Steve Pederson coming back to Pitt now that he is looking for a new job is a bad idea. Okay? Pitt and sequels just don’t work. This is not about wanting a Pitt guy/gal as the AD — I don’t particularly care. I want the best person for the job. Not someone the Chancellor already knows and may be comfortable with dealing.

Pederson did a lot of good and some bad while at Pitt. He wasn’t the god/savior some make him seem for dragging the primary teams in the athletic department into the modern era, improving the facilities and finally getting a new basketball facility constructed. Nor was he the devil for changing the colors, logo and name and tearing down Pitt Stadium. For the most part he was a good athletic director who provided and acted in a way that helped Pitt. That doesn’t mean he should be brought back now that his alma mater has said “buh-bye.”

I’m sure there will be a column in the next day or two suggesting that it would be a good idea to bring back Pederson. That he would provide the energy to the athletic department and will make the hard choices, etc.

Feh. That’s just code for dealing with the only major public concern regarding the athletic department. Right now the issue is about the football program and its direction. Does the baseball program need shaken up? How about the men’s or women’s basketball? No. I don’t think so.

The athletic department could probably benefit overall from someone aggressive and with personality. It doesn’t, however, need the overhaul and makeover as before. Things have changed.

Bringing back Pederson would be taking the easy way, rather than being serious about looking for a new AD. It would also be one more sign that the athletic department is being run via proxy by Chancellor Nordenberg.

Addition: Naturally, that was also the one topic on Zeise’s Q&A today. He’s slightly more receptive to it, but doubts Pederson would be interested.

Two things. 1) I’m a bit behind in some articles I’ve been wanting to link and comment because of lingering disgust from the Navy game and lots of family that was in town from Thursday through the weekend; and 2) with all the bad stuff in the football, I’m going to try and link to some of the good stuff about the football team in separate posts. Here are a couple of players who get some love.

Redshirt junior Mark Estermyer is the long snapper and was once a walk-on who got his scholarship last year. He was also one of the players named team captain before the Navy game.

Then he so impressed coaches in training camp with his snaps on field goals and extra point attempts that his duties now include all kicks.And, on Monday, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt announced to the team that Estermyer, a redshirt junior, would be the special teams captain for tonight’s game against Navy at Heinz Field.

It’s an honor not often bestowed on an underclassmen.

“I was stunned,” Estermyer said. “I said to myself, ‘Did he just say my name?’ I didn’t expect it, but I’m excited about it.”

Special teams (at least in kicking and punting) have been solid, and Estermyer has been a part of that.

Tyler Tkach wasn’t a blue-chip recruit, but he was one of Pitt’s first recruits under Coach Wannstedt for the 2006 class and the first from Eastern Pennsylvania. The redshirt freshman has steadily worked his way into the rotation at DE.

He also lost his older brother this past July.

Tyler’s coaches call him a ”gamer,” one who plays better than he practices.

”When he gets in there and the lights come on, he makes plays,” Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said of Tyler, who wears No. 45 and has seven tackles (21/2 for losses), one sack and a fumble recovery.

Bo was a gamer, too. Though undersized (the high school quarterback/college receiver barely got above 170 pounds), he played with an intensity his younger brother admired. Tyler developed his love of football from Bo.

Which is why Tyler had no doubt he would play again this season, not even after he buried Bo in July. In fact, the day after Bo’s funeral, the entire Tkach family drove to Pittsburgh so Tyler could make a team workout the following day.

”I’m doing something my brother loved to do,” Tyler said recently at Pitt’s football complex. ”It’s what he really had a passion for.”

That’s why, before practice and games, Tyler makes a small gesture to acknowledge Bo.

”I write his name on my gloves so I’ll always remember,” Tyler said. ”He’ll always be there with me.”

Bo Tkach was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Eventually, he couldn’t take the strain of it and committed suicide. He was 25. Read the whole thing.

Darts anyone? This has ceased to be fun.

Dennis, as usual did the initial heavy lifting and I did a little tweaking. The floor is now open for comments. Please, when you complain about who is ranked and where, offer a reasonable suggestion as to who should be higher.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	South Florida	3
2	Ohio State	—
3	Boston College	2
4	Oklahoma	2
5	South Carolina	2
6	Kentucky	11
7	LSU	6
8	Florida	—
9	West Virginia	3
10	Southern Cal	1
11	California	8
12	Arizona State	6
13	Missouri	2
14	Oregon	1
15	Kansas	5
16	Hawaii	2
17	Auburn	4
18	Virginia Tech	5
19	Texas	5
20	Cincinnati	10
21	Maryland	1
22	Texas Tech	4
23	Tennessee	3
24	Wake Forest	2
25	Michigan	1

Standing By/Waitlisted: Penn State, Virginia, K-State and Alabama

It’s been that bad in college football that Michigan has found its way back into the top-25. I don’t know. I was poised to actually put UConn, Indiana or Boise St. in the poll, but the first two lost and BSU had a multi-OT shootout at home with Nevada this evening (that BSU did win) to kill that one.

