in Pitt Football 1,253 Words

Up Next: A Rambling Wreck

In the South there is a term used to describe Georgia Tech graduates. That term is “nugget”, and it loosly translates to “egghead” or “nerd”. Given that the Tech fanbase (and boosters) are comprised largely of these “nuggets”, you’d think that they’d have a propensity for numbers and logic-based decision making. Unfortunately for them, they don’t. The “oh so smart” Tech Nuggets ran Paul Johnson and his eight-wins-per-season triple-option offense out of town in 2018, and demanded an “upgrade” to Geoff Collins’ more modern approach. The net result: three wins per season for the last three years. It doesn’t take an egghead to figure out that was a mistake.

Collins was let go on Monday, and he left nothing less than a dumpster fire.

First the transfer portal: Per Richard Hefner’s 2021 Production Loss article, Tech lost 16 players last year, including all-ACC running back Jahmyr Gibbs, quarterback-of-the-future Jordan Yates, and two starting edge rushers: Jared Ivey and Jordan Domineck. (Domineck led the Jackets in sacks in 2021 … with 3.5).

Second, Tech’s on-field performance: Tech is 1-3 this season, with a 35 – 17 win over FCS Western Carolina. It should be noted that WCU outgained the Yellow Jackets 390 – 343 (and probably only lost because they turned the ball over four times). Against FBS competition, Tech has yet to put up more than ten points this year. Oh and the litany goes on: Tech has been outscored 183 to 10 in their last five FBS games. Tech hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent in their last 10 tries. Tech hasn’t beaten a MAC school since Paul Johson boat-raced Bowling Green in 2018. Shall I continue?

Tech’s defense isn’t much better than their offense. The Jackets are giving up 412 yards per game (101st in the nation), and 209 ypg rushing (120th). It’s worth noting that both Clemson and Western Carolina gained only 119 on the ground, UCF put up 284 against Tech last week, and Ole Miss carved up the Jackets the week before to the tune of 316. You’d have to think Pitt is excited about this.

Warning: Low Blow Coming

So yes, Georgia Tech is reeling. Their all-hat-and-no-cattle-head-coach is gone; the locker room is probably in shambles, and Pitt has spent the last two weeks getting ready to grind their 4-2-5 defense into a fine powder. It all sounds pretty good, and it is, except for one thing: Interim head coach Brent Key.

The book on Key is that he’s basically the opposite of Collins: a no-nonsense guy who just cares about football. Also, Key’s resume suggests that he knows what it takes to win. He was a starting guard on a 10-win Georgia Tech team. He coached under George O’Leary at UCF from 2009 – 2015 (when the Knights averaged just under 10 wins per season). Prior to Tech, Key spent several seasons coaching offensive line at Alabama. No, Brent Key may not have the talent to pull off a turnaround this year, but you can bet the team is going to play harder for him that it did under Geoff “no handshake” Collins.

He’s saying all the right things, but it looks like he’s got a rebuild on his hands. Looks at him throw some shade on the current culture:

“Players respond to the organization that is in front of them. Players respond to discipline that is given to them, and have to make sure that our players are put in a position every Saturday to win football games. That is the easy thing to say,” Key said. “You are only as good on Saturday as you were on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday, and on Friday. The detail you have in practice, the discipline you have in practice, and for us coaches to be able to demand those things for the players and clean up the things that have plagued us in the first four games. Those things didn’t happen just once or twice, but over and over.”

Special teams has is also an area he’s explored:

After the four punt blocks this season and poor field goal kicking, Key said his first move was to have a long special teams meeting. He appointed linebacker coach Jason Semore as the new special teams’ coordinator as well. Semore worked on punt and kickoff coverage units while Mike Daniels oversaw kick and punt return while Collins handled punt himself until his termination.

“We had probably a two-and-a-half-hour special teams meeting and I would like to announce Jason Semore has been promoted from not only linebacker coach but also special teams coordinator,” he said. “He will be running special teams along with everyone else on the staff to work to immediately fix issues that we had. Our goal is to go out and play our best brand of football that we possibly can and to give the kids a great chance and opportunity every Saturday to compete and win.”

