in Pitt Football 37 Words

“That’s a Huge Win”

Well it wasn’t pretty

And WVU was up (and they arent’ bad)

We weathered the storm, and somehow came out on top.

Same Old Pitt has been averted. Thanks be to God.

Hail To Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

270 thoughts on ““That’s a Huge Win””

  2. Hoopie coach blew his chance at a win by punting on a 4th down play with barely a yard to go>>>WVU was moving the ball well and had momentum>>>the kind of doofus call that we have seen from Duzzi.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. The bright side is that we can now enjoy the long weekend of football. And the team has 9 days to figure things out

    Very disappointed with line play on both sides but have to give some credit to the Hoopies

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Yep, Pitt won with the 2nd best QB and the 2nd best run defense in the game today. —-And please folks please stop trying to hype our Pitt run game. Because as I previously posted our OL is well below average on run blocking. Thank god Pitt has Hammond as at least he has a good chance of moving the pile forward when there is almost no hole to run through.—I think Patti by default has earned the opportunity to star next week against Tennessee.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. definitely 2nd best qb, and run defense, and o-line, and individual rb, and individual wr

      special teams were good outside the dancing punter screw up

      Sirvocea looked good all game, maybe there are a couple more but few, maybe Hill and Devonshire

      btw, are we still on our National Championship march Desmond?

      Like

  8. Still ACC Champs … until they’re not. Great win. Ugly. It’s a rivalry game and first game. I’m not worried about the run defense. They’ll get that cleaned up. That’s been a constant in the Duzz era. Offense needs some mojo. They don’t have an identity. Hammond is the kind of guy who gives you one. Hopefully no concussion. I hate that rugby punt. Just ping the ball.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Slovis was fine. I think it was play calling. JT did not impress me at all. Not sure what some of you guys saw. He’s a system QB and been in that system for a few years with stops at USC and WVU.

    Like

  10. and one final(forever I hope for me) comment on the refereeing

    I absolutely hate of course them getting anything wrong even on review, but as much I hate the long wait and disruption of the game while not believing they will be 100% right on their decisions

    tonight I think they got things right on review although Bart’s catch probably wasn’t but couldn’t be overturned and of course the “chop block” that was a stumble by our cornerback(#14?) causing the WR trip, but of course that error isn’t reviewable(it should be)

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Slovis was good when Cignetti was stringing good playcalls together

    Which he did just enough to put Pitt in a position to win. Using tempo more would be a very good idea

    Cignetti needs to adjust more than the QB does imo

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Slovis doesn’t know how to get rid of the ball when pressured. An incomplete pass into the stands is a lot better than taking a 15 yard loss. What Pickett escaped last season Slovis couldn’t yesterday.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. lol Pickett took multiple sacks last year that were exactly like the ones Slovis took last night, which you are conveniently forgetting. Pickett took at least 2 exactly the same sacks in the Tennessee game, again in the WMU game, etc.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Couple very quick thoughts:
    1) That by far was the loudest crowd for ANY Pitt game. For those who wanted more of the band, you could not hear them at all over the noise.

    2) Cignetti’s play calling stunk. No imagination, easily defended. Just wait.

    3) Poor coaching overall. WVU ran the same zone block on all the big runs and there was NO adjustments.

    4) I’m too old to attend games like this. I do, however , believe WVa schools only teach students 3 words. And they are taught in kindergarten. Small words , easy to pronounce and repeat, over, and over, and OVER again. Even after the lose.

    5) Slovis will be fine given a little time and a better game plan. It was like watching BC play. I can’t state it strongly enough, Cignetti is bad. And honestly, the o line got handled. I’m next week could be brutal. I doubt Slovis survives if they don’t change things.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. H2P

    Best Back Yard Brawl since 13-9

    Biggest concern was that Pitt did not stop the run and WV opened some big holes. Where were our linebackers and Safeties?

    Dunb Penalties kept WV drives alive too often.

    Konata is excellent as is Hammond, hope his head is OK. Izzy had a poor game except for that winning touchdown.

    Play of the game was the interception.

    WV had more big plays than Pitt until they didn’t.

    Between TV commercials and reviews that was a long game.

    WV fans made a strong showing when they said Eat $#it Pitt my wife and I said “Classy” and got a few embarrassed looks. It is too bad we aren’t treated as well down there.

    Typical rivalry game.

    Pitt has plenty of work to do. Slovis need to get rid of the ball rather than take sacks but other than that he played a pretty solid game.

    FrankCan golf looking a lot brighter than it could have.

    Good teams win close games.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. re. #0 – except when the ball goes right through his hands on a perfectly thrown ball near the end of a game to give up the tip drill interception that is then run back for a TD

        😉

        Liked by 2 people

  16. Nice win for Pitt but does not help where it counts: ACC. It’s a great start to win a game being over played in the stats, but stats don’t win games, sometimes luck and enthusiasm helps.

    Hail To Pitt!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. but we beat them in TOP, the stat that counts most, amirite

      the O and Frank and Kedon are undefeated in that stat, probably why KS took the sacks rather than throw away the ball so the clock could continue to tick 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  17. I was in section 104 and the sea of blue and gold looking towards the other end zone was a thing to behold. Loudest best Pitt crowd probably ever, Kudos to them and the WV fans that set the stadium record and as the largest crowd in Pittsburgh history, including Steelers games, over 70,000.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. the article says “lower body injury” for Deslin, but it looked like RIGHT wrist/forearm hit and then break/damage on the Daniels bicep coming through his throw

      should we trust John Morgan’s assessment that Deslin and Rodney will be back for next game?

      Like

  20. If you want to confirm or rethink your opinions of the game – It is being replayed on ESPNU today from 2:00 to 5PM.

    Games of interest today: Western Michigan @ Michigan State ESPN 7pm start
    Virgina Tech @ Old Dominion ESPNU 7pm start
    Temple @ Duke ACCN 7:30pm start.

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  21. Cignetti’s offense was magnificent, magnificently boooooring. The skill is there on offense. Open it up.

    The run D will be fixed. The new LBs were out of place on the long runs.

    Harrel is a very good OC. WVU will have a good year.

    Liked by 3 people

  22. I’m excited with the potential of Kedon. He throws a pretty good ball and is accurate. First game playing in I don’t know how long. That was a quiet 300-yard passing day and that bodes well I think. The receivers played well and Cig needs to open the playbook up.

    I think this offense looks better with a more competent ground attack. That was pretty awful by the O-line. Glad to see Taylor at right tackle on the scoring drive to tie it. Gonclaves is better on the left side IMO. So lucky to actually have a two deep up front because without other options, like for most of the past 40 years, Pitt loses.

    The run defense: whoof. Does it get cleaned up? I expect Alexandre to be back even if he has a broken wrist. Morgan was a beast and showed how much he wanted to win. If he has a Covid year to use I hope he takes advantage.

    The secondary made plays when it needed to but overall, still the same old in the Narduzzi defense. That final almost catch by WVU should have never come down to that.

    It feels great to win and having this weekend to enjoy it. What an atmosphere. I hope the next chancellor takes to it and wants even more from the program.

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  23. BigB and Air Heupel coming to town.. swing for the fence O vs Duzz’s High Risk D… should be another great game. I think Duzz get the run D fixed.. I am sure he is fuming over that run not stopping exhibition.

    Get WVU in the ACC… we need each other…. I feel bad for those Hoopie fans- closest road trip is like 1600 miles ( both ways) and with the price of diesel and those tractor speed…Don’t be so hard on our friends to the south ‘cause a whole lot of WPA ain’t much different..hoping the eer’s win whatever conference they are in…Good for Eastern FB…. Question: is there still a Lambert Trophy???

    Liked by 1 person

    2. wanted to “like” with the first paragraph

      but then you followed it with those next 5 words so couldn’t 😉

      wvcc in the ACC would be embarrassing for the academic integrity imo,,,, if that really matters any more

      then I do agree I hope they do well in whatever conference they are in AFTER(or as long as) we beat them in any given year

      Like

  24. Pitt’s offense scored 31 points. Let’s hold off a little. First game. New OC and QB. Lots of new faces catching the ball. They aren’t going to look like they’ve played together 5 years right away. I would expect the QB to be uncomfortable if the play breaks down. They’ll get more comfortable together. Those saying JT looked like the better QB … he was throwing to corners on an island and he threw a pick 6.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Agree, JT was not the better QB.

      Great win in front of biggest crowd ever in PGH. Atmosphere was great. Glad I shelled out the money last minute to attend in person. Nice to see the city hopping again.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. the pick 6 was a great throw, JT was better, Slovis was OK and frankly quite good if he would’ve thrown away those couple times rather than taking sacks

      he was throwing to corners on their islands,,, which at times looked like different geographical points from the receivers they were assigned to defend were inhabiting 😦

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      1. Also had at least one play that route running was wrong – two receivers in the same location. Expect that to be fixed as well.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. It’s funny how playcalling improves when the Oline blocks well. WVU had some big holes to run thru, Pitt not so much

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 2 people

  27. Slovis threw for over 300 yards in his first game at Pitt, pdg.
    Mumps and Means need to be more aggressive attacking the ball when it’s in the air. Only 1 pass to Bart? Kradel and Jacoby deserve 1/2 credit for scoring td’s.

    Kamara played like this was the first time he got to start a game. Only 1 sack, not acceptable.

