168 thoughts on “Louisville at Pitt Basketball Game Thread”

  1. From Chris Dokish

    LB Shayne Simon has transferred from Notre Dame to Pitt. The 6’3” 233 pound NJ native started 8 games in 2020, but was injured early this year with a torn labrum. Very athletic, and many think he’d thrive in an aggressive defense, and he’ll have that chance at Pitt.

    3:00 PM · Jan 15, 2022

    Liked by 5 people

  2. From Rivals –

    Simon came to Notre Dame as a four-star recruit out of Jersey City (N.J.) Saint Peter’s Prep. He was the No. 168 overall player in the 2018 class and picked the Irish in July 2017 over Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and others.

    Note: his # was 33 at ND

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Simon could be a HUGE plus if he is healthy>>>>linebacker is obviously a position of need for Pitt and Simon could really help us if he can see the field. I believe he has 2 years of eligibility..

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    1. IF he and Abanikanda are healthy, I’m feeling real positive about next year but will wait until I see if Nick Patti fully recovers

      I’m glad we got Slovis but at this point think the little glimpse of Patti gives me enough to feel good and so Cignetti may have 2 very good qb’s to work with

      either way, the line play will matter most whether they become better balanced at run blocking AND pass blocking because I do believe KP’s pocket awareness or whatever it was, is a big part of what improved and I can’t imagine either NP or KS have it to Kenny’s level

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Reed, respectfully, our running backs are pretty good. Abanikanda is a great runner, but unfortunately he is oft injured and isn’t great in pass protection. Vince Davis is a nice player, very versatile. Hammond really impressed as a true freshman. Best crew of RB’s we’ve had in a few years.

      Liked by 3 people

  5. Sometime soon we will have a discussion on “help side defense”
    Pitt’s biggest weakness next to shooting woes. It’s all about communications and “want to!”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. If you missed the call, the ville center pushed Hugley to the floor and the ref with a perfect view of the push blew the whistle and called Big John for his 2nd foul with ten minutes left in the half and Pitt up 17-13.

        Ville went on a 9-0 run with Big John on the bench.

        Fixed…

        Liked by 2 people

        1. That call was beyond bad, but to be fair, Hugley commits a lot of offensive fouls (and walks) that don’t get called. He is in the Shaq zone!

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    1. Williams (C for ville) has been smiling & laughing ever since he pushed Hugley to the ground and the ref called the foul on Big John.

      Heather should have the video sent to the ACC HQ already. If nothing gets done about it, I’d create a marketing piece that calls out these phantom calls.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Getting to the hoop today on offense. I’m liking this first half except the two phantom fouls on Big John that took him off the court.

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  12. Best 1st half I’ve seen Pitt play this season and three Panthers with 2 fouls each.

    The ville has 5 total team fouls with 45 seconds in the half.

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  13. very little good basketball mixed in with a bunch of bad shooting and passing(and worse officiating)

    Pitt defense so far is the difference it seems, more hustle and rebounding and couple blocks

    hard to believe Louisville is a 10-6 team and but for a few close games, Pitt could be too

    kinda fun to watch at least

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Pitt is a good shooter away from being good

    not really thinking Horton would’ve been enough of that guy but Hugley, Gueye, Burton is a good 3 to work around….

    if we had a real PG and Jeffress a heart, Pitt could be formidable

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Dan, correct me if I am wrong but when did a less than 50% success rate on free throws become “good”.

    Back in our days that would have been terrible. Or am I missing something?

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  18. Gueye for the win

    he’s a far better outside shooter than what he’s done today to this point, would love to have him another year!

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  23. Very entertaining game. tvax with the comment of the game – “the team of refs really $uk” (paraphrasing)

    Coach Capel is starting to work hard on his game day coaching. Needs to get some recruiting mojo going – maybe replace his bro with Antigua.

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. They were very impressive in the second half. Capel is doing a good job with this group. Burton is a nice player. Hughley reminds me a lot of Brian Shorter, who was a beast.

    Liked by 3 people

  26. Capel working hard to keep this team focused and working toward improvement every game.

    Is he leaning to the portal as his recruiting channel? Time will tell…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I thought Carr was the best of Stallings recruits. But he wasn’t that good! Shocked he’s still playing.

