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September 2, 2013

At Long Last, It’s Gameday

Filed under: Football,Players — Chas @ 8:08 am

Even Coach Paul Chryst can’t downplay this one.

“There is so much real motivation for every guy on this team to play well,” Chryst said. “There’s a lot of different good reasons guys play the game. That’s great, and that’s what makes this sport good.”

I, for one, am disappointed he said “good” and not “neat.”

The anticipation, the excitement. Everyone is eager.

“I don’t remember a game to open the season that has been this anticipated,” athletic director Steve Pederson said.

Well, he wasn’t here at the time, but I do recall a certain kickoff in 2005 that was filled with anticipation. But, um, yeah. Let’s not dwell on that one.

Not sure how much there is to say about this game.

It really is all about the lines in my mind. If Pitt is going to pull this off, the O-line has to be solid. To give Savage some time and whoever will be running the ball some space. On the other side, the defensive line has to be as good as we hope. They have to get penetration and get to Jameis Winston. Check that, they can’t just get to him, they have to bring him down and not let him run wild.

The difference will be how Pitt is able to corral Winston’s running ability. Although Pitt struggled last year against mobile quarterbacks Munchie Legaux of Cincinnati and Everett Golson of Notre Dame, defensive end Bryan Murphy said this year’s unit is more athletic.

“We are pretty much a contain defense (now),” he said. “We are a lot more mobile on the edge.”

Pitt’s defense will expose Winston to multiple looks. If Winston tries to compensate for his inexperience by turning to junior running backs James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman, House has a counter for that, too.

Defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Ty Ezell will be the center of Pitt’s run defense.

“No question, we are counting on them,” House said. “They prepared to have a good season, so I’m excited to see them on Monday night.”

Obviously this game has meaning beyond the win or loss. As you would expect there are going to be tons of recruits attending this game.

Guest: Which potential recruits will be at The Florida State game, Monday?

Sam Werner: Quite simply, all of them. Notably, Washington RB Shai McKenzie, Aliquippa S Dravon Henry and Mt. Lebanon OL Alex Bookser will be there. Those are probably Pitt’s “Big Three” at this point of guys they want to get.

Obviously, it should be good for Pitt to sell a “big game” atmosphere to the recruits, but there’s always the danger of suffering a bad loss to Florida State. Especially with guys like McKenzie, Pitt’s on-field results are going to go a long way in determining where he signs. Pitt is going “all-in” in some respects for this game from a recruiting perspective, so we’ll see how it plays out.

Well, yeah. If you are a Pitt recruit, what game would you want to attend? Over 30 possible recruits will be there, and per Chris Peak at PantherLair, 11 of the 15 top targets for 2014 will be there.

Keep in mind, a loss won’t break the season for recruiting. But a win would help a hell of a lot more.

Over on the FSU side of things…

Pitt isn’t the only team with a lot of young players on the 2-deep.

On Florida State’s depth chart for the season opener, there are eight true freshmen listed on the two-deep.

Three are three on offense. Four are on defense. And one on special teams. And they all have a chance to play, according to head coach Jimbo Fisher.

“There’s going to be a lot of them (in the game) at different times,” he said. “Some of them will have to mix in more than others, but I’m looking forward to it. I hope they all make (an impact). The more guys you get out there, the more experience you get them earlier in their career.”

No. No. No. Redshirting is the answer so they can get bigger. Learn the system and be ready to contribute later.

QB Jameis Winston is not a true freshman. He’s a redshirt making his Seminoles debut as the starting QB. In the last 30 years, the record of FSU QB’s in their first start is 17-6.

It could be argued that the top five debuts for FSU quarterbacks over the last three decades all came on the road — Kanell at Maryland; Trickett at Clemson; Manuel at Wake Forest; Danny McManus (14 of 19 for 191 yards, 4 total TDs) at Tulane in 1985; and Lee (22 of 36 for 286 yards, two TDs) at Maryland in 2006.

So there’s precedent for Winston to succeed on Monday night.

But, as Kanell said, the one thing you can’t know is how a quarterback is going to play when he finally takes center stage.

If you want more reason to worry, Winston has excelled at first impressions.

First impressions have always been a specialty of Winston’s.

Like the summer before his freshman year of high school, when he competed with his Hueytown (Ala.) High teammates in a 7-on-7 tournament at Jacksonville State.

