in Pitt Football 222 Words

Pitt vs Tennessee Game Thread; 9/11/21

Here is the Gameday Thread for PITT football as we play the Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium at 12:00 noon. Following are some websites that might help you all get ready to cheer the team onto a win. 

These can be used for in-game commenting research also.

Pitt Football Homepage

Pitt ESPN Homepage

Pitt Football Sports Reference Homepage (current & historical info)

Pitt Football 2021-22 Schedule

Pitt Football 2021-22 Stats

Pitt Football 2021-22 Roster

Here are some sites for info on our opponents:

Pitt vs Tennessee Game Notes

ACC Football 2021-22 Standings (w/ links to team pages)

Tennessee Football Sports Reference Homepage (current & historical info)

Tennessee ESPN Homepage

Tennessee Football Roster

Here is Pitt’s Two Deep for the game:

I’ll try to keep these threads correctly updated because kickoff times may change during the season.  If you see something wrong with any posts just email me at rkohberger@gmail.com and I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.

HAIL TO PITT!!

P/S: They weren’t kidding…can you believe this? As opposed to last week’s “Pat Narduzzi Career Notes” we see the below. Just another straw on the camel’s back as far as college ball goes with me:

441 thoughts on “Pitt vs Tennessee Game Thread; 9/11/21”

    1. just better BALANCE would be great

      limit drops, I acknowledge only 3 last game, others were tough or very contested

      avoid penalties, PI’s and the pre-snap crap,,,, of course targeting

      hope KP has some time AND most importantly doesn’t get hurt on one of his many (premature at times) scrambles

      H2P!!!

      Pitt 27
      Tenn 20

      Liked by 1 person

  4. We may have problems with kickers. Remember that PN said look for more called plays in the red zone vice trying for FGs. Might be more a risk factor involved there then in previous seasons with our good placekickers.

    Loss of downs inside opponent territory is not just bad football but can effect player’s confidence. Lets hope the kicker has early success.

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  5. I’ll be relying on the game thread today…golf outing at Birdsfoot.
    But we will be tailgating…of course.
    H2P and all the traveling POVerts…hope to see some pictures.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Let’s go Pitt! Cmon Pitt …. play the game of your lives and set the tone for the season. Prove me wrong Narduzzi!

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  13. The Panthers need a win for many reasons, but a big was is because Tex is in the house. After last seasons retched performance against ND, and looking at our chances this season against Clemson, I’m hoping Tex gets to see a big win…

    And it wouldn’t be a bad pick-me-up for the rest of us, too! 😊

    Go 11-1 Jackie!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Envious if you in fact made it to the game, Tex.
        Hope to see and meet some of you guys here @POV in years in the coming years in Pittsburgh when I a chance to take a breather from the hustle-bustle of daily life.
        Cheers, man, hope you enjoyed yourself

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  17. Well, I’ve already said I think Tennessee will win, hope not but that’s how I see it. I think coaching, and not the players will decide this game. Ya, I know, I know, but once, just once, I’d like to see some effective half time adjustments, and when the inevitable defensive time out is called that it results in a stop.
    That said, players play, coaches coach, but I see the talent and experience being a wash, and coaching can actually decide this one.
    H2P

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  20. Tiron Evans (RB) is out as I posted yesterday. Also out is starting center -Cooper Mays (not to be confused with older brother Cade Mays(T))

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  21. Hoping for a good game today and a good running game. I hope the ACC fares better this week too. Go Pitt!
    No way I can predict this one though…

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  31. What a surprise. A Whipple special, two passes in the flat for a loss. Do you think Tennessee considered that a possibility?
    Bad start.

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  32. The blocking scheme on our punt attempt was so bad that there were two different Vols who got to the punter untouched. Even if the guy who actually blocked the punt hadn’t gotten there, the other guy would have easily blocked it.

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  38. Midway through the Vola first “real” offensive series and I’m like “wow” it’s almost as if they tailored their fake plan and knew exactly how to attack our defense!

    (Unlike Pitt …)

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  42. Wow, can’t start any worse. I think if this offensive sh@t show continues I may not renew my tickets for next year. WMG.

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  51. The odds of a Pitt comeback from the 7-0 deficit is 0.00001%. It may be 0% but I still a little hope, though very little!

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  63. Thank God their QB stinks!

    Simple so far, a mediocre SEC team has significantly better athletes than a mediocre ACC team. Especially when the mediocre ACC team is unprepared and undisciplined. Classic Narduzzi start. Kids not prepared mentally or physically.

    Hopefully the QB is good for a couple bad picks to keep us in it.

    Don’t get me wrong, not upset at all. This is exactly what I expected so blood pressure is stable.

    Liked by 1 person

  64. I think what we are seeing here is the difference between a well coached mediocre SEC team and a poorly coached Mediocre ACC team. Sad so far.