    Is Tennessee’running back any good? Let’s hope not.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Lots of stuff to clean up. First game mistakes everywhere. WV has some real studs.
    We need consistent line play where everyone is in sync. I hate QBs running backwards in circles.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. On MJ’s Pick 7, I watched 0’s head – he didn’t look the ball into his hands. In fact, his eyes were already on MJ when the ball hit MJ’s hand. It was a perfect throw – he (0) didn’t have to extend his hands above his head.

      Hellofagame; hellofa crowd. OL needs a LOT of clean-up on aisle 5. 2 OL 3rd down penalties – 1 near WV goal line -extended drives that ended in TDs. CAN’T HAVE THAT! Don’t do those, and it’s 38-17.

      Not happy with DL until Q4. I thought they came on strong. Also thought WVU OL got tired about then – isn’t that the plan?

      Great hitting going on all game! Maybe ” Back Alley Brawl” now!

      Liked by 3 people

  29. An enormous crowd (mostly Pitt fans) providing noise and more noise helped make the atmosphere supercharged with electricity. I hope that this victory will contribute to another large crowd (60,000+) at AcriWho Stadium. Empty yellow seats are SSHHH very (whisper) quiet.

    Liked by 3 people

  30. Good win by Pitt. Helps build early season confidence. Not a big fan of this offensive system. It is effective though but can also be attacked easily. Surprised by how bad Pitts run defense was. The secondary did better than expected. Hammond should start over Izzy. Slovis won’t last long behind this line. Vols will be the big test. Glad no sheep were harmed and no couches burned last night.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. gotta think the sheep are being harmed today as they take out their frustrations…. or lick their wounds

      yuck, that’s a disturbing visual

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Yeah, good recap. Run defense hasn’t been a problem historically so hopefully it’s a quick fix. Could be the new LB’s. I can’t break down film like that though haha.

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  32. Couple of observations….

    1) Despite the obvious intense rivalry between the two fan bases, I saw predominantly friendly banter between opposing fans, much friendlier than in Pitt’s two most recent home games with PSU. I am sitting in club seats now and there weren’t as many Eers fans there as there were PSU fans in my old section, which may have helped to keep the Hoopies in check, but the relative comaraderie to me was evident not only during the game, but at the tailgates and on the ride to and from the game on the T. Let’s hope that civility continues in Morgantown next year.

    2) After one game, the Pitt QB that Slovis most reminded me off was…Max Browne. Slow with mostly accurate throws. The rest of the team will need to improve substantially for that level of QB play to be sufficient for a lot of wins.

    3) Much like in 2007, I’m not sure the better team won. We should remember though how often Pitt struggled mightily in early games with the likes of Delaware, Akron, WMU, and Youngstown State, so hopefully a lot of these bugs will be worked out. Too bad the next opponent is an SEC school. H2P.

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  33. Pitt had many football recruits there and Capel had two top 50 recruits. Can you imagine their reactions ?

    At my age I don’t think my heart could have taken being there! But,
    I’ll miss everyone at FRANCAN today!

    This is a game Pitt has lost over and over last 44 years. Many x last night it looked over for Pitt. Congrats to Pitt players coaches and Coach Narduzzi for overcoming opening day jitters and beating a team that outplayed them for three full quarters!!

    Hit ‘Em straight ! H2P

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I think we outplayed them in much of the game, but then also out mistaked them, but then they made the biggest one and we(#12) capitalized!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Dan72 you are right on the mark. Any recruit who didn’t have a positive reaction to last night’s game needs to stay away from the 412. A sloppy performance from Pitt, but the W goes to the team that stayed the course despite some major setbacks. Tennessee will be a real test, but I would not count us out after our supercharged effort against the Hillbillies.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. Back from morning tasks. Late nights and early mornings, think I’m back in school with those 8 o’clocks, lol.
    Sometimes being at the game gives you a better view, sometimes not. Several things to say:
    1) If this was the Villanova game before PSU 1 I’d say we were purposely vanilla. However, this seems to be Cignetti’s skill set. Slovis will never be confused with KP, but he’s much better than our previous West Coast qb’s. Needs to let it loose with some protection. What I saw was receivers wide open on short routes but he seemed to want to force ball downfield resulting in incompletions or sacks.

    2) Did either of those kids signal for a fair catch? I didn’t see the play clearly.

    3) I’ll watch the replay to see if my observations are accurate or knee jerk. Think Devonshire is really, really bad. Opposing OCs will seek him out. Db’s had a tough night. Back to never turning their heads. Punter stinks, placekicker looked good.

    4) I’d say 20-25k hoopies but they sounded like a lot more. Man, they can scream, although limited vocabulary. Stadium was so much louder than PSU game. Not even close.

    5) Now I’ll call Mikey the Nitter and he will straighten me out, lol.

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  36. Slovis completed 16 passes for 300 yards. Not a bad night. RAC is play calling. There was good and bad. The offense put up 31 points. Not a bad first showing.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Gordon,

    Proud of you and your wife’s “Classy” response to WV fan’s chants of “Eat S#it Pitt.” My Section 132 was less classy as they responded back: “Eat Xoopie; Hoopie.”

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Slovis was good but certainly not elite, at least not yet.

    For sure when the time clock in his head should have expired, he hung onto the ball and did not seem to have the elusiveness that some high level QBs possess.

    He can throw accurately which is great. Hoping he becomes more and more comfortable and confident to be more fluid.

    The win was great and he played a key role in that.

    H2P!

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  39. Unfortunately, my dear wife scheduled us for a social event last night at our friends’ home. I did subtly sneak views at my phone all night until Pitt tied it at 31-31. After that I just stared at it until the game was over. Almost had a heart attack when it showed WVU with the ball at the Pitt 1 1st and goal with 31 seconds left. I was even more confused when it was Pitt’s ball after that. After I saw we won I was simply relieved.

    I watched the entire game this morning. Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

    Slovis took care of the ball and played within himself. I think he did all he was asked to do. He did get flustered for a while there in the second half keeping the ball in his hands way too long! I was not impressed with our overhyped offensive line. Hopefully Cignetti remember our stud tight end for next week’s game against the Volunteers. Pitt’s run defense needs some work but that is Bates/Narduzzi’s forte, so I am not too worried about it.

    With regard to Pitt’s Women’s Volleyball team, I have some bad news. Pitt is currently about to go down two sets to one against Cincinnati. Cincy is the weakest of the three teams they will play this weekend. Lexis Akeo continues to be out with an injury. Her loss taking a big toll on how well Pitt plays. I wonder if Coach Fisher is considering going to a 5-1?

    Like

    1. Copy it to a Word doc. or something else before submitting it here. If it’s lost you can always keep trying…

      Like

  41. Just watching the replay.

    Have to point out how absolutely wonderful the fans were last night. So many times in past years we were embarrassed by the yellow seats and empty student section in the 2nd half.

    As many have previously said, winning fixes everything.

    Give Heather and Pat credit for getting to this point. Kenny Pickett was obviously instrumental in the team’s success and proves how invaluable the QB position can be.

    Here’s hoping to find some sustainable success and ride the wave that we’ve not experienced in way too long.

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Pitt women’s volleyball team overcomes a 2-1 set deficit and defeats Cincinnati 3-2. Pitt hit an incredible 0.643 in the 5th set!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. H2P!!!

      no idea what 0.643 means but obviously resulted in the W

      maybe like hitting for the cycle, maybe like passing for 300 with 5 TD’s, maybe like scoring 40 pts at Pete, maybe…..

      and not saying I shouldn’t know with the great posts you’ve put out with all the data so no doubt it’s me 😦 , it usually is 😦 😦

      Liked by 2 people

      1. If someone had a batting average of 0.643 in baseball, that would be a partial analogy. In volleyball if you have an errant hit, it is counted against you. So, if you had 3 kills in 6 attempts but the other three attempts were out of play (an error), your hitting percentage would be (3-3)/6 or 0.000. In the 5th set Pitt had 14 attempts, 9 kills, and no errors.

        Pitt won the fifth set 15-5. Pitt hit 0.000 in the first set and only 0.222 for the entire match which included the fifth set hitting percentage.

        Apparently, Ennis’s setting continues to be a work in progress. Coach Fisher believes Ennis has potential otherwise Pitt would be playing a 5-1. A 5-1 simply means a team is using only one setter in their lineup instead of the 6-2 that uses two setters. The last time Fisher used a 5-1 was Lexis Akeo freshman year. This was due to Kylee Levers, Pitt’s experienced setter at the time, having a season ending injury prior to the start of the season.

        Liked by 1 person

  48. Not a dome. Retractable roof. Multi purpose center. You don’t want to be Syracuse.

    Think stade Pierre Mauroy. Let me translate the French. I freakin awesome stadium for all things entertainment. Albeit stuck in France.

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    1. Yes, but and there’s always a but. There’s no denying that Pitt could probably sell out a stadium against the domers, nitters and hooopies. But none of those schools are football conference members. Pitt struggles to get 40k real butts in the seats for most games. Heinz is still too big for Pitt.

      Steelers would easily get 100k for an AFC championship with Kenny.

      Like

  51. Full game including College Game Day. Got 5 hours to kill? (read the comments) Includes commercials though 😫

    Note: Yesterday would have been Beano Cook’s 91st birthday.

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  52. This is what I mean. Give Slovis some time. It was an excellent debut with no warm up chump.

    Slovis had an average QBR of 71. JT had a QBR of 50.

    Slovis had 300 yards on 16 completions.

    JT had 214 on 23 completions.

    No way, no how JT played better. They just passed 16 more times so he had more TV time. 🤣. His toughness was impressive.

