We had you written off. You were done. Surely the time had come to change directions. We knew your story. We knew your strengths. We knew your weaknesses — god did we know your weaknesses. And then this.
Sunseri had an excellent game. He made the throws. He made good decisions. He took the hits and played hurt late. He had never completed a pass for more than 20 yards downfield and this game saw him complete two of 33 and 40 yards. Heck, Lou Holtz — not Mark May — even gave him a helmet sticker on College Football Final.
No wonder he got two columns lauding his performance and toughness.
So it has been for Pitt’s Tino Sunseri, the most maligned athlete in school history. It’s been so bad at times for him that the criticism has gone beyond the performance level and become personal. Many people still insist the only reason he plays is because his father, Sal, was an All-American linebacker at Pitt in the early 1980s.
Really.
Do you think I could make up something so stupid?
Sunseri’s old man doesn’t have that kind of clout. Coach Dave Wannstedt started Tino Sunseri and Todd Graham started him and new coach Paul Chryst is starting him because Pitt has no one better. Often, Sunseri hasn’t been good enough to win games. But Saturday, he was plenty good enough in Pitt’s surprisingly easy, 35-17 win against No. 13 Virginia Tech at Heinz Field.
We know he can do that. We’ve seen games where he has played this well. We know he is physically tough. It has been the inconsistency between the ears that has driven fans crazy. Hoping that this time he had it all click, only to see a return to the mean.
One thing that seems different. Sunseri is doing his best not to seem too triumphant after the game.
Asked how he deals with the constant and largely unflattering public scrutiny, he said, “I don’t know. I just do my job.”
He cut off a follow-up question, flashed his steely brown eyes and bit off the same five words: “I just do my job.”
What kind of injury did he sustain?
“I’m fine.”
What happened on the play on which he was injured?
“I’m fine.”
And so it went.
Really, though, who could blame Sunseri if he has a giant chip on his shoulder pads? He has endured a ridiculous amount of criticism. The mere mention of his name seems to get people’s blood boiling.
Both Cook and Starkey host radio shows, so they both know just how much of a reaction the mention of Sunseri, quarterback and Pitt in the same sentence provokes.
Even Virginia Tech, with all the film they probably had on Sunseri, didn’t see it coming.
Virginia Tech safety Kyshoen Jarrett answered frankly when a reporter wondered if the Hokies believed Sunseri could make plays like that down the field.
“Honestly? No,” Jarrett said.
Neither did most of us. Because even when he did get the pass fairly accurate, the receivers did not make the plays. This time both Street and Shanahan did.
Unlike last year there is no insisting that he knew the team and he were close. It appears to be an attempt to be much more even-keeled and definitely avoiding giving the fans more ammunition. And let’s face it, regardless of what the coaches will say. Sunseri desperately needed this game. After the Cinci game. It is really, really, really hard see how Coach Chryst wouldn’t make a change if Sunseri was just as ineffective. Regardless of “best chance to win.”
He came through, and I hope he really enjoyed the feeling that night. Now, here’s the other half. That moment is over. It’s on to the next game. And if the offense sputters and he looks more like he did against Cinci. Then the VT game is merely more of the maddedning inconsistency of Sunseri that has driven fans (and probably the myriad of coaches) crazy.
Here’s hoping to go another week without anyone having to pine for Anderson or Voytik.
I hope he’s able to stay consistent. After all the flak he’s taken in his career he deserves to be able to make people eat some crow.
TartanPanther brings up a great point, Sunseri has never led Pitt to a “come from behind” victory, NEVER. This game Saturday was a great win. An essential win to give us hope again. But as steady Eddie Coach Chryst mentioned after the game, it is only that, one win, PERIOD.
I’m thrilled that Tino played as well as he did. I’ve already praised him for his decisive play and passing accuracy against VT. Now, can he just rewind that performance and repeat it again and again?
Sunseri can not be vindicated from his past under acheivements by this “flash in the pan” one game victory, but it is a great start for that FUTURE vindication if it is to materialize.