    Liked by 4 people

  90. So much for my hope of springing a Go-Go Offense surprise on Tennessee. I’m not sure we are equipped to go mano a mano against an SEC team. Trickeration is fun to watch.

    Liked by 1 person

  92. Good teams don’t beat themselves. The pass interference gave them three points there and the blocked punt gave them seven..

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  102. impossible to believe where this is at now after watching the first few series

    crazy, still would take Tennessee and +3.5

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  109. so they run the ball down to the 5 yd line and have 3rd & 2…..you could have had 2 chances to run for the 1st down….so he calls a pass….lol

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  123. If u told me pitt would have 27 at halftime I would have been very happy. Unfortunately we gave them an easy td to start the game and then missed the worst tackle I have seen in years.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Yea….apparently he forgot about the Kickoff Fair Catch rule in the 1st quarter which attributed to, the terrible field position(3 times) and the blocked punt and a TD.

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  126. I think it could be bad that we knocked out their inaccurate QB. Of course their backup didn’t practice all week. Did you hear the “Let’s Go Pitt!” chants?

    Liked by 2 people

  130. Pitt winning this game DESPITE Narduzzi. Say what you want about Whipple’s Offensive philosophy, he’s clearly the “Brain Trust” behind this operation… along with Bates.

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  131. That took an absolute eternity of timeouts/reviews & other non-sense,…to score that TD.

    I grew a beard……waiting.

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  132. Pitt’s O line much better than I thought. Pitt’s D backfield every bit of the clown show I thought.

    Clear up the mistakes and take care of the little details and we got this!

    Liked by 3 people

  145. Vols make HT adjustment going w extra D back. Whipple doesn’t adjust. He simply has no plan no scheme. Just a little of this a little of that.

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  150. 34-10 Pitt after that terrible start. We could be playing a less than great Clemson for the ACC title down the road if we can break through and beat UNC for once and VT.

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  161. I was waiting for them to pick up that first down on third and 22. It’s been backbreaking missed tackles on third down it seems like

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  180. I recognize earlier that I said aloud “Kenny Pickett is [marginal].” But if he continues to play with the poise and skill he’s shown me today for the remainder of the season, then he is easily draftable 2nd round or better material. (Am a f/t single dad here so have to acknowledge, too, haven’t had the opportunity to watch every play today. But KP is making Whipple look good today, and the latter I have had big problems with when it comes to handling and coordinating offense. (In the very least Israel getting some carries. Wayne made a game-changer and our kicker showed some guts!)
    I will be very pissed off if we lose this one and hope Kancy recovers.
    Love reading each your comments, POVers.
    GO PITT

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yeah man, but it’s a scheme with percentages. With it you either win big or lose big (per play). Get used to it already. Go broke or go home, loll

      Liked by 1 person

  228. This win totally on Kenny Pickett. Awesome game w little help from running game and Whipple.

    Lots and lots to clean up!

    W Michigan no pushover next week!

    H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

  232. Credit where it’s due. We had an ugly start and could have folded in a hostile place to play. Instead we fought back and then held on. Not a flawless team, but might be a good one. And Picket was really good.

    Liked by 5 people

  238. As miserable as the D played at times in the second half they came thru on the 4th and inches play and with the Hill interception after a dismal punt. These are the kind of games we always seem to lose but not today.

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  242. Look up and down the comments from earlier especially prior to the game. You get to know the REAL NEGATIVE Thinkers on this Blog. Maybe surprising that many of them are also some of the Kool-Aid Drinkers. Might come in helpful for the future.

    Liked by 1 person

  243. Back from toenail cutting.Who won? Seriously, glad I was wrong.
    1) Pickett showed me a lot today. Smart and accurate.
    2) Line still can’t run block, but man, they sure did one heck of a job in pass protection.
    3) D came thru at the end.
    4) See, there actually is a less disciplined team out there. It’s one thing to want to change attitude, it’s another to let them run wild. Loved to seeSEC announcers have to walk it back a bit, but for that network they weren’t bad.
    5) On to Richmond, errr Heinz, and the trap game vs the dreaded directional school.

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  244. I like this win for my friend Ike!

    Go Pitt!

    Three big wins against BYU, UNC and Tennessee makes for a great Pitt weekend.

    Golf was good this morning as well…

    Liked by 6 people

  245. Somebody said Tennessee 37-16 in a rout.

    Lots of very big plays made by a lot of guys today, especially Pickett.
    But no bigger than that interception.
    Game could have gone either way.
    I Like the way we ran in that last drive.
    One went our way for a change.
    Probably the guy missed the most is Hamlin.
    Hope we get a good crowd next week.
    H2P!!!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    3. That was my pick GC and if you didn’t see the final score, Pitt played like a 37-16 blowout. Horribly coached, atrocious secondary play, terrible HS tackling, terrible inter player communication, O line could run block and Special teams belonged in the “Special Olympics”!