“I was behind the offense watching,” said Chris Elmore, who was the Hueytown offensive coordinator at the time and is now the head coach at Chelsea High in Alabama. “You would watch him make some of those throws, and you were like, ‘Man, this is going to be special.’ Now, we didn’t know how special he would end up being.

“But I remember the Jacksonville State coaches came up to us and said, ‘He’s a ninth-grader? Wait. He’s just now going into the ninth grade?’ And they just shook their heads. We all knew then.”

And the expectations haven’t dropped off. When he was part of the 2012 class, Winston was the No. 1 dual threat QB per most recruiting sites.

Final things…

Sorry, I don’t feel like talking about any more disappointing moments in Pitt history. There are enough recent ones, I don’t need to go digging back to 1980.

I think I’d like to have the Joe Tessitore effect for better chances of weirdness at the game going in Pitt’s favor, but Rece Davis doing the play-by-play for ESPN is pretty damn good. But he’s not exactly thinking Pitt’s going to win.

“I think Pitt’s going to hang in there and make it a tough game. But I would probably be less than forthright if I told you that Pitt will win,” Davis said. “I think Florida State is being a little undervalued nationally. I have Florida State picked to win the ACC, and I’m not going to be surprised if they play in the national championship game. From talking to Florida State’s players, I definitely think Pitt has their full attention. And I don’t know how well Pitt’s offense is going to move the ball.”

Regarding Pitt’s offense, Davis is eager to watch senior quarterback Tom Savage, who reinvented himself following success early in his career at Rutgers. Two schools later, Savage will direct the Panthers’ offense.

“I remember when Savage came out of high school how highly regarded he was,” Davis said, “what kind of tools he has in terms of being able to throw. (Pitt coach) Paul Chryst has always done a marvelous job of putting his quarterback in position to build confidence.”

Davis believes FSU’s superior team speed will be a determining factor. While the Panthers always have faced opponents with fast players, the ACC in general — and FSU in particular — offers new challenges.

“It’s not that there weren’t skill players in the old Big East,” Davis said. “I just think they’re going to see more of them on a more consistent basis, week in and week out, in the ACC.”

It’s a safe prediction.





We will see Voytik by the 3rd quarter.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 8:16 am

Such nervous anticipation! I honestly have NO IDEA how this might turn out. This Pitt alum wants so badly for his team to “represent” on national television for so many reasons. But this same Pitt alum can’t shake what happened in 2005 on a similar stage and, come to think of it, what happened on opening day just one short year ago.

Alright, now that I’ve typed this much I guess I DO know what is going to happen. And yet, I say to thee, Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Bobby 09.02.13 @ 8:29 am

It will all come down to which QB has his head in the game. Early success or failure for either of them will determine that.

Comment by 66Goat 09.02.13 @ 8:47 am

I would love to see Pitt win but I am more concerned about beating NM, Duke and VA to get to a good season start.

Comment by Frank MD 09.02.13 @ 8:49 am

Thanks Chas… this is the way it should be, particularly for us Koolaid drinkers.

ALL IN….

All the recruits,
All the hype
All the statements that this team will have a different mentality and backbone.

No BS, No excuses…

Pitt shows up and plays a close game and we get some confirmation.

If we by some chance upset… then WOW…

If we get a repeat of ND in 2005… well then Pitt is cursed and we’re screwed again…

ah yes, it could go either way! Great game.

H2P!!!

Comment by Pittscript 09.02.13 @ 8:52 am

pitt wins 24 to 21

Comment by FRANKCAN 09.02.13 @ 9:04 am

I just hope that Heinz Field is sold out. There’s no excuse for it not to be

Comment by Mike C 09.02.13 @ 9:14 am

Sending positive vibes. I’ll be at the game. H2P!!!

Comment by Pittastic 09.02.13 @ 9:17 am

Getting nervous already. Kudos to all of you guys that will be there in person. I live in CO and am on the road for work, so unable to attend

Comment by Mike C 09.02.13 @ 9:29 am

I’m calling a Pitts interception return for a TD late in the 4th quarter to ice the game and the team jumping on him in the endzone a la Billy owens vs Psu in 87! Hope we are represented well tonight on all aspects! Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Sweet Caroline 09.02.13 @ 9:29 am

Need to cover any empty seats.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 9:39 am

Still lots of seats on stubhub available. Pederson couldnt sell out a superbowl.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 9:42 am

Today is a day of fasting and prayer. I will make an exception for a copious amount of alcohol.

