in Pitt Football 1,716 Words

Volleyball Status Update by John D

Here is yet another wonderful bit of sports writing from our own John Demko…enjoy!

Hello Pitt POVers.  After this weekend there are a lot of you that have lost all hope for this season.  You believe we are not going to live up to all the hype that Pitt had coming into this season.  You do not believe there is any way we can win the conference let alone a national championship.  Not only do some of you think our offense stinks but so does our daunted defense as well.

When it comes to our coach, you believe he is way over paid and is not one of the best in the nation.  Some of you say he can’t recruit!  

Sure, we got off to a rough start by losing our first game of the season but hey those things happen to the best of teams!  The team to which we lost is one of the best in the nation and is highly ranked!  Oh, yeah, we did lose to that other unranked team that we had no business losing to.  Well stuff happens.  But we haven’t lost since!  Really!

Yes, we lost a lot from last year including a two-time ACC Player of the year who is now playing in the pros.  But those players we got in from the transfer portal sure have lived up to the hype, haven’t they!  They are taking the conference by storm! 

And how about those freshmen recruits, some of them would be starting for other competitive teams, but Pitt’s depth is so great they only get to play if someone is hurt or the contest is a blowout.  Yeah, I know that our athletic director’s offspring went to play at Clemson but there was a good reason for that!

Some of you say even if we get into the postseason play, we will flop as usual.  Some feel our best players will not even play or perform poorly.

So, if you are one of those naysayers and filled with gloom and doom, I say cheer up!  This has been a great season so far!  It just depends on your…

POINT OF VIEW!

First, we do have one of the best coaches in the country!  (That sentence should tell you; this article is not about Pitt football!)  In the last five years our team has won more games than any other teams in the nation in Division 1!!  I kid you not!  Before our present coach came to us, we were not considered a national powerhouse by any means. 

Today we are respected by everyone in the nation including those in the vaunted SEC and Big Ten.  One of those Big Ten powerhouses even was rumored to have tried to hire our coach away last year.  Fortunately, we signed him to a new long-term contract.  Yes, I know a lot of you do not like those long-term deal, but in this case, I believe it was justified. 

Great Pitt VB Video

As for recruiting we had the ninth best recruiting class in the nation this past year.  We stole a top recruit from Notre Dame when they made a coaching change.   

I will talk more about this past year’s incoming class in a bit.  We have our recruiting class filled for not only this coming year but also for the year after that as well.  All four members of this year’s coming class were all invited to the U.S. National Team’s camp for their high school graduation year and took a photo together there! 

As for our A.D.’s daughter going to Clemson, well truthfully, she would not see the floor for Pitt’s team.  I do wish her a long and successful career for the Tigers!

Second, we do still have a chance of winning the conference.  Presently we stand alone atop the standings, undefeated!  Yes, truly undefeated with a conference record of 12-0.  One of those wins was against then #2 Louisville. 

Our overall record is 22-2.  We are presently ranked 7th in the nation.  We have an RPI that is 7th in the nation.  (By now, you should now know we are talking about Pitt’s women’s volleyball!)

When the first NCAA women’s volleyball committee reveal came out earlier this year, Pitt was ranked at #5 in the nation.  In the reveal this past Sunday, we were ranked #4 in the country.  Louisville was ranked #2 meaning two ACC could be hosting regional finals.

While we have always been a very good offensive team, this year’s team has been very impressive on defense. 

We have consistently out dug our opponents at 13.5 digs per set for Pitt versus 11.9 for our opponents.  We are also out blocking our opponents 2.7 versus 2.4 per set. 

In our last match we held Virginia Tech to a hitting percentage of (-) 0.037.  Yes, they had a negative hitting percentage over the entire match.  That is the lowest hitting percentage that Pitt has held an ACC team! 

Playing Pitt is very frustrating.  Just asks the opposing coaches.  Miami’s coach looked as if he would rather be at the dentist than at the Pitt vs. Miami match recently.

Third, let us talk about the players we recruited this year. 

Courtney Buzzerio, our best portal transfer, has not only lived up to the preseason hype but exceeded it.  Last year she was second team All-Big Ten mostly due to Iowa being so horrible last year. 

