Arguably the 2-1 record accurately reflects that.

Yes, Virginia and Cinci were bad teams and Michigan State is a slightly above average team. Still, while incredibly frustrating, there has been progress from last year to this year. The team won a game on the road. The defense has shown flashes of skill and real tackling. The offense appears capable of putting together some drives and scoring points.

Of course there was plenty of bad from the Michigan State game. The defense still can’t handle a mobile QB, and in fact let it affect everything it was trying to do. They fell out of position, forgot about real tackling — reverting to hitting and arm tackling — and got sloppy. The offensive line still can’t run block for a full game and struggles with the blitz.

So the defense gets another chance to work on their defense of the option against The Citadel.

At his weekly news conference Monday, Coach Dave Wannstedt said he expects to see a heavy dose of the option from The Citadel given the success Michigan State had with it.

“We did a poor job executing,” he said. “This is a very similar attack so we are going to have to work real hard this week to get those things corrected as both coaches and players. I am kind of looking forward to getting the opportunity to go out and prove ourselves again. Sometimes [the problems] have been technique. Sometimes it is as simple as our guy taking a bad angle, and sometimes the other guy just makes an athletic play.

“The bottom line is we didn’t play good up front, we didn’t play good as linebackers, we didn’t play good in the secondary and we didn’t coach very well, either. It wasn’t even close to our standard of defense, but we’ll bounce back and play well this week. I’m not even concerned about that.”

No, he shouldn’t be concerned this week. The team should be physically superior to The Citadel and the players will (hopefully) have the lessons fresh in their heads.

Pitt defensive end Joe Clermond said if the Panthers are going to have more success against the option, they will have to do a better job of executing their assignments. He said the Panthers weren’t overmatched or physically dominated by Michigan State, but they just didn’t play a very smart game or tackle well.

“There wasn’t anything spectacular about what [Stanton] was doing. We did a lot of damage to ourselves” Clermond said. “It wasn’t like we didn’t know what they were going to do or how to stop it. We just didn’t. It is the little things that add up. Maybe one play a guy didn’t get into his gap correctly or took the wrong guy or we got to the ball then missed the tackle. We have to be more focused. We can’t let that happen again.”

H.B. Blades isn’t worried that Pitt will take The Citadel lightly. He does know Pitt needs to play with strong fundamental defense.

“That’s the main thing, wrapping up ball-carriers,” Pitt senior linebacker H.B. Blades said. “We just can’t tag off and let them run by us and say, ‘I would’ve made that play if it was live.'”

Not after Michigan State rushed for 335 yards in its 38-23 victory over the Panthers. With The Citadel running a spread option offense similar to the one the Spartans employed, Pitt will get another chance Saturday at Heinz Field to correct the flaws in its tackling form.

…

We were in the places we needed to be,” Pitt redshirt sophomore free safety Eric Thatcher said. “We just weren’t taking the extra step, or we weren’t wrapping all the way up. You’ve got to take that extra step to bring that ball-carrier to you and bring him to the ground.”

Part of the problem involves preparation. When the players know their assignments, they spend less time thinking about a play and more time reacting to it. That confidence was evident in the Panthers’ first two games.

Playing an offense that features the spread option adds another wrinkle for the defense. Players are isolated in single coverage, with one defender responsible for the fullback on a dive play, another for the quarterback on a keeper and a third for the running back on a pitch.

“There’s nowhere to hide. It’s pretty simple, it really is,” Wannstedt said. “The importance of it becomes more and more magnified in certain offensive attacks.”

Then, that’s as much on the coaching and preparation. Hmmm. Who’s been the DC preparing this team for the last 6 years that keeps getting burned by the spread and option? Wonder if there’s a connection?

The offense can’t get a pass either. Especially the O-line.

Much has been made of The Citadel’s option rushing attack, but Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believes the Panthers have to be as prepared for the Bulldogs’ defense. The Citadel has caused six fumbles and recovered four in its first two games, while the Panthers have committed seven turnovers in three games.

“More than any team that we have faced this year, they are a huge blitz and pressure team,” Wannstedt said. “They make you earn it.”

