD to face the press and public. Lyke phoned it in when she canceled the bowl game. What in the hell does she do all day?

      Like

  85. ESPN posted their football conference power rankings this morning. In the ACC they have Pitt as 6th. They fall behind Notre Dame, Clemson, UNC, Miami, and N.C State. They are above Boston College, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Duke and Syracuse.

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  86. For the number crunchers:

    Average recruit stars 2021.

    Clemson 3.89
    Miami 3.60
    UNC 3.56
    ND 3.42
    FSU 3.13
    UVA 3.04
    GTech 3.00
    Pitt 2.95
    Louisville 2.95
    NCState 2.95
    BC 2.92
    VT 2.83
    Duke 2.82
    Syracuse 2.81

    Penn St 3.4
    WVU 3.25

    Is Pitt’s recruiting closer to the top or to the bottom? Right now, we are at 22 commits with a total of 65 stars, or 2.95 stars per athlete. If the stars remain the same and we lose Honorable, we have 21 commits with 62 star points for an average of

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    1. Are they still considering the kid from Utah as a zero star? I thought I read where he was 3-star before he went on his mission thingie…

      I guess doing the mission thingie is an automatic minus 3 stars???

      Why are we bringing in 6 offensive linemen, anyway?

      I’d try to persuade the local 240-pound RB kid who averaged something like 16 yards per carry this season and who’s going to Syracuse… Give him the ball inside the five…

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    2. Also, aside from the top five teams, you could shuffle the recruiting classes and randomly deal them out to the remaining schools and no one would know the difference.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 4 people

  87. Major, you are correct … see the link below. Now, if he was just raised to a 2-star, then Pitt would be slightly > 3, since they now have 3 4-stars and just 1 2-star, and the rest are 3.

    https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/commitments/football/2021

    and yes, Khalil Anderson is not signing tomorrow as he said while ago he would hold off. He is yet another find that has gotten all of this additional interest after his senior year. Pitt usually has a few of them every year. Some stay, some don’t.

    BTW, first signing day is tomorrow

    and lastly, I don’t think it is any coincidence that in the list above in Huff’s post that all of the teams listed ahead of Pitt are located in in VA or below (except ND of course) This is life

    Liked by 1 person

  88. Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke with (Pitt OL recruit) Honorable on the phone Monday night and he said that he won’t be signing on Wednesday and will wait until February to make his final decision.

    Other P5 offers have caught his attention.

    Like

  89. Tomorrow is a busy day. First LOI signing day for football. First ACC game at Miami for men’s basketball. And if the NCAA acts as expected, they will allow all basketball transfers … which means Pitt will have an experienced back-up point guard (which is really helpful when X gets called for his 2nd foul in the first 4 minutes)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. well, it appears that Louisville and Va Tech each has a 4-star listed (and the others are from Miss St or out west),

      I also find it interesting that 3* Chase Brice is back on the portal. This is the same guy who transferred from Clemson to Duke, and led the blue Devils to a 2-9 record. He threw 352 passes this year with 10 TDs and 15 Ints, Hic college passer rating was 107.48; Pickett’s was 129.58

      (in the 2011 season when Tino was trying to run Fraud’s offense, his passer rating was 124.1)

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    2. Yes it is accurate. The 24/7 transfer portal site starts on 8/1 & accumulates thru 7/31 of the next year. Not really sure when the portal originally started but you do need a start & end date for every new year. I believe 24/7 used 8/1 (my birthday) to honor me. Actually my guess is that they picked that date because preseason practices for most teams start in August. Doesn’t practice start 30 days before 1’st scheduled game?

      So the data presented are for FBS portal entries for the last 4 1/2 months.

      You can click on person name & get recruiting data.

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  91. I would expect the Mission kid will elevate from a no star to at least a 2 star. My sense from following recruiting is that the evaluators will not even give a 2 star rating until such time as they have reviewed tape of the player. Since our guy was on a mission, he would have no tape for recent review and therefore pulls a zero.

    It’s a nuance to the sites and hence why they are not the end all in telling a complete story. However, the troubling piece is Pitt is well behind UNC, ND and Miami, two of which are in the coastal and ND which we play, often.

    For the rest of the ACC, the message is clear. There are those that can recruit and there is everyone else, north and south alike, to include Pitt. It’s not about the benjamins either. We will continue to be mediocre at best with this effort. The recruiting will translate into a win/loss crapshoot and continued mediocrity because there are many teams within a quarter point of each other. Hoping we keep Anderson and Honorable, but I think that ship has sailed. Soft decommits end up bad for the most part.

    I am not surprised with the WVU effort. I like their coach and how he recruits, alot. Four, 4 stars and three, 5.7.s out of 16 so far. Perhaps they take on some 2 stars to fill in class.

    Should we expect VT to can Fuente today or tomorrow? I think yes. They have a fairly poor class on paper and would not be surprised to see a move there.