      Other than that it was a great performance!

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  246. Much to my surprise Pitt comes back and wins. Good win by the Panthers. Pickett had a good game. After the first quarter, Mr. Charmin called a half decent game. Did not like seeing the flea in there on short yardage downs!!

    A win is a win!! Hail to Pitt!

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  247. I won’t disappoint you, ike. I give credit to Pitt for the win, but they need to really improve in some areas. The offense in the 2nd half went South with no running game and Pickett only 1 of 7 on third down. The WRs were not getting open, and TN totally shut down the run. Aside from the clock killing last drive the running game did nothing, and I’m sorry but if the flea is the best they can do then it will suck all season.

    The defense started to fade in the second half. They know Hooker’s game from his VT days, and should have played him tougher. Our seasoned punter shanks one with the game on the line, and only the late interception bailed Pitt out. I’ll take the win but there are many reasons that this game could have ended SOP..

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  250. Pickett was excellent but what great games by Krull, Addison Wayne and Mack,
    also Davis and Izzy as well. The line protected very well and opened a few holes when needed most.

    Defense held on for dear life and also made some great plays when needed.

    Really special that this game didn’t get out of hand early when the chips were really down.

    Liked by 3 people

    3. No doubt….but in what round? It won’t be in the first 2 rounds unless the QB crop this year is garbage.

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          1. Well I traveled 14 hours to get here on only one hour of sleep. Only got four hours of sleep last night. This game was better than any pitt bowl game I ever experienced. And Pitt winning was the cherry on top.

            Liked by 4 people

  253. Credit Coach Marion for turning our receivers into RECEIVERS, not pass droppers. Kenny had good protection also, so good job guys. Can’t say much about the running game. We really can’t count on them to get a couple yards when absolutely needed. Hopefully that can be worked on the next 2 games.

    Good win, H2P!

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Was driving and listening to 2nd half on radio (wife won’t let me post and drive for some reason).

      KP was legit, O line is better than feared but you guys that watched need to tell me if the D backs are as bad as they sounded in radio

      Liked by 2 people

  254. Best coaching call of the day… WHOEVER made the decision to bench Barden and replace him with Stovall. His FAIR Catches on Kickoffs were a difference maker in the Game.

    Guessing it wasn’t Narduzzi.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Seems kinda basic…after the first one…..the special teams coach should have told Barden to Fair Catch them. No ?

      In fact….like before the season even started.

      Liked by 1 person

  256. New to being a Pitt fan, since my daughter is a freshman. This game was maddening. First of all, credit to Pickett, Mack, Addison and Krull for carrying the load.
    For most of this game, though, Pitt looked like such a poorly-coached team. Special teams were awful, they couldn’t substitute correctly, defense was out of position constantly. DBs are a big problem, run game barely exists. Kept thinking, how bad would this team be if Pickett didn’t come back?
    Also, I watched a 2015 Pitt-Iowa game on Big Ten Network this week. That Pitt team had so much more talent, not an encouraging sign about Narduzzi’s ability to recruit.
    Glad they got the win, but doubt if Tennessee wins many games this year. Should have been a blowout, but ended up fortunate to win

    Liked by 3 people

  260. V. Davis had 33 yards rushing, a 1.7 ypc average. How can ANY team live with such poor performance from their starting RB? Izzy at least had a 3.6 ypc average.

    Liked by 3 people

  261. I think the running game is already far better than last year and should continue to improve, but face it, this is a passing team. The running backs are ok but the line is not that good at opening holes. The combo of IZZY and Vincent is pretty good.

    The Safeties are worrisome, I think the corners are pretty good. But whenever we don’t pressure the QB, bad things are going to happen. D-Ends aren’t as good (as Expected) but the linebackers, especially Petrishen are making up for it.

    Agree on special teams especially the defensive ones. They are going to get beat for some big plays which in a game of field position is not good at all. I do think that athleticism in this case favored Tennessee’s bigger faster players on special teams.

    No need for Pitt to ever run back a kick off with the fair catch rule. Bad odds.

    I like Stovall’s hands on the punts.

    Liked by 3 people

  262. Obviously the team with the best QB performance usually wins.
    Since KP is rated 10 of 14 in the ACC it will be a challenge. He played better than 10 today for sure.

    Liked by 2 people

  263. Hopefully this big win today in front of a large vocal crowd will inspire confidence, especially in the O-line, but obviously the team is not good enough to overlook anyone ( besides New Hampshire, I mean really)
    Western Michigan will be a tough foe with a couple d-backs with something to prove.

    Liked by 3 people

  264. Looks like I am talking to myself again after a win.
    Alabama playing Mercer (never heard of it and BC playing UMass so don’t
    say anything about our soft schedule today.