    Pick 6 was unforced but he also got bailed out with a great reception on a duck and another duck that ended up in no man’s land. Both caused by the D Line.

    Question … doesn’t it look like the punter was thinking about running for it on that blocked punt? Was that an “if you can, go for it?” Or was that just a bad play?

    Liked by 2 people

  53. If you want to watch our Pitt Panther Women’s volleyball team in action this weekend, it is possible to stream their next two matches. Type: http://www.byutv.org into your browser to get the link.

    Pitt plays Utah State at 7:00 PM this evening and #7 BYU tomorrow. Utah State received votes in the latest AVCA poll. They played last night so they will be fresh for the match tonight whereas Pitt played Cincinnati today starting at 1:00 PM in a five-set match.

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  54. Well it’s not like he’s a 17 year old freshman. He is 21.5 years old

    He can buy beer for 90 percent of the team.

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    1. Same with JT. I’m just saying I didn’t see a great QB in JT. I’m not implying Slovis is great either. I think the narrative around both QB’s during the game was out of whack though. I did not see the same game as some people. My point being, people should be patient. It’s going to take a few games for chemistry to really show up on the field.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I think if the O-line play improves(may be very difficult v Tenn), Kedon could be great

        no matter his experience, last night had to be tough for him with the first live action and a crazy atmosphere and frankly the offense being new to him(and everyone else) and his guys needing to do their part to win the game because the defense frankly didn’t quite perform like most everyone legitimately could’ve expected considering the experienced returning players and that defense likely is simpler to establish cohesion and team play early

        Like

    2. so you are saying we have an extremely young team

      that likely will improve throughout the season, maybe improve dramatically

      nice Tex, looking at the bright side

      .
      that win last night was more amazing than what anyone could’ve hoped
      🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I doubt the line will improve enough to save the health of Slovis. See Steelers and they have mobile QB’s.

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        1. OL will be very similar to last season. Slovis was responsible for 3 of the sacks. 2 sacks were on the OL. Cignetti made better in-game adjustments than Whipple. He wasn’t afraid to switch how he attacked WVU when something wasn’t working.

          Liked by 1 person

        2. well, ok, but then I’m fairly certain you believe with all your heart that Nick Patti will carry Pitt to the ACC championship game and win and then see the possibility of that 14-0 record earning the CFP championship opportunity with this young but capable team led by their premier coach under the supervision of one of the greatest AD’s in the country

          am I reading that comment on this young Pitt team correctly?

          🙂

          Like

          1. above reply to Tex the optimist in case anyone is confused with the WordPress reply format

            btw as all know WordPress still sucks, last night during the 4th quarter and afterward, it was only displaying about every other one of my post attempts

            well, guess that saved you all 1/2 of my insights(aka idiotic thoughts)

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  55. If the punter would have pulled the ball back the defender would have whiffed completely. Then who know what would have happened? or just punt the freakin ball.

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    1. That punt made no sense unless a fake was on the table and he was too slow on his decision making. Or maybe it will just be an action filled season with the punt team. I hate the Rugby style punts. Just kick it.

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  56. I like the new beat writer, Chris Carter … well written and knowledgeable about the game …

    https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2022/09/02/pitt-kedon-slovis-quarterback-frank-cignetti-jr-backyard-brawl-west-virginia-college-football/stories/202209020026?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1662152868

    Life hack … if you’ve opened too many PG article without a subscription, open up the article in incognito or private browsing and voila … you can read the article.

    Liked by 2 people

  57. With old school, you get old school. All it takes is to drop back two LB’s and bring up two safeties and this Cignetti offense is pinched. Very easy to counter defense. Imagination and creativity isn’t in the Cignetti playbook.

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  58. He’ll chug away those 4 yards per carry in that situation. I’m not super excited about the offense. I don’t like the west coast and this as west coast as you can get. 31 in the first game was a good showing. Especially, with a slow start. You hit one of those deep balls and the underneath routes have even more space to work in and the RAC was off the charts as it was. Almost 200 yards RAC.

    There is good and bad. Need the defense to defend the run better without sacrificing pressure. Most of WVU’s points were set up by a long run that is generally uncharacteristic of a Duzz defense. Hopefully, they can get that fixed. I’m assuming it was a LB problem.

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  59. Our veteran OL better put up or sit down. Not only did Concalves and Jacobi see action, Chris Peak reported that soph Branson Taylor was the RT during the last TD drive

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

  60. The OL wasn’t great but I think it was okay. You saw the run blocking difference when Hammond came in. Izzy wasn’t hitting the holes hard or fast. Here is an example of one of the 3 sacks that were on Slovis … not the lines fault …

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  61. I was on the fence about attending the game. My buddy called me and harassed the hell out of me until I agreed to make the drive from Hershey. Boy, I’ve never been more happy to have listened to that numbskull. Great atmosphere. Awesome 4th quarter. So happy to see the boys pull this one out.

    Lots of thing to cleanup. BUT…In the past, Pitt loses that game 100 times out of 100.
    Maybe things really are changing!

    H2P!

    Liked by 4 people

  62. So the first 2 punts, Vander Haar kicked left footed. Not sure why, but then started kicking right footed, which happened the first time it was blocked. Wondering if that confused the Pitt blockers. Never saw that in my 50 plus years of watching football. If Means catches the bomb and we don’t get a blocked punt, I think we breath easier.

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  63. In reference to a couple recent posts above ..

    Yes, I thought there were 3 or 4 times when instead of stepping up in the pocket, Slovis tried to run out of it. And by doing that, he was either going to be sacked or had to throw the ball away

    I thought he punted left footed the first 2 punts, and then the blocked punt was his first try right footed.

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  64. John Morgan was a monster.
    Rodney Hammond should be starting.
    Means not only had a drop but a fumble.
    And I thought the linebackers will be stronger than last year.
    H2P!

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    1. How good a job do you think Hammond would have done on this pass play attempt? Better than Izzy?

      Like

  65. Good game.

    Glad I got to see a Backyard Brawl with my nephew, who is 7 and has never seen one.

    Slovis needs to lear nto let go of the ball.

    Glad Narduzzi is passionate about pitt football and fans and glad that he thought there was sloppy play. now work on it, coach.

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  66. Bad day for commentors. Just checked WordPress after reading JoeKnew comment on a missing post. Besides him, John in SC, PittPT, NateBailey4, & Gordon Conn had a comment in the trash bucket. Gordon reposted and it went through.

    All the others are 10+ hours old. If I approve, they will be when placed with comments made in the morning. I can’t change “time.” I will approve if asked.

    I have no idea why WordPress stuff happens. I have no formal training in WP but I can observe and make guesses on why stuff is hung up. Observing doesn’t make me an expert.

    It’s been a long day for me.

    Like

  68. Pitt’s Women’s Volleyball team defeated Utah State in a three-set sweep!! Utah State is a tad overrated in my opinion.

    Tomorrow Pitt has a major test tomorrow, playing #7 BYU at BYU!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Presently Pitt is the third best team in the ACC behind Louisville and Georgia Tech. Louisville is very, very good!

        Watched a bit of the BYU vs. Cincinnati match tonight. Pitt definitely needs to get BYU out of system and press them at the net to have a chance. Pitt’s serving may be the key to keeping BYU off balance.

        Liked by 1 person

  69. Finishing rewatch. Here’s my two cents

    1) Rodney Hammond is a bad bad dude… Runs AND BLOCKS with some serious force.

    2) Slovis was absolutely fine. A couple bad sacks but for the first game several time zones away in a tough environment, he was accurate and can throw the ball. A little clean-up here and there and we’ll be good a QB.

    3) The Bub Means fumble is almost excusable because GOOD Lordy what a move!!! I think I lost my jock strap watching that. Freak/unlucky outcome followed, but if he can have that type of body control in the future and hang onto the ball, he will make several big time highlight plays this year (the drop later in the game was egregious though).

    4) I hope the secondary learned their lesson about high pointing wounded ducks. You sit and wait for it like a center fielder, you end up on your butt. Go get the ball!!!

    5) Pay no attention to Sirvocea’s relatively pedestrian stat line… The guy was everywhere all game long. He is by no means an unknown commodity, but I still think he is severely underrated even with the accolades he has already accumulated. I think he is All-American by year end.

    6) Watching live, I was much more nervous about how we played. After re-watching, we outplayed them and we were the better team. A couple bad breaks and the Hoopies playing a gutsy ball game made it closer than it should have been.

    H2P, all dang day.

    Liked by 7 people

    2. agree with most of that(not sure about Bub both catch and fumble) and still understand/expect SOME panic(if that’s what you want to call it)

      I agree Pitt outplayed WVU in some places(not #0 and #12 and Daniels/Slovis a draw but hard to really compare) but they definitely “out-mistaked” them too

      it took the WVU coach choosing to NOT go for it on that 4th down which I’d estimate he had about a 75%(or more) chance to make it and then go on to win the game

      aaaand then it took a muffed catch then fortuitous tip by the very best player on the field and ball to bounce to the defender 2-3 yards away, right into his hands then run 50+ yards for the pick 6

      let’s see how many of those scenarios happen and then play out all in one game for any team in the country that lead to a win 🙂

      c’mon TT, some here are having to EAT their pessimism but maybe some need to back off defending their dominant win prediction 🙂

      Like

  71. Duke beat Temple 30-0 this evening in football. It is surprising how bad Temple has become in football!

    Like

    1. Time to schedule Temple to fill the lone opening game for 2025.

      Still three games open for 2026. Add Temple, UConn and Georgia State. Wisconsin, Miami and Clemson on the schedule for that season.

