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December 10, 2010

Kentucky QB Brian Hartline apparently is a much-maligned figure. This column from a couple days ago advocates on his behalf.

21. A final verse of Hartline bashing. No sooner had the final seconds ticked off on Kentucky’s loss to Tennessee, than some UK football fans were agitating for the Cats to use their bowl trip as a training opportunity for Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski rather than play fifth-year senior starter Mike Hartline.

20. Poor Hartline. Did Kentucky sit senior starter Andre Woodson for the 2007 Music City Bowl to train heir apparent Curtis Pulley? Of course not. No difference here. All Hartline did this year was have one of the best senior seasons of any UK QB (3,178 passing yards; 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions).

19. Joker Phillips’ response. “We gotta go try to win the game,” the Kentucky Coach said of UK’s appearance against Pittsburgh. “… Mike gives us the best chance.”

Hartline was also named 4th team All-SEC (A 4th team All-SEC? Really?) QB. So, given Pitt’s porous secondary and linebackers, this figured to be a major concern.

His status, though, may be in question after a little Thursday night carousing.

According to the police report, the incident started when Hartline and several others got into an argument in a cab on the way home from the Tin Roof bar sometime before 3 a.m. Police were called to Crescent Avenue on a disturbance call, and officers first observed Hartline arguing with several women. Police say Hartline was yelling, screaming and cursing at Samantha Sheeran. When he saw a police car, Hartline reportedly began walking quickly along Crescent Avenue toward University. According to the police report, Hartline was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and smelled like alcohol.

Sheeran told police that Hartline hit her in the lower jaw area. Police say there was no visible injury, but officers on the scene did take an assault report.

Hartline was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication. He has not been charged with assault at this time.

Because of no appearance of physical injury the police apparently informed the woman that she would have to swear out a complaint for assault charges to be filed. She has not done so at this time.

Without any assault charges, I don’t see why Hartline still would not play in the Compass Bowl. Dumb, yes. But relatively minor and the stuff that gets pled down to a small fine. And at least he and his crew did take a taxi after being out drinking.

If assault charges are filed, then it becomes a different issue. Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips might have no choice but to suspend Hartline.

Added plus to this story. Police also arrested one girl from the group was charged with “disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication, possession of alcohol by a minor and having a fraudulent ID.” The 20-year old also happens to be a Kentucky Cheerleader. Odds are almost certain she just found a way not to go to Birmingham.





I’m not worried about Hartline. He’s no Pat Bostick.

Comment by maguro 12.10.10 @ 3:14 pm

Anybody hear what I just heard, Jeff Hafley quit?

Comment by steve 12.10.10 @ 4:35 pm

should have quit after game 2!

Comment by Pitt it IS 12.10.10 @ 4:53 pm

Good recruiter

Comment by steve 12.10.10 @ 5:00 pm

any info on new coach search

Comment by FRANKCAN 12.10.10 @ 5:45 pm

Where’d you hear the news about Hafley, steve?

Comment by Jeff 12.10.10 @ 5:52 pm

didn’t hear about Hafley … but even before contacting all of the Pitt verbals from NJ, my guess Schiano’s 1st call Tuesday night was to Hafley …(or maybe even Marone)

Comment by wbb 12.10.10 @ 6:41 pm

Plus Hafley fits, he’s a Schiano/Rice look-alike.

Comment by steve 12.11.10 @ 8:08 am

steve saw your outher post on look alike pat shurmur nfl oc is on petersons coaching list he looks like dixon.

Comment by FRANKCAN 12.11.10 @ 9:18 am

who cares-get rid of the entire staff

Comment by scoocher 12.11.10 @ 9:42 am

heard Hafley is the next Urban Meyer

Comment by Scoocher's Brother 12.11.10 @ 10:01 am

I live in LSU country but have seen Kentucky play a lot on the SEC channel. They are a damn good team. I love Pitt but they stand zero chance. The worst in the SEC will handle Pitt, just a middle of the pack Big East team… During a year the Big East is again terrible. I’d put money on Kentucky minus 15 easy.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.11.10 @ 11:38 am

Thanks for the inspirational comments Upittbaseball.

Comment by Pitt it Is 12.11.10 @ 12:22 pm

fwiw, last year UConn (4-loss) beat average SEC team, So Carolina 27-7. Not saying that will happen this year … I just don’t buy into any SEC team can just beat any BE team.

