LOSING OUT ON FOSTER

On Friday, Pitt lost WR Rober Foster to The University of Alabama.  This one hurt.  I listened to the experts and just like the original Dorian Johnson decision, that came back to haunt me.  I even had my youtube clip all picked out.  The problem is this: As I hurried back from my office Christmas party to stream the decision live, I felt it coming.  Most Pitt fans probably did.  When something is too good to be true for Pitt fans...that is when we get kicked directly in the balls. 

What we know is that as of Thursday evening, Pitt was it for Foster and he had even told family of that decision on Wednesday.  He had a change of heart at the last minute and shocked everyone, including the Pitt coaching staff by selecting the Tide.  Look, I've always liked the Tide. It goes back to my childhood when they would play Penn State, but man...it's like the rich 16 year old getting a Porsche instead of a Mercedes.  Damn..I was leaning towards cheering for the Irish in the National Championship...now I think I will go for Notre Dame.  Sorry Tide.  his one put me over the edge.

I don't know about other Pitt fans, BUT, I do wish Foster nothing but the best in Alabama. He seems like a good kid and should not have to deal with childish and hurtful messages on twitter because of what he felt was best for HIM.  I did not see a whole lot and I am hopeful that what I saw of good indication that most of the Panther faithful was wishing him well.

Now we turn our attention to Tyler Boyd. As you will know, Boyd is a "Pitt lean" according to all the experts, but I think we've heard this before.  I won't be holding my breath...yes, I will.  I'm a Pitt fan and of course, I fully expect the best outcome leading up to it...no matter what.

HAIL TO PITT!

SOME DOWN TIME THOUGHTS

Let’s have a little bit of a rundown on what’s gone on in the last week since the Bowl Game was announced, shall we?  I know, I know, the Steelers lost and you are all depressed.  Reading this blog would be like giving a heroin addict another hit of smack, but take your chances and read on anyways:

The best news of all is that Pitt and Penn State announced that they would not only play in 2016 and 2017, but also in 2018 and 2019!  This is VERY exciting news.  I can’t tell you how much I have really missed this rivalry.  I would rather get the shit kicked out of me and settle it on the field, rather than not play and wonder what if…especially with a rivalry game.  I feel like it is good for Pitt, PSU, and the state of Pennsylvania.  Penn State will travel to Heinz Field in 2016 and 2018, while Pitt will visit Happy Valley in 2017 & 2019. PSU leads the all-time series 48-42-4…well, 46-42-4 since that whole scandal took away victories in 1998 and 1999.

Next on the list of issues is a little tweet that was sent out by former Panther Scott McKillop last week.  The former linebacker sent out a tweet saying that there is a rumor going around that Pitt will be breaking out the Pitt Script for the bowl game on January 5^th!  Now…this is JUST a rumor.  This is NOT official.  It brings up the whole should Pitt do the Pitt Script again?  The answer is simple….YES!  This is not a hard issue to tackle.  Pitt is moving to the ACC and it would be nice to make a big splash and make the alumni and fan base happy and create some more talk.  The change in uniforms would do it and they can do it VERY easily.  Break them out for the bowl game….then do them for one home game and one away game a year!  Everyone wins!  Pitt gets more money from merchandise, they don’t have to spend money to change the logo and colors of the school, and it creates a buzz.  Why is this so difficult for some to understand?!?!?!?!  If you have not already, please do two things….follow @PittScriptLogo on twitter and PLEASE go to his site and sign his petition.

Speaking of the bowl game, as mentioned before Pitt goes to Birmingham, AL to take on Ole Miss on January 5^th.  If you are a male Pitt student and thinking about going to the game…on the fence about going to the game, or just don’t want to go, I plead with you to get down there.  Why?  Because they are playing Ole Miss!!!!!!  No one does tailgating or has better looking girls than Ole Miss.  There will be a huge party with hot girls…why not go down there and have some fun and support the Panthers!  Don’t believe me?  Do yourself a favor and google two things: “Best College Tailgating” and “Hottest Girls at College Tailgates” and see how far down the list Ole Miss is on there.  They are pretty high both lists.  Also check out Dixieland Delight by Clay Travis if you need more proof.

