UCONN RECAP AND A FEW NOTES

The UConn game is in the books and Pitt put on another confusing performance as they rolled up 529 yards to UConn’s 316 (62 of which came on a blown coverage play and another 70ish yards on a final drive with a minute left).  Hopefully Pitt’s Jekyll and Hyde routine will cease in the coming weeks, but Wednesday night’s victory did come with a very heavy price for the Panthers, which could cause problems with consistency in the offense.

Ray Graham will miss the remainder of the year with a nasty knee injury, while Pitt also was dealt a major blow losing promising freshman offensive lineman Matt Rotheram (ankle) and junior slot receiver Cam Saddler (sternum) for the rest of the year as well.  Obviouslythis is NOT good, as Graham is well, Graham. What more can you say about what he has done?  Rotheram was filling in so well on the line that he was slated to keep his spot once Lucas Nix returns from injury.  Cam Saddler had also picked up the pace, so yes, these injuries will be costly.  Fortunately the Panthers do have 10 days to prepare for Cincinnati’s visit to Heinz Field a week from Saturday.  It does NOT end there, as head coach, ToddGraham, once again proved he will not put up with off the field problems anddismissed promising sophomore linebacker Kevin Adams from the team forviolation of team policy.  So, that is four players lost this week; well 5 if you count back up receiver Salath Williams.

Enough with the shitty news, let’s move on to good news.  Tino Sunseri answered the bell and threw for 419 yards and rushed foranother 40, accounting for 3 touchdowns.  Zach Brown filled in for Ray Graham in a different kind of way.  He rushed for only 30 yards, but also pulled in 9 receptions for 84 yards.  Mike Shanahan and Devin Street also showed up huge with 9 catches and 3 TDs between them.  All in all, Tino Sunseri hit 8 different receivers in the ballgame. 

The Pitt defense registered 6 sacks and kept UConn from running their offense without much consistency throughout the evening.   Everyone should be pretty satisfied, but three issues showed up again with the defense.  A timeout was called on defense (though the next play was a sack).  Zero turnovers on a quarterback that was sacked 6 times on the night and has a tendency to turn the ball over.  Lastly, UConn’s running back, Lyle McCombs rushed for 124 yards and most of it came up the gut of the Pitt defense once again.   Hopefully the Panthers can find a fix for that issue.

I would mention the terrible crowd, BUT, I did say I would not blame them for showing up again until Pitt played with some consistency.  Hopefully the next game will provide the students and casual fans a few good reasons to show up a little better (7PM – Saturday evening game – shouldn’t be terribly cold – Steelers play in the evening the next night – Cincinnati is in first place in the Big East).

A few notes to pass along before wrapping this up:

1.       WVU was officially moved to the Big 12 today.  A very interesting aspect about this move is that WVU says they will be joining the Big 12 next year and the Big East is saying they will not.  Who will blink first?  That should be something Pitt and Syracuse fans watch carefully as if WVU goes for next year, expect Syracuse and Pitt to call the Big East’s bluff as well.

2.       Ohio high school lineman Adam Pankey is announcing his choice of college this evening.  It is between Pitt, WVU, NC State, and Illinois.   He is a big recruit and at a very big need area.

3.       You know it is funny with how much Pitt fans are bitching (and I am one of them) about the performance so far.  Yet, in the pre-season, many fans (including me) said Pitt would be in a world of trouble if they lost anyone on the offensive line, especially Nix or Chris Jacobson (good news on him next).  They not only lost both of them, but also Rotheram and center Ryan Turnley (foot injury) is playing on pure guts it turns out.

4.       PG’s Paul Zeise is reporting that Jacobson will receive a 6^th year next season from the NCAA.  The fact that so many young players on the offensive line are getting experience and if Jacobson does get the 6^th season, Pitt’s offensive line could be….dare I say it…a strength next year.

UCONN PREVIEW

Look, let's be honest, Pitt's season is not looking like we all had hoped for coming into the season.  Expectations were lofty coming in and the thought of the offense struggling, did not cross too many people's mind.  I personally thought they had enough speed and smarts to adjust better then other teams that have tried to go from the pro-style offense to the spread.  Unfortunately, they are still trudging along and now sit at 3-4 with a mid-week showdown with the Connecticut Huskies at Heinz Field. UConn comes in with the same 3-4 record, but unlike Pitt, is coming off a 16-10 win against South Florida.

