Direct information first. Here is the Walt Harris Press Conference (Windows Media) and the abbreviated transcript. Nothing particularly eye-catching. The team showed improvement in the second half but needs to do more, the defense is playing great, kicker Josh Cummings is excellent, Freshman RB Brandon Mason may actually play this year…
Punter Adam Graessle was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week.
The articles looking back on the game remain optimistic. Or at least the pieces don’t take issue with the positives expressed by Coach Harris. The receivers seemed to make a big improvement from last week, clearly Darrell Strong playing WR has really helped for depth and packages.
There were injuries in the game. I mean, we aren’t saying this was anything like what happened to the Cleveland Browns, but there were some players who won’t be returning right away. The big one, starting defensive end Azzie Beagnyam has “ligament damage” in his right ankle. He will be gone for an extended period, very possibly for the season. The reason Brandon Mason might play, rather than take the redshirt as expected, is that the RBs got banged up in the game:
All three of Pitt’s experienced tailbacks — Tim Murphy, Ray Kirkley and Marcus Furman — were injured in the Panthers’ 24-17 loss to the Cornhuskers. Murphy (ankle) was not able to return the to the game but Furman (head) and Kirkley, whose injury was undisclosed, did.
On the positives, right guard John Simonitis, may actually be healthy enough to play.
Mike Prisuta’s column was about optimism with Pittsburgh quarterbacks — both Pitt’s Tyler Palko and the Steeler’s Ben Roethlisberger.
Palko seemingly arrived not at the outset of or at any time during Pitt’s opener against Ohio U but in the fourth quarter Saturday against Nebraska. His play until then had suggested things couldn’t possibly have gotten much worse, but a timely series on the sideline allowed him to regain his equilibrium and he re-emerged a different player.
Ever conscious of running the team and leading his teammates, Palko suddenly seemed less concerned with what everyone else was doing and more consumed with doing what had to be done. Perhaps, given the bleak state of what had been taking place against the Cornhuskers, Palko felt as if he had nothing to lose. Whatever, he finally started to let it fly and trust his receivers to make some plays for him.
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If Palko can become a little less obsessed with making the right play and a little more trusting of his instincts for making winning ones, Pitt’s offense has a chance after all.
As for the game on Saturday, which I will miss and I doubt will be shown at my parents house, here are the game notes (PDF). This matchup is against the Paladins of Furman. Furman is hoping for its first win over a Div 1-A football team since it beat North Carolina 28-3 in 1999. After what happened to Rutgers, Pitt can’t take the #2 1-AA team lightly.
As noted, the starting QB was actually a transfer from Florida. He transferred after not getting a chance to be the starter. Still, I think the toughest thing for Pitt and the fans, will be getting “up” for the game. I mean, this is the game the Pitt athletic department knew would have trouble getting people to show up for (and not just because it is Yom Kippur) — that’s why it’s buy-one-get-one ticket day. Scalpers will be giving tickets away for this one.
