in Pitt Football 820 Words

2021 Production Loss- West Virginia

I have finished the ACC non-Pitt opponents. That means the first Pitt opponent of the 2022 season – West Virginia.

Neal Brown, the former head coach of Troy University, enters his fourth season as HC of the Mountaineers. During his three seasons, he is 17- 18 (11-15 Conference, 5-2 OOC and 1-1 Bowls).

That leads us to last year results and the upcoming 2022 schedule (or at least the only games that matter.)

My Oh My, a blowout win over an FCS team.

In OOC scheduling, WVU has been scheduling two P5 teams and an FCS team for the last five or six years (excluding the Covid 2020 season). P5 teams included Home/Away games with NC State, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and now Pitt. The 2023/24 seasons will have Pitt and Psu games. But the two P5 ends in 2025 with only Pitt on the schedule and Alabama lined up for 26/27.

Here are the Rivals 5.6 and above 2022 commits. Also included are the current Transfer Portal (TP) additions.

Before JT Daniels transferred in, the WVU fan base thought 5.8, 4-star QB Nicco Marchiol would have a shot/be the starting QB.

Lee Kpogba, the 5.8, 4-star LB has an interesting story. He was a 5.8, 4-star in Syracuse’s 2020 class. Played one season with one tackle and transferred to a JUCO. He is now seen as key figure in rebuilding the LB group.

Currently three offensive, seven defensive and one kicker from the portal. Obviously QB JT Daniels is the star pickup. The transfer kicker probably will not be the starting field goal kicker. The current one, Casey Legg has a leg up on him.

WVU has lost 20 players to the TP

On to the stars identified as NCAA team leaders in selected stats or members of the All Big 10 teams.

Lot’s of color like Wake Forest’s chart. The difference is that Wake was blue (eligibility). WVU is red (TP).

The  offense revolves around QB play. I have added sacked and yards lost to the QB chart.

Doege to the TP, opening the door for a new QB. Greene had more rushing attempts and yardage then passing. Crowder and Marchiol are untested. Enter JT Daniels. Here are his career passing stats along with Slovis and Patti’s.

If I were really good, I would add rushing yards. That would help in determining the best QB of the three. In fact, if I were really good at this, I would try to add stats on some of the TP additions.

WVU running backs and receivers 2021 activity. Also returning production summary for Pitt and West Virginia.

Lots of production lost mainly due to the TP. WVU did pickup a Clemson running back with experience. The TE pickup is now on his third team.

QB Greene was WVU third leading rusher with a net 297 yards on 48 carriers.

Both Pitt and WVU shed a lot of production.

Can the Oline stats help the lost production based on returning starters and experience. I added Pitt allowed sacks and tackles for loss.

The Mountaineers, like Pitt, return all their starters.

While WVU allowed less tackles for loss, as a percentage of total plays Pitt’s Oline is more solid.

That wraps up the West Virginia offense. On to the defensive review.

WVU had 41 players make a defensive stat. But five of them were offense players. One was a special teams players. That leaves 36 defensive players making a stat.

The chart below strips out the non-defensive players and fifteen players who did not make at least double digit tackles.

The below chart includes nine DB’s, five DL’s and six LB’s making up (and I mean made up) “ten tackles two deep.”

The WVU defense has been decimated by eligibility and the TP. The defensive backs are down to three players left from the shown chart. Of the five DB’s not on the chart, one is also in the TP. So not much help there.

WVU did get help from the TP – three incoming DB’s. They also have a 5.8. 4-star JUCO transfer recruit Hershey McLaurin.

The LB position is also an area of concern. While not as devastated as Pitt’s, it is a position of concern. Besides Kpogba (mentioned above) they did pick up a LB TP entry from Miam and have two 5.7, 3-stars recruits in the incoming class.

The DL appears to be solid though even with the loss of their leading tackler.

I have no idea where WVU stands on scholarships. I did find a site that had a scholarship tracker early in my research, but it has not been updated since mid- February. Even if scholarships are available, immediate TP impact players are few and far between. If this were just any P5 OOC game, I would expect Pitt to win. But it is a huge rivalry game for the players and fans especially for the younger fans amongst us. At this time, Pitt wins.

168 thoughts on “2021 Production Loss- West Virginia”

  1. “…has a leg up on them.”

    You are a funny guy Richard.

    Excellent analysis. Not sure what to expect on opening night.

    Which game will you come up to see?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks – I have circled either the Rhode Island or Georgia Tech games for my annual visit.

      As usual I am looking for two tickets in the club section. I will pay.

      Not sure if I will be doing an away game. Only one within reasonable driving difference for me is North Carolina. But I haven’t heard any POV chatter on away games visits.

