First and foremost, the comedy world lost a genius this past week, as Patrice O’Neal passed awayon Monday. Patrice made you think about topics in ways you never thought existed. Look him up on youtube, check out Comedy Central, or buy one of his DVDs and you will not be disappointed (but you better have an open mind and not be offended easily).
Now, onto the game - The finale of the season is upon us as 5-6 Pitt will host 5-6 Syracuse on Saturday at noon. It is senior day and I am sure attempting to get into the whatever you want to call it bowl, is not what these seniors had in mind, however, I do expect a crisp game by Pitt.
Syracuse has some strong wins. Taking out bowl eligible Wake Forest and also upsetting West Virginia earlier in the day gave the Orange some hope, but now they are in the same position asPitt (not where they want to be). Big losses to USF and Cincy has them also fighting for some shit bowl.
Now, I say shit bowl, but I am hoping that Pitt pulls this game out and St. Petersburg comes calling. Extra practice, more exposure, and finishing the season on a positive note are important things. Look, Pitt did not get into the bowl game we wanted last season either, but I had fun watching them run Kentuckyoff the field.
Let’s look at Syracuse. They are 5-6, but are in a bit of a downward spiral as they have gone 1-5 in Big East games. As a team the Orange are 64th in passing, 96th in rushing and 79th in points for on offense. Senior Ryan Nassib is under center and is having a solid year with 21 touchdowns and only 7 picks. Taking the pressure off of Nassib is Senior Antwon Bailey. He has toted the ball for 998 yards and 6 touchdowns and can catch the ball out of the backfield as well with 24 catches. When the ball is in the air, the pro-style offense likes to go to Junior receiver Alec Lemon, who has hauled in 60 balls for 735 yards and 6 touchdowns. Tight End Nick Provo also is among the leaders with 46 catches for 500 yards and 7 TDs. Pitt’s defense must stay as solid as they have been this season to keep this balanced attack off the board.
The ‘Cuse defense is 48th in sacks and led by defensive end Senior Chandler Jones. He has 4.5 sacks and has missed 5 games…so he can get to the QB. Let’s hope Tino has one of his efficient games this week or it couldturn ugly. The Orangemen secondary is 77th in the country with interceptions and 73rd in points against. Therefore, they are not as strong as some defenses that Pitt has faced this season. Part of the reason for the decline, is that Junior safety Phillip Morris has been suspended for the remainder of the year. He has 6 of those picks! This will help Pitt in the passing game, which they may need.
Also missing for Syracuse will be fullback Adam Harris. He will miss the game with a concussion. That is a damaging injury. The fullback plays a key role in a pro-style offense. Syracuse will get zero sympathy from Pitt, as they have concerns of their own. Devin Street, Ronald Jones, and Zach Brown are all questionable at best for the Panthers. Someone will have to pick up the slack on offense for Pitt and that will fall on Corey Davis and Isaac Bennett at running back. If Jones can’t go, Anthony Gonzalez will get the wildcat snaps. It should get REALLY interesting in the stands if Gonzalez completes a pass or two.
There you have it….that is the nuts and bolts of this game. Can Pitt’s offense have a game like they had against WVU for a half or that they had against UConn or USF…or will they perform like the last twoquarters against WVU or worse yet…Rutgers?? I will lean towards a more efficient game from the offense and I think the defense will have a strong game as well. I think you will see Gonzalez get some people talking as well. Final Score – Pitt 31 Syracuse 17.
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