Chas, going above and beyond the call of duty for the Pitt faithful (or maybe he’s just trying to escape from his in-laws).

Flying overseas today so I’ll miss the game. We can only improve upon last year’s bowl game performance. Looking forward to some rivating analysis and commentary here.

I was watching the ESPN documentary about Miami and they talked about how they were pissed off that they missed out on the national championship one year, so they went to the Cotton Bowl and really took it out on Texas.

I’d like to see Pitt come out with that attitude. Instead of being down because we barely missed out on a BCS bowl, come out pissed off and just blow these motherhumpers off the field.

(Of course, Miami did rack up over 200 yards in penalties that game, so I’d rather us not do that today.)

Jimbo,

The difference is that the Miami team was actually talented. Fail Pitt!!

screw you jimbo. you are a brainless nittwit or toothless hoopie. F u!

Breaking news — Joe Thomas will not start and see very limited PT due to an ankle …Jacobsen to start — 1st game missed this year by OL. Also, Greg Williams missed some practices this week due to funeral .. look for Mason to start in Gruder’s position and Gruder to replace G Williams. All this news per P Zeise on radio pre-game show.

OT: WVU is currently playing Seton Hall and Herb Pope is playing well for the Hall. For the year, Pope has impressive numbers. Does anyone know the story on him? Does he still have baggage? Has he matured? From a basketball playing ability, he would be a tremendous help to Pitt at the PF position. From a “person” standpoint, I don’t have a clue although he does not appear to be a problem child with Seton Hall.

(Was his situation,” Herb, you don’t want to come to Pitt so we are not going to recruit you”?)

there was a recent NY Times article on Pope. Actually, 2 Pitt people, C smith and D Revis (fellow Aliquiipa) were key people as to where he is right now.

The gist of the story is that Pope realized a few years ago that he needed to get away from Aliquippa .. too many bad influences. He played at New Mexico 2 years ago but left when coach Reggie Theus bolted to NBA … and came to S Hall in part due to Smith’s assisatnce. Revis also has provided help in him settling into the area.

He rarely returns home, and when he goes home to see his mom, it’s only for a couple of days max.

Sadly, he would exactly be what Pitt needs this year .. and could have put them in Final 4 last year … but the story implied that him staying in this area would be a major issue.

Yes. Pitt came out smoking, with attitude. Dave Wannstedt style, that is. Dorin Dickerson drops a touchdown, Baldwin falls down at the goal line, and Pitt misses a field goal. Now it is in the hands of our stout defense. We have them just where we want them.

And the fire continues. NC scores and Pitt drives and fumbles in the endzone.

Thanks for the info on Pope. I hope his life stays (gets) in order. BTW, my computer says that Seton Hall made a 3-pointer with 8 seconds to go to send the WVA – Seton Hall game into OT. (I’m taping the Pitt game. Gotta leave the office and go watch the good news>)

I won’t miss watching Berry and Stull play next year.

its over! one team adjusted at half the other did not

I am at the game great call on 3 rd down with 2:00 minutes left a microcosm on Wanny’s coaching career. Who is the worst coach Butch or Dave?

Fuck them I’m done with Pitt football forever they should won this game going away with an undefeated season!!!

kick it out of bounds, squib it!

I admit, when we only scored 6 points the entire 2nd half, I had my doubts. Hats off to Wanny for beating UNC and hiding our play book (and playmakers like Baldwin and Dickerson) so the teams we play in the future will let them sneak up on them!! ;-)!!

A win is a win is a win.

As I said before, they are hard on your heart.

They overcame the drops and a couple missed calls at the end. This improves the outlook for the off season immensely.

Tough but great year. Thank you seniors.

Come from behind win in what was essentially a home game for UNC. I’ll take it. HTP!

what is with this hiding Dickerson & Baldwin? They were thrown to many times tonight. No matter what — there is always something wrong. How about the freshman RB who gained 159 yds, the freshmen LB who made an interception (starting at OLB for 1st time), the soph guard making his 1st start, and the freshmen WR who made 5 or 6 key catches??

Actually the senior Dickerson, who dropped 3 very catchable passes that would have resulted in 1st downs, (1) dropped a sure TD pass, (2) didn’t run out of bounds with under a minute left in the half, and missed a key block on a 3rd and short late in the game.

Great win on a very impressive drive. Pitt tool off 8 minutes an got the go ahead score. Should have ended the same way against Cincinnati. Nice season and we have some studs coming back next year. Hats off to the panthers!

Congratulations to the Pitt players, especially the seniors!

What a great win!!! What a game from Shanahan! Is it me, or has he replaced Turner on the depth chart since Turner dropped a TD in the Notre Dame game?

