Looking to find out if what they heard was accurate. We had a couple searches land here. Yes he said it. For the record he apologized for it at his first chance to check himself. As an added bonus, he referred to himself in the 3rd person while doing so.

While meeting later with reporters, Palko apologized before taking any questions.

“Before I start, I lost my composure on the field and said something in the heat of the moment,” Palko said. “That’s not me. That’s not Tyler. It was just a heat of the moment kind of thing. I apologize to my teammates, my family and anybody that was watching.”

No apologies necessary, dude. Considering most of the country watching were saying something along the lines of “holy f**kin’ s**t,” it would be hard to find fault. Here in Panther Nation, you just gave us another reason to endear yourself to us.

As I recall, that’s exactly what Tyler Palko said to a sideline reporter on national television immediately after Pitt upset Notre Dame 41-38 this afternoon. Maybe someday, when I have kids and finally mature a little, I’ll object to such a public display of obscenity. But for now, I love it… especially after we beat Notre (holier than thou) Dame. And I can hardly blame Tyler. I’ve rarely seen a game where so many desperation plays were both required and completed to win.

As I said to Chas when I called him to make sure he heard that f-bomb too, I don’t even know where to begin. Erik Gill’s short catch that turned into a 36 yard gain when an Irish defender tried to strip the ball instead of simply tackling… Palko’s ridiculous little desperation flip to Marcus Furman (I think) on the last drive for a first down… Notre Dame’s committing six always-timely-and-usually-deserved penalties that resulted in Panther first downs, and several more penalties beyond that (9 for 102 yards in total)… Palko’s becoming the first quarterback EVER to complete five touchdown passes against the Irish… In the end, Pitt needed many little miracles to win today, and somehow, we came up with them all.

Does this suddenly mean that I’m happy with Walt Harris? Well, not quite. Not after that absolute debacle in Syracuse last Saturday (speaking of debacles, how did THOSE idiots manage to lose 34-24 to Temple!?). But if Walt somehow manages to pull one out of his ass against West Virginia (incidentally, way to step it up against Boston College, you moonshine-fed hicks), I think I’ll owe ol Walt a clear apology.

Either way, I’m suddenly more excited about giving up Thanksgiving dinner for the Backyard Brawl (heck, at least WE could beat Boston College… of course, as Chas pointed out, WVU did beat Syracuse).

Finally, hail to Wisconsin. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys. Now go dancing on Michigan State’s 50 yard line.

Not really any doing much that focus heavily on sports. But there are some things that somehow never made national news

So, more stories about an Irish QB who was involved in two different incidents this weekend…incidents that would have landed you or I in jail, but seem to keep said QB on the street. All thanks to Ty Willingham giving the boyus Sunday off .. another great decisdion Ty.
(1) Finnegan’s pub incident is legit. Apparently, as stated before, two lineman and one “glorified” QB were involved in a fight. What we’re having a hard time pinning down is whether or not he was actually put in cuffs, which is one story the Backer heard.
(2) Turtle Creek incident is now being confirmed as well. Another lineman jumped a couple of students on Saturday night, dumping beer on their heads, then pounding on them as well…what great guys.
(3) And to the clincher … a glorified, slightly intoxicated QB, who used St. Edward’s hall as a brake for his black Explorer. NDSP was there, BUT DIDN’T arrest him. And there are pictures of said QB in handcufss floating around campus.

— a shock when you think about the attention paid to the Irish, and even may be being covered up.

There’s another guy with interesting loyalties. I don’t know how he thinks the Googlefight is a good thing for his side.

I know. I’m setting myself up for even greater disappointment. Everything all but screams a Pitt loss. Hell, I picked them to lose yesterday. I know better. Still when it’s Saturday, and I’m trying to figure out a way to avoid clearing out the rain gutters, I start constructing scenarios in my head of a Pitt upset. What can I do? Pitt’s my team. So what if the line is ND -11 1/2.

Let’s start with some obvious game analysis for Pitt to have a chance.

