DVR delays continue. My wife informed me the other day that I am now the treasurer for the co-op preschool for our son.
Of course I am. The fact that there is a meeting at 11 am today is not at all inconvenient.
The game is on WTAE in Pittsburgh. Elsewhere it is on various syndicated outlets as the Big East Game of the Week. Along with ESPN3.com.
Family visiting this weekend. Ended up working overnight. Slept all day. So I have the season opener on DVR delay.
The game starts at 7. It is on ESPN3.com, FullCourt and SNY.
J.J. Moore won’t play this game. He is serving a one game suspension for playing a game in another summer league.
I cannot think of a season where I have been so distracted almost every week by other issues in college football. Then it is Saturday and gametime. The brief respite from everything else.
Ryan Turnley. Dude.
…center Ryan Turnley, who has plantar fasciitis in both feet.
The condition is defined as acute inflammation of a thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that often results from overuse. Rest usually provides the best relief.
Turnley’s feet hurt so bad that he hasn’t practiced in the days leading up to the past three games, but there is never a question that he will play.
“It makes everybody else kind of suck it up,” quarterback Tino Sunseri said. “If they get hit, they look at Turnley and keep moving forward.”
Turnley, a redshirt junior, said when the game begins, he forgets about the pain.
“I just go out there and put it out of your mind for a couple of hours and get some treatment during the week,” he said.
So glad he has a high tolerance for pain. The back-up center is listed as Greg Gaskins — presently the starting left tackle. Gaskins is also listed as the back-up at right tackle. Basically, if Lucas Nix is out for another game, that leaves Juantez Hollins as the only non-starter on the O-line depth chart.
For whatever it is worth, Pitt has its first verbal for the 2014 class. Not 2013, 2014. Chandler Kincade from Blackhawk High has decided to verbal really early.
“After they offered me, I had a pretty good idea I wanted to commit,” Kincade said. “I just wanted to wait until after the season. The coaches are great guys and the program seems like it is progressing each week.”
Kincade, 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, missed part of Blackhawk’s season with a shoulder injury, but he completed 40 of 68 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns in five games. Hamilton said Kincade is athletic enough to run, but that wasn’t part of Blackhawk’s offensive game plan.
“We didn’t allow him to run very much,” Hamilton said. “We only had one quarterback.”
“I’ve never been a running quarterback,” Kincade said. “I’ve always been a passing quarterback, but I can run.”
Kincade said he chose Pitt partially because his brother, Anthony, who doesn’t play football, may enroll there after he graduates from Blackhawk next year.
“It means a lot to be with him,” Kincade said.
As you can imagine with a sophomore in high school, there isn’t that much on the kid yet. He had been drawing interest from PSU and OSU as well, but no scholarship offers that early. He has taken part in Elite 11 and 7-on-7 camps (the links to the stories are behind paywalls).
My general rule is that any kid who commits that early, can not be held too tightly to the commitment. There is still over 2 years before he can sign an NLI. A lot can change for both sides.
I swear I will get to Pitt stuff today. But there is no rational way to ignore last night.
This is not over for Penn State. There is still a trial for Sandusky. There is still the matter of perjury charges. There will be the oh so deserved civil lawsuits that can never give back what was taken from the children. The number of molested children continues to grow and there are disturbing rumors of more horrors. The Department of Education is looking into serious issues that can affect student aid. It will be a long time before this long, dark shadow leaves State College.
The school has to hire a new football coach, a new AD and a new president. In what order and how quickly can you move on those things?
Tom Bradley will be the interim coach the rest of the way. He and the entire remaining staff will almost certainly be swept out after the season. Penn State men or not, it is hard to imagine they will be able to stay. Fair or not, they too are tainted by this.
This will also upset many PSU fans — even if they do concede the logic and necessity — as so many of the connections to the Paterno era are abruptly severed. This will create more strain and animosity with the fans and school. Making the job of whomever comes next that much harder.
I don’t know if there has ever been a college football season where the actual games have continued to take a backseat to all the other issues. And if the sundry expansiopocolypse matters, Miami football scandal, the legitimate debate of paying college athletes all haven’t been enough. They all pale in comparison to the seriousness and depravity that has come to light in Happy Valley.
Now it is announced by Joe Paterno in a press release that he will be retiring.
Everyone comes at these matters with their own history, biases and knowledge. My wife has been working in juvenile justice for over fifteen years. She has been a juvenile court magistrate for nearly ten years. Her fist year as a magistrate she heard “abuse, neglect and dependency cases.” These were emergency hearings on the immediate removal of a child from their home, parent and/or guardian. Those are not taken lightly. They are done when the risk to the safety of a child is so great that there is not time for a regular hearing with procedural standards. The details in these cases created emotions that ranged from rage to hide under the blankets depression. There was not a week that went by where my wife would come home in absolute tears over a particular case that was so horrid. I would listen as she described the matters, and do what I could to comfort her while trying not to lose it myself. My wife is much stronger and less selfish than I. Could never have kept doing that for even a year. Sadly, I have actually heard more disgusting things than what was described in the indictment of Sandusky.