      BTW from what I read; the TP kicker does have a leg but was mainly used on kickoffs.

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      1. We will have a crew at UVA for sure. But there is always a group at Chapel Hill – guess it will depend on the record in the weeks before.

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  2. It’s the opener, 2 new QBs, rival game but still the home team should be the solid favorite IMO. And I think the difference will be the defense. The Dline should be better than ever … experienced, talented and a lot of depth. WVU returns its OL (like Pitt) but I’m hoping it wears down as the game goes on … turning a close game into a comfortable lead

    Sent from my iPhone

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    Liked by 1 person

      1. I remember hearing those announcements and going crazy with the rest of the Pitt fans. Fun times….

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  4. The biggest difference for WVU between last year and this year is on offense. They hired a very good OC and got a transfer QB. Their QBs were horrible last year.
    They will move the ball with the air raid offense. Stopping them when they get to the red zone is key.
    They usually have a pretty good D.

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  5. No doubt WV is a super tough game to start with. Really no film to look at for either offense. Should be a lot of crazed hoopies coming to town, close to a full house at Heinz on a Thursday night. Setting up a long Holiday weekend.

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  6. 1st game against a tough Hoopie team …not a gimmie. I believe the home field advantage and tough defense will give us an advantage. I believe Slovis will get the start and he will find out immediately that playing for Pitt against WVU will not be a cakewalk, but it will be terrific preparation for the 2022 season.
    I hate to type this (jinx?) — we have to be a bit lucky, hopefully, the injury bug will miss the Panthers.

    Last but not least, Richard you are AMAZING!!

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Thanks, Richard!

    Two things jump out at me concerning WVU. One is that last season they played some good teams surprisingly tough and lost close games. The other is that they seem to have done surprisingly well with their portal pickups.

    I’ll be more nervous than usual leading up to this opener… And then that will continue the following week. Hoping my BP meds can handle it. 🙂

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Well this is what we wanted, a team that is good enough to beat these two tough opponents, but high risk for the season if they don’t. I still believe 1 P-5 ooc opponent per year is plenty, but here we are. This game should come down to who makes the fewest mistakes.
    Thanks Richard another excellent piece.
    Maybe we can make Gallagher think twice about his decision. His film looks great, but a big leap to P-5 and from what I saw we don’t know how he’ll do transitioning to receiver.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Gallagher will be Lamont Wade lite. Who knows if he can successfully transition to receiver in college. He’s barely 160 and doesn’t have blazing fast speed. My gut tells me that he won’t live up to the hype.

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  11. Thanks Rich
    Mistakes in first game rule the outcome
    Veteran team should do better
    We should win with WV QB running for his life

    Liked by 2 people

  12. OT — Chris Peak has a nice interview with Nelly Cummings on the Lair. Cummings graduated from Colgate – seems mature and like he could be a good influence…. Fingers crossed.

    Nelly said having his family here to see him play means a lot to him and is why he chose to come to Pitt.

    Is Billy workin’ on his “Whoa Nelly!”?

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  13. The Hoopies will be a tough out. I hate the Thursday game. If Pitt could only get that PA guy back from the 80’s who made reference to corncob pipes and other things. The most foul fans are earth are from WVU. And I’ve been to many a many schools for games both football and basketball. The hoopies really hate Pitt. I’m ambivalent. Means more to me to beat an arrogant cult worshipping Nitter. But this rivalry is good and needs to be continued.

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    1. I miss KP already. I honestly think he’ll be better than Big Ben and a much better person. He’s the Marino the Steelers never had.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Hope you are right. Pickett is a product of of Whipple’s system. System qb’s generally don’t do well in the NFL. Just sayin’.

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        1. The thing that stood out to me always was moxy. You can’t teach that. And KP was held back under The Whisperer. Kenny will explode in Canadas offense. Otherwise Balcones for everyone at Frans tailgate.

          Liked by 2 people

        2. If by “system QB” you mean running a pro-style west coast offense, requiring the QB to quickly go through a progression of reads, then yes KP8 was a system QB. A really good one at that!

          Liked by 2 people

        4. He’s a pro-style QB and that’s fairly common knowledge.

          Kenny has great footwork, accuracy, good decision-making, decent speed, guts and leadership skills. Moxie.

          Some folks want to point to his production (stats) before last season as argument against picking in in the first round or as an NFL caliber starter. Fair enough, but as a part of that one needs to assess the rest of the players around him when leaning on stats. When one does that, its pretty clear there were holes in the offense…. younger. ;ess skilled OL, lack of talent at TE (remember all the drops?) and starting WRs who weren’t as good as last year’s edition.