To win today, the Panthers will have to do two things that they didn’t do in a loss to Syracuse last week — and they failed miserably at last year when they faced Notre Dame: Run the football and stop the Irish from running the football.

It sounds simple, but both tasks have been difficult in recent weeks.

The past two games, Pitt has averaged only 90 yards rushing and, perhaps more telling, just 2.3 yards per carry. The Panthers have not had a running back rush for more than 90 yards since the Furman game in the third week of the season when Ray Kirkley ran for 108 yards.

Running the football is important on two fronts — it helps the Panthers control the clock and keeps its defense fresh, and it also helps slow down the Irish’s formidable pass rush. Last year against Notre Dame, the Panthers ran for 8 yards on 27 carries, which enabled the Irish to rush quarterback Rod Rutherford mercilessly and sack him eight times.

The run game is only half the equation, however. The Panthers can win if they get their passing game going. In fact, if the Panthers can run enough to keep the Irish honest, quarterback Tyler Palko and his receivers could have a big game because, unlike last year when the Irish had one of the best secondaries around, the Irish are vulnerable against the pass.
…
Defensively the Panthers looked very ordinary last week in allowing the Orange to run 52 times for 239 yards. Players indicated that the problem wasn’t that the Panthers were getting physically dominated up front — as was the case last year against Notre Dame — but rather it was a number of breakdowns and missed assignments.

It may be true about the defense, but we heard that excuse a lot last year, so I’m skeptical.

One thing that could help Pitt, is if ND happens to be looking past them to the game with USC in two weeks. ND says that won’t happen. I have trouble believing that as well. They have a bye after Pitt, so it’s not like they would be looking that far forward. Especially in their home finale. Senior day. A win for ND would just about lock up the Gator Bowl for them. Even if BC were to pull the upset over WVU.

As for the Pitt defense, they know the pressure will be on them to be better than last year and last week.

Go ahead and laugh at the Pitt defense. Crack jokes about how Notre Dame made it look like a second-tier pee-wee outfit last year.

Sophomore linebacker H.B. Blades encourages it.

“What can we really say?” said Blades, who seeks redemption at 2:30 today when the Panthers (5-3) face the Irish (6-3) at Notre Dame Stadium on Senior Day. “The numbers don’t lie.”
…
“I know people made fun of us for the way we played – we all heard it,” Blades said. “I’ll say it right now: That was horrible.”

And painful.

“We have a lot of pride, and it was taken away,” Blades said. “It’s payback time now. We have to get our respect back.”

Well, there’s the talk. It’s almost time for the walk. Of course, H.B. Blades had plenty to say about some of the critics.

Pitt sophomore linebacker H.B. Blades hopes the Panthers can pull off an upset at Notre Dame today for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to silence recent critic and Pitt alum Mark May of ESPN. “He’s clowning us all the time,” Blades said. “But he wants us to win and it just motivates us to do better.” May has seen the program stagnate in recent years and Blades wants to change all of that. “It hurts when an alumnus is dogging us like that. We have to go out and make those guys proud, prove them wrong.” Asked if he’ll phone May should the Panthers win today, Blades said no. “I’ll wait until after we beat Notre Dame, West Virginia and all those other guys.”

I do like the fact that Blades seems to care about what the alum and people are saying. I hate that, “we don’t care what others say about us,” line of crap.

The Q&A with Paul Zeise, this week is most interesting.

Q: You said Pitt should have a big year next year. How do you define that? Do you think they should be favored against Notre Dame in the opener?

ZEISE: How do I define a big year? Well, I think Pitt fans would not be delusional to believe the Panthers should win the Big East and perhaps even go undefeated. They do have to visit Nebraska, but who knows how good the Cornhuskers will be in year two of what is shaping up to be the colossal mistake known as Bill Callahan. And yes, Pitt should be favored to beat Notre Dame to open the season. The game is here, Pitt will have about 17 returning starters, including its entire offense (except for Rob Petitti and Justin Belarski). The Panthers other tough spots will be playing West Virginia in Morgantown and Louisville, regardless of where that game is. Still, given the talent returning at Pitt and the fact that there very well could be a lot of energy surrounding the program with a new coach – there is no reason to expect anything less than 9-2 or 10-1 and a trip to the BCS.
…
Q: Paul what do you think about Pitt returning to its script Pitt to its helmets?