 

Last on this little rundown…Pitt had another big recruiting weekend.  It went pretty well by all accounts.  I was waiting to post this as I was hoping Chris Peak, at Pantherlair.com would send out a commit text to members, but he has not as of yet.  Some of the bigger targets were OL targets Alex Officer and Jaryd Jones-Smith, DL Justin Moody, RB JoJo Kemp (who sounds really close to coming to Pitt), and CB Jaleel Hytchye.  I would love to see Moody and Jones-Smith commit more than anyone, but Hytchye would be really nice.  Hoping to hear a commit soon!

That’s all for now…try and not stress about the Steelers too much, as it was fun to see Nate Diaz lose, the 30 for 30 Bo Jackson special, and the Ravens and Bengals both blew it badly today!  So, keep your chin up Pitt fans!

RECAPPING USF

Pitt is going bowling!  The Panthers brought their record to an even 6-6 and kept with the 2 game streak of this season earning them yet another trip to the BVBBNSBSDFKLHSDKFJHSDLFKJS Bowl in Birmingham, AL.  Look…I’ll be honest, I live just north of Philly and I was REALLY hoping for a Backyard Brawl in the Bronx, but anytime Pitt plays football, I am pretty happy, so I will take it.  Pitt will take on Ole Miss January 5^th at 1PM.  Not only do I love to watch Pitt football, but I have always enjoyed watching SEC games…particularly the pretty cool uniforms of the Rebels, so I can’t wait for the game.

On a surprise note in the game, Senior Cam Saddler did not make the trip due to disciplinary reasons. This was a surprise to many (including myself) as Saddler has always been known as team-oriented and very likable guy.  Circumstances surrounding his discipline were only characterized as breaking “team rules.”  This is a big reason that I am very happy for a bowl bid, so that Cam can go out from Pitt ON the field and not off it.  That would have been a bad way to end his Pitt career. Despite not reaching the standard that many felt Saddler would hit when he committed to the Panthers, Cam has always been one of the more fun Panthers to read about and watch.

Tino Sunseri was steady, save for an AWFUL 30 yard loss and fumble on a sack.  He continued his mistake free streak with over 200 yards and 1 TD pass.  Ray Graham chipped in with almost 100 yards and 2 TDs, and Rushel Shell came in to take care of business late with his bruising running style.  Mike Shanahan also had a strong game on the offensive side of the ball with over 100 yards receiving.  The offensive line continued their maddening streaky play of the season with a less than impressive effort which kept South Florida in the game early.

The defense was dominant and gave up just over 100 yards on the day and forced four turnovers.  If you watched the game…it really should have been more turnovers as the Bulls were BAD on the offensive side of the ball.  The defense was strong and my GOD…we are running out of adjectives for Aaron Donald.  I almost felt bad for the USF center/guard combo that was in charge of trying to block the big man.  I really hope Donald sticks around for his senior year, as I think this defense has a chance to be special next season.

Onto another aspect of Pitt football and a pretty important one:

Two local super prospects have announced they will make their college choices on certain dates.  Central Valley’s Robert Foster will go first on December 21^st and will announce from his high school.  He is down to Alabama and Pitt.  Clairton’s Tyler Boyd will announce on January 4^th before he plays in the US Army All-Star Game and he is down to Pitt, WVU, Arizona, and even Rutgers and Michigan State are being thrown around….as is Penn State, but he did cancel a visit there.  Pitt fans take a cue from this kid for these two dates.

 

The next few weeks will be full of information with commits, bowl practice, and other notes and I will try and keep up with everything.  Pitt has a HUGE recruiting weekend coming up on Friday-Sunday and will probably result in a commit or two…..stay tuned.

PASSING NOTES ON USF...

Things are coming fast and furious on a lot of Pitt football related fronts as the Panthers prepare for their last Big East football game (I know, I know…I’ll give you some time to cry and gnash your teeth). I plan on doing a few posts after this game to keep up to date as best that I can.  Let’s give a brief of good news for ACC fans. It was announced today that the ACC slapped Maryland with a lawsuit in North Carolina to force the school to pay the full $50 million dollar exit fee.  Perhaps more important was that this was supported by all ACC schools…well, except for the Terps of course.  We will see how that unfolds, but forcing the full amount would be a HUGE win for the ACC to stop other teams from leaving.