Here’s Key’s resume, per Ramblinwreck.com. Emphasis added by me:

2001-02Georgia TechGraduate Assistant
2004Western CarolinaTight Ends/Running Backs
2005UCFGraduate Assistant
2006UCFTight Ends
2007UCFTight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
2008UCFTight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator
2009UCFOffensive Line
2010-11UCFOffensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator – 188 YPG rushing
2012-13UCFAssistant Head Coach/Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator – 169 YPG rushing
2014UCFAssistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator – 407 YPG total offense. 10-4 record
2015UCFAssistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs – 442 YPG total offense. 12-1 record.
2016-18AlabamaOffensive Line 2016: 245 YPG. 2017: 251 YPG. 2018: 198 YPG. Three title game appearances. One National Championship (2017).
2019-22Georgia TechAssistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Team Rushing 2019: 153 YPG. 2020: 191 YPG. 2021: 169 YPG.
2022Georgia TechInterim Head Coach
Italics added by Maestro

Geez, it’s almost like he’s been groomed as a successor…

So what does this all mean for Pitt? Well given our running game and Tech’s recent troubles in stopping any sort of ballcarrier, I’d expect us to test the Yellow Jackets’ front seven (er…front nine). On the other side of the ball, I’d expect Tech to come up throwing. Wait! What? but but but… Key clearly loves to run the ball. HIS TITLE IS RUN GAME COORDINATOR! Yes but offensive-lineman-turned-head-coaches can be wiley, and I don’t trust them. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there are only two ways to beat a Pat Narduzzi defense, and neither of them involve the running game. Will Key tune up his inexperiended O-line’s pass blocking and try to um… KEY on our weakness? Or will he play the blockhead (pun not intended this time, I swear), and run right at the strength of Pitt’s defense? (Despite rumors to the contrary, Pitt’s rushing defense is 26th in the nation, giving up just 3.31 yards per rush.) Or will the wiley Key utilize the run game to set up play action, and just throw it high to 6’7”, 243 lb redshirt senior EJ Jenkins all day? Hmm….

Armchair quaterbacking aside, you can bet Key has some ideas he wants to implement now that his pesky boss is gone, and it’s probably a good bet that he is going to inject some life into the Yellow Jackets. But you still have to ask yourself if Key’s influence is going to be enough to overcome the Panthers? Narduzzi rarely loses against a team that he’s supposed to beat (um …. a power 5 team that he’s supposed to beat). My take? Without that “Nugget” Geoff Collins on the sideline, Pitt will probably be in for more of a dogfight than we’d normally expect… but only for the first three quarters.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

148 thoughts on “Up Next: A Rambling Wreck”

    1. I am NOT a Heather Lyke fan, however, we are in a better place now than we were prior to her coming to the Burgh. Our wrestling team should be very good (not great, but very good) and our new swim coach has a strong background and improvement is highly likely. In addition, our lacrosse team in its very first year was respectable against extremely stiff ACC competition. Basketball should be much better than last year if Capel can control the locker room….. women’s basketball is ALWAYS a work in progress and Baseball
      in my opinion is a coaching problem (team collapses during the course of the season).
      Last but not least track (I was hurt as a freshman but loved running on the team as a sprinter) We have a track team with NO TRACK>>>terrible lack of support.

      I would love to see us develop a hockey team because we are in a strong region for talent, but hockey costs big $$ and ice time does not come for free.

      Like

  4. Great job Mike!

    I remember the “handshake” Narduzzi getting under the skin of someone beside some PITT fans.

    Bill you left us all hanging…. was ESPU reporting the announcement of PITT building a new on campus stadium?

    Fran, I see your daughters school played Latrobe to a sister kissing 3-3 tie in field hockey. I looked Monday for the schedule and was a little confused but I got it all straighten out in my head. Game was held at the High School. Did you visit Hotel Loyal?

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  6. But hey, WVU ran for 190 yards with a 5.8 ypc against us at home in the opener… first game yes, but could happen again.

    GT is a tricky program and if they put all the O emphasis on the run game and we stack the lines are our DBs good enough to go one on one without any real LB help?

    We gave up 36 ppg against our two P5 opponents so I expect GT to score on us. Plus, getting rid of a HC that no one in the program liked can energize things both on and off the field of play.

    I think we win a close one.

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  8. Is anyone else still shell shocked over the 2014 game against GA Tech when we fumbled five times in the first half? Connor fumbled, Boyd fumbled, the Coke vendor fumbled his tray. Here’s to a better Saturday than that day.

