Too tired, too limited in time, too pissed and too frustrated to do much right now.
Here are the links for the day.
A couple stories in notebooks on honoring Dorsett, Martin and Starbauch from the Trib. and P-G.
Zeise at the P-G’s story (boy, you think his chat today will be fun or what?).
The Panthers’ defense began the second half reeling again but the Midshipmen made their first mistake of the game on the opening drive of the second half and it turned out to be a crucial one. Navy appeared to have converted a first down on a 2nd-and-6 run but was penalized for holding, pushing the ball back ten yards and putting the Midshipmen in 2nd-and-15.
That was a big break for Pitt because, the triple-option offense is not designed to convert long down-and-distances and sure enough, the Panthers held and forced the Midshipmen to punt for the first time.
Pitt then took its first lead of the game –and its first lead since the second game of the season in a win over Grambling –when McCoy capped a seven-play, 54-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Since Grambling? I really didn’t need to know that.
Kevin Gorman at the Trib. Reads like a straight recap of the scoring which isn’t too shocking considering when this game ended and the story needed to be filed.
The good in the game was QB Pat Bostick and the offense getting a boost of confidence. The great, LeSean McCoy.
On a night when Tony Dorsett was an honorary captain for the Pitt football team, the Panthers’ latest fantastic freshman tailback, LeSean McCoy, stirred memories of the former Heisman Trophy winner.
McCoy ran for 32 times for 165 yards and three scores, but it wasn’t enough as Navy pulled out a stunning 48-45 double-overtime win Wednesday night at Heinz Field.
McCoy has nine rushing touchdowns this season, which is three shy of Dorsett’s freshman mark set in 1973.
The disaster, of course, the defense.
Pitt had 10 days to prepare for Navy, 10 days to decipher an offense that’s so darned unpredictable that it runs the ball 84 percent of the time, 10 days to ponder the implications of two Navy slotbacks whose combined weight does not equal that of starting Pitt tackle Jeff Otah.
Swear to God.
So it took only two hours after the opening kickoff last night for the Panthers’ “defense” to accomplish what could definitely be called a stop of the Midshipmen, aided though it was by an offensive holding penalty. For the record, it was Joe Clermond, the senior defensive end, who sacked Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, the Hurryin’ Hawaiian, on a third-and-10 from the Navy 27 on the first series of the second half.
10 days was the theme of the column.
Had it ended there, it would merely have been a disgraceful performance by Pitt’s defenders and, more pointedly, its defensive coaching staff. As it was, Navy put up another 17 points in a 48-45 double-overtime victory that was, from Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt’s tortured perspective, well, indefensible.
“I was very confident,” Wannstedt said of Paul Rhoads’ defensive game plan. “We spent more than 10 actually, although it probably didn’t look like it. We spent time in the summer, talking to different people about [Navy’s] offense.”
The Middies’ crisp execution of the allegedly antiquated triple option makes for a nice nostalgic theme for press box antiquarians who might believe the game has long since become hopelessly over-coached, but this isn’t necessarily what the Panthers bargained for on a night soaked with nostalgia.
At least one columnist made mention of the DC being responsible for the defenses’ game plan. Collier’s column puts the blame on the defense as he notes so much attention will go to the OT playcalling on offense. The defense’s performance was indefensible.
It has to be pointed out, for example, that when Wannstedt and his staff have more than a week to prepare for an opponent, Pitt’s record is 2-8. In the same situation, by damning contrast, Navy coach Paul Johnson is 17-7 given the same advantage.
“We went for it on fourth down a lot more than I was comfortable with out there,” Wannstedt said, effectively illustrating the desperation Pitt brought to the field last night. “That was not normal football.”
No, not at all.
Normally, football teams with the size, speed and recruiting advantages Pitt holds over the Naval Academy cannot be outfoxed by an offense that hasn’t been operating at the elite levels of the sport in 20 years. They can sometimes be fooled by a play or an inspired series, but not for 45 minute and 32 seconds, which was Navy’s time of possession last night. The Panthers spent so much time chasing Kaheaku-Enhada, trying to pull down Navy’s bullish fullbacks, trying to spot its whippet slotbacks, that when slot back Reggi Campbell swept out of the backfield on a pass pattern toward the left flank of Pitt’s defense, veteran safety Mike Phillips just let go.