ZEISE: It is one of the best ideas I’ve heard. Those old helmets are a classic, one of the true symbols of greatness in college football. I don’t mind the Panthers logo on the helmet, although it reminds me of an Arena League team. That scripted Pitt, now, that is a thing of beauty. So it has my vote, but of course, my vote doesn’t count.

Q: Does the resignation of Dave Wannstedt impact his consideration for the Pitt job?

ZEISE: OK, I’ll bite because this is an easy one. His resignation affects his consideration for the Pitt job in that he is now available and Pitt doesn’t need to ask anyone’s permission if they want to talk to him. As far as whether that makes him more or less of a candidate, only time will tell. From what I understand, his desire for the job is not what it once was, so his candidacy may never materialize.

Interesting. My “source” for the Wannstedt to Pitt rumor was that it was all but a done deal, brokered by some of the boosters. Of course, this source also told be back when the Penguins were in bankruptcy that it was all but official that they were moving to Kansas City, so…

He also has some interesting things to say about AD Long. Not to mention another coaching rumor/possibility.

You know, as Pitt fans and alumni we are a bit wrapped up in the future of our football team and who the next head coach will be.

Still, it is nothing compared to all the crazy coaching stuff swirling around the Penn State football team. I mean the latest Paterno pious press conference rantings that takes a blind, wild shot at USC and one of their WR from NJ. You have meaningless speculation on a Pittsburgh sports talk radio station, that a PennLive blogger thought was an actual report and caused a mild bit of hysteria. Then in apologizing for the confusion, a new conspiracy was advanced as to the reason.

Oh and once and what was expected to be future Penn State WR Maurice Humphrey was arrested again — he violated terms of his parole from an assault conviction.

I wonder if I can pull off the sympathetic voice when I talk to my dad about this. I just hope I don’t start giggling. That would be wrong. As wrong as this.

I mentioned yesterday that Pitt appeared to get signed letters of intent from its 3 recruits for the 2005 class.

It’s official. Pitt has a press release with more info on the incoming freshmen Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young and JUCO transfer Doyle Hudson.

Yes, I’m returning to a sore subject for me. Why? There was an article from ESPN.com’s “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi talking about scheduling and seeding for the NCAA Tournament (subs. req’d).

Here is what we know:

Strength of Schedule (SOS) still comprises 50 percent of the RPI.

A school’s conference schedule is essentially out of its control.

Each team has roughly 10-12 “electives” through which to build a solid RPI through non-conference scheduling.

And here is what Fran Fraschilla says every coach needs to know:

Play as many games as you can against the Top 150.

Play the best teams you can among low- and mid-majors.

Never schedule a potentially “bad loss.”

Play traditional powers who are “down.”

My job in this article is to apply the “known” outcomes of opponent selection to Fran’s “need to know” list in an effort to better understand the RPI/NCAA implications of the scheduling puzzle.

No. 1: Play as many games as you can against the Top 150

I would turn this statement around and say, “Play as few games as possible against teams in the bottom half of the RPI.” Proof of this axiom is found in the non-conference SOS numbers of the two teams that drew the most coverage and scrutiny last season: UConn and Saint Joseph’s.

One of these teams had the top-ranked non-conference schedule in the country and the other carried the anchor of a sub-100 (No. 102) non-conference schedule into Selection Sunday. You may be more than a little surprised at which team had which ranking.

That’s right, Saint Joseph’s had the No. 1 non-conference schedule in Division I last year (and the fact that the Hawks lost none of those games also gave Jameer Nelson & Co. the No. 1 non-conference RPI). Connecticut’s non-conference slate came in at No. 102, resulting in a significant difference between the Huskies’ overall RPI (No. 5) and their non-conference RPI (No. 26).