In the previous year, she was first team All-Big Ten.  So far this year, she has been named ACC player of the week three times.  She will easily be first team All ACC. 

She has been improving noticeably during the season and has a good chance at being named the ACC player of the year.  She stood toe-to-toe with Julia Bergmann of Georgia Tech in their first matchup this year. 

Julia was last year’s ACC player of the year and is one of the driving forces of the Brazilian national team.  Louisville’s best player, Claire Chaussee, was having such a tough time playing opposite of Courtney, they changed their rotation scheme in the last three sets to minimize the times she would be across the net from Courtney. 

Courtney, in addition to being our main offensive weapon, also is among our best servers. 

Another of our transfers, Julianna Dalton, is one of our starting six rotation players.  Her back court defense has been improving dramatically during the season.  She needs to work on her left side attack but next year she will probably our main right sided attacker. 

Cam Ennis, our third portal transfer, has been our second setter in Lexis Akeo’s absences during the season due to injury.  One of our two freshman, Dillyn Griffin, gets playing time mostly as a serving specialist and then stays in for defense in blowouts. 

Our other freshman, Rachel Jepsen, has now advanced to be our third best middle and has seen playing time during Chiamaka Nwokolo’s recent injury.  Rachel would be starting for any other ACC team below Georgia Tech in the standings.  She will be one of our starting middles next year.  Per the opening, she was the prized recruit in Notre Dame’s class last year until they made a coaching change.

There are still some matches left this year in conference play, six to be exact.  Pitt has to go and play the last two remaining ACC teams they have not played this year yet, Syracuse and Boston College this coming weekend.  That will complete the yearly cycle of playing all the teams in the conference.  We then play four teams for the second time. 

This year those four teams are Syracuse, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Louisville.  The ACC finally wised up and have what they believe will be the top three teams in the conference playing each other each year.  They do this to improve those three teams’ strength of schedule measured as RPI.  This improves the seeding of those teams come NCAA tournament time. 

To at least split the ACC title with Louisville, Pitt will have to win all their remaining matches except for the Louisville rematch.  If Pitt wants to be awarded one of the top four seeds in the tournament, Pitt will have to win out which would also mean being the sole ACC champion!  The top four seeds in the tournament will be guaranteed a regional host if they get that far in the tournament.

Pitt presently is playing well enough to get to the regionals.  Does Pitt stand a chance to get to the semifinals again?  Well, that depends on if they can beat Louisville for the second time.  If they do, then yes, they should be able to get to the semifinals. 

If they split with Louisville, they will be placed in a region with one of the top four seeds.  If the region’s top seed wins their first two matches, they will have to play that top four seed on their home court during regional play.  That is a more difficult path to the semifinals.

So, as I said at the beginning cheer up Pitt fans!  There still is a lot to cheer about this fall.  Yes, our football program is severely lacking this year, but our Pitt women’s volleyball program, among other fall sports, is not! 

There remain exciting matches in conference play this year as well as the postseason!  Get up to the campus and root on the Panthers when they are at home if you live in driving distance.  At the very least seat yourself in front of your television with your favorite beverage and cheer them on from there!

HTP!!

85 thoughts on “Volleyball Status Update by John D”

  4. Pitt’s SirVocea Dennis Named Butkus Award Semifinalist

    PITTSBURGH—Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis has been named a semifinalist for the coveted Butkus Award, annually presented to the nation’s best linebacker by the Butkus Foundation.

    Elected a Pitt team captain, Dennis (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers/Peddie School) has earned All-ACC honors each of the past two years and is now poised for national accolades.

    Manning the middle linebacker position, Dennis is the Panthers’ most prolific tackler this season with 58 stops. He additionally leads Pitt in tackles for loss (8.5, tied) and quarterback sacks (five).

    Among his standout performances this season was a 10-tackle effort in Pitt’s 38-31 win over historic rival West Virginia. Dennis had a season-high 11 tackles against Georgia Tech.

    Dennis has been in on a TFL in every single game this year.

    Finalists for the Butkus Award will be announced on November 21. The 2022 winner will be revealed on or before December 7.