    Liked by 3 people

  9. I think the big differences may come from OC Chip Long. A very successful OC at ND when they went undefeated in the regular season. He had Ian Book, Chase Claypool and our own C’Bo. Book ran quite a bit and was successful doing it. The guy was also OC at Memphis. I expect them to open the offense up a little.
    So far they are rushing the ball more. The QB runs often and has a good avg per attempt. His completion percent is around 60. Like all teams, expect some deep balls.

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  10. Anyone else besides me concerned that Yarnell may enter the transfer portal if both Slovis and Patti decide to return next year with their Covid option?

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      1. Me to and that’s why I’d like to see Yarnell jump up to the #2 QB position ASAP. Problem is I believe Narduzzi would be to loyal to Patti for sticking around to remove him from the #2 option.

        Liked by 1 person

              1. i strongly disagree. Down the road when coffin choices are being made, I predict that KP will regret that he missed out on leading Pitt to a 12 win season and a very rare (very rare) Pitt major bowl win.

                Of course there is money to be made; but there is also your destiny and your moment and then puff you’re dust.

                Love you Kenny; but you made a terrible bowl choice.

                Liked by 2 people

                1. That’s after the fact analysis or as it is referred to by others “the benefit of 20/20 hindsight”. What if KP had played and sustained an injury the way NP did? I can assure you that if KP has a fine NFL career the scales of justice won’t be affected by KP’s decision not to play in the MSU bowl game.

                  Liked by 1 person

  11. I agree but he could easily be injured once again and as such decide to return to Pitt next year. If you add in Patti returning that may encourage Yarnell to seek greener pastures.

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  12. Hmmm…..in my almost 65 years of following Pitt football I can not recall a time when we had so many good options to start at QB. On top of our 3 current potential starters, we have a very highly touted 4**** star entering next year, Kenney Minchey. (must be great with the name Kenney). Something tells me that we would all agree that we wish we had this situation at linebacker and OLine.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You’re not a fan of the younger linemen? Branson Taylor has been getting a ton of experience at both tackle spots this season. Jacoby is playing a lot, Moore looks like a future center and Baer is been getting rave reviews so far. Narduzzi has even mentioned Enos, but he is behind too many people at the moment. The incoming class seems to have potential, but that’s a wait and see at the moment.

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  14. I agree isnore, K Minchey looks to be very intriguing, but likely not ready as a true freshman. My high hopes for Kamara have been dashed.

    If Pitt can jump on GT early I think they fold up their tents and look for the exits. But I’m never totally confident when it’s an ACC opponent.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Uncle Iek, my wife was late coming home from work so we had to nix the pizza dinner and missed almost the whole first half of the game.
    But plans are being made to make a return trip just for a Hotel Loyal visit.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. MM, that was a really, really good article. The double “really” means it was better than “really good”. Thank you for it.

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  17. Yarnell looked great but it was Western Michigan and not Tennessee. Too early to worry about him leaving.

    The real concern is will the game be played in a tropical storm. Ian may be coming our way.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Nice job, MM. Hoping it takes GT at least another week or two to start improving…

    Did I hear correctly that Pitt is a 20+ point favorite? I don’t care how much GT has struggled, with Pitt’s offense, that’s crazy to me…

    Go Pitt.

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  19. Looking for something to do right now? Tune in to the ACC Network. Our 10th ranked Lady Panther Volleyball team has just started their match at Virginia. UVA up 6-3 in the first set.

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  23. danh72 No Pitt’s women’s volleyball team was not out drinking which caused the slow start.
    Pitt’s best setter, Rachel Fairbanks, tweeked her ankle in warmups and could not play in the first set tonight. Cam Ennis, one of our graduate transfers, ran a 5-1 offense in the first set. Due to the fire drill nature of this change, Pitt did not play very well. The last time Pitt played a 5-1 was with Lexis Akeo in 2019 when Kylee Levers was injured in preseason, and we had a freshman setter running a 5-1. We are in bad shape if we have to run a 5-1 and are just an average team.