Comment by Oklahomeboy 09.02.13 @ 10:13 am

Tx Panther- plans for the game tonight? Twin peaks or red neck heaven ?

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 10:27 am

As usual Pitt is the sentimental choice down here in the South. Few believe we will win but most have said that they are pulling for Pitt. Still amazes me about how much Pitt is like in the south.

On any account. This one feels like the ND game with Wanny. Same buzz. I hope that it is a different outcome.

Comment by Pitt Fan in Atlanta 09.02.13 @ 10:32 am

Lots of good reasons for it not being a sellout. 1)nightgame on the northside and the ridiculous traffic on a night before a workday 2)many consecutive years of mediocre football teams 3)pricey tickets, parking, and concessions 4)it’s on tv 5)other holiday commitments the whole family will enjoy. I would like to see a sellout too but certainly understand why that might not happen.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 09.02.13 @ 10:41 am

“It’s going to be two teams on the field, but everybody’s going to be looking to see what Florida State has.”-FSU Linebacker Telvin Smith.

Bulletin board.

@Upittbaseball…you think we will see Voytik by the 3rd Quarter? Wow, I don’t know about that…you think we will be up that much and looking to get youngsters some pt that early??? I never expected you to be so optimistic.

Comment by ECH 09.02.13 @ 10:43 am

Spirit – That wouldn’t happen anywhere in the South. It could happen up there if the product and the AD wasn’t was bad over the past few years.

ECH – That’s the best post all year. Loved it. (2 ways to look at it I guess. I hope you are right but I think the 34 year old Savage will be a bust. These coaches should coach for the future. Playing this guy adds no value. We aren’t going to be in line to win the ACC so get the process going for Voytik. This one and done QB stuff is ludicrous.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 10:54 am

Spirit – Or at many of the the Big 10 schools… OSU, Mich, Mich St. PSU.

Our problem is a Pitt Fan can only stand so many kicks to the face. When the team does it it is okay becuase it happens but when a AD that couldn’t work at Carlow College does it and we accept it like nothing is wrong it kills me.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 10:56 am

HTP!

…enough said.

Comment by PITT it IS 09.02.13 @ 11:02 am

Most of those tickets on stubhub are Notre Dame fans who bought season ticket packages so they’re guaranteed a seat for that game & then try to sell the rest. It might be a “paid” sellout, but not an actual one. There have already been 3 dropouts from our 20 man tailgate. Got the truck loaded & ready to get going. Let’s go Pitt!

Comment by Nick 09.02.13 @ 11:28 am

I don’t post too often, however, I have to say:

Upittbaseball….GET A LIFE!! You really need to get laid.

Comment by isnore 09.02.13 @ 11:35 am

Man, if I have pregame jitters imagine what the players must be going thru. My heart is all in for Pitt but my head is having a hard time following my heart. Come on Panthers, win this one for us old guys who remain faithful. Let’s Go Pitt!

Comment by pittman4ever 09.02.13 @ 11:52 am

Isnore – Keep sending Pederson your checks of support. I wont until we get a AD that cares.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 11:58 am

Upittbaseball, OSU etc. are successful football programs and are consistently competitive, so comparing us to them isn’t quite fair. Monday night is a tough sell in Pgh. Even the Steelers see some empties. I have to work in the morning and the traffic getting out of there sucks. I bet that is a consideration for many. A lot of married guys had better be spending the holiday with the family and they can do that and still enjoy the game on the tube. With all of that considered I think anything over 50,000 thousand is pretty good. You of course wouldn’t want to miss a chance at a chance to ridicule the program but this isn’t a game that has can’t miss implications. I was at the game in 83 at 3 Rivers when we had a real program and every seat was filled and then some. We won 17-16 and we were disappointed that we played so bad. If we get pounded lots of people will be glad they didn’t go and if we win lots of people will wish they went. There is going to be a big crowd so who cares if every seat gets filled? I am pretty excited about watching on the tube. I figure we will hang in until the second half before it gets ugly at which time I can go to bed.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 09.02.13 @ 12:21 pm

Upittbaseball, I finally got to resopnd to your 8/30th post comments if you get a chance to check it out.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 09.02.13 @ 12:29 pm

Spirit, will all due respect the only legit reason it won’t be a sell out is Pitt’s mediocre record the last few years. Pittsburgh is a pro sports town first, and a spoiled one at that with plenty of other winning teams on which to spend their entertainment dollar. The rest of that stuff is the same everywhere, and is the same excuses I always hear from Pittsburghers about attending ANY big event.

