Free t-shirt time.

It’s back. After a bye week and no winner from the USF game.

Reminder, only size Large remains.

Predict the final score of the Syracuse-Pitt game and get a free “Baldwin for Heisman” t-shirt. Courtesy of PittsburghSteelRocks.com.

There is a variance of +/- 3 points from the actual score if no one hits the exact numbers.

Added bonus this week for those going to the game. I’ll be giving one away while tailgating in Lot 23. All you have to do is find me. I’ll be wearing the Pitt sweatshirt.

That seems to be the question today in the Pittsburgh papers. They just noticed that Syracuse has been tremendous against the run.

Syracuse is first in the Big East and seventh in the nation, allowing 88.9 rushing yards per game,

–The Orange limited Penn State’s Evan Royster to a season-low 41 yards on 12 carries and held the Nittany Lions to only 78 rushing yards, their worst showing of the season.

–They held Northwestern to a season-low 52 yards on 28 carries.

–They stopped Akron for zero yards on 24 carries, the best effort by a Syracuse defense in 18 years.

First-year coach Doug Marrone’s team has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this year, and they are one of only two teams to hold West Virginia star Noel Devine under 100 yards.

This would be a concern if it weren’t for the fact that their pass defense wasn’t 117th nationally and this was last year when Pitt forgot the existence of the forward pass. Coach Wannstedt says he will throw — not that the run will be forgotten.

“But like I said, I have enough confidence in our passing game now to make some plays throwing the ball. That is probably the difference in this year’s team compared to what we’ve had in the past. I don’t believe we are just one-dimensional anymore.”

…

He [Dion Lewis] said the key to this game is simple: Forget about his stats and concentrate on taking what the defense is giving. That might mean a day full of 3- and 4-yard runs, but if that is the case it is exactly the kind of day he is willing to have in order to help the Panthers win.

“If you watch [the Orange] on film, their safeties come up to support the run all the time,” Lewis said. “So, we just have to stay patient and let the game come to us and not try to force anything in the run game. We just need to play smart. I just don’t want to try and force anything and not worry about big plays. I just need to keep having faith in the blocking schemes and stick with it. It is a matter of letting things come to me.”

Part of why Syracuse is so strong against the run is their only clear NFL-caliber defensive player, Arthur Jones. He oddly came back for his final season despite the coaching change and everyone telling him he would be a 1st or 2nd round pick.

Between ‘Cuse’s poor secondary, less than stellar receivers and a quarterback that has a — shall we say — propensity for throws that suggest a blindfold in the helmet the Orange is -7 turnovers in the Big East (with an average of 4 turnovers/game).

Oddly, the Orange have had six straight home games, so this is actually their first road game since early September.

The good news for Syracuse — despite having little talent, depth, players suspended, quitting the team, horrible attendance — they are closing ranks and practicing hard.

“We got after it,” said Syracuse linebacker Derrell Smith. “It was old-school football; mano y mano.”

“I haven’t seen one like that in a long time,” said Syracuse tailback Delone Carter. “It’s all this adversity. I think we just pulled together. Let’s get rid of all the negativity and let’s go out here and get ready for this one like we’re supposed to. I was pleased and surprised by my team. Normally, distractions like that can hinder us. It’s just a testament to us and what we can do.”

Syracuse All-Big East Conference defensive tackle Arthur Jones called it a “great physical practice.” He compared it to the first day of training camp whenever all the players pull on their shoulder pads for the first time. He said it was intense and the Orange was fired up.

“We’re a real, brought-together team right now,” Jones said. “We’re excited. We’re really excited to play Pittsburgh.

Well, then.

Meanwhile Pitt’s bye week creates the concern of breaking the rhythm of an offense that was in sync. At least that would arguably be the concern. Not really buying it.

Especially since Pitt seems well aware of what lies ahead if they just focus on the game at hand.

Mike Shanahan got some love and attention this week with a story in the P-G.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said that Shanahan has become a valuable weapon for Pitt because he is such a big target (6 feet 5) and so reliable.

“There is no substitute for his height, and you combine that with a guy who has good hands,” Wannstedt said. “He is a smart guy, too, so he is a fast learner. So, even though he is a redshirt freshman, he understands what we’re trying to do and, when his number has been called, he has responded.