      Like

  72. After beating #2 Georgetown and #6 West Virginia at home, tonight our mens soccer team lost to #11 Marshall on the road 2-1. MSOC historically has not played well on the road, but have had great success at home. Go figure.

    Like

  73. Regarding “not so good LBer play” from Chris Peak’s 3-2-1 column:

    (LBers) sort of hugged the end, rather than fill the open space. It was one mistake in particular, but one that seemingly came up all night. I think coming into this season, the Pitt linebackers were a cause of concern. Dennis is a pretty good one, but you weren’t quite sure what to expect from Kamara and Notre Dame transfer Shayne Simon.

    Pitt had such a veteran group at linebacker in 2021. On Thursday, it felt like Pitt missed that consistency from those veterans. Narduzzi, the architect of this defensive scheme, was clearly upset about it in the post game.

    “I’m hot. That doesn’t usually happen. I’m not happy. I’m not happy about our run defense. We’ll get it cleaned up and see again. We have two young outside linebackers playing their first game. Probably SirVocea was good inside but we’ll clean that up. That’s a fact. I’m in charge of that.”

    Comment: Our 2nd best LBer Brandon George was in street clothes for an undisclosed reason “locked behind the gates of the South Side facility”. Our depth was tested in game one – a victory was nice. Improvement is needed in many areas.

    Liked by 1 person

  74. John in SC, generally agree with your re-watch and I did feel better after watching on TV.

    Good:

    Slovis is not Kenny, but if he is coachable he can get better and has a good arm.
    Rodney is the better answer with the line we apparently have. Izzy needs at least a little hole to be impactful in space. Rodney is an animal and did virtually all of that on his own. His rushing total had very little to do with his buddies up front.
    -lots of weapons at receiver (my bet is Means is a pleasant surprise) but what the heck with the disappearing tight ends? Slovis will need them if the line stays this leaky
    -The team stayed “up” all game and never lost energy
    -We won a game that Pitt would normally lose in the Narduzzi era. That is a BIG deal!
    -The fans were awesome and great look on National TV
    -The dead quiet Hoopie idiots for my walk back to the hotel!!!

    Bad:

    -I spend a lot of time watching the line play live and in the replay and there is no other way to slice it that both our lines were physically dominated at the point of attack all night.
    -On offense, no push and in fact gave ground on a vast majority of plays. Each of them were physically handled all night. Remember guys, WV is not that good and play in a conference not known for power football. We can’t use the experience excuse. These guys are very experienced, played together a lot and have been “coached up” for a long time.
    -On defense, my shock was bigger. A few splash plays but generally physically pushed around and stopped all night. Pushed back 2 yards with decent sized holes and neutralized on pass plays. I have no explanation for this and it has nothing to do with “scheme” – it was pure physical inferiority
    -A.J. Woods. 2 steps behind all night. Some will say he was too short to cover his guy “on an island” all night and I agree with that too! But height isn’t speed and technique. Whoever he covered ran past him all night long. Because he was distracting me, I didn’t pay much attention to the other D backs. In fairness, this defense ONLY works with a lot of pressure on the QB up front and we had none on Saturday. Tennessee will tell us a lot next week as we got a fair amount of pressure on them last year.

    Wide open to smarter FB guys on here showing me didn’t see what I thought I saw!!

    On to next week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Awesome analysis! Watched it again and agree 100%.

      Only thing I’d add is that the Hoopies Linebackers were very physical and athletic and their blitzes on almost every play seemed to confuse our blocking assignments. Duzz saw the left side of our D Line being collapsed over and over and tried many new players at those positions. H2P

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I also thought the WV linebackers were very good. The wide open holes that the WV backs were running through was my biggest concern. Plus I don’t think we ever made a TFL.

        Like

  75. Couple of comments, which I will break up into different posts for the sake of Word Press.
    1) From on the T, to the tailgate area, and in the game, I had generally no issues with the WVU fans. I would hear Eat Scat Pitt shouted with smiles on their faces, see concern when plays didn’t go their way and elation when they did, but much found them much less confrontational than PSU fans. For my taste I would prefer playing WVU to PSU any day. I prefer dislike to condescension.

    Like

  76. 2) The former Pitt QB that Kedon Slovis reminded me of most after Game 1…….

     Max Browne. Slow but accurate. I don’t say that as a major criticism either. Unlike some here, I thought Browne was trending upward before his season ending injury. I just hope Slovis’ speed and O Line don’t cost him a similar fate.

    Like

  79. The only two throws to running backs that I remember were huge, the first set up a TD, the second one sealed the deal.
    I was saying for most of the game why aren’t they throwing to the backs? Then they did.
    Expect more of that next week.

    Liked by 1 person

  80. Missing Wlat writing a piece on the FrankCan event. A bunch of exhausted guys but great fun.
    Friday before a game is easier than after a Thursday night Brawl, but we all had smiles on our tired faces.

    Liked by 2 people

  81. edit to my post above.

    Add to the Good (great?) – John Morgan. A MAN all day long and let’s hope he can keep it up.

    Like

  82. It is also fantastic to have the depth on the OL finally because some guys were below the line and were taken out of the game at certain points.

    Is Gonclaves better on the left side? Great seeing Taylor in there on the offense’s final scoring drive at right tackle. Let’s hope Houy will be back soon as another option.

    Zubovic went in for Kradel also. Maybe Blake at center to see if more push can be generated in the middle of the line.

    Liked by 1 person

  83. The Pitt OL stunk. They got manhandled. Doesn’t matter if they are all 5th year seniors or how much game experience they have, mediocrity is mediocrity, and mediocrity doesn’t cut it in P5 football.

    Explanation: Narduzzi is completely ignorant about any aspect of the Offense. That’s why he really doesn’t know he has two losers as OL coaches (Borbeley and Salem). He has them on staff because they are college coach lifers, grizzled old vets, good old guys who Narduzzi gets along with. To boot, neither one of them can recruit worth a fig. Borbely was so bad at his previous job (Maryland) that they replaced him as an on-field coach and him watching film, or some such.

    Like

    1. Borebly has coached on many teams throughout his career that had great running games. You need to do some research.

      Like

  84. Hey PetePitt73, Pitt won in case you missed it. And beat WVU in the Backyard Brawl for that win. And are defending ACC Champs. And won 11 games with that OL last year. And are preseason top 25 for the first time since 2010 … and will be top 15 next week. But, Pitt sucks. But, 1976. But, but, but …

    Liked by 3 people

  85. One last thing in rewatching THE GAME. WVU finally lost their adrenaline in late third quarter. You could see the difference in blocking and tackling 4th quarter. Normally they come out so fired up that they seem like a Pro Team until late 2nd quarter. But Thursday they lasted until the end of Q3. You could see it in their lack of tackling 4th Q as our backs and receivers broke tackle after tackle.

    Liked by 2 people

  86. I also thought that WV played pretty mistake free and had some luck with the two wounded ducks, while Pitt’s penalties kept several WV drives alive. WV’s penalties came close to the goal line where half the distance meant little. They were also very lucky to get the stripped ball back near the goal line.

    Of course their biggest mistake, the ball going through 0’s hands cost them the game after he played great for the rest of the game.

    The comments about their coach not going for it on fourth and short to seal the deal were on the money since we hadn’t stopped their runner much all day, and I thought we got a break at the time.

    I did think we were the better team, but was shocked when we came back to win.

    Hopefully something to build on.

    Liked by 4 people

  87. If Pitt plays run defense like they traditionally do, it’s not much of a game. Most of their points were set up by a key (and long) run. Pitt also was one of the top 3rd down defenses in the nation last year … that was another peculiar development. Hopefully, both are aberrations and can be chalked up to it being the first game … but both are certainly things to keep an eye on.

    Tennessee will be a very tough test for this defense. Hopefully, our offense can keep pace. We’ll have to score 40 to win I think.

    Like

  88. A little late to the party here, but I agree that the team looked better when I watched the recorded version. Knowing the outcome before watching takes a lot of the frustration out of the experience 😁.

    With a few adjustments this team can be really good.

    I was disappointed that more throws did not go to Bartholomew but it may have been that he was needed blocking to compensate for the weaknesses on the OL.

    Like

    1. I read it was a workload issue. Kyi Wright was hospitalized with an infection the night before. They didn’t want to put too much on his plate.

      Like

      1. Duzz said it was Karter Johnson (?), the transfer, in the hospital. Guess they don’t have enough confidence in the other TEs yet. That’s not good.

        Go Pitt.

        Like

  89. The competition at for the FRANKCAN Cup was fierce yesterday at Willowbrook C.C. in Apollo.

    Teaser: It came down to the final hole.

    Was Lastrowofsection4 able to secure ANOTHER victory and retain the Cup ? Or would squads led by GC/Richman, MissingWlat or MajorMajors step up and claim the title?

    Tune in to the POV in the coming days for the details (with photos)!

    It may not have been the “Backyard Brawl”, but it was epic!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Wonder who won for “Longest Drive?”

      😊

      Go Pitt.

      PS: A big thank-you to Gordon Conn – and Andy! It was a fun day – making it two fun days in a row!

      Liked by 2 people

  90. Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi Transcript
    West Virginia Postgame
    September 1, 2022

    PAT NARDUZZI: What a ballgame. That was a backyard brawl for sure.

