I just had to throw in one more gratuitous security/riot preparation story, if only because it came out of the NY Times. I must say, though, that the story seems a little short on the truth (at the NY Times when covering something outside of NYC? Shocking.)

Police officers using pepper spray cut off an attempt by fans to tear down the goal posts. Some fans stormed into downtown Morgantown, W.Va., and set 100 fires, more than usual on a campus where it is a custom to set fire to couches after football games.

Emphasis added.

Now let’s be fair. As far as I know it is hardly a tradition to set fire to couches in Morgantown after the Mountaineers win a football game. It has happened after the Virginia Tech games (and maybe last year after the Pitt game, but it was Thanksgiving break, so not as likely). Second, it was hardly a raging mob moving violently into Morgantown as the story implies.

Gratuitous shots not based on facts, just seem wrong. I’m sure the NY Times will get plenty of complaints once the Hoopies learn to read and write.

Since I couldn’t make the roadie, I have time to prepare a final roundup. Don’t worry, though, Pat, John and Lee will be there to represent in the Pitt cheering section — somewhere in Section 121 of Mountaineer Stadium (aka, The Big Pile of Cement paid for with federal money via Senator Robert “I was a member of the KKK, but it was just a social club” Byrd).

Mark Madden says that Pitt closed practices to try and hide the return of RB Brandon Miree, but it hasn’t fooled anyone (except, apparently all of the newspapers in Pittsburgh and West Virginia who haven’t even reported a rumor of it).

Looks like all of the papers have waited until today to run their pieces on how much the game means to players and fans. Now there is some good stuff to get the blood flowing.

Pitt senior tight end Kris Wilson stood quietly in the middle of Heinz Field last fall, observing the dances and the celebrations, the high-fives and the hugs.

His stomach twisted in knots.

There he was, in his house — on his turf — watching the West Virginia football team frolic after a 24-17 victory in front of a record-setting pro-Panthers crowd.
…
“This is crazy for me, because I finally realized what it meant to play against — and lose — to West Virginia,” said Wilson, a native of Lancaster. “It was just a rotten feeling. I’m not even from this area and I didn’t grow up knowing about the Backyard Brawl, but for some reason, when I was leaving that field, I felt worse than I did after any loss in my career. I don’t know why it came over me like that, but it did, and I can’t forget it.”

Yeah, that’s what I want to read. Pitt seems to be drawing upon the sight of watching the Hoopies celebrate on Heinz Field last year. And the celebration rankled some sensibilities.

[Walt Harris] also had an intense disposition during interview sessions all week.

“I try not to have the bitterness that you’re supposed to have about the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia — that’s one drawback, maybe, about not being a Pittsburgh guy,” said Harris, whose team must avoid an emotional letdown after upsetting Virginia Tech last week at Heinz Field. “But I saw what happened on the field last year when we got beat. I saw the demonstration.”

Both sides getting juiced.

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez gathered his players before the end of Wednesday’s practice, at Mountaineer Field, and asked them to take a knee.

He instructed them to close their eyes and picture what the sold-out stadium would look like before tonight’s Backyard Brawl with the No. 16 Pitt Panthers.

He wanted the players to imagine what it would feel like to run through the inflated, smoking WVU helmet.

By the time this visualization exercise was over, Rodriguez could clearly see the smiles on his players’ faces.

The fans are ready down in Morgantown.

“That the road to the Big East title goes through Morgantown … down Don Nehlen Drive,” Headley said. “And if Walt Harris and Pitt don’t already know that, well, I think they’ll notice on their way to Mountaineer Field.”

Headley, a 23-year-old law student at West Virginia University, doesn’t mix words concerning his feelings for Harris and Pitt: “I don’t like him, and I hate them.”
…
“There isn’t any love lost,” Headley said. “Anticipation for this game is higher than it was for Virginia Tech a few weeks back.”

And that’s saying something.