“He had a very good training camp before he broke that bone in his hand, so we were really disappointed when he got hurt because we expected him to be a big part of this thing. It is good to have him back.”

Plus a post by ESPN.com’s Big East writer that notes how diverse the Pitt receiving corps now is.

“Some guys just have a knack for going up, using their bodies and catching the ball at the high point, and some guys don’t,” Wannstedt said. “Mike and Jonathan can make those difficult catches and I think it’s because they have great body control and they have great hand-eye coordination.”

Shanahan’s emergence only adds to the arsenal that Pitt has assembled in the passing game. Along with Baldwin, there’s tight end/hybrid Dorin Dickerson, who’s become a go-to guy with nine touchdown catches. Oderick Turner can split out wide opposite Baldwin, and Cedric McGee is another solid possession receiver, with freshman Cam Saddler a speed threat when healthy. And that’s not even mentioning reigning All-Big East tight end Nate Byham.

“I think we’re all unique in all of our respective areas,” Shanahan said.

As Zeise has noted at the end of his chat, the emergence and reliability of Shanahan has led to diminished opportunities for Turner. In the last two games, Turner has two catches.

Lot of frustration in a Q&A over Max Gruder. Some speculation for the future over incoming dual-threat QB Anthony Gonzalez becoming a safety and how the O-line will look next year with 3 seniors gone from the line.

You know, I can’t believe the whole week has passed without mentioning once my gratitude to Syracuse once more for the coaching change that coincided with Pitt’s. When Coach Wannstedt was putting together his coaching staff, there were two hires that I felt were unqualified homeruns. Greg Gattuso was one. The Duquesne head football coach was perfect for the local ties, experience and coaching skill.

The other was stealing Dave Walker from Syracuse to be the running backs coach. Walker is a ‘Cuse alum, and had been churning out excellent backs for the Orange for years. The job he has done at Pitt has been just as good. We can talk about Coach Wannstedt’s love of a running game and the talent at the spot, but if you don’t have the right coach teaching and developing them then you are staring at a lot of underachievement at the spot.

Another good thing about the G-Rob error. Clueless recruiting. Despite Dion Lewis hailing from upstate NY and going to a school in New Jersey. And despite not getting any top talent, they still completely missed on Lewis.

Lewis, who enrolled early at Pittsburgh last January, was asked this week if he was recruited by Syracuse. He said no.

Syracuse, facing a tremendous challenge in stopping Lewis is using suspended RB Antwon Bailey as Lewis in practice.

When I was at the Pitt game against USF, I was in the middle of a Tweet update when one of my buddies asked if that was Tony Siragusa somewhere above us. I didn’t get a chance to see, but I guess it probably was. According to Greg Romeus, he did speak to the team as well. They showed him their (tape) ball. They apparently did not ask him when he’s bringing Man Caves to Pittsburgh (or perhaps Cleveland).

Syracuse blog, Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician exchanged Q&A with Eye of a Panther. Good stuff, as usual from both.

After one of the worst weeks for Syracuse Athletics, according to Orange coach Doug Marrone the football team had one of their best practices in quite some time. So they have that going for them.

A few more things regarding the basketball team.

The season-opener is next Friday against Wofford. It will start late, but if you have tickets go early.

The start time has been moved to 8:10 from 7 pm, but the athletic department wants people in their seats by 7:45 for a banner raising ceremony in honor of Pitt’s Elite Eight appearance.

While it was Pitt’s second Elite Eight showing in its history, it was the first time Pitt has made it past the first three rounds of NCAA Tournament games.

Chris Dokish had a short Q&A earlier this week on Pitt b-ball recruiting and the team this coming year.

Q: Is there reason to worry about the team struggling against Slippery Rock?

A: It makes me laugh how so many fans were raving for months about the job that Jamie Dixon will do with this team, then after one preseason game they are already talking about NIT. There will be growing pains with this team. They will surprise with huge wins and they will surprise with a few bad losses. But as the season progresses, they fully expect to find a few pretty good players develop along the way and battle for an NCAA spot.

There is no question that Pitt will find itself in the now unfamiliar spot of being a bubble team come February. Going from wondering about seeding to wondering whether the RPI is good enough, enough quality wins, comparing to other teams’ resumes will take a little adjusting.