    This year’s Butkus Award recipient will be honored at a televised event on January 21, 2023, at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., featuring the legendary namesake of the award, Dick Butkus.

    Pitt’s National Awards Semifinalists

    RB Israel Abanikanda: Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year)

    DE Deslin Alexandre: Wuerffel Trophy (Community Service)

    LB SirVocea Dennis: Butkus Award (Nation’s Best Linebacker)

    DT Calijah Kancey: Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year)

    S Erick Hallett II: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (Nation’s Best Defensive Back)

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pitt’s Deslin Alexandre Named Wuerffel Trophy Semifinalist

    PITTSBURGH—Pitt senior defensive end Deslin Alexandre has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, regarded as college football’s premier award for community service.

    Named after Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy was created to “honor college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society and inspire greater service to the world.”

    This is the second national recognition Alexandre has received for his dedication to helping others. He previously was named to the 2022 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.

    Alexandre (Pompano Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in communication and is now enrolled in Pitt’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. A two-time team captain of the Panthers, he has played in 54 career games, starting 31 contests.

    When it comes to community service, Alexandre is a pacesetter for Pitt’s entire athletic department. His efforts include service to veterans, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, literacy promotion and voter registration.

    Alexandre has become a fixture at Divine Mercy Parish, a Catholic church located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. He works specifically with “The Red Door” program, which the parish began during the Great Depression to provide relief for those in need. This includes providing meals and clothing as well as encouragement for the homeless.

    Alexandre is now expanding his impact beyond America’s borders.

    Inspired by his own heritage, he is working to help the children of Haiti. (The impoverished country is estimated to have 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children.) He hopes to build awareness and mobilize resources for education, healthcare and nutrition in the nation where he was born.

    Wuerffel Trophy finalists will be announced on November 29 and the winner will be unveiled on December 8.

    The presentation of the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy will occur on February 24, 2023, at the 54th All Sports Association Awards Banquet in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. November 1, 2022​

    Abanikanda and Kancey Named Semifinalists for Prestigious Maxwell Football Club Honors

    PITTSBURGH—Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey have been named semifinalists for prestigious national honors presented by Philadelphia’s Maxwell Football Club.

    Abanikanda, who leads the country in five different statistical categories, is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, presented to the college player of the year. Kancey, rated one of college football’s elite pass rushers, is a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the college defensive player of the year.

    The Panthers have two prior winners of the Maxwell: running back Tony Dorsett (1976) and defensive end Hugh Green (1980). Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the 2013 Bednarik Award recipient.

    Abanikanda (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) has established himself as one of the country’s most explosive offensive performers. He leads the country in all-purpose yards (177.88 per game), rushing touchdowns (16), total touchdowns (17), scoring per game (12.8) and total points (102).

    Abanikanda has totaled 1,086 rushing yards to lead the ACC and rank third nationally.

    Despite seeing increased attention from opponents’ blocking schemes, Kancey (Miami, Fla./Miami Northwestern) has continued to be one of the nation’s most dominant interior defenders. On the year he has compiled 22 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and seven quarterback hurries.

    Kancey was recently named to no fewer than five Midseason All-America teams, including Athlon, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus.

    Three finalists for the Bednarik and Maxwell awards will be announced on November 22. The respective winners will be revealed during ESPN’s live telecast of The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 8.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Izzy my friend, you’ve falling into the realist fan club. Loaded with talent for a coach that can’t recruit?

      Having said that, I checked around and followed my nose to the stink. Please Narduzzi, cut your losses and free FCJ. I can’t blame the defense when the offense does next to nothing to control the clock, and score points

      I think it’s safe to say…. there is not one coach in the world that teaches their players to fumble or turn the ball over in anyway.

      OT, PITT has to lead the nation in penalty flags picked up.

      Reed: Pickett is just not ready to start in the NFL just yet. Oh Canada is no help either.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ike at the end of the previous thread (prior to the volleyball thread)I expressed some very strong opinions…..this thread came fast after I posted (returned from a surgical back procedure this morning). I admitted to being very negative about our outlook for this year and next. I believe that we are headed for a total crash in 2023 after a dismal ending to this season. You can go back and tell me what you think (I value your ideas).