    First of all, you know, let’s just start with the fans in that stadium today. That place was electric. Pitt fans showed up, like, big-time. Was kind of real upset the night before when we heard there was going to be 75 percent West Virginia fans, which I knew ESPN had some bad facts. But they disrespected our fans and our fans showed up. They were unbelievable all day today so I thank them first of all because they were critical in the victory.

    Overall we got the win. We knew it was going to be four quarters and we knew it was going to be a brawl. I told our guys three days ago, be prepared for 60 minutes. It wasn’t going to be over at halftime, you know, going to be under our belt and our kids believed, they trusted each other.

    It wasn’t easy. There was adversity back and forth, taking the lead and whatever it may be. And probably the play of the game was MJ Devonshire, that pick that he had and took it to the house. That guy was running. He was fast. That was one of the nicer ones I’ve seen, and that was a big-time play. He wasn’t going to be denied.

    But we got a lot of things to clean up. Openers are like that regardless of who you play. When you play a game like that, a rivalry game, Power Five team; and again I give West Virginia credit, good football team. JT Daniels is a really good football player and really accurate passer.

    But in the end our guys did enough to win. They did some stuff out there that doesn’t make me happy. But the great thing is you get a win and you make your biggest improvements between Week 1 and Week 2.

    So we’ve got a couple extra days here to prepare for a really good Tennessee football team coming into Acrisure Stadium.

    Q. How would you evaluate how Kedon played?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know what, I thought he was a little late with the ball at times. 16-of-24, pretty good. I think one TD, five sacks, don’t like the sacks but we’ll look at that; why, what. Don’t like the sacks at all.

    You know, was a little disappointed with our run game. But it’s openers, and again, sometimes you don’t know what fronts you’re going to get. You don’t know what you’re going to get but we have to do a better job. Our whole offense was like, “Coach, we’ll be better.” They are apologizing after a win. We have some great kids.

    And again, that was a good football team you beat and you know, give them some credit. But it was a heck of a ballgame but we made the plays when we need to. Not very often do you win a game with a blocked punt. Let’s just start there. You go back through all the different situations — we’ll talk more on Monday with the local media, but you don’t win a game like that. Punter thought he had more time than he did, and we called artificial hang time but he’s got to get that ball off.

    We’ll look at the tape but we were going the right way. But again, there’s a rookie punter. That’s his first football game he’s ever been in. He’s over playing Australian whatever. So it’s good to get that under his belt.

    Ben Sauls was outstanding, 100 percent. I was happy to see him play well.

    Q. Rodney Hammond had a great right running and did you know he ran that aggressively in the past?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Oh, no question about it. The local guys here can tell you, Rodney is a football player. Izzy came on; he’s another guy that said, “Coach, I started slow.” But he came on, which he did.

    It’s great when the kids are telling you: ‘Hey, I didn’t do it good enough; I wasn’t good.’ But Rodney came in there and he runs hard. He’s a bull and that’s no surprise to the locals.

    Q. What was it about their zone runs that seemed to slow you guys down? Typically you guys have an aggressive run defense and it seemed like you guys were more hesitant?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I’m hot, okay. I’m hot. That doesn’t usually happen. I’m not happy. I’m not happy about our run defense. We’ll get it cleaned up and see again. We have two young outside linebackers playing their first game. Probably SirVocea was good inside but we’ll clean that up. That’s a fact. I’m in charge of that.

    Q. Can you speak to the job your pass catchers did in the run-after-the-catch department?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, they did a great job and we missed some shots. Bub has made those plays so many times in practice. We had one, you know, probably on Monday or Tuesday, like beautiful, like this, and we just didn’t make as many plays as we needed to. We have to make a couple shots and loosen them up and when you don’t make those, they are not scared of it.

    I was happy. You look at, again, Konata had five catches, 71 yards. I don’t see a lot of — I guess Jared Wayne had a heck of a play. Wanted to see him get in the end zone and it was a heck of a play and scored off that. Again, trustworthy guy.

    Rodney, Izzy, had one I think on that last touch as well. Some of these short passes were good and we got YAC.

    Q. What does it say about your team where in the second half, it felt like the defense had nothing going right for it, for them to come up and make that big stop there at the end on fourth down to get those sacks.

    PAT NARDUZZI: It tells you they believed and again like I said, we made some darn bad mistakes. But they found a way to win it at the end, and that tells you a lot about them. We’ll get better, that’s for sure. There’s a lot to clean up and I didn’t like our run defense at all, and you know, we had some different stuff happen out there. That third-and-four where we had a delay game on defense because we stem — I’ve never seen that call before. But we got away with a W at home, and had some Big 12 officials and you know, came out the right way.

    Q. What’s the word on Deslin’s injury and what can you say about John Morgan stepping in, two sacks and four tackles for loss?

    PAT NARDUZZI: John Morgan was outstanding. And Des is tough, he’ll be fine and we’ll further evaluate that on Monday.

    Q. Talked about how players need to learn how to play in a rivalry game to really understand it. Do you think they got that understanding now?

    PAT NARDUZZI: I think they got it figured out a little bit. I think it was a little — even I’m trying to get on the TV with ESPN turning around going what is going on back there. I see Haba, a lot of chattering going afterwards. It’s good for them to go 1-0 against West Virginia and we have to carry that on.

    Q. You guys are backed up on your eight-yard line with about six minutes left. That’s a situation where you go 92 yards — is that the kind of thing you look for in a quarterback?

    PAT NARDUZZI: No question about it. I think he was late with some of the passes but he had a heck of a game and made the plays when he needed to. You can see he’s accurate with the football. He had some mistakes, whether he didn’t bring a guy into motion one time but we had two guys across on a dig and had too many people in the hole there. Should have been some motion there. Just little details, openers and nerves, big crowd, rivalry game. We’ll clean a lot of those things up.

    Q. Are you surprised that they didn’t go for it on the fourth-and-one?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know what, you never know what’s going to happen. I think maybe they had some pretty much some confidence that they were going to be able to stop our offense. I’d have gone for it but I’m not going to answer for them. That would be something you have to ask Coach Neal about, what they were thinking or whatever.

    You know, it’s fourth-and-one. We were ready for a stop.

    Q. Did you ever anticipate a true freshman tight end, running for a hundred yards today?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, he’s a good football player, and again, I think we really helped him out a lot. I think he’s a good football player. No, I didn’t anticipate that.

    Q. MJ Devonshire went somewhere else, came back here, came back home. What does it mean to have that guy do that in this environment in his hometown after having that start?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, you know, we wanted MJ out of high school, and he went to Kentucky and then we were able to get him back. You know, I really think we take care of our Pittsburgh guys. Our Pittsburgh guys are successful. Dayon Hayes had a nice day today as well. Our Pittsburgh guys stay home and stay here, they are going to make a lot of plays and it’s good for all those Pittsburgh kids saying, look, where are they being successful?

    Q. You got a chance to see Kenny Pickett tonight at the game.

    PAT NARDUZZI: Kenny is like, hey, whatever it takes, get it done. Kenny is awesome. He’s like, gosh, I wish I could play. I said, you’re playing on Sundays, it’s all right.

    Q. Do you like starting the season with a rivalry game?

    PAT NARDUZZI: If we win it, yeah. If we win it. Like I said, it’s hard in the opener, it’s hard for West Virginia, it’s hard for Pitt. It’s not easy. I hate watching tape for USC and West Virginia spring game. You just don’t know what you’re going to get. It’s so much easier to defend people. It’s so much easier to execute on offense when you really can see some real game footage from 2022.

    So we’ll have that from at least here on out, we’ll watch Tennessee and see what happens with them and get prepared. Hey, do you like it? No. You would like to clean it up. But you get the win against a good football team, you’ll take it.

    Q. Catch and run at the end of the game in the fourth quarter —

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, we’ll watch the tape to see. It’s hard to say, did he do something or was it the O-Line blocking. What did we do up front; we’ll look. We had a tight end out today that really changed some of our personnel. Karter Johnson was, you know, he was there for Friday walk through and didn’t make the team. He’s in the hospital last night with an infection. I think he’s going to be fine.

    But Karter, he texted me saying, “Coach, let’s get this win.” So he’s good right now. Probably be out of the hospital tomorrow sometime but that kind of hurt us a little bit not having him because he’s a good football player.

    Q. You talked on Monday about your guys being juiced up but also need to go maintain their composure. Do you think the penalties were lack of composure?

    PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, there were some — I know when we go back and watch the tape, there was kicking and punching going on and our guys actually did a pretty good job. Interest was a lot more going on and our guys did a pretty about job. I don’t know what happened with Williams on the one. They said he cut somebody. Corners don’t want to be laying on the ground. Never done it in practice. So you know, supposedly he slipped.

    So we’ll look at the tape and clean up whatever we need to. But we talked about composure. I think we had one, Haba, in the end zone, had an unsportsmanlike conduct which he’s got to clean up and again, we’ll see the tape. But there was a lot of trash talk going on out there I guess for sure. I guess that’s what it is.

    Q. Your thoughts on Devonshire, not just getting the interception, but what it took to score the touchdown?

    PAT NARDUZZI: All I say is, wow. When he caught that thing he was going. He’s had some great punt returns and today, he’s one of our punt returners as well. That makes you want to put him on punt return because he took that one; he was running 4.3 for sure. It was impressive.

    Q. Karter’s absence, did that force you to play more six, seven line?

    PAT NARDUZZI: We did. We had that in our package as well but that was one of the reasons we didn’t do as much as what — just putting the tight end in the game. We didn’t want to wear Gavin out, so that was obviously one of the reasons.

