Love Thursday night home games… in theory.
The reality of them sticks me at home, as I am perpetually unable to make the trip to the game — the need to take off early on Thursday and likely Friday. Or trying to drive the 2+ hours sometime after midnight. That no longer seems like fun.
Justin will have the birds eye view from the press box in my stead.
I’ll be on my couch with a fresh growler of beer watching and tweeting all game.
Pitt needs this game.
48-14 is still the worst experience I have ever had. Was on the sidelines in absolute agony. Still inexplicable. Always wondered if the game was fixed.
Do miss the bets with PSU fans. One guy still owes me a case of beer 40 years later.
Someone noted elsewhere that the the Michigan State coach had 3 similar first years,and then his program broke out to the upside. So here’s hoping!
As for Pitt and Pittsburgh…
It’s just about winning, AND not losing the games they should not lose. Akron game just really hurt Pitt.
People don’t want to go to a stadium and just have to deal with such loses… way too many in Pitt’s history.
The stadium thing people need to get over. No way a university is paying that kind of money to build a new stadium when kids are going into Debt paying rising tuition costs each year. There just is not that kind of Money unless huge donors step up… for venue used a handful of times each year.
As for Oakland I agree with wbb… no room and super tough place to get to.
If Pitt wins, stadium fills more, and then it will “feel” better.
One thing I will say is I feel the Steelers blew it with the design of that stadium. It stinks for creating intensity and energy. Non-Football morons design that and thensold it…. Rooneys had an off day when they accepted that design.
For anyone that watched football in 3 rivers no comparison in terms of noise and intensity. Too bad, Pittsburgh is stuck with it for both teams for a very long time to come.
My dad was not a sports fan. Only attended PITT games a few times with church groups. Thought PITT stadium was fantastic as a kid but what did I know. Didn’t drive there and didn’t have to find a parking space.
Was in Pittsburgh last weekend. Was unhappy to learn two months ago that it was a bye week. If PITT had a game, I would have gone along with my wife, brother & nephew.
The problem was if the game was in Oakland, we wouldn’t have gone. Why? We know nothing about Oakland or parking or where to go and eat-tailgate.
We do know how to get to the North Shore. Where to park, eat-tailgate.
For the occasional fan & visitor, Heinz field is more convenient.
My wife and I attend one away game a year. Only once in the last 8 years have I toured a campus. And that was a Ole Miss where we parked on campus & had to walk to the “Grove”. We got lost and walked the wrong way.
Comment by PittofDreams 10.17.14 @ 9:38 am
Cornhole’s rationale is about as wrong as another idiot. Maybe a cousin of Cornhole’s….that being the idiot head of the CDC. Frieden.
For sticking it in Cornhole’s eye.
What if you moved to a new conference and nobody came.
“We play big time football in a big time stadium”. LMFAO!!!!!!
No, he won’t admit anything. Just like the Panthersaurus.
He can’t even let that go.
Comment by Dan 10.17.14 @ 10:13 am
Bigtime football, yeppers. Only in Cornhole’s delusionary mind.
And the dinocat thing panthersaurus still is lurking around and can be found on the waistband of the basketball uni’s, front and center.
Cornhole has the little dictator complex, can never admit he was wrong and probably sent a memo to ESPN for their announcers to refer to us as ‘Pittsburgh’ as much as possible last nite. Because everyone that else uses ‘PITT’ more.
And if Heinz Field had 100 people in it, he’d still be saying….it’s the best stadium in the ACC.
Pitt played a key football game last nite with 2 of the better NCAAF players in America. And hardly anyone noticed.
This is what happens when cronyism supersedes job performance.
Our marquee home game of the year. And on national TV.
If the moron had to give away tickets to all the public HS kids and their parents in Pittsburgh to fill up the place, he should have.
905 comments ending 10 hours ago.
I’ve watched a lot of their sports programming thruout the decades and I’ve also noticed that they go out of their way to use camera angles to hide hundreds/thousands of empty seats at various games.