          If the Steelers put a good unit around him, I think fans will be quite happy with him once he adjusts to the speed of the NFL game.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. If we can have a disciplined pass rush (maintaining our rush lanes) and make him try to throw from inside the pocket, we should do well.

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      1. LOL Richard… I think the guys maybe on to you 😉 ……btw… another Great job!

        The best stat above is that wvu has their entire O-Line coming back.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. OT – Read an article somewhere about how college football is looking to speed up the game – with the goal being less plays per game. They’re supposedly worried about injuries and wear-and-tear on the players from playing so many plays…. (Or I’m guessing maybe TV just wants shorter games…)

    College games now have around 70 offensive plays per game – more than NFL games. And as more playoff games get added, they’re supposedly worried that some players will be called on to play too many plays…

    But what about the teams who don’t get into the playoffs?

    The thinking seems to be that we will see changes in clock stoppage rules – like after 1st downs or after incompletions -in the next couple years…

    Go Pitt.

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  17. Watched the Pitt – Wake game again yesterday. What a performance. While KP to Addison was a masterpiece, so many players performed well and it was the defense that made the biggest difference.

    Now with Addison gone as well as Kenny, I see a return to a much more balanced offense with a strong running game helping the new QB, but still having the deep threats as well as plenty of options to throw to.
    Plenty of guys licking their chops to get more receptions. The signing of Mumpford looks much more important now. Barden needs to be more consistent deep threat. Wayne is now the go to guy.

    It will also be interesting how the new coach uses our trio of running backs and our resurgent fullback.
    With the addition of the transfer tight ends to Bart there are plenty of options there.

    Whichever QB plays there will be plenty of options in the playbook. Obviously execution is key and it will be fun to see who will be the emerging stars.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Funny thing, the broadcaster was saying what a great thing NIL is because Addison was donating his money to tickets for kids and the impact has been all positive. What a difference a season makes.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. By the end of June we should know how much winning the ACC has impacted recruiting. Lots of kids considering Pitt, which ones will sign? More high profile guys coming to campus making it interesting.

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  19. Obviously the best way to speed up the game is more running plays. Remember the 4th quarter drive at Va Tech. Pitt went around 80 yards from deep in its territory with only one short pass and the rest on the ground… took about 8 minutes off the clock. Fastest 4th quarter in a while

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    Liked by 4 people

  20. Actually that 4th quarter drive at VT took 11:28 off the clock as Izzy ran 11 times for 63 yards. And Pitt didn’t even score on the drive. Certainly helps the defense as VT scored just 7 pts

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    Liked by 1 person

    1. T’was a thing of great beauty. I expect that Cignetti will take that approach more often than Whipple.
      Cowher was absolutely great at using it.

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  21. Won’t WVU be at a disadvantage incorporating a new offense with a new QB? I always read when Pitt makes changes how much time it takes to get everyone on the same page.

    Pitt’s defense returns a lot along with the coaching staff. If you tell me it won’t matter for WVU since Pitt DBs are on an island and deep balls are 50/50, then I agree and that will make the game closer than we expect.

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    1. WVUs offense is basically the same. Brown and the new OC are Mike Leach disciples.

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  22. Pitt volleyball added a new player today yesterday from Texas A&M. She is Cam Ennis who is a 6′-0″ outside hitter. Although listed as an outside hitter she will be used more as a defensive specialist in the back row. She was second in digs on the Aggies team last year. She will be with the Panthers for just this year.

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2022/5/27/womens-volleyball-fisher-adds-cam-ennis-to-2022-pitt-volleyball-roster.aspx

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Cam Ennis was added to the Pitt volleyball roster yesterday. I posted a longer comment a couple of minutes ago. Hopefully it will appear shortly.

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        1. Not really. Sometimes WordPress will hold up a comment if there is only a link. Yours was more than just a link. So, chalk it up to the whims of WordPress.

          Liked by 1 person

  24. Battle of the new and relocated QBs. If you agree that the QB position is the most important player on the field, I think it’s safe to say this one has to be a toss-up. BTW I consider Patti to be just as unknown as Slovis since it’s a new offense and he’s had such limited playing time and experience under pressure.

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  26. The ACC rowing championships are on. Pitt needs to add men’s and women’s rowing teams.

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    1. It would be just another sport where Pitt finishes in the bottom third of the conference.

      Pitt would have a hard time finding the money for it

      This is a sport that Pitt should have always had anyways

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    2. Great idea, Gordon! We could watch the whole race cruising along side them as we tailgate on Fran’s boat. Hope they don’t mind rowing against our wake. But, hey, that’s not our problem.