    In the second set Rachel’s ankle was feeling better, probably after being taped up and getting a shot of pain killer. In the second through fourth set, Pitt went to their normal 6-2 offense using Cam Ennis as the second setter and again became at least the #10 team in the nation. After the Lexis Akeo situation in 2019, Coach Fisher made sure he has two healthy setters and that is why he recruited Ennis out of the portal late in the spring, late May. Lexis Akeo must still have some health issues because she did not play at all today, hence the 5-1 with Ennis in the first set. Cam Ennis had her first double-double as a Panther tonight, 21 assists and 11 digs. I think Pitt will do OK if we have to go with Cam and Rachel as our setters this year. Cam is coming along very well with the quick setting needed for the Panther offense. She even had a block assist this evening when she was on the front row!

    As Annie has pointed out Buzzerio has setter experience and could be used in an EXTREME emergency. She is our leader in kills from the pins so we would lose our best offensive weapon using her as a setter.

    Pitt got some excellent serving today by several players with a special shoutout to Cat Flood for coming off the bench to serve out the third set! Flood had 3 aces to lead all servers. Pitt also has started attacking from the back row on set plays more which adds another weapon to our arsenal. Cam Ennis was responsible for some of these back row sets even after we went back to the 6-2.

    Another thing that happened tonight that I have not seen before, was at an all-player huddle during a timeout there were some vocal players getting everyone awake! Vasquez Gomez, Gray, and Buzzerio were the three leaders it appeared. It is about time some floor leaders stepped up. At the only game I saw in person, against UNC, no one was being very vocal during the timeouts when the coaches were not in the huddle. Hopefully this match is a turning point with regard to that.

    Overall, this was a good wake-up call for the Panthers. In the later sets the Panthers jumped out to big leads which they did not relinquish as they have been prone to do this year.

    The ACC channel has finally wised up to the national ratings of women’s college volleyball and are showing more matches on the regular channel. If you watched tonight, there were some high buck advertisers such as Proctor and Gamble and IBM on the broadcast. The ACC will even have a double header on Sunday with two matches back-to-back. Maybe there is hope for the ACC management after all.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I noticed that Rachel Fairbanks did not play the front row tonight. Sabrina Starks replaced her and did a good job. No need to aggravate a tender ankle by jumping on it. I thought the announcers spent too much time talking about how VA won the first set without explaining the last-minute Pitt lineup changes. Chiamaka Nwokolo did not play set 1 either, and she is a ďifference-maker and our leafing blocker.

      I hope tonight’s scare makes the ladies realize thàt they can’t overlook ANYONE in the ACC anymore.

      Liked by 3 people

      2. Noticed that, Sabrina had a terrific game especially when you consider she is being asked to play the right side after playing middle her entire career. Nwokolo not playing the 1st set hurt them(discipline?) but she did very well the rest of the match. By the way that was the 10th consecutive win over UVA, I wouldn’t call that struggling. Not having their top setter and Akeo out didn’t help but like someone mentioned Innis is coming along very nicely. Huge improvement by her in the last two weeks.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Nwokolo not playing in the first set did not make sense to me as they could have rotated her in when Gray went to the serve or was out of the lineup. They moved Starks to the middle in those occasions in the first set.

          As Annie mentioned above, Fairbanks did not play the front line with Pitt using Starks in her place due to her injured ankle. Fairbanks has problems at the front line when she is opposite a tall, pressing opposing front line. Starks is a better option in those situations IMO even when Fairbanks is healthy.

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          1. I did not see the starting line-up but thinking Coach gave Starks a start against a lesser opponent(they lost to both unc & ncst). More than likely he had Innis next to Starks which made it impossible to replace her w/Nwokolo in the front row and have her swith w/Starks since Akeo wasn’t available as well(??). Just a guess and he sure made the correction for the rest of the match. This team is slowly getting better as they get used to the new faces. I really like their make up, even better than last years Final Four squad. Time will tell, hope I can make it for their games against the ‘ville & GT.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. I was thinking that maybe coach wanted to rest Akeo and Nwokolo since we have 3 games this week, and was being cautious with Fairbanks after her slight injury in warmups. Then realized after set 1 that we needed Nwokolo back, and Fairbanks was a trooper who decided to push through it ( or received medical support for it). It all ended up good, but now we realize that the ACC schools have upped their vb play. This is great for the conference, but hope it doesn’t cause Pitt to not give its starters a rest now and then. It’s a long season- gotta keep the legs fresh as long as possible!