There are two primary parts to the Sandusky-Penn State child molestation scandal. The first are the crimes by Sandusky. Horrific. Disgusting. Repulsive. Tragic. There aren’t words sufficient to describe the revulsion anyone with a shred of decency feels if they actually read the charges and years of preying on young children. Those are being handled by prosecutors and the legal system. It has been investigated, charges have been filed. Sandusky will never truly pay for his crimes, because there is no punishment. No remedy that can ever make whole what he has done to so many.
Then there are the crimes — both legal and moral — by so many in the Penn State administration. That is where everyone has their focus at this time.
(I’m sure Chas will have something to say on this matter also but I wanted to get this up while events are unfolding.)
The news that broke in the middle of Pennsylvania this week should have shocked no one. The child abuse issues with Jerry Sandusky had been reported as early as 1998, with subsequent reporting on the convening of a PA State Grand Jury almost two years ago.
We pretty much all knew that some sort of charges would be leveled. What was surprising was the extent and boldness of Sandusky’s crimes and the blatant misdirection and covering of facts by the Penn State athletic department, campus police chain of command and the university’s administration, up to and including President Spanier.
For those of us who have been living under a rock for the past week here is a reference page from the Pgh Post-Gazette that has links to articles covering this story.
For those of you who have the stomach for it here is a copy of the aforementioned Grand Jury Report. I really mean it about the warning – what you will read in there can literally make you sick to your stomach. Not just the physical actions conducted by Sandusky, but the decision making by everyone involved with this at PSU.
From a janitor who witnessed Sandusky in action, to Mike McQueary, who saw the most heinous of crimes against humanity play out in a locker room shower, through Coach Paterno, Tim Curley the AD, Gary Schultz who is a university Vice-President and oversaw the campus police and on to the University’s President, there was a turning of a blind eye to what is the most basic responsibility of an adult… the protection of our children.
Not one person either stopped the crime being committed or reported the incidents to the local civic authorities. That is unbelievable, truly unbelievable, for the rest of America to understand.
Their moral compasses pointed directly to Penn State University and never once wavered. (more…)
I’m at the game today. Might be the last game I make this season if my work schedule continues to be a convoluted mess. That might explain why I left a wife with a sinus infection and a son that vomited in the bed last night. The other explanation is I just didn’t want to deal with that sort of thing, but that would make me seem like a selfish ass.
The lovely and talented Luke will be moderating the liveblog tonight for your pleasure. I’ll be offering livetweets throughout the game, and depending on my battery life, the nature of the game, and getting the app to work correctly — I might try to check into the liveblog at halftime.
It’s supposed to be a sunny day, leading to a crisp evening. Should be a great day for tailgating. The game is at 7pm on ESPNU.
I do not know what to expect from this game. I don’t know what the offense will do. I don’t know if the defense is going to keep playing outstanding,
I don’t know what Cinci will be like in this game. They struggled to beat USF on the road. Handled Lousiville at home — at least in the second half. They have a 6-1 record, but it’s about as impressive as Penn State’s 8-1 record. They boast quality talent at the skill positions on offense, but have struggled against decent to good defenses.
I’m not still bitter. I’m not still bitter. I’m not still — aaarrrgghhh!!!!
For many University of Cincinnati football fans, it ranks as the greatest game in the 124-year history of the program.
On Dec. 5, 2009, after trailing by 21 points late in the first half, the Bearcats rallied to beat Pittsburgh, 45-44, at Heinz Field to win the Big East championship, completing an unbeaten regular season and earning a trip to the Sugar Bowl.
Two years later, the Bearcats return to Heinz Field on Saturday for the first time since that memorable game.
Great. Pitt holds a special place in their lore for that. Fantastic. Trust me Cinci, last year didn’t begin to make up for 2009.
In some ways, it was the worst moment in their 4-8 season.
“They were doing snow angels on our field, dancing with the trophy, they stormed the field,” running back Isaiah Pead said. “And hearing them in the locker room singing their fight song — that hurt. Everything hurt. Losing that game, going 4-8, not going to a bowl game, it was just a bad feeling all around.”
Okay, maybe this bit, helped a little.
Basketball season is getting much closer. One exhibition down. One more on Sunday. The season starts next Friday.
From playing in Greece to Cyprus to Israel to Canton? Interesting travelog for Tyrell Biggs, the 15th overall selection in the NBA D-League draft by the Canton Charge.
Biggs wore thick, black-rimmed glasses Thursday, looking like an imposing Steve Urkel. But there is nothing Urkel about his game.
The broad-shouldered Biggs can play the 3 or 4 position and is not shy about contact. He’s got range out to 20 feet, a back-to-the-basket repertoire, long arms and a good feel for the overall game.
Jensen loves the fact that Biggs played at Pitt for head coach Jamie Dixon and went through Big East battles.
“I always talk about my mindset being the same as the Cavaliers,” [Charge Head Coach Alex] Jensen said, referring to the organization’s emphasis on defense. “Tyrell is the same way, playing for Coach Dixon, one of the most successful college coaches in the last decade.
“So when he comes in, he already has that mindset and understands it.”