Now on to Gardner-Webb. No one in the stadium will be chanting for Voytik to get his first start this week after that VT game, although it will be a perfect game to get other true and RS Freshman their chance to show their goods on the field of play in less than a dire straits game situation(hopefully). It should be another game opportunity for Tino to keep trusting his receivers and to continue to hone their timing together in the passing game. It should also be a perfect game to build on Tino’s confidence for the rest of the season as we enter into the meat of our BE schedule.
It will be interesting to see which Tino and team show up for this game. I trust that Chryst will have driven home, by game time, the mantra that this is a day by day, game by game process and that “we only have control of the controlables”. Which I guess means that if you just pay attention to your own business and if everybody shows up to work with the right attitude after putting in the effort leading up to game time, then good things will transpire. No MAGIC there.
Tino, being Tino however could very easily let this game unravel the goodwill that this VT win has accumulated for him. I hope not, because backed up by a couple more stellar performances like the one on Saturday, then maybe, just maybe the talk about him being vindicated might just start to be validated. That would be “Neat”.
Now, if and when he decides that he wants to double down on that with a solid come from behind victory fueled by some true 4th quarter QB heroics, then I’ll even begin to believe that the “good” Tino has come home to roost for the rest of the season. And that is the “Truth”.
Do us all a big favor Mr. Sunseri and continue your winning ways. Time will tell.
BTW, I’m sure that the VA TECH defensive coordinator did read Tino’s “book” and was pretty confident that he was going to eat Tino’s lunch for him on Saturday. Who knew Tino was intending to just “throw the book out the window however”? Add on top of that the fabulous coming out party for Mr. Shell in front of all of his “homies” in Heinz Field and the result was an open can of whoop a$$ that spilt all over VT.
Also, just so you know, Monday is my day off. I really do have to work for a living, although you all might not think so after seeing my multitude of blog posts today. So here I sit bloging, still basking in the glow of a great win over VT. LOL
How about the fire these kids played with? unbelievable. Hope they continue to show it. Too bad we had to drop 2.
HTP.
he has had a game or 2 in the past were he did
well then had his usual meltdown.
so i for one will wait and see.
accolades more than Tino. Tough classy
kid. He endured a low life coach and kept
coming. Hopefully this is the beginning
of a season long streak.
I LOVE THE WIN AND HTP, but some of the game was still madening, i.e. too many Rotheram gaffs, DBs that still at times look lost and out of position and Harper that is far too inconsistent – lucky for him his missed 3 turns to a 7. Like I said in preseason, maybe he should put a trash can over his head (a la the video) in order to be more consistent.
Some of these SRs hopefully are waking up and realizing they are just that – seniors and if some want to play on Sunday they better wake up.
Might seem negative, not really. I LOVED the win and no one had a bigger smile on my face. They deserved it, the staff deserved it…WE DESERVED it!!!HTP and go get the WEBB!
VT’s QB Logan Thomas
14 of 31 for 265 yds 45.2% 8.5ypp
2 – Sacks 1- TD, 3 – Interceptions.
Have found a solution for our problems, just keep scheduling QB’s worse than ours.
Hey congrats though, that was Sir Tino’s best game EVER as a Panther, because it was against a quality team. His previous big games were against some of the worst teams & defenses in D1 those years. (Cuse, Rutgers & Uconn). When was the last time he threw 3 (yes I said three) TD passes in 1 game.
Seriously though this is the way a 5th year Senior QB with 28 starts should play every game, sans the 4rth Q pick when it was 28-17. Defense saved the day there, with I think an immediate stop for loss or a sack.
Cudos to DC Huxtable for making some lineup changes, with a redshirt freshman DEvin Cook at DE(who played very well), Manny Williams at LB and of course the big return of Jason Hendricks at Safety with 2 big picks. I know they all wrote about the offense, but the Defense only gave up 10 points ( the other 7 was punt return) and 7 of that was on 1 big play.
I think they’ve finally found some players on Defense who can make some plays. Tags is better as a 5th DB than a starter. Hendricks & Holley should be the starting Safety’s.
Finally, Anderson, if healthy, should get some series against Gardner Webb. Was a little surprised that they trotted Tino back out there for the final series with a bum ankle. PC left himself open for epic criticism if Tino further aggravates the injury in that situation.