On my way to the game. Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Iron Duke 09.02.13 @ 12:37 pm

Spirit – I went over and read it…

Those places might well be described as dumps, but I loved those dumps and miss them both. They were fun. Heinz field is all right but calling it fun is a stretch.

I agree 100% that Heinz isn’t the answer. It has no identity. I think we could have basically rebuilt Pitt stadium as a duel facility to house both BB and FB like Houston Texans or Indy has. I hate heinz and did love a lot of the Pitt Stadium. It needed a few hundred million put into it or torn down and rebuilt. TCU just redid their stadium (Spent 164M) and it’s beautiful…

link to grfx.cstv.com

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 12:47 pm

Iron Duke, Bring us a winner. When you say we are a Pro sports town I think that you are giving Pittsburgh fans too much credit. We ride the winners and it has always been that way. Until the Pens got Lemeiux they saw lots of crowds of 6,000 at the arena. I remember not being able to give away tickets to the Steelers against the Giants because it snowed in 71. Frenchy Fuqua ran for about 230 that day. Take a look at the Pirate attendance last September. Win and they will come, lose and they won’t. Those of you who haven’t been to a Steeler game will be able to see them in bunches if they throw up two loosing seasons in a row. Cleveland supports losers, Cincinnati doesn’t. We live here so we think this is some kind of great sports town but in reality we have been blessed with some good teams at times so we got lucky to live here. Our fans are real spoiled and only have a good reputation because it is easy to follow a winner. A few years back we almost lost both the Bucs and the Pens because of lack of support. The Steelers aren’t guaranteed a following either. If they throw up a decade of losers there will be lots of cheap seats available.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 09.02.13 @ 1:03 pm

Upittbaseball, The Field House for all its shortcomings sure was a crazy place when it got going. I have to laugh when the youngsters in the Zoo think they are on to something they invented. Tiger Paul made them look weak when it came to cranking up the joint. I’d trade 2 Zoo’s for one Tiger Paul in a big game.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 09.02.13 @ 1:09 pm

The Field House rocked because it was intimate. Fans were right on top of the players. And the student section stood and cheered the whole game unlike football. Weather was never an excuse. In my day, Pitt had some good teams and some great teams came to play. Heinz is just too large. I wonder if any of the FSU fans will have a chance to see our campus and walk it? I hope so because they will be impressed. Heinz is no different than any other pro stadium. In fact, relative to others, it disappoints due to its lack of charm and character. The cheapness and sterileness becomes readily apparent. Ask FSU fans what they think of our campus and if Pitt fans pull off a good pre game atmosphere and tailgate. Ask them also if they know of any good AD’s out there.

Comment by TX Panther 09.02.13 @ 1:28 pm

Win one for the Ditka.

Comment by TX Panther 09.02.13 @ 1:31 pm

Funny thing is that when Pitt played a marque game they would have the game at the Civic Arena. That took away from the home court advantage. Pitt often lost there. All for money given the larger venue. A smaller home can be more intimidating and loud. 50k sounds about right for a college football stadium for Pitt. Just don’t put a track around her. Final score Pitt 24 FSU 23. Blewit wins it.

Comment by TX Panther 09.02.13 @ 1:57 pm

Upitt, what exactly are you saying wouldn’t happen anywhere in the south?

Comment by marcus of schaumburg 09.02.13 @ 1:57 pm

Heinz is what it is. Leaving now for the tailgate. If Pitt wins I don’t care where the game is. This is not like going to a game in the south because people here are more concerned about what time they have to go to work tomorrow. See how many people leave tonight if we are down by more than 7 in the 4th quarter.

Comment by JP 09.02.13 @ 2:02 pm

Killing me that I live in the south and not able to make the game! H2p!

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 2:07 pm

Would it be too much to ask for Pitt to simply put together a respectable performance? One on which they could build the rest of their season?

