My Fellow Pitt Fans – I’m going to try to post up one of these “look back” articles, with an embedded audio recording  of a dramatic reading of some articles and other media bits, on a weekly basis.  If you have ever heard of, or read, the really good coffee table book “The Pitt Football Vault” then you know that is is just full of every detail imaginable pertaining to our football history and traditions.  It was written by the Post-Gazette’s Sam Sciullo Jr and covers from the 1890s through the 2007 season.

What I’ll try to do is start at the beginning of our program’s history and do one or two pieces on each decade, interspersed with other biographical pieces on some of our superstar players…. like Tino Sunseri.  These take only a small bit of time and effort so I’ll try to be regular with them.

We’ll see how it goes.  Forgive the small mistakes, I’m getting better as time goes by.

Here is an audio recording of Sport’s Illustrated  article on the 42-14 win over FSU to get to 5-0 on the 1981 season.  I like this piece because of the similarities between the defense then under Sherrill and Foge Fazio and our current defense under Narduzzi and Josh Conklin. We aren’t as successful statistically but the pressure concept is quite alike.

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4 pm ESPN3.com

So, yeah. Yesterday could have been better. In theory, I should have been spending the day on the couch watching other fanbases suffer. Nope, wife made me do a bunch of errands and things with the family. Just getting home in time for the game.

Or at least pretending to move on to a basketball game.

If it was too short an appearance for you, Pitt is wearing the camo unis they wore for the game that never happened to start the season that never happened.

Hopefully the team isn’t looking past this game to the meeting with Purdue on Tuesday.

Wish I could do more of a preview, instead of this slapdash post, but I have barely been able to sit down since about 8 this morning.

Here we go – Pitt vs Miami, FL at Heinz Field, noon today and shown on ESPN2.

Pitt (6-1 ACC)  is coming in at 8-3 winning it’s last two against Duke and Louisville.  We are facing Miami (4-3 ACC) having won three out of its last four losing only to North Carolina.

Here is the ESPN preview page,  and here are the ‘Canes National Rankings in all categories

Enjoy and…

HAIL TO PITT!!

I figured you guys would get a kick out of this since you are bored as hell waiting for liquor, football and turkey – in that order.

So, I did up a look-back at a great time in Pitt football’s history… Pop Warner’s first year as the Pitt Panthers head coach.

^^^ That is the lead-in.

Here is the rest of the reading. It is six minutes long and my first one so please forgive the stumbles and mistakes.  I’ll get better as I go along.

Enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving and be safe,

Reed

Here are the Louisville Highlights:

Pat Narduzzi Press Conference 

Miami Week

 Opening Statement:

“Good to see you today. Another short week here. We’re getting used to this. We had a really crisp, mental practice this morning, trying to keep our guys fresh. We put to rest the Louisville game yesterday that probably looked better on tape than you saw in the second half at least. Our kids played hard, with great effort, and it seems like our kids continue to execute better week in and week out. So if we continue to get the great execution down going into Friday, it’ll be exciting stuff.”

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It’s ESPN3.com at 7pm

Students out of town. Night before Thanksgiving. Should be a sparse crowd except for those whose significant other is a saint or just wanted that person out of the way so they could lose their mind in peace preparing for Thursday.

This is part of why there is such an abundance of Thanksgiving-time basketball tournaments. Logically, you would think TV interests would prefer more of the activity to take place a week or two later as college football games really thin out.

But the coaches and schools would rather avoid having to do home games without students and people heavily distracted by family dysfunction. If they are going to play games in front of small crowds, why not do it in some other locale in a tournament that gets media exposure?\

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Guys – could someone listen to the linked Audio File and tell me 1) what it sounds like and 2) if you could listen right on the Blather website or did you have to download it first.

I have a new idea for small posts that you guys might enjoy but I want to get the technical stuff down pat first.

If you did have to download the audio file… does anyone know how to upload and insert an audio file so it shows a box with the blue sound level vertical bars in it?  You know – like most files look like this:

Pitt’s frontcourt is in far better shape than last year. The additions of Nelson-Ododa and Maia are to replace Uchebo and Randall are obvious. Nelson-Ododa and Maia are better shot blockers. They are more aggressive on defense, more consistent rebounders and they are better on offense.

That isn’t to say they are all-ACC caliber players. They are simply better than what was. The one issue that is bedeviling to this point, though, is the emphasis on freedom of movement and more fouls being called.

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PITT (8-3, 6-1 ACC) vs. MIAMI (7-4, 4-3)

November 27, 2015 • Noon, ET
Heinz Field (68,400/Natural Grass) • Pittsburgh, Pa.

ESPN2 • Pitt IMG Sports Radio Network

PittsburghPanthers.com • @GoPittFootball • #MIAvsPITT

LINK (PDF): Pitt Game Notes (vs. Miami)
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I keep beating this point into the ground, so I apologize if you are sick of me writing it. What Pitt has done this year has been amazing in light of the consistent treading of water for the last 5 years. At the same time, Pitt has done exactly what they should. Win games they should win.

They haven’t gone out and shocked the world. The Panthers haven’t staged huge upsets. They may have been slight underdogs in some games  — GT, VT and even Louisville — but they weren’t shockers.

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Here is this last evening and this morning’s media recap for the day:

8-3 sounds damn good doesn’t it, especially after I predicted that we’d be 9-3 at the end of the regular season.  I’m lying!!  I predicted 6-6 with a chance at 7-5 “if the ball bounced our way a few times“.  Glad to be wrong with that one and with this 45-34 win behind us we have an excellent chance to end the regular season at 9-3.

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I’m here. I’m conscious. I’m at least going to fake it. May be in conflict with a large volume of good bourbon.

Shhh. No one mention this to the people in the press box.

Pitt isn’t going to win the Coastal. UNC is seeing to that. Now it is time to just continue winning the games they should. Louisville isn’t great, but they aren’t bad. If Pitt was playing down there, they would be the underdog by a point or two. Instead, Pitt is the slight favorite at home.

The rare non-noon kick-off this year. Louisville is fully capable of knocking off Pitt.

They are also in a position to lose badly. The truth is out there.

Here is this morning’s media recap for the day:

First off here is a great suggestion from BigB (Bernie) for the 2016 version of the new Pitt Script helmet.  It has the Mustard Gold that reminds us so much of Danny Marino – you know, the guy whose claim to fame is having is nine total passing yards more than Tino Sunseri.  Bernie has been using his own $$$ and gracious kindness to have Big and small Pitt Script magnets made with these colors… and has been asking that all who get them to drop an email lobbying the administration for a return to these colors to bolster our Pitt football tradition.

It takes a village to raise a football team.

Post-Gazette:

Red Shirt Diaries:

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8pm on ESPN3.com.