There should be no excuse for Pitt’s O-line this week, but they will still have to execute and demonstrate any ability to block and stop the blitz.

Well, good luck seeing the game if you aren’t going. ESPN360.com will be showing it, and the results can be spotty. On the bright side for those attending, an extra pre-game treat.

…the illustrious Summerall Guards will be performing twice at Heinz Field. The Summerall Guards will perform their full routine outside Gate A of Heinz Field before the game and will perform a six-minute routine on the field at halftime.

…

Consisting of 61 members, the Summerall Guards are first-class (seniors) cadets who go through a rigorous physical training and initiation process and are chosen for their physical stamina and drill proficiency.

Membership is considered a high honor at the military college. The platoon’s purpose is to exemplify, through a unique series of movements based on the old German close order drill and performed to a silent count, the exactness and thoroughness with which The Citadel cadet is trained. The series has never been written and has been passed down since 1932 from class to class, through strict rehearsal and memorization.

The Citadel is taking the money this season. This will be their second 1-A opponent they face this season.

It is The Citadel’s second game with a I-A team this season, its sixth in the last three years, and its ninth in the last five years.

In his first 14 games as the Bulldogs’ coach, Kevin Higgins has faced Florida State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Pitt – not to mention defending I-AA national champion Appalachian State, Furman and Georgia Southern of the Southern Conference, the so-called best I-AA league in the nation.

“It’s a challenge,” is about all Higgins will say about the schedule.

Most teams in The Citadel’s position would be playing Mars Hill this week – defending I-AA champion Appalachian State did last week. Furman played West Georgia before losing to North Carolina, and Western Carolina ends its season with Florida, after starting it with Chowan.

The football team will earn $750,000 for the school against Texas A&M and Pitt this season, and has totaled about $2.8 million for eight “money games” since 2002.

By the time the Bulldogs play Arizona in 2010, they will have made about $5.1 million in 14 games against I-A teams in a nine-year period.

Well, The Citadel is not even a good 1-AA team, so they are in demand. Especially with the upsets and close games better 1-AA teams have given other schools this year. If you are going to play a 1-AA team, you damn well better be sure you can beat them.
The Citadel is coming off a tough 38-35 loss to Charleston Southern. The Citadel HC Kevin Higgins saw good things from the game.

“Our wide receivers only had two big drops against Charleston Southern. They did a much better job that game.”

So, they have that going for them.

Coach Wannstedt’s press conference on Monday produced the main story in both papers about Conredge Collins seeing the ball more.

On Conredge Collins’ role in the offense:

Because we weren’t sure if LaRod was 100 percent, leading up to the game we had Conredge get a lot more work than what he normally might, just as an insurance policy. Kevin Collier didn’t get into the game, Shane Brooks did. We’ll continue to rotate all those backs but it’s difficult trying to get them all work. Conredge is one guy, other than LaRod, that has some experience. Even though he’s just a sophomore he’s the most experienced (fullback) we’ve got from a playing time standpoint. In certain situations he’s the guy we want to give the football to. Yes, we expect to try to get him some more carries. That will be a week-to-week thing depending on what we’re trying to do.

As noted, both papers ran with that. There’s the recapping that Collins wants to be used more as a tailback, not a fullback — stuff that has been covered before. Collins was expected to see plenty of work back in the spring drills. Eventually getting back, to the “team player” cliches and approach.

Collins is hoping the Panthers continue to hand him the ball and that his production gives the coaching staff the confidence to know he can carry the load — at tailback or fullback — in the case of an emergency.

“I take what they give me,” Collins said. “They keep increasing it every week so, hopefully, this week I get a little bit more and, by the end of the season, I’ll be an impact player.”

It’s more interesting that Collins admits the mind-set is harder to be a fullback — blocking for someone else to get the success.

“The blocking is rough,” Collins said. “Any time you are doing something you aren’t used to it is an adjustment, but it is something I am still working on and I know I am getting better. I’m getting there. In the spring I was getting plowed over and put on my back but I’m making good blocks now so it is coming along.”