Prior to West Virginia’s upset of then third-ranked Virginia Tech on Oct. 22, Headley and his three housemates entertained about 300 fellow Mountaineers in their front yard — likely the only front yard in college football with its own nickname, Tailgate Central, and Web site, www.tailgatecentral.com.

That Headley and roomies, Andy Hill and Thomas Ryan, live at 954 Irwin Street, which faces Don Nehlen Dr., the road busses carrying Pitt must travel if the Panthers intend on showing up for kickoff, is no small coincidence.
…
The partiers at Tailgate Central — mostly WVU students, identifiable by T-shirts that on the front read “Tailgate Central” and on the back display a map of West Virginia breaking up the words “Old School” and “Tailgating” — have at least two fans with stroke in their back pockets: Rodriguez and school president David Hardesty.

“I guess so,” Headley says. “Coach Rodriguez has shown up the Friday night before a game with pizzas, thanking us for the support. And, president Hardesty has stopped on his way to the game.”

The link to the site, though, says it’s under construction.

Of course the main storyline is still that a BCS bid for the either school is the major component of this game.

The very notion that the Panthers might still be on a high from last weekend’s win is laughable to Pitt coach Walt Harris, who succinctly summed up the importance of the rivalry.

“This is the Backyard Brawl. This is the all-time rivalry for this university,” Harris said. “We got beat by them last year in front of the largest crowd ever in the history of Heinz Field. We know what it’s like to not take care of business. Need I say any more?”

In a piece of actual game analysis, a WV writer figures it out: WVU needs to run the ball. Hmm. I think I’ve read something like that once or twice before.

Finally, some individual profile pieces. One on Walt Harris, and what people think about the job he’s done and into the future (complete puff piece).

The others regard Pitt’s stud WR, Larry Fitzgerald. One is a piece from a WV columnist designed to strike fear into the Hoopiefaithfull as to how good he is. The other concerns issues of what Larry’s father said to the NY Times about Fitzgerald considering trying to get an exemption for the 2004 NFL draft.Shortt answer: he’s not thinking about that right now.

Game time is less than 7 hours away.

Let’s go Pitt!

No one, and I mean no one pretended that this was a “pretty” game. Pitt was playing a very young and inexperienced Alabama team, but Pitt looked more out of sorts in the early going.

It’s hard to read much into the very first game of the season, but this will be their hardest game until conference play begins, so it deserves a little extra scrutiny. The storylines all focused on Jamie Dixon getting his first win as head coach and the game Karl Krauser had. I’m not trying to be overly harsh, but it was really the second half Krauser had. His first half was abysmal. He scored 21 points, but only 2 in the first half. Pitt as a team shot 0-11 from beyond the 3-point line in the first half, and a pathetic 4-18 for the game. The only reason they were tied at the half, was that Alabama missed a lot of easy baskets and Chevy Troutman went 5-7 with 12 points in the first half (more on him in a moment). The rest of the Pitt team shot 5-24 in the half.

Krauser did take over in the second half after a brief spell on the bench after picking up his 4th foul about halfway through the second half.

Troutman kept the Panthers in the game in the first half, but his defense was off. Last year he was a monster on both boards (offensive and defensive). This first game he was late on his defense, committing fouls after he was beat — leading to fouling out. He was definitely looking to be more of an offensive presence. He can’t forget the defense, though, or Pitt is in trouble. Senior Torree Morris is just a big body standing around on defense — he provides nothing.

Julius Page was definitely tentative coming off his high ankle sprain, and ESPN2 play-by-play guy, Dan Shulman noted that it was keeping him from trying to drive to the basket.

The most impressive player from Pitt in this game, to me, was Freshman Guard, Chris Taft. He only played 18 minutes but had 12 rebounds and 7 points. He is going to be a great force inside, and will push Morris and Troutman for playing time — in fact, I can see by mid-season Morris’ minutes being very low.

Pitt is going to be a team, barring an upset to one of its cupcake opponents that will be in the top-15 by conference play, but no one will know whether this team is really that good.