Sophomore TE J.P. Holtz got some minor attention for admitting to not liking Notre Dame and finding the school/coaches arrogant.
Holtz, who scored a touchdown in Pitt’s triple-overtime loss last season at Notre Dame Stadium, said playing the Irish gives him extra motivation. “Personally, I don’t like Notre Dame at all,” he said. “It’s just going to make me go harder. I just think they’re really cocky and their coaches are really cocky. I just don’t like that. They’re just different people there.” Holtz said he took a recruiting visit to Notre Dame while he was a senior at Shaler. “It’s awesome up there, but it’s not somewhere I would want to go to school,” he said.
This was manna for Irish coaches and fans. It plays into the persecuted ND complex, how every one is jealous hates them. How every game they play, they get a team’s best shot because of that. Yadda-yadda-yadda.
By the same token, it’s not like teams don’t want to win every game. It’s not like the fans want to see their team lose to some other team. And really, you would think we have something of a right to severely dislike ND beyond their national rep.
Pitt has played ND 68 times. That’s tied with Syracuse for third most frequently played opponent. So there’s history.
Pitt is only 20-47-1 versus ND, so there is plenty of built up frustration when you lose at more than a 2:1 rate.
There’s bleeping last year when Pitt should have won — even with everything they did wrong at the end — but for a BS interference call and officials missing the fact that ND had 2 players on the field with the same number on a missed OT FG. That alone gives a pretty good incentive to want to see the Irish go down tomorrow.
I know there’s more, but I got links to get to and not much time.
Tyler Boyd and WR Coach Bobby Engram have a great relationship. Please. Please. Please. Don’t let Engram get poached. In two short years he already has established himself as likely Pitt’s best recruiter, plus he has done a tremendous coaching job with the WR’s. Credit to the players talents and desires, but Devin Street made huge strides between his sophomore and junior year. Kevin Weatherspoon has been solid.
Aaron Donald. Oh, Aaron Donald. Is it too early to start to worry how much the defense will suffer next year without him at the center of it all?
Dorian Johnson admitted to struggling a bit in his first start on the O-line. It frustrated him, but no regrets.
Good news for Pitt on defense: No more triple-option. Bad news: It’s a spread-based offense under Brian Kelly. Good news: Tommy Rees is not that mobile at QB. Bad news: Matt House is planning the defense.
As for Pitt to win tomorrow night it comes down to oline play, and someone other than Aaron Donald to make a play on D. This team is young but hopefully learning to finish drives and teams out. Would love to see a plus ratio on d tomorrow as well. The refs will no doubt be in favor of Notre Dame however if you play physical like Stanford did last night it won’t matter. I’d love to see Brian Kelly’s face beat red with frustration.
Let’s Go Pitt!
Imagine if you will the Panthers coming out in script unis tomorrow evening!
A on campus stadium in the “Hollow”
Using that anger to get ready for ND. For those who do not know the line has moved from 5 to 3.5 this morning in Vegas. A very good sign.
Weather will be 35 and breezy. See yuns there!
On campus stadium would be great; I just don’t see logistically where you would plunk such a facility – Hollow or otherwise – with the expectations of today’s fan: easy interstate access, plentiful tailgating, good public transit, etc. It’s not the early 1900’s anymore.
Oakland is Oakland and that’s just the way it is.
My guess it will be by the Steelers who also poached John fox and Tim Lewis from Pitt. Funny how they will take our coaches but not our players (last one being H Poteat in 99)
JP Holtz is correct. ND FB and the coach
demonstrate aggrogance. Would like the
officials from last year’s game with Pitt
to take a lie detector test re: the interference
call AND the play in which ND had 2 players
with the same number. ND gets all the breaks
remember LY’s BB game?
Go Pitt kick their ass!
The distance to Heinz Field is 3 miles. The issue isn’t the distance but the feeling and environment the facility creates.
At least among “big time” BCS conference football teams.
ACC 12 out of 14 on campus. (Pitt and Miami)
Big Ten All 14 on campus.
Big 12 All 10 on campus.
SEC All 14 on campus.
Pac 12 10 out of 12 on campus (USC, UCLA)
That’s 60 out of 64 on campus. 94%, you were correct about it being rare.
Throw in the top Indy teams and top teams from Mntn West.
Notre Dame, Navy, Air Force, Army, Fresno St. Boise State, Brigham Young.
All on campus stadiums.
Guess I need to read the article. 126 teams in Division I. So he’s saying 25 don’t have on campus stadiums???
He’s running out of room, I just listed 75 or so of them and only 4 play away from campus.
Not questioning him or you. Maybe the Sun Belt and MAC play away from campus.