I mean, for gods sake, Virginia is closing in on the top-25 at this point. Even as I argue against it.

Yes, I moved USF to #1. They have accomplished more this season than Ohio State, to this point.

Kentucky continues to yo-yo up and down the poll. Right now up because of beating LSU, though I expect them to plummet again if they lose to Florida this coming Saturday.

Cal takes a hard tumble. Not just for losing, but coming up so small at home against Oregon State.

USC drops another spot as they barely pulled out a weak victory rather than another embarrassing loss.

Cinci, Cinci, Cinci. You broke my wife’s heart by not taking back the Keg O’ Nails. Consolation trophy to come this week.
Oregon only gets a 1 spot bump because I’m not sold on them much longer with the injuries they had this weekend.

Really, it’s just a flippin’ mess. I hate seeing VT move that high just for beating Duke, but no one else is really showing much either. Same with Auburn, but if I’m going to guess at which great defense/crappy offense is better I’m going with Auburn.

From Paul Zeise’s Q&A on page C-2 in today’s Post-Gazette…

Q: I actually don’t mind Dave Wannstedt going for the win [vs. Navy]…but a fade to the tight end? Why not to a wide receiver or just run LeSean McCoy?

A: It was refreshing that Dave Wannstedt went against his nature — he even admitted he wasn’t comfortable going for it on fourth down — and went for the win. But you are right, the last two play calls were, well, like a closer giving up a game winning home run because he threw his fourth-best pitch instead of bringing the heat.

The more I think about those last two play calls, the more my anger level rises.

That means previews and seeing Pitt mentioned as one of the top-25 teams in most publications. Seth Davis at SI.com has a story with questions for many of the top programs.

Pittsburgh: Are the juniors ready to step to the head of the class?

I’m speaking specifically of the Panthers’ two junior forwards, Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young. Yes, there are a lot of expectations that 6-7 freshman DeJuan Blair will help make up for the departures of Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall, Pitt’s two leading rebounders the last two seasons. But anything you get from a freshman in that situation is gravy, especially since Blair could struggle with conditioning at the start.

Biggs and Young, however, have two years in this program under their belts, and don’t have much to show for it. Though they entered last season with much promise, Biggs and Young averaged 1.4 and 6.3 points, respectively, in Big East games (along with 2.7 and 3.1 rebounds). In Young’s case, those numbers were actually down from his freshman season. Pitt is well-stocked on the perimeter and has several big — though inexperienced — bodies to throw around inside. It needs Biggs and Young to provide consistent, versatile production if it’s going to challenge for the Big East crown.

Speaking of the heralded Blair, he seemed to have dropped a bit of weight. Even since the summer league.

Blair has slimmed down since the summer. He tipped the scales at 303 pounds when he first showed up for conditioning. But the AP Pennsylvania Player of the Year is down to about 270. “We’re still finding what his ideal weight is,” Dixon said. “But it’s going to be a big number.”

Blair seems a bit embarrassed about all the weight he had been carrying.

“I always look at the state championship (game tape) and say, ‘That was me? I was that big?’ ” said Blair, who acknowledges having been above 303 last season but won’t give an exact weight. “I didn’t look 300 at all, I carried it great. It didn’t matter if I was 300 or 200, I still played the same, still got up and down the court.”

Blair’s ability to post up against taller players down low, combined with his size and athleticism, is why he expects to be former Pitt star Aaron Gray’s heir apparent at center. Pitt’s offense revolved around Gray in the middle during the last two seasons, and it may do so around Blair very soon.

“He was a big factor on this team, and that’s another reason I came here,” Blair said. “They give the big man the ball.”

Blair said a lot of the right things on media day.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon always makes freshmen earn their way into the lineup, and there’s no guarantee that Blair will start in the season opener Nov. 9 against Houston Baptist, or in the Big East opener Jan. 6 at Villanova.

That’s fine with Blair, who grew up only minutes from Pitt’s campus. He feels at home there, and is determined to prove that he should start as a freshman on merit, not the reputation he built as a rugged inside player for 2007 Pennsylvania Class AAAA champion Schenley.