Next year we’ll be contenders again (Lewis, Baldwin, Hyno, Shanahan, Cruz, Sheard, Mason, Romeus, Mason, Hale, Tags, wow!). Let’s enjoy this ride.

wbb,

I agree on Dickerson, he disappeared against Cinci an WVU as well. Somewhat of a mystery since we all thought he turned the corner this year. I was really sick when he did not go out of bounds, pretty basic stuff. He had a great year and let,s wish him well at the next level. It is going to be tough making it in the NFL.

Glad they figured out how to get Mason more PT, They could have used him more against Cinci and WVU.

It is hard to understand why they don’t throw a few crossing patterns to Baldwin. It looks like we have a tandem next year. Shanahan had a great game. If the QB next year can hit either of these guys in stride they will be hard to catch.

Let the Bostick vs. Sunseri et al debates begin.

I couldn’t have been more upset when Pitt came out after the time out to line up for the long (47yarder) field goal. Excellent call by Wanny and great discipline on special teams to get the Heels to jump offside and pick up a few more yards to make the kick more manageable.

Also, I don’t know that we were hiding Dickerson and Baldwin. Cignetti called several shots downfield to Baldwin, the throws weren’t there a few times and he failed to adjust one one, add another that looked like PI could have been called. Also think about how dominant the running game was and how Lewis was just ripping of 13 yards a pop. I was pleased with the play calling in this one.

I’ll take a ten win season. Stull looks for his 1st option and never makes a 2nd or 3rd read. There won’t be too much of a drop off @ QB next year. Stull never won a game due to his play in his two years but he lost a few due to his play.

Hey Marino Stole My Coke (4th comment),

Fail you.

Topper, Stull may have won the game vs UConn when on the key tying drive on a 4th and 2, he found Byham on his 4th option for a very key 1st down. Yes, he is not necessarily a big playmaker, but on the other hand, he made enough plays to certainly win two games that Pitt lost this year.

HAIL TO PITT!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes!

Hard on your heart, but we finish with 10. Here’s to looking for a lot more.

marino never stole coke. you bust my balz. pitt is it and you are a nitter that will lose to to the tiger or a hoopie that will continue to RAPE SHEEP

If someone had approached any of us before the season and said, Pitt will win 10 games but you will NOT believe the 3 they lose, or how they lose them….there is not a one of us that wouldn’t have taken the 10 games and run with it.

Not a great win, they never are under Wanny, but a win no less. I thought Pitt was much the best team on the field today and just had some of those things that always plague Wanny coached teams happen to them.

Was their anyone out there who wasn’t countng the things that could go wrong on the FG attempt…snap hitting helmut, dropped snap, snap over kickers head (and how did that happen during the game?). But, a good long and very conservative …actually very very conservative drive by Pitt followed by a FG and 3dropped interceptions (we actually call them “ike Taylors” now)and still we won.

Congrats to Wanny, staff, seniors and all the passionate followers out there.

Hail to Pitt…see you for more angst next season!

“There won’t be too much of a drop off @ QB next year.”

Trooper, maybe you ought to try marketing your analytical skills to the BE coaches. You apparently have insights on the play of Pitt’s QB that the coaches do not.

Let me try to understand. Pitt will be ranked in the top 15 and possibly the top 10. They lost by a bad PAT snap to an undefeated team and by a FG on the last play of the game against WVU. Evidently, 32 out of 33 seniors will be graduating. The team is doing positive things in the community. Pitt just won a bowl game, and some posters are posting negative comments about the team and its coach. I have to think on that a bit because the logic is currently escaping me.

Great Win…by a Great team, that played well…and right now…on the front page of SI:

link to sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Hail to PITT!
-al-

I agree with BigGuy. I’ve rooted for Pitt for decades, and I was very down after the final two regular season games, but these are group of college guys that did their best. They could have rolled-over, but instead they played hard and won a tenth game in what was a home game for the other team. I congratulate the 2009 Pitt Panthers football squad!

I’m now officially on the Wannstadt bandwagon and buying that Wannstache tshirt. 9-4 with a bowl loss and now 10-3 with a bowl win, things are definitely on the upswing. It’s been 25 years since Pitt has had back to back successful seasons like this.

Bill Stull’s detractors still show they don’t know a darn thing about football. He had a great senior season and was instrumental in winning 10 games this year. I’ll be very happy if Bostick or Sunseri can match his performance next year…

Ditto Big Guy and Forbes…I knew that I would read this blog and see negatgive comments about DW…First 10 win season since 1981. Back to back 9 win seasons…And our coach sucks? DW is the perfect coach for the Univeristy of Pittsburgh, and we are lucky to have him. Today’s game was close for two reasons: A dropped easy TD pass to catch, and a fumble at the goal line. To all the DW haters out there, please tell me what DW’s coaching had to do with those two things. I look foward to next season when this team takes another step forward and all the DW haters are forced to find new and innovative ways to complain about our head coach. Hail to Pitt!