    Liked by 2 people

  265. Like the TV announcer said, Kenny Pickett made himself some money today. I believe, right now, he’s one of the 2/3 best QBs in the ACC. PITT’s front 7 on D is very good too. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching these guys this year.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. He was near perfect for a good part of the game

      Oline gave him time and he made Tennessee pay

      Defense was opportunistic but shaky overall

      Like

  266. Pickett has many games just like this one today under his belt.

    There are mistakes made in every game and the team that overcomes theirs wins the game.

    Milton sucked and I’m not talking about his overthrows. Those were lousy play calls since the QB can’t throw that pass.

    Officials called a decent game

    Still saying Stoval will take one to the house this year.

    Hill at Safety, PITT got that covered.

    Anyone surprised with KP’s game today? I hope not.

    Fran, how did you like your updates from the POV?

    Kancey….. wow Did Danielson have a sack today?

    PITT with an A-/B+ A road win in the SEC don’t come easy.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Refs did call a balanced game

      KP doesn’t ever surprise me

      The online surprised me with consistent pass blocking

      Pitt definitely surprised me coming back after the hideous start to the game

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Ike – agree with most of your takes. On sacks, u(nofficial) ESPN has Pitt with 5 sacks, Baldanardo with 2 & Camp, Green & Kancey with one each,

      Liked by 3 people

        1. In Columbia. Last night. I watched my Grandson lead his team to a 31-7 win, 3 passing TD’s & 1 INT. Even if I was at home, I would be collecting stats. Especially with a noon game.

          Liked by 6 people

    3. Heya Ike,
      was looking for you in the comments. Great to hear from ya. Hope the health is hanging-in there, man. Seriously; love your comments for a change of pace, really = positive+ perspective, and nice commentary above which both is thoughtful and appreciated but I actually was a tad surprised by KP’s complete gameplay today, and chiefly because I came to mistrust Whipple’s management of our QB and ability to coordinate a consistently effective offense. Also, KP is not the most interesting of characters per interview… But I digress….)
      Best wishes, friend. –Neil

      Liked by 1 person

  267. Great road win. A chance to exercise the demons and end the OOC streak of never finishing 4-0.

    Pickett was terrific, not taking advantage of the turnovers on the plus side of the field was disappointing.

    Hire a special teams coach as being the RB and special teams leader is too much for Powell. This unit was a big letdown today.

    Pass protection was terrific. I sure wish Gonclaves was on the left side and Warren on the right. The run game would be better I think.

    The defensive line played well overall. Where was that back seven? Sheesh.

    What Pitt looked like was a team littered with three-star players who had trouble when put in certain positions. All is well. Pitt won with a great group of kids who go to class, stay out of trouble and are coached by adults who services didn’t require a bidding war.

    Who isn’t happy with that?

    Liked by 7 people

  268. If Milton connects on those three wide open passes on three different series, the score might have been 55-41 Tennessee.

    Good that Pitt won.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The back seven was below the line today. Woods should lose his job for not getting that receiver out of bounds instead of a long TD ensuing. These guys will struggle in space versus talented skill guys. Three-star recruits. They are who they are. Coaching needs to be better, too.

      No letdown next week, please.

      Like

  270. I get looking at things with a critical eye. However, I also think that it’s important to celebrate what we just watched. This team went on the road before 100k+ Fans against an SEC foe and put up 40+ points . The defense stood up when it had to. I think that is something to be proud of.

    Liked by 7 people

  271. Game ball goes to a great showing by Pitt fans. They took over many bars last night. Heard from vol fans and bartenders and waitresses that this was a great fanbase. Not cheap. Knoxville is literally richer for it.

    Pitt fans out yelled and frankly drowned out Tennessee fans when they attempted their comeback and tried to yell their way back in the game.

    Vol fans know how we feel at every ACC game with the calls. The refs had a security escort leaving the stadium. I’m serious about that. I saw it.

    Pitt really needs to join the sec.

    The Pitt admin can learn greatly from how pitt fans were treated and what Pitt fans experienced on campus. Beautiful urban campus and lively downtown market square and adjacent streets.

    Vol fans have a very good sense of humor and don’t sugar coat anything. Coach Majors was the same way. Heard some good stories about him. He’s a better man than I ever knew.

    Liked by 8 people

  272. An excruciatingly fun game to watch – all the UPs and downs!

    KP made some great passes today. The TD to Addison was big-time.

    This is a game you expect your 4-year starter to win, and he did.

    Frustrating that we have so much success over the middle but so little success with the sideways passes…

    Worst tackling by a Pitt team in many moons…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  273. What was with that first play of the game all about? I’m sure there were lots of moaning and groaning on that call since PITT ran many times last week without much success? including me. Pretty sure it set up the flea flicker for the Krull TD catch?