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        1. The most important thing Izzy is you work your way back up and onto your feet. I think you have a few years on me and we need to keep strong and keep fighting the good fight.

          Remember my friend, supposedly it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so save those muscles for your back.

          Hey Richard, I’ve been thinking of you and your burn pile a good bit lately. It must be the time of year. Seriously, I’ve been thinking of starting my own burn pile. It’s been a while now since I had my last little fire going. 🙂

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          1. Ike – For me it’s leaf harvesting season. It overlaps summer mowing season and lasts until mid-December. Burn pile season lasts all year long.

            Liked by 1 person

      2. Ike – burned my burn pile after a solid rain yesterday. Watching the fire gave me time to think about you amongst a whole host of other things,

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  9. WVB exemplifies the Pitt tradition – hard work combined with intelligent planning plus execution equals success at the highest level.

    H2P!!! TGFV

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    1. Thanks but, I will be walking with a cane forever. I will gradually feel better just in time to see us get shut out of the bowl picture. (LOL)

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  14. Yepper Both of my daughters have been with me today and will take turns staying overnight plus I have great neighbors. My wonderful Rosalee (married for 51 years) is in a better place after meeting the medicine DEVIL, Mr. Alzheimer’s.

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    1. Isnore – you seem in great spirits. Always good to have family and friends to help when needed. Take care and do as the Doctor(s) directed.

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  15. Nice Volleyball update by John from SC and positive comments from several others. I think Coach Fisher has built a national level program and it’s at a point where success breeds success.

    In my opinion, a key factor in that success is keeping the players engaged and pulling for one another. A good way to do that is to spread out the playing time, using each player’s strength to contribute to overall team success and morale. For example, Cat Flood and Dillyn Griffin have become important weapons with their aggressive serving in important games, as well as easier ones.

    When Sabrina Starks and Emmy Klika are subbed in there is little drop off, even in tough games. Rachel Jepsen usually gets in when games are well in hand, but she gets in, even as a Freshman. There is nothing more depressing than being buried on the bench and Coach Fisher has done well in minimizing that situation. Of course, all programs loose players to the transfer portal, even when playing time is not an issue.

    But, Pitt’s Volleyball success, National reputation and good coaching have made Pitt a destination for some of the best talent in the country.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. OT – I think spreading out the playing time only works if you recruit well and are willing to let the “misses” sit the bench and then move on…

      I think the keep-everybody-happy approach has not worked well for Coach White and the women’s BB team. Coach tends to play the entire roster – even players who are chronically prone to turnovers and taking poor shots.

      This hurts the team. I’m hoping the coach gets tougher this season – his time is running out, I would think. He seems like a great guy, but I’d like to see him be more demanding – as far as who earns playing time.

      BTW, I think I read where the women’s team was picked to finish next to last in the ACC.

      We do have some decent sounding talent coming in, but our 6-4 center transferred out and that’s a “big” loss, IMHO. The tallest player on the team this season is only 6-2…. I’m hoping a newly hired assistant coach, who appears to have good experience coaching offense, will have a positive impact.

      Go Pitt.

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  16. I don’t have real numbers in front of me, but the WVB improvement in defense has been nice including the success in outblocking and outdigging opponents.

    Thank you for the great article John D.

    I also appreciate the references to the AD’s daughter playing for Clemson. I remember looking that up to verify when Pitt and Clemson played due to her having a different last name than Pitt’s AD.

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  17. I know Reed has mentioned it before, but is truly amazing many GREAT writers there are on the POV. John, that article was both very entertaining and uplifting. Thank you for both. I have to get to a WVB game!

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  18. John, thanks for the great WVB article! You and Annie have really made women’s volleyball come alive for us VB novices! Let’s hope that Pitt is committed to the program for the long term, because the prospects for FB and BB are not so good.,

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  19. Thanks for the article, John D.

    A quick question – how many players does the VB team normally carry on their roster?

    I think the women’s BB team is permitted 15 scholarship players. They current have 14 on the roster, which provides quite a long bench…

    Go Pitt.