Here’s a piece on Travon Woodall and how he should be the team’s point guard, despite growing pains.

Woodall has a decent enough shooting touch, and plays above average defense. To usurp the other two guards, Travon must bring his own special skills to the table.

What are those skills?

In limited action for Pitt, Woodall has revealed startling quickness. The aspiring PG scurries around the court like a pinball.

The transition from foul line to foul line should be Scottie Reynolds fast. With Gilbert Brown, Nasir Robinson, and Brad Wannamaker out on the wings, Pitt has the potential to be more uptempo. Woodall introduces that element to a traditionally halfcourt team.

Speed kills. The hope of coaches is that the speed kills opponents. Some speedy guards commit frequent turnovers. With Woodall’s jets he still efficiently distributes the ball.

The issue is doing it while maintaining a low turnover ratio. Coach Dixon is practically Wannstedtian when it comes to the issue of turnovers. But early comments from the first scrimmage is that Woodall seems the most comfortable to get the ball low and inside. Something vital for Pitt. Even in this more guard oriented roster.

If you missed the stories about the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) getting the NCAA to pass some significant (if somewhat selfserving) recruiting reforms, well hopefully I can detail it more in a week or two. Here’s the cliffs notes of what passed.

• Banning package deals to try and get a player.

• Banning purchase of  “recruiting service and info” that happen to be run by the AAU coaches or hanger-ons of prospective players.

• Banning payments to AAU teams and nonprofits related to summer teams.

• No hiring outsiders to work the coaches summer camps.

The punishment (which might still get watered down) is potentially strict. Coach Dixon had a role in shaping the new rules through the NABC.

Head or assistant coaches could be suspended from participation from regular-season games as well as the NCAA tournament, and the penalties would follow him to subsequent jobs.

Also, basketball players caught in the web could be rendered permanently ineligible at a school found guilty of one of these infractions.

“These are potential career-killers,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. “I’m not saying that it’s too strong, but I just expressed that the punishment to a person’s career will be much greater than the single game we’re talking about.”

Which these days might be the only way to get the attention.

I expected Pitt to be ranked in the preseason somewhere in the 7-11 range. There’s just such a bunching in the Big East in the middle. After the projected top-2 teams of Villanova and WVU, you really can make a case for (but mainly against) the next 8 or 9 teams in what order.

Nine seems to be the popular place to put Pitt. The rationale is a common one and it makes sense.

Jamie Dixon has never won fewer than 20 games, never missed the NCAA tournament in six years as a head coach. But this should be his most challenging season considering Sam Young (19.2 ppg), DeJuan Blair (15.7 ppg), Levance Fields (10.7 ppg and 7.5 apg) and Tyrell Biggs (6.4 ppg) are no longer around to dominate the Big East. Meantime, Jermaine Dixon is recovering from foot surgery. So, at the moment, the Panthers are without all five starters from last season’s 31-win team, and even the greatness of freshman Dante Taylor — the McDonald’s All-American scored 27 points in Pitt’s first exhibition — won’t be enough to ensure a smooth transition.

I get it, but I have to admit. Seeing Pitt anywhere lower than 9 is bothersome. Coach Jamie Dixon is seeing this as good motivation.

Dixon knows what’s being said, and he’s pushing it right back at his players. The stars may be gone, but Dixon is certain this team has depth, developing players and a mindset for playing defense.

“This team can be as good as any team we’ve had,” Dixon said. “I know what everyone’s writing, because you look at it on paper. But we play games on the court. Where we are now isn’t where we’re going to be. That is our belief and our driving motivation.”

He’s been on record as expecting this team to overachieve — at least based on what is being predicted. Why are teams like ND and Syracuse getting pushed ahead of Pitt despite achieving less recently and losing almost as much? Well, ND has a likely All-American in Harangody so talent always gets a little more love. As for Syracuse, well most of that is the love always given to Boeheim in the media and more willing to buy his sales pitch about his team.

Jermaine Dixon is right there with the underdog/disrespect perspective.

“Everyone can’t be picked high,” Jermaine Dixon said. “When you lose four starters and 60 percent of your points, they are going to pick us low.”

“But Pittsburgh has always been the underdog,” he added.