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    1. how is that troubling? Every year in the recent past, northern schools occupied the bottom of the list. This is not coincidence. What does Cuse, BC and Pitt have to sell that the southern ACC schools can’t provide?

      Like

      1. Well northern schools can’t sell the weather.

        City schools can’t sell grass

        But beyond those two, these schools have the same selling points as the southern schools

        And Pitt has outstanding facilities, tradition, cool colors,

        But yes it doesn’t have the OCS

        And I do believe a smaller enclosed stadium would provide a better atmosphere

        That could help with recruiting

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        1. you don’t think other schools have outstanding facilities, tradition and cool colors (execpt Va Tech)

          an Pitt’s tradition is ancient in the eyes of today’s recruits

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          1. They do. You made my point. Pitt can compete on par with all these southern schools selling points. And I would argue pitt does have more tradition than Nc state, Duke, wake and Virginia.

            Pitts facilities are pro. Only clemson can touch Pitts facilities.

            Pitt has a good pipeline to the pros. Has the greatest D player in the world with a Pitt degree.

            It’s not tough to sell Pitt

            Just don’t bring recruits in during the winter. Always helps to have a sunny day in spring when the ladies are half naked on the Cathedral lawn sunning themselves.

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            1. Don’t bring in the recruits during the season either – the game atmosphere is not a selling point, especially if the recruit was recently at a game at ND or Ohio State, or even VT.

              Like

        2. Pitt has some unique selling points, but UNC and UVa (along with Berkeley, UCLA and Michigan) have a national reputation as being in the top tier of public universities and very highly ranked among all universities period. They are also blessed with gorgeous campuses (UVa and UNC in particular) and on-campus stadiums. Given those assets and their proximity to major talent pools, those schools should/will outrecruit Pitt over the long-haul, all else being equal. Long-term, Pitt needs to outrecruit BC/Wake/ /Syracuse/Duke/NC State, stay level with Georgia Tech/ Va Tech, then make its hay with the other aspects of coaching (development, scheme, motivation, and in-game decisions) so they can knock off Miami and earn some top 20 finishes 2-3 times a decade. That’s the high-end of reasonable expectations for this program.

          Liked by 2 people

        3. Only over half the nfl cities are in northern climates or climates that get cold. You can take the negative and turn this into a positive. You pick the worst schools although BC seems to be trending in the right direction. OSU is kind of northern. Northwestern is cold as is ND, Wisconsin and a whole laundry load of teams. Many 4 and 5 stars are playing on cold weather teams, like Penn Diry High. Stop about tradition. Nebraska has a tremendous tradition.

          If southern schools were so hot (joke), than FIU, FAU, USF, UCF would be top 20 every year.Stop with excuses. The coaches that are the smartest AND work the hardest, find success.

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  92. The portal is going to be huge this year because of the extra eligibility. Lots of guys looking to improve their opportunities. So will Pitt take advantage of this and fill a few key slots, Tight End, Full Back etc.

    We should find out how they feel about the QB position if they bring in another transfer.

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    1. I think the portal is going to be huge every year for now on. There are going to be so many players in it teams have to start recruiting it and some players are going to be left behind.

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      1. Ass. Director of Portal Recruiting. That’s what our AD would label the position. I do agree about the portal, especially with the one free transfer rule ahead.

        Pitt should use their GA’s for this role, to identify talent. Have a weekly review of talent in the portal. Flush out the bad ones and present to position coaches on the rest. By doing this, Pitt will be able to evaluate their GA’s to see who can actually sot talent. Just for giggles, I spent a few minutes in the portal toady and reviewed the top 4 star qb’s that were in there. They all had either bad mechanics, or candy arms (not candelaria arms), except for the kid from VT.

        It would be great during the downtime to post the top 4 star qb’s along with their highlight reels and then have the POV rank em. It won’t take long to sort. Would be fun.

        On the farm, we have a saying. Only a football coach and a farmer who faithfully plant good seeds in the Spring, reaps a great harvest in the Fall.

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  93. There is a drop off after the first four.
    Clemson 3.89
    Miami 3.60
    UNC 3.56
    ND 3.42
    I think you can bunch a large portion of the ACC as pretty much equal given the inaccuracy of the star ratings.

    Are WVU academic standards actually lower for their recruits than Pitt or is that BS? They should not be out recruiting Pitt, UGH. It seems like they did make a good HC hire. Time will tell.

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    1. why shouldn’t WVU outrecruit Pitt?

      — they have a right-sized on-campus stadium
      — that sells out with
      — rabid fans who also TRAVEL
      — and don’t have to directly compete with an NFL team

      and one more …. EVERY Saturday in the pats few months on my cable guide, I see the WVU game listed. On the other hand, I only saw Pitt listed 3 times entire season

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      1. Nobody who plays for the Hoopies values getting an education.

        And mountaineer stadium is often very empty. I go by the eye test on TV.

        And if you’re a person of color, would you really feel comfortable in morganhole.

        Pitt should not be outrecruited by WVcc

        It’s a coaching issue in Pitts case. not a university or campus or city or conference issue.