Further, B12 champ Oklahoma who is expected to whip UConn (and probably will) only beat Cincy by 2 pts earlier this year

Comment by wbb 12.11.10 @ 12:33 pm

Bowl games are different than regular season. Remember this post after they kick our butt. After the game we will all be very grateful that Wannstad is gone. Play to win a damn game, don’t play to not lose. Sorry I sound negative, I’m just being real. I do prescribe to the notion that any SEC can beat a BE team. I travel to every Big East, SEC, ACC school for work and I watch practice, perceptions, etc. I’m telling you if you spent 10 minutes on LSU, Bama, UF’s campus you would see that the schools are all about football and the caliber of player is far superior. THe Big East’s time has passed and Miami and BC/VT saw that a made a move. Good luck to you guys. Just calling it how I see it on a daily basis.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.11.10 @ 12:39 pm

WBB – If Oklahoma played them again tomorrow they cpuld win by 40. It’s the nature of football sometimes. My point is….. It was a close game but Oklahoma won… The top schools don’t sit on their hands if a coach doesn’t have a team playing hard, with passion, energy…. Not flat like I see multiple times on national TV this year. Wannstad at any other program would have been fired 2 years into his career. Pitt accepts medicrity in football. I think the new hire will further prove that. I hope I’m wrong.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.11.10 @ 12:42 pm

Hartline is officially suspended.

Comment by Glen 12.11.10 @ 2:27 pm

Pitt by 20. Easily. This Kentucky team stunk before they lost their quarterback.

Comment by Glen 12.11.10 @ 2:29 pm

Glen,

I will take those 20 for a couple thousand bucks. You in?? Hartline is the starter but is not the best QB on Kentucky.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.11.10 @ 2:43 pm

Hartline suspended. ESPN has details

Comment by Teddy 12.11.10 @ 3:23 pm

“Not the best quarterback on Kentucky” is like saying he wasn’t the best looking guy in the Bay City Rollers. It says even more about a team that won’t play their best QB available. He was the quarterback for the only significant win they had. Their chances of winning against even a mediocre Pitt team are next to none. Would I bet $2000 giving 20 points? No, but I would bet $2000 straight up if I could find someone retarded enough to take the bet.

Comment by Glen 12.11.10 @ 4:06 pm

Kkentucky lost to Auburn by 1 point. They beat South Carolina as well. Who did we beat? New Hampshire, FIU, (Miami destroyed us, fired their coach, etc) WVU debaucle, UCONN, etc. I will tell you where to send my 2k after the game. It would appear you need to take a closer look at Pitt’s squad. By the way the spread is 3, so it would appear Vegas doesn’t think the smae as you as it is almost a pick em.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.11.10 @ 5:23 pm

I wonder who the quarterback was in that Auburn game? Kentucky also finished the season 1-3 against decent opponents. In their other win they took three quarters to pull away from a putrid Charleston Southern team that lost to Coast Carolina 70-3 two weeks later. They are sliding bad and the Pitt players are going to be jacked up for the game the Stache. Although I do like that to prove your point that Kentucky is superior that you mention that Pitt is a 3 point favorite in Vegas. I guess I found my retard.

Comment by Glen 12.12.10 @ 2:47 am

Glen – you said… “and the Pitt players are going to be jacked up for the game…”

So, just wondering why you’d think they would be ‘jacked up’ for a meaningless bowl – and it is regardless of who got fired – rather than the two games we HAD to win to get to a BCS bowl.

They sleepwalked through those games and flat out quit in the second half.

Hell, we thought they would be ‘fired up’ against Miami and ND for that matter. Might as well go back to the Sun Bowl and… wait!…we didn’t give a crap in that game either.

This team has real and fundamental problems that precluded them from ever getting fully engaged after the Utah loss… and IMO even before the season. I highly doubt ‘playing one for the Gipper’ is going to happen with this squad.

Comment by Reed 12.12.10 @ 3:44 am

If the game was next week, the players emotions might have some impact, but not a month from now. The only benefit might be that they aren’t being berated that making a mistake is the worst thing they could do, and they just play as hard as they can. Being made to feel that any mistakes will cost the coach his job is no way to approach a game, when you care about the coach. As for quitting, it depends if Baldwin thinks the pro scouts are watching. He will be a TO caliber problem for any team that gets him.

Comment by Beat the hoopies 12.12.10 @ 5:54 pm

Comment by Beat the hoopies 12.12.10 @ 8:24 pm

Glen, I’m glad you resort to name calling specifically using the term “retard.” I’m glad you have zero class. I’d also love to see you face to face and see how tough you are…. Anyone can be a tough guy on a message board. I’m done talking with you as you obviously live on a different planet with it comes to sports.

Comment by Upittbaseball 12.12.10 @ 10:17 pm

I think these players really feel like they let Wanny down. I think they know it’s on them. In most of these losses we watched, most people in the room and on the chat noticed that these players were making dumb mistakes. I know it sounds overly optimistic to say “if you take away turn overs” but really, in that WV game, they had really good dominating drives going when they had those turnovers. They were in position to score points and those turnovers ruin any coaches game plan. If you think it’s the coaches fault for all fumbles and interceptions, I can only assume you’ve never played organized football. The disappointing thing for me when I look at the coaches, for example, is how the team gave up so early in the third quarter when WV scored again. That seemed to happen too much. I didn’t push for Dave’s firing, but for reason’s like that I do understand it.