Now…time to pass some notes on the South Florida Bulls.  The Panthers will travel to Tampa for a Saturday night tilt on ESPN2…don’t ask how this game got on that time slot, but my wife is not too thrilled. The Bulls enter the game with a 3-8 record and looking more like a MASH unit than a football team.  Before we get to the numbers, we will pass this one along to you: 3,832 yards and 27 TDs.  That is how much will be missing from the South Florida offense on Saturday night.  Senior QB BJ Daniels is out with a broken leg and sprained ankle, while Senior RB Lindsey Lamar broke his collarbone a few weeks ago, and WR Juniors Terrance Mitchell (head) and Derrick Hopkins will also be missing.  That is a lot to replace and it is really catching up to the Bulls.

USF is 68^th in passing, 59^th in rushing, and 97^th in points for on the offensive side of the ball.  Taking over for Daniels is Freshman QB Matt Floyd.  Floyd is getting his feet wet still and he is struggling.  Pitt has to put the pressure on so that he doesn’t start clicking on Saturday night.  In his limited play, he has thrown for 373 yards and is still looking for his first TD, while tossing 2 picks.  He has also been sacked 5 times in limited time.  When Floyd looks to hand the ball off, Senior RB Demetris Murray is the main man.  Murray has 652 yards and 6 TDs, while being complimented by Junior RB Marcus Shaw.  Shaw pitches in with 241 yards and still in search of the end zone this year on the ground.

Despite injuries to the receivers, when the Bulls go to the air, their main target is still on the field.  Sophomore Andre Davis is solid and has 522 yards and 6 TDs despite the problems at QB.  With Mitchell and Hopkins out, Senior Victor Marc has been stepping up with 19 grabs for 222 yards.

Pitt will be looking to take to the air when the defense of the Bulls is on the field.  South Florida ranks 73^rd in the country in sacks and dead last in INTs.  The unit is 60^th in points against.  Look, I think we can all agree that we want to see the real Pitt Panthers step up finally.  Is Pitt the team that took Notre Dame to the limit, beat up on Rutgers, and took care of Virginia Tech with ease or are they the team that lost to UConn and Youngstown State?  It is always fun to watch Pitt football, but ever growing bald spot is getting bigger with this year’s team. One way to find out is to win on Saturday and extend their season and see if the Panthers can break that 2 wins, 2 losses streak they have going this year.

Hubie Graham and Devin Street are questionable for the game.  They would be a big help for Pitt as the offense will look to take advantage of the lack of sacks and INTs South Florida has generated this season.  What is my prediction for this game? Well, if you want to look back at my picks this year, you will want me to choose USF in this game….no dice though.  Pitt 24 USF 10.  Let’s hope for a Backyard Brawl in NYC..as I could actually make that game!

Of note also is that Pitt is setting up a pretty big recruiting weekend next week with several big targets coming to town.

RECAPPING RUTGERS

I found out that I would be making the awesome turnpike back to Philly from Washington, PA trip instead of being in front of the TV on Saturday during the Pitt-Rutgers game.  Thank God for XM Radio!  I pushed in order to get home for the fourth quarter and was lucky enough to be home for the last quarter.  The drive made me realize how much I miss listening to Bill Hillgrove and it gave me an opportunity to really listen to Pat Bostick, who is REALLY good.  I enjoyed it very much.  Of course, it helps that Pitt once again played to their competition and beat up on Rutgers 24-6.

Tino Sunseri was efficient and the one-two punch of Ray Graham and Rushel Shell gave Pitt a big lead early and they never let Rutgers back into the game.  The offensive line should be pointed out as being very effective against a solid Scarlet Knights defense. One down side is that Junior WR, Devin Street, left the game early and did not come back.  Ed Tinker filled in and came down with a big TD pass, but make no mistake, Street is needed.  My fingers are crossed for a quick recovery.  On the defensive side of the ball, have we mentioned that Aaron Donald is good?  We haven’t….oh we have…yea, that still holds true…HE’S REALLY GOOD!