The Huskies are led by former Syracuse coach, Paul Pasqualoni.  The Huskies are struggling as well with learning new systems on offense and defense and much like Pitt, are struggling with offense, and not so much on defense.  The Huskies defense ranks 34th in the nation in sacks with 17, which spells warning for Pitt.  They also are 15th in the country in interceptions. I say again: WARNING...WARNING...WARNING! Against South Florida, freshman cornerback, Byron Jones won the Big East defensive player of the week, thanks to a fumble recovery TD and a strong game overall.  Again, a strong cornerback, does NOT help out matters, as the Panther receivers have not been strong at fighting off good defensive back fields.  That is something that MUST start to get better for Pitt.

There is one bright side for Pitt on both sides of the ball.  First, Lucas Nix is coming back and Matt Rotheram seems to have impressed enough, that he will also get the nod at right guard.  Nix will come in at left tackle. He is clearly the Panther's best lineman and that should help moving him out there.  Jordan Gibbs will stay at right tackle and Ryan Turnley will stay at center.  No truth to the rumor that Gibbs and Turnley were given iron man awards this week for staying in the starting rotation on the line.  The left guard position will be a toss up between Cory King and Ryan Schlieper.  While both have not been dominating, I feel they have done well enough to warrant some positive thinking this coming week.  On the defensive front, Pitt seems to be poised to get back up and coming linebacker Todd Thomas.  It should be interesting to see if this time off with an injury has helped Thomas better understand the defense.  If that can come together, Pitt could get a MUCH needed boost from his return as he was improving greatly before his injury and can be a difference maker.

The offenses seem to mirror each other.  Hmmmm....I think I have seen this before.  UConn comes in ranked 84th in passing and 94th in rushing.  Points for does not get any better, as they come in at 95th in that category.  The offense is led by trick shot master Johnny McEntee.  Unfortunately, that does not lead to big passing yards for McEntee.  He is a walk on Junior and has been sacked 21 times this season.  This is something that the Panther defense will hopefully be able to exploit.  When he does get rid of the ball, he likes to spread it around.  Senior receiver Isiah Moore has 27 catches, while Kashif Moore comes in with 21 catches and 3 TDs.  Tight End, junior, Ryan Griffin is on the Mackey Award mid season list with 20 receptions.  UConn freshman, Lyle McCombs is having a decent season running the ball with 705 yards and 4 TDs.  In addition to Thomas, Pitt will welcome another new starter to the mix in either Andrew Taglianetti or Brandon Ifill.  This is due to an injury to Jason Hendricks, who could be out for a few weeks with a wrist injury.

The recipe will be the same this week as it was for the past two weeks, which did not work out well for Pitt.  Protect Tino, limit the turnovers and create big plays on defense.....oh, and maybe they should give the ball a few more times to Ray Graham...again, just a thought.  The good news is that Pitt will be at home and they may feel like it's a big game due to the stupidity of WVU fans trying to come to the game.  Yes...I'm sure that will help WVU in so many ways.  Maybe they should have tried to occupy the Carrier Dome on Friday.  Pitt and UConn have both had 10 days off to prepare for this week, which will help both teams be more accustomed to their new systems.  Pitt will also get some time to let the new offensive line get in sync with each other.

OK, enough with the song and dance.  I think Pitt creates a few turnovers and pulls off a big play or two on defense to pull out the victory this week.  Final Score: Pitt 24 UConn 13.  And if they lose this weekend, don't expect me to pick the Panthers much more this week.  I started out 5 for 5 this season and then, much like Pitt, have taken a downward spiral.  Let's hope it stops this week.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THESE GUYS AND A NOTE ABOUT WVU

Being right in the middle of the season, sometimes it is tough to write about certain aspects of the team.  With the new coaching staff, one aspect that should be in the back of all Panther fans' minds are some guys that could possibly help out next year, despite the fact that they are neither part of last season's recruiting class OR seniors in high school, who are in this year's recruiting class.  They are the transfers.  Pitt had several big ones come from other schools and could have an impact next season.  I recently asked Post-Gazette beat writer, Paul Zeise about the transfers.  He said he has a planned blog on the red-shirt diaries coming and that should be interesting. Zeise has great insight on the program and the parts of it that most people don't see.  So be on the look out for that, but until then, let's revisit these guys:

Of course, there is a player contributing this season, in senior running back Zach Brown.  Brown transferred from Wisconsin and was granted immediate eligibility due to graduating and obtaining his degree from the Badgers.  Unfortunately he will not be around next year, so he is one and done.