              Liked by 1 person

  24. In On Campus Stadium news, Northwestern is unveiled a plan to build a new 35,000 seat football stadium to replace their 91-year-old stadium. This will be a 12,000-seat reduction versus the old stadium. I thought I would just throw that out there:)

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    1. Sounds like a multiples design. With roof ?? Northwestern plans to tear down Ryan Field and build a modern, smaller-capacity stadium on the site. The $800M project would be privately-funded and set up the venue to host concerts, among other non-football events. https://chicagobusiness

      Liked by 2 people

    2. NU is an outstanding school with tons of money and very wealthy alumni. I have not been to Evanston in quite some time, however, it would be no surprise to me if they have the available space for the stadium. 35,000 sounds right for a school of NU’s size. A great move for the Wildcats.

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    3. The area is flat, adjacent to existing public transportation (commuter rail lines) and “only” 1.5 miles from the center of campus and fraternity row (“only” 2 miles from the south quad). The Wildcats will have to play games at either Wrigley Field or Soldiers during the two year construction time.

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        1. Technically it would be on campus if Pitt had not moved to Oakland. The stadium is waiting for Pitt to move back to the North side!

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  26. Pitt women’s volleyball is quite exciting to watch

    the women’s athleticism has improved over the years in some way paralleling women’s basketball or lacrosse at the college level making it far more appealing even if you don’t have a rooting interest

    I thought the UVA blocking was overall and throughout the sets far better than Pitt’s and to me that is what made them competitive almost to the end and when Pitt went on their runs it often was led by good serving which appeared consistent the whole match, maybe the best I’ve seen them (admitted limited as this was only the 3rd time I watched this year)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I agree that Pitt’s serving was excellent this match. It was the best this season so far.

      If I was an opposing coach, I would press Pitt’s front line as much as I could with my best blocking players. That has been the most successful strategy used so far against Pitt especially by Towson. This type of defense can be negated by having multiple weapons available for the setter including back row attacks. That is why I was happy to see Pitt using the back row attack against Virginia. Buzzerio back there along with Dalton and Vazquez Gomez could be very helpful. Against Virginia Buzzerio had several attacks down the line from the serving position, 1, on the court.

      Louisville and Georgia Tech will definitely give us that look. Against Georgia Tech I believe our middles will win the match for us. Against Louisville it again will be our middles versus their middles deciding the match.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Duzz’s comments made me laugh out loud. In what bizzaro world has Collins done a good job. He is 10 and 38, and 1 and 3 on the season. He had personal responsibility for coaching the punt team and they’ve had what? 4 punts blocked this year so far?

      Firing Collins has to be a prime example of addition by subtraction. I expect GT to come in relieved and inspired on Saturday. Good enough to win? I hope not. Probably not. But better than they were with Collins at the helm.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Leaving for Pittsburgh in the next half hour. Expecting 4+inches here Friday into Saturday.

    Looking forward to seeing POVers in person.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Great article…..without blocking an offense can instantly collapse. I also believe that our tackling is sometimes (how do I put this?) soft. Amazing in over 100 years of football strong blocking and tackling are still the foundation of winning football.

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  32. I look for Pitt to open things up this week, to give the other ACC teams something to think about. Hopefully, some of the injured will get back on the field this week, and players like Huoy will start to get comfortable again. Owen could be lost for the season based on the way he limped off the field. Still don’t know what’s up with Alexandre. Was this a Fall camp injury? The Narduzzi policy of not commenting on injuries sure leaves the fans as well as the competition hanging..

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  33. So, what do we know about the weather in the ‘burgh? I am having a hard time believing that UVA is going to play in Durham on Saturday. I know the game is played in the rain. But, isn’t a tropical storm something different.

    pmdH2P

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    1. Possible rain showers for saturday evening depending on Ian. The psu game three years ago was played in a monsoon!! I had to leave as i was getting sick, both by the weather and the onfield performance. Only time i’ve seen a duzz team quit!!

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    1. seems the hefty dude Reed ran into after the game has returned

      and still drunk

      and we don’t know his real name yet

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  42. Thanks Maestro!

    Enjoyed the post – and I would not be surprised if they came out throwing as well for a couple reasons:

    catch Pitt off guard.
    generate excitement within the squad over the plan… a morale boost.