How can that be, you say? Saint Joseph’s only played one ranked team last year (Gonzaga), while UConn had non-conference meetings with Georgia Tech, Utah, Oklahoma and North Carolina? How could the Hawks be No. 1 in this category, much less 100-plus spots above the eventual national champions?

The answer is in a simpler version of the statement above: “Play as few games as possible against really, really bad teams.” The worst non-conference opponent on Saint Joseph’s schedule was Delaware (No. 130). UConn played nine teams lower than that, more than half of which were at 200 or below.

So, while the Huskies were able to post a greater number of “name” victories, the Hawks played a far greater number of non-conference games they could actually lose. Non-conference SOS rankings accurately reflect that important (but typically overlooked) reality, and my top guideline-otherwise known as “avoid the slop at all costs”-is the most significant factor in building a bid-friendly non-league profile.

I keep forgetting to mention that the Pitt 2004-05 Media Guide is available for free downloading (PDF).

Lots in the papers. Starting in the Tribune-Review with a puff piece on Carl Krauser taking over full leadership of the team. The piece also defends Krauser against the common complaint that he was a ball-hog.

The weakness in Krauser’s game last year was his shooting percentage. He shot 38.7 percent in Big East play, 33.3 percent in the Big East Tournament and 31.8 percent in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, he also won the NCAA tournament road game at Wisconsin with a fearless drive to the basket.

Krauser’s low shooting percentage can be misleading. Late in season, Pitt’s offense often broke down, leaving Krauser to freelance as the shot clock ticked toward zero.

Some viewed that as selfishness, when, in reality, Pitt was lucky it had a player who could make something happen when the natural progressions of their offense failed to produce open shots.

If all goes right this season, Krauser will shoot less and feed more. The team’s outside shooting is expected to be improved with additions such as dead-eye freshman Ronald Ramon.

“It’ll be a lot easier for me when I penetrate,” Krauser said. “I want to help my teammates grow, give them confidence, get them in position for good shots. You’ll see a lot of me penetrating, drawing people to me and kicking it out.”

Put me in the pro-Krauser camp. It’s very true that after the Syracuse game last February, teams were really collapsing down to force Pitt to take outside shots. That is why someone with consistency on the outside will get lots of playing time. It doesn’t even have to be a 3-point assassin, so much as someone who can shoot the 15-18 foot jumper.

Another story focuses on Pitt’s front court. Not just Troutman and Taft, but McCarroll, Gray and Kendall. Here’s actually a pretty nifty shot of all 5. It even has some interesting comments from former Pitt great, Charles Smith,

“It comes down to hard work,” said Smith, a New Jersey-based businessman and former NBA player who is Pitt’s all-time leading scorer. “I worked my butt off. And Jerome worked his butt off. We wanted it. We had guys back then like Keith Armstrong, who moved people around like Gray can do now. I will say that I think Jamie Dixon is a much better coach than Paul Evans ever could have been. I would have liked to have played for Jamie’s staff because it’s apparent they get the best out of these kids.”

Smith then sent a message to the Panther Nation.

“They have a chance to see some really great basketball in this era — and they had better enjoy it,” Smith said. “Because you don’t get this a lot in college basketball — kids with size and versatility.”

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a former player from the Paul Evans era speak well of him.

Another article focuses on the team’s expectations being higher once more. Good. The Big East is already going to be tough. That is no excuse for not thinking this team can’t get past the Sweet 16.

For those of you living in Pittsburgh, probably a good idea to pick up the Post-Gazette today for their special College Basketball Preview for the region.

Or maybe not. The depth of the Pitt articles are lacking, to be kind. There is a feature cover story about “Where Have All the Shooters Gone.” There are also companion pieces focusing on former Pitt star Jason Matthews opinions of what happened — he sees a big reason is the lack of practicing the shot and more emphasis on just playing. He doesn’t say the word, but it is obvious he is talking about fundamentals.

The P-G Pitt basketball beat reporter, Ray Fittipaldo, picks Pitt 4th in the Big East this year. He puts ND ahead of Pitt.

