Wow. A fantastic performance by Pitt. The coaching staff called a great game. And I guarantee, the biggest buzz is going to be questioning why Pat Bostick was put in the game to hand-off to Shariff Harris.
I don’t know why Coach Wannstedt chose the scrub time of this game to burn Bostick’s redshirt. I don’t know why, if they wanted to wisely take out Stull and others, Greg Cross wasn’t at least put in there for some reps.
I do know there are going to be a lot of questions and second-guessing after a game, where otherwise there would be none.
I think wanny had a joepa moment and forgot who he was talking to. Why oh why burn that redshirt. unless wanny has lost all confidence and doesn’t believe Bostick is the future.
Looking back from first game through today, Cav has opened up the offense as Stull has gotten more comfortable/composed as the QB.
The Bostick move leaves me stunned…Cross was there and could have handed the ball off as well as Pat…or is there more to this than we all know….still perplexed by this move.
All in all..a great W!!!
Hail to PITT!
-al-
Go Pitt! Great game, great play calls.
Of course, there is a 3rd scenario — he can be an idiot!
That was one of the more satisfying Pitt wins in 4 years … not a GREAT win, but satisfying in that we handily took care of an inferior opponent in their own back yard, something we haven’t done since beating USF 43-14 in Walt’s lame duck year.
Yet all the talk will be this week was why did Dave yank Bostick’s redshirt.. just imagine Zeise’s Q&A … you know that will be the first and many of the questions.
Cavanaugh has pulled a Castanza. I believe he is doing the opposite of what he thinks he should do. I couldn’t believe some of the situations we threw in where anyone else would have run considering the way Shady was running all over Navy. We were up by 28 in the 4th and were still throwing the ball. Baldwin is just what we needed. Any pass that has been anywhere near him so far has either been a huge gain or a pass interference. Can’t believe we actually threw a TD to him on the 3rd and long and didn’t do another f’ing screen or draw like we normally do.
D was infinately better this year. Several stops for no gain. Last year I don’t think Navy ever had a play that went for less than 2 yards.
WTF with Bostick? Was that a message that he will not be the quarterback of the future? Why not play Cross? Again….WTF?
But, does anybody have that picture of Wannstache from his days playing for Pitt, where he has long hair and is stacheless?
They keep showing it during Pitt games, and it’s hilarious.
Maybe, since Bostick is the #2 QB, he thought that if Stull can’t go he wants to get him some game action before the next game??
Who knows, but I heard he said that at his press conference.
Great Pitt fan contingent…maybe 5000 total.
Beautiful Fall day and Pitt with a great win may be a very good team after all. Just like you, the only talk after the game was why Bostick was put in.
Wanny was visibly upset on the sidelines with Stull, who (and forgive me for repeating this) constantly threw off the wrong foot and panicked several times in the face of a pass rush. His long passes were average at best and he looks like a very mediocre QB at best.
Thus the only topic after the game was Bostick.
This time I think Wanny did the right thing!
Should Stull falter, Bostick is the QB, is #2 on the depth chart, and deserves to play. I want him to have some live snaps…we were all over Wanny for not pulling Stull with 12minutes to go in the game and a 42-14 lead. Pitt has a BAD history of QB’s going out at the worst possible time and Cross evidently cannot handle our offense. He misses hand offs in practice routinely from what I hear from those in the know.
Imagine us beating an improving Rutgers team next week and being at N Dame and needing another QB, for whatever reason….Bostick has to be the guy!
So, for once, I agree with Wanny…don;t think it was just another stupid DW move….
Looking very good that we will crack the top 20 this week, perhaps as high as 18. HTP!
link to youtube.com
Left before Bostick was put in, but if Wanny was noticeably upset with Stull, maybe he was trying to make a point to him that he will not hesitate to replace him if he deems necessary, in an attempt to light a fire underneath him.
I do not think we are ever going to get a straight forward answer on what exactly Dave was thinking.
Remember this… People compare this “hitch” that Bostick has to what Chad Pennington had at Marshall. Chad Pennington was a pretty good quarterback at Marshall. Just because you have mechanic problems that may prevent you from being a good pro quarterback, you can still have great success in college.