A perfect example of this is their using low angle camera shots for all WNBA games and most women’s college basketball games. So as to not show the TV audience the huge swaths of empty seats. In some cases 60-80% of empty seats.
The question is: why do they go ‘out of their way’ to showcase the yellow empties at Heinz ?
With these high angle shots from the endzone, showing the empty’s in the opposite top level endzone seats and the pullback angles from the field highlighting the upper deck empties.
“College football is about everything that Pitt football isn’t: atmosphere, emotions and connection. There was none of that at Heinz Field. There won’t be the next time Pitt plays at home, either.”
I do not and I’m sure lots of fellow alumni do not, equate PITT football with Heinz Field.
I have no connection to it, it wasn’t even there when I went to Pitt, it has no connection to Oakland and Pitt’s campus. When I leave Heinz, do I go to campus and relive my memories of Peter’s Pub, the O, etc. NO.
I spend my money on the North Shore or in Downtown.
Which has no connection to Oakland and campus at all.
It is and never will be Pitt’s stadium.
End…finit..ende….fin
1997 Please call us ‘Pittsburgh’ from now on
2005 Oops please call us PITT from now on.
2011 Please call us PITT but you can also use Pittsburgh if you like.
That is not something, a program should be trending towards.
You want bigtime college football in Pittsburgh.
Spend some money like you did to get bigtime college basketball in Pittsburgh.
You go ‘on the cheap’, you get Temple.
Before Pitt builds a new stadium anywhere there has to be a light rail stop in place near the gates.
When I go to a game I do not have time to visit the campus and I miss that.
We’re only talking about 6-7 times per year. Less than that since a lot don’t show for the rent-a-win games. So 4-5 times. If you’re that inconvenienced you really don’t bleed Blue & Gold.
You stay after the game and enjoy the campus and you can skate out of Oakland 2 hours post-game.
I’ve been to the games in Creepy Valley, all the surrounding roads are tied up for hours both pre and post game. Has been like that long before they went to present day stadium capacity. Back in the 70’s PITT stadium held more than that cattle field in Creepy Valley.
I’m sure those that feel Oakland is inconvenient also don’t attend any games at The Pete.
Build it or live in mediocrity. It’s that simple.
Blueprint what Louisville’s done, if you have no imagination of your own.
Re the Virginia Tech game:
1. Dave Wannstedt finished 5-7 his third season at Pitt. Let’s see how we wind up.
2. The team is still a young team in learning.
This is a running team (about 2:1 runs:pass)
(that’s how we won the game).
They made mistakes, but they did show improvement. The offense sustained more drives.
The defense played well when they rushed at least the same number of defenders as Virginia Tech used to block.
Voytik did good reads on runs but still needs work on pass reads and when to release the ball.
CC gave up 48 to PR tonight so he may not have had a good night
Pitt right tackle T.J. Clemmings caught the eye of ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay, who tweeted during the game: “Pitt OT TJ Clemmings most improved player in 1-yr I’ve ever seen. Former DL thrust into OT role 2013. Now plays like 1-2 rd pk.”
Now as to your comment, “Pitt football, as far as significance in a city is trending towards Temple U.”Let it be known that I possess degrees from both Pitt & Temple, I’ve lived for years in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, I’ve personally followed both universities football programs for over forty years. I can assure you, without any doubt, that there is absolutely no comparison between these two programs now or has one ever existed historically.
You Sir have decided to either intentionally insult the very football program that you profess to be a loyal fan of or else you are simply the victim of a serious dilusional mindset. If the former is the case, then you owe an apology to all Blatherites on this blog who actually are true loyal football fans of our Pitt Panthers.
Hail to Pitt and jack up the Yellow Jackets!
On the other hand, it was you earlier this week that wrote that Pitt needs have more run plays for Voytik … of which at the time, I wholeheartedly agree.
Voytik’s assets are running, possibly even more than his passing … make that probably even more than his passing.