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    2. Carr and Pittsburgh’s own, Tre Mitchell, start for the Longhorns.

      The new coach went portal heavy and the Horns are 13-4 so far in his first season.

      Marcus is shooting under 40 percent on the season has done so every season of his college career. He must have been a volume shooter at Minnesota to average close to 20 ppg his last season.

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  28. Great win by Pitt and ending a long losing streak to the Cardinals.

    When Chris Mack was the coach at Xavier there was talk how he was the next big thing. Goes to a semi Blue Blood at a school that will look the other way to win and so far not terribly impressive.

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  29. This is one result I just don’t understand. With this roster? Without Horton even? I can’t figure this out. Absolutely hats off to Capel and these young men.

    H2P

    Liked by 4 people

  30. Good win…good time at the game.
    Hoping for a big student turnout in the Zoo Wednesday…need to get the Pete rocking again.

    Love the ND linebacker pickup…thats exactly the badazz transfer portal linebacker I asked Santa for a few weeks ago.
    Dude was top 100 coming out of high school.

    Liked by 8 people

  31. 19-57 and 7-28 has a lot to do with it. Poorest shooting effort by Louisville that I can remember.
    But credit due to Pitt for making their shots.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. This is not the same team that lost to the Citadel. Capel has done a really good coaching job to get them to where they are now. Not to be confused with Duke or Baylor, but they have come a long way. I don’t know if this group will ever shoot well, but they can win in other ways. Capel is probably focused on the portal to find a couple of shooters for next year.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. I would like to see Capel go old school on a point guard for next year…Forget about sooting 3’s and scoring a lot of points…Give me a point guard that can dribble, pass and shoot a high percentage from the FT line.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. probably one of few D1 pg’s at 6’4″ who could not touch the rim

      obviously great FT shooter, and solid ball handler yet not very good passer but made few mistakes, ever

      not sure he ever won a game for Pitt but probably never lost one either

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    1. The school’s massive cheating has a lot to do with that. Cheaters vs Non Cheaters the edge usually goes to the ones cheating. Plus, having better coaches helps.

      The Cards are going to get a thumping in the fall.

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  39. Saw this posted by qdawg on the Lair – thought it was a bit interesting…

    “Zeise had dorin dickerson on last night. Cignetti was the OC when Dorin was a senior. Said he looks for matchups and where he can exploit the defense weakness. Says offense changes each week based on what he sees. Big thing dorin said was he gets the ball to the pkaymakers. He really thinks this is a great move for Pitt.”

    —One thing I think about OCs is that they don’t have to be all that creative, all they have to be is smart and a good teacher. All the plays are on video for all to see – just teach them well and figure out when to call what…. As we all know by now — it’s not rocket science! 😊

    Go Pitt.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  40. Pitt: Boston College offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti is expected to be Pitt’s new offensive coordinator Pete Thamel of FootballScoop shares. This will be Cignetti’s second run as OC at Pitt having served in the same capacity in ’09-10. Since that run, Cignetti has coached at Rutgers, with the Rams, Giants, Packers and has been at BC the past two seasons.

    Poster Note: as of 5 minutes ago, FCjr continues to appear on the BC football website as being an active part of their coaching staff.

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  41. Supposedly the Cignetti contract is being worked on at Pitt. I’m guessing he will also be getting a nice bump in his salary on this move.

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  43. Anyone with any insight on the WR coaching vacancy? In searching for potential candidates with ties to Pittsburgh I found an interesting one besides Mike Shanahan ODU and Nate Bynum Albany.

    Hines Ward is the current WR coach at FAU.

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  44. Another find is current Buffalo Bulls WR coach Dallas Baker –

    He graduated from the University of Florida in December 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance. He was a 2 year captain as a Gator WR.

    The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Baker in the 2007 NFL Draft, where he played from 2007-09, winning a Super Bowl with the organization following the 2008 season.

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    1. With his lack of coaching experience, one might wonder if he’s getting a look due to the Rooney Rule.

      Would love to see him on the Pitt staff….. the consummate tough, strong blocking WR…who could also could cats h a ball or two.