“He’s not going to say, ‘Oh, you’re coming in, I’m going to give it to you,’ ” Blair said. “That’s what I like about him. He’s not giving me nothing. He’s making me earn everything I got, and I’m learning from him. And there aren’t too many freshmen, I think, than can come right in and start (in the Big East).”

A great mix of confidence and work ethic in that statement. Just what you want to read from a freshman. I also like his eagerness to go out there and play where he would be out of position for NBA ambition.

“I want to play the 5, let’s get that out there,” Blair said, referring to the coaching vernacular for the center position. He cited the Big East’s reputation for toughness and the physicality of its play dating to the Patrick Ewing days in the 1980s.

“I would like to play the 5, play against the bigger, stronger guys like me. That’s why I picked Pitt, the Big East,” Blair said. “I think it’s the best conference in the whole United States. They battle and I like to battle.”

If he plays center, Blair would give up eight inches to UConn’s 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet, for example. But Blair predicted that he wouldn’t be overmatched physically against any Big East center.

“My arms are like I’ve got a 7-3, 7-2 wingspan,” Blair said. “I’ve got the same arm length as someone who is 7-foot, so that’s a bonus for me. I’m wide and I’ve got the arm length. I play like I’m 6-10.”

Of course, part of that is just wanting to get onto the court, and the center spot is the biggest hole in Pitt’s lineup.

Moving back to the issue of weight, conditioning and appearances. It seems that many of the players — once more — have slimmed down and reworked their bodies in preparation for 2007-08.

From point guard to center, Dixon rattled off the pounds shed.

It’s not strange for Dixon to talk about the conditioning of his players, but the remarks could be a telling sign.

Without Aaron Gray at center and Levon Kendall at power forward, Pitt’s most-experienced players are at the guard positions. And according to the players, the weight loss goes hand in hand with the Panthers shifting to a more guard-oriented, up-tempo offense.

“We’re going to be very different,” point guard Levance Fields said. “We’re going to be more guard-oriented. We don’t have that definite post presence like we had with Aaron and Levy last year. That’s the good thing about having veteran guard play, so it will be up to us to get things going.

“I’ve been waiting for this. Nothing against the system we’ve been playing. It works. It worked for the past seven or eight years. But now, due to the loss of Aaron and Levon, we’ll be more up-tempo, fast-breaking. It’s definitely exciting. It’s why me and Mike lost the weight that we did. We want to be able to get up and down the court as much as possible.”

Fields has lost 20 pounds since the end of last season and weighs in at 195 pounds. Cook is 212, down seven from his playing weight a season ago. And it’s just not the guards. Every player on the team has had their weight monitored strictly by the coaching and training staff.

“We’ve seen some dramatic changes in some guys,” Dixon said. “They’ve really responded in a positive manner. And they’ve exceeded those goals.”

I think there will be some added pressure on Pitt’s basketball team to do well this season by fans.  The disappointment of the football season, rather than make many appreciate what the basketball team has and will do; may cause some fans to expect more from the b-ball team. Some sort of bizarre, unconscious compensation of balancing things out.

Yes, speculation on recruiting.

Still a Pitt commit, Lucas Nix, has been selected for the U.S. Army All-American Game.

Scranton-area TE Hubie Graham had Dave Wannstedt in the stands watching him last week. He also made an offer to Graham’s teammate Eric Shrive — a two-way tackle.

A lower-tier prospect Pitt is showing some interest in is Brian Clarke from Hanover.

Clarke has plenty of Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) schools interested. The University of Buffalo has been a top pursuer. Penn State has recently requested more game tape. Others include Akron, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers – the list goes on and on.

The interest began just after Clarke was recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s top linemen when he was selected to the Associated Press Class 2A all-state second team as a junior. He starts at offensive tackle for Hanover Area, but colleges view him as either a center or guard because of his physique.

He seems interested in getting out-of-state, but he also enjoyed his visit to Pitt (stunning since it was the UConn game).

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.

Usually I won’t do this. I generally allow myself to at least wait to react to a game after I sleep on it. Sometimes you write things too quickly that are purely coming from the emotions of the game — this is not one of those times.

I’m pissed. Every person who I heard walking out of Heinz Field at 12:05 this morning (!) felt similarly. First, the actual game before things completely fell apart…

I expected the score to at least be in the 30’s, and I knew the defense was going to be it’s typical self while under Rhoads. I’m done complaining about the entire defensive side of the ball because it’s a dead complaint. Either Rhoads is fired or we’re going to have this for a long, long time. I will hand it to the Navy offense, though. QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is very smart and runs the triple option very well. You had to expect the triple option was going to torture our defense and it certainly did.