I believe this may be one of the big issues of this program … it seems every decade or so, it changes priorities
Thanks for the post about Chryst being at the CC and Pine Richland game. This guy likes football and, I think, enjoys watching these local kids play. How different is that from JoePA? It will pay dividends for us.
H2P
ESPN Draft Analyst Todd McSchay apparently sees it a bit differently.
“Pitt OT TJ Clemmings most improved player in 1-yr I’ve ever seen. Former DL thrust into OT role 2013. Now plays like 1-2 rd pk.” – Todd McShay
Good for TJ.
Attendance has been the same since the 70’s. As wbb has concured many times,
1.) PSU, ND, WVU sell outs
2.) Big name team (Nebraska, Texas A&M, FSU) and Pitt having a decent year, 50-55K
3.) Regular attendance 30-42K
4.) Garbage team, lousy Pitt team 20-25K
That’s just off the top of my head, and I believe it holds true.
Yes, you could pick out a Cincinnati game that sold out, let’s be honest, that is one out of most that are nowhere near a sell out, and many times, half capacity at best.
There’s no shame in this. That’s who we are, and what our fan base is.
So, for me, an on campus stadium means being on campus which I would love, and having a
college football atmosphere.
Purely selfish for me. If I’m gonna sit with 30K fellow Pitt fans, I’d rather do it on campus.
Also, this is just a place to vent about it for me. I know it’s not in the cards.
Pro stadiums just have no college feel. Nowhere. Not any time. It just stands out as a team playing off campus in a pro stadium, even with the occasional big crowd.
Just Saturday morning venting, that’s all.
knowing that Pitt has a win in the bag this week!!!!.
I’ve also become happier about the win even a few days later. It feels good.
Actually pumped up for the Georgia Tech game.
Such is the life of a Pitt football fan, on the ledge one day, glimmer of hope the next.
Even with an on campus stadium, there would have only been around 30,000. After the last 5 years and the last three games, only the most die-hard fan is going to show up on a rainy Thursday night with the Penguins in town.
Fans have been exposed to the collapse with Iowa and the debacle of Akron way too many times.
People go to football games to be entertained and to see their team win. Pitt has been far from entertaining, and has lost far too many games recently to inspire a large following.
I always wondered why 100,000 PSU fans would show up to watch them crush William and Mary. It is because they are sure that they will see a win and have a pretty good time at a tailgate with a homogeneous group of people. They are willing to plan their whole weekend around the event, drive a hundred miles spend lots of dollars etc. It is ingrained in their culture.
Pitt has no such culture. It is a much more diverse University and City. It is much smaller in size and athletics and especially football play a much smaller role in student life and organizational culture.
To compete for the entertainment dollar in Pittsburgh you have to have a winner of the highest caliber. This is the City of Champions. A very high standard has been set.
If Pitt would have beat Iowa and Akron, there would have been 55,000 in the stands on Thursday.
A state of the art stadium in Oakland would cost 300 to 500 million dollars, including land acquisition, infrastructure, political payoffs, and construction, not to mention yearly operational and maintenance costs. Not going to happen anytime soon, if ever. Our State legislators took over three years to approve a highway bill which is way smaller than what is needed. They won’t commit one dime to a new stadium.
The economics of sharing Heinz Field is a no-brainer. The big screens, the concession stands, the private boxes, the club seats, the “Great Hall”, the T, the highways, the parking, the hotels and restaurants, an on-campus stadium would have 20% of the amenities.
I would like to hear an announcement before halftime that people in the upper decks can come down and fill in the lower bowl, when there are less than 40,000 in the stadium.
Would help increase the energy level and look better on TV. Been there when they have done it at the Pete.
The only possible solution is the 4 letter giant building a large state-of-the-art sports medicine research center, and connect it to a 44k stadium
If we ever get to be a consistent top 20 and in the top ten routinely, 44,000 is not big enough.
Catch 22.
We get to watch opponents Georgia Tech and North Carolina at the same time this evening.
Everyone knows that Pitt is “trending” into future FCS obscurity!