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        1. i have seen people of color playing there for decades. In fact, one from Pittsburgh, a QB of all things, led them to a national championship game 31 years ago

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          1. And I have seen it at creepy valley

            My intuitive sense tells me that if I were a person of color I would feel more comfortable in a setting that I’m used to.

            Universities do survey their minority students, both athletes and non. These reports are published particularly in penn states case.

            I’ll just leave it at that. You can make your own determination based on the data if these environments are welcoming.

            To penn states credit, they have taken steps to address the findings

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        2. ummmm tex, most stadiums have been empty for at least a season now. Those are cut outs that you are seeing on tv. Will the owner of the ford f-150 with the license plate E – I – E – I – O, please return to your vehicle. You left your lights on.

          We still laugh about that one on the farm.

          Liked by 2 people

      3. They compete with the Steelers and Pirates more than you think wwb. There is a lot of cashola whch also supports Tex claim of buying land in Washington County. Hopefully not my farm. Heck, the majority of the Pittsburgh radio stations are easily within reception in Morgytown.

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  94. Sam Sciullo Jr was on the FAN a few days ago promoting his new book, The Golden Panthers, discussing the 10 year period of Pitt’s ascent in the mid 70’s.
    He sounded like he is no fan of the way Dooz treats the media and the isolationist mentality that inhibits building quality relationships in the community.
    Can you imagine what the young charismatic Johnny Majors could for this program? As Myron Cope said in his famous parody of the theme from The Lone Ranger:
    “Hi, Ho, Majors”
    (Anyone else remember that? I have it on tape somewhere…funny as heck)
    Bottom line, I’m hoping any changes bring in young energetic coaches that bust the locks and OPEN the gates.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. hey, if I were a member of the media, I wouldn’t be enthralled with Duzz either. And we all know how Reed, whom I believe had Pitt press credentials, felt about him

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    2. Fran – I remember the Myron radio spots. Looked forward to hearing them on my drive to work.

      And Myron teed it up so well with the William Tell Overture playing in the background. Those spots inspired my MajorMajors name.

      Would be great to hear that Myron tape at one of your tailgates.

      Go Pitt!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. the point I was trying to make that Reed would drive up occasionally from Maryland to attend practice, in hoping to provide some reports to us. But once Nard started, it became a waste of time

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  97. WV has had a stronger program than Pitt for many years with much more consistency. Football means much more to them than Pitt. As wbb said it is the only game in town and it is a sense of pride for the whole state.
    Football players are definitely big men on campus. Many Pitt students and employees could absolutely care less about football. There are plenty of other things to do on campus and in Pittsburgh vs a small college town that shuts down for football. Same phenomenon as PSU.

    Their administration never hires a Stallings or a guy they have to fire before he gets started. They are not inept. They don’t have to compete for fans, when there is a baseball game next door or hockey across town.

    They have always had to recruit nationally because there have never been enough players in WV. They do have better bagmen with coal and gas barons that fly their helicopters to the game every week.

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    1. From a recruits perspective then, I would pick the Hoopies over let’s say Pitt because

      Bagmen will slip me bennies

      I’m treated like a celebrity on campus

      I’m probably not required to do much studying and class attending

      Hoopies are a party school so there’s one everlasting boozefest after the season.

      Coaches are better

      And the stadium is packed with toothless corncob smoking fans as opposed to yellow seats

      Now will all that convince a 4 star?

      Liked by 1 person

  98. Don Nehlen coached football at WVU for 21 years (149-93-2), he was mild mannered and generally liked by players, media and opposing coaches. Nothing spectacular, Gale Catlett coached WVU basketball for 25 years (439-281) and he wasn’t so mild mannered (very abrasive in fact.) Nothing spectacular.

    But both provided a stable, successful program.

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    1. So why would a 4 star pick the Hoopies in morganhole over a energetic and cosmopolitan city school like Pitt.

      I’m thinking my reasons are 80 percent of it

      Pitt will never have bagmen

      Pitt will make you attend class and get the grades

      You are not treated as a celebrity on campus getting special treatment

      And Heinz is lifeless and always will be

      Only one of these constraints or obstacles has a solution

      And I didn’t even mention the coaching aspect.

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      1. Morganhole is stable. To this day it has a 50’s mentality. It’s a place stuck in time. Just don’t ever make a wrong turn there. You might end up as the main course or a substitute for a sheep.

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  100. Since the advent of recruiting sites in 2002, every single national championship participant had at least one five-star recruit on its roster.

    Source : Not the Farmer’s Almanac

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  101. So, you need at least one 5 star on the roster, and of the 36 rosters to compete in the last 18 national title games, 34 of them were formed with at least one top 10 class. Seems to be a link to recruiting. Narduzzi needs to understand that you can’t ad a 3 star and a 2 star and call them a 5 star.

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    2. Maybe we can bring Tiny back too. They’re great between the 25 yard lines.

      Although Kenny didn’t just roll over and play dead when rushed !

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