Another good, the bad and the ugly by Rick Caldwell
GOOD:
1. Izzy’s 98 yard KO return for a TD.
2. Addison’s four TD’s and over 200 yards receiving on 14 catches. He sure is special.
3. Kenny Pickett’s grit and determination to lead this team to victory.
4. Our Panther football team is the 2021 Coastal Division Champions, marking them as the champs for two of the past three seasons (no divisions in the 2020 COVID season).
5. The crowd noise was loud.
6. Another November win.
7. HC Narduzzi’s post game shout-out to the fans after accepting the Coastal trophy – “We (players and coaches) could not have done this (division championship) without you (Pitt fans)”.
we would have wore the yellow pants, we would have beat the spread:
1. Not starting your best defensive player – Cam Bright.
2. FG in the 1st half leads to an easy two minute UVA TD drive.
3. Duzz calls a defensive time out near the end of the 1st half that leads to a UVA TD on the very next play.
4. The DL got very little pressure in the 1st half on the UVA QB other than the two sacks.
5. The actual crowd numbers occupying seats.
6. Only seven first half RB carries for Pitt and our defensive players were gassed.
7. In the third quarter with 1st and goal inside the Virginia 10-yard line we had three incomplete passes and Duzz kicks a FG… with the opposing QB carving up our D like butter.
8. The refereeing reviews were disruptive to the entertainment value of the game.
UGLY:
1. Clearly targeting by Dennis – by definition of the stupid rule, it was.
2. Kenny’s horrible INT throws – the second one was into double coverage – not even close to the Pitt receiver.
3. The play call with 12 minutes left, 3rd down and 1, OC Whipple calls a pass and Kenny gets destroyed by 2 UVA defenders and laid on the field for five minutes before getting up.
4. Under eight minutes left in the game with a 3rd and 2 and Whip calls another pass and Kenny gets sacked.
Well, the final home game is in the books and Pitt is 9-2. It has been an entertaining season indeed, with three games remaining. As I type this next line for my friend JoeL, I’m calculating the math in my head but what the heck it is just a game.
“Disappointment haunted all my dreams.
Not a trace of doubt in my mind.
Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer.
I’m in love, I’m a believer!
I couldn’t leave her if I tried.”
Lyrics from the Monkey’s song “I’m a Believer”.
Folks, there is no doubt Kenny Pickett is having one of the best seasons by a Pitt QB ever, and his receiving mate, Jordan Addison is one special dude. I’m enjoying being a Pitt football fan again. When I was in school, Pitt ran off 3 straight 11-1 seasons and the Panthers were a college football powerhouse. They won low scoring games back then that were close, but those were wins nonetheless. This team, lead by Kenny Pickett is different in that they can score a lot of points, and they can give up a lot too, but mostly they have won to give us a national presence once again.
I’m going to enjoy it – cue up the music video Ike.
H2P!
pittpov.com 