“Guy just ran right by him,” Wannstedt said. “He thought he was gonna block him.”
Starkey, by contrast did mention the defense sucking. Funny thing, however, no mention of the DC by name or direct blame.
The Midshipmen spent the rest of the first half torturing Pitt with its triple-option. Pitt’s defensive linemen wore shin guards in practice to prepare for Navy’s cut-blocking. Maybe they should have worn chest protectors, because Navy’s fullbacks spent the better part of the evening stomping over them for big gains.
Didn’t that fullback dive play show up on film study?
Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (spell check just exploded) also had more yards passing in the first half (96) than he’d had totaled in three of his first five games.
Not that any of this was particularly surprising. The Panthers haven’t stopped an option attack of any kind in years.
I eagerly await the next defense of Paul Rhoads needing more time.
Baltimore Sun sportswriter blogs a bit about the game (and thanks for the link).
In the first OT, Pitt hammered out a touchdown and Navy answered with a single strike 25-yard pass from QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to Reggie Campbell. In the second OT, the Middies went on offense first and settled for a 29-yard field goal by Joey Bullen. Then, Pitt comes storming back. The Panthers had second-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Second down: running play for one yard. Third down: incomplete pass (illegal motion penalty declined). And with the game on the line, Wannstedt goes for the win on fourth down and the Panthers go incomplete on a jump ball in the right side of the end zone. In western Pennsylvania, they want to back up the truck and load up the whole coaching staff.
Yep. Pretty much.
Attendance was officially listed at a bit over 30,000. Looked like less on TV.
Is it realistic to fire Wanny this year?
I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you what the buy out value on his contract is, but I can tell you this, there is no way he is going to get an extension.
Without an extension it really puts him in a bind because it really destroys his ability to recruit and this could impact the program for the next 3-4 years.
Is it more cost effective to buy him out or play in an empty stadium for the next season and a half?
Too bad Jeff Long bolted because he hired the guy, it looks like the new AD will have to deal with a potential nightmare.
Glad I’m just a fan who can bitch with the rest of you.
This year they will be lucky to win one more game, if Wanny stays through 2008 they will be hard pressed to win four or five games next year.
Face it he SUCKS big time.
Trust me, the Ohio U game was a black eye but last night was the swan song, even the die hard Pitt fans gave up on him.
We played Navy, not LSU, Navy ran their offense run right over us, what do you think WVU is going to do?
Hang at least 70 points on us?
Do you really think we are going to be competitive?
We are going to finish last in the big east this year, Wanny’s claim to fame is from first to last in the big east in 3 years.
Walt was weird, he pissed alot of people off but he would use his “smoke and mirrors tactics” but still win.
Wanny is just too dense, our performance on the field shows it. Listen to his press conferences he is an absolute idiot.
He is the highest paid employee at the University, I agree, he can recruit but he has a fundamental flaw he cannot manage/strategize or even string a few sentances together that really makes sense.
Face it he is a bad hire, fire him now, how many more games are you going to at Heinz Field?
I’m not going back until we can compete because it is getting old, they are paying this asshole an easy million per year.
We are the laughing stock of the big east, the coaching staff has no clue on how to put a game plan together and attack another teams flaws.
Remember a head coach is a CEO and Wanny just doesn’t have it. Never did, never will.
Wanny got lucky and tied his fortunes to Jimmy Johnson, without JJ Wanny would be lucky to teach high school gym.
Sorry but that is how I feel, Long screwed up and he got lucky and bolted to Arkansas. Were in deep shit.
4th and goal for the win at the 2. He goes for it. I like the call, ballsy and it shows confidence in his offense.
Then he calls a fucking pass play…..
He has his talented, yet EXTREMELY FUCKING GREEN, freshman QB pass the football TWO STRAIGHT PLAYS when he has a running back that’s been running over the Midshipmen all goddamn night!!!
Going for it on 4th, good ballsy call.
Trying to pass for it on said 4th (and on the 3rd down before it as well)… COMPLETELY FUCKING MORONIC!!
Do you know the phone calls I had to field today about the death of Pitt football?!?!?!
Fuck you Wannstache. Die!
I didn’t mean that I want Dave to actually perish. He seems like a nice enough guy and I’m sorry for that.
I just want his coaching career at Pitt to pass away.