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  27. I just assumed with the 3 rivers that Pitt had a rowing team…do any of the other local schools have one?

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    1. RMU does. They have a facility on Neville Island. Then again, maybe their last moron president shut it down like he did the hockey program.

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  28. Not sure rowing is revenue neutral……..or even close. How do you sell tickets and where would you put the paying customers. How would it expand the brand?

    It’s also expensive to transport, unless you rent the shell from whomever you are competing against. Prefer hockey. TitleIX neutral. Brand positive. Recruiting footprint established. ACC representation with BC. Can use ND relationship to help leverage big10. Bobby Mo, Mercyhurst, OSU, State Penn and many other schools within 5 hour drive.

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    1. Hockey is better for the brand. Can be profitable. And would get far more support and eyes. But is very expensive.

      Rowing is the stupid and lazy man’s way. Would be perfect for Pitt who isn’t very bright and dirt cheap.

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  29. Pitt baseball coach started Logan Evan vs the Wolfpack.

    Not even the 3rd best pitcher on the staff.

    Pitt down 5-0 after 2 innings.

    Another bad call by Taco Bell.

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  30. Pitt baseball vs NCSt on the ACC Network right now. Pitt losing 5-0 in the bottom of the second. Pitt using a Nitter transfer pitcher with an ERA of 6.93. NC State with 3 home runs in the first inning.

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    1. How can you expect that fight when the Head Coach does not have an ounce of fight in himself.

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  32. I think I just saw one of the worst calls in baseball against Pitt with runners on 1st and 3rd down 5-2.

    Taco Bell barely argued – I would have lost it on the umps after the video replay.

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    1. And that must be the toughest kid alive to take that hit on the hand from a 90 mph fastball without flinching!! How can you review the slo-mo and come to that conclusion? Oh, yeh. I forgot. NC State is “souther.”

      😡🤬

      Liked by 1 person

  33. I didn’t think it was possible to get so angry at a baseball game. Pitt SS just boots a perfect DP ball w two on.

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    1. Dan – we actually have a really good SS but because he is a FR, Bell has him on the bench.

      The guy in the game is hitting under .250 and the FR on the bench is hitting around .300

      Pitt is losing 8-2 after 4 innings.

      Liked by 1 person

  34. The team is falling apart after their spineless coach rolled over on one of the worst replay reviews in the history of college baseball.

    Walks, errors and runs scored followed that spineless act…

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  36. My non-POV fans have been asking why our #1 pitcher who threw 4 innings on Tuesday did not start today.

    Ring the Bell.

    We are experiencing Taco Hell!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Friends not fans – sorry for the error.

      It goes along nicely with the game I’m watching

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    2. The NC State lefty pitcher started Tuesday’s game vs WF and won.

      Pitt’s #1 pitcher on Tuesday threw 4 innings in the win over GT and hasn’t thrown a pitch today.

      That’s being outcoached folks.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Dan – the SS is the one who just struck out with 2 on and one out.

    Lol – Taco Bell is sleeping in the dugout.

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  39. It would not surprise me to see our make-believe baseball coach come back next year with a vote of confidence from Heather.

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  40. NC State brings in a reliever with a 3.51 ERA

    Pitt brings in a reliever with a 7.66 ERA

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  41. Erie, I truly don’t understand? In Colt League I started 2 games and relieved 2 games… in a week. In legion ball I pitched both halves of a double header as starter game 1 reliever game 2. You go with your best in a game that is critical! What’s Bell saving him for? Semi pro ball at St Johns (no disrespect Major).

    I never met a pitching coach who could manage worth a crap. Pitt is just rolling over for NC State! As we do in every sport

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    1. Taco Bell is a very weak HC.

      He does nothing – his pitching staff is sub-par and he does not play his best players.

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  42. I’m impressed that you guys have so much inside information on the baseball team. So Coach is intentionally throwing the game…. Got it.

    I will admit I only watched a few minutes of the game – I find watching baseball too boring.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I did not read anyone say the coach is throwing the game.

      POORLY MANAGING THE GAME AND SEASON – Absolutely!

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  43. Pitt 2-13 with runners in scoring position.

    Not one pinch hitter by Taco Bell this game.

    Entering the 9th inning with Pitt down 8-3.

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    1. Pitt was 2-16 with runners in scoring position and HC Bell did not pinch hit once in this critical all or nothing game.

      In fact, the lefty reliever for NC State mowed down the Pitt line-up in the 9th. With runners in scoring position and 2 outs, coach Bell allowed his last batter, a lefty, to effectively weakly strike out to end the game.

      Why not at least send a right handed batter to the plate to try and spark a rally.

      Really poor effort by the coach today.