EJ Banks - EJ Banks is the other transfer that was granted eligibility right away.  Banks was granted a hardship, as he took a medical red-shirt with the Irish first, and then did not play last year.  There is an illness in the family and Banks wanted to be closer to that situation.  The 2009 senior was a 3 star recruit according to Rivals and was the 45th ranked athlete and 13th in the state of Pennsylvania.  Notre Dame won the recruiting war for Banks, and the list of offers included Pitt, Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and WVU.  While he has not made an impact this season, it should be interesting to see how Banks adjusts with a full year under his belt and while he may be in the defensive backfield, he could be changed to receiver.

Tom Ricketts - This is a big one.  When Ricketts committed to Penn State, it was seen by many (not me, as I believe a senior in high school should do what HE wants to do, not what others did before him or what others want him to do) in the Pitt community as treason.  His father was a star at Pitt and many felt it was a given he would come to Pitt.  It probably hurt more because he is at a position of need, in offensive tackle.  Ricketts was ranked 6th in the state and the 19th offensive tackle in 2010.  He was not granted eligibility this season.  The former 4 star recruit was being pursued by Pitt and Penn State of course, but also had offers from Florida State, Standford, and Boston College.  He dealt with some injuries at State College and also had trouble adjusting up there.  Maybe his heart was always with the Panthers.  Hopefully this year off and then coming into spring ball, he can provide some competition at the tackle position.  God knows the Panthers need it badly.

Brandon Felder - This North Carolina recruit loved it down in Chapel Hill.  This move did not have much to do with football.  There is an illness in the family and Felder wanted to be closer.  Unfortunately, the heartless robot, known as the NCAA, did not grant him a hardship and he is sitting out the year.  The 2010 3 star recruit was offered by Boston College and Syracuse, in addition to Pitt and UNC.  He was ranked by rivals as the 13th best player in Pennsylvania and the 47th athlete overall.  He is also at a position that is struggling this season...wide receiver.

Ray Vinopal and Cullen Christian - Two players followed Tony Gibson from Michigan to the Panthers. These 2010 recruits were both in the defensive backfield and know the system Gibson is teaching well.  One year away from it, will help get them comfortable at Pitt and give the Panthers even more depth in a very crowded defensive backfield.  With these two eligible next season, Pitt's safeties and cornerbacks will be very deep, with a lot of competition.  Christian was a very hot recruit in 2010, and received a 4 star rating from rivals.  He was also ranked 2nd in the state of PA and the 8th cornerback overall.  In addition to Pitt and Michigan, Christian held offers from UCLA, Ohio State, and WVU.  Vinopal was not as highly touted coming out of high school and only held offers from Kent State and Bowling Green and received 2 stars from rivals.  The scouting services obviously overlooked Vinopal, as he started 4 games as a true freshman last season and played in 6 games.

While only Brown and Banks are eligible this season, it should be interesting as the above players will have a full year in the Panthers system, on top of the fact, that they spent last season at other BCS level programs.  They are allowed to participate in practice and conditioning and are on the team, except they can't play in games.  This will give them a leg up as they are not spending this year adjusting to being a college student.  They have been in a college program previously, so while they are getting to know the Panthers' program, they are not exactly wide eyed freshman coming in.  Hopefully they can help Pitt in some areas of need next year, and not be exactly newbies to the college level.

Before I finish this blog post, a twitter thread has indicated that WVU fans are trying to invade Heinz Field on Wednesday for the UConn game.  Why?  Well, have you been to Morgantown?  What else are they going to do?  My thoughts...who cares...I don't.  If they want to make Pitt look better on a nationally televised game by filling seats and make UConn look like they travel better then they do (so that maybe the ACC looks at them harder), and wants to donate to the Pitt football team....so be it.  Once again, Mountaineer fans showing their true intelligence.

UTAH RECAP....OH MY DEAR LORD!