I know – it felt good to see Wannstedt, a local guy, a former Panther come back to coach his alma mater. He generated a lot of excitement and interest from the Western PA high schools. Same thing with Matt Cavanaugh. The problem is that these guys can’t coach and talented high school football players want to go to winning programs. Being able to see the old lockers of Dan Marino and Mark May will only get you so far.
So what is it folks — do you want to stick with the local guys who aren’t winning and are driving Pitt’s football reputation into the ground or bring in a young energetic coaching staff. I realize that Rhoads isn’t a local guy, but Wannstedt decided to keep him around.
Pitt has now solidly replaced Temple as the cellar dweller of the Big East.
That being said, we’re playing some pretty terrible players on the defense – a converted QB as a LB – who looks lost the entire time, getting pushed around by small children, waiting for the ball carrier to come to him. I can’t wait until the juniors and seniors graduate so we HAVE to play the kids with talent – its getting ridiculous with the entire secondary getting embarassed by a crap QB.
In all honesty, the only bright spots I can find on this team are Shady and Byham – and Bostick is finally showing some promise. A few others do well too, like Pelusi, Collins, LSH when he’s in, the LB McKillop, and Otah. The rest looks like it should be thrown away. 10 of 11 on the defense don’t even seem to be alive. I could write all day about all the poor play from guys like Phillips, Murray, Berry, Gunn, Chappel, and Dickerson…but whats the point anymore. We should be playing guys like Nix and Gary and Lindsey and DeCicco to see if any of them have any desire to not suck. When I watch on tape, I just don’t understand what the hell is going on – are they told to stand there and wait for their assignment to come to them, or to go get their assignment? Cause they’re doing a great job waiting… And the secondary – are they told not to jam any receivers EVER? Or are they just that soft?
But let’s play devils advocate. If these players are sooooooo awful, bring in some Juco players like Jeff Otah.
Walt returned Pitt to respectability and now it’s heading back down to Paul Hackett. I’m far from a Walt supporter, but he made progress with the team. But Pitt has lost 9 of its last eleven games – with the only two wins being to Grambling and Eastern Michigan.
It’s the coaches job to put players in a position to win. With this coaching staff, they play not to lose. Paul Rhoads still doesn’t know how to defend the option!!
I can’t find any fault with the offense or Cavanaugh after last game – he did what we have been clamoring for him to do – put our offensive talent in a position to succeed, and the two freshman responded. Cav’s game plan was spot on, and I’ll go further to say that had we not been in the hole right off the bat against UCONN and UVA our offense would have done better in those games as far as mounting sustained drives if we weren’t playing catchup as soon as early in the first quarter. To me Cavanaugh has done a pretty admirable job considering the injuries and offseason drama that has surrounded the offense this season.
Let’s also give Bostick the credit he’s due for stepping up and producing with all the baggage he’s had to drag around so far in his PITT career. This kid is a good one – he’ll do well, is doing well actually, and with more pressure on him then most kids face in their first year.
No – this season is strictly on the DC’s head. We can’t produce turnovers, we can’t stop the run against anyone really, and we put undue pressure on a young offense to outscore the other teams when the opponents are putting up 37+ points a game.
I say shitcan Rhodes asap. Gattsutto, Ball or even DW himself can’t do any worse for the rest of this season. Let the promising young kids get their feet wet, play any draftable seniors (can’t imagine who really except for OTAH) so they aren’t punished, and work on setting the stage for next season.
This was the nail in the coffin for me. I will not return to Heinz Field until he is gone. Its sad when even my state penn friends dont make fun of me because they feel bad. This program will suffer for decades if DW isnt ousted immediately.
Im tired of hearing about how great a recruiter he is, yes he landed a few top prospects but obviously that doesnt mean much – look at this nightmare! Everyone faulted Walt for his recruiting practices but just check out all the guys he sent o the NFL. DW Must go and must go now. I encourage all fans and alumni to write to the school and promise to buy no more tickets and make no more donations until he is gone – otherwise its going to be a long long time until we see a winning program. Throw some water on this fire before we lose everything.
As for Cav’s game plan, it won’t work against Cinci, WVU or any of the decent teams on our schedule. Our o-line will get stuffed at the point of attack.
Geez – we’re talking about Navy like their USC or Ohio State!
Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is once again feeling the heat from fans.