    On an another note, I did want to say how nice it is to see Daniel Carter not only getting touches, but turing into the next chapter in good Pitt FBs…. following Hynoski and Aston. He’s also doing good things on special teams and I would expect to see him continue to get the ball starting with Saturday – especially if Bart is out.

    Heading up to PA at dark o’clock tomorrow – look forward to seeing the Red5A crew on Saturdayt afternoon when the weather will dry up and give us the space we need to game prep.

    Liked by 4 people

  43. son’s asking for food/restaurant recommendations around stadium area or maybe city for a few fraternity buddies driving up for the game

    thanks for any idea/s

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  44. My late brother-in-law lived in Atlanta. He cursed GT since he assumed their grads designed Atlanta’s horrible road system. I hope his curse works on Saturday.

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  45. Following up on John in South Carolina’s Northwestern stadium post, it seems that Chris Dokisk must have been reading the POV:

    @ChrisDokish
    I think we can all agree that Pitt’s biggest mistake was to tear down Pitt Stadium to put up the Pete. Demolishing an on campus football stadium to go to an NFL stadium was idiotic. It’s funny how few other major universities have problems having both a stadium and an arena.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Northwestern’s new stadium will cost $850 million buckaroos. The ultra-wealthy Ryan family has contributed $480 million towards the construction with other money coming from the University. NO PUBLIC FUNDING!! NU is a suburban campus school with enough available land to not have to worry about finding room for the massive project.
      Pitt is not in the same class as NU and it never will be. We have good academics and are hemmed in campus-wise by an urban setting. NU is a midwestern Duke. We are not a Duke or an NU.

      So, where does the rest of the funding come from?? NU raised $6.1 BILLION …THAT is BILLION in its most recent fund drive. Superior academics lead to many alumni who are
      highly successful and obviously affluent. Pitt is very good>>>NU is Superior.
      So, if they do not win a national football championship the alumni who love their school can still be proud of their earned NU degree and enjoy the value of their most highly respected degrees.

      If we want an on-campus stadium we are going to have to shake a lot of trees to find the money to buy up the land in Oakland and somehow get additional funding from the CITY or STATE governments…lotsa luck! Pitt Stadium should have been upgraded at a much lower cost than attempting to build a football palace on campus. The basketball team could be playing downtown (dahntun) in the Arena.

      https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2022/09/northwestern-releases-early-design-concepts-for-dynamic-new-ryan-field/

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      1. Can’t argue with any of that. isnore. And I also wonder how moving away from the Steeler’s might affect recruiting. So many recruits comment positively on “how cool” it is to share a stadium with an NFL team after they’ve visited.

        Liked by 1 person

  47. Today is Roberto Clemente Day…celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Great One getting hit # 3000.
    My favorite baseball player as a kid.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. My favorite too – great 5 tool player and was always fun to watch.

      I’ll drop my GT game prediction now –

      Pitt 31 GT 13 Ian 3 Sauls 1 made FG and 2 missed FG’s

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    1. Seems there is a reverse correlation between Michigan’s fortunes and Wisconsin’s

      Also, no more Watt bros.

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    1. We will be better…not great but definitely improved if Coach Capel promotes harmony in the locker room and we not I team play.

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  54. Pitt has four ranked teams
    On Sunday, the AP poll kept the Pitt football team in the national rankings as they checked in at No. 24 for this week. The Pitt volleyball came in at No. 10 on Monday, the 76th consecutive poll the Panthers found themselves ranked. Then on Tuesday of this week, the Pitt men’s soccer team earned the tenth spot in the US Coaches poll, while the women’s team made its season debut in the national rankings at No. 15 this week.

    Pitt is only one of two schools in the country that can claim a national ranking in those four sports, the other being in-state rival Penn State.

    … But, Heather wore a yellow dress at the Season Kickoff gala …

    Liked by 6 people

  55. I just did some admin work on the blog. I’ve gone ahead and blocked numerous commenters. You all won’t recognize them as almost all of their comments were flagged and held by WordPress anyway.

    As before, I don’t mind criticism but I do hope it is the constructive type. What I won’t stand for is personal and insulting comments directed at me or others on here.