We also knew that the Navy defense wasn’t too great. I’m encouraged by the way that Bostick, McCoy, and Conredge Collins played. I don’t know what to make of it against a defense of this caliber…who knows.

The real problem here is with the coaching. I was fine with Pitt playing for overtime. Once we got there, though, I agreed with nothing else. The first OT is what it is – we scored then they scored (albeit on only one single play). We managed to hold Navy to only a field goal in second overtime. Obviously the thought is, “Great, the worst that can happen is we kick a FG of our own and go to a third overtime.”

That final drive started out well with the 16 yard pass to Pestano. 1^st and goal from the 9. Who better to give it to than the guy who has already carried the offense all day, LeSean McCoy. Smartly, we give it to Shady which is good for 6 down to the three yard line. Next play is McCoy for a yard to the 2.

At this point, the coaches fall apart. We don’t know what to do – pass, throw, crap our pants? They choose option #3. It takes so damn long to get a friggin’ play call in that we don’t break the huddle until the play clock is at 8 seconds. Bostick gets the snap (play clock at 3) and throws an incomplete pass to Nate Byham, but Byham gets flagged for illegal motion anyways.

Why do I bring this up?

1. We have a timeout left to take. When we haven’t even broken the huddle at 10 seconds it might be wise to take it. Instead, it was never used and it’s floating out there in “what if” land as we speak. Maybe Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense can keep their composure and hurry to the line to get a play of quickly. Instead, we’re the Pitt Panthers. Our QB is a true freshman, and the entire offense in general is young – probably not the best group to attempt to pull this kind of thing off with.

2. Using that timeout keeps Byham from getting flustered and being called for a penalty.

3. Lastly, what was up with the play call? Was Shady’s seven yards on the last two plays not good enough? Had Conredge Collins not proven himself enough yet during the course of the game? And if you are going to pass, why not in some type of spread formation?

In reality, it’s an incomplete pass with a declined penalty – 4^th and goal from the 2. I don’t know how I feel about going for the win as opposed to kicking in the chip shot field goal. I do know, however, that IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO BALLS TO THE WALL, THEN GO BALLS TO THE WALL! DON’T GO HALFWAY BUT TRY TO TIP-TOE YOUR WAY AROUND IT! If you’re not going with Shady or Collins on 3^rd down, then at least go on 4^th. If you think you’ll fool them with a pass play, DO NOT THROW IT TO A TIGHT END IN THE BACK CORNER OF THE ENDZONE. It is perhaps one of the worst play calls I’ve ever seen. A jump ball in the back corner has an amazingly low chance of being caught, even if we threw Larry Fitzgerald in there. Strong isn’t even our best receiving TE. NOTHING ABOUT IT MAKES SENSE.

What now? I’ve tried to keep from saying it, but all of the coaches need to go. Wannstedt, Cavanaugh, Rhoads, and every other coach beneath them. Gone. The season is over. The best we’re going to finish is 3-9, and I could easily see us losing out and finishing 2-10. You want Wanny around for next year, the year we’ve been waiting for? I can’t see how any team can keep their coach if they finish with 2 or 3 wins, Pitt being no exception.

As for me, I’ll still go to every home game. What I won’t do is make anymore road trips. It’s not worth my time or money to go to places like Morgantown to see this train wreck. I’ll be at every home game, sure, but I’m done cheering and booing. I will simply go, sit, and watch. I stood and cheered for all four hours of tonight’s game with the 30 foot long Oderick Turner sign in section 530. The sign is done for the year; nothing personal against Oderick, it’s just not worth it anymore.

Finally, sorry for any misspellings, grammatical errors, awkward sentence structures, and those caps I used a few paragraphs back. It’s almost 2:00 in the morning and I’m cold and unhappy. Less than a month till Pitt hoops…go team.

Update: 1:59 am — Didn’t see Chas’ post until after I published mine. Sorry for any repetition you might see.

Not a lot of changes from the draft ballot. Minor tweaks, really.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU	—
2	Ohio State	2
3	California	—
4	South Florida	1
5	Boston College	1
6	Oklahoma	4
7	South Carolina	6
8	Florida	—
9	Southern Cal	7
10	Cincinnati	6
11	Missouri	7
12	West Virginia	—
13	Wisconsin	6
14	Hawaii	—
15	Oregon	—
16	Florida State	6
17	Kentucky	6
18	Arizona State	2
19	Illinois	7
20	Kansas	5
21	Auburn	5
22	Maryland	4
23	Virginia Tech	3
24	Texas	7
25	Georgia	16

You can see the full results here and individual ballots here.