Taft is called the key player to get Pitt beyond the Sweet 16. There is a list of the “5 key games” for the regular season. No big surprise which games. Well, kind of. The South Carolina game will be important as one of the few non-cons that Pitt could lose, but I think only the Memphis game is really the only big non-con. The Richmond game seems more dangerous than South Carolina because I can see Pitt not taking it serious and getting burned.

Finally, Fittipaldo’s 3 keys to the season:

1. Outside shooting
2. Defense, defense, defense
3. Don’t peak early

He elaborates on each one. As for the final point, why am I the only one wondering about a) how Coach Dixon will work his bench more and use the depth that has never been there for this Pitt team; and b) why no one seems to consider the possibility that part of the reason Pitt shot so poorly in March was that the starters had logged so many minutes that they were just running out of gas?

November 20, the season starts, but the first game on ESPN (and that I’ll get to see) will be December 7 against Memphis. Whoo-hoo!

As regurgitated on this site, yesterday, Pitt and ND will take a 2 year break following next season’s game and then play home-and-home for 8 years. This makes Beano Cook happy. It came about with more than a little extra push from the Big East itself.

A nice article on Palko‘s determination and desire to win.

If you have the stomach for it, here is the review of the game from last year.

Notre Dame’s offense has not been consistent. They have gotten just enough from QB Brady Quinn to win some games, and everyone says the kid is getting better in the Irish’s west coast offense. Still, their offense struggles. They are 79th in total offense — 90th rushing and 48th passing.

Pitt on offense, well we know about the running game. Pitt is 100th in rushing, but 32nd passing. Pitt’s total offense, overall is not much better — 76th. The thing will come down to defense.

ND is strong up front on the defensive line that ranks them 10th against the run. While they are bad against the pass, 103rd, you have to figure that they will be looking to overpower Pitt’s O-line like they have done the last couple years and most teams have been able to do against Pitt. We can only hope Mike McGlynn and the rest of the O-line can back-up what they say they want to do against a Notre Dame team that is 45th overall in the nation on defense.

When ND has the ball, well despite Pitt’s supposed decent run defense — 37th overall — we’ve seen Pitt get plowed over by teams with a good running back and a strong O-line. While Darius Walker looked to be that back with 115 yards rushing against Michigan and 98 yards versus Michigan St., he has seen a diminished work load in the last 3 games. Still he averages 3.9 yards a carry. I expect them to test the Pitt run defense early.

Pitt’s pass defense, as we know, has been bad. It is 109th in the country, and given the way we saw both Nebraska and UConn use a West Coast, short passing game against Pitt with great success, I’m very worried. Quinn is very capable of burning Pitt all day long with quick outs and slants over the middle.

I think both teams will have trouble scoring. It will be as ugly as the last couple years. The fact that both teams will not score much will keep it close and force us to watch the whole way through. Unfortunately, I don’t see Pitt winning.

ND 20 Pitt 13

Several Pitt players have been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 2 Football Team. They are center Justin Belarski, nose tackle Vince Crochunis and defensive tackle Dan Stephens. Strangely enough, all three actually have graduated, but are taking grad school courses in their final year of eligibility.

From an ESPN.com chat with Beano Cook.

Joey (Pittsburgh): Any rumors on Wannstedt going to Pitt? He is a fellow Pittsburgher.

SportsNation Beano Cook: There are rumors, but in my opinion he would not be the right choice to make.

Wish he would have elaborated. I have some doubts, but when Beano doesn’t think he’s the right choice, I have to reconsider my position. He might be perfect for the job afterall.

The Wall Street Journal has a free open house this week, and this article about the MAC getting screwed slowly by the NCAA caught my attention. It’s from last Friday.

But the real suspense in Rubber City? Can Akron draw enough fans to avoid the threat of getting bounced from the top tier of college football. If the Zips — short for Zippers, the name of a kind of rubber boots, once — can’t boost their average attendance of 10,737 above 15,000 by season’s end, Big Brother NCAA will put Akron football on double secret probation.