Wow, I’d guess most of the MAC has on campus.
I’ll read the article and get back on this subject.
You sir are correct though, to think it is a rarity.
Dejan Kovacevic, the author of the article decrying the idea of an “On Campus” Pitt Stadium… says now that it was Pederson who provided the numbers serving as a basis for the article.
However, completely overlooked are numbers that totally discount the claim Pederson would love everyone to buy into… that is that Heinz Field is automatically a better draw than Pitt Stadium.
Below are a repost of numbers showing that whether its Oakland or the North Side… the deciding factor in fan attendance is simply whether Pitt is having a winning season.
—
Heinz Field
“Attendance for Panthers games has varied from an average high of 59,197 people per game throughout the 2003 season to a low of 33,680 in 2007. Most recently, Pitt averaged 53,446 in home attendance during the 2009 season.”
As for Pitt Stadium…
“Last year (1996), Pitt’s 4-7 record was a factor in limiting its attendance to 30,795, down from 33,175 in 1995.
Highest average attendance was 54,818 in 1982.
—
Keep in mind too that these comparisons are between Heinz and the Pitt Stadium as we knew it.
Got to believe that had Pederson and Pitt Admin elected to tear down the old stadium and replace it with a NEW one with a few amenities… the New Pitt Stadium would outdraw Heinz hands down.
Certainly, the thousands of students forced to wait in long lines for a bus ride to and from games would appreciate it… and actually stick around for the fourth quarter.
Maybe if Pederson were made to ride a bus back and forth with the students… he might see things differently?
H2P!!!
Keep up the good fight. Ignore the doubters. You’re on to something.
Heck, the way the Steelers are going… Heinz will soon start being criticized as a poor venue for NFL games.
We will never build a football stadium that isn’t shared with the Steelers no matter it is. Low-cost big screens and HD broadcasts will continue to drive down stadium attendance, even more than they already are. At no point in the future will it make financial sense for Pitt to build its own stadium. Even after Heinz Field is replaced down the road.
However, in common fandom talk about stadiums, he is wrong.
I guess I could use the phrase “conventional wisdom” among college football fans.
When talking about the situation, most fans, the vast majority in dicussions, do not differentiate between a stadium being a block or two “off campus”, if the stadium is used for the sole purpose of the university’s football team or maybe the track team.
Two of his examples, Oregon and S. Carolina, are literally blocks “off campus”, and both stadiums are used exclusively by the universities, and are the Ducks and Gamecoks home, no one will debate that.
It would be like Pitt having it’s stadium in Shadyside, and used only by the university, and predominantly by the football team, but, technically, it would be called “off campus”.
So, technically, he is right. However, if you’re ever in a bar and discussing college football stadiums with someone, the default position of most would be that Pitt, Miami, USC and UCLA are the only big time programs that play off campus.
Guess a better way to say it would be, teams that have their own stadiums and teams that don’t.
Pitt, Miami, USC and UCLA don’t have their own stadiums.
@PittDad, good link
@PittHW, yes, thank you, that’s what I’m talking about.
Anyone who reads this, knows I’ve never been one to be afraid to say I was wrong about something.
I’m sorry, technically Kovalic may be right, but for the discussion, he is incorrect in saying that.
He may catch a dummy off guard, but a college football fan would easily say he’s wrong.
Hey, technically, I WAS WRONG, I admit it.
I am in the camp with those who feel this is not only a “HAVE TO” WIN game for Chryst, but a “GONNA WIN.”
The question is HOW?
I’ve already stated that my opinion is that the Defense has to put an immense amount of pressure on the Quarterback… otherwise Rees is going to could have a very big game.
As for the Offense… now there’s the conundrum.
Savage has shown signs of becoming a MORE COMPLETE Quarterback the last couple of weeks and that gives hope that the Tight Ends including Mr. Domer Hater himself, JP Holtz, could make an impact.
Then there is the end around to Tyler Boyd!
My quick anecdotal evidence (3 UM alums I just asked) tells me they too hate playing in an NFL stadium and would rather be on campus for what its worth.
As I said, I dont think it will ever be financially viable for Pitt to have a stadium that is our own stadium, we’re gonna be with the Steelers for ever now. But we could potentially get the next stadium built closer to campus. I doubt it, alot, because of the investment in the North Shore now with the T et al. But it is possible that the next one (there will always be another) will be closer to Oakland.
Lastly, while I firmly believe that sharing a stadium with the Steelers really helps with recruiting, I also think that it takes something away from the concept of home field advantage on game days. That “something” is the notion of playing in a stadium other teams don’t want to play in. In fact, the opposite is true, opposing teams come in there extra pumped up to play because it is the Steelers stadium.