The win over Rutgers and the loss by Louisville reminded me how very little I will miss the Big East.  It seemed like almost every year since the raid on the Big East the conference would get a couple of teams (sometimes even 3) that would VERY slowly build up into the rankings.  This would lead to me running my mouth about everyone who was always on the conference for being weak.  Almost without fail over the last decade, the teams that had built themselves up…lost unexplainable games late in the year to drop out of the rankings leading to TERRIBLE bowl match ups and other fans laughing at us.  I will NOT miss this!

Pitt now moves into a 5-6 record and needs to take out South Florida at 7PM on Saturday night (yes, you read that correctly….7PM, not noon) in order to become bowl eligible.  If Pitt should win, it will start my favorite thing about Pitt fans….bitching and moaning about going to a bowl game with just 6 wins.  Maybe it is just me, but I love Pitt football…I don’t care where they are playing or who they are playing, I get excited to watch.  I know…I love punishment.  So….WHY ON EARTH WOULD I NOT WANT THEM IN A BOWL GAME!?!?!  Selfishly I want them to back into the Pinstripe Bowl and not really because of a possible match up with WVU, but more because I just need to hop a couple of trains and I can be in attendance!  Unfortunately, I believe they will end up in Birmingham again…again, I don’t care…I just want more Pitt football, so I’ll be pulling hard on Saturday night, while the wife is less than pleased with a romantic evening of Pitt football!

PASSING NOTES ON RUTGERS AND OTHER THINGS

Before we get to this week’s passing notes on Rutgers, we should take a few quick glances at some other important Pitt Panther football news. 

First…Pitt received a HUGE commit from OT Dorian Johnson from Belle Vernon.  This was huge for so many reasons.  He is an offensive lineman, from Western, PA, gets along with two other big recruits…the list goes on.  His recruitment was a long journey and a roller coaster ride for Pitt fans (and more importantly, for him), but I am glad he ended up at Pitt.  NOW…if we could just get Robert Foster and Tyler Boyd to pull the trigger!

Second, it was announced that Maryland will be leaving the ACC and Rutgers will take off from the Big East to go to the Big Ten:

 

 

Now…it is a big issue to keep an eye on as we do NOT want to see this hit anymore teams.  There are lots of rumors about what the ACC will do.  I feel like they should take on Louisville first, UConn second and above all else…try and land Notre Dame as a full time member.  UConn/Syracuse would allow the ACC to control the number one market in the US.  NYC is a Syracuse/UConn town…if anything….not Rutgers. I lived there for two years and still go back several times a year….I think maybe I saw one Rutgers fan there.  Louisville can compete with the big boys in both basketball and football.  Now is not the time to think too much about academics if you want to survive this latest expansion.  My head has been spinning with the rumors swirling around about who is next, so I just don’t even want to think about it anymore and will stop now.  The main thing though is that no one else leaves the ACC.  This cannot be happening again!

Finally, let’s pass some notes on Rutgers.  I attended last year’s 34-10 debacle that featured the dreaded penalty of having two players on the field at the same time with the same number for Pitt….HI NOTRE DAME!  I will always remember it for that and more importantly for the Rutgers fan who critiqued me and Pitt for bolting the Big East for the ACC….hmmmm, wonder what he thinks of the latest circumstances that just happened?  I’m sure he has a MUCH different take and reason why this is okay.   Fortunately, Pitt will play the host this weekend to Rutgers, who comes in for a noon kickoff on Saturday.  The game will be on ESPN2 and Rutgers is 9-1 and sports a number 18 ranking in the BCS.

This Scarlet Knights team should look familiar.  A strong and aggressive defense leads them into the game and the offense kind of plugs along.  Rutgers is 85^th in passing, 87^th in rushing, 88^th in points for and finally, 4^th in points against.  One thing to keep in mind is that Rutgers lone loss was to Kent State and besides them, the best team (arguably) other than that on their schedule so far was Cincinnati, who they edged out 10-3 last week.  So just how good is Rutgers?  They will find out over the next two games with traveling to Pitt and then playing Louisville in their finale.

As pointed out, Rutgers defense leads the way.  Like always, they are aggressive and are lead by Ray Graham’s brother, Khaseem Greene.  Greene is all over the place and leads the nation in tackles per game.  He also chips in with 5.5 sacks for the year and even has gotten his hands on 2 picks this year as well….so yea…he’s pretty good!  Pitt will need to locate him and get a helmet on him to establish the run, but Rutgers is a unit that plays together and Pitt will have to be clicking to come out on top.