    The guy above has been doing just that for over two years. So, if you guys see this happening please let me know…

    Back to sports…

    Liked by 6 people

  57. Tagovalova’s serious head injury is a LOUD siren to all sports teams that are faced with how to treat concussions. I was surprised and not pleased to see Slovis playing the complete game against URI. Yellen should have played a 1/2 and maybe even Kyler for a few series of downs. The Dolphins are facing a major problem of their own doing that hopefully will not lead to Tagovalova losing the rest of the season and possibly his career. The macho nature of football is out of control and parents are beginning to see the light and direct their sons to other sports with much lower injury profiles.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. What I find scary is that the play didn’t look all that violent to me – seemed pretty ordinary…

      Time to beef up the padding on those helmets – no matter how weird they look…

      Go Pitt.

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  59. I can’t understand why Pitt’s football team gets so little respect, especially after winning the ACC last year. There is no rational reason for it. Many of the voters on the national poles just mail it in anyway, and fail to really analyze the records and performances of the teams they are voting for. It seems there is little consideration for such circumstances as playing with 2nd and 3rd string QBs, an OT loss to TN or the absence of so many starters. So they must have a general unfavorable feeling about Pitt football. Clearly, Pitt must win many games to get some national recognition. Hopefully, this provides the team with sufficient motivation..

    Liked by 1 person

  60. The football team has been ranked for 11 straight polls. I don’t think that’s a lack of respect. I think they lost to their only top 25 opponent is all that the polls are reflecting that. They have 8 games to make up a lot of ground. Keep winning and they’ll get more respect.

    The advanced stats were better after the first two games. They’ve declined the last two games with a decline in competition. Coming back down to the mean. Literally. Very average across the board.

    It’s a big reason I don’t support easier OOC schedules. Competition makes you better. I get having a tuneup game. I’d rather play WVU than UVA like we did last year (or was that two years ago?). Better to play against an OOC opponent and get your bearings straight than a conference opponent where an L could have major consequences.

    With the playoff moving to 12 teams and the conference champion being guaranteed a spot, that should be the goal. Win the conference. OOC won’t even matter. Regardless of who you play. Who you play won’t matter much. There will be 6 conference winners and 6 at large. Competition for the 6 at large is going to be tight.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. TT, the only thing (aside from affecting those always-fickle poll results) that might speak against a tougher OOC schedule would be an increase in injuries to the front-line players (as has happened this year). Of course, freak injuries can happen against any level of competition.
      Certainly, games against recognizable opponents increase i retest and attendance.

      Like

  62. Dior Johnson is not likely one and done. He would have to put on an absolute show at Pitt. If he can single handedly carry Pitt to the Elite 8, maybe. And if it was him carrying Pitt. He looks like a good ACC player but one and done is jumping to some conclusions. Unless, you’re implying he jump to professional basketball in general. If that’s the case, why not just go the G-League route now, though.

    He may leave Pitt after one season. He jumps around a lot if you look at his HS career … but it won’t be for the NBA draft. And if he does it will be a big mistake.

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    1. No one player will carry Pitt but Dior is one of our top three. What amazes me is the amount of NIL money we’ve paid to get these players. It’s in the millions$$!!

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  63. Lotsa rain down here in Carolina…. Hopefully weather improves before game time tomorrow evening… PITT- GT are sharing a time slot with Clemson- NCSU

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  65. Aiken, S.C. bring back a golf memory from almost 60 years ago. I distinctly remember playing golf on a local Aiken Course that had dirt greens (maybe some form of clay). I had never seen that before. On one of the holes I hooked a shot way off the fairway and let out a
    4 letter word only to find out that I was playing with a local Pastor…..he said, I sometimes think those words but keep them to myself (LESSON WELL LEARNED).

    Liked by 2 people

  67. Pitt crushes Duke in first set of volleyball game at the Cameron Center on Coach K Court, 25-10. Buzzerio while serving was our setter! Pitt hitting 0.321 versus Duke -.069.

    Like

    1. I am watching a replay right now. I definitely noticed that Buzzerio played well as setter on her 1st set serving run. (For me I think it was more noticeable because near the end of the time out Fisher was meeting with three of the players…the three setters Fairbanks, Ennis, and Akeo).

      Liked by 1 person

  68. Pitt wins a nail biter second set, 25-23. Starks had several hitting errors and Gracie Johnson came awake for the Blue Devils.

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  69. Pitt wins match with a 25-11 victory in the third set. It was not even that close as Rachel Jepsen and other bench players saw floor time in the last set. Akeo did not play at all. Buzzerio, when she was serving, was acting setter. Fairbanks did not play the front row. Sabrina Starks played front row on the pins. High Point is the next match on Sunday. It will only be televised on ESPN+.