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      1. Hines was always an overachiever and inspirational guy. That smile and NFL bonefides including a SuperBowl ring should be a force on the recruiting trail. Don’t see it happening though.

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  46. Did anyone mention that EZ played 24 minutes to Jeffress 9 last night. Also Collier with 14 and anto with 9.
    Those 4 scored very few points but I think helped increase the defensive intensity. Our 4 top guys all scored double figures, including Burton’s huge night.
    Going to be very tough to replace MoGee’s play next year, he is becoming a force. If Coach can add 2 more contributors and not lose any to the portal, he can have a competitive team next year.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That’s good research GC! Jeffries is a “deer in the headlights” and just killing Pitt when he’s in.

      That’s more good coaching by Capel. EZ is steady and doesn’t make glaring mistakes. He also makes his defender “play him” when he has the ball, a key to beating any defense.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Dan, you mentioned in the Zoom that Jeffress competition in HS didn’t prepare him for P-5 ball and I agree. He also came early and I believe is still 18 years old. He is definitely not up to the speed and physicality of the game, but I haven’t written him off. We have seen lot’s of guys like him mature as juniors or seniors. Hopefully he has the desire to do it and sticks around. He remids me a little of Cam Johnson, who didn’t have to play early and got better every year. He does look like he is spending time in the weight room.

        Liked by 1 person

  47. Picking up Simon could be a difference maker. I would still like to see one more LB and a Tight End from the portal. Still areas that need help.

    Congrats to Camp, probably could be added to the most injured list while at Pitt, but when healthy he made a difference. Be great to see him get Pro $$$.

    This is the time of year that the power and conditioning program can change thos 3 stars to 4. Hope everyone is working hard. Slovis should be throwing to Addison and Co. right about now. Get that timing down.

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    1. I’m staying cautious on the ND LB transfer. Saw his tackling stats somewhere and they were not at all impressive. Now maybe he was ready to blossom before getting injured last season.

      And maybe the aggressive style of the Pitt defense will suit him better. But he sure hasn’t played like the 4-star LB we keep hoping to get…

      Looking forward to seeing him flying around what and impressing everyone in the spring game…

      Go Pitt.

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  50. Wow – nice to see the Men’s BB win! I have to work all Saturdays so can’t make these games. Was able to catch the last minute on my break…needless to say my jaw was dropping.

    I still have 2 seats in Sec 123 available for Saturday games gratis for POV’ers if anyone here wants them. (VaTech, NC State and GaTech) Let me know.

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    1. If any of those games are still available, I would be interested
      I live in Maryland not too far from Reed and would love to come to a game at the Pete
      Thanks for your generous offer

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Checking with the better half to make sure she didn’t give away yet, but should be good. I’m at work today but reach out. rjay at hush dot com is my email.

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      3. My bad – mistyped email It’s r.jay at hush dot com. This is a throw away – had problems in the past posting my real one.

        Tommymac

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    2. Tommy Mac: I’m going to come into town to see my daughter (Pitt Engineering 2023) for one of those three games. How can I reach you?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Checking with the better half to make sure she didn’t give away yet, but should be good. I’m at work today but reach out. rjay at hush dot com is my email.

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  51. Tommymac, my seats are also in 123 row R.
    Wolfe is much lower but also 123.
    What row are you in?

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    1. At the beginning of the season I think we all had nightmares of Stallings second year.
      At the very least this team is worth watching.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Pitt’s best two offensive players are guards Everett and Harris. Today, they combined to go 6 for 33.

      A big factor today was that Pitt only had 12 turnovers – they usually have over 20.

      Pitt is now 10 and 7.

      Go Pitt.

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  54. back to WordPress limbo it seems again, tried on the app and comment shows there but not here

    wtF!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  55. Capel is the real shocker for me, I was less than kind first Zoom and similar to ripping PN after WMU will be glad to eat crow and ask for 2nds 🙂

    OT but watching a little playoff qb play in the NFL thinking KP skills translate better than a couple, definitely Hurts and Mac Jones too

    lots of JW, TB and some AM making plays, particularly Whitehead!!!

    good Pitt weekend!