Pitt needs to become a consistent winning program.
I doubt we’ll see another football stadium that isn’t a dome though, that’s where all stadiums are heading. Heinz has another 20 yrs of life so who knows.
But Pitt really does need to find ways to make Heinz feel less like we’re renting someone else’s backyard. I don’t know how they do it, but signage and stuff needs to be upgraded.
In the 60s drinking needed to watch some of those FB games; probably needed more now.
Yea it took em years to finally put a stripe down the middle of the helmet.
Things at Pitt move kinda slow.
Especially Cornhole’s departure.
Stated this earlier in the year. National television audience, I believe Miami was playing Florida (I could be wrong)…………..
For a pro stadium, Miami U had the surroundings right, the end zones right, mid-field right, and the Green and Orange ACC logos right.
It looked absolutely fantastic!!! I never even thgouht it could be done, but Miami U. did it. If you didn’t tell me it was Pro Players stadium (or whatever name it was), I would not have even questioned that it was not always and only a college football stadium.
The markings weren’t chinzed on, they looked as good as any other markings anywhere. I was shocked.
They also did not try to get away with using the Dolphins “aqua and oranage” instead of a “green and orange”,
It was full blown Miami U., huge U. at mid-field, “Hurricanes” in the right colors in both end zones.
If we can’t have our own stadium, at least make it our home for Saturdays. Not with some plastic posters up around the stands and with some high school looking chalk marking at mid-field.
Big deal about nothing?? Maybe it is. I was always a cross your t’s and dot your i’s kind of guy though.
Makes me wonder, if it is such a minor thing, then that tells me, Pitt can’t even get a minor thing right. If that’s the case, how will they ever get a big thing like getting the football program back on the right footing???
Maybe I answered my own question. Maybe no one wants too.
Hey folks, it just ain’t football. Other than hoops, our athletic teams are crap. Look at the standings over the last 10 years.
Baseball team did have a couple good years, I’ll give em’ that.
Other than that, our teams all stink, except hoops and baseball once in awhile.
Not being negative. Just the truth my friends, just the truth.
PITT, Miami, UCLA & USC.
Los Angeles 4 million pop.
Miami 413,000
Pittsburgh 306,000
Da Burg has dropped to #61 in Population.
The field will never look right or never look like another ACC field, as long as we share a field/stadium with the Stillers.
Hell the field looks like crap for Stiller games as well. Only NFL without a mid-field Logo or NFL logo. Heinz is usually voted the worst playing field in the NFL by the players themselves.
,……….. Football.
(oh and Ultimate Frisbee, can’t forget that) lol
They have all that stuff(Pitt banners, bunting, etc) around Heinz now. They have the retired players numbers, albeit naturally they’re hard to read since the names go vertical instead of horizontal.
Who’s brilliant idea was that ?
Pitt bunting is up all around the facade of the stands. As they exchange that out with the Steeler bunting.
It’s the field itself that looks like a HS field with the poorly made Pitt logo at midfield, the lack of ‘ACC’ hash tags. And the endzone logo’s are either non-existent or poorly made. Of course the field looks like crap when the Steelers play as well.
Also since the TV camera’s are centered on the playing field 85% of the time, that is why it doesn’t feel like it’s Pitt’s home field.
With the lack of space in Oakland, how they made the decision not to build a multi-sport new arena or refurbish old Pitt Stadium is beyond me.
While that work was being done, football could have played at 3Rivers/Heinz and bball at Civic Arena. As it turns out bball could have been playing now at the new Console Center which is barely ‘off campus’. And only a few thousand seats are available to students anyway.
Not realizing that football fuels ALL the other sports and indeed the athletic dept, in this day & age is quite the business failure by the buffoons running things. We got real lucky that BC blocked Uconn’s entry in the ACC, or football would be pretty much dead, making about a million/year in a nowhere conf.
I am still harboring a great deal of the hurt, resentment and emotional pain that caused me to post “&^%$ Pitt” after the Navy game, but I am still coming back to you, because most abused significant others I *love* you and I know you didn’t really mean it.
[Insert Tra’Von Chapman joke here]
Hell To Pitt.
@Dan 11.08.13 @ 2:24 pm I actually think they’ve done better this year, sadly. The banners and stuff around the field are a lot nicer this year. Where they really need to invest in my opinion, other than the endzones and midfield logo, is outside the stadium. When you’re close to the stadium you should know from the colors and the signs and banners and everything that this is PITT SATURDAY not Steelers sunday. Hopefully when the admin goes the Miami game next year they’ll see how much better they do it and make some improvements.
