Why does it seem that the beat writers for two different papers seem to be writing about the same thing on the same day? There’s a simple and easy answer for that. It depends on who Pitt makes available for interviews. It’s an access thing. This isn’t like the NFL where media members can roam the locker room and talk to who ever they want. The media can request players, but it’s Pitt’s discretion to decide who to make available.

So with LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling talking, the storyline is obvious. Their relationship and how Stephens-Howling has handled being passed by McCoy on the depth chart.

Which is all well and good, but nothing did more to soothe Stephens-Howling’s soul than celebrating in the end zone Saturday at Heinz Field after scoring the winning touchdown in Pitt’s 24-17 upset of then-No. 23 Cincinnati.

“People were saying after I scored my touchdown that I did a little celebration. But I would just say there were a whole lot of things that were bottled up in me that came out, and that was just to let me know that I can still do it and I’ll keep on trucking,” he said.

There’s nothing but praise, of course for Stephens-Howling. From McCoy, Coach Wannstedt and RB Coach Dave Walker.

“He’s the example of what you are looking for in a student-athlete, a teammate and a friend,” Walker said. “You know what you are going to get from him all the time, and it will always be everything he has. Everybody has roles on our team and his has been adjusted a little bit but he has handled it as well as you can.

“He hasn’t pouted and he’s played at a high level when his number is called. But the bottom line is, we need both guys and we’ll give the ball to whoever is hot.”

As done previously after the game against Virginia, using the play-by-play found here I compiled our first down playcalling and stats into a more visual form to be analyzed. Obviously the win over Cincinnati was in large part due to the way the offense, especially the running game, played. It also looks as though a huge improvement on first downs helped lead to the win.

Against Virginia a few weeks ago, the following happened:

— 58 total yards on first down plays
— 23 first down plays
— 2.5 yard average gain on first down
— 3 three-and-outs and 6 total punts

Not very efficient at all, and it’s really no wonder why we lost the way we did. Saturday’s game against Cincinnati showed that an improvement in those stats increases our shot at winning. The full first-down chart follows…

Note: “—” denotes the drive continued.

Just the length of the chart tells enough. Against Virginia, we moved the ball so much less that the number of first downs was very low. We saw 36 this game compared to 23 in that game. Looking closer, the box in the top right is a good enough summary. We gained almost 200 total yards more on first downs from Virginia to Cinci. Also, and maybe most importantly, is the average gain: 6.78 compared to 2.5. It’s much easier to succeed on 2nd & 4 to go than 2nd & 8.

More words and graphs after the jump.

(more…)

Well, this is something of a surprise to learn just as it nears the point when he will be passed.

Receiver Harry Douglas can break the Big East career receiving record with 466 more yards this season. Dietrich Jells of Pittsburgh set the mark with 3,003 yards in 1995.

And Douglas even missed a couple games this season with an injury. Of course, Douglas has had Brohm throwing to him. Jells had Alex Van Pelt and John Ryan. I’m just saying.

For all the stuff you want on Louisville, be sure to read the Card Chronicle. Mike R. is a daily read for me, even when Pitt isn’t playing Louisville.

In his Big East Notebook for ESPN.com (Insider subs.) Joe Starkey is a little hesitant to say that Pitt turned a corner with the win last weekend.

Or, it might have been an aberration. We’ll know more based on how the Panthers fare in their visit to Louisville on Saturday.

That is also the theme of this AP article.

Before dealing Cincinnati its second loss in a row, Pitt had been outscored 215-132 in Big East games since beating Syracuse 21-11 on Oct. 7, 2006.

“Coming in here on Sunday nights, before this week, it was tough to watch film and sit through meetings,” center Chris Vangas said. “This week, I think everyone was looking forward to coming in and watching film and getting ready to practice.”

At least the Panthers were until they saw game tape of Louisville (4-4, 1-2), which has outscored them 90-44 during a pair of one-sided games since 2005. Louisville, which plays host to Pitt on Saturday afternoon, won 48-24 last season in Pittsburgh and 42-20 the season before.

I don’t know if Mario Urrutia is playing but Douglas scares me more in their receiving corps. The secondary hasn’t had a major challenge to this point, so this is going to unknown territory. They haven’t looked good in limited spells.
There’s a connection between Colorado Rockies Outfielder Matt Holliday and Dave Wannstedt.

Holliday was a star quarterback at Stillwater (Okla.) High School. How good? His father, Tom Holliday, then the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State and now the associate head coach at North Carolina State, sent a tape of his son to then-Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt. Matt was being recruited for both sports.

Wannstedt saw a young John Elway or Dan Marino. But Holliday said no thanks to football and college, and signed with the Rockies.

I assume the elder Holliday knew Wannstedt when he was coaching in college.

One on the offense and one on the defense.

DE Greg Romeus really showed up in the Cinci game. He made a bunch of plays as his playing time has increased. Naturally, that means a puff piece.

And as Romeus has learned and gained more experience, he has become harder for coaches to keep off the field. That’s why he has seen his playing time increase almost weekly and is now playing as many snaps as starters seniors Chris McKillop and Joe Clermond.

Romeus doesn’t have the experience of either of those two, but he has been able to be just as productive when he has been in the games because he is such a good athlete. Romeus, who is 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, has 23 tackles and a team-leading seven for losses, including a sack. He also has broken up two passes.

Defensive Line Coach Greg Gattuso is trying to temper enthusiasm and expectations regarding Romeus. Coach Wannstedt freaked people out by reminiscing about and comparing Romeus to the legendary Dallas Cowboy Leon Lett. Hopefully the comparisons only stop at the physical part. Otherwise Romeus is being insulted about his intelligence.

Over on the O-line, when Joe Thomas went out with a hamstring injury (status, questionable for Saturday) John Bachman came in and performed exceedingly well. That’s a relief. No hiking the ball as a center, and suddenly he looked good on the line.

At right guard, Bachman appears to have finally found a position he can call home. Wannstedt and Dunn have both said Thomas won’t lose his starting role to injury, but that the position is now open to competition.

Bachman, for one, welcomes the opportunity.

“I’ve been around a lot,” Bachman said. “That’s been an experience for me, a positive experience. I think that works for me because I understand the offensive line better than some guys do. I feel more comfortable at guard than I have at tackle and center. I’m excited to be there. I think it’s going to be my natural position.”

I like that. Thomas won’t lose his job due to injury, but he will in competition.