I really don't know how to feel after this game.  It was sort of like the Rutgers game offensively except worse.  I felt pretty ill after the game and didn't have anything to do with what I ate.  Could you play a worse offensive game?  Is it possible that the offense has not hit rock bottom yet?  I hope not.  120 yards!  9 for 30 passing!  3 turnovers!  Multiple sacks!!  The list goes on and on and on. 

Anyone want to blame Sunseri?  Go ahead, do it!  Anderson?  Sure, why not?  The offensive line?  Yea, they can take some too.  HOW ABOUT THE RECEIVERS!?!?!  Has anyone seen Mike Shanahan?  Either he keeps stealing girls off of Anderson and Sunseri, or he's not getting open.  He's not the only one...no one seems to be very open!  It's the entire offensive, save for Ray Graham...although if you want to nitpick a little bit, I'm sure you can look at his blitz pick ups and find one or two bad plays.

How about Todd Graham?  I'm not so quick to point at him.  The Pitt offense is just not executing as of right now.  Sorry, I just don't buy that it's him.  After all, didn't he take over an AWFUL Rice program that was running the WISHBONE OFFENSE and put them in a bowl game in his first year?  Didn't he take over Tulsa and do it there too (not with the wishbone, but still)?  Are you telling me that the athletes at those two schools were better then what Pitt has?  Please!!!  Save it.  You want to tell me he's lost this team?  OK, explain the special teams and defense that played well today (except for the punting game - I will forgive a little there due to the wind).  If he would have lost the team, then wouldn't the whole team be lost and not just one unit?  The offense is what is wrong with Pitt right now.

The defense played well again, registering 7 sacks and a ton of tackles for loss, but there is a gaping hole in the middle of that defense.  John White 4.0 had 171 yards, and I'm willing to bet that about 145 of them came up the gut.  Gruder and Roberts MUST do better in that area.  Gruder is getting lots of tackle stats, but come on...that is not the first time, the middle of the defense has been exposed badly in a game.

One thing is for certain...I will not blame anyone for not attending a game at Heinz Field...hell, ESPN even apologized when the game was over. I can't blame people for not wanting to plunk down their money to see THAT!  Here is another thing that dawned on me during the game...when Anderson, Sunseri and even Ronald Jones were playing musical quarterbacks.....Mark Meyers must be God awful!  He has to be.  I don't want to hear that his footwork does not fit this offense.  I don't want to hear that his release is not right...he can't do any worse....it is almost impossible for him to do worse!!!!!

Where does Pitt go from here?  They have 10 days to get it together, or at least put something resembling something that isn't shit on offense.  I believe I am pretty confident that two players will return to the lineup on the 26th versus UConn.  Lucas Nix should be back and that should help at least somewhat...like I said, I really hope it cannot get worse. Todd Thomas should also come back.  That would be nice, as he was progressing along nicely before being injured against South Florida.  Let's hope that it gets better, because if it doesn't, things could get REALLY ugly.  Don't believe me?  You should have seen twitter and listened to the post game show.  It was that bad.

ONE DOWN!

As Brad Pitt said in the movie, Sleepers: "One down Shakes....one down."

With the verbal of top running back recruit, Rushel Shell this morning, Pitt is 1 for 1 for the coming big weekend.  Hopefully the same result will happen tomorrow and they can duplicate what they did against South Florida.  One big recruit before the game and then a tremendous effort on the field.  Adam Bisnowaty gave a verbal before the Bulls visited Heinz Field.  Now, Shell commits and the Panthers host Utah tomorrow!

Let's go 2 for 2!

UTAH PREVIEW

Saturday might be a non-conference game for the Panthers, but it is a very important one, as the Utah Utes bring a 2-3 record to Heinz Field for a high noon kickoff.  Don’t be misled by that record, as they have the 8^th hardest schedule in FBS.  The fact that starting QB, Jordan Wynn went down a couple of weeks ago, probably does not help either.  He is out for the season with a shoulder injury.  It interrupted a good start for Wynn, who had thrown for 727 yards and 6 TDs in his shortened season.  

If you missed the Rutgers game this past weekend (consider yourself lucky), you may get a second chance to see something similar with this team.  Partially due to the injury to Wynn, the offense is not very good, and the defense loves to blitz and cause turnovers.  They are a physical defense, who has had a couple of bad second halves in a row.  The unit ranks 40^th in points against and a very good 19^th against the run!  Ray Graham and company will have to bring their best effort on Saturday, as the offensive line MUST do a better job than they did against Rutgers.  It looks like Lucas Nix will miss again on Saturday, which is not good news, so hopefully last week was a good learning experience for this line.  We don’t want to see another instance of Sunseri picking himself up off the ground again.