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    1. Krull missed his block. It may have gained some yards. I think Pitt was shell shocked by Tennessee’s speed early.

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  274. They beat the spread and won on the road in front of 90k fans.

    They didn’t fold or quit at any point during the game and made enough plays to win.

    Liked by 3 people

  275. No LBs had a sack today. That’s odd, they must have felt that the DL could control the line of scrimmage, but without blitzes. Gordon. love your comments, keep ’em coming.

    We should not get too hyped up over this win. The announcers discussed the large number of defections, and there were a considerable number of injuries including to the starting RB and QB. I think only 70 some players are on scholarship. And it showed with the huge number of penalties on TN.

    The Pitt secondary needs significant work. An accurate QB would have killed them today. And a senior punter with a block and a shank is not good. The new TE Bartholomew missed a lot of blocks.

    Liked by 1 person

  277. Lots of negative comments early on. Ye of little faith. hard to take.

    One reason why I quit this blog.

    Pitt won today. That’s not easy.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. That’s not negativity, that’s realism from realists. Seriously, lots to criticize about PITT for sure and expressing it isn’t a problem. It’s the general statements after a few plays declaring the player or coach a complete moron who doesn’t know what they are doing.

      Anyone who thought Kenny Pickett is or was a stiff and is surprised by his performance today, well, what can I say? Time to take this win all in.

      Liked by 4 people

  279. Pitt Women’s volleyball easily handles Bowling Green in 3 sets after coming out slowly in the first set. Coach Fisher played several freshman and back-ups but did not rest several starters at all including Lund. I will send Reed an article about the weekend after the rankings come out on Monday.

    Liked by 2 people

  281. I was very impressed that the crowd noise didn’t bother the Pitt offense today. I still need someone to explain to me how the so-called “silent count” works.

    Hats off to the players (especially new center Drexel) and the Coaches for doing a great job today.

    BTW, I’m waiting for Erie to tally up the “drops!” (Just kidding, Erie. Hope Rachel enjoyed the game.)

    Go Pitt

    Liked by 1 person

  284. Pitt with another entertaining as hell game and it ended with a win.

    This team will go as far as Kenny takes them, and he looks like he can finally take them pretty far.

    I think the secondary and DL will get better with experience and they had a decent game anyway. LBs need to pick it up some they weren’t much of a factor until that 4th down stop.

    Like

  286. So after today’s game here is where Kenny stands:

    Van Pelt 10,913
    Marino 8,597
    Sunseri 8,590
    Pickett 8,541

    Yeah; after the next game POV-ites; the race is on.

    Dear Kenny’s parents: I know you read this blog. Ken and Kasey you have taken abuse from some bloggers that say that your son will be the first Pitt QB eligible for Medicare. But the facts show that this is really his 4th year (as in his Freshman year he completed 39 passes for 509 yards; at least to me this AIN’T a year).

    Ken and Kasey thank you for having Kenny pick Pitt as those in the know Temple was a close Yes.

    Liked by 9 people

  288. Inconvenient to comment on here now because I have to sign in in three places…. And I can’t “like” any posts, I just get a blank WordPress screen…. Any help welcomed – only happens after the number of comments goes over about 30.

    Anyway, on the post-game radio they said that Jackie Sherrill went into the dressing room after the game. They said Jackie was hollering “Where’s Addison? Where’s Hill?”

    Must have been very cool in that post-game dressing room…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 7 people

    3. I used to be able to comment and like without issues. Now I have to sign in everytime to post and WordPress goes dead and dumb when I try to like. Looks like WordPress isn’t updating.

      Like

  289. Calling Vincent Davis the flea is bush league

    He has to run behind a line that can’t open holes for him and for an OC/OL coach that only call a good run game about twice a season

    He plays hard and he regularly scores points and gets first downs at big moments for Pitt and regularly keeps guys 50-80 pounds heavier than he is from getting a shot at killing Pickett

    Liked by 2 people

  290. Is Narduzzi having an affair with Vincent Davis’ mother?! Seriously, what the F.!! If you take away one game, the GaTech game last year when Pitt’s line opened up absurd holes in their D-line and Davis had a field day, the dude is CLEARLY sub-standard. G-d bless him, he’s tiny and plays with all the strength he can muster, but have you ever seen a power 5 tailback get hurled through the air for more negative yardage carries than this little dude?! Its completely ridiculous — he looks like a test dummy for some car commercial. In three years, I’ve never seen this poor kid brake a single tackle, and he’s not ALL that fast either, or has great moves?! Can we please find out if Izzy can carry the mail, or at least give Sibley or Carter a few carries — at least they weigh more than the other teams place kicker?! Damn!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Actually he is probably our best RB. He and maybe the freshman Hammonds can at least take it wide on occasion when the called play is stuffed.