    Liked by 2 people

  70. Pulled this from PSN during my morning coffee read –

    “While it is likely Pitt wins this game, there is much on the line for Georgia Tech as a whole.

    The matchup allows the players and staff to start anew, giving them the opportunity to remake their careers in a more positive outlook.

    What better way to do that than beating a ranked opponent in No. 24 Pitt on their home turf and restarting your season for the better?

    The Yellow Jackets players might not want to play for the school anymore with the firing of Collins. Surely, they will want to impress other coaches across the country for next season when they enter the transfer portal.

    The Panthers just need to make sure they focus (on) defeating the Yellow Jackets and to not allow thoughts of an easy win get to their mind. If they can execute properly and keep the mistakes to a minimum, the Panthers should win this game and move on to focus on the rest of their ACC schedule.”

    ===
    Focus – the center of interest on an activity. The state of having clear visual definition. Paying particular attention to the task at hand.

    This will be a long day for these young men. Hopefully the coaching staff was focused this past week and had a routine of evening practices, bed time was later so sleeping in was the normal to help minimize the long day.

    Hope they watch a game or two today, together as a team to help mentally prepare for tonight.

    Note to Duzz: boots to the throat – we don’t want a squeaker – we need a decisive P5 win tonight. Let Bates run the D – you focus on time out management.

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. In case Duzz is reading the POV this morning:

      noon – Louisville at Boston College (ACCN)
      3:30 – #22 Wake Forest at #23 Florida State (ABC)
      3:30 – Virginia Tech at North Carolina (ACCN)

      FOCUS

      Fully Observing, Clearly Understanding the Situation.

      F O C U S!

      Like

  72. From the Lair: Pat Bostick in his show this morning said he expects Wayne and Bartholomew(this one surprises me) to play today. Also said one of GT best players a LB is out for the first half because of a targeting call in last weeks game.

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    1. jrnpitt

      Let’s hope Pat B is right. Maybe some of the defensive line guys can get in some plays, too.

      Last year, as you all remember better that I do, we had very few injuries. This year they hit us early. Plus the bye week before we go to Louisville. Maybe the timing will save our butts. I hope so.

      pmdH2P

      Like

  73. I think that established programs should be playing tougher OOC games, because these programs have greater depth, and can better afford to replace starters who may get hurt. Injuries can occur in any game, but playing other P5 teams can produce good TV match ups, higher attendance and more national exposure which helps future recruiting.

    Back ups can get valuable playing experience against good teams that can pay off later in the season if/when they fill in for injured starters in ACC games. Programs such as Pitt are getting there, and the number of back ups seeing the field do far is a good thing for this season and beyond.

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  75. I see a report of PSN that Sling and Dish are “dropping” the ESPN-realted channels, which (obviously) includes the ACC Network, on which the game tonigh is being carried.
    My suggestion for any of you affected is to sign up for a free trial on YouTube TV. You can cancel it within a few days and pay nothing. If you decide to do this, do it soon and then learn how it works to record/watch a game. Avoid the last-minute panic.
    pmdH2P

    Liked by 1 person

  77. What a dreadful weather forecast for a football game. I can’t believe it, but I’m actually considering just catching this one on TV…. ☹️

    Go Pitt.

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    1. BTW, a reminder that “Danny” DeVito is now the QB at Illinois. They are 3-1. He has thrown 9 TDs and 2 INTs. They play Wisky today.

      Another example of an older college QB doing better…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  79. Not only are we still attending the game, the POV tailgate will be in Red5a and NOT the garage.
    No easy way out for us!!
    Survival of the fittest!!
    The Kalahari!!
    Ok…I’m done.🙃

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Hail to Lastrow and the POV!

      (But I can’t get the memory of sitting in the monsoon at that last UPS game out of my head…)

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    1. if considering switch to streaming, Hulu has been very good(have it over a year or so) which comes with Disney+ that gets most all we need of Pitt sports including ACCN and ESPN+

      I’ve mentioned it before, the weakness is the DVR interface with the remote

      I really loved that feature with DirecTV and Verizon FIOS is similarly good but their costs at my address were far higher

      no financial disclosures

      Liked by 1 person

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