Some things that I didn’t feel like doing a full post on, forgot to work into a post or just found during the day.

Basketball Related

From Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News talking about things leading into the season:

Most underrated team: Pittsburgh. After three consecutive Sweet 16s, you might think the Panthers would have earned some respect. But the loss of wings Julius Page and Jaron Brown led most to drop them far from the top 10. Lindy’s had Pitt had at No.19, Street & Smith’s at No. 23.

Brown was a remarkable leader, and Page an elite defender, but this should be Pitt‘s best offensive team since the days of Charles Smith and Jerome Lane. There will be a greater emphasis on getting the ball to big man Chris Taft and on allowing point guard Carl Krauser to create opportunities. Pitt might stop in the Sweet 16 once again, but will be right there with Syracuse and Connecticut among the Big East’s top contenders.

Speaking of Julius Page and Jaron Brown. Those of you living in the Pittsburgh area will still be able to see them play some b-ball:

The Pennsylvania Pit Bulls might as well rename themselves the Pitt Bulls, with recent Panthers stars Julius Page and Jaron Brown joining the American Basketball Association expansion venture that launches two weeks from tonight in McKeesport.

“I feel like I’m putting my best foot forward,” Page said yesterday at a news conference introducing a team that holds tryouts tomorrow and Sunday, then opens camp Tuesday before its Nov. 19 debut against the Maryland Nighthawks at Penn State McKeesport.

“I had some offers overseas. But right now I’m looking to develop. And I think I’m in the right situation to develop.”

Apparently, so did Brown, who left a Continental Basketball Association tryout yesterday to return to a familiar Pittsburgh area and begin a professional career at a tier that pays its players $10,000 apiece on average for a 36-game, four-month schedule. The league is in its fourth year but it has grown from seven teams last season to 35.

Good luck, guys. I hope you at least make it overseas eventually.

A puff piece on star JUCO transfer John DeGroat, fashion template.

Football Related

Wierd factoid:

Pittsburgh hasn’t lasted this long into the season without playing a ranked team since 1986. The Panthers probably get their first shot in their last game against West Virginia.

Probably their only shot, as well.

On the Syracuse-Pitt game, the ‘Cuse are favored by 4.5. CollegeFootballNews (via Fox Sports) picks the Orange 23-17, because Syracuse plays well at home, final home game for seniors, Pitt hasn’t looked good in its 2 road games, and Pitt’s history at the Carrier Dome.

Trib columnist Sam Ross looks at the rest of the season for Pitt, WVU and PSU.

Pitt: The Panthers begin a rugged three-game stretch Saturday at Syracuse. That is followed by a trip to Notre Dame, and a Thanksgiving night showdown at Heinz Field with West Virginia. Give Harris his due, he’s turned a dismal situation earlier in the season into a respectable effort. But expecting Pitt (5-2, 3-1 Big East) to roll off three more wins, then have something left for that rescheduled Dec. 4 game at South Florida, is a leap of faith. It would be interesting for that “Backyard Brawl” contest with West Virginia to have major Big East ramifications, but it easily might not. If Pitt wins two of its next three, that should be considered a great showing.

Big if.

Finally the Q&A with the P-G beat reporter, Paul Zeise for the week.

Q: Walt Harris’s tenure has been marked by failing to get “over the top” and that means losing key games like Toledo, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Miami — they have all been momentum killers. Is the Syracuse game one of these games where a win is a chance to prove the program is showing considerable progress or a loss will harpoon the season?

ZEISE: Yes and no. Pitt is better than Syracuse so they should win the game. A win, even in the Carrier Dome, should be expected. But nevertheless, since it is in the Carrier Dome it is the kind of game Harris has traditionally lost so if Pitt wins it, then it is a sign of progress on some level. The other side of that, however, is a loss, which Pitt cannot afford. If Pitt loses this game, they could very well be staring at the possibility of having to win at South Florida to get to a bowl. They should beat the Bulls, but boy, you’d rather go down there and play without that kind of pressure on you. That’s why I say Syracuse is a must-win.
…
Q: What is the real advantage to paying assistant coaches $500,000? Is it a recruiting thing? Who is the most likely, among Pitt’s assistants, to either move on to a head coaching job or be fired or replaced?

ZEISE: Well, if things don’t turn out well for Walt and the Panthers down the stretch, all of them may be out of a job. I think the most likely future head coach is Paul Rhodes, obviously. He is very close to getting his break. If the Panthers continue to have a good year on defense, he may get a few interviews after the season. And the real advantage of paying assistants $500,000 is you get the pick of who you want. You can go get the top level, experienced veteran coach. When you don’t pay much, you have to take a shot at young, hungry guys who may or may not pan out. It is that old saying — you get what you pay for.

Seems to be what both sides are talking about for this game. Pitt’s offensive line knows it will have to keep getting better than the last game.