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      2. ? I honestly can’t remember him breaking a single tackle in three seasons — how can that be our best RB? When he’s untouched, he has a little speed, but this isn’t flag football — its not his fault he’s 5’7″, 170lbs, but he is. Some little guys are tough to bring down, but he ain’t on of them.

        Like

  291. Not to be too negative, the rest of the game was great — great heart, effort, strategy, and patience. Very proud of that effort, in a big-time, hostile SEC environment. Many good things to draw from that win, but for heaven’s sake, give little Vinnie a rest — or turn him into a slot receiver — and let Izzy, Carter, or Sibley bang away at the line.

    Liked by 2 people

  292. Three years ago we had a OL that could run block but was absolutely horrible at pass blocking. the 2021 OL is very good at pass blocking and well before average on run blocking. So asking Whipple to call a good run game should not even be in the cards.

    Liked by 1 person

  293. The facial expressions by Narduzzi during his post presser were priceless. He truly does not like to be in front of the camera. He gave a nice shout-out to Johnny Majors and I think that win yesterday was a big deal for Duzz, kind of like the psuX 1st game was at Heinz Field. Every game needs to be a big deal from here on out.

    I would have enjoyed hearing about the pre-game speech by Jackie, but the reporters did not ask. Coach Marion was created with teaching the receivers how to work on their game improvement skills and staying after practice with the jug machine.

    Hail to Pitt!

    Liked by 1 person

  294. Must admit as a non-alum who has been skeptical about fan support, the Pitt contingent yesterday did your school proud

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 3 people

  295. First year HC for Arkansas lead a curb-stomping over the SEC bound Texas Longhorns 40-21.

    Texas HC Steve Sarkisian has a talent loaded team that continues it’s ten year run of mediocrity. Steve himself has a career record of 47-36 (.566).

    Note: Steve’s nickname is Charlie Strong – you can’t make this up…

    Liked by 4 people

  296. Wonder who Texas will fire this week? What a hot mess. All the money in the world, great recruiting base, support from fans and ad, and you know what, they still stink! But don’t worry, once they get into the Big 12 schedule they’ll be fine, seriously, they’ll do fine, but life in the SEC could be rough.
    Really, couldn’t happen to a nicer fan base, arrogant, obnoxious, condescending, jerks. ( Opps, thought this was about the Duzz, didn’t ya?). LOL.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I would have to disagree with you on that one. Texas fans aren’t zealots like many sec schools. Their football passion doesn’t come close to the Aggies. Horns fans don’t take football too seriously and they don’t heavily push football and indoctrinate it’s students like penn state. I had your same thoughts until I met longhorn fans and visited campus and talked with my son. They do have the money to spend and have made some bad decisions but they aren’t afraid to try and willingly accept change. That mentality is refreshing.

      Now I was proud to be a pitt fan yesterday. Even if pitt didn’t win, pitt fans showed up. Took over bars. And were loud. Panther nation gained much respect by not only winning but supporting. I had doubts about playing Tennessee but the Vol fans were great, Knoxville is beautiful and fun, and you experience a dumpy college stadium filled with 85000 people. And rocky top is a catchy thing they sing. Pitt needs to schedule more fun trips like this early in the season. Down south, against a good school, when weather is still nice. But maybe only Tennessee fits the bill. If so, we need to play them again here.

      Well worth a 15 hour drive. I give the experience five stars.

      PS. I’m flying next time

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Tex, I told you above am envious of your getting to Tenna.

        Your statement reads to me a lot of fun to be had for a Pitt fan in the future, is my hope.:

        “Now I was proud to be a pitt fan yesterday. Even if pitt didn’t win, pitt fans showed up. Took over bars. And were loud. Panther nation gained much respect by not only winning but supporting. I had doubts about playing Tennessee but the Vol fans were great….”

        Def fly a plane next time with current air fares….

        *True enough about A&M — I have been to this venue late 90s and is to be respected.

        Like

  297. Seriously, though, what a week of upsets and surprises. Lots of very overrated teams. Lots of balance in the conferences. Lots of money spent on coaches who lost. Relax, it’s early, and things will straighten out. Clemson back in title hunt. Wonder if OSU will drop or, knowing voters , move up!! lol.
    My vote for most overrated to date, ND, closely followed by USC, OSU , and Texas. I have a really hard time saying this, but the Nitters could be the best of the BiG.
    Voters love the same big names, and Cinderella’s who really aren’t. Southern sportswriters are the worst, like ACC who rated Pickett #10. Northern team will never, ever get respect down there, no matter what. Hey, we aren’t all that good, but I promise you they think more of Wake Forest than us.

    Like

  298. Fun fact
    The distance between my town in Texas and Knoxville is roughly the same distance as Pittsburgh to Minneapolis. Nearly 900 miles.