All Bostick did last year was come in as a true freshmen and play pretty well under those circumstances. I think more people blamed the coaches last year than Bostick for all those loses. The kid needs a break. He was 5 months removed from high school and 4 weeks removed from personal issues at training camp. I admire what he was able to accomplish given all the facts.
Also, in no way does Bostick have the stronger arm, but that’s kind of beside the point because neither of them have a strong pass at all.
You’re a Bostick fan, we get it, so that skews your thinking here – but there can be no denying the fact that with Stull at the QB position we are a much more effective offense.
DW will not bench Stull for Bostick nor should he. What DW is doing is treating Bostick like any other player on the PITT roster, and that is using him as DW wants to so as to be in the best position to win this season – not in 2010 or 2011. If Bostick is the best choice for the back up role then why not make sure he understands that it IS his role, and what better way to do it than to ensure the kid knows he is next in line. Burning the redshirt removes any doubt in Bostick’s mind that he’s to be prepared to go if needed.
Finally – PITT fans need to get the recruiting stars out of their eyes and see this Bostick situation for what it is. He’s another QB on the roster, no more and no less. His ‘upside’ is just as speculative as Smith’s or Sunseri’s is – perhaps even less as the staff has already seen a lot of his action out on the field. But to think that just because some websites rated him at a certain level it means he has some sort of claim on the starting job, either this year or down the road, is just wishful thinking.
You are making as much a conclusion based on your assumptions as anyone elses with regard to putting Bostick in the game. It’s what you want to believe as much as a hater would announce that Wannstedt had a huge brain fart.
Simply put, we don’t know the reason for what Wannstedt did. It is very likely we aren’t going to get a very satisfying reason for a while.
We were told one thing from before the season to this point. Now something has changed. The response I am generally seeing is confusion over the decision to varying degrees. Not anger. Just a sense of: WTF.
There is no clear answer coming. Without one, it is only natural to wonder and speculate.
In my view, which I made clear, the real bad thing is it takes away from what would have been simply a statement, satisying, dominating win.
Fair or not, the move at the end of the game and decision to put Bostick in to hand-off sticks out as glaringly as McCoy’s domination and Stull’s overall efficiency.
Jesse W.
http://www.churchofcowherd.com
They had to play Pat last year because Stull was hurt and Smith could not get the job done. What do you think Stull would have done as a true Freshman coming into the scenario Pat faced last year?
Stull has been on the sidelines for basically 3 years before playing on a consistent basis. While he has done OK, from a discerning view he has much room for improvement. Pat did not have the luxury of being on the sidelines before having to start.
I think it is not bad at all that he played. Why, because if Stull is injured who is going to play? Smith and Cross are definitely not the answer. You don’t play Tino because he needs this redshirt year to observe and learn. No, Bostick is the best option if Stull goes down.
As for redshirting Pat next year who is to say that Stull will start next year. He has so much room for improvement. The QB position will be wide open.
Lastly, I believe that a message has been sent that the time to win is now irrespective of the fact that Stull is the starting QB. Bill has been sent a message that he needs to improve. Just because he is starting and the team is winning is no excuse for him to not grow as a QB in all areas of the position. I guess you could say that Wanny is saying to Stull; “Billy this aint Seton LaSalle.”
As much as what you say is true, the fact is that Pat hadn’t played this year, still had the redshirt available, and so playing him now for no reason to blow a redshirt is insane. If Stull had gotten injured and would need to sit a few weeks, then it would be OK to blow the redshirt, but to bring in Pat for two plays to hand the ball off is just insanity.
You are 100% correct…Surprising, yes! End of the world, no! There could be many different ingredients that went into the decision to play Bostick. Who cares what those variables were or are…Maybe the overall qb philosophy of the staff has changed…Maybe they have their eye on another qb already in the program or another recruit outside of the program. Who knows and who cares. The decision yesterday won’t significantly change the team in the long run.
When asked a follow-up question about whether he was concerned about preserving Bostick’s redshirt, Wannstedt answered sternly, “No.”