I have my in-laws showing up tomorrow for my kid’s granparent’s day at school. My dad is also making a trip in for this. I need sleep, but it won’t be coming for a while. The bourbon tastes like crap with the ashes of this season, but I’m still drinking it.

This game was there for the taking for Pitt. Something. Anything. Just a little hope. Apparently that little spark was just too much right now.

The defense was as piss poor as expected. DC Paul Rhoads showed his usual ability to cope with a rushing attack with a QB that can move vertically. He can’t. He never has. He never will.
Pitt gave up 497 total yards. 331 yards on the ground and 168 in the air. Oh sure some might argue that numbers get skewed with 2 OTs, but not this time. OT only accounted for 38 yards.
In regulation, Pitt gave up 459 yards total, with 318 rushing and 141 in the air. Prior to this game Navy averaged around 446 total yards per game. What does that mean? It means Pitt was slightly below the average D of Temple, Duke, Air Force, Ball State and Rutgers. Oh, and only Duke allowed them to score more points (in regulation).

Hell, what is there to write about the defense that hasn’t been written tons of times before. I mean, the ultimate humiliation is when Lou Holtz is able to see the problems while not even being sure who’s on the field.
Up until the final couple plays in the second OT, I was completely ready to give the offense a pass. Expectations were and are low on that end, and Navy’s defense is hardly much of a measuring stick. Still, 38 points in regulation after the past 3 games still could only be a positive. Taking some chances. Letting Bostick have a chance to play and throw the ball.
Then Pitt had the ball inside the 2 on 3d down. The 3d down pass, I suppose I can accpet. Questionable but not insane. 4th down. Totally right to go for it. I’m not questioning that decision. The play call. The formation. That was madness.

A called fade to the short side to Strong. All the while in a conventional set that doesn’t spread the defense. Gives no other choice and gives the defense every chance to make the play.

Otherwise, the offense did fine. It got yards. It mixed things up. It did its best considering the pathos that is the O-line. Actually involving the wide receivers in the game plan. Over 400 yards of total offense and not just from second half desperation to catch-up.

Pitt fell behind after 3 quarters and took back the lead. Actually got a lead back.

Pathetic. Yet another, “must win” for Pitt and Wannstedt that wasn’t.

Late start. I was stuck with an unconscious infant on my lap for the first 9 minutes of action.

Adam Nettina at Pitch Right is liveblogging (1st half and 2nd half) the game as well.

Well, they are letting Bostick throw a bit, but not much downfield. The O-line is horrible (nothing new), as the undersized D-line is getting disturbingly easy penetration. Pathetic. Not sure why they have McCoys deep to take hand-offs. With the penetration by Navy’s D-line.

Pitt’s second drive is looking a lot better. Actually mixing up the run and pass creates more offense. Go figure.

Collins takes it in for the score. Lee ties the Pitt record for consecutive XPs.

7-7

A brief word about the defense’s first effort. Typical from a Rhoadsian D. The most disturbing thing was the sideline report right after Navy scored. The observation that the Pitt sideline coaches and defense coming off the field was being stunned by the speed of Navy. Oh, that was a puckering moment.

(more…)

At least it shouldn’t be to anyone who thinks about it for a few minutes. Zeise seems surprised by this issue.

Q: Are there players who may merit playing time but because maybe they were Walt Harris recruits they are being overlooked?

ZEISE: No. If anything, the opposite is true — there are probably too many upperclassmen still playing ahead of some of these younger, more talented players, simply because they have more “experience” and not necessarily because they are the best player for the job. I find it amazing that on a team so devoid — especially on defense — of playmakers that there aren’t more of the young guys who are more athletic and more likely to make plays on the field on a more consistent basis. At this point, even if they make a few mistakes because of inexperience, can they really play any worse and can this team play any worse than it has the past two weeks with the “experienced” players?

As does Gorman.

Wannstedt once again talked about his senior leadership, a recurring theme the past two seasons. For whatever reason, he has been extremely loyal to the Walt Harris leftovers even though he didn’t recruit them.

It’s not about loyalty or such, it’s much more to what Zeise said. They are “experienced.” Coach Wannstedt, by his nature is a conservative coach. That means that it is much more important not to make a mistake. He places a high value on being in a system for a while and knowing the responsibilities. Every coach has a personal checklist, value system that mixes factors like raw talent, potential, ability, realized talent, experience and other variables in determining who starts, plays and how much. The way Coach Wannstedt has played the kids has been the clearest sign that he places a premium on experience in his evaluations. Only in cases where the talent is so far above the experience (LeSean McCoy) or injury necessitates it does a less experienced player get the chance.
As late as August 21, Coach Wannstedt talked of trying to redshirt 18-20 of the freshmen. From ostensibly one of the top recruiting classes in the country to a team that finished 5-6 the year before.