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  20. PittPT – what is truly amazing is that most of these new writers had no idea they could put pen to paper the way they do. I wish everyone that’s reading these articles would consider writing a piece in the future by themselves so that they could see how well they can do something that they never thought they could do.

    If one has the idea for an article subject then please send me a quick email to discuss what you’d like to write. That way when you draft something up and send it to me I can do a quick proofing on it and post it up sometime in between the major articles that we have during the football season.

    These commenters’ articles are especially welcome during the off season.

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  21. Thank you for the nice volleyball write-up, John. Although it was disappointing to read 1716 words without one mention of Valeria Vazquez Gomez.

    But I do have a question. As a volleyball neophyte, what can you tell me about serving. When I first started watching the Pitt ladies, I would go crazy over service errors, thinking “these are varsity college players …. how can they not put a serve over the net and into the middle of the court.” Now having watched for a while, I am guessing that there is a technique to apply spin that affects the ball flight. Cat Flood especially seems to be able to handcuff a serve receiver or send her diving after a misjudged ball. The usual side-court camera shot doesn’t offer a good view of the serve except when it hits the net or goes over the end line. Is my guess correct that the ball is moving, rising or dropping when served properly?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, the ball is moving as it crosses the net. Basically, there are two types of serves in higher level volleyball. There is the “floater” in which the ball has no or very little spin. The best analogy I can think of how this serve moves is it is similar to a knuckleball in baseball. This is usually the serve that drops in front of the three-meter line.

      The second type of serve is a top spin serve which delivers a spinning ball similar to a top spin tennis serve. When combined with a jump serve this ball comes over the net fast and with force. If the contact on the ball is just a bit too high, it is usually the serve that hits the middle of the net. A jump, top spin serve is very difficult to handle but is considered a high risk, high reward type of serve.

      In the men’s game, especially in international competition, the serves are very powerful. Points in the men’s games are decided in short rallies similar to how professional tennis is played.

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  23. Barnes and Stevie hired Pitts two most successful ones. Heather gets credit for womens soccer. I don’t think any one of these coaches employs an innovative system. I think all are very good at using and developing players however. And players see that. And all are able to recruit despite playing in sub par to just average facilities. Although volleyball is getting a new home.

    Unfortunately, these programs don’t pay the bills and aren’t sports that add much to the overall schools brand. But it sure is nice to see some success when basketball is a dumpster fire and football reverts back to mediocrity.

    And just one dig. All of these coaches with ranked teams are not abrasive, condescending or arrogant. They don’t anoint themselves King.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Another thing all these three coaches have is the respect of their peers. Fisher is head coach of the USA U21 women’s program. He has been named ACC women’s volleyball coach of the year twice.

      Waldrum is the head coach of the Nigerian national team. He was named National women’s soccer coach of the year twice before coming to Pitt. He led Notre Dame to two NCAA titles.

      Vidovich has been named the ACC men’s soccer coach of the year twice since he has been at Pitt and has been named ACC men’s soccer coach of the year seven times in total. He was named National men’s soccer coach twice in his career prior to coming to Pitt. He led Wake Forest to one NCAA title.

      If any three of these coaches wanted to coach anywhere else, all they would have to do is call that school’s athletic director and know they were interested.

      Only Fisher was recruited to Pitt. He was hired by Steve Pederson. Fisher was at a DIII program at the time of his hire, so Pederson does deserve some accolades for hiring him.

      The two soccer coaches simply decided that they wanted to get back into college coaching and called Pitt saying they were interested in the job when it opened. An AD would have to have been a total idiot to say no to either one. The two ADs that were at Pitt at the time they were hired deserve little credit for their being here.

      How many places would take our current football or basketball coaches?

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  25. I would say a real recruiting deficiency is reflected in Mumpfield and Means starting because no suitable receivers have been recruited since Addison and Wayne. How is this even possible when there are plenty of them out there? Unlike the linebacker deficiency caused by two guys leaving last year, but still, where is the pipeline? Not to mention QB where there has been plenty of time to recruit some during KP’s tenure.