That brings us to Utah’s offense.  With Wynn down and out, that leaves the keys to the offense to Junior, Jon Hays.  Hays has struggled so far with 2 TDs and 4 picks and 355 yards in the couple of games he has played.  The running game is not too shabby and is led by Junior, John White the IV.  White (or do I call him White IV or something else, like White 4.0 – I like that, let’s stick with it) 4.0 is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 6 TDs.  White 4.0 may be asked to carry a little more of the load this week, as leading receiver, Devonte Christopher (23 catches for 351 yards and 2 TDs) is questionable with an ankle injury.  After Christopher, the next receiver is steadily improving Freshman, Dres Anderson (14 receptions and 213 yards for 2 TDs).  However, Utah does have tight end, Dallin Rogers they like to go to as well (21 snags for 163 yards and 2 TDs).  Overall, the Utes are 74^th in passing, 75^th in rushing, and 85^th in points scored per game.    

Pitt’s must take advantage of what Utah has done wrong all year.  13 turnovers is not a good number.  It is even worse when you factor in that Utah had exactly one turnover in the first two games of the year.  They have also given up 9 sacks on the year and ten to take a lot of penalties….averaging almost 6 flags per game.  I have great feeling that the every rowdy bunch at Heinz Field will coax the Utes into some unnecessary penalties…..right Panther fans?  Panther fans? PANTHER FANS!!??  OHHHHH, that’s right…the game is at noon….and the Steelers play the next day….oh, and the Penguins play that night, I forgot.  That means lots of yellow seats probably.  I’m pegging the crowd at about 35,000.  That includes you student section.  You are not getting a free pass from meanymore.

So, who do I like in this game?  Normally I would say Utah, but I also think Pitt rebounds from last week. I think they learn from that debacle in New Jersey and play much better football.  I also do NOT like Utah playing what is basically a 10AM game for them.  They switched up practice to go a couple hours earlier in the day this week to prepare, but it’s a bunch different when they come out for warm ups and it’s only 9AM for them.  Collegekids=don’t like to get up early.  A couple of years ago, I witnessed a bad Maryland team put an ass kicking on a much more talented Cal team with a noon kickoff.  If you don’t think this has an effect on the outcome, do some research…not only in college, but in the NFL as well.  That couple with the injuries that Utah has and I like Pitt in a squeaker, 27-24.

Another reason I like Pitt, is because on Friday morning at 8AM, Rushel Shell announces hiscollege commitment.  The last time Pitt was getting ready for a big game and received a big time commitment was before the South Florida game when Adam Bisnowaty gave the Panthers a verbal.  I see the same thing happening here, as the word everywhere is that Shell will pick Pitt over Alabama.

UGH! RUTGERS RECAP

Just like the USF game….WOW, I just don’t know what to say.  I did not want to believe my friend’s email after the USF game stating that Pitt’s program is famous for playing a brilliant game and following it up the next game with an unexplainable effort.  I am going to try and stay as positive as possible in this one and I will not single anyone out, as this was a complete and total team effort.

Let’s start with the positives yesterday….I saw a lot of Pitt fans tailgating before the game and the Pitt section was pretty full.  My fiancée had a great time, despite the outcome; the Pens won another road game to start out 2-0; this guy is STILL the UFC Lightweight champion, doing Clarion Universityproud!  Let’s see, what else…oh, not much traffic in or out of the game.  That was good.  Oh, here is one….Ray Graham had 24 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown.

On to the negative, and again, I will not name names in a negative light.  I ain’t a rat (then again, you can go back to a few posts and realize I do name names sometimes, but not when it is such a complete team effort).  4 turnovers in this game for Pitt, all interceptions, and NO, it was not just one of the QBs throwing the ball.  9 penalties and 6 sacks were also a big problem and the defense allowed Rutgers to actually run the ball effectively yesterday.  The yardage looks ok….271-271, but most of that came on Pitt’s first drive and then a 60 some yard run by Graham.