    Largest distance between two conference schools is currently Washington and Arizona. Beating out BC to Miami and WVU to Texas Tech.

    Like

    1. f*k that 900 miles drive . However if Pitt stays on track like today’s games showed briefly, then I’d reconsider my stance against undue travel.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Tex, proud of you for making the trip. I can’t even drive the 5 hours from Baltimore without irritation anymore. 15 hours would have killed me. See you all for Clemson and University of No Classes

      Like

  299. Fun game. Some bad coaching sprinkled with some bad tackling and bad special teams made that game way closer than it actually was. Pitt looked like a team that when it finds it’s identity could be pretty dominant.

    “The Chris Bickell c/o 97′ Head Football Coach”, head football coach Narduzzi got two more years with that win … not complaining … just saying … okay trolling Tex a little. Haha.

    Liked by 2 people

  300. anyone who drives 900 miles to attend a Pitt game either has my utmost respect or…..

    ….still deciding, but leaning or….

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  301. I always learn a lot from the box score. You miss a lot watching the game.

    Regarding Pitt’s running game, only two backs got carries and Davis had 19, although he made some big plays including blocks, Whipple obviously thinks he is the best. I noticed he also goes to the receiver position when it is an empty backfield.

    Pitt really shut down the Tennessee running game although both their QB’s beat us for some big gains and got first downs. Hooker was very good. If he doesn’t toss the Interception, they probably win, definitely the biggest of many big plays. Pitt’s interior defensive line is pretty awesome. Linebackers very solid stopping the run.

    Addison is KP’s favorite target 10-6, Mack 7-4 ( Mack is definitely back after a sub-standard year last year) and Krull 6-3. An overall great performance against a solid defense.

    Brandon Hill lead the team with 7 solo tackles and of course his interception, so I was to hard on the safeties, he played a great game. Dennis had the second most solo tackles. The rest were spread around a lot of guys, truly a team performance.

    KIck and Punt coverage was pretty awful with the punter making to big saving tackles. Tipton did make one great play on punt coverage. Our receivers are deep with Tipton not even getting a pass thrown his way, but a nice contribution on punt coverage. Pitt also got very lucky on the field goal return, O linemen looked very sick trying to make a tackle.

    However, the worry over the new kicker seems to be over. Certainly not the length of the last guy but solid.

    Lots for the coaches and players to work on this week, but they will be doing it with a smile

    Like

    1. Good stuff, GC. I noticed on the “participation” info that Pitt had about 38 players listed and UTenn had 2 less. I thought there would have been more Pitt players in the game.

      My impression was Hill had a rough game until his save-the-day INT….

      I felt bad for AJ Wood when he allowed that WR to run right past him for the long TD. Hope he can recover but he has some young talent behind him.

      At safety, I expect to see more of PJ O’Brien over the next few games, and maybe some more Buddy Mack…

      We were totally outclassed on Special Teams – wouldn’t be surprised to see some personnel shuffling there. Course we never know who’s playing on STs anyway…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    2. Davis played the best against the Vols. He is very patient and made the 2 biggest run plays in the game. It pays to be patient with poor line play. They may not open a hole, but can block enough for a back to find a way through.

      Abankianda is eventually going to be better. I would not knock the Flea. We would have not won without him.

      Liked by 1 person

  302. I plan on going OUT OF MY WAY to wear Pitt gear every freaking day this week.
    I’m already fired up for Saturday…
    Richard, looking forward to your visit to Red5A!!
    Good to see a trick play help win the John Majors Classic…what Coach Majors called “hully-gully” football.
    Loved the dude…as any of you who have seen “the shrine” would know.
    Biggest concerns right now are d back play and special teams..
    Get to work boys!

    Liked by 3 people

  303. Though the stats don’t show it, the run game was better. The best proof of that was running out the clock by running the ball consecutive plays and the scores from close to the goal line.

    Hill is going to be very good.

    Pitt needs to stick with an extra DB on obvious pass downs. Using Petrishen instead as a hybrid guy doesn’t work, he is to slow back in coverage. That being said, Bates better fix the blown coverages. Attribute some to Huepel, he is a great play caller.

    DL was very good and OL pass blocking was great.

    Pickett and Addison were exceptional.

    Like

    1. The blown coverages last season were pointed at Ford for freelancing. It appears to be a coaching or scheme issue. Tackling also wasn’t up to snuff.

      I sure hope special teams, tackling and deep coverage gets cleaned up. I also hope Tennessee turns out to be a better team than predicted.

      The best news is I think our offense can be better. I’d sure love to see Gonclaves inserted and Warren to the right side.

      Like

      1. I think Houy played really good. I think this is the first year he is healthy and was able to do full workouts in the off season. I didn’t notice if Zubovic or Gonclaves got snaps. They are obviously the future of the OL. They should get snaps every game.