      Big difference in poorly managing a game and throwing the game. No evidence of intentionally throwing the game – plenty of evidence of incompetence by HC Bell.

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Rowing would be a good sport for Pitt woman. The boats could be donated by a wealthy booster or local company with Pitt ties. Go ahead and place advertising on her. It’s a good fit sport given the rivers and one in which Pitt could probably become successful.

    Mens lacrosse or golf would be potential new sports to add as well. But it takes money and supporters. And you’d have to share facilities so it presents logistical challenges. All of these obstacles can be overcome but Pitt often takes the path of least resistance instead of rolling up the sleeves.

    I’d build a new track on campus first before rolling out new programs. Pitt will have at least one athlete compete at nationals in Oregon in two weeks. A hammer thrower.

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  48. Golf could work if Pitt could lease the O’Conner Course, get corporate backing to turn into a nine hole championship track that would be worth playing. The course would be supported by public play and Pitt’s teams could use it for practice. The ACC matches could be played at the many fine Country Clubs in Allegheny County, which would be a great recruitment tool.

    You would get a lot of resistance from the old duffers that get cheap golf at O’Conner, but what an asset for the City and Universities, since CMU might want to join in.

    Same thing with track if Pitt could lease the Schenley Park track and manage it for the school and the public.
    Would require full time security, but would be worth it. City schools could use it as well.

    I am in favor of sports that fit with the ACC, so Men’s LaCrosse would be good as well. The problem with Hockey is that it is not an ACC sport. Unfortunately neither is Women’s gymnastics so maybe rowing and golf make more sense for the ladies.

    Anything that Pitt can do to make ACC ties stronger and help to improve the strength of the ACC is important and will increase rivalries. Pitt winning the football championship makes the conference stronger even though the old guard may not be happy.

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  49. Probably would cost around $30 million to renovate the track. New lighting, concessions, restrooms, stands, ticket booth, gated entry points, fenced perimeter, new track surface, small video board and sound system, parking, etc. also has a practice field inside the track for soccer and lacrosse. But I think well worth the cost. Something the city and Pitt can share. Only a short bus ride from campus.

    Golf also makes sense. Probably around $2-$3 million to support each year. Only five scholarship players are allowed. Only five form the travel team.

    I think boosters and fans are far more willing to support programs as opposed to individual players via NIL. I wouldn’t think it would be too difficult financially to support new programs like M/W golf, W rowing and M lacrosse.

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    1. LOL, don’t need a bus, they can do a warm-up run to get there.
      We used to walk/run over to play tennis all the time, not far at all.

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  51. Saw in an ESPN article that Jordan Addison said he “…has nothing but love for Pittsburgh and hopes they win every game.”

    He also said his decision to transfer was a “gut move” and he was looking for “…a great coach and a good football situation.”

    Said USC’s pitch to him was that they could improve his game. In that case, sounds like another Biletnikoff is in the bag… 😊

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sounds like a “light” shot at the OC hire – not many OC’s in the game today can compare to Stinkin Riley – you do need an offensive line to protect your QB though.

      JA3’s new QB Caleb Williams struggled against the better competition on the OK Sooner schedule last season. USC’s schedule is not too daunting except for Utah and ND.

      Liked by 3 people

  52. Whatta ya know……

    Former Pitt star Xavier Johnson was arrested Sunday, April 3 on charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest, according to the Monroe County Correctional Center.

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  53. Lincoln Riley’s reported contract at USC:

    $110M (not sure of length); $500k buyout out of his home in Norman OK; $6M home in LA; 24/7 access to private jet

    It will be interesting to see how schools like USC, Texas A&M and Miami do in the near future.

    Sent from my iPhone

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  54. Tex A&M has the best coach of the 3. USC’s schedule is not too daunting except for Utah and ND, thus Stinkin Riley can win immediately.

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  55. This Lincoln Riley contract is obscene. This is college sports we are talking about, and it shows how ridiculous some colleges are getting to place this much emphasis on sports. As long as some colleges will sell their souls to win there will continue to be cheating to win at all costs. Given the size of Riley’s contract, it seems clear that whatever Pitt would have offered Addison, USC would have offered even more. They will spend whatever it takes even if it destroys college sports.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. USC cheated not so long ago and when caught, they became mediocre.

      They must feel they have to cheat to be good to great.

      Liked by 1 person

  57. I wish the colleges could indulge in some well-needed collusion to limit the amount that football coaches are paid. It is utterly ridiculous – and I include Pitt in the utter ridiculousness…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If boosters pay, it’s their money.

      What I don’t like is if student fees or tuition increases go to pay for sports.

      Sports should be self sustained through revenues generated by conference money, tv rights, merchandise and ticket sales.