So does it mean Collins is going to take a bigger role in the offense? You’ll excuse me if I hedge a bit. Right now, I have trouble believing anything said about what is happening with player roles. The TEs were expected to see a lot of work, and that has not been the case in large part because the WRs have stepped up significantly. The young players were expected to see a lot more action at key spots, but instead they have very slowly been making appearances and not with major impact. None of that thrown to the fire thing we were expecting.
I’m not convinced he’s going to be getting the bulk of the carries or be an offensive centerpiece. If LaRod Stephens-Howling is healthy, he’s still a great option at tailback. Shane Brooks has looked good at spots. Dickerson and Collier will be getting touches. Right now, if he sees 8-10 touches (running and catching), then he is getting a lot of work in the offense (for the record, he had 5 carries and 2 catches versus MSU).

The running game just hasn’t happened as hoped. Once again, the eyes go to the O-line. Probably why Howling may be the best option when healthy. He can squeeze through the smaller seems and cracks they do make.

The Delaware Blue Hens already have TE Robby Agnone and QB Joe Flacco. Both late of Pitt. Now, disgruntled former Pitt RB Brandon Mason hopes to join the party.

Mason walked away from Pittsburgh two weeks ago and arrived in Newark, Del., where he’s taking classes at Delaware Tech. In the meantime, Mason is awaiting his scholarship release from Pitt so the 2003 Express-Times Player of the Year will be eligible for one from the University of Delaware.

Delaware Tech actually is on the Delaware campus, so Mason will not have to go far to become a Blue Hen — which he hopes will happen in January. Providing he gets his release, he will be eligible to play for Delaware next fall, although whether he will have sophomore or junior eligibility is still to be determined.

“I can’t have any contact with any of the coaches until I get my release, and right now Pitt isn’t releasing me,” Mason said by phone from his dorm room in Newark. “They’re giving me no leeway at all.”

Mason refuses to express bitterness toward Wannstedt or Pitt — at least not publicly. In fact, he says his experience with the Panthers, for the most part, was positive.

The article amusingly, makes no mention of the fact that Mason couldn’t stay healthy his first two years at Pitt — a major factor that kept him off the field. Somehow, not bad mouthing Wannstedt and Pitt doesn’t include

“…Then the coaching change came and they wanted to be partial to the guys they recruited. They like the western Pa. guys and I wasn’t one of the homeboys.”

Mason couldn’t crack the line-up in training camp, despite performing well. He does dispute Dorin Dickerson being moved to RB was a factor in his decision.  He also had praise for RB Coach David Walker.

Big thanks to Lee for stepping up and doing the ballot draft. I am putting this out here now for comments and arguments about the order. I know I’ll be changing some of the order before the Wednesday voting deadline — I’m backing the Oregon darkhorse BCS bid for the PAC-10 afterall. For now, here’s the draft ballot.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Auburn	24
3	Southern Cal	23
4	West Virginia	22
5	Florida	21
6	Texas	20
7	Louisville	19
8	Michigan	18
9	Georgia	17
10	Louisiana State	16
11	Virginia Tech	15
12	Notre Dame	14
13	Iowa	13
14	TCU	12
15	Tennessee	11
16	Oregon	10
17	Oklahoma	9
18	Clemson	8
19	Florida State	7
20	Boston College	6
21	Nebraska	5
22	Arizona State	4
23	Cal	3
24	Michigan State	2
25	Boise State	1

Now, here are Lee’s explanations:

1. Ohio State: Unlike previous games with sloppy starts in the Jim Tresselera, the Bucks still managed to blow out the Bearcats in the end. And they still have the biggest win of the year (sorry Michigan… didn’t EVERYBODY know the Irish were overrated before Saturday?). But as for Mark Dantonio, jeez, what a coach. Thank God he’s stuck at Cincinnati rather than somewhere he could actually do some damage.

2. Auburn: Big win. Tough, tough defense.

3. USC: I go back and forth as to whether or not the Trojans or WVU should be here. But I’ll put the Trojans here only because Nebraska was a slightly more respectable opponent than Maryland… slightly… and USC was hardly crisp…

4. WVU: …but Jeezus did the Hoopies look good on Thursday night. Yeah, Maryland sucked (a nickel defense against West Virginia!?), and their ends couldn’t stay at home if they were stapled there. Still that was impressive speed. Slaton is the fastest player in college football period.