When Dixon gets healthy, I expect a lot from him this season. He seems especially motivated and he is still stung by the way Pitt lost and his role in it.

Big brother Juan of the Washington Wizards was calling to offer his condolences after Villanova beat Pitt to advance to the Final Four.

“He told me, ‘don’t worry about it, it was a good game, you guys fought, you played well, don’t let it get you down,'” Dixon recalled. “Then he told me, ‘You know you messed up.'”

Jermaine, of course, did not need to be reminded. He had just lived through one of the most excruciating experiences that a college athlete could endure. Dixon made not one, but two, critical mistakes that turned the game in Villanova’s favor.

I like that he doesn’t shy away from his mistakes. Instead trying to improve from that spot. Not obsess and go grim over it, or simply laugh it off. It’s there and he knows it.

(more…)

I’m not sure if ‘Cuse fans are even aware of that any longer. So much off the football field stuff. The basketball team gets humiliated. It’s hard to blame them. This has been crazy.

Mike Williams quitting was related to a pending suspension, but not academic as I speculated. It was about going to a casino Saturday night in explicit violation of what their coach had told the team. And they would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for the meddling trucker.

According to state police, Syracuse football players Torrey Ball, Antwon Bailey, Andrew Tiller and Williams were in a Ford SUV that was rear-ended by a tractor trailer. The accident took place at mile marker 259.1 of the Thruway in the town of Lenox. That’s 6.4 miles from the Verona exit and the Turning Stone Casino.

…

The crash was entirely the fault of the tractor-trailer driver, said state police Capt. James Land. Nathan Primrose, of Clyde, was driving a tractor trailer westbound on the Thruway when he came up behind the vehicle Tiller was driving.

The tractor trailer struck the Ford, forcing it off the road.

Tiller, the driver of the SUV, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Everyone else was luckily unhurt.

The rest of the players on the Syracuse team are closing ranks behind the coach at this point.

Syracuse players seemed uncomfortable during their media opportunity on Tuesday trying to express their feelings over the events of the last 48 hours. All the players requested for interviews came in together. Typically, they filter in one by one over a 30-minute window.

“We’re coming together as a team, man,” said receiver Donte Davis. “That’s what we do. We’re going to stick together and stay close. You always have tests here and there. We’re OK. We’re brothers out here. We’re going to stay together.”

“It’s a team issue thing,” said Syracuse offensive lineman Ryan Bartholomew. “We all have to understand we have team rules and we all have to abide by them.”

“Coach has rules and guidelines,” said Syracuse starting quarterback Greg Paulus. “Those are the things this team is going to do. Coach always talks about doing things together, doing things as a family. He sets the standard through his example. It’s a great example for us to follow. I know we’re going get this thing going. Playing hard for him and our teammates, that’s what we’re working towards.”

“We’re focused on Pittsburgh,” said snapper Dalton Phillips. “We have four games left. We have to win three. We can’t let these distractions get to us. We need to press forward.”

Well, if they are focused on the Pitt game let’s see what else there is.

Tiller was the starting guard on the Syracuse O-line. That suspension hurts as much as Mike Williams’ quitting in my view.

DE Jared Kimmel is out for the Orange as well with knee surgery. Couple that with the suspension of Torrey Ball — a reserve DE — and the depth for a ‘Cuse team that was already very thin is inching closer to non-existent. That front four could well be  worn down to nub by the end of the game.

Syracuse’s scholarship roster was down to 66 before the injury, suspensions and quitting players (including a JUCO that never actually played). So it could well be that the number would be around 60 dressed scholarship players for the Pitt game.

The Pitt players and coaches swear they are laser-like focused on the game.

“We can’t overlook this team,” said senior tight end Dorin Dickerson, who leads the Big East with nine touchdown receptions. “They have nothing to lose. They are going to go out and hit people and try to win the game.”

Whether it’s coincidence or not, Pitt has tended to struggle the week prior to its biggest games of the year. In each of the past three seasons Pitt lost the game it played immediately before meeting rival West Virginia, falling to Connecticut in 2006, Rutgers in 2007 and Cincinnati in 2008. Pitt also lost the week before what was arguably last year’s second-biggest game (Notre Dame), losing to Rutgers.