Coach Dave Wannstedt has been steadfast in his support of Rhoads. And continued to back him after Wednesday’s loss when he was asked if he is going to evaluate the job the defensive staff has done in light of the results of the past three weeks.
(Yes, lets take a look at Cincinatti to see how we can implode again)
NOTE — Fullback Conredge Collins is one player who wondered why the Panthers didn’t run the ball with two cracks from the 2 in the second overtime. “Most definitely [we should run the ball],” Collins said. “I mean, it is third-and-2, we were getting positive yards all game. It was just 2 yards away, but it is all about what the coaches call, and I guess they feel more confident putting the ball in the air and having a bigger [receiver] on a smaller [corner]. And that’s what they went for, and you really can’t say much about it being a player, you can only go with the calls they make.”
Way to go CC – its about time someone speaks up to how bad DW’s coaching ability is. maybe there will be a player mutiny that will force the university to fire pornstache.
Why we give Wannstedt a 5 year extension.
I absolutely agree with your assesment of Wanny. Great face of the program. we must, and I know this is absolutely nuts!, but give him a 5 year extension. Like I said, nuts! But if you want to continue recruiting and increase the talent pool of potential coaching canidates, Wanny must be recruiting both coaches and players into a stable situation. Being a lame duck is not helping us, remember wlat’s last 2 years when he was openly going out the door. no recruits and prospective coaching canidates will come if the coaching situation looks unstable. Say what you want, I have been going to Pitt games since the early 70’s, and things have been worse before. Wanny has a heck of a line up for next year, and to switch systems now just screws it all up (flex offense anyone?) Rhoades must go, Dunn, really what has he had to work with, all the top recruits were injured in training camp. Partrige is a great recruiter, so be careful there. Matt Cavanaugh, with a returning qb rb better line and all the weapons back, let us see what he can do.
Again call me Crazy!
October 12, 2007 11:09 AM
Just start basketball season already!
*PSI has been told by our Pitt Insider that at least 2 Pitt assistants will be fired following the season. According to our source, both defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads and offensive line coach Paul Dunn will be looking for work after this season. PSI can’t believe that special teams coach Charlie Partridge has much of a chance of returning either.
THANK GOD! at least there is an upside to this season
As good a recruiter as W supposedly is, I have to think that the last couple of years (especially this one) are going to damage his credibility when he walks into a recruits home. These kids aren’t stupid – their parents aren’t stupid – well, ok, maybe some of them are, but 2-9 is 2-9. There’s no getting around that little bit of ugliness. 3-8 doesn’t help you much either. He needed to get close to .500 this year -perhaps a little better- to sell the program to top level athletes with lots of choices. At this point he’s just digging a deeper hole.
Firing Rhoads and Dunn is a good start, but they really need an AD. A strong AD. What they have now is akin to Jerry Jones and the Cowboys – a guy that has lots of power but just doesn’t understand the nuances of the game. The difference is obvious in that at least Jones can go out and buy talent – its his money and he has tons of it. Right now we have to sell kids on a program witha future, and thats getting harder and harder to do.
I think it’s mostly scheme that is causing this issue not talent
all night long both May and Holtz were talking about how the Pitt D was not attacking. And how whenever the Navy O line was in splits it was an obvious run.
Guys we have seen some good college talent play on that side of the ball over the last couple of seasons (Blades, Session, Revis to name a few) and while you can argue their NFL level of talent there was no arguing that they could play at top level college ball
And yet they were never able to stop team offensively. Ultimately Pornstache/Rhoads Read and React defense is passive. It waits and then reacts. This has to be one of the poorest defenses ever developed (ok, ok, I know the Prevent D is pretty annoying but at least if it is implemented correctly it does trade yards for time).
If you are not aggresive on defense you have no defense.
Basically to sum it up…Wanny’s philosophy is “play/scheme not to lose” and in college ball that usually means you will lose.
Just my .02 cents
Wow. When I saw that kid in high school in the PIAA finals, he was maybe the best high school running back I’d ever seen. He really has fallen.
In my opinion DW needs to take over the defense. It is sad that his calling card is defense and Pitt’s defense has been down.
We need to get back to the blue collar work ethic and start cracking some skulls instead of playing a reaction defense.
My concern is why DW is not playing more of the freshman. I know you dont want to blow their redshirt but damn we need players getting as much experience this year as possible. Our safeties are always out of position and taken horrible angles to the ball.