Such is life in the lower reaches of Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. If the NCAA isn’t threatening to revoke your membership — and not for recruiting shenanigans or academic scandals — it’s considering measures that could challenge you even more.
…
The MAC is one of five other — smaller, lesser — Division I-A conferences. Its members mostly are academically solid institutions like Kent State, Bowling Green and Ball State. Their athletic programs are modest — budgets of around $11 million to $17 million, a fraction of sports-factory spending. They tend to do a better job integrating athletics with the rest of campus life. They have among the best football graduation rates in the country.

And they’re competitive. In the last three years MAC members Toledo, Marshall, Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green have finished in the nation’s top 25. Northern Illinois is 24th in a poll this week. Three National Football League starting quarterbacks — Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers), Chad Pennington (New York Jets) and Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville Jaguars) — are MAC daddies. They’re a combined 17-5 this season.

The downside of being the MAC is vulnerability. Moves that benefit a Miami of Florida typically hurt a Miami of Ohio; the transfer proposal, for instance, would surely lead to big schools poaching, say, NFL-prospect quarterbacks. It’s enough to make one believe in grassy-knoll conspiracies to push the little guy out of Division I-A. “A lot of it feels like the end result is the rich get richer,” says Kent State’s athletic director, Laing Kennedy.
…
Thanks to prodding from [Kent State President,] Dr. [Carol] Cartwright, the 15,000 attendance minimum, though only in its first year, is expected to get a second look.

That’s crucial to the MAC, which has two members below that Mendoza line and three others flirting with it. The conference has had seven of the 10 worst-attended Division I-A games this fall. Among the 117 I-A members, Akron, a commuter school whose Depression-era stadium is nine miles from campus, ranks dead last in fans per game.

Does that mean these schools don’t belong in Division I-A? Of course not. The attendance minimum neglects factors like region and weather — not to mention academic standing and on-field performance. And it forces schools to spend money they otherwise wouldn’t. To try to boost its gate, Akron this year hired a marketing consultant. For one game, it booked the “Animal House” band Otis Day and the Nights. Tonight, city employees get in free and the mayor will proclaim “Charlie Frye Day” (get it?) to honor the Zips’ stand-out quarterback.

If Akron doesn’t make the arbitrary 15K threshold — and it probably won’t — it will get a warning from the NCAA. Then, if it falls short anytime in the next 10 years, it will be barred from bowl games. If it fails again the following season, it will be kicked out of I-A. “No one doesn’t try to get people to come to their games,” Zips athletic director Mike Thomas says. “We’re sitting here looking at the weather map all week.”

I have a feeling that the attendance requirement may get removed in the next few years. It was something they instituted when a rash of schools jumped to Div. I-A. Most of those schools did so successfully and with much support. There is no way the big money schools, now can afford to have schools like Akron kicked out of Div. I-A. They are essential patsies who are willing to go on the road to give the paying school their Washington Generals type game.

It seems, according to Pantherlair/Rivals.com that all 3 of Pitt’s basketball recruits have signed letters of intent to play at Pitt. Pitt has one more scholarship available for the 2005 incoming class.

In other B-Ball notes. Tickets for Sunday’s 7 pm exhibition against Gannon University are still available for $25 a pop.

Also, Pitt has decided to open the doors to the Pete, 90 minutes prior to tipoffs this year. Parking lots will be open 2 1/2 hours before the game. Previously, they only opened the doors an hour before tipoff.

Apparently it is easier for Pitt to work out a one-for-one deal with probably the most attractive opponent — from a ticket sales perspective — than with Penn State.

Pitt and Notre Dame have already agreed to resume playing each other from 2008 to 2015. Not a 2-for-1 deal, but home-away. The two teams will not play each other in ’06 and ’07. Amazing how easy that was.

Correction. Yesterday, I said this was the last game between the two teams. My bad. Next season is the last game between Pitt and Notre Dame. It will be the season opener at Heinz Field, on September 3. The teams moved the game up to guarantee national coverage.

Pitt seems resigned to not being able to run the ball much against ND. While it may not make a difference, here’s a thought. Let Mason have a few touches. Just to see what happens. How much worse could it be?

