It’s a getaway Wednesday. Hours of driving from out here in Cleveland to my family in Lebanon, PA. Not at all looking forward to the trip with the kids in the car on a hideous travel day. Already sent my dad an e-mail alerting him to have a big dollop of his best single malt ready to give me when I get in town.
As such, I have to give a short shrift to all the stuff ahead of the Backyard Brawl.
Ah, the old standby for rivalry game stories. Interfaith marriage.
After his injury last year, and struggles in camp, Robb Houser has been solid at center. Another huge reason for the offensive success and the overall performance of the O-line. John Malecki being a stud hasn’t hurt either. Hey, better to be 20-somethings doing this than guys pushing 40.
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt isn’t a fan of his players drawing attention to themselves with their outward appearance — especially before the Backyard Brawl — so he was a bit torn about his starting offensive linemen sporting bleached-blonde Mohawk haircuts this week.
“You better be ready to back it up — that’s what I told them,” said Wannstedt, a left tackle at Pitt in the early 1970s. “The great thing about playing the offensive line is nobody knows who you are except the people in that meeting room and that building. We know how important they are.
“They all did it, and (right guard) John Malecki’s mother (Angela) is a hairdresser, so I’m sure they did it for free. Those two things, that sounds like offensive linemen: they all did it together and they got it for free.”
Adam Gunn story on coming back from that broken neck.
How about Greg Romeus figuring out his future was in football not basketball? Heard it.
The Backyard Brawl is the headline act in the Big East games (duh, you think it is an 11 am Rutgers-Louisville game?).
1. The Backyard Brawl: It’s the oldest and best rivalry in the Big East, and it’s as fierce as ever now that Pitt has gotten back on its feet. The Panthers bring a two-game series winning streak into Morgantown and will try to come out of Friday night’s game with their Top 10 status alive. West Virginia wants to finish strong to help its bowl standing. It should be intense — and a lot of fun to watch.
2. Solving Pitt’s ‘D’: The Mountaineers have scored just 24 total points in the past two games against Pitt, as Dave Wannstedt has found the answer to stopping the West Virginia spread (hint: it helps to have really good players). Bill Stewart’s offense has sputtered to put many points on the board in the past month anyway and now faces a huge test against a very talented defensive line. Noel Devine may or may not be healthy. What wrinkles have Stewart and offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen devised for this game?
3. Welcome to the Brawl, kid: Pitt freshman running back Dion Lewis has nearly wrapped up the league’s offensive player of the year award with his outstanding season to this point. Can he keep it going in his first exposure to the West Virginia rivalry? Last time out, the Mountaineers allowed Cincinnati tailback Isaiah Pead to run for 175 yards on just 18 carries. How will they stop Lewis from carving them up behind the league’s best offensive line?
2007. 2007. 2007. Just might be a theme. As in the demarcation when Pitt started turning things around under Wannstedt. Pitt on a 2-game winning streak in the Brawl.
More “caveman football” oversimplification on Pitt’s offense. Keeping it simple. Go figure, the Hoopie defense wants to stop Dion Lewis.
Meanwhile the WVU offense is trying to solve Pitt’s defense. Jarrett Brown knows the WVU offense like no one else on the team. Yeah, but for those turnovers and injuries he’d be great.
Pitt is just going about its business.
“One thing we rely on ourselves for is internal energy,” Pitt senior quarterback Bill Stull said. “We strive off each other and build off each other and know no one in the stands is going to make a play, sack the quarterback, throw a touchdown, run for a touchdown. Those are obvious things, but we realize we have to rely on ourselves to hold the team up and make the plays you need to make in order to win.”
There’s the whole theme of the Mountaineers trying to spoil Pitt’s dreams the way Pitt did them in 2007. Except that it isn’t so.
Still, everyone plays this game to win. Pitt better not get caught looking ahead to anything but the Brawl.
Although Pitt appears to be the better team this year, it’s not like WVU is godawfull right now like Pitt was. They’re an above average team capable of pulling an upset.
WVU needed one measely win against a horrible Pitt team to go to the BCS title game in 07. The biggest tangible thing this game decides is maybe who goes to the friggin Gator Bowl (if Pitt loses to Cincy). No national championship or even Big East championship implications whatsoever.