5. Florida: Good, tough win on the road. It’s nice to see Urban Meyer settling in.

6. Texas: Sure, it was only Rice. But they beat the holy hell out of them. Given the pathetic state of the Big XII (I’ll bet they wish they had the Big East’s out-of-conference win/loss record), the Longhorns should run the table easily (and don’t it feel good, as a Big East fan, to belittle somebody else’s conference for a change?).

7. Louisville: So much for the allegedly long-gone days of Miami doing crap like stomping on other team’s logos. Yeah, Miami is in a hole this year. But they’re still loaded with talent. So this was a big win and still an upset in my book.

8. Michigan: OK, hear me out here… We knew before Saturday that Notre Dame was overrated, and that they couldn’t keep up with speedy receivers (see Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes in the Fiesta Bowl). We knew before Saturday that Michigan had talent out the wazoo, and that Llllloyd Carr was on the hot seat (and thus unlikely to undercoach again this year). So really, the only surprise of the ND/Michigan game was the extent to which the Irish self-destructed. I mean, the Irish gift-wrapped at least 21 points for the Wolverines… who would have won even without those 21 points, but at least it wouldn’t have been a blowout then. Still, don’t get me wrong. Michigan is for real this year, and somebody in Columbus had better take notice. It’s just that this win didn’t impress me as much as Louisville’s win.

9. Georgia: UAB? Yawn.

10. LSU: Like they said on Gameday Final, you could have played the LSU/Auburn game ten times — five in Auburn and five in Baton Rouge — and each time would wind up 5 and 5. Colossal battle. Really, the best game on Separation Saturday. LSU doesn’t deserve to fall far at all for this loss, especially since, they should have won (SEC refs suck).

11. VT: Quietly moving on up. It’s nice to see the class of the ACC still not able to crack the top ten.

12. Notre Dame: This is about where they should have been all along. Really, I’d like to put them a little further back, but even I couldn’t put them behind Oregon and Iowa. Thanks for gift-wrapping 21 points for the Wolverines. And Brady, pick up your Heisman on the way out the door.

13. Iowa: The Cyhawk game is always tough. Still, the Hawks haven’t done anything too awfully impressive yet (beating up Montana, then squeaking by Syracuse and ISU). Maybe they’re just saving everything up for Ohio State on September 30.

14. Tennessee: Nothing too embarrassing about losing to Florida.

15. TCU: Actually looked good in their win against, admittedly, only Texas Tech (does the Big XII really deserve an automatic BCS bid?).

16. Oregon: The Ducks so deserved to lose that game. PAC-10 refs sucks worse than SEC refs. Oklahoma was the better team…

17. Oklahoma: …so I’m not going to drop the Sooners too far…

18. Clemson: You always have to root for the Bowden Boys. They had to grow up with…

19. FSU: This hypocritical lunatic as a father… Noles suck.

20. Boston College: Nice win. Not.

21. Nebraska: Surprisingly game against USC, although that had more to do with USC than Nebraska.

22. ASU:

23. California: sucks.

24. Michigan State: If John L. Smith actually tries to coach this year, the Spartans could be for real. Look out, Wolverines and Buckeyes. A big offensive line and a great quarterback.

25. Boise State: Just keeps rolling along.

I’ve got to tell you, I thought I had calmed down. Thought I was ready for some measured critiquing, analysis and perhaps even a cogent thought or two. Dare I say, a few pearls of wisdom. Then I was looking over the comments again, thinking about what I saw, and it all went to hell. I’m still pissed and I’m in a foul mood. I’m perfectly willing to keep my ire trained on Rhoads. I take a backseat to no one in my distaste for the job he has done. I nearly lost my mind when he was very close to getting the HC job.
In a piece that lauds the performance of Drew Stanton, it is just as much an indictment of the job done by Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads.

The Panthers had permitted a total of only 87 rushing yards in their first two games. Michigan State had almost four times that yesterday — 335.

“I think we responded real well to a some adversity,” Stanton said of Pitt’s 10-0 lead.

