The battling Bucknell Bisons play Pitt on Sunday evening. No one is even bothering to televise what is expected to be a blowout. Pitt game notes (PDF) are mostly unremarkable. Pitt, with the expected win will be 11-0 and for the second straight year be undefeated in their non-con (as well they should given the opponents). The only thing remotely interesting about the game is that Chevy Troutman needs 16 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Not sure he will get it, because I would hope Coach Dixon limits the minutes of the starters. Play some of the kids who haven’t gotten much time, and need some game experience.

Bucknell’s game notes are here. It would appear that you can listen on the internet to the Bucknell broadcast of the game for free. The game starts at 7pm.

P-G Pitt basketball beat writer Ray Fittipaldo has his Q&A on Pitt for the week. He doesn’t seem to care about Pitt’s non-con, and generally it’s a kind of bland session. Fittipaldo’s Q&A have not been terribly enlightening.

Those who live in Pittsburgh probably have a better idea than most with the myriad of problems that surrounded the completion of the Petersen Event Center. Last April, the Post-Gazette did a 2-part in-depth story on the cost overruns and expenses of the Pete. In a follow-up article, they detail the state’s strange and unclear procedures for resolving disputes with contractors over monies owed.

Just to keep things messy, the state and Pitt filed a lawsuit yesterday:

The school and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, which ran the construction project, filed two lawsuits yesterday seeking unspecified damages against the companies and their insurance companies for alleged problems at the $107 million Petersen Events Center, which opened in November 2002.

Neither the state nor the university estimated how much the alleged problems would cost to repair.

In the lawsuit, the university claims an architectural partnership between Pittsburgh-based Apostolou Associates and Atlanta-based Rosser International drew up shoddy plans and caused construction delays that cost the university $5.5 million to settle claims by contractors.

The university also claims the arena’s steel and aluminum roof, which was installed by Kansas City-based Havens Steel Co. and G&W Roofing & Construction of Eighty-Four, Pa., is deteriorating and has leaks from poor workmanship.

According to the article, there are more than 200 holes in the roof and the venilation, sprinkler and communication systems are all subpar. It apparently won’t interfere with the basketball games.

Larry Fitzgerald will be at the game as an honorary Pitt captain.

The QBs for both teams seem almost mirror images at times.

Pitt defense points to the goal line stands against Temple as plays that helped turn their season around. The team as a whole, seems to be relishing the underdog role. (I put the over/under on when Brent Musberger drives that issue into the ground and starts Lee cursing him at about 5 minutes into the second quarter.)

Questions about whether the offense will be rusty continue. Meanwhile the new Utah offensive coordinator, not surprisingly, doesn’t think any defense even remotely stopped or will stop the offense. Naturally, this spread-esque offense has me very nervous given Pitt’s history against it.

Utah also feels good about its special teams.

A little more than 33 hours…

Jumping ahead, a bit. While the so-called “Crimson Nation” rolls southwest, and those already in Arizona have a big rally for the team, the future for Utah is a big question.

Quarterback Alex Smith and the rest of the undefeated Utah Utes are barely a day away from the most important and exciting game in school history, and their fans are surely delirious amid the final buildup to a Fiesta Bowl that represents a dream accomplishment.

So enjoy it.

It might be the last big thrill for a while.

The final gun at Sun Devil Stadium is poised to have the same effect for this red-and-white Cinderella as the clock striking midnight, turning the Utes back into a nice little team that contends for the Mountain West Conference title but not much else – at least not right away.

Utah will graduate 18 seniors, QB Alex Smith and WR Steve Savoy might go pro, and their head coach is on the first plane out to Florida after the game. That’s a lot to rebuild. Still, they have done everything and reached a peak. Lots of credit must be given to any team that actually reaches and possibly exceeds its potential. A perfect record, no matter what your schedule is an impressive thing.

For Pitt fans the future looks very bright. This doesn’t feel like the peak of this team. Just an early surprise. I don’t necessarily agree with Smizik that Pitt is in a win-win situation regarding being in the Fiesta Bowl (never mind how he acts as if he wasn’t part of the group looking to get rid of Harris), but better things are expected. A good article on how Pitt seems to be seeking that elusive next level, and how Harris came to be seen as not being the guy to do it.