So no, I see zero similarities between this game and the one two years ago. Sorry media.
Heck, we’re not even wearing the same uni’s!
Not that I trust Zeise…I mean, I know its a puff piece.
But this is what I like about Wanny being HC. And he does seem to be learning how to win in college ball.
Let me take the pebble from your hand.
The similarities are:
1) in 2007, Pitt was a 4-7 team that, except for 10 points, would have been 7-4. WVU didn’t see that. WVU is better than their record this year. I hope Pitt sees that.
2) WVU was a deer caught in the headlights, looking forward to the NC game. Pitt may be looking past WVU to Cincy.
3) Pitt needed a big win to justify their season. So does WVU.
4) WVU wants payback. This year’s Brawl will not derail Pitt, but WVU will take whatever they can get.
5) It’s the Brawl. Anything can happen.
The similarities end there. If Pitt loses, doesn’t matter much. And we certainly aren’t looking at an NC. But if Pitt isn’t on their toes, the eers could easily win. It just has that feel.
HAIL TO PITT
Happy Thanksgiving … lots to be thankful for as Pitt fans. HTP
Hail to Pitt, Hail to Tradition.
It’s about pride (and recruiting).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hail to PITT!
-al-
Well…..
Thank you.
HAIL
That guy single-handedly carried a much worse NC State team to a win when we played them. Brown getting hot like that (remember when Wilson converted like a 4th and 14 RUNNING the ball, yikes!) I’d get scared.
The LSU coach, Les Miles, a UM grad, was all but signed as the new UM coach until LSU made it thru the backdoor to the national title with a 2-loss team. NEVER was RichRod a consideration for this job until after the loss to Pitt.
Here is a the 1st 3 paragraps of Zeise’s PG article today about the 07 game:
Pitt’s 13-9 upset victory against No. 2 West Virginia at the end of the 2007 regular season might be considered the game that changed the college football landscape.
A theory goes as follows: Had West Virginia won (and thus had gone to the national championship game instead of Louisiana State), Rich Rodriguez would still be the Mountaineers’ coach, or, at the very least, would not have left for Michigan a few weeks after that game.
Instead, LSU coach Les Miles would have taken the Michigan job (hours before the Southeastern Conference championship game, he had to debunk a report that he had accepted the Michigan post) and his defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, would be the head coach at LSU now and not at Nebraska. Several other dominoes would have fallen differently as well
We’ve come along way since NC. Two major changes on defense, Adam Gunn and Jarod Holley. If Gunn was healthy vs. NC State we win. Also the offense had many three and outs in the second half making the defense play two many minutes. That hasn’t been a problem since then.
I look for Fields and maybe Mason to meet Mr. Brown today, maybe separate him from the ball.
I think the only thing that will cost us this one is turnovers, possibly weather. As long as we protect the ball….But it is the Backyard Brawl.
GO PITT!
Instead …
1) he shredded documents of scouting reports of high school players that WVU was recruiting,
2) his closest friend called his replacement at WVU (Stewart) to be ‘way over his head” when he was hired,
3) he start spouting off about unkept promises only a year after his alma mater gave him a hefty salary increase, and
4) and he decided to go into lengthy court proceedings to fight the buyout clause which was part of his contract at WVU.
I know for a fact that this embarrassed many UM backers, and now he is under even more scrutiny because of his record. There is no doubt that the guy is a great offensive coach, but also no doubt that he is a sleaze.
Chubbie Charlie – an NFL Offensive Coordinator, a convicted cheat, arrogant and a prick
Bitch Rich – an college offensive guru, sneaky recruiter, bbd guy (bigger better deal), dishonest to players (practice time)
Wanny – old school “run the ball, defend the run”, tireless recruiter, loyal to players
Funny how a few wins or losses here and there make us forget this…
They are who we thought they were…
To suggest that RichRod was thinking more about possibly going to another school, which was anything but a sure thing at that point, than bringing his alma mater to the national title is inane.
I have always thought Howland was already talking to UCLA during the tourny and “threw” the game so he could get it before they looked at someone else. It was too weird, never covering wade w/ Page instead of knight and taking the big luthawanian (sp) out after he was 3-4 early. very strange. Firs of have heard of someone sharing this idea.