“We never intended to run so much option, but a team that plays a lot of man defense like they do has no one to account for the quarterback.

“We just kind of adjusted to things as we went along. Our line was really doing a good job blocking, and our wide receivers did a tremendous job of blocking downfield.”

By the time the Spartans erased that 10-point Pitt lead, the physical momentum had swung so violently that the Spartans felt they could move at will.

“By the third quarter, we just felt like we could go right down the field,” Stanton said.

“There were some plays that we could have made, some throws I’d like to have over. But I kept looking over [to the sideline], and they kept calling that option, so, you know, let’s just go with it.”

[Emphasis added.]

Imagine that. Making an adjustment. Taking advantage of the defense.

The thing we used to mock Walt Harris for most, was his unwillingness and/or inability to adjust his gameplan. That trait is gallingly part of DC Rhoads. Sure, the MSU receivers were coming up small for most of the game with drops and bad routes (aside from Reed), making the option and running more important. Sure that 6’6″ WR (Trannon) was playing more like he was 5’6″. Sure, all that is true, but it just shows that the pass defense is working. Losing the game to a ground attack and and a mobile QB? That’s just crazy talk.

MSU converted 11 of 15 3d downs. That’s pathetic. Time of possession was MSU 35:38, Pitt 24:22. What makes that worse, Pitt held the ball in the 1st quarter for nearly 10 minutes. Meaning MSU held the ball for about 30 of the remaining 45 minutes of the rest of the game.

Once MSU knew it could move the offense at will on Pitt. Knew it could score points, it afforded the defense the chance to gamble. To just blitz the hell out of the Pitt offense because they knew Pitt had to score and throw the ball.

In much the same way I sense when I’m drunk.

A few hours after the game ended, Pat called me. He was one of the few of our group to make the game. After he railed on our group’s overall piss-poor attendance, he asked what I saw on TV.

I saw a defense that couldn’t handle the option. It just couldn’t seem to grasp the concept, much the way this team struggles with the idea of a spread offense. If it’s a QB that has the ability to run, then the team just hesitates and lets other team take control. A hallmark of the Paul Rhoads defense at Pitt. The inability to deal with a mobile QB.

A straight running attack, they are showing signs of handling. A passing offense, no problem. It’s when the QB can take off with the ball or toss it to someone else on the run that the panic sets in. Again, this has been a long-term issue at Pitt that predates Coach Wannstedt. The one consistent factor — DC Paul Rhoads.

He didn’t disagree, and complained of the fact that Pitt’s defense made no adjustments. Unlike Michigan State, which realized by the end of the 1st quarter, “Hey, Pitt is shutting us down when we just hand-off or drop back, but when Stanton rolls out or even gestures like he’s going to take off, the defense freezes and opens things up.” They could just keep gashing Pitt over and over for sustained drives that ate the clock much the way the first couple of drives Pitt had in the 1st quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the MSU defense caught on to the fact that the Pitt O-line could not handle any sort of pass rush. They were willing to risk a 10 yard run just to keep coming at Palko. It became even easier when they took the lead, and forced Pitt to pass more.

Since the homefront is in flux, I’m not making the trip to Pittsburgh today. I am, however, still watching the game. Going over to a friend who has the dish (and ESPN2 Alternative).
I will be live blogging it over at AOL today.

Lots of straight stuff from Paul Zeise well worth reading in full. He has his Q&A up.

Q: I think Matt Cavanaugh’s NFL mentality is going to cost this team some wins. Just because you have a lead doesn’t mean you take your foot off the gas. He needs a killer instinct, what’s your take?

Zeise: The goal is to win the game, period. Whether you win by one or 30 it only counts as one win. I agree the Panthers got way too conservative on both offense and defense way too early in the Cincinnati game but by the same token, we’re not even talking about any of it if Revis and Brooks don’t fumble the football. I think it is important to note that Pitt was on a game-over type of drive when Brooks fumbled it late in the game. I mean, if they get a first down there, who knows where the drive leads, but at the very worst the Panthers are punting to pin Cincinnati way deep in their own zone. The feeling in that one was simple — let’s just get the heck out of here with a win and the play calling and prevent defense reflected as much. But the bottom line is, they won the game. The problem I have with Pitt getting so conservative on offense is the Panthers aren’t good at running the football. As such, the short passing game has to be used more than it is in order to compensate for it.