In case you forgot, basketball practices are formally allowed to start this Friday. Pitt won’t be doing any Midnight Madness or anything like that. It will be a closed practice. Whatever. Even if expectations get dashed on that as well, it will be nice to have them dashed a few months into the season, rather than weeks.

Here’s a recruiting update from Van Coleman of CSTV.com.

Pittsburgh has had a solid start with three Top 200 signees headed by 6-foot-6 Top 100 talent Nasir Robinson, our No. 73 talent, from Chester, Pa. Two athletic backcourt talents 6-foot-2 Ashton Gibbs from West Orange, N.J. Seton Hall Prep and 6-foot point Travon Woodall will form a nucleus for future Panther backcourt success. They would like to add some size this fall.

Currently the Panthers are involved with 6-foot-8 powerman Dan Jennings from Mouth of Wilson Va. Oak Hill, along with 6-foot-10 Chatham, Va. Hargrave post Roscoe Davis.

Davis has interest from Kansas, Memphis, Ohio State, West Virginia, N.C. State, Maryland as well a the Panthers. They are among schools who’ve contacted Temple Hills, Md. Progressive Christian 6-foot-10 post Gus Gilchrist and have a more than casual interest in 6-foot-9 Orion Outerbridge of New Hampton, N.H. School.

Still trying to figure out how Pitt expects to have a 4th scholarship.

Of course, how about focusing on the here and now (ESPN Insider subs.).

Levance Fields, fresh off a two-week suspension following an arrest for aggravated assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, is apparently in the best shape of his career with the Panthers. Fields was banned from all basketball-related activities around the program during his suspension (he’s heading to court Oct. 26 after authorities dropped all charges, except for simple assault, following his scuffle with police last month). The Panthers will need Fields to be in top shape to run their offense, one that will include plenty of dump-down passes to freshman DaJuan Blair. Blair’s aptitude for Jamie Dixon’s system and his overall work ethic have been welcomed so far at Pitt.

[Emphasis added.]

First exhibition game is October 31 against Pitt-Johnstown.

Maybe it’s the fact that the Steelers are off to a hot start, the Pirates are cleaning house and the Pens are starting their season. Or maybe it’s that apathy towards Pitt football has already set in. I’ve been stunned that over the last two stinkers of losses that the primary ‘Burgh columnists (Starkey, Collier, Cook and Smizik) have done a grand total of one column about Pitt — a Smizik quickie on how Wannstedt needed a UVa win for his future. That’s 2 1/2 weeks and practically nothing. I mean Starkey has a side gig doing a weekly Big East report and column for ESPN.com and he couldn’t be bothered with Pitt. This has nothing to do with any pro- or anti- biases to Pitt or Wannstedt. That has everything to do with the interest in the Pitt football program right now in Pittsburgh. Which apparently could be classified as very little. This is a bad trend. Personally, I don’t think the media sets much of the agenda in sports anymore. It is increasingly a reflection of audience interest. That should be a big concern for Pitt’s Athletic Department. I mean, if there was anyone in charge.

Is the game important to Coach Wannstedt and Pitt? Does Coach Wannstedt even realize how frustrated the fans are? It’s hard to say. Like a Magic 8-Ball, it depends on how hard you shake and when to see whether he realizes how important this game is.
From an article on Sunday.

“We’ve got to get one,” Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said. “So, yeah, it’s important. You come out here and work real hard and put this much time into it. The thing that’s frustrating is that you go out and you recruit good players, and they come here.

“So, we’ve got guys who want to win and are preparing to win, but we’ve just got to find a way to make it happen on the field. There’s no other way to really put it than that.”

Wannstedt was also asked if the Pitt administration has still expressed confidence in him and the football program, and his response was curt.

“I won’t even respond to that,” Wannstedt said.

And then yesterday.

“Sure it is,” Wannstedt said. “We need to get back on track and we need to find a way to win this game to get to .500 and we’ll go from there. Is it more important today than it was yesterday? No. Is it more important today than it was the opening game? I would say no. I don’t think you look at leadership that way. You are either a leader or you’re not.”

And I have no idea what that exactly means or the relation for the need for a win and something about leadership; other than the fact that I’ve read and re-read that several times and I want those minutes of my life back.

So, while the regular sports columnists aren’t wasting time on Pitt, the beat writers are trying to fill it in, without dancing too far over. After all, they have to deal with the coaches and players on a daily basis. It’s a delicate situation.