As it stands, the big concern for Pitt’s offense will be keeping QB Tyler Palko from being killed by the pass rush. Rod Rutherford was sacked 16 times in 2002 and 2003. Over 1/3 of the sacks were credited to Defensive End Justin Tuck. ND comes in with 23 sacks on the year and the Panthers are second worst in the Big East in Sacks given up at 22. Keep Joe Flacco at the ready.

The thing that should give Pitt some hope is the fact that ND has been wildly unpredictable in which team will show up to play on a given Saturday.

Final, bitter point goes back to Syracuse, and the final play.

Syracuse linebacker Tommy Harris said Pitt left tackle Rob Petitti tipped off the play when he came to the line of scrimmage, pointed at Harris and told tight end Steve Buches, “You block him.” Defensive end James Wyche picked up the signal and yelled, “Toss! Toss!”

“I mean, it kind of helps to know what’s going to happen on that play,” Harris said. “You go a little harder when you know what’s going on already.”

Petitti said the noise inside the Carrier Dome prompted him to point out the assignment.

Pitt didn’t get the first down by an inch.

Nothing much on the game. Just a lot of sidebar stuff in the papers. Quick rundown.

Palko’s grandma is a typical Catholic ND fan that wanted Tyler to go to Notre Dame. A couple years ago Pat and I did a roadie to South Bend. At a couple rest stops, Pat kept running into guys he knows in Pittsburgh — from his Hibernian order — going to the game to root for ND. As we were driving away, he just shook his head in frustration. None of the guys went to ND and a few even went to Pitt.

The missed 52 yard field goal by Cummings that Harris initially called a “flinch.” According to Cummings, the problem was the snap was late and he had to pause in his kick to wait for the ball to be placed.

Yesterday was Coach Walt Harris’ birthday. He turned 58.

About the only thing working in Pitt’s favor now, might be Notre Dame’s letdowns before big games. Before they beat Michigan and Tennessee, they lost to Bringham Young and BC. After they face Pitt they go to play USC. Sure, why not. This will be the last game between the two teams for a while. Both say they want to continue playing annually, but ND is looking at reworking its schedule to have 7 home games a year. Be nice if we could do to them what we did in a final game for the foreseeable future against Penn State.

Joe Bendel’s Big East notebook for ESPN.com

Coach Walt Harris, who is no stranger to the hot seat, is feeling the heat again in the aftermath of a 38-31 double-overtime loss at Syracuse. His team (5-3, 3-2) held a 24-21 lead throughout the fourth quarter, but yielded a late-game, 70-yard field goal drive that sent it to overtime. The shoe finally dropped when tailback Ray Kirkley was stopped short on fourth-and-one in the second session. Had the Panthers won, they’d be a victory shy of winning a share of the Big East title. As it is, they’re not sure if a bowl bid is in their future. They play at Notre Dame (6-3) on Saturday, then play host to WVU (8-1) on Thanksgiving night. They are expected to lose those games, which means their postseason hopes could ride on a Dec. 4 meeting at South Florida (3-4). Harris is being closely scrutinized, and the Syracuse loss might have sealed his fate.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Palko might not make an All-Big East team — the league is loaded with QBs such as Rasheed Marshall (WVU), Dan Orlovsky (UConn), Ryan Hart (Rutgers), Paul Peterson (BC) and Walter Washington (Temple) — but he is the lifeblood of the Panthers. As he goes, they go, and he nearly led another comeback Saturday by throwing for 342 yards with three scores in overcoming a 21-6 first-half deficit. He called the game’s final play during a timeout — Kirkley’s failed run on a weakside toss — but you wonder why Harris didn’t veto and put the ball in Palko’s hands. Palko has a knack for making plays, and, it says here, he would have found a way to get that crucial first down.

