The Blue-Gold game fanfest is underway. I would love to be there tonight. Of course the one flaw in all of this planning for the festivities.
Where the Blue-Gold Game drew an announced attendance of 2,103 last year, Pederson is hoping to lure more fans today with free admission and other enticements. Pitt players will sign autographs in the Gate A plaza from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by live music and entertainment before the 6 p.m. kickoff of the two-hour scrimmage.
Former Panthers greats now in the NFL — Ruben Brown, Claude Harriott, Tyler Palko, Darrelle Revis and Charles Spencer among them — will make appearances and drop by the broadcast booth for in-game interviews.
“We’re going to build events around the game so that the two hours before kickoff are family-fun time,” Pederson said. “Obviously, we think it’s important to raise our profile every chance we get. The opportunity to put it on the NFL Network gives us a chance to have a nationwide presence for the spring game, which we think is spectacular.”
What? No Rod Rutherford? He’s up in Erie now.
Fantastic. Excellent. Great to bring back former players and having them interact with the fans. Can’t say enough great things about that. That the former players are willing to do this, and the school reached out to them is a great change.
Of course, tonight is also the first night of Passover. Kind of an important night for some of us. Aren’t there any Jews in the Pitt Athletic Department? Hopefully there will still be a sizable crowd.
I am happy the game is on the NFL Network at least. I can still watch it. Plus there’s the admitted recruiting angle.
Because the game is televised, it will have to fit in the allotted two-hour window and that means the second-half clock likely will run unabated and the length of the third and fourth quarters will be determined by time constraints. Wannstedt said he’d like the game to end at the same time the broadcast is over.
Wannstedt said the television exposure is excellent for the program and might provide a recruiting boost.
“Anytime you have a chance to get some exposure, it is a good thing,” Wannstedt said. “I mean, I didn’t get a chance to watch any of the Texas or the Florida spring games, but we had them on in the locker rooms after practice and our guys were able to look up there and see them. And I think being on national television says something about the program.
“And also, the prospective recruits who can’t get to the game, the non-local kids, the kids in New Jersey, Florida and Maryland, they will be watching.”
Assuming they know somebody with the NFL Network. It’s not like they can go to the bars.