Best of luck to Biggs, and when the NBA returns I hope he can find a spot.
A morning spent prepping tailgate food for tomorrow. Chicken drumstick wings, spicy pulled pork, and the stuffing for Jalepeno poppers. If my friends aren’t befouling port-a-johns by 5pm, then I did something wrong. Luke has signed on to man the liveblog tomorrow night. I’ll be tweeting all game.
In case you missed it, Ray Graham had what is (of course) being termed successful surgery to replace the ACL in his right knee. Given the minimum six months recovery, it would appear that Graham will now return for his senior season. How quickly he can return to anywhere near his old style is unknown, but it is hard to bet against it.
It can be fun to speculate on the idea of a Pitt backfield of Graham and Rushel Shell — who was just named Sports Illustrated High School Player of the Week. But, that is a year away and the immediate concern is finishing out this season.
Well, I guess it is a sign of influence and attention. Not the best kind. Apparently some asshole has opened a twitter account with the name of this site. It’s presumably some Hoopie prick because the jist of it is to pretend I want Todd Graham fired.
If you don’t know, I tweet under @chasrich27, not the blog name.
I’m not bothering to even link to the guy, but I figure I should make it clear that this is a fake account. Please, don’t give the troll the attention he wants. Don’t get baited into responding. Just ignore him.
Thanks.
Lots of open tabs. Some with direct Pitt stuff. Others not so much.
Attendance, attendance, attendance. The Wednesday UConn non-attendance issue was a popular topic of angst. I’m not going to rehash the reasons/excuses. I didn’t make the trip, but I knew that even before I ordered season tickets. Chris Dokish looks at Pitt’s (paid) attendance relative to many factors to conclude, that things aren’t really that bad. I’m just not too worked up over it. Especially when I look at the conference to where Pitt is heading.
Miami tried to one-up Pitt on their Thursday night game. They at least had a beautiful evening. Then there was Maryland on a Saturday (click to see the picture).
Eric Prisbell wrote that there “appeared to be no more than 10,000 fans at Byrd Stadium.”
“Saturday’s abject eyesore, where lower-level tickets at Byrd Stadium were going for a penny on StubHub? That’s more than frigid, rotten weather. That’s unacceptable,” Mike Wise columnized.
At least Pitt’s tickets on StubHub were 99 cents. We will fit right into the ACC.
Honestly, I’m not too stressed on attendance. It’s frustrating at times, but the fact is there are a lot of Pitt fans hanging back right now. Frustrated by the past decade, maybe even the past 30 years. Happy to cheer and support the the team (and even buy tickets), but not quite willing to make that final action of going to the games. The only way it changes is with Pitt winning.
With the exception of the Iowa game, the Pitt defense has really done a great job this year. They’ve kept Pitt in games. They changed defensive systems, and have had to play a lot more minutes than they did last year given the change (and struggles) of Pitt’s offense.
There have been no indications that the defense is outwardly frustrated with the offense, or even rumblings of such. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson has done a very good job as the season progressed of getting the defense to make more stops. Though, he isn’t satisfied.
“What I tell our guys, you can go all the way back to the Iowa game, we’ve just played good but we haven’t played great yet because there isn’t an opponent we have played yet that we couldn’t have held to 15 points or less — not one — so that is what we are striving for.”
Patterson said he wants to “shoot for perfection and shut people out.” That will come down to paying attention to details and maintaining a focus throughout the entire game.
He cited examples of what he was talking about from each of the past three losses (Notre Dame, Rutgers, Utah), instances when the defense lost focus for one or two plays, and it cost them.
That’s part of where the terror comes into play. During the games themselves, I get frustrated with the defense. I literally find myself squirming when the defense is out there. As if twisting and contorting while watching will improve on the angles the defensive players are taking to the ball.Failing to get off the field a lot of times. Giving up big chunks of yardage, and letting the field position be shifted against the offense. As close as they seem to be to making the big play, they are just as close to giving up the big play.
There has been a lot of chatter in the media, blogs and the message boards regarding Todd Graham’s seemingly superior attitude when it comes to talking about how the players have performed this season. This was evident in a recent Post-Gazette Q&A:
Q: Why does Todd Graham have such a hard time complimenting his players? This week he called Tino Sunseri’s performance “average” even though he set a Heinz Field record.
ZEISE: I think there was a little more at work with Tino Sunseri and Todd Graham than meets the eye. Simply put — Tino Sunseri sometimes gets a little overconfident after a good performance (see the two games aftter South Florida) and I think Graham would like him to stay humble and hungry and that’s what he was getting at. He obviously knows Sunseri had an excellent day but he feels like he needed to make it clear that the Panthers have a long, long way to go before they are really and truly operating the offense at a high enough level.
Remember what Zeise is referring to? After the USF game Sunseri strutted into the post-game interview room and proclaimed, without being asked a question, “Didn’t I tell ya’all that we were close, didn’t I?”
Zeise reports it as this: Sunseri got really happy after the South Florida game – he came into the media room after that game and said “Didn’t I tell ya’all that we were close…” – and then he played like, well, this is a G-rated blog so I will just say he played poorly for two games. (more…)
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