Harris has dubbed Pitt Wide Receiver U. — and with good reason. He’s coached Biletnikoff Award winners Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald, while also producing the Big East’s top receiver in six of his seven seasons. His newest star is sophomore Greg Lee, who ranks eighth nationally at 104 receiving yards per game. Lee has posted four 100-yard games, including a nine-catch, 188-yard effort against Syracuse that saw him pull in a one-handed, 57-yard touchdown. Lee averages 20.8 yards per catch and has 40 receptions for 832 yards.

In his rundown of the teams he notes that Rutgers was held to under 100 yards rushing in 7 of its last 8 games and BC has gone 2 straight games with under 100 yards rushing. Kind of suggests that Pitt’s run defense was being padded by opponents with overhyped running games. Against better backs (Brockington of UConn and Syracuse’s two guys) Pitt’s run defense isn’t much better than last year.

Well, the line is Notre Dame -11. I’m not sure how they think Notre Dame will score that many points. I understand them being favored, but their offense hasn’t exactly blown anyone away.

The Pitt Game Day Press Release with links to lots of info is out.

Notre Dame has its game notes out. You can get the full version here (PDF).

The Full transcript of the Ty Willingham press conference is here. Here’s the stuff relating to Pitt.

Q. We’ve gone about 20 minutes and we haven’t talked about this week’s opponent. Can you give me an evaluation?

COACH WILLINGHAM: Pittsburgh presents a huge challenge. I think they’re sitting in their locker room right now really upset with themselves because they’ve been in a couple overtime games that they feel like they could win, should have won, et cetera.

They feel like they’re a much better team than their record indicates. And their record right now, if I’m correct, is 5-3. They’re in position to be a Bowl team if they can win Saturday.

So we know this is a very dangerous team. From an offensive standpoint, it’s difficult to say, but true, in many regards this offense may be a more `team’ offense than the offense they had a year ago with Larry Fitzgerald. They are doing some things a lot better and don’t rely on just one guy as they did a year ago.

Any time you have more weapons at your disposal, it makes you a greater challenge. We know defensively they are a physical group that can run around. Even though on some games they’ve given up yardage, they will play their best ballgame this weekend and that goes without saying.

Q. You talk about them sitting in their locker room thinking they could be better. Are they a mirror image of your team in a lot of respects?

COACH WILLINGHAM: You see two teams that will have a very similar approach in terms of attitude about how important this football game is.

Q. What is it about (Tyler) Palko that makes him so effective?

COACH WILLINGHAM: He’s versatile. He’s doing a great job of protecting the football, for the most part. He moves around in a timely basis to make it very difficult. And he’s putting the ball in the right places with his receivers.
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Q. You were able to carve up a lot of yards on the ground last year against Pitt. That seems to be a recurring problem this team this year. Is that one of the things you’re going to look at this week to maybe exploit that D line?

COACH WILLINGHAM: We haven’t completed all of our studies of the Pittsburgh defense as of yet. We’ll be trying to finalize our thoughts and the picture they present to us through their games this year probably by Wednesday or Thursday.

If you were by chance to contact me later in the week, I might have some idea about that (laughter).

Q. Greg (Lee), another up-and-coming wide receiver. What problems does he present for your secondary?

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, as you know, I think Coach (Walt) Harris and the Pittsburgh staff have done a great job with all of their wide receivers. It seems each year they have one of the premiere guys if not in the BIG EAST in the whole country. Any time you have a guy that is that skilled, he poses a great deal of problems. I think if I’m correct, Greg’s last performance was almost 200 yards, 188.

Q. Correct.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He had a spectacular game. When you have a player that performs at that level, it is always a problem.

Q. Coach (Walt) Harris has come under a lot of scrutiny this year. Looking at it from afar, how do you think he’s done this year coaching-wise, his tenure as Pittsburgh?

COACH WILLINGHAM: First of all, if you tell me there’s a coach in this country that hasn’t come under scrutiny, I’d like to see it.

Second of all, I think he’s done well. He’s got his team positioned not where he would like them to be, but I think at 5-3, they feel they have a chance to do some things.

The media, at least, is looking past Pitt. Actually, what stands out to me, is how much ND’s Head Coach already has down about the team in terms of raw facts. He had the info pretty much dead on.