It’s not like Pitt ever plays “big time” power house football programs at Heinz Field. They won’t ever get an opportunity like that until they get an invite to join one of the five power conferences. Even then, fat chance of getting an opponent that could actually be a contender for national championships to show up here. You have quite the imagination, next you’ll be hoping that such a team would show up for Pitt’s evening home opener on a Labor Day weekend no less! Hahahahaha! Even then, Pitt probably couldn’t fill up Heinz Field. Nothing but yellow seats and crickets!
Then you throw out the proposition that winning football games is the cure for attendance problems for the Panthers? What kind of football fan could be so narrow minded to only concern themselves with whether their team is a winner or not? Give me a 0-12 loser team anyday as long as I get to watch my team get their a$$es kicked around in their own on campus stadium, that my frind is the key to getting fans in the stadium.
Get a grip on reality gc, like Pitt has more players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than 99% of the rest of colleges in the country, yeah right. Next you’ll be arguing that Pitt has put three times as many players in the NFL than the Temple Owls and that the leading NFL RB In pro football last season was a Pitt Panther.
I hope that teaches you NOT to pay attention to the facts and to quit offering rational suggestions for the betterment of our football program.
But it’s still OK to dream about better days ahead, maybe, just maybe Pitt will play Notre Dame some year in the future. If we do, I wonder if we would ever have a chance at beating them? Nah, LOL, what a pipe dream, cause that would imply that we play “big time football” and we all know that’s not going to happen! Like when was the last time that Notre same got beat by a small time program like the Pitt Panthers?
Nuff said, Hail to Pitt! Never let your Panther Pride be tarnished by the BS attitudes of others that fail to appreciate the glory and history of 125 years of Pitt Football. Wreck Ga Tech!
Although I’m sure he had his eyes on a few other kids, other than his own during the game.
Duke up 10-0 on UVA. Looks like the ACC Coastal is going to be a clusterf!*$ of a division. Maybe similar to the Big East of 2004, where an ok Pitt team in Walt’s last year won it…
The one record like that that stands out and I remember, is Hines Ward at Georgia.
I believe he is the only college player to rush for over 1000 yards, receive for over 1000 yards and to pass for over 1000 yards in a collegiate career.
His sophomore year, he holds records for a Georgia QB for attempts, completions and yards in a bowl game.
1995 Peach Bowl 31-59 413 yards.
For any young pups out there, yes,
that Hines Ward.
Georgia QB soph year.
Check link to newsobserver.com
Trouble is that any FB recruits that were at Heinz on Thursday and Morgantown today will have witnessed two entirely different environments
Poor tackling and if by chance you do make a good defensive play, it gets penalized anyway!
That’s because within a 100 mile radius of Unhappy Valley there’s only four things to do for entertainment.
1)Go to the movies
2)Go hunting/fishing
3)Get drunk at a bar
4)Go to a PSU football game (BB is a joke)
Even last year when we beat ND in primetime in a close game, it wasn’t close to the same
At Heinz, we can’t even paint the endzones. We can’t “rub a rock” like clemson on the field. We can’t have a horse with Chief Whatchamacallit slamming a lit spear at midfield (FSU), we can’t have a “football team walk” like UNC, the shooting of skipper (cannon), Metallica at VT;The Rambling Wreck, a fully restored 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe, has led the Yellow Jackets onto the field for every home game since 1961; Toilet Paper at WF. At Pitt, we light up the cathedral 4 miles away if we win. Nothing at the field. That is part of the gameday experience and does help recruiting.
Pitt plays Notre Dame on 11/7/2015 in Pittsburgh !
I would love a new Pitt Stadium on campus but all that does is to help the students going to the games . It doesn’t bring the paying public to the games. The students should be commended on their support and attendance at Heinz Field for the Va. Tech game, their numbers were good.
So what will bring fans to Pitt football games ? Consecutive 10 win seasons adding in a 15 game home winning streak. Paul Chryst is working on building such a program and is doing so honorably, unlike the head coaches around these parts. Rossi writes this trash attempting to tear down what Chryst is building.