Let’s be happy for the kid for once. And let’s be happy that he has learned humility and understands one game is not a career make. He doesn’t need to stick it to any of his critics. If he finishes the season strong then yes but way too many bad games will not be cancelled out because of one good one.
I also just saw a quote from Kovecevik asking why Tino wasn’t using crutches in a photo immediately after the game but was on them in the presser. Really dude? I hope I read that wrong. You have been around sports long enough to know guys will use them as precaution. Let’s let Tino enjoy his week for once.
keep calm
hail to pitt
My main concern is being able to stop a quick perimeter rush from DEs and OLBs like Cincy threw at us.
I laughed for 10 minutes just looking at the title and still shot. Then watched the video (and laughed more) before reading the posts. I LUV YU MAN ! (At least my sense of humor is returning)
up a huge homecoming contest in addition to a big
recruiting weekend along
with outdoor midnight
madness on Oct.12/13th. I
hope Rushel Shell can treat
Notre Dame like Dorsett did
for 4 years on Nov. 3rd !
Looking ahead & slightly
changing course , circle
Nov. 23rd on your
calendars – basketball team
should meet #6 ranked
Michigan in preseason NIT championship @ madison square garden !
I just keep saying to myself:
I am in control of my emotions,
I am in control of my emotions,
I am in control of my emotions,
I am in control of my emotions,
etc., etc.
WAIT, that was……..nvm
Sometimes the recipe comes out perfectly, like on Saturday, that’s yummy yumny tastey. Other times the recipe just falls flat and then even the smell wants to make you puke.
This Pitt team is a moving target, 3-9, 9-3 or somewhere in the middle. I’m just hoping that I don’t have any more projectile vomiting episodes to endure before the end of the season. We’ll see soon enough.
Tino
OL
D
Rushell
Graham
Receivers receiving
Coaches coaching (PC was above all composed. Only caught 1 F bomb) Wanny would’ve been pacing/fretting. Toad would’ve been jumping up and down)
Let’s hope they will all continue to excel
Tino has made some strange moves. Let’s not forget the USF game of last season. But that was also against a lousy team.
My comparison for Tino is the hyperventilating runner. Sometimes his breathing is normal and sometimes he hyperventilates. I hope he has learned to pace himself and his play. That might be the only thing that having so many offensive coordinators could accomplish: defiance to adversity.
I dont pray anymore, but if I did, it would be for his peace of mind.
Is it passing efficiency? Then he’s in the top 50% last season. Is it passing yards? He’s in the top 50%. Is it pure passing stats? He’s in the Top 50%. Is it leadership”? Well, we all have different ideas about how that goes but not one of us knows the real truth about what happens in the huddle or in the locker room.
Those aren’t great aspects to be sure, not even that good and the only thing that really matters is how well he plays to move the team into wins. On that front he’s been pretty, well – average.
The deal truly is that because of the poor QB recruiting on DW’s part Sunseri is the best of a bad bunch. He’s played well and he’s played poorly. He’s done both of that in the same game even. He’s certainly done that on a week to week basis. You just never know what you’re going to get with him.
He’s not exciting; he’s not personable; he’s not flamboyant and he’s not consistent by any stretch of the imagination.
But we PITT fans seem to think that out of 120 D1 teams we are the only team who has a QB who screws up at inopportune times. That is far from the truth. As to the old saw that he “isn’t a D1 QB”, well I’ll say right now that there area a lot D1 teams that would take him on at QB right away.
What Sunseri is, along with a ton of other D1 QBs… as the kids say… meh.
Credit to the kid for sticking in there and taking him lumps from us the fans and never giving up. For that I can say he is a winner. We as PITT fans need to expect more of the coaches to develop options. Not just at QB but at every position. RB is a great example. We did well on saturday because we had options.
We will just have to trust PC in this matter. I truly believe if he had a better option at QB he would not hesitate to use him. Also, I trust him to manage Tino and the whole O to minimize his deficiencies. It is all we can ask or hope for…
Congrats Tinooo