      Often boosters will pay for head coaches. But that means they and not the AD pick the coach.

      And too much money tied up in one coach means less money to spend elsewhere like on recruiting, facilities and better assistants.

      Schools need to live within their means.

      Liked by 1 person

  58. I don’t get this Lincoln Riley mirage. He coached at Oklahoma with Heisman quality transfer QB’s and won some games…… He’s done nothing without a money mother load as his crutch. Hope he trips over his wallet and falls into the Pacific Ocean.

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  59. Can’t get to upset with Addison’s backwards insult concerning PITT’s new OC. Not when Whipple was brutalized by our very own PITT fans. If I was as constantly wrong as some of these guys I would at least acknowledge it and not go on as if they actually knew something. HUH?

    Liked by 2 people

  61. Fwiw NC State despite making the ACC final, a 36-21 record and having a top slugger, did not get picked for the NCAA baseball tournament

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  62. Their rpi was 33 and 33 teams receive at large bids. 31 get auto bids by winning their conference tournaments or regular season. They deserved a bid. Pitts rpi was 66. I give Taco Bell one last year to get a bid and then it’s vamanos.

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  63. An easy sport to add that is cheap and could offset the expense of men’s ice hockey is women’s field hockey. It’s huge in central Pa High schools so Pitt would have a built in recruiting advantage. There were 7 ladies from Pennsylvania that were on the NCAA a championship team at Northwestern. Field hockey can be played on a soccer field. It’s a lot cheaper than women’s ice hockey. Add ice hockey for men and field hockey for women and watch the domination begin LOL. H2P!

    Liked by 2 people

  64. OT: Saw this posted on the Lair:

    “The official Pitt Men’s Basketball account just followed Weber State guard transfer Seikou Jawara not too long ago on Instagram. He visited Pitt about a week and a half ago. “

    Have the Spanish Panthers added another member?

    Go Pitt.

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    1. I know some Spanish. To order things, pleasantries and introductions and to swear. If needed, I’ll provide the Spanish cuss words with a Mexican dialect.

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    1. Gordan – Mentioned this the other day – Links without some verbiage seem to end up in WordPress spam. Same link above as your first post but you added some words to the second.

      Liked by 1 person

  66. So they put people in jail for bribing their kids into college but USC can rent a player for 3.5 mil and that’s legal. People have been buying their way into the IVY league forever.

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  67. A Kentucky high school athlete just held a ceremony to sign a letter of intent… to work at a local plumbing company. Pretty cool

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  68. https://theacc.com/

    The ACC sports are listed which do not include hockey. Therefore no ACC support, no ACCN. Pitt would be on it’s own in developing a schedule getting any TV coverage etc. A very heavy lift. Is it a great way to spend limited resources, which would pull from other sports at a time when NIL requires massive fundraising to be competitive in football and basketball?

    Just as Pitt has attendance issues because of the Steelers so would a Pitt Hockey team because of the Pens.

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    1. You would need a facility first. When the Pete is torn down in another 15 years, you’ll have your MPC. Unless the Pens have another Mario or Crosby then, hockey will be like the Pirates.

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      1. Hockey has never sunk to the level of the Pirates. They have an ownership that wants to win and a draft.
        Pirates have an owner that just wants to make money and baseball has laissez-faire capitalism with no guardrails.

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        1. Pens do have good ownership now. Not that Mario was a bad owner but the Fenway group wants to win. Because winning means profits. Mario sold at a good time. Pens need another Sid but they only come around once every ten years.

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    2. Wait a second. I thought Pitt was unable to recruit and compete with ACC schools because of the weather and the invisible bagmen? I have always stated that using bad weather was just an excuse. Same with bagmen. Bagmen are free to be in the open now. Pitt obviously won an ACC Football championship, so bagmen and weather excuses be gone!

      Now you are flipping the script and saying we should play the ACC sports first and then expand if able. I think row-boat training in december, jan, feb and march on one of the three rivers would be difficult. This would mean that our athletes would do off water training for at least three months. Pitt would need new training facilities complete with ergometer’s and would have to travel south for a few weeks as a team in the spring to get water training before the spring season. The Big has row-boater teams that follow a similar schedule, but they compete mostly against other Big teams that practice the same way because of weather. Lots of walk-ons trying to get a scholarship too. Most start row-boating when they get to college.

      https://www.row2k.com/polls/index.cfm?cat=college&ID=857&type=American%20Collegiate%20Rowing%20Association%20Poll

      Pitt needs to figure out what Pitt wants to be. I just don’t think they know. Hockey makes sense when you pull up a map of all D1 hockey programs. Google that, very interesting.