Seems like he was trying to hedge a bit here by talking about how the game could have been put away but for a couple player errors. He only hints that Pitt went into conservative mode on both sides of the ball rather early in the 4th, rather than putting the game away. I put some of the blame on Coach Wannstedt as well. Both have that NFL mentality.

It would have served Pitt and the team better to finish the job early in the 4th, then allowed the second units on both sides to get some time in there. As it stands, back-ups like QB Bill Stull, still haven’t had much of a chance. Something I was hoping would change.

Then there was the chat from yesterday of some interest.

that_guy: Stanton loves to throw quick hitters right off the snap. Pitt has a penchant for playing its corners 10-15 yards off the ball. Can Pitt afford to play its corners within 5 yards of the line to prevent that quick-passing attack?

Paul Zeise: No, I think Pitt needs to play a lot more press man coverage than they do but their philosophy is to keep every play in front and make teams go 70 and 80 yards the hard way. The problem with that is if a guy misses a tackle, well, those five yard gains turn into 20 yard gains. I understand why Pitt plays certain teams like that but in cases where a team has an accurate passer who throw quick strikes, I’d like to see them get more aggressive.

Dear God, that’s a scary prospect to have DC Paul Rhoads adjust to actually have the corners play up a little more. Again, this has been an ongoing source of agony for myself and the majority of the Pitt fans who have watched Paul Rhoads’ defense give up chunks of yards on long drives out of some compulsion to not give up the big play and maybe make a stop.

Have to give credit to the MSU Football people in their Athletic Department. They don’t skimp on providing transcripts and information. They have transcripts from player press conferences.

After last season, QB Drew Stanton (naturally) thinks this is a better team.

On being a better team now than a year ago last season…
I think we are (a better team now). I think offensively we’re very happy with where we are right now, especially with the young guys stepping up on the offensive line, and some of our younger receivers stepping up, and then the production we got out of A.J. (Jimmerson). He stepped up and had a great game running the ball and catching the ball. I think that the younger guys are starting to step up, and obviously the veteran guys are comfortable with where we’re at right now within our game plan and understanding everything that’s going on. We get into a rhythm, and it goes back to us executing within the game plan – whatever the coaches come up with in the next couple days, and then us digesting that.”

On being better as a total team…
“As a complete team, we definitely are better. Special teams have definitely played a factor for us, that we’ve been able to come out on a positive note. With (Brett) Swenson stepping up, it’s that much easier on the offense and the defense. Our defense has been in some adverse situations and has responded real well. For example, last week, in the first play when I threw that pick, they didn’t give up the touchdown; they came in and held them. Then also in the second half with the fumbled kickoff they did a good job of only giving up a field goal there. Our defense is coming around, they’re doing real well and we’ve got some playmakers over there this year. Offensively, I am happy with what we’re doing. We just have to continually get better, get our timing down. The major thing that we want to do is establish a run.

Strangely, Stanton was asked a few questions about Pitt CB Darrelle Revis, while the guy Revis will be covering, Matt Trannon didn’t get any — directly.

On Pitt being the first road game of the season…
“I wouldn’t say it kicks the adrenaline up, because that happened at the start of the season. Our goal going into the year was to approach every game the same way and not take anyone lightly. Any game you go into the environment is going to be hostile, regardless of if it’s a home game or a road game.”

On people saying he hasn’t lived up to his potential at this point in his career…
“I wouldn’t say it is out of my control, but I can only do what I do when it fits into the team’s plan. People can talk and say what they want to say, but I don’t let it get to me at all. It motivates me a little bit, but I don’t want to get into the situation where it is just me out there trying to prove myself. Like coach says, if we are going to do something, we are going to do it as a team and I will do it with my offensive line, the quarterback and the rest of my teammates out there.”

…

On how Pittsburgh will approach him coming off a big game…
“I am pretty sure Pitt will have watched our offense and adjusted so I am pretty sure I will be challenged a few times this game. Both of their corners don’t seem very physical – they won’t really come up and hit you – but they do a solid job of tackling. I think we are up for the challenge though.”