    Q. This game felt a lot like the 2016 against Penn State, two archrivals facing each other for the first time in a long time. How would you compare this rivalry game with this one?

    PAT NARDUZZI: You know, they are both big-time rivalries. We’ll play Penn State any time they want to. We’ll play West Virginia. We have West Virginia for another seven games. We are excited about that.

    Heather Lyke has done a great job of getting that scheduled, and probably I think next year, we are playing the third game of the season, so it won’t be an opener. You know, they are all the same. Football game is a football game.

    Like

  91. Interesting stat, comparing this offense to last seasons.

    Points per drive:

    2021: 2.82
    WVU: 2.58

    Pitt scored 31 points on 12 possessions (minus the kneel down).
    Had they averaged 2.82, it would have been about 34 points (33.8).

    Small sample size, obviously, but this team was about a FG off of last season’s offensive output. Pace has to be factored in when comparing Cignetti to Whipple. Points per game is not as simple because there, in theory, should be few possessions for Pitt (and their opponents) this season.

    Now, to play devil’s advocate, that missing 3 points was huge. It’s the difference of us relying on the refs to have a good angle of a replay or WVU being at the 1 with a chance to tie with less than a minute remaining.

    But, the offense wasn’t as bad as some think it was. Definitely needs some ironing out but it wasn’t too far off last season’s pace.

    Liked by 2 people

  92. I can only imagine how Duzzer would have been roasted on here had he punted from mid-field when gaining one-yard would have likely won the game for WVU.

    Especially after how well they ran the ball. Very weak coaching there by WVU..,

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  93. Pitt ranked 22nd in Points per drive last season. 2.58 would have been around 33rd … so, again, not terrible.

    Like

  94. Daniels is a terrific QB and will be a high draft pick next year. The Pitt running game absent Hammond was abysmal because only Hammond was able to power forward and move the pile when our experienced OL failed to do so.—Izzy is only good on all calls well away from any off tackle run calls and should be limited in calls the require him running off tackle.—Devonshire’s speed has to be given some spot opportunity on offense. I didn’t realize that he was the Pa 100 and 200meter high school champ his senior season in HS. Pitt has him as a potential punt returner but I think he could also be utilized on kickoffs also.—The LB play of Kamara and Simon left a lot to be desired and I’m not sure Narduzzi and Bates can do much about correcting the play of those two quickly. The end result we may end up having one of the worst run play defenses in many a year with those two at LB for the rest of the season. Dennis can’t do it all from his middle LB position.—Bartholomew has to be used much more often catching passes than he was against WVU. He’s a tough man to bring down after the catch but he’s no problem for the opposition defense if he doesn’t get the chance to tote the ball in the game.

    Like

    1. I heard they may use George in the middle and move Dennis outside solving half of the problem. Also need the safeties to make some of those tackles.

      Like

    1. Rutgers takes the lead with a long drive ( 96 yards) with zero passes. Unreal!
      Jurkovec with enough time to pull it off. Needs a field goal.

      Like

  96. Fran asked last night would we root against Addison, I’ve thought about it. The answer is no, but I’m sure going to root against USC so I guess the answer is really yes.

    Liked by 1 person

  97. Situational for me GC…if USC plays Pitt JA is dead to me.
    If USC plays psuX in the Rose Bowl I’m wearing an Addison jersey.
    Anything on the middle…meh.

    Liked by 2 people

  101. After this year Pitt has the task of playing Boston College, Viriginia Tech, and Syracuse every year in football as the ACC does away with divisions. After seeing what happened to Virigina Tech last night and Boston College today, I believe Pitt won the lottery in their pod selections! Hopefully none of the three schools will fire their head coaches before next year.

    Liked by 1 person

  102. UNC beats App State 63-61 in football today.

    The Tar Heels with very little D, but they stuffed a two point conversion by the mountaineers with 9 seconds left to win.

    Like

    1. The game was great entertainment for the nationwide audience. Very stressful for most Pitt fans – edge of your seat-kind of stuff.

      Several Pitt fans around me left in the 3rd qtr due to drunken, obnoxious hoopie fans. Several fights broke out around us in the 4th qtr – I’m glad I stayed to the end.

      Serious question for next week – who is going to replace RB Hammond?

      Duzz claims we have five really good RB’s. IMO the best one is now hurt and probably sidelined for at least six weeks. Izzy couldn’t run behind our 5th year senior OL. Davis didn’t play – so maybe he gets a bigger role vs the Vols. I’d like to see what C’bo (transfer from ND) can do with consistent carries.

      The RB I really want to see play more snaps is Daniel Carter.

      Go Pitt!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Lucky the WV around us were just obnoxious, there was some give and take but mostly good natured.
        C’Bo may get some of the carries if Hammond is out he is the most physical as is Carter. Izzy needs more of a crease and that is on the line.
        Good time yesterday but I was too exhausted from the game to play well.

        Like

      2. Agree, EE.

        C’Bo’s fumble should move him back behind Carter, IMHO. We need to see if the Carter we saw in the spring game is the real deal. For a power-back, I think he is…

        Go Pitt.

        Like

  104. Didn’t know Hammond was out 6 weeks.
    Maybe the hoopie that hurt him should be suspended as long as he is out.
    You know, an eye for an eye and a tooth for the toothless.
    Kinda biblical.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Six weeks is my unofficial guesstimate based on the report that he has a high ankle sprain and was seen in a boot after the game.

      High ankle sprains are not good for a RB – I’ve had two in my sports career – college track – six weeks for a none contact sport with heavy therapy.

      Next man up – C’bo had 1 carry for 0 yards because he fumbled. Davis was on the sidelines without pads.

      Former commit Henry Parrish is having a big day for Miami at RB.

      Like

  105. If the rumor about Hammond having a high ankle sprain is correct then he may be out for a prolonged period of time. I’m hoping the rumor is incorrect because the Pitt running game will needs him to at least keep the opposition D honest and not focused just on our passing attack.

    Like

  107. Amazing how five running backs dwindles to a few.
    Ugh.
    And I still have hope for the linebackers. Brandon George is great against the run, but I have never seen hm keep up with a tight in in coverage. Not once.

    Like

        1. Yes, my opinion was that Conner may have been better off as a D-end and as I recall you sort of agreed after he washed out as a Steeler saying he could have been a linebacker.
          Anyway he could have been making TJ Watt type of money with less chance of CRT which plagues retired NFL running backs. Pitt had no decent D-ends at the time and other decent running backs.

          I just wondered about your breaking news and who it was that didn’t recognize Addison’s brilliance, especially when Whipple made him his featured guy as a true freshman.

          By the way didn’t you think DiNucci was better than Pickett?

          Like

  109. Prior to the Pitt-WVU game, I recall a few folks posting that they had put money on Pitt. Question: Did you place your bet when the line was 6.5? When it moved to 7? Or when it ended at 7.5? Sometimes timing is everything.

    Like

      1. I’m not a betting man, Richard, but I think that is a push and you get your $20 back. But I could be wrong. Others would know.

        Like

        1. I have no clue if I get my $20 back. Maybe some POVer with sports betting knowledge will let us know.

          Like

  110. Henry Parrish Jr. RB Miami with 108 yards on 14 carries and 3 TD’s

    On that got away – verbally committed to Pitt – decommitted and eventually signed with Ole Miss – then transferred to miami

    Like

    1. One not on

      JA3 update:

      3 catches for 29 yards and 1 TD heading to the 4th qtr vs Rice.

      JA3 is the sixth leading receiver (yard-wise) for USC today –

      Like

  111. The betting line had moved to 6.5 with Tennessee giving the points.

    Motivation for our Pitt Panthers. Injuries are known – at least 3 starters out (Houy, Hammond and George).

    I throw George in as I would start him as MLB and put Sir D outside.

    Like

  117. Hammond is far better than Izzy. Tough break for Pitt. If high ankle, he’s out till at least va tech. Vols should be favored. Think okie state and sleeping fans.

    Like

    1. Anyone can be a doc if you stayed at a holiday inn express at least once over the past 12 months. And sure enough I did. So I’m perfectly qualified to offer a diagnosis and timeframe for recovery. 🤠

      Like

      1. Haha. That wasn’t directed at you. I just only see it posted here. I wasn’t paying attention to who posted it first.

        Like

    2. yeah, rumors where?

      John Morgan said they both were ok after the game, so there’s that

      IF Rodney is out, I gotta think Izzy has a better 2nd game and it’s still going to be tough unless the line improves

      Like

    3. Rivals.com Jim Hammett in his article about Rodney’s impact on this win vs wvcc:

      Lost in the excitement of Pitt’s dramatic win in the final minutes, Hammond left the game late in the fourth quarter.

      West Virginia’s Wesley McCormick was hit for a targeting penalty against Hammond on a helmet-to-helmet hit, but Hammond also rolled his ankle on the play. He wore a walking boot into the postgame press conference. When asked about his status moving forward, Hammond reassured he was healthy.

      “I’m good, I’m ready for next week.”

      Comment: Fingers crossed for better reports as the week moves forward. Duzz mentioned after camp ended in the week leading up to the brawl that Pitt had 5 RB’s who could start most anywhere in college FB.

      After watching games yesterday, Rodney is maybe the only starter of the 5. Izzy, Carter and C’bo averaged less than 2 yards per carry. Rodney averaged 4.7 ypc. As a team, Pitt averaged 2.0 ypc.

      YIKES!

      Like

  120. Addison absolutely made the right business decision. That route on the first TD was basic but so sick. Such a great route runner.