This season’s Panthers started 2-2, then finished 8-3 with a share of the Big East championship and a Fiesta Bowl berth, but the feeling of not-good-enough seemed to hover over the program, putting Harris on a perpetual hot seat that will soon be only a pile of ashes.

It was so obvious at times, said Rob Petitti, three-time All-Big East and second-team All-America offensive tackle, “that I think people wanted us to lose this year. I don’t know if he had a choice of leaving, but I don’t think he did. I think he got forced out.”
…
Administrators never seemed to make a push to keep Harris, whose record at Pitt stands at 52-43 entering Saturday’s game at Sun Devil Stadium, and first-team All-Big East defensive tackle Vince Crochunis can only shake his head at all the criticism.

“Many feel Coach Harris overstayed his welcome, but from a player’s standpoint, I think he could have stayed here as long as he wanted,” he said.

Harris doesn’t want to talk about the events that triggered his move, but he said winning the Fiesta Bowl would be a nice way to exit.

His mission statement for Pittsburgh was: “We will not cut corners, not sacrifice the success of the program in order to have a one-time successful football team.”

“I tried to put the program first and foremost,” Harris said. “All the decisions were made based on the program.”

Petitti said the Pitt football team “was in the doldrums, sliding” when Harris took over and began the turnaround. “I think Coach Harris did a great job. We’ve got a lot of good guys on the team, not just good athletes, but good people. There’s not a troublemaker on the team.”

Shelly Anderson has the must-read column for the day regarding the administration, fans and commitment to the team.

Pitt is nationally prominent in basketball and is headed for its fifth consecutive bowl appearance, and a Bowl Championship Series game at that. Yet it was the football coaching change that seemed to inject the Panthers’ faithful with large doses of adrenaline and New Year’s joy.

The administration has finally made a real commitment to the football program, brought in a big name — and a Pitt guy — who can lead the Panthers to great things. Or so the sentiment seems to be.

There’s no disputing it was a great hire, and there’s nothing wrong with that optimism. In fact, it’s refreshing after all the vitriol spewed toward Harris and the underappreciation of the job he did in his eight seasons.

Yet the scenario begs a question about commitment.

Just how does the commitment thing work in college athletics? What comes first — the administration making the right moves, the fans offering staunch and unwavering support, or the coaches and players going above and beyond?

Then there is Wannstedt coming home, and even in the Miami area they think it is a win for all:

Such a strange and wonderful force home can be.

Strong connection to Pitt

Maybe it’s too fairy-tale sappy to suggest Wannstedt is exactly where he’s supposed to be after mostly disappointing NFL tenures as head coach in Chicago (six years) and Miami.

But he sure did look proud and relaxed and, well, somehow more imposing than he ever did with the Dolphins that day he was introduced as Pitt’s new boss.

“I can promise you there hasn’t been a Saturday that I’ve been removed from the University of Pittsburgh,” Wannstedt said during the news conference earlier this month announcing his hiring. “There hasn’t been a Saturday when I haven’t checked the score or watched on TV or called a friend to find out who won the game.”

That’s good stuff. That’s real stuff. That’s good and real Wannstedt stuff.

And Wanny has helped solidify a recruit and has indicated a lot of the defensive coaches will be staying.

[Linebacker, Steve] Dell committed to Pitt the day before Harris accepted the Stanford job, then reopened his recruiting. Dell said he talked to Wannstedt several times and was assured that linebackers coach Curtis Bray and defensive line coach Bob Junko would remain on staff.

“He pretty much told me he was keeping the defensive staff, that coach Bray and coach Junko were definitely staying,” said Dell, who had 82 tackles and six sacks in seven games in a hurricane-shortened senior season. “He’s from Florida and he knows the talent coming out of South Florida. He told me I’m officially his first recruit.”

Craig Bokor, a defensive end from Hopewell who spent the fall at Valley Forge Military Academy, and tailback Rashad Jennings of Forest, Va., also will enroll next week.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Bokor signed with Pitt last February but did not qualify academically under NCAA freshman eligibility guidelines.