When the Scarlet Knights come out for offense, they are led by Sophomore QB Gary Nova.  Nova has thrown for 2,125 yards on the year with 19 TDs.  Do not be misled by the 12 picks….half of those came in their lone loss to Kent State.  When Nova puts the ball in the air, he has two favorite targets.  The top one is 6’6, 220lbs Junior, Brandon Coleman.  Coleman leads the team with 36 catches for 552 yards and 8 TDs.  When Nova wants something else, he usually finds WR Mark Harrison.  Harrison has hauled in 34 balls for 403 yards and 5 TDs.   Rutgers does still like to pound the ball though.  The man with the rock (USUALLY) is Junior RB Jawan Jamison.  Jamison is approaching 1,000 yards and has hit pay dirt 4 times this year.  However, Jamison was hobbled last week with a bum ankle and may not be able to go.  If he doesn’t, Rutgers does have the capable Sophomore RB Savon Huggins.  Huggins compliments Jamison with 344 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own.

The bottom line is this.  Pitt’s defense has to force some turnovers and the offense HAS to click to win.  It could be a sloppy game, as the WPIAL championships will be played the day before and the field WILL be in less than ideal conditions.

 Oh yea….I almost forgot….LET’S GO PREXIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sorry Quips, but I will ALWAYS be a Prexie. 

Sorry…back to the game.  The offense will be forced to make some plays and Tino Sunseri will want to go out with a solid game.  Sunseri plays a solid game and Pitt takes care of the ball, I like their chances.  Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening.  It will be close, but I see Rutgers walking away with a 17-13 victory on Saturday.  The good thing is if you go back and look at my predictions throughout the year…I have been REALLY off…so there’s that.

Enjoy the game and enjoy your Thanksgiving.

BYE WEEK POST

There are two things I want to tackle in this blog during the bye week.  One is this coming weekend for the Panthers football team and the other is a topic that has been an issue discussed among Pitt fans for several years now.

Let’s start with the quick one and that is the upcoming weekend.  Pitt has the big three coming in for their official visits.  High School seniors (and mega-recruits) Dorian Johnson, Robert Foster, and Tyler Boyd will be on the Oakland campus where Pitt will try and pull a major coup for the future of Pitt football.  These guys are difference makers.  I will be honest.  I’d be happy with just one of them, but to gain all three???  Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.  I do not believe any of them will commit this weekend, but a positive impression could set the tone for the future of this program. 

 

 

The second topic is one that I have recently taken a different tone on and it involves the uniforms.  I used to hear the cry to bring back the uniforms of my youth and I always took the side of “winning cures all,” and “who gives a shit what the uniforms look like!?” Then I got on twitter and heard the side of @PittScriptLogo.  PLEASE…I implore you to take a look at his twitter account and check out some of his images of what new uniforms could look like.

Let’s be honest, whether it’s Georgia’s black alternate uniforms, Boise’s crazy horse helmets, one of Oregon’s 7,896,043 uniform combinations, or even Maryland’s terrible uniforms….when you see a unique college football uniform, it creates a buzz.  Pitt is in dire need of a buzz and needs to have a cool factor about them.  Take a look at what the recruits and younger players are saying to @PittScriptLogo.  Go look at Rushel Shell’s twitter account.  They love it!

OK, OK, OK, I know….I know that changing back to the Pitt Script would be a major undertaking and cost a lot of money, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Why not just create an alternate uniform?  WHY?!  What is the harm?  Do you have any idea how many alumni, fans, and students would purchase new merchandise should Pitt have one…just one away and one…JUST ONE…home game per year where they could wear the new retro Pitt uniforms!?  There are so many opportunities to make some money on this that it baffles me the administration would not take this chance.  What if it doesn’t work??  What happens?  NOTHING!!!!  You don’t have to change the whole face of the school or colors…you can do it by just doing an alternate jersey twice per year.

Do yourself a favor…if you agree with this, please do go visit the @PittScriptLogo twitter account and sign his petition at this link.  If you feel so inclined contact the Pitt athletic department and let them know your desire.  Two groups could really use their voices to help if they are in favor and those are season ticket holders and students.  Bring back the Pitt Script!