As College Football’s signing day draws nearer, I can’t help but think a little bit about the disappointment of last year. One of the things Walt Harris blamed the collapse of last year’s class on, was “negative recruiting” against Pitt. This is what I wrote then,

…I don’t buy it for a minute that Harris and Pitt recruiting doesn’t use “negative recruiting.” If it was actually true, I want Harris gone now because he truly would be an idiot. That said, the fact that Pitt couldn’t see the negative whisperings coming and counter it really bothers me. Of course people were going to keep wooing these kids. Pitt helped open the door with its on the field performance.

I was reminded of thise, when I came across a kind of amusing article from Florida on negative recruiting.

Welcome to the world of negative recruiting.

It happens everywhere. Everybody knows it. Most coaches probably do it.

But as you might imagine, few admit it. And fans, naturally, believe their coaches are the honorable ones and the other guys are dirty.

“Have you ever heard a politician say he does negative campaigning?” Reaves said.

What constitutes negative recruiting?

That depends on which side of the field you’re on. Many tactics indisputably cross that line, such as saying another school’s academics are substandard or it has ugly coeds.

Letting recruits know that a rival school has ugly girls crosses the line? Damn.

Pitt had a long trip back from Storrs, Connecticut. The team ended up taking a charter bus to Philly, before eventually getting back to the ‘Burgh around 11:30 Sunday night. This included a 3 hour wait on the runway. On the bright side, they didn’t have to watch the Steelers. All that time together, travelling. Sounds like the perfect time to break out some cliches about how they drew closer together as a team. But, no. Nothing like that. Of course, I bet that spin would have been made if they had lost. Of course, that long confined together after 2 straight losses could have been ugly.

The other piece highlights the contributions in the UConn game from Kendall and Gray.

Two players, in particular, who made their presence felt in the UConn upset were 6-foot-9 forward Levon Kendall and 7-foot center Aaron Gray. That duo had been averaging 6 and 2 minutes, respectively, in the previous four Big East games, but Kendall played 20 minutes and Gray 12 against the Huskies.

“You always have to be ready,” Gray said.

Summoned from the bench early, Gray appeared to be right at home among the tall and talented frontline of Connecticut, considered the best in the nation. He finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field, to go with three rebounds and a turnover.
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For the second game in a row, Kendall showed he is fearless regardless of the situation. He managed only three points and two rebounds vs. the Huskies, but had two of the biggest defensive plays of the night.

The first was so impressive that it was highlighted by SportsCenter. With 4:01 remaining and the Panthers ahead by only a point, Kendall caught up to UConn’s Denham Brown, who appeared to have an easy layup opportunity, and swatted his shot into the Husky bench. The hostile crowd at Gampel Pavilion went silent on that one.

Then, a little more than a minute later, Kendall blocked Villanueva from behind, preserving a three-point lead with the clock running down.

Finding minutes for everyone, including giving DeGroat and Benjamin some time is still an issue. Still, I’m heartened to see Dixon willing to start pulling players who aren’t helping. Starting to try and see what the others can do. I just wish, he could have been doing more of it during the non-con, rather than scrambling now.

I think the Pitt Athletic Department and Coach Dave Wannstedt should send a letter of thanks to the Miami Herald regarding Gus Mustakas’ verbal commitment.

A family friend took a picture Sunday of Mustakas shaking hands with Wannstedt, and the family released the picture to The Herald.

According to Pitt assistant coach Charlie Partridge, releasing the photo would have been against NCAA rules because photos of college coaches and recruits are not allowed to be released before signing day.

A scolding from the NCAA is never a great way to start your first year.

As first posted here (via looking at Pitt’s website), Pitt’s non-con football schedule was announced. This story is pretty much verbatim from the press release. The AP makes a capsule of it, noting that it is the second straight year Pitt is playing a I-AA team. This story comments on the annoyance fans will likely have with seeing YSU on the slate.

The fact Pitt has completed its non-conference schedule with a Division I-AA foe is sure to draw criticism from many fans. Last year, there was much griping about the fact that the Panthers filled out their schedule with Division I-AA Furman — and it became louder when the Purple Paladins nearly upset Pitt.

But Pitt athletic director Jeff Long faced similar problems in finding a game against a Division I-A opponent this year as he did last. The Panthers needed a home game to ensure they would have six and to balance their non-conference schedule at two home and two away. But Pitt does not have an open date on its 2006 schedule, so a return game could not be offered an opponent until 2007.