The game actually started out well with a FG on Pitt’s first drive.  Pitt held and then took over again and came up with a BIG third down conversion to get out to around mid field…wait, offensive pass interference.  So, with third and forever, they completed another big pass for a first down….wait..another offensive pass interference call.  Third and forever and Pitt hit big again.  Nope!  Another flag and this time it was illegal forward pass.  That penalty was pretty obvious, but ESPN.com does not have a replay of the game, so I have no idea about the other two.  What I do know is that it was really Pitt’s last good offensive play until the fourth quarter! 

After that series, it was all downhill with a number of penalties, turnovers and sacks.  There was one play where neither offensive tackle (I said no names) touched anyone, and the QB was left with a blitz coming left and right untouched.  Complete communications break downs everywhere.  Then came one of the most memorable plays on a fourth down punt:  Two players on the field at the same time with the same number????? HUH?????  How does that happen???  HOW???  That should NEVER HAPPEN!!!  That basically summed up Pitt’s play yesterday in New Jersey.  If I had to show someone one play to show them how yesterday went, that was it.

Let’s hope it’s a bump in the road….let’s hope Todd Thomas gets back on the field (I still don’t know why he did not play)….let’s hope Lucas Nix is back next week, and  let’s hope this game is put behind them  and they bounce back against Utah next week.   Let’s also hope that this guy makes a VERYhelpful decision this coming week!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, besides Utah, Pitt has a VERY keen interest in that before the game.  They received a huge commit before the South Florida game and then had a great game, so let’s hope they get the same this week!

RUTGERS PREVIEW

Saturday morning I will make that famous drive into New Jersey.  Well, not really that exact one, but it will end at High Point Solutions Stadium and hopefully a Panthers victory will ensue starting at 3:30PM.  Pitt meets the 3-1 Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in the second Big East conference game for both squads.  The game plan will be VERY simple for Pitt this weekend and that is to eliminate mistakes and do NOT turn the ball over.  In Rutgers opening Big East victory over Syracuse, the Scarlet Knights forced 5 turnovers in a double OT victory on the road.

On Saturday Pittfans may feel like they are having a case of déjà  vu.  That’s because Rutgers head coach, Greg Schiano, loves to blitz and create turnovers, much like Pitt’s coaches are trying to build.  Rutgers has been very successful and that is evident by their number one ranking in turnover margin in the FBS with 18 (10 fumbles and 8 picks).  Free safety David Rowe leads the team with four of the turnovers.  Pitt’s offensive line will have to be able to communicate well and pick up the blitzes that will come from all angles on Saturday.  Back up guards Cory King and Ryan Schlieper will have to be even better than the previous game against South Florida (it is looking more and more likely like Lucas Nix may not be healthy enough to play).   Tino Sunseri will have to continue his improved play by keeping the defense off balance and making smart decisions with the football.  If Tino can do that, look for Ray Graham to have another big game, as I am sure the New Jersey native is thrilled to be playing in his home state on Saturday.

On offense is where Rutgers has some problems, and I mean problems.  They rank 79^th in passing and 110^th in rushing.  One advantage they have is at receiver where they are led by Junior, Mohamed Sanu , who already has 43 catches for 428 yards and 5 touchdowns.  He has games of 13 and 16 catches respectively.  The Scarlet Knight receivers, as a whole, are a big bunch.  They all range from 6’2 to 6’6.  This offense should look VERY familiar as former Pitt offensive coordinator, Frank Cignetti  is running the show.  They have trouble exploiting their receiver’s height match up because of an inexperienced offensive line (sound familiar) and the running game has struggled very much.  It is led by Sophomore Jawan Jamison, who is averaging below 3 yards per carry.

Schiano’s normal quarterback musical chair routine continues and probably is not helping.  True Freshman (and former Pitt verbal) Gary Nova and Sophomore Chas Dodd are being thrown in and yanked out with regularity.  For some reason, this is something that has become Schiano’s MO.  It has to be like watching an episode of Jersey Shore for several straight years for Rutgers fans.  “No Ronnie, NO…you embarrassed me..I’m through with you! Ron, look atme, I love you…come here, let’s get back together.”  His routine just cannot give any confidence to any QB during his tenure.