    Like

  121. The next “Kenny” QB at Pitt is making noise in his HS senior season – his team is now 3-0. This from PSN on his latest game:

    Kenny Minchey completed 11-of-14 passing attempts on the way to a 292-yard, five-touchdown performance through the air.

    “For reference, Minchey connected with his wide receivers on touchdown passes of 29, 37, 52, 55 and 57 yards in length.”

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  123. I just hope byu controls the fans in the stands. Google byu history when it comes to this. They haven’t changed. Personally I would have boycotted. South Carolina did.

    Liked by 1 person

  125. I have three sets of three words for you.

    Pitt is lit.

    Hail to Pitt.

    Valeria Vazquez Gomez.
    ++++++++++++++++++++
    By the way Pitt volleyball won in four sets.

    Liked by 5 people

  126. Pitt Women’s Volleyball takes down #7 BYU 3-1 in their gym. The defeat ends a 30-match win streak that the Cougars had in their home gym. Pitt did exactly what they had to do against BYU. They pressed them at the net. Pitt’s libero, Browske, had 17 digs. Fairbanks had 30 assists and 16 digs. Pitt frustrated BYU’s hitters with their defense. They also kept BYU out of system for most of the night.

    Pitt should go up to at least #8 in this week’s AVCA poll. San Diego swept Ohio State in 3 sets. That loss is not looking so bad at the moment. Ennis is getting better at setting. Rachel Fairbanks has become a double-double machine. I may write an article about the team sometime next week now that I have seen them play three times on television.

    Liked by 2 people

  127. As reported at PSN:

    Congrats to former Pitt wide receiver Shocky Jacques Louis, for a big game in his Akron debut. Jacques-Louis had 8 catches for 102 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown catch. Shocky is one of Akron’s team captains.

    Liked by 6 people

  128. I want to say this now. I’m still opposed to playing rivalry game to open season. Yup. Great for fans, great exposure, but let’s see if this big win translates to any upward movement in polls. I doubt it, an d if we lost we’d drop like a rock. Wait and see other teams that played cream puffs make big moves. There’s just no upside except for the warm and fuzzy feeling. I personally loved the game, but it makes no sense to play a rival to open the season.

    Liked by 1 person

  131. Sorry to hear about the fights and jagoff fans some had to deal with. We must have been lucky in our section.

    Like

  132. Just wondering out loud about these injury reports that I’m reading here…

    First, Alexandre comes off the field holding his wrist and he has a lower body injury?

    Then, Rodney gets targeted helmet to helmet, and he has a high ankle sprain?

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

  134. Injuries are a part of the game, while I agree Hammond was far and away the best back on Thursday, it doesn’t mean that another back won’t excel this week. Izzy has played well before and will again, plus C’Bo and Carter have power for short yardage needs.

    The biggest concerns to me are on defense. To beat Tennessee Pitt needs to be more effective against the run including stopping their excellent running QB. They also need to put pressure on the QB much earlier than they did vs. WV.

    Hopefully the success last week will bring more Pitt fans to town this week. My guess was that there were around 50,000 Pitt fans last week. They need to come back this week. Wouldn’t be surprised to see 10,000 Tennessee fans.

    This is another huge game.

    Liked by 1 person

  135. Well, I took a day off from my computer and managed to watch a ton of college games. I am not going to rehash what happened yesterday, however, one score did stand out as a surprise– Syracuse 31 Louisville 7 — a whomping of the Cardinals. Syracuse had a strong defense, however, the story was the new QB Shrader who threw bullets to receivers who actually made plays. If the ACC is to be worth anything it is important that our basement dwellers show life. Is Syracuse really that much improved or has Louisville crashed??

    Pitt/Tennessee will be a true character builder. Does our team have what it takes to come off an adrenelin-raising victory to settle down and play sound fundamental football against a very strong team? Will our coaching staff make the necessary adjustments to overcome some
    of our obvious deficiencies? Will Cignetti discover that Bart is on our team? Will we have a running game in light of Hammond being sidelined? (on a personal note I suffered a high ankle sprain while running track as a freshman at Pitt and my sprinting days were over//better spent on finding my books). Will Slovis (I like him) be able to avoid exposing himself to likely sacks? Does our defense really have what it takes to top a running attack?>>yada, yada, yada Questions, questions I have no answers. But, all things considered, I think we have a strong team, and The Vols are in for (I hope) a very unpleasant Saturday.

    Liked by 2 people

  136. Lots to fix after our opener – but can it all be fixed?

    It wasn’t just that our OLine looked slow and out-of-sync, it was the blocking scheme and play calls. It looked like WVU knew what run play was coming. It didn’t matter whether our guys made their blocks or not – they were outnumbered consistently…
    Unblocked defenders make it tough on running backs…

    And the sequences of run for 2 yards were putting Slovis in tough spots. I get it was supposedly the first game for a “new” offense, but Coach Cig has installed his “new” offense how many times now? Very disappointing…

    And if Coach Cig removed the Gavin-Bartholomew part of the offense, which was so effective last season, shame on him… We could be back to being terribly limited from the TE spot…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So I tried posting some TN blog thoughts on Pitt, but it must have been too long…

      Instead I’ll comment on what changes/fixes I would make for week 2.

      Pass first to set up the run. TN’s main weakness is their D. They think Pitt wants to run, run, run. Start the game with Carter at FB, Izzy as TB (assuming Hot Rod is hurt), Blue Mtn Bart as TE, Wayne & Mumpfield split wide. Now you have five guys who can catch the ball all over the field. Run a scripted hurry up O on the first series and let Slovis run the show.
      Now that their D is spread out and not sure what is coming next, run Izzy and Carter as Cig feels the need to, but let Slovis win the day with the O.
      Put Sir D on one of the outside LB positions and place your 2nd best, healthy MLBer in with your 2nd best “spy” LBer on the opposite side of Sir D. We all know Sir D is our best LB no matter which of the 3 you place him at. The “spy” is assigned to mirror QB Herndon wherever he goes and hit him often.
      Be sure to have our best blockers in for all punts as TN will be coming fast and hard after our FR muff punter.
      Take all FG’s out of the mix until the end of each half. Scoring must be touchdowns or safeties.

      Bonus 6: let the FR and SO DL back-ups play – mix one or two every other series to keep legs fresh, but more importantly, let the young talent loose. If they make mistakes, coach-em up. Baldanado, Morgan, Hayes, Kancey, Danielson, Green and Bentley will need very little in game coaching from Charlie. Also, assuming Alexander is hurt and won’t play.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Good stuff, EE!

        I too expect to see SirVocea play some outside, especially if Brandon George is available.

        And I’d like to see them try either Daniel Carter or Karter Johnson in the H-Back type role Bartholomew played last season…

        Go Pitt.

        Like

  138. I semi-agree with the when Pitt played WVU but they’ll jump up in the polls with that W. It’s better to lose game one than game 12 though. After Thanksgiving could ruin the entire season. See 13-9. Out of conference games also don’t affect your in-conference rankings so outside of national exposure they don’t really hurt you much. Want in the playoff? Yes, it hurts. Want to win your conference? Not so much. Pitt playing WVU and TN with their ACC slate will put them in a position for the playofff … just hypotheticals … not predicting anything … but, the committee can’t leave a team out that beat WVU and TN to start the season and runs through the ACC.

    Pro’s and cons to opening a season with a game like this but I would rather play WVU now than after Thanksgiving where they are in the spoiler role. Look at 2016 and Penn State. They bounced back for a top 10 finish and a marquee Rose Bowl appearance against USC. Pitt hurt them but didn’t end the season.

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  139. Regarding the injuries, the sideline reporters said it was a shoulder injury for Deslin. You could see Hammond had a hurt leg/foot/ankle when he was being looked at. I think someone just misspoke for Deslin.

    Like

  140. Oh, and one other thing I want out there. If you actually watched yesterday’s game DO NOT sleep on West Michigan. They’re much better than I thought they’d be.

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    1. c’mon now, who’d ever sleep on them?

      Oh, except for King Pat and the entire Pitt defense for an entire friggin’ game
      (while some would blame the Pitt offense for scoring far too fast and not letting the defense get rested for each successive failed series)

      lol

      maybe there will be injury updates on Tuesday as everyone avoids laboring on Monday 🙂

      Like

  141. Update on former Panther QB Davis Beville:

    He won the back-up QB job after transferring to Oklahoma. Beating out General Booty!!

    Transfer Dillon Gabriel is the starter. The strange thing is that Oklahoma crushed UTEP in their opener but Davis only shows up on the stat sheet with one carry for 4 yards. Not one pass attempt.

    More odd coaching — this kid needs some drop-backs…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  145. —As has been posted, Konata Mumpfield really looks like the real deal. Reminds me a bit of Tyler Boyd, but he may be a bit quicker.

    —I also was impressed by the speed Jared Wayne showed on that long run after catch. Seemed like the Eer’s DB was a step behind him a long way down the field…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  146. The one part of PITT’s football team we can confirm is… there is not much we can confirm:

    As PITT fans will usually say after a tough opening game. Boy that WVU team will win a lot of games this year.

    Did Slovis drop back too deep?

    Slovis did look like he was a little to cautious with his delivery?

    Izzy is to good to yank him as a starter.

    Kabally at times looked as confusing as his name is. The big runs by the tight end turned running back were right at his vacated spot.

    A few early bad luck plays that worked against PITT contributed to the game being close the whole game.