So, actually I assumed nothing. Wannstedt is pretty capable of making his own mind up and speaking it when he does. I do not speculate as to any ulterior motives DW might have had – I listened to what he said, and it makes perfect sense. Remember there was talk about Smith being a short term back up, and Bostick as a longer relief – well, that choice has been made now.
Basically – DW DID treat Bostick just like any other player on the roster. Notice also that I make no ‘assumption’ regarding Bostick’s future. I have no idea if Bostick or Sunseri or Smith or G. Gordon Liddy is ‘pencilled in’ to be our next QB. Personally I hope it is Pat Bostick as I think he could be a good one in a few years, but I tend not to think two years down the line when it comes to PITT sports.
Now, I do make an assumption that DW will not bench his starting QB at this point. Mainly because Stull is doing exactly what Cav and DW clearly stated they wanted him to do as a QB – and that was to manage the offense, minimize risk and win games. I may be wrong with Stull not being pulled, or maybe it is a ‘wake up’ ploy similar to the Nix/Thomas situation. Who knows?
But based on DW’s track record of playing and sticking with upperclassmen when faced with a personnel decision, I’d be willing to bet it would take an injury or a total and complete meltdown by Bill Stull for him to get benched as the starter for Bostick.
Finally, I read, research and discuss PITT football as much as any fan – and I can’t find or remember any quotes from Wannstedt saying that Bostick was definitely going to get a redshirt. The staff alluded that they would like to, yes, but if any PITT fan doesn’t think that this staff will do what they think it takes to win games now – then they haven’t been paying attention over the last few years. If anything PITT fans have been bitching that DW hasn’t preserved redshirts enough – as is the case today. This move isn’t unprecedented.
For whatever reason, Bostick’s playing yesterday was a personnel decision that is reserved for the Head Coach to make. Obviously he felt that it was in his and the team’s best interest to ensure Bostick was available to be put in when needed. Burning his redshirt takes any doubt about who #2 QB is now and until the end of the season. A decision to play Pat Bostick in the 11th or 12th game of the season would be a lot harder if he was a game or two away from completing his redshirt season – now that doubt is off the table.
Why is USF ahead of us?
Umm… see, this little thing happened where we actually played them and WE BEAT THEM! So how, based on the greatest evidence that there is (that being head-to-head competition) are they deemed better than us?
Plus, they won at home against an AWFUL ‘cuse team.
We blew out a very respectable Navy team on the road.
Further proof that rankings are full of shit sometimes! That’s one thing I like about the NFL, it doesn’t matter who you beat and by how much, it’s all based on your record. Not some bullshit perception.
Also, maybe Sunseri is better than Bostick. I mean, one did play in the ulta competitve WPIAL while the other came from the eastern part of the state.
However, my question is this:
If he has been surpassed by Sunseri, why would you still burn his redshirt? Wouldn’t it make sense to keep them both around?
Frankly, I’m surprised there’s ANY support for being okay with Bostick playing whatsoever. There’s no reasonable logic behind it. If you want to say that he’s the #2 guy, fine. If Stull goes down in an injury (or he’s playing really poorly), I have no problem with Bostick coming in. But college isn’t the NFL – you don’t just throw a backup into a situation simply because he’s the backup…redshirts HAVE to be considered. It’s a completely different situation.
And, please, enough with the “Well, he needs to get in and get his feet wet” talk. Handing off a few times at the end of a 21 point win is hardly ‘experience.’ If they really want to get him experience, I have no problem with that. But put him in earlier and let him make a few throws.
I don’t want to annoint Stull as the QB for next year already, but you’d have to say he’s the favorite. With Bostick’s redshirt burned, if he plays at all next year, he’ll have one year of eligibility left.
Not saying Bostick is the savior, but depth is always a good thing. I haven’t heard/read one logical point about this being a good move. I am really pumped about how Pitt is playing, but this move makes no sense.
He initially came from North Carolina and transfered to play high school ball in Pittsburgh.
Some old post on a message board says he was looking at LSU, Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida, and Michigan.