    Transfers should be added to enhance what you have, provide depth and fill holes. Too many key positions are being filled by transfers, and for the most part very poorly. QB, wide receivers and linebackers way below the line.

    https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/11/02/pat-narduzzis-take-on-what-went-wrong-offensively-and-defensively-against-unc/

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  26. The WR should know every WR position. That is on the WR coach and Cignetti.

    Amazing that Slovis passes well to open receivers when the play action game is going but when Pitt is forced to throw no one is open and he struggles. It’s because Cignetti’s passing game is based on play action. He has no clue on how to spread the field.

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  27. Pitt has some young receivers. I think the staff thought transfer guys with experience would keep the offense rolling. Means is nothing special. Barden and the kid that entered the portal should have been playing. Also, Alston.

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  32. I will always listen to Ike. I am taking it as easy as I can and will keep on plugging. Giving up is not in my DNA. When I vent against the idiocy that thrives in Pitt sports it is a way of releasing steam…NOT GOOD TO BLOW A GASKET.

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  34. Nice article John. One comment, Juliana Dalton was an OH at Washington State, so I would be surprised if they moved her to right side next year. Are any of the incoming players RS hitters? If not, maybe they will look for a portal player. Eliana Posada is RS, but she redshirted last year and almost never sees playing time, even when coach empties the bench. I’m guessing she’ll get a ” thank you… next” end-of-season meeting in December.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Three of the four players for the 2023 recruiting class are listed as OH. They are Torrey Stafford 6’2″ OH, Olivia Babcock OH/Opp. 6’3″, and Blaire Bayless OH 6’2″. The heights may be off on the low size as these young ladies are still growing. Of all the choices we have for the right I would say Dalton is going to be our best choice unless we get a portal transfer that is better than her. As for Posada, I agree she will not be on the Pitt roster next year.

      We definitely need to get a middle blocker portal transfer as Jepson and Nwokolo are going to be all we have at that position next year. Both Starks and Gray will be out of eligibility.

      The last 2023 recruit is Haiti Tautau’a S 6’0″ from Hawaii.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. One of Pitt’s elephants in the room is Narduzzi’s inability to recruit. Of the top 15 Pa. recruits in 2022 and 2023 Pitt signed only one. ,the lineman from Central Valley. After the ACC Championship last year I thought there would be a recruiting bump. It hasn’t happened and to the writers at PSN I don’t want to hear about Pitt being in some 5 star recruit’s top 5. No way are they coming to play in front of 15.000 fans. Narduzzi’s lack of recruiting and dislike by the local hs football coaches have finally caught up to him!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And dislike by sports writers, alumni, players patents etc.

        Recruiting is Sales! You rarely buy from someone you don’t like!
        Think Tossing would agree!

        But…. The players love him!! And show it by being disciplined and sportsmanlike in their play….NOT!

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  36. Researching Syracuse Injury List for the upcoming game: Out for the season FB/TE Elmore, LB Thomas, WR Jones, DL Lockett, DL Jaquez Jr, star and CB Williams and questionable QB Schrader. And folks that’s why the betting line has Pitt favored by 3 1/2 points. With Slovis at QB and Cignetti calling the plays I’m taking Syracuse and the 3 1/2 points. My guess Syracuse wins straight up by 2 TD’s.

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  37. Supposedly we will have many potential recruits at the game. We will put our best FLATFOOT forward with an empty stadium and possibly a beating coming from the Orange….nice! But, let me add from Duzzi’s presser–“our team played hard”.

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  39. Tennessee ranked #1 in college football playoff committee rankings. Clemson 4.

    Re Canada.. part of the issue is a lot of the offensive players don’t know their assignments.

    Canada runs a complicated offense.. especially pre-snap. If everyone doesn’t know their job, it’s disastrous.

    That’s what happened to LSU. They couldn’t comprehend/remember their assignments.

    Doesn’t mean he isn’t a problem too. Just that we won’t know if that offense is good until everyone playing is able to actually execute it.