I see it as pretty cut and dry, but I realize a lot of the Pitt fans who sound like Pitt haters on here see it otherwise, that the Pitt players have a lot to play for and Kentucky has less to play for and is tanking bad at the end of the season. If you think these players (both teams) don’t think this game is important to them, then you understand very little about people who play competitive sports. That’s very typical of the kind of people who post to these sites.

We are in a bowl game (something Pitt only achieved once in my five years at Pitt – Liberty Bowl in ’97), and most of you whining fans got your wish when Wanny got fired, so it’s time to support the program and your school instead of acting like a bunch commuter-school Penn State branch campus fans who have no real attachment to your school pride.

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Glen Frankenfield 12.13.10 @ 1:17 am

Frankenfield – sorry, but you are so off base it’s rather pathetic. I supported Dave Wannstedt pretty strongly up until the mid-point of last year when it was obvious things were never going to get better – and I mean really get better – under him at PITT.

Go back and read Zeise’s articles starting as early as mid-October and Paulk’s article this morning… they constantly allude to real problems with the football team – both how they played and in the locker room… it is painfully obvious to anyone who can do any amount of deductive thinking that DW did indeed ‘lose’ the team rather early on – and the results showed that glaringly.

But when he started making decisions that were so obviously based on his saving his own job then I decided enough was enough.

Ask yourself why did those things you mentioned in your post happen… and all roads lead back to Dave Wannstedt. He is the HC, he was the person responsible for the player’s actions on and off the field and he was the person who would be replaced if the job didn’t get done.

So spare me the histrionics in defending Dave Wannstedt and I suggest to turn your finger pointing on his firing from either the players or the “whining fans” (who after all were in lockstep with the PITT administration in wanting a change) and point directly to the root cause and main reason… DW himself.

Comment by Reed 12.13.10 @ 3:45 am

I agree with you Reed on almost everything you said. I just think that the Pitt players will have a lot more to play for in this bowl game than the Kentucky players. Dave never got a the college game, that’s obvious. It’s too bad he couldn’t give more control over to some of his coordinators who presumably knew a little more about how to win at the college level.

And we do have a lot of whining fans on these pages. It’s the nature of message boards, but it still gets tiresome. I’m amazed there aren’t more Pitt fans on here calling some of these people out. I’m not going to apologize for that. It’s amazing how many people get on these message boards and bitch and moan about someone else and the second you call them on it their tampons fall out and they have a hissy fit.

Comment by Glen Frankenfield 12.13.10 @ 11:15 pm

Glen, I just can’t get behind the theory of how, in any scenario, the PITT players can “get up” for the bowl game when they so obviously didn’t in the two games that arguably would have saved the job of the coach they supposedly love so much.

If playing ranked teams on national TV didn’t do it…

If playing an arch rival at home didn’t do it…

If playing for a BCS bowl didn’t do it…

Perhaps if PITT promotes Cignetti (not advocating it) they might get some emotion going… but the Head Coach and the players have failed miserably at this all season long.

I’d love to see a win for both the program and to send DW on his way. I’m just not about to hold my breath waiting to see if the players respond emotionally when they showed apathy at other key points during the season.

Comment by Reed 12.14.10 @ 5:38 am

I feel like they rolled over in the 2nd half against WVU, but watching that game I felt like they were putting themselves in a position to be competitive until those turnovers just buried them. A similar thing happened against UCONN with the kick return and the Graham fumble, although I agree with everyone that a loss to UCONN in that situation is a complete failure on the coaches part. The WVU loss didn’t shock me as much as the final score and the way Pitt finished that one.

I’m as baffled as anyone as to why Dave’s teams failed so bad on a national stage. I’ve said it before that I think he wanted to be their friend more than their football coach. I just wonder what it is we are hoping for in our football program. It needs to be said over and over again, this is not a professional sports franchise, it’s our Alma Mater. I’m not just trying to take a jab at WVU but I genuinely care about our academic integrity and our image as an institution of higher learning. The sports programs are supposed to be something we rally around, in good times and in bad. That’s what brings students and alumni together. The people that just want to see their team win at all costs aren’t good fans, good students, or good alumni. I like a little accountability and you know what, I like griping about Dave as much as the next guy, it’s kind of fun.

Everyone knows there’s a lot of business involved here. It comes down to tickets on this one. If Pedersen couldn’t sell them with Dave as the coach, then I guess Dave had to go. Dave’s fault on that one for not following through on his own expectations for the program, I’m just not sure Pitt made the best decision for the University. I hope they did, I just don’t have a great feeling about where this is headed.

Comment by Glen Frankenfield 12.15.10 @ 1:43 am

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