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  56. tried to post bits but part on Heather won’t go through

    Reed will have a few waiting for approval,,,,, for no apparent reason

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        1. You are correct. It is the combination. Think of someone who no longer posts on this blog. Certain words can be set up to trigger a non-post. It can be political, swear/curse or any word that Reed considers as inappropriate on his blog.

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  58. Cool tweet –

    @TheLoyalSons
    ·
    4h
    Who would’ve thought the 2016 Pitt Panthers secondary would show out this well in the 2021-22 NFL playoffs. Dane Jackson, Whitehead, and Maddox had all been starting, but even Damar Hamlin got playing time yesterday. #H2P

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    2. Don’t forget K’Waun Williams. He is still hanging around and had a big interception for the 49ers today.

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  60. K’wan Williams DB for the 49ers just picked off a pass vs the cowgirls in their playoff game.

    Good weekend for Pitt alumni in the NFL playoffs, especially DB’s.

    Liked by 2 people

  62. Just got in from hockey! Everything i see is Pickett going to Giants with either 5th or 7th pick. Steelers loook awful!

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  63. As far as Pickett, the Eagles today found out they might not have a Starting Quarterback.

    They also have THREE first round draft picks.

    Now, this is a destination that looks to make sense for a New Jersey Kid who happens to be a life-long Eagles fan.

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  64. Steelers fans on the other hand need to get ready for Tomlin’s losing seasons. With no more HOF Quarterback around to rely on, those losing seasons are about to begin.

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  65. Fwiw, I blame Kevin Colbert as much as I do Ben and Tomlin. Personnel wise, this is the worse Steeler team I’ve seen for decades

    On the other hand, the golf match last night from Hawaii was quite scintillating

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 3 people

  66. Btw, in other ACC action over the weekend, BC was down at Clemson 34-11 but came back to win

    UVA lost mostly due to a 6:48 scoring drought

    I have been trying to tell POVers that Pitt is not the only program to ‘Pitt’. Except for the elites, it happens all of the time

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. It could just be bad basketball. That’s how I see it. Really bad.

      I do think that the reduction in actual practice time has hindered improvement for most players.

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  67. ACC basketball looking very weak this year. Louisville had a nice winning record but looked absolutely lousy against the (maybe) resurgent Panthers.

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  68. The Steelers biggest problem is the offensive line. They waited too long to fix it and it got old all at the same time. Plus Ben should have been released a number of years ago.

    Wholesale changes next year.

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  69. Great line on Canada’s offense….

    The average Roethlisberger pass this season travelled less than seven yards, raising all the alarm and potential menace of a throw pillow tossed the length of your family room.

    Liked by 1 person

  73. So ACC Basketball is way down this year, is this a one year glitch or the start of a trend?

    Funny, many of the same coaches, maybe talent really is the most important thing.

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  74. Ben was amazingly inaccurate last night and while I don’t watch much pro football, he didn’t look good at all when I saw him this year

    of course there also were a couple drops

    maybe Ben learned a bad habit from KP prior to KP breaking from that habit(football pointing sideways?, down?, backwards?) lol

    backwards even made ME laugh!

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    1. If it points backwards, it is usually called a fumble……that would be my interpretation. Ben can’t thro the ball 40 yards. I was actually hoping he would take off the shoulder pads so he could get more freedom of movement…and then i saw his footwork and said maybe he should take his shoes off too….he was a warrior for years, but it is time to hang up his moccasins.

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  75. gc … it’s the new reality … the ACC has always relied on recruiting … they have to adapt to the portal and transfers.

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  76. I think the Steelers have bigger problems than finding a new QB. Their defense is full of holes due to their lack of speed.

    They need 2 corners, a safety, two inside backers and 2 defensive linemen. Other than that, they’re fine on defense.

    Going to be a long rebuild, but at least they’ll have some money to throw around with Ben gone. (And GC, I also thought the Steelers should have moved on from Ben after he became unable to extend plays – about 3 seasons ago…)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. LOL, stated differently: The steelers need a new defensive backfield, linebacking corps and defensive line. Everything else on the defense is fine…..good chuckle.