Actually, Pitt may have to worry more about too many YSU fans making the hour drive to the game while Pitt fans skip this game. Of course, its not like this game will be televised so…

The stories are out about Pitt’s newest recruits from Florida. It also would appear that Pitt added one more I missed. A local product and legacy, TE John Pelusi, chose Pitt over Northwestern. John Mustakas spoke to his local paper about his choice.

New Offensive Lines Coach and Alum, Paul Dunn, gets a puff piece.

Dunn, a native of Philadelphia, has built a solid resume the past 22 years, with stops at Pitt, Penn State, Edinboro, Maine, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Kansas State and, most recently, Kentucky.

Two of his biggest influences are [Joe] Moore and Kirk Ferentz, the current coach at Iowa who worked with Dunn at Maine.

“I’ve tried to refine the techniques I learned from those guys over the years,” said Dunn. “One thing about offensive line coaches is, we’re in a small circle. The NFL guys call us the Mushroom Society, because we’re always kept in the dark, we’re constantly fed (garbage) and we continue to flourish.”

Dunn said the recipe to improving the Panthers up front is not complicated.

“You have to get the home talent to stay home,” said Dunn, who inherits a line that features three returning starters. “When Pitt was good, we had WPIAL guys on our line mixed with guys from Eastern Pennsylvania, guys like myself. Once in a while, you’d get guys from Ohio and New York, but the key was keeping the homegrown guys here.”

Dunn firmly believes that there is no reason for a high-level lineman to bolt to another locale, particularly in a new system under coach Dave Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh that should highlight the power running game and offer opportunities for players to make names for themselves.

“We need to identify who the best prospects are in Western Pennsylvania and go after those prospects with a passion,” said Dunn, a 1983 Pitt graduate. “I don’t know why a young man from Western Pennsylvania would consider anything other than the University of Pittsburgh. That’s what we’re going to sell in the recruiting process, and it’s going to be an easy sell.”

You have to like the confidence.

The NCAA will be voting soon on a bunch of new rules for college football. One of them will be the addition of a 12th game. Adding an additional game, has been one of those things that could allow Pitt and Penn State to resume playing as Joe Paterno loses one of his excuses. An early shot is fired off in Penn State’s own backyard in favor of resuming the rivalry. In doing so he stomps over several of the standard excuses PSU/Paterno apologists use.

Any time the subject comes up someone trots out the tired old line about how in the bad old days Pitt wouldn’t play Penn State in Beaver Stadium, or that it would only come to Penn State once every third election.

So that’s reason for the two programs, the only two legitimate Division I-A programs in the state, not to play one another on a regular basis.

Isn’t it time that the deeds and misdeeds of the past are given a proper burial and forgotten. If Joe Paterno can have Jackie Sherrill over to his house for dinner and drinks that should be a sign. There was a time when, if Sherrill had been trying to cross College Ave., Paterno would have run over him and there wouldn’t have been a skid mark.

But those two bitter rivals have managed to become friendly, if not necessarily friends, so why can’t the two football programs get back on speaking terms?

Until now, it’s always been because Penn State is “a national program” with alumni all over the country who are clamoring to see the Nittany Lions play in their region.

Have you checked the schedule lately? Unless your definition of all over the country is the Northeast, the Nittany Lions are strictly homebodies.

They play their eight conference games, which takes them as far west as Iowa, and then they stay pretty much in their own time zone.

Since they joined the Big Ten in 1993 the only notable road trips they’ve taken have been to Nebraska in 2003 and Miami (Fla.) in 1999. You can look it up.
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Penn State fans have whined that the Nittany Lions gain nothing from playing Pitt. The truth is, they have lost by not playing Pitt.

They have lost the energy and excitement generated by a traditional rivalry and they have lost face by allowing petty grudges to stand in the way of maintaining a civil relationship with another institution of higher learning.

If Florida, Florida State and Miami can manage to play one another, if Michigan and Notre Dame can get together each year, if we can drive German-made cars and watch Japanese-made television sets, give me one good reason why Penn State and Pitt can’t play each other in football?

We all know the reason. It is some old guy who holds an old grudge. All the excuses have been exposed. Sad truth, the Pitt-Penn State game won’t return until Paterno is in a box in the ground. There is also a poll asking who people want to see PSU resume playing regularly. Pitt is the overwhelming choice at this time.