“I’ve talked to (Wannstedt) twice since he got the job,” said Bokor, who picked Pitt over offers from Miami, Michigan, Michigan State and Virginia. “I like him.”

Meanwhile the Trib. continues to push Duquesne head coach Greg Gattuso for an assistant coaching position at Pitt.

Multiple posts will be necessary again to cover all the articles of interest. Just a lot of stuff.

The Pitt players have enjoyed themselves in the week leading up to the Fiesta Bowl. Click on the photo of Del Sardo on media day, talking with the Fiesta Bowl queen and court, then click over to the one of H.B. Blades. I don’t know why these photos crack me up so much. DelSardo’s facial expression and body language is great.

Josh Cummings gives his first person account of the week. He had been to the Fiesta Bowl with Oregon a few years ago. He also drops that his girlfriend is on the Pitt Dance Team. Maybe that helps to explain why Sunshine would happen to drift down the sideline when the dance team was in front of the student section.

Of course, Utah has their own refuge from that Oregon team. Senior Wide Receiver, Paris Warren, was a redshirt freshman at the time. Warren also thinks Pitt should have a bit of a chip on their shoulder.

Sounds like Vince Crochunis was having some fun with the Utah media in talking about Utah’s offense.

Crochunis has offered his insight on any and all subjects this week. Today’s topic: the spread offense that has taken hold in college football, and is mastered by Utah.

“That’s really made it hard for defenses around the country to adjust,” Crochunis said. “I don’t think a good defense has been found yet to stop the spread offense, because it’s a relatively new thing. In a couple of years, probably nobody will use it. It takes time for defenses to evolve.”

Anyone outside of Hawaii still using the chuck and duck run and gun? I don’t think the spread is going to quite go that way, but it will eventually be solved as more teams try to run it. Crochunis also received a nice little puff piece in the Arizona Republic.

A column on Utah Running Back Marty Johnson, who has alcohol issues. I think Starkey is being a little unfair to Johnson, but at the same time the guy has only been sober for less than a year. He hasn’t completely earned the benefit of the doubt as to how firm his resolve is. Unasked, and very important, is the question of whether he has people around him that won’t enable him.

Interesting article regarding the budgets of bowl teams.

Of the 56 teams in postseason games, Utah is 40th in spending, at $5.8 million, according to 2003-04 financial records, the most recent available. When it comes to raising money, the Utes are 46th, with $4.7 million.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is 15th highest in spending, at $11.7 million, and 21st in revenue, with $19.4 million.

The top spending team is Ohio State, at $16.1 million, while Troy State spends the least at $3.1 million. Texas is best when it comes to raising money, with $47.6 million, while Toledo raises the least, at $1.3 million.

A shame there aren’t more details. It might be interesting to see where the money is going and compare it to other programs.

No, not you John (inside joke).

At the start of the basketball season there were questions about which of the 3 new players on Pitt’s team would have the earliest impact, i.e., earn major minutes either off the bench or even as a starter. If you put a gun to my head back then, I would have gone with John DeGroat. I figured as a JUCO and playing Forward he would be the first option to sub for McCarroll and Troutman or even supplant McCarroll.

To quote a far better writer than myself, “The lesson, as always, I’m an idiot.”

Both papers do pieces on Ronald “Razor” Ramon. This one focuses on his play, especially how he helped keep Pitt in the first half of the South Carolina game. Ramon hitting outside shots in the first half was very important not just in keeping Pitt close, but because it eventually started stretching the Gamecock’s zone to allow passes inside to Troutman and Taft. The thing that was often missing from Pitt’s game last year.

The other is more of the puff-type dealing more with his relationship with his father Ricardo Ramon. His father was a star player in the Dominican Republic and played ball in parts of South America, before they came to the US. The story, though, also contains a key comment from Ramon, showing why he is playing so much:

“I just come in and try to play hard,” Ramon said. “My role is to play defense, try and stop somebody. The offense just comes. At that time it was tough. It was a tight game. I just wanted to play great defense. Defense wins games. If we get stops, the offense will come.”

He appears not only to have been the first to grasp that, but the first to play it. I think the others will get their chance, as they more fully understand how much they have to give on defense first.