      Like the head coach, the steelers won’t make moves unless the replacement is better. This is why most steelers do not go elsewhere and prosper for the rest of their career. It used to be no steeler made it big after leaving. If steelers go free agency to address the qb situation, they will payout big money. Would rather they take the Ben money and address the defense and OL. Get the qb later.

      Actually, I like Cam Heyward a lot. He understands the culture of winning. I am afraid that the lack of playoff success lately will lead to an el foldo in playoffs because they have noone left steeped in the super bowl culture. That stuff used to be handed down from player to player and we will sorely miss that if Heyward goes too.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yeah, I totally agree on addressing the defense and OLine as the priorities.

        Steelers could be in the Division cellar for a few years – might as well build a good foundation…

        Go Pitt.

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  77. And speaking of KP, I still wonder whether he has the elite NFL arm strength like Herbert and Burrows…

    I watched some of the first half of the Bungles game and Joe Burrows was throwing lasers. And putting them into extremely tight windows. It was impressive to watch – and he anticipated well, releasing the ball before the receiver looked back…

    I think Cincy is going to dominate the Division for a while…. No reason for the Steelers to try a quick reshuffling…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  78. Ben is not close to his young self but as stated the team has bigger issues brought on by poor personnel moves and drafts. No QB would have looked good in that offense which looked exactly like last years offense. Steelers are running a high school air raid offense along with no talent.

    Time to part ways with hands of stone Johnson. Two years in a row with drop issues.

    The middle LBs stink.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The lack of offense was dictated by the lack of talent on the offensive line that could neither pass or run block effectively. Add to that an immobile, not very accurate QB and a lack luster group of receivers, hurt by an injured Ebron and JuJu, guys that could catch tough passes over the middle.

      Steelers really need a couple of years in the cellar to restock players. It would be a good thing if Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons comes to an end. All division rivals have exceptional QB’s except maybe Mayfield who spent to much time making commercials.

      You have to be able to elude the rush and throw down field if you want to win in pro or college ball.

      Liked by 3 people

  79. From CardiacHill –

    DB Hunter Sellers who entered the transfer portal in early December moves from Pitt to New Mexico.

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  80. I hope the new Pitt OC, whoever he might be, studies the offensive plays used by Kansas City and San Francisco.

    Lots of plays which give them the numbers advantage against the defense. Course lots of speed too…

    (And do not even bother looking at the Steeler’s playbook…👎)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  81. Majors … KP does not have an elite arm. He’d probably be in the tier 2. He’s not Aaron Rogers or Kyler or Herbert or Mahomes … Joe Burrows weakness is arm strength … but, Joe throws a beautiful deep ball … which is also KP’s strength. He doesn’t have an elite arm but he has an accurate deep ball which should help overcome how deep.

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  84. I would have to think that if Cignetti wasn’t coming (or even wavering), we would have heard something by now.

    The initial report from Pete Thamel did state that terms would be worked out in the future. For all we know, there may be a date where Cignetti (or Pitt) would pay a lesser buyout … or something like that

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I always believed that neither was an ACC caliber player. They had their moments. The fact that they are both playing far fewer minutes than they did at Pitt reinforces by belief.

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  87. Another potential WR coach is Coastal Carolina coach Tony Washington who was a WR at App State with a double major in architectural design and construction management with a 3.83 gpa. Washington went to high school in High Point, NC.

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    3. Bring back Bobby Engram! 😊

      What’s odd is that after leaving Pitt for the Ravens and coaching their WRs for a few years, Engram is now the Raven’s TE Coach…. All 5’10” of him…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  88. Pitt NLI Event on Feb. 2 at Heinz Field. Announcement indicates a Q&A session with Coach Duzz and some players.

    Sounds like fun – especially watching the highlight video for the season…

    Go Pitt.

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  92. Chris Peak on his Twitter account is showing a PG article of 40 years ago mentioning that Texas A&M is after Jackie Sherill … which of course Sherill denied

    Bo Schembechler just turned down a 10 year $2.25m offer. Sherill was making a base salary of $60k

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  96. If Cignetti was still under contract, there will be buyout negotiations. Yesterday was a holiday, too.

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