        Like

    1. You got a link for that….I’m on espn’s website now….their Power Rankings(25) do not include us.

      And the polls don’t come out till tomorrow or did they change that

      CBS Sports Projected AP Rankings don’t include us either.

      You fookin with us joe !

      Like

  305. Hamlin and Ford were very good tacklers so the missed tackles are much more noticeable.

    Hard to say how good or bad Tennessee is. We will hear more from the Nard Bashers on how weak they are.

    Still awfully nice to see our lines do a very respectable job vs their lines. That is not something we could say for sometime.

    Got to beat Western Michigan next week or all for naught.

    Like

    1. This team has a legit chance now to open 5-0. But like you said, all for naught if we lay an egg against a MAC team. Toledo gave ND all they could handle, Miami (Oh) gave Minnesota all they could handle, out-gaining them 341 to 287.

      However Duquesne (yes the Dukes) beat Ohio U 28-26. In their first win over a FBS (D1) team since they stopped playing bigtime football somewhere around or before WW2.

      Liked by 1 person

  307. I recommend everyone watch those highlights. Lots of big plays by both teams.
    As many have said, offense is the key, it is ok to give up 34 when you score 42.

    Like

    1. If Tennessee had a QB that could hit the broad side of a barn from 40 yards, pitt would have most likely lost this game by two touchdowns. Pitts corners couldn’t cover all day long.

      Like

    1. The Spun…has a video of the Florida State’s cheerleaders’ jaws literally dropping when Jacksonville State scored on the final hail mary play of the game to beat the Seminoles.

      Already talking a new coach in Tallahassee. lol

      Like

  309. Rewatching the game and although Davis did make a few big plays he is too small to be effective. Can’t believe how much more poises KP is in the pocket this year. My big criticism over the years was happy feet and not being able to check down. Not yesterday. I think his relationship with the Manning’s has paid off.

    Liked by 1 person

  310. The Hogs were whopping it up in Fayetteville….trouncing the Longhorns of Texas. 40 to 21 in a game that wasn’t even that close as it was 33-7 until Texas scored a couple meaningless TD’s in the 4th Q.

    Arkansas has now won the last 2 meetings with the Horns, in what use to be an annual tilt, before Texas pulled a pedo state and backed out of the series.

    Like

  311. Weren’t we supposed to be in awe of Texas? You know the school that knows how to run a football program? Careful what you all say, I have a very long memory.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Well I was never in awe of their football team. But I respect their will to change and take risks. They always strive for excellence. Can you say that about Pitt?

      Like

  312. One of the nice things that the Tennessee band did was play the pitt fight song.

    The band forms a T and then splits with the team running out.

    Fans literally pay millions to run out with the team when the T splits. One guy paid two million recently. The Vols don’t name their coaching positions after boosters like Pitt.

    Money can’t buy wins but it sure can help.

    And Steelers fans are everywhere in Tennessee today. The power of a brand helped by winning championships.

    Like

  313. Only 3 teams lost that were ranked outside the Top 10 and in the Top 25. Texas, USC & Utah.

    Pitt won’t sniff the Top 25, as it was too far down the list of ‘Others’ in the Coaches Poll
    And Pitt wasn’t even in the ‘Others’ in the AP poll.

    And unless a whole bunch of Top 15-25 ranked teams lose in the next 2 weeks, we won’t have a chance of getting ranked unless we go 5-0.

    This is why it’s pretty important to be pre-season Top 25 ranked. Instead of just getting in the Top 25
    at 5-0…..we would have been moving up within the Top 25, had we been so. Into the Top 15 range.

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    1. Iowa State – overrated and ranked preseason
      ND – overranked because of name alone
      Minnesota – way overranked
      Ohio State – overranked
      VT and UNC – overranked
      Indiana – overrated and ranked preseason
      USC & Texas – overranked
      Coastal Carolina & Wisconsin – overranked
      Utah – overrated and ranked preseason

      Like

      1. You missed Pedo State….who barely escaped Madison… that was more about Badger futility.

        Rankings are somewhat based on perceptions. The ACC (other than Clemscum) & Pitt
        are perceived as weak.

        Yesterday Pitt’s win did some to change that a little. Provided we don’t lay an egg in the next 3 weeks
        it could setup a Top 25 type matchup with VT.

        Like

      2. Right!
        Pitt is always mediocre so never considered pre season. You win 4/5 barely get in and lose never to be seen again.
        In early you lose and lose and stay in.

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  315. from joeknew’s post on ESPN rankings
    most important are last 2 in the list copied and pasted(poorly) below

    % chance to make NC game and % chance to win the NC

    Pittsburgh Panthers
    2-0
    11.1
    17
    10
    8.8-3.4
    0.3
    99.2
    19.2
    5.0
    2.1
    0.6
    0.2

    who’s all in?

    Like

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