Let go support our alma mater and players.
Hail to Pitt no matter if we are 0-12 or 12-0.
PS- If you build it they will come. DW is building this.
Wannstedt can sell Pitt by pointing out players like Kinder, Stull, Mustakas, Jacobson, Collier that will be coming back from injuries for next year. On top of that, Elijah Fields will join the team back from his suspension. All of this should combine to help bolster the depth on the roster. Turnover due to graduation will be relatively limited, and most of the younger players out there now will have the benefit of a year in the trenches. With the experience the current players are getting and the return of many of these injured upperclassmen, this team could effectively go from 3-9 or 4-8 to 8-4 or 9-3 in a year…maybe even better than that.
If they make any coaching staff changes long before recruiting has to be wrapped up and the new hires seem capable of bringing the offense and defense into the 21st century in terms of gameplans and schemes, he can sell those changes as well. Tell a kid like Baldwin that’s the new OC will throw the ball deep. Tell a kid like Collier that they want to use him at RB (because no one knows for sure how much longer McCoy will really be here).
etc., etc., etc.
He was probably the second-best high school RB I ever saw. The best was probably Dustin Picciotti from CB West. I would’ve loved to have seen how he would’ve turned out here had he not suffered the concussions problems.
Jawan Walker and Tim Colicchio were two RBs with Pitt connections who played at my alma mater (Erie Cathedral Prep). Colicchio played when I was there and then Walker came in about ten years later and broke pretty much all of Tim’s records. Sad to think of what Walker would’ve become had he kept his head on straight.
DW just doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to lead the program and I am going to be very interested in who he hires when the purge begins in the off-season.
He just doesn’t get it or have it.
You know, I hope I’m wrong, I would love to see them turn it around this year or next.
Next year is the end of the rope for Wanny, bowl game or bust.
No excuses, no more time.
I would love to find a coach (cause DW is not a good one and will get fired following next year) from a Division AA school that has just established himself as a good coach. A Jim Tressel like coach. Who cares if anyone uses Pitt as a stepping stone… The important point is to get better and we need the coach that can make us the best team possible. Ben Howland used Pitt and left us better than ever. Ohhh if Michigan could turn it around and somehow keep lloyd Carr and we could tell Bo Pellini we made a mistake and give him a shot! What a dream that would be.
Has he forgotten how to coach here? Are these all bullshit stats? We’re 10th in completion percentage and 6th in yards allowed passing this year – but from what I saw the other day, that was the single worst secondary I’ve ever seen. I just don’t understand. This shit makes no sense to me. For example, the Navy kid was 9 of 10 or 11…how is that a top ten pass D? So, is it the players or the coaches? I thought this was a good coach. One of the two sucks – which is it?
BTW – ND is 4th in yards allowed passing a game, and Cal is 103rd. I guess this must be a real important stat….
– the more Pitt plays from behind, the more Clock Ball their opponents will play, making the pass yards-allowed stat look better
– the more giveaways Pitt has in their end of the field (and count failed onside kicks here), the opposing team can only run up so many yards on us before they find themselves in the endzone
– The more teams that can burn us for 300 yards rushing, the better Pitt’s pass defense stats will look.
Brian the onside kick?
How about we have been running the ball all night over Navy and then to throw on 3rd and 4th down for the winning TD.
It defies logic, no it’s Wanny Ball, he has the unique ability to snatch a loss from the jaws of victory.
He’s a loser, his past coaching tenure supports this, his present antics are just opening everyones eyes.
Over the last 11 he is 2-9, over the remaining 2007 season we will go 1-5 (maybe), it looks like he will be given one more year to turn things around.
Doesn’t look good, does it?
I hope I am very wrong.
But since we’re talking about the little picture: we know DW uses every opportunity to light sunshine up the kilt of Paul Rhodes. Nothing that goes wrong on defense is ever PR’s fault… trying to pump up perception by trotting out the D’s 9th-best rating… etc… but does it seem like maybe he’s quietly taking some potshots at Ball? Like that whole ‘the pass is the thing that got us’ comment. On a night where the D gave up 300 rushing yards. Do you think there could be some infighting between Ball on one side and Rhodes and Wannstedt on the other?
That’s PURE speculation but I’m going to keep a closer lookout for comments like that.