Comment by Lou 09.02.13 @ 2:30 pm

Marcus – At a better SCE/ACC program on National TV, Only game of the day, opening weekend and not a sellout.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 2:39 pm

It’s not a sellout? Wow! I’m sorry but Stevie needs to be shown the door.

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 2:43 pm

I agree Shawn. He has alienated and took the wind out of the program. 1 step forward and 3 backwards. Hopefully we can win in spite of his nonsense.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 2:48 pm

I think there needs to be some outreach by the university to the local community and former alumni to get the excitement back to acceptable levels.

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 2:57 pm

UPitt, that’s a little different than what you originally said. And by the way, Georgia can’t get their students to come to the game either. The AD referred to the student section as a hole in their stadium.

Comment by marcus of schaumburg 09.02.13 @ 3:03 pm

Marcus that is news to me.. Crazy if true. That stadium holds 93K if I’m correct

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 3:06 pm

You can’t reach out if you’ve alienated everyone. That was Stevie’s problem at Nebraska. That’s his problem at Pitt. At least Nebraska was smart enough to can him. Pitt is stupid enough to hire him twice. If I see yellow seats tonight again, I will vomit up my Shiner. No excuse for not a sell out. Yet I bet Pitt gets a good TV rating. That’s Pitt and not Pittsburgh Stevie. The Pitt brand still has some equity after all best attempts at destroying it over the years.

Comment by TX Panther 09.02.13 @ 3:07 pm

Doesn’t matter what Georgia does. Pittsburgh has the appetite for college football but I don’t think the university has done a good job at all promoting it.

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 3:08 pm

Tx panther – lets watch the game at twin peaks or red neck heaven. I’m buying!

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 3:09 pm

Savage will have a good year. This is a better team than last year.

Comment by notrocketscience 09.02.13 @ 3:11 pm

This team is a good 2-3 yrs away from competing and that’s only if they get the players needed to compete in the ACC. I am hopeful though because PC seems to know what he wants and that is a good sign.

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 3:18 pm

FSU, but by less than 10.

Comment by PittStadiumShuffle 09.02.13 @ 3:21 pm

As much as I love Pitt I thing the final score is something like 38-13. Like I said we r still a few years away.

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 3:24 pm

Better team in some ways but playing better competition so its a wash. Jameis gets name in Heisman race tonight. Voytik outplays Savage.

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 3:29 pm

I’ll take you up on that some other night. The DFW Pitt club is at the Fox and Hound somewhere in Dallas tonight. Frickin always 40 miles from where I live. Can’t they hold it in Arlington or Ft Worth just once? I hope it rains in Da Burg to slow down things. Pitt doesn’t match up well against FSU’s speed. Ball control and turnovers will be key. And a little bit of luck. I’m ready to go. I’ll probably begin my tailgating by 4 central. Here’s hoping for an entertaining game. I hope Pitt was worthy of that ACC invite.

Comment by TX Panther 09.02.13 @ 3:34 pm

Weather link – storms approaching.

link to weather.com

Comment by Frank MD 09.02.13 @ 3:37 pm

I just opened my first beer! H2P!

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 3:37 pm

Bring the rain!

Comment by Shawn 09.02.13 @ 3:38 pm

Voytik won’t see the field tonight unless Savage gets hurt. You don’t play for the future, you play to win now.

Comment by notrocketscience 09.02.13 @ 3:42 pm

spiritofansection22 you are right the field house
was great and tiger paul was better then the zoo
boy could he get us going not that it took much i was all ready screaming my lungs out lets go pitt lets go pitt thoes were the days wish i could go back in time.
pitt wins 24 to 21 tonight

Comment by FRANKCAN 09.02.13 @ 4:13 pm

No rain at all look at radar. Only chance of rain is at 630 est.

Tx. Lets go watch the game thirsday night. Fort worth or arlington is cool. Im getting a sitter so were all good. Cool?

Comment by Upittbaseball 09.02.13 @ 4:19 pm

Spirit, Pgh is a front runner town, but there is always somebody having a good season to root for.

Comment by Iron Duke 09.02.13 @ 4:26 pm

Here we go, boys. Wooooooooooooo!!!

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Digdug 09.02.13 @ 5:32 pm

spiritofsection:
The ’83 game was at Pitt Stadium

Comment by TonyinHouston 09.02.13 @ 6:47 pm

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