Yeah, it’s not Trannon’s fault he’s been invisible the first 3 years when it counts. It’s others.

Not only do they have player talk, the OC and DC for MSU have an interview on the site.

How important is it for MSU to be balanced on Saturday and not become one-dimensional on offense?
“It just depends what Pitt wants to do. If they want to make us one-dimensional and keep letting us do something and not take it away, we’ll continue to do that. I think it is important that we run the football and try to establish something to keep their true nickel, dime defensive backs off the field. We must have success on first down because that can dictate the entire tempo of the game.”

…

How important is it to have the three-headed attack at running back?
“I think it’s hugely important because in a single-back offense, I don’t think one back can take the punishment that he’s going to take for 65 or 70 plays. Two guys can do it and if a second guy gets nicked, we need to have a third guy ready to play. That’s exactly what happened to us last week. The third guy played an important role against Eastern Michigan. It’s important that A.J. Jimmerson produce when given an opportunity. We really like the three-headed attack at running back.”

The one thing you can say about MSU’s approach to offense under HC John L. Smith is that they have been willing to be flexible with the personnel and what they do. The defense or lack thereof has been a bigger issue.

On defending split end Derek Kinder:
“Pitt has two receivers, Derek Kinder and Oderick Turner, averaging more than 35 yards per catch. Turner has three receptions and two of those have gone for touchdowns. Kinder has 249 receiving yards while averaging nearly 36 yards per catch, so he is a big play kind of athlete.”

The Pittsburgh media has labeled the Pitt offense as one dimensional, so do you expect the Panthers to attempt to establish the running game?
“I think in both of its games, Pitt came out early and tried to run the ball. They threw their play-action pass, caught a break here and there, got a big play and got into the end zone. It looks like they’re just doing what they do best: a little bit of everything.”

They are very wary of Pitt trying to break the big play as has happened in the first two games for Pitt. Hopefully the corners will play a little soft with the safeties dropping back to open up room for some passes to the tight ends and the running game to do something.

Stay with me here for those of you not going to the MSU-Pitt game. The broadcast map is a little bizarre.

If you live in certain markets in Michigan or Pennsylvania, you might be able to see the game. It will be shown on ABC there. The rest of you will likely get the Ohio State-Cinci thriller on ABC or other regional action. The game is actually on ESPN2 in other markets — split with the BYU-BC game. If you look at that map, you will see that the entire East Coast and Southeast will be showing the BYU-BC game, not the MSU-Pitt match-up. That means in NY, NJ, Maryland, DC and even markets like Philly, the only way to see the game is to pay for ESPN Gameplan. For the Midwest and West Coast, MSU-Pitt will be shown.

Mainly press release stuff.

Punter Adam Graessle is on the Ray Guy Award Watchlist for the best punter in college football. No shock, though, arguably he may not be the best punter in the Big East (of course a Syracuse punter gets a lot more chances to punt then most).

Speaking of Syracuse, the October 7 game in the Carrier Dome will be at noon and a ESPN Regional/Big East game of the week.

ESPN360 will be airing the Citadel-Pitt game at 1:30 on September 23. Guess we can rule out being able to see that game streamed on Pitt All-Access as well.

Crap, I would rather have more doubters. After last year, seeing people falling over themselves to pick Pitt in the ND game and preseason gushers, I’m feeling gun shy at anything that seems too laudatory to Pitt.

Bad enough Pitt is a 2 point favorite, essentially declaring this a toss-up if you assume the home field is worth 3 points. It’s reading borderline effusive praise that makes me nervous.

What will happen: With so many big games this weekend, this one will reside beneath the radar. Too bad. It’ll be high-scoring, entertaining, and won by Pittsburgh, the one team at Heinz Field that’ll make key defensive stops late in the fourth quarter.

CFN Prediction: Pitt 37 … Michigan State 31 … Line: Pitt -2

Admitedly, Michigan State has caused the doubt on their side.

I get especially when its those who are paid, ostensibly to offer gambling-esque advice.