I think you have to use the metro area stats. Not just he city proper. That being said it’s even worse than you think:
LA: 12,828,837
Miami: 5,564,635
Pittsburgh: 2,356,285
Although I don’t know if things have changed much in da Burg since I moved away in ’92 (kinda doubt it), but back then lots of suburban folk and small town folk in all those small towns that are in the metro area pop numbers, don’t ever get close to downtown Pittsburgh.
I don’t think some of them EVER were in downtown Pittsburgh. And that was lots of the 2.3 mil.
Glad to see you back bro !
(personally I think the Blather is therapy for many of us) haha
From my simple sleuthing about a month ago, after all is said and done, the Steelers own about 27% of that stadium. Heinz Co. about 5% with naming rights, and the other 68% is by the 6 to 7 regional counties.
Why can’t Pitt, as the regions biggest employer and gigantic corporation, tell the stadium authority, Rooneys or not, we’re dressin’ the field up on Saturdays??
Also, just to go back, tune into a Hurricane home game when you get a chance. Absolutely fantastic looking.
For me personally, if they’d get a good logo at mid-field, paint the end zones and put the ACC logos at the 20’s, you’d never hear me bitch about the stadium again.
The stripes on the helmets was huge!!! It almost looks like Pitt is playing out there.
Just a little thing, but the stripes make it look more Pitt. They just do.
Hell, I’ve always said, if we can’t have Pitt script, I really think they did a good job with the Pitt block letters. It does look very collegiate.
As long as dinocat is tucked neatly away somewhere and never rears it’s ugly head.
I can still hear my niece Jenny, “Uncle Dan, why does Pitt have a monster on their helmet??”
LOL
Comment by Dan 11.08.13 @ 3:27 pm
Concur Dano
If they just switch to prescription turf or some type of partial synthetic turf where you could just replace the endzone turf and the midfield area with the 2 different teams logo’s, etc and implant the ACC logo’s at the 20’s and then able to remove them for Sundays. That’s about all they would need to do. The new turf would also hold up better after all the HS championships as well, as we’re getting close to that time.
It starts for real !
First time I’ve seen Pitt listed in ‘ACC’ standing for bball.
Notre Dame is something entirely different Nick.
is the withholding of donations by fans and alums and making sure there are abundant empty seats at Heinz.
Nordy & Pederson are running the charade called Pitt football, and they must be feeling a little uncomfortable that their closed shop decision to tear down Pitt Stadium is still rankling fans after all these years.
Feeding an inaccurate, homer article to a witless Trib reporter says all we need to know about their fear of losing total control and possibly being exposed.
Their arrogance shines through by not letting Nike come up with a super-duper Pitt script uni. Doing so would pacify some fans and make a connection that has been missing since Pedey found out about whatever shenanigans Nordy and the trustees were engaged in…and locked up his job for another half decade.
Take the conspiracy theory to leave it, but until there’s some tough love directed at Nordy and Pederson, nothing will change…
The BOT has pretty much iced the public out of the Chancellor selection process. There are memos available at Pitt explaing that the candidate list will remain under wraps until the process is done.
Our only hope is the new Chancellor shares the view of many of us that a quality winning football program is a brand multiplier. The only cure what ails us football fans is W’s. Until we start winning we’ll keep find things to complain about no matter who the Chancellor and AD are.
None of the constant complaining
about the script or the stadium has anything
to do with winning football games. Win
FB games and the complaining becomes
a distance noise.
Go Pitt beat ND!
I’ve been attending SC games since I married my wife in 2006. Neither my wife or I have set foot on the campus in the time we have married. My wife is celebrating her 50’th year of attending games.
Sorry, I have more to say but it’s time for Pitt BB
My question to all is what is a “great” game day experience? To me, it’s 3 hours of tailgating, an exciting game,followed by two more hours of tailgating waiting for traffic to thin out. The tailgating has to be on grass, a tent, chairs, generator, TV, good food & drink,and of course friends & family.
I am not a fan of sitting in bars & restaurants to tailgate. Worst game day experience I’ve had was in Tuscaloosa. Parked a mile from the stadium, walked to a bar/restaurant & spent three hours standing & listening to “Sweet Home Alabama”, lousy food, poor service & warm beer. It also didn’t help that a drunk student kept hassling my wife & I until I admitted that Alabama was the greatest team that ever played football.
Is there room on campus for parking/tailgating? Is there room on campus for a communal tailgating area like the Grove at Ole Miss?
In essence take proactive steps to ruin the program. Correct?
Boy – that will send a crystal clear message to any new Chancellor that PITT football is highly regarded and should be at the top of his importance list, won’t it?