Besides offense and defense, Rutgers special teams are something that Pitt will have to watch carefully.  Jamal Merrell already has 3 blocked kicks (2 FGs and 1 punt).  Todd Graham has said the Tino Sunseri pooch punt is being put on the shelf.  Iwonder how Pitt fans will react to that???  We will see if that helps neutralize Rutgers’ kick blocking and if Kevin Harper can continue to become very dependable for Pitt.

The formula for a victory on Saturday is very simple…play smart football and Pitt should be fine…and I believe they will be.  After the dominating win over South Florida, a good friend of mine and I were emailing back and forth.  What he said rang all too true.  “What a great win!  Now, will Pitt do what many teams in Pitt history have done before?  Win a huge game, and then follow it up with a disappointing performance and lose.”  I don’t think that happens.  I believe they will continue to only get better and the extra two days will help Pitt prepare their offensive line for Rutgers’ confusing blitzes.  Final prediction??? Pitt 45  Rutgers 13.

HOSTILE TERRITORY

Ever since college, I have lived at least 4 hours from Pittsburgh.  I started off in New York City for about 2 years, then Philadelphia for about 5, followed by a 5 year stint in Washington, DC, and back up to Philadelphia just recently.  Because of this, I have attended many more Pittsburgh sporting events in enemy territory rather  than in friendly stadiums/arenas.  I can’t help  it…when  a Pittsburgh team comes within a couple of hours, I try and go.  This Saturday will be no different when I head to Rutgers University for the third time to see the Pitt Panthers.  With the exception of one drunk Rutgers student screaming in my face, the previous two went without incident.  After his screaming in my face, my friend walking with me at the time, said it best, “someone always wants to be the funny guy asshole of the group.”  It’s true.  I don’t care if you go to a Green Bay game or a Philly game as an opposing fan, you can always run into that one fan who has to be “that guy”.

I have attended games in Philadelphia, New York (you name it…Mets, Yanks, Giants, Jets, Devils, Rangers) as a Pittsburgh fan.  I’ve also been to UVA in that awful Pitt loss a few years back, as well as Caps (too many times to count) and Redskins territory, and Baltimore a few times.  Villanova and Georgetown also were invaded by myself and fellow Pittsburghers.  You can add Boston when the Pirates inexplicably won 2-0 in interleague play, and Morgantown 3 times. 

I really have never had a problem.  I obey some simple rules….I wear what I want, but do not draw attention by dressing like a moron.  I stay quiet and do NOT react when people are yelling at me or getting in my face….you CAN NOT REACT!  That is just not going to turn out well for anyone.  I also tend to travel in packs and try and make friends…you would be shocked what asking an opposing fan an intelligent and in depth question about their team will do.  Lastly, when possible, go to the game with and sit with someone that is cheering for the home team.

I have rarely encountered anything REALLY bad, although Balitmore seems to have a huge need to challenge me to fight and question whether I really do want to be engaged to a woman.  Philly had the potential to be the worst…a Flyers-Pens playoff game and I wore a Lemieux throwback.  My Flyers’ friends were all huge, but I had to get to them, as they were tailgating far from where I parked and I was meeting them there.  The number of people that got two inches from my face screaming were too many to count, but I made it and once I got to my rather large friends, who are Flyers fans, it was like having a personal escort for the game….no one said much of anything.

The reason I was thinking of all this, is on Saturday, I do plan on dressing in Pitt garb (if you are going, follow me on twitter @BrunoPittsburgh and let me know where you are tailgating).  Rutgers is not known as a bad place to see a game, but I just wonder about the whole ACC move.  I do remember fans from V-Tech, Miami, and BC being treated rather rudely during away games back in 2003.  I hope not, and if someone does say something to me, hopefully I am able to recite this beauty of a story that a friend recently relayed to me:

My father and I went to Penn State for the first time when Paterno was going for 50 straight non-losing seasons. We were staying at a Sheraton in University Park. As we were going to the game, we went down on the elevator with a 20-something. I was about 10, and it was clear that we were Pitt fans from our garb. It was also clear that it was a father-and-son time, no alcohol, nothing rowdy planned. For no reason, other than being a Penn State fan, he looked at us and said, "Pittsburgh is such a dirty, slimy steel town." It was a classy move, typical of a Penn State fan. After Pitt won 31-11, we encountered the same fan. He was sitting at the bar, and my dad, from our table, bought the guy an Iron City beer, with a handwritten note, "That is what victory tastes like, not that you'd know."