    JT Daniels looked as good as Slovis, taking hits while throwing and not running backwards.

    The O-Line never knew where the QB was or where is was going. The Christopher Columbus style of QBing. Both of them couldn’t figure out where they were going.

    I could never again root for Addison under any circumstances. What he did is unacceptable and points directly to how and why the PITT head coaching job is so tough.

    A great win, just a wonderful night for PITT all the way around! Lights, Camera, Action and a WIN!

    H2P

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Great point on the effect on coaching when your status in the college football world makes it difficult to keep great players, Ike. Whether Addison was a diamond in the rough that the staff mined or was a good receiver that Brandon Marion coached up to great, Coach Duzz had to be thinking he had a horse to ride for at least another year or two. Until Riley bought him.

      Like you, I will not root for Addison at USC or the pros. In fact, I can not think of a player who left Pitt to go to another school that I would root for. Might not root against them, especially if they were not good enough to get meaningful playing time here. But they are no longer Pitt men or women to me. Pitt will never be their Alma Mater. I just don’t care.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I said this before. I hope Addison breaks his ankle and is out for the season. Had he entered the portal legally and was legally offered the USC position, I’d be upset but fine. But he didn’t and was poached behind the scenes by Riley and Co illegally ( if there is such a word in the free for all that is NCAA football) Then he badmouthed Pitt going out the door. I have a BIG problem with that.

      Tossing….. I’ve lost many a sales rep to more $$ than I could pay and am still friends with some as we are all retired. But….I will never again speak of help a rep that badmouths me or my company publicly going out the door. In fact I have taken legal action against a few!

      Like

  147. Addison leaving sucks but I had lunch with a guy I used to manage last week. He left because he got more money than I could offer him. Who am I to tell someone they should be loyal to me. If he thought it was a better career move … money or exposure or stats or a combination of all of the above or none of the above … it doesn’t matter. He made his decision. Don’t have to agree with it but respect it and move on. Don’t have to root for him but don’t act like he committed a crime against humanity. He made a decision that he felt was in his best interest. Whether it works out or not is to be determined but I still admire his game. Great player. Great route runner. Can’t wait to see him on Sundays.

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    1. I can see your point, TT. But in Addison’s case specifically, you would have a hard time convincing me that he was not offered millions before he even entered the transfer portal. I don’t think those social media posts were just wild speculation. My understanding is that that is impermissible. That is an integrity issue. What is ones integrity worth? There is no price. If you don’t have integrity, you don’t have anything.

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  149. Louisville Women’s Volleyball just inexplicably lost to Ohio State in Louisville’s home gym. This ended Louisville’s 45-match regular season winning streak and their 24-match home winning streak. Louisville beat San Diego 3-1. San Diego then swept Ohio State 3-0.

    Louisville came out and won the first set against OSU. They then did a face plant by losing the next three sets. This was Ohio State’s first win of the season. To be fair they lost the first two matches to #2 Texas but both losses were in the Buckeyes home gym.

    Pitt plays OSU September 18th at Pitt. Of course, they also play Louisville twice, home and away.

    Liked by 1 person

  150. It’s college athletics. Integrity is not part of the vernacular. All that stuff is unknown and speculation. If Pitt has proof sue USC. If it’s as common knowledge as you imply, that proof shouldn’t be too difficult to come by. I don’t know. Everything I read about Addison is how serious he is about his craft. It also sounds like you have bigger issues with USC than Addison. I personally don’t care about the rules. The NCAA rules are ridiculous and unenforceable. At the very root of it, Addison did what was in his best interest. Who cares if it was for money? People leave jobs for more money all the time. He didn’t have a contract with Pitt. That’s the thing I don’t get. He has no contract. Just an LOI he was not allowed to negotiate with a lawyer or agent. But, what if the money was just icing on the cake and he truly believed Lincoln Riley’s success with WRs and the NFL draft was the driving factor? I just don’t get the integrity part. He didn’t do anything immoral. Rumors were that Pitt matched USC’s money too and he still went. He also implied that he watched spring practices and that was the crux to him leaving. Lots of unknowns and jumping to conclusions. In reality, probably much more complicated. I’m going to root for the kid. Once a Pitt man, always a Pitt man.

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    1. I do have a bigger beef with USC and Lincoln Riley than Addison. I would love to see USC caught and punished in the strongest terms possible. And I agree that proof should not be hard to produce. But I doubt you could convince the organizations who have subpoena power to seize cell phone texts and messages from the carriers to take an interest. That leaves the NCAA and I would be shocked if they still have the power to police the ranks of NCAA member schools.

      It would be ironic though that Pitt would be the University that was instrumental in getting another school severely punished for having bought a committed recruit (Sean Stopperich in the SMU Death Penalty) or player (Addison to USC) from our roster.

      Like

      1. That’s my thing. Direct that vitriol at USC and Riley. Addison definitely didn’t have a gracious exit. I won’t argue that. Pitt’s part of his legacy and he is part of Pitt’s legacy.

        Like

  154. I pulled this from one of the TN FB blogs:

    keeping the game (wvcc) close for so long, as mentioned, forced Narduzzi and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. to show a lot more of their playbook. Heupel hardly had to show any of his, and you know they expanded it.

    Then there is the hangover effect. That’s somewhat mitigated by a 10-day rest, but Pitt has to refocus for another big matchup immediately after winning a thriller. That’s hard to do, as the Vols have had this game circled since January.

    Don’t forget that UT didn’t start Hendon Hooker against Pitt last year. It took a late fourth down stop in the red zone and Hooker’s one crucial mistake, an interception on the Vols’ final offensive drive, for them to hold on to a touchdown win.

    With more experience and a full offseason, it’s not hard to see Hooker looking much better this year, even if the Vols are on the road. Heupel has beaten Narduzzi before, back at UCF, so Tennessee football has a great shot at winning this game. Thursday night’s shootout with WVU increases those odds.

    Like

  155. I think loyalty is often misplaced. I always tell my employees, you can be loyal to people but you can’t be loyal to a company (in this case Pitt). They cannot return loyalty. “They” does not exist. It’s an entity. Not a real person. If I’m told to fire you, it doesn’t matter my loyalty to you or your loyalty to me. My hands are going to be tied.

    It doesn’t sound like Duzz built up that loyalty with Addison so isn’t that on Duzz? Addison’s OC and WR coach left (2nd in two years) with a 3rd on the way … the OC and WR coaches weren’t loyal, so what would make a player feel any loyalty? Be loyal to your friends and family (that deserve it … because even then it can be abused … which he kind of does in this case by financially securing his future and I’m assuming his families.

    I don’t doubt USC was shady here and I won’t root for USC or Lincoln Riley, ever. EVER. I do feel they acted inappropriately. But, Addison made a business decision. Hopefully, it works out for his long term plans.

    I get being loyal but loyalty is a fine line and it’s not always (usually?) reciprocated. I appreciate loyalty but I don’t expect loyalty.

    Lots of transfers on Pitt’s teams with big roles … are they not loyal? Or did they make business decisions?

    Again, USC most likely acted in bad faith. That’s the bigger issue here. Not Addison’s decision. Addison’s decision being tied to USC’s behavior muddies the situation but I can separate the two.

    Like

  156. Got this from a WVU writer who did an excellent summary of the game. Better than any Pitt beat writer in town. And that’s unfortunate given the obnoxious steeler and Nitter love.

    The Pitt administration made a very classy move by reserving press box seats for two media icons, both of whom had passed away since the previous Brawl in 2011. Former Pitt SID Beano Cook, who would have been 91 on Thursday, and the dean of West Virginia sportswriters, Mickey Furfari, who was 92 when he passed away in 2016, had side-by-side seats assigned in their memory. That was a wonderful gesture by Pitt’s executive associate athletic director E.J. Borghetti. Grade: A+

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thanks for sharing that Tex.

      The 5 season Pitt ticket holders next to my seats sold out to hoopie fans. Wait til I see those Pitt “fans”.

      The hoopies next to me weren’t bad – they left after MJ’s pick six. They each shook my hand on the way out. Classy hoopie fans I must say.

      Like

  157. New beat writer for PG seems like he’ll be good. Covered Pitt and Steelers for another site and is a Pitt Law School grad. Funny how Pitt wins something and the paper is like okay fine we want you to read our publication so we’ll hire a Pitt guy.

    Like

  158. Pitt-Cock Fan – it appears when I post fully logged in as Erie Express, they get blocked.

    Two for two today.

    I’m going to settle in to the Fla State vs LSU game –

    Like

    1. Your last blocked comment was a reply to Major Majors. His comment was at 10:18AM. Your reply was at 7:1PM.

      Info for those who want to find and read Erie’s comment.

      I’m going to bed. I’m tired.

      Like

  161. It seems that HCJC is re-energized in his recruiting efforts.
    Perhaps he realizes this is his last chance as a head coach in the big leagues.
    Perhaps it is something else.
    In any event,
    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

  169. The margin of victory is razor thin. One more big play than the other guys makes the difference between winning and losing. Like last year Pitt knows never to give up when the chips are down, probably the most positive aspect of this victory. Lots to clean up for next week and down the road.

    Reading the game day thread is always funny after the fact, the level of frustration and criticism always off the charts.

    The best thing about those highlights is the sea of blue and gold cheering after the play. Would love to see that more often.

    Liked by 1 person

  170. I can’t stand Tim Benz. Won’t read anything he publishes. What’s the TL;DR? Haha. His passive aggressive needling of Pitt fans is infuriating.

    Liked by 1 person

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