      For Tex – Texas won the 2022 Rowboat Championship!

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      1. June is a great time for Pitt recruiting because two recruiting negatives are not front and center. Those are the half-full stadium and the winters (especially for southern recruits).

        The bagmen have been replaced by the fake-NIL boosters.

        Pitt’s recruiters have been doing a decent job of overcoming the negatives, IMHO.

        Go Pitt.

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      2. Syracuse, BC and ND all have rowing teams. Washington’s Landing has high school’s that participate in rowing. Very close to the Pitt Campus. Costs would be in the thousands as opposed to millions for Hockey. Plus ACC rowing is women’s only for now.

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        1. BC and ND have hockey as well and make money at it. Better for Brand. 🙂 Just in my opinion.

          https://www.collegefactual.com/rankings/sports/icehockey-men/division1/

          Interesting stats. This chart lists the top 54 in quality hockey programs. Working through the assumptions a bit further now. Some list revenue, some revenue less expenses. Some just list total revenue without tv contracts. Expenses this year are a lot higher as the teams were forced to carry additional schollies due to covid. That is true of most sports that weren’t cut. I find this stuff interesting and the comments even interestinger. How’s that for my Pitt Englishese.

          Personally, I would not give two hoots about a row boat team, but would definitely spend some benjamins on a hockey game or three….especially after the core pens go away here shortly and the steelers struggle. Whatever floats your boat!

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      3. Huff:
        I would be in if Pitt could get into Hockey East.
        They may take them in the big 10.
        If they use the Pens facilities it could work.
        It is brutal on title 9. My alma BU had to drop football.
        They should add football back and drop some faculty members.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. lol @ faculty members…..and not far from the truth either. Course optimization is long overdue at institutes of higher learning.

          I really like hockey as you all know. I really don’t like row-boating as a spectator or revenue generating sport, maybe because i only watch one match every 8-12 years during an olympics. I get GC wanting to participate in ACC sports, but row boating seems like it’s more outside Pitt’s hockey skate.

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      1. Let’s assume that this kid is one who selects a college on more than its athletic prowess. Maybe he likes the area, likes the campus, has relatives near the school, the school is strong on a specific course of study, etc. Some “athletes” probably consider other factors to be more important than football. Therefore I officially proclaim this kid to be one of those. 🥴😵‍💫

        Liked by 1 person

  70. The Pitt Site lists all of the Pitt Sports (Teams) the only one outside of the ACC is Women’s Gymnastics which precedes ACC membership. Pitt needs to improve its ability to compete in all existing sports and then consider adding some in the ACC footprint where it makes sense.

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  73. This is what penn state supplies. You can never get this from Pitt yet both schools are required to disclose to the ncaa and the commonwealth.

    https://gopsusports.com/sports/2018/8/8/ot-financial-reports-html.aspx

    You can see that hockey is expensive almost on par with football if you look at cost per participant. However hockey at state penn generates sufficient top line revenues to cover expenses. Hence they make a small profit on the sport.

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    1. Pitt does. Took me a minute to find the Pitt 2021 EADA report.

      Not true on Psu revenue/expense for ice hockey

      From the report you linked:

      Men’s revenue $2,574M, Expense $3.159M Loss ($585K)
      Women’s Revenue $1.118M, Expense $2,001, Loss($883K)

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      1. I must have read it wrong.
        BU had over 3 mil in revenue. I only looked at that since I went there.
        It proved to me you can really get revenue.

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        1. He only posted the Psu EADA report and said they made sufficient to cover expenses, Psu didn’t.

          In BU’s case, and all others, does the revenue cover or come close to covering the normal operating expense (coaches’ salaries, scholarships, equipment, recruiting expenses, etc.).

          I’m looking at it from an accounting perspective. There is more to college sports and why you add or subtract teams then profit/loss.

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      2. They’ve made profits in the past. Covid ruined everyone’s budget.

        Typically only three sports make money. Football, mens basketball and mens hockey. Football subsidizes the money losing programs. Hence why the conference money is so important and why penn state wants two for one football games. Penn state has nearly twice as many scholie sports programs than Pitt.

        Penn state is one of the few schools that actually turns a profit in sports in normal years. They are a well run business operation. Sandy knew how to make coin.

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          1. Penn state sports makes a profit in hockey and in overall sports in non Covid years. I fully understand that as a finance mba and former small business owner.

            I also know that Pitt runs a 10-15 percent subsidy each year to keep sports in the black. They do this by raiding the general fund to balance the books. Accounting is not nuclear science. Math doesn’t lie.

            Penn state is very transparent in their disclosures unlike Pitt. Moreover they don’t shy away from talking about financials. Mainly because they make money and Pitt does not. They are a far better run business enterprise than Pitt.