TX Panther,

Why’d you tell me to eff off? I basically just said that I wanted Pitt to come out and whip ass. Dunno what’s wrong with that.

Anyways, we were able to squeeze 10 wins out of Bill Stull. It was a good season, almost great. Hats off to Billy for taking a lot of heat and still having a very good season this year.

Great game (as usual) by Dion Lewis.

Seeing Shanahan really play the first great game of his young career was an awesome way to head into next year.

In fact, I’m stoked for the Lewis/Hyno/Graham backfield with the Shanny/Baldwin receiver combo. I don’t see another Dorin Dickerson in the program right now, but we really didn’t need him to win today anyways.

Hats off to the seniors on a very good year and for hopefully being known as the first wave of guys that really turned this thing around.

And, even though I always thought you were a douche, get well soon coach Meyer. College football needs you so I have someone to root against!

Congratulations to Pitt and Wanny. You gave us a really good season, with reason to expect more next year!

nothing wrong with raising expectations … and especially when it is warranted to do so

Nice way to end the season. Great momentum for recruiting season. One month until signing day and this should tip a few.

Next year will be interesting…

QB- Sunseri (politics) vs. Cross (athleticism)?
RB- Can Dion Lewis avoid the sophomore jinx?
FB- Hynosky has much more of an impact with his NFL body.
WR- Baldwin will have breakout season

Key Offensive losses
Dickerson, Byham, Stull

Major needs on D-line

Defensive line will be decimated by the NFL (Mick Williams, Romeus, Mustakas)

D-secondary should be more experience though the loss of Berry will hurt.

Fields will be better. Not sure if Decicco has the speed or intensity to play at a high enough level.

Wanny will need to hits some home runs in the off season with development and recruiting.

QB – Bostick (experience)
MLB – Gruder (a hunch)
OLB – Fields (inside scoop that he will be switched to fulltime OLB) & Mason
WR – Baldwin, Shanahan, Cross & Street (very high on him)
TE – Devlin, Cruz
Holley to replace Berry as CB against best WR,
also note that Jacobsen started at guard today and seemed to do well — he has 2 more years

Chas – I don’t post much anymore (kids dominate my life), but visit your site almost daily. Wanted to take the chance to give you props for the only site I visit to get all my Pitt sports news.

Any tips you have on getting away from (or including) the family to watch Pitt games would be appreciated. Still seeking that balance…

Happy New Year! Hail to Pitt!
-Desmondo

10 wins. Great accomplishment. Better yet, 7-1 at home and a much better brand of football than we have seen a while. Yeah, losses suck anytime or anyway…but give me a team that is in everygame…wins nearly all at home, beats most of the teams they are supposed to beat in non-con, and is playing for a BCS.

Congrats to this class for doing what so many teams before them could not do. Say what you want, 10 wins is the benchmark for “turning the corner”…and we have done that.

Also, thanks to Chas for a wonderful, single-source, of Pitt sports information. I echo many of my fellow Blatheran on thanks and warm wishes.

Oh… and finally, we come up strong for our conference and beat another BCS conference….

Big East 2-0 in bowls.

we were in every game this year.. and lost some heart breakers.. nobody thought with stull at the helm 10 wins would be possible.

No disrespect to stull (awesome sr season) i think we have more gifted QB’s waiting in the wings.. and this team will be competing year in and year out.

This year had some accomplishments a Pitt team hasn’t seen in 25+ years….lets all hope it just gets better.

Congrats to the team !!!… lets hope basketball picks up their game !

Many thanks to Chas for hosting this forum for all of us to fans and haters to share opinions, rants and blather.

Hail to PITT!

Note to “PITT in Atlanta”: according to Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette Cross has officially switched positions and will be WR next year.

If you can’t get enough, the replay is on ESPNU right now.

I was at the game yesterday and had a ball cheering on the Panthers to victory. Anybody that is dissing this team and/or coaching staff just doesn’t get it. This team is fun to watch! Without the dropped pass and fumble into the endzone, Pitt wins this one going away. As it was, they just kept fighting back until they won it any way they could. There is NO WAY that Wanny was going to snap that ball on the 1st field goal attempt at the end. That play was all about drawing the offsides penalty that actually occurred. If the clock had run down I’m sure time out would have been called an another 4th down play would have been run for the 1st and ten. Great job at the end for Pitt on both sides of the ball. UNC still had 52 seconds left on the clock and only needed a FG for the win at the end and our defense stepped up and shut them down this time. It could have turned out really ugly again just like the last two games without the D putting the pressure on the QB on that last drive of theirs. Great game for Lewis but from my seat I thought Shanahan was the MVP of the game. I can’t recall a pass that kid has dropped all season. His new nickname should be “Mr. Clutch”. Congrats to the entire organization, Pitt is back again and is only going to continue to improve. Most importantly, they are fun to watch again too. Hail to Pitt