I guess he wound up choosing Pitt for whatever reason.
But here’s what interested me, apparently the kid’s very mobile, as opposed to Stull and Bostick who are statues in the pocket.
I wasn’t aware of that.
South Florida is ahead of us because they were the #9 team in the country when we beat them, and we didn’t even have any votes. As long as we keep winning, as soon as they lose, they will drop WELL below us. College football “experts” are dumb like that…they very rarely drop teams huge amounts or make teams rise huge amounts unless they beat a top-10 team on the road. Otherwise, it’s winning by the other teams losing.
Down the road, we may not care if Bostick lost his redshirt. Sunseri is supposed to be a stud. I like having options. And if we keep recruiting like we are, we’ll continue to have options.
One of which is his dad, Sal, played here.
Sal Sunseri (born February 27, 1959) was an all-American linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh from 1978-1981. During his tenure at Pitt, Sunseri was a three year starter and anchored a defense that led the NCAA in total defense in both 1980 and 1981. During his senior year, Sunseri was named a team captain and all-American.
Either they’re confident in Sunseri, or they’re sending a message to some recruits that they could be the QB here in the near future. That i don’t know.
I still don’t buy him playing, but I will say this – the reason that you offer as far as being able to tell a future recruit they could play sooner because Bostick would gone sooner is the first logical explanation I’ve heard…kudos.
Yeah, but your reasoning is based on perceptions.
Fact is, if you have a similar overall record than somebody, and you beat them, you’re better than them and should be ranked accordingly.
By that logic, why play more than one game? Let’s all play one game and let the pollsters decide by that one game how good all the teams are and just rank them accordingly. No need to play South Florida if, when we beat them and sport a very similar won/loss record (they have 1 more win because they’ve played one more game) we’ll still be ranked below them.
Right now we’re a better team than them, it’s obvious. We proved it on the field. I could see if we were a 2 or 3 loss team that had a fluke win against them, but we sport nearly identical records.
And they won a squeaker AT HOME against a Kansas team that goes down like a hooker every time they play someone with a pulse. It was a nice win, but not overly impressive. I watched that game from beginning to end, the Bulls weren’t nearly as impressive in that one as we were against them.
Whether a kid is your starting QB or backup long snapper, you coach with the best interests of the team and the young men who have already committed to you in mind. To think otherwise is an insult to DW and staff.
Whatever Wanny’s reasons, Lefty Lewis from Hometown High will never be a factor in making decisions that concern what is best for the program or those within it.
By the way, I saw him play plenty in HS and he does have a way better arm than Stull or Bostick and moves better than either or them also. (Of course a chair moves better than Bostick.) But I do believe that his height will be a major problem in D1 football and hope the Panthers are recruiting plenty of other QB prospects.
This year’s team is really coming together. I feel like Stull is the one thing that could keep them from winning out. He dosesn’t show me anything. Saying he “manages the game” is just a way to avoid saying that he’s not good enough to play at this level.
All the BCS stars are aligned this year for Pitt, which is so exciting to think about, and I’m scared that Coach Dave has put all the pieces in place except for the most important one.
“Well, the way our season’s been to this point, we haven’t really had an opportunity for any other quarterback to play. The discussion was, and is, that we’re trying to do everything we can to give our team the best chance to win this year. I think if Pat’s going to be the backup quarterback and if Bill got hurt on the first snap, then we’d expect Pat to go in. He’s got to have some playing time. We haven’t had him take any snaps in a live game since last year so that was the thinking behind putting him late against Navy. It wasn’t the redshirt thing or anything else. The decision to name him the back-up was based solely on what gives our team the best chance to win. He won’t necessarily see action every game. We’ll see how every game unfolds. He felt good about getting in there. In practice, he takes the back-up reps and he’s prepared to play so nothing’s really going to change with his status.â€
There could be many things that may keep them from winning out. But I agree about Stull particularly his level of play. “Managing the Game” means he is not losing them…..yet. The hurried, inaccurate throws and interceptions (if not corrected) will come back to bite this team in the big games to come let alone a possible BCS
game.