But with Pitt off to its best start since 1982, the players understand a loss to Syracuse would diminish the importance of those same games they were tempted to look ahead to.

“We didn’t look past (any) team we played this year,” fullback Henry Hynoski said. “We focused on what we had to do at that time. If we didn’t do it all year, there’s no reason why we should do it now.”

Okay, then.

Meanwhile,  I guess I’ll peak ahead a bit.

The Pitt-Notre Dame game Nov. 14 is on the short list of games being considered for ESPN’s “College GameDay.” If chosen, the GameDay crew would do the show from Heinz Field.

Nothing like everything coming full circle.

At least Pitt won. I mean, losing to Le Moyne? That hurts worse than the average loss to a D-2 program which does happen. Michigan State and Ohio State both lost to such a couple years back. The problem for ‘Cuse is that Le Moyne is located right in Syracuse. That would be like Pitt losing to Point Park College.

So, Pitt struggled a bit with Sippery Rock as the team experimented with combinations and where to play people. This was not completely unexpected.

Dixon’s biggest concern after the game was the decision-making of the guards. Travon Woodall, who got the start at point guard, committed four turnovers. Starting small forward Brad Wanamaker had three.

“Our penetration and decision-making had been good in practice, but we really took a step back today,” Dixon said. “That was something we could have done better. Fifteen turnovers aren’t a huge number, but it seemed like a lot more. I thought we forced up some shots on our penetration. We played in a crowd too often.”

Dixon also was disappointed that his team didn’t secure the victory earlier. Pitt had an 18-point lead with 10 minutes remaining, but allowed Slippery Rock to cut the margin to seven with 1:31 remaining.

“We got it up to 18 or 20 and had an opportunity to pull away and just didn’t do what we needed to do,” he said. “That was what I addressed mostly after the game. The main thing is we’ll be a much better team our next exhibition game. We wanted to see where we’re at. We need to see where we are at next Sunday. This thing will be all about improvement.”

The game showed a solid debut by Dante Taylor who got in there and looks like when the games go, he will live up to some of the hype.

A good article explaining why faith in this team and the coaches is not misplaced.

His [Travon Woodall’s] confidence will grow the more he plays and he’ll cut down on the mistakes the more Dixon yells about them. But he’s the only one that’s going to thread the needle to Taylor and Miller when they’re running and Pitt needs them running.

Taylor will be fine. He’s very, very talented physically and he has the desire needed to maximize that talent. It will be a roller coaster, but it will be fun.

That’s where, if you’re a Pitt fan, you have to have faith in the process. The schedule is such that they might lose a game or two (or three) before they get Dixon and Brown back.

Yet the improvement in one week was remarkable (especially in Taylor). Wanamaker, Gibbs and Nas Robinson are going to be steady — if not spectacular — game in and game out. The foundation for molding a team that’s maybe 9-1 or 11-2 when they start to reintroduce Dixon and Brown should make things interesting.

Is it possible that there will be more angst over the basketball team and development than the football team this year?

I don’t say this lightly. There is just so much in this Q&A interview with Tom Dienhart that everyone will take as a key item or focus point. About this season. About Cignetti. About when he came in. The practice facility with the Steelers. About old unis. Playing Penn State.

Here.

Q: Can you bring back the mustard yellow uniforms?

A: “We wore the old traditional uniforms a couple of years ago. You don’t have to twist my arm. Those are the colors I wore. They always will be special in my heart. Times change. I never have been one who gets too caught up in uniform colors. That’s a decision the higher-ups can deal with. I have more important things to deal with. They talked about when we play West Virginia, with both teams wearing throwback uniforms, but I don’t know if that will happen or not. I would favor that.”

Q: Do you want to play Penn State every year?

A: “We need to be playing Penn State. I was on the job about a month and I talked to Coach Paterno about it. It probably won’t happen until he retires and I understand that. It’s his prerogative. But it’ll happen. Maybe I won’t even be here, either [when it happens]. We should play each other. It’s a great, great national in-state rivalry. We should be playing each other. There is no question about that. There probably isn’t anyone who would disagree with that.”

As I said, go read all of it.

Man, it is just a weird(er) scene in Syracuse. Mike Williams quitting the team is the raging story. Conspiracy and suspicions abound over the abrupt departure.