But according to Panthers tackle Rob Petitti, the line won’t have to play at that level to beat Syracuse tomorrow — they’ll have to play at an even higher one.

“That Boston College game was great for us,” he said. “It was a great feeling to come off the ball like we did and to be able to do a lot of the things we did. We passed the ball well and we ran it extremely well. That’s when football is fun. But we can’t keep living off that one game. We need to play like that every week and I don’t think we followed it up with as good an effort against Rutgers.

“Syracuse, to me, may have the best defensive line we’ll face so [the offensive line] has to play our best game to have a chance to win. BC had one great pass rusher, Syracuse has two. That puts the pressure on [tackles] so we need to get ready to play.”

The Orange are usually blessed with a talented front seven on defense and it usually starts up front. This year is no exception as they feature two of the top pass rushers in the Big East.

Maybe, but their actual defense is not that good. Pitt should be looking to keep the running backs in as blockers again to give Palko time to throw. Syracuse’s secondary is more vulnerable than Pitt’s.

I’m trying to figure out if Syracuse Coach Paul Pasqualoni is drunk or just blowing smoke when he said this:

“Pitt has had two really big wins over Rutgers and Boston College,” Pasqualoni said. “Seems like they’re playing Pittsburgh-style football, very impressive on defense, runs to the ball hard, giving effort, playing well and developing [quarterback] Tyler Palko, who is becoming, I think, very comfortable.”

Palko is, behind an offensive line that is big and healthy.

That line will be a challenge for the Syracuse front, which registered five sacks against UConn.

“They have maybe the biggest offensive line we’ve seen thus far this year and we’ve seen some pretty darn good offensive lines when you consider we’ve played Purdue, Virginia, Florida State,” Pasqualoni said. “This offensive line is really, really a great group of kids and they’re big. So this will be a pretty typical Syracuse-Pittsburgh game. It’s one of the older games in the Northeast, there’s a lot of tradition and a lot of history behind it, so hopefully we can make it a challenging day.”

Um,uh, yeah.

The other side for Pitt will be stopping the run, since Syracuse has Senior Walter Reyes and Junior Damian Rhodes to run the ball. Reyes, especially, will be looking for a big game. It’s his final home game, 2 years ago Pitt held him to under 100 yards running and last year his coach did Pitt a favor by not running him much in the second half to keep him under 100 yards. Pitt is the only Big East opponent against whom he’s never run for 100 or more yards. I expect Pitt will once more be stacked to stop the run and force Syracuse and Patterson to throw.

This is how the Orange beat writer sees the keys to beating Pitt.

1. Make ’em pay. Fortunately, SU’s coaching staff has had its share of successes vs. the Virginia Tech style defense Pitt employs. The key is to run effectively enough to make the defenders stay bunched at the line of scrimmage and then pass over it for the big play. SU true freshman wide receiver Rice Moss could play a big role in this one. It all starts with SU’s ability to establish the run and keep those safeties close.
2. Pressure and contain. One without the other will not get the job done against Pitt sophomore Palko. Even last week, when SU sacked Dan Orlovsky five times, the immobile UConn QB ducked inside the rush several times and made his way toward the sideline. Palko will take those free tickets and run like a tailback for first downs. SU must continue to get a good rush from the edge, but its young defensive tackles must fill the inside lanes and be there to sack the QB when he steps up into the pocket. SU must pressure the QB as it did last week but also contain him much better.
3. Prevent balance. Pitt has struggled to run the ball all season, making it easy for opposing defenses to sit back in coverage and contain the pass. SU’s run defense has been mediocre. If it allows Pitt to establish any kind of ground game, it will make the Panthers’ solid passing game even more dangerous. It must shut down the ground game with its front seven, allowing the safeties to help in pass coverage. That is the key to interceptions.
4. Burn prevention. Larry Fitzgerald may be gone, but Pitt has a decent replacement in sophomore Greg Lee, a potential game-breaker who averages 20.8 yards a catch and 4.5 catches a game. SU’s soft secondary, which has allowed 16 TD passes in eight games, must not allow Lee or any of his teammates to get behind it for a quick strike. It cannot give the visitors momentum via a big play.
5. Block one. Pitt punter Adam Graessle has a powerful leg (44.3 yards per kick) but has also had four punts blocked this season. The time is right for Anthony Smith or one of his SU teammates to make it five. SU’s defense and special teams must continue to give its average offense all the help it can get. A big play on special teams via a block or return would be huge here. The article also talks about the fact that both coaches are on the hot seat and need the win to have a shot at keeping their job.

As I mentioned, this will be senior day for Syracuse. So emotions could be something of an x-factor.

The Carrier Dome has not been a good place for Pitt, but I see them getting the win in this game.

Pitt 27 SU 17

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