Pitt will play host to Navy tomorrow night in what has suddenly become one of the Panthers’ most important games in recent history.

There were plenty of questions surrounding the direction of Pitt’s program under coach Dave Wannstedt before the season started. They have turned into legitimate concerns in the wake of the way the Panthers have performed.

With a three-game losing streak, Pitt (2-3) seems to be rapidly descending to the bottom of the Big East. The Panthers appear headed for a third consecutive season without a bowl game. A home loss to the Midshipmen (3-2) on national television would further damage Pitt and Wannstedt’s reputations.

Even if it’s by simply stating the facts.

The Panthers coach enters the midway point of both his third season and his five-year contract with a 13-15 record that includes three wins over Division I-AA opponents — and without a signature victory to his credit.

The athletic director, Jeff Long, who pledged his support, left for Arkansas. Pitt chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg has kept quiet amid the search for a replacement. When asked late last week if he still had the administration’s support, Wannstedt snapped, “Yeah. I won’t even respond to that.”

When Pitt (2-3) plays host to Navy (3-2) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, it will do so before an ESPN national television audience that will cast an even greater spotlight on a program that has slipped from Big East Conference co-champion to its basement in less than three seasons.

After a 2-0 start, Pitt has lost three consecutive games. Dating to last season, Pitt has lost eight of its past 10.

Yes, Coach Wannstedt knows he’s getting extra criticism, but honestly — and I think I keep repeating this fact — he isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to be here next year. Lack of a new Athletic Director, the money Pitt is paying and high administration and booster support are the reasons. Any one, would probably be enough. All three makes it a lock.

Well, Dennis let the cat out of the bag as a blog exchange between myself and Adam Nettina of the excellent Pitch Right blog and myself regarding Wednesday night’s Navy-Pitt game. Part 1, where I answered his questions are here. Now for Part 2.

1. Can you give a reasonably simple explanation how Navy’s triple-option works and who the vital players in this offense are and what is going right when it is working? Is speed from a defense the best way to stop it, or is it something else?

Of course. Navy’s triple option is run out of the flexbone formation. It’s basically a spread formation with the inside receivers (called “A” or slotbacks) in tight about a half yard back from the line. There are other sets of the formation, but this is the most basic set. On a typical option play the quarterback will take the snap and pivot as the fullback comes forward. This is the QB-FB mesh and depending on the quarterback’s read of the defensive end, he will either hand off to the fullback on an inside run (“dive”) or the quarterback will pull the ball out and proceed up the field. That’s the first option. The second and third option comes when the quarterback makes the decision to pitch the ball or to keep it and run up the field. If everything is blocked correctly, that read is dependent on what the guy “running the ally” (usually a safety or outside linebacker) does. Keep in mind this is still a spread formation, and that Navy runs more than just the “triple option” out of different flexbone sets, including fullback options and reverse pivot option plays. And of course, there is always the threat that the quarterback can pull the ball back and throw the ball downfield, especially if the defense is “firing the corners” to try to get into the backfield in anticipation for the option. For further explanation of how the offense functions, I’ll refer your readers to fellow Navy blogger Phelix, who gives a fantastic breakdown of the anatomy of a 76-yard touchdown run on his website.

Navy’s triple option is really a team effort because it takes everyone- from the offensive lineman to the receivers to the quarterback- to make it work correctly. However, we do have some skill players that really make it fun to watch. Our quarterback, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku Enhada, has been playing in this kind of offense since High School and has already recorded seven rushing touchdowns on the season. At the fullback position we have Eric Kettani and Adam Ballard. Ballard was the team’s leading rusher last season, but we’ve seen Kettani (6’1, 220, 4.53/40, 400 BP) hit more long runs this season and take the bulk of the carries. At slotback we have the now famous Reggie Campbell, who at 5’6 is one of the smallest players in the country. He’s a fierce blocker though who runs in the 4.3s and is so low to the ground that he’s really a nightmare for players to tackle. Zerb Singleton and Shun White, two other speedy slotbacks, also play a big role in both the run and passing game.

As far as stopping the triple option goes, speed certainly helps, but it’s all about playing disciplined. Beating the triple option is about reading your keys, reacting quickly, and either beating or shedding the block to get to the ballcarrier. Navy has played some very big and athletic defenses over the past five years, but the ones that do the best are the most disciplined. It also helps to have extra time to prepare for the offense, and to have personnel who have played against it in the past.

2. It seems after some early struggles, the offense has really started to click. Is it the players more comfortable in it after a few games, or were there changes made?