Williams was recently selected as one of 10 national semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented annually to college football’s most outstanding wide receiver by the Tallahassee Touchdown Club. Williams leads the Big East Conference in receiving yards and receptions. He was on pace to rewrite the Syracuse record book for receivers.

In seven games this season, Williams caught 49 passes for 746 yards and six touchdowns. That’s as many receptions as the next three receivers – Donte Davis, Antwon Bailey and Marcus Sales – have combined to catch for the Orange. The school record for receptions in a season is 60.

The decision by Williams is especially shocking because of the hoops he jumped through to get back in school and on the team.

…

Riverside high school football coach Tony Truilizio said he believes Williams was about a semester short of completing his degree and was shocked by Marrone’s announcement. He said he tried to call Williams but was unsuccessful.

“Something doesn’t sound right,” he said.

The Mike Williams timeline does simplify things in my view. It’s all about the academics.

Williams is an excellent talent and big potential WR. He had no problems off-the-field with distractions or the police blotter. He actually liked being a part of Syracuse, as reflected by all he did to get back to the school and team.

But, and this is the big part, he hated the academic aspect. He either has an undiagnosed learning disability or he simply doesn’t want to bother. He showed little interest in putting even minimal effort in the education. That ultimately is what took him off the field and his quitting the team. He would rather leave the team than do the work needed off-the-field. All the academic support programs and tutors in the world cannot help if the kid doesn’t want to try.

Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said little about Williams departure in his Monday presser. Instead focusing on defending QB Greg Paulus and the rest of the Syracuse players still on the team.

That’s the important thing. As bad as the Orange have been thanks to Greg Robinson, Marrone does have the team playing hard to this point. They have been beaten because of no depth (20 players departing since Marrone came in) and less talent. He has to change the culture for the players that are there while trying to bring in better talent and keep them positive.

The Orange spent the early part of the season searching for an identity. If nothing else, they are seemingly a more aggressive and physical team.

“I don’t know about the past,” said Marrone, who is the first Syracuse alum since 1948 to take over the Orange. “You look at talent, and use it the best way you can.

“We saw on the film that in the past we didn’t tackle well. Offensively, I know we are becoming a more physical team as the season goes along. We are making these steps toward being a better team, but they haven’t been big enough to equal the wins. Hopefully we can get that this week.”

In rebuilding the program, Marrone has tried to build on the team’s strength. So far, Syracuse has leaned on a run defense that is No. 1 in the Big East and seventh overall in the country.

Doesn’t that make Syracuse the 3d “#1 ranked run defense in the Big East” Pitt has faced this season. First UConn, then Rutgers. Now Syracuse. And Pitt’s running game has dropped them each time.

Of course, Coach Wannstedt does need to build up the opponent, so here goes.

“They’re playing better now,” Wannstedt said yesterday at his weekly news conference. “They are much improved. I think that Doug Marrone has these kids believing in the Syracuse tradition. They’re giving phenomenal effort in all three phases. Last week against Cincinnati they were in position to tie it up right before the half when they threw the interception. Who knows if that doesn’t happen?

“So there’s no question that they are an improved football team. They’ve got talent and they’re well coached.”

Now it is worth noting that no matter how inept Syracuse has looked the last couple of years, they have given Pitt a hard time. Nearly upsetting Pitt in Heinz Field a couple years ago and then last year Pitt struggled horribly on both sides of the ball for nearly 3 quarters.

I admit, I am taking the Orange a little lighter than I should. Of course, I’m not playing. The players still cannot.

It has to be hard. I mean it seems hard to believe Pitt could lose at home to Syracuse. What with all that has abruptly hit the Orange.

Pitt opened as a 18.5 – 19 point favorite. The line has already moved to around 20 to 20.5 after this morning.

Their best player, WR Mike Williams has suddenly quit the team. No official reasons are given. Williams has had academic issues, and was suspended for the Akron game — rumored to be for academics. Don’t expect an official reason. Williams now gets a jump on training for the NFL draft and becoming the latest $1million dollar talent/10-cent brain diva WR in the pros.

Starting senior QB Greg Paulus was booed at home  and the crowd cheered when redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib was sent in — that never happens anywhere. I mean, what kind of fans do that?