Game number two has Pittsburgh hosting Michigan State. The Panthers are a completely different team than the club that began last season by dropping its first three games. They blew away Virginia in the opener, 38-13, and followed that up with a 33-15 win at Cincinnati, Quarterback Tyler Palko has been impressive in the early going, throwing six TDs and only one interception. Michigan State, on the other hand, got by a pesky Idaho squad, 27-17, in its opener and blew out Eastern Michigan last week. QB Drew Stanton has four touchdown passes and only one pick. The Panthers have one main advantage heading into this game. The Spartans most likely will be looking ahead to their matchup with Notre Dame the following Saturday. Based on the results from the past six years, Michigan State has done just that. The last time MSU covered in the game prior to facing the Irish was back in 1999. Go with Pittsburgh minus the points.

I doubt Michigan State is really looking ahead. Not with a road game and everyone already questioning them after the effort from their first two patsy games. That just seems like a rationalization to pick one way, when you just have no clue. And let’s be honest, we don’t know.

MSU hasn’t played anyone, and their winning hasn’t looked overly spectacular. They let Idaho keep it close. Central Michigan forced a scream fest from John L. Smith at halftime. Their coach says their focus is on Pitt (of course every coach always says they are just looking at the next opponent, never ahead).
Pitt has beaten a predictably bad Cinci team in a very uneven performance of their own. The win over Virginia lost some of the luster when UVA eked out a 1 point home win over Wyoming.

I’m just saying, that if there is one thing I am sure of, it is that no one has a frickin’ clue how this game will go.

I appreciate the e-mails and comments of support that I’ve received. Thank you

This has become aggravating as expected. It’s not helped since I can’t do much on the computer (as you have probably noticed by the reduction in output) and I’ll have to miss the Michigan St. game, but we’ve kept perspective. No one hurt. Very limited damage.

Unless one of you is an Ohio lawyer specializing in product liability, or knows someone who can go month-to-month on a rental east of Cleveland; there isn’t much else we need.

Things have a way of working themselves out one way or another. This will, and hopefully things will go the right way. On the plus side, we are definitely getting rid of a lot of useless crap that has accumulated.

Still homeless. New hotel lied about high speed internet. Struggles continue

ESPN Recruiting people like Pitt’s in-state recruiting.

I can’t seem to figure out why Bostick has not received more national attention as one of the best pocket passers in this class. Coach Dave Wannstedt might have his quarterback of the future here, and I believe Bostick should have been included in this year’s class of Elite 11 quarterbacks.

I feel he is a better quarterback prospect at this stage than 2006 Notre Dame signee Zach Frazer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) was a year ago. Bostick is a better athlete, is a better ball handler and might have more upside down the road.

He has some of the “it” factor you hear coaches talk about when describing quarterbacks in terms of feel for the game, presence and, most important, accuracy. In Bostick, Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh is going to get every bit the competitive player Tyler Palko is without the risky decision making.

When did Palko’s competitive fire suddenly become a negative (Trevor Matich, the hideous color guy on the Friday night telecast, echoed the same thing)? I’m beginning to wonder if someone is whispering behind Palko’s back.

Penn State and Pittsburgh are dueling it out for the state’s best, with West Virginia making its presence felt early on, as well. However, Pittsburgh has done an excellent job thus far on offense, particularly filling needs in the offensive front.

The Panthers have three commits so far on offense, and all three — Bostick, OG Chris Jacobson (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks) and OT Dan Matha (Erie, Pa./McDowell) — rank among the state’s top 16 overall prospects.

H.B. Blades took home Big East Defensive Player of the Week Honors. Last week it was Sessions. Two in a row for Pitt. Kinder made the “Honor Roll.”

Even Kirk Herbstreit is starting to sing the praises of the Big East.

I’ve been very critical of the Big East, but I really think the improvement this year of Pitt and Rutgers, to go along with Louisville and West Virginia, gives this conference much more depth than what they had last year. There’s no question, the loss of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College has had a negative impact on this conference. Look out for Rutgers this year…I think they’ll get to eight wins. They’re for real.

Now if only Syracuse could do something than run the back-up fullback against a goal line defense 4 times, maybe they’d get some love.