            Not sure where your bend is.

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            1. You posted a link and said they made a profit on hockey. If you actually read the 2021 report, you would have seen they didn’t. You then could have looked at other years to prove your point and then said to look at the 2020 report or 2019. You didn’t.

              BTW, here is Pitt’s EADA for 2021. I found it and you didn’t even try.

              Click to access REVISED_FInal_EADA_Report_2018_2019__251834_v1_.pdf

              I guess Pitt is more transparent than you say. You just have to research.

              Just as I posted links to Pitt’s tax reports in the past and even told everyone what pages to look for Narduzzi compensation, you used a sportswriter interpretation. With a finance MBA you should know how to do research.

              And I don’t know where your bend is.

              Liked by 2 people

  74. Hockey might work if Pitt was in the B1G, but even then, where would the revenue come from?
    If you don’t have a quality team no one shows up in Pittsburgh. Who would you play that would be enough of a draw for fans to show up?

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    1. ND is in the Big 10 for hockey.
      You would play ND, PSU et el.
      Pitt would play at the end of Centre Ave at the Pens rink.
      It would work if the Pens were all in.

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  78. So PSU’s hockey arena is going to cost over 88 million to build. How many years does it take to recoup that investment? Apparently profitability of college sports does not include capital costs.

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  79. It didn’t cost penny state anything. A wealthy booster, pergola from paychex, paid in full for their hockey arena. Pitt could only dream about having boosters like that. Tepper and Cuban don’t count nor does the dork that gave millions to support narduzzis bloated salary.

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    1. State Penn Data – From the Fact Links above: “Penn State University Park brought in $4,665,990 while tallying up $3,895,797 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $770,193 for the hockey sports team”. This was from the 2020-21 year if I recall.

      My sense is that the Big10 tv network probably pays some cash for content too.

      Not against floating boat races. Synchronized paddling is just like synchronized swimming, but above water in a boat. I can’t swim, so maybe that is why I don’t like the idea. I would have to wear a floaty!

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      1. I read that PSU average attendance is 6,000. I remember when they would pack rec hall on frigid nights for gymnastic meets. Pretty much a captive audience.

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  80. Pitt needs to focus on improving mens basketball and keeping football on top. No additional sports needed.

    Liked by 2 people

  81. PSU’s ice complex was financed in part by Terry Pegula, rated 134th in Forbe’s top 400 of the wealthiest. The PSU alum owns Pegula Sports Entertainment which owns the Buffalo Sabres. His wife, Kim, owns the Buffalo Bills. His net worth is $5.8 billion

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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      1. That’s right Huff the Third… It’s just that I’m very good at not flaunting my riches. After-all, it’s family business. 😉

        Speaking of Riches, enjoy your busy week Richard

        Liked by 1 person

  82. So all Pitt needs is the B1G to let them play Hockey like ND and for PPG to give them a deal like Heinz and a budget of a couple million and they can get started. Start the GoFundMe.

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    1. You got it.

      Although they would not add squash and that was going to be fully funded including the courts. That is an ACC sport too.

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      2. I used to play squash in the bowels of Fitzgerald, fun sport. I don’t see it on the list of ACC sports.

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  83. What color seats does PPG have? Pitt playing hockey there would be much worse than playing FB at Heinz

    There are several hockey rinks in the area these days Certainly, one can be revised to add a few thousand seats

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  84. I thought we would be hearing about a Capel BB signing by now. Rumors were hot that he would sign that Spaniard PG soon. Anyone with an update?

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    1. No update so it seems they are having difficulty closing the deal. He would be good since he has two years of eligibility left, can play point and shoots well.

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  88. OT – If only the Pirates could play every series against the Dodgers! 😳

    Go Pitt.

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    1. BB team: I’m somewhat excited about the Spanish twins – they give me a reason to be interested moving forward. Hoping they stick around a while so we can see them develop.

      Hinson, I’m a bit wary off. The reason is that in the few highlight clips I’ve seen, he always seems to be shooting fade-away jumpers. Not a good recipe for success in my book, but it is a small sample size…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  90. Wrapping up a new article for tomorrow morning – Tennessee.

    It may be 10 to 14 days later for Western Michigan. Leaving tomorrow for Columbia for grandson’s H.S graduation ceremony. Coming back home on Saturday to pack for 3 night’s stay at my favorite local casino with longtime friends.

    If needed I will post an article to let everyone to discuss or comment on any allowed topics (no politics, religion or swearing).

    I will have my laptop to read comments in my spare time. Please make a comment if something gets hung up in WordPress.

    Liked by 1 person

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