So bad that 1st year head coach Doug “tremendous” Marrone gave a tearfilled defense of Paulus this morning. This after the students didn’t show up for free tickets and the official turnout on “fan appreciation day” was somwhere around 33K.

Just turning into an ugly stagger to the final month in Syracuse football. This despite everyone knowing they would struggle, but actually playing hard for the new coach. As they try to dig out from 4 years of Greg Robinson’s attempt to kill the program. I mean, I almost feel pity for them.

Aw, screw it. It means that the next episode of the Octonion will be that much better.

Turning to Pitt.

Pitt won’t be looking past them. They are dangerous. They play hard. They play Pitt tough. That was your condensed version from Coach Wannstedt.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has made it very clear that nobody at Pitt is looking forward to Notre Dame, West Virginia or Cincinnati because they are all focused on the Orange.

He said he expects this to be one of the toughest games the Panthers have played to this point and he has had his team focused on the Orange almost since the final seconds ticked off the clock from their 41-14 win against South Florida Saturday.

Wannstedt said the Orange may not have a great record, but they have a great history and they also look like a team on the rise again.

“Pitt had a long streak when they didn’t beat Syracuse,” Wannstedt said. “Syracuse is one of those programs with great tradition, great academics. They can go around the country and recruit. Last year we were down by 11 in the fourth quarter. The year before it was 10-10 halfway through the fourth quarter.

“It’s a conference game and it’s Pitt-Syracuse. And we better be ready to play better than we have.”

I have to admit. I don’t think Pitt will cover. Syracuse will give a fight for the first half. I do expect Pitt to be more conservative. Dare I say, a little frustrating. Still, for the first time in a long time, I am still expecting an easy win in conference. Don’t make me look foolish for open optimism.

Hey, the guys are in shape. All hail Buddy Morris.

“When we first got here,” Morris recalled, “I looked around and said: ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ ”

Morris, now in his third stint with Pitt, didn’t panic. But he was concerned the Panthers had too many overweight linemen, who were poorly conditioned and lacked sufficient strength to make it through the season without sustaining injuries.

Morris immediately changed Pitt’s workout plan. More importantly, he altered the attitude in the weight room.

“I’m the one who gets excited and throws fits,” said Morris, who spent four seasons (2002-2005) with the Cleveland Browns. “James is the one who calms everyone down.”

There is no yawning. No sitting. No jewelry. No do-rags.

And no one is allowed to bend down during an exhaustive workout.

“There are some guys who come to conquer the workout,” Morris said. “Then, there are those who come to survive the workout with minimal effort. We used to have too many survivors, but now the conquerors outnumber the survivors.”

The ‘Cuse game is the 65th meeting and only in the last few years has Pitt gone above .500. The record stands at 31-30-3.

The Notre Dame-Pitt game on November 14 will be an ABC Primetime game at 8pm.

All excuses for attendance are done.

I don’t care about what happened the last time the two teams met for a primetime Saturday night game on ABC.

Still, how about taking care of business with Syracuse first?

Some good news via Andy Katz’s Twitter.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Monday that Jermaine Dixon (broken foot) should be healthy enough by the CBE in Kansas City later this month.

That means that the x-rays came back as expected and he rehab will be on track.

I mean really, this is the best they can spin things at the moment.

I’m not saying it isn’t an accurate statement. But someone really needs to rethink that headline.

Ah, the bye weekend. Also known as catching up with the mostly non-Pitt activities. The Pitt players may have needed it to get healthy and let the coaches go out recruiting, but it was almost as necessary for the rest of us.

Watch WVU make the Big East appear to be a two-team race at this point on Friday night. I mean, I know USF was great at stopping Devine, but how does he only get 17 touches, and instead the Hoopies put the game in Jarrett Brown’s hands (32 passing attempts and 11 runs).  Please. Please. Please. Maintain that gameplan when Pitt comes to Morgantown at the end of November.

Saturday an early mish-mosh of Lowes-hell with the wife as she extends the list of things I need to do. Followed by a Saturday afternoon of drinking, twittering and livechatting. A break to take the kids Trick-or-Treating. Then back to just watch the World Series.

Today has been nothing but work around the house. Getting to things that need to be done. Hell, I missed all the NFL games today. Now watching Game 4 of the World Series and try and bang some stuff out.