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  40. People will find a way to made the Cignetti offense seem good. Folks, it’s just not! When they announced his hiring I felt like they could have just said Carl DePasquea. They try to make the family as Western Pa football royalty. This 1990’s offense will turn off recruits. He and the Duzz are a perfect match. One has no imagination and the other keeps losing at least 5 games a year( and yes, I did enjoy last year, but I don’t have another 30 in me for the stars to align again).

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  41. I remember Dave Hart’s old mantra: “We are turning the corner…” over and over.. until his corner turning days were over. Each week now, someone like me will say that this is the week Pitt puts it all together, and that all these national watch list players will show up in a big way. Well, this week I’m not that guy..

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  42. Shocky is a good receiver but he knew he wouldn’t get many Targets with Addison, Wayne and Mumpfield. Also Bradley and Barden pushing for playing time. He made a logical choice and tried to rescind his decision when Addison left.

    The guy gets open a lot, did have a few too many drops but we sure could use him now.

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    1. He made 61 catches and 3 td’s in his time here all with many other strong receivers on the team.

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  44. John, you’re a volleyball wizard. Along with Annie you guys have it covered. Really appreciate the work yinz put into it!

    Reed, Happy Birthday brother. BTW you’re still 3 months younger than me.

    Isnore, I still read your name as, “Is Nore”, I sure hope you recover quickly and get back to feeling your old self very soon. Listen to Big B and Markpt.

    Frankie Cigs just ain’t the man. Sorry to say and I’m not an expert, it feels like that offense should be put to rest for a long while?

    In my mind I thought there was a better than 50/50 shot that PITT would lose the last two games. I think the ACC is a lot better than most think.

    PITT has really good players all over its roster, Kancey, Dennis, Hill, Hallet, Morgan and Balda.

    Izzy, Bart, Wanye… ??

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    1. Ike LOL. My nickname here is prounounced in the first person as Isnore all one word. Why because I snore at night ( not all the time ). No sleep apnea. If I was having a bad snoring night my wife would give me a nudge and sometimes send me off to another bedroom. Zzzzzzzzzzzz

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    1. He has never changed. Look at any of the USC Videos on UTube. Same slow drop back w one look and a weak ass arm! Pitt will not win another game with Slovis at QB! Including Syracuse!

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  47. Sounds like we should expect another Izzy handoff to the right, Izzy handoff-to-the-left game. I just heard Pat Bostic saying that ND and Clemson beat the Orange by wearing down their smallish DL with a heavy run game. Plus the Orange has some DLinemen injured…

    I hate those kind of games…

    On defense, I hope we can tackle Tucker…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  48. At the half, Pitt leads Edinboro 53-30. Blake Hinson with 28 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including 5 of 8 from the three. That’s 28 points in the first half!!

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  49. Time to have PUTT Bb play the Fukes.. total BS by the Capel family and Heather….Clarion and Edinboro…. Com’on man!!!! Bring back the “City Game!!!”

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  51. What coulda been… Duane Brown was a teammate at Apollo- Ridge and was a junior on the same team with senior Tre Tipton…he was known as “ touchdown Brown” … I watched him score 8 TD’s vs Keystone Oaks his senior year… he wanted to play for PITT ( way better player than Tipton) but injured his knee and had reconstructive surgery… PITT never came calling but IUP did… Duane is having a great season for the “ Big Indians!!!” That’s for you Tex/Mike!!!

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    2. That file I sent had a picture of Duane Brown … Graded out at 99 in week nine… Highest graded receiver in division two in the country…

      Liked by 1 person

  55. Pitt beats Edinboro 92-53. As you would expect in a blowout, Hinson did not play much of the second half and only added one free throw to his total.

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  56. As someone said recently, we will know pretty quickly what kind of basketball team Pitt has. But it does appear they have solved their shooting issues.

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  58. Pitt football would have lost to NC State. Good coaches find ways to win. Very convincing win by Coach Jay.

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    1. It was 1-1 at the end of regulation – was as convincing as the score shows.

      In double OT, Pitt scored 3 goals in the two 10 minute overtime halves – that is where the convincing victory occurred.

      Accomplished 3 things with this win – 1. A win to advance in the ACC tournament 2. Probably secured a bid to the NCAA tournament and 3. Beat NC State in a college sporting event.

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