I think a lot has to do with guys just getting up to speed as the season goes along. This is something we see every year, and if anything we’ve seen the offensive come together earlier this season because of the experience. I’m sure Paul Johnson has made some adjustments as far as personnel packages go, but mostly the adjustments we see the offense make come during the game. Everything else is fundamentally the same.

3. 43 points to Duke? Really? What happened? What are the weaknesses/exploitable aspects of the defense?

To put it bluntly, everything. Navy had a very inexperienced defense coming into the year that got a whole lot more inexperienced very quickly, as junior linebacker Clint Sovie and Free Safety Jeff Deliz (defensive captain) were lost for the season against Rutgers. This was a huge loss because Clint was the guy who lined everyone up, and to tell you the truth the coaching staff didn’t have anyone to turn to who could line up the defense correctly. Navy basically lost the Ball State game because guys were covering the wrong gap assignments and, as Paul Johnson put it, were playing “streetball.” Defensive coordinator Buddy Green has simplified some things to make it easier since then, but the adjustments are putting strains on what our personnel can accomplish. A great example of this is in the secondary, where cornerbacks have been forced to play man coverage. Rashawn King, the left corner, is actually one of the better corners at the Naval Academy in some time, but the right cornerback spot has been a revolving door all year, with nether Darius Terry nor Greg Thrasher able to prevent the big play. Blake Carter, who is solid in run support, will get the start against Pitt, but he hasn’t been tested in coverage. The defensive line is also an area of great concern, as the defensive ends have failed to keep containment while getting pressure on the quarterback has been almost nonexistent, with only three sacks in five games. But more than anything else, Navy’s defense is just not playing smart, fundamental football. Tackling is an issue, playing in space is something we don’t do well, and stopping other teams on third down (allowing a conversion rate of over 50%) is a constant problem. Navy has never been lights out on defense under Coach Green, but because of the youth and the injuries this year the defense has played especially poor. Even though Pitt’s offense is banged up at key positions, they shouldn’t have too much trouble moving the football. The real question will be whether Navy can come up with stops in the red zone, which is what the defense was able to do against Air Force.

4. Paul Johnson has been phenomenal for Navy, so naturally his name comes up for the annual coaching carousel. Is he really going anywhere? Is there a school you think he is holding out for the particular opening?

For the time being, no. He signed a contract extension last year and he is in a very good situation here, making top dollar and also getting an amazing amount of support for what he does. As far as the long term goes, I’m about as clueless as most people. If the right offer comes around I’m sure he’ll take it, but true to form he’s never actually defined what the “right offer” means. He’s a Carolina native so he may be somewhat interested in those positions, but fortunately for us they’ve all been addressed in recent years. He’s got a good thing at the Naval Academy, and quite frankly doesn’t have any reason to leave unless he’s intent on proving that his offense works at the BCS level, which he may or not be.

5. Way before the season, the Poinsettia Bowl all but guaranteed a bowl bid for Navy if they get bowl eligible. People eyeballed the schedule and suggested it was a virtual guarantee that Navy would get to at least 7 win to take all the guess work out of it. How vital is beating Pitt getting the needed number of wins at this point?

I don’t know if we can really tell at this point, but I will give you the standard line of any win helps. The rest of the schedule is, by conventional standards at least, very manageable. North Texas and Northern Illinois are two of the worst teams in the country, while Delaware is an FCS team and Army is, well, Army. That being said, look at the last two weeks of college football and tell me if anyone is “guaranteed” anything. Navy may need to win this game for no other reason that nothing is assured, even against teams like North Texas and Northern Illinois. Beating a team like Pitt out of the BCS conference would be a huge accomplishment for the program, and give the Midshipmen momentum rolling into the “tougher” portion of the schedule with Wake Forest and Notre Dame looming.

6. How do you see the Wednesday night game playing out? Your predictions?

Well, it sure won’t be decided by halftime. Navy’s defense is going to keep other teams in games this year, that’s almost a given, while Navy’s offense probably has the experience and personnel to score on most teams. I think Navy will squeak this one out, if for no other reason that team’s traditionally struggle defensively when they have never played this kind of offense in the past. Had Pitt been fully healthy and had it’s offensive line been in order, I think the Panthers would win this game by two touchdowns, but considering just how beat up they are right now I think Navy will be able to get one or two big stops defensively to seal the game. I’m a little shaky on this, but let’s say 34-31 Navy.

Thanks again to Adam for doing this. Adam will be liveblogging the Wednesday night game  — as will I — so multiple online locations to take different perspectives. I also recommend you take a look at The Birddog, another Navy-centric blog, as Phelix has his look at Pitt.