So let’s clear the links.

I’m not going to excuse the poor attendance at the USF-Pitt game. Pathetic. Still, the students were out in force. Far better than in Syracuse, wehre the students were given free tickets, the game is on campus, and they still failed to show up for a big game against Cinci.

Not sure I ever quite will understand picking the senior captains for the football team halfway through the season. It’s a limited pool and if you don’t know who the leaders on the team are after the spring drills. Off-season and training camp, well… I’ll leave it alone. Congrats to Byham, McGee and Malecki for the offense and Gunn, Mick Williams and Mustakas.

More love for OC Frank Cignetti, as Bruce Feldman at ESPN.com lists Cignetti as #3 as assistant coaches doing the best job with their unit.

Cignetti was hired in February and has done wonders with QB Bill Stull, who is among the most improved quarterbacks in the country. Credit Cignetti for not only rebuilding Stull’s confidence but for giving him the drills and preparation to become much more adept at handling pressure in the pocket (the team went from 101st in the country in sacks allowed to 13th) and for being much more decisive in his reads. Stull is third in the nation in passing efficiency. Better yet, this is an offense that has replaced two NFL runners in LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling effortlessly with the emergence of freshman Dion Lewis.

Stewart Mandel at SI.com also noted what Cignetti and Pitt are doing.

I watched a lot of that game and Pitt, now 7-1, looked pretty good. In fact, the Panthers looked like the team I was expecting to see last year, with all those highly rated Dave Wannstedt recruits from the past five years finally playing like seasoned vets. For one thing, you can’t ask for a more balanced offense. Give a ton of credit to new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., who’s helped transform quarterback Bill Stull from mediocre and job-insecure to the nation’s third-ranked passer. Whether it’s the play-calling or Stull’s improved decision making, he always seems to be throwing to the right spot, and Jonathan Baldwin and Dorin Dickerson catch everything in their sight.

And the beautiful thing is, Stull still doesn’t have to carry the load because he’s got one of the most productive running backs in the country behind him. It’s amazing how quickly freshman Dion Lewis has asserted himself as a bona fide star.

Defensively, that lineup is comprised almost entirely of juniors and seniors like end Greg Romeus, tackle Mick Williams, linebacker Adam Gunn and cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel. That’s a lot of playmakers. However, it’s this side of the ball that remains my biggest concern about the Panthers. Quite frankly, they haven’t faced many explosive offenses. And in the one game they did lose, NC State’s Russell Wilson tore them to shreds. Wilson’s a great player, but the Wolfpack are 3-4 and Wilson hasn’t played like that since. It’s a cause for concern, because Pitt is going to face two pretty darn good quarterbacks, Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike, in the weeks ahead.

Cignetti’s job performance already has some wondering just how long Coach Wannstedt wants to stay in charge and the whole “coach-in-waiting” thing. Let’s wait a little longer before we get to that point. Cignetti has been a solid coordinator elsewhere, and no question he has been outstanding in the first season at Pitt. Still, let’s see a couple more years before getting to that point.

Plus, there’s always room to kvetch. How about a fade in the endzone that actually connects?

With Pitt now at 7-1, and their best start in 25+ years, many units can share in the reason. The O-line. The D-line. The secondary — and Elijah Fields playing well as a hybrid linebacker/safety these days.. The receiving corps.

And of course, there is Dion Lewis.

Last offseason, new Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti was charged with invigorating a squad missing quarterback Bill Stull (concussion), but he found a tailback by the spring game. Lewis, who enrolled early in January, started out No. 3 on the depth chart. Once on campus, he impressed with his bench press (365 pounds), short bursts and understated approach. “We didn’t have to de-recruit him,” said Buddy Morris, the Panthers strength and conditioning coach. “He just shut up like Dan Marino and Curtis Martin did when they were here.”

Running backs coach David Walker noted Dion’s ability to process things. “He would tell me he saw things in between series and when we watched tape, he was right,” Walker said. “Some guys think they see things, but they are just mistaken by speed.”

The final month will be huge for Pitt’s fate. ND, WVU and Cinci. The Big East really got lucky or knew what they were doing with the schedule. Of course, Pitt has to get past all the expected mousetraps expected this week with  the “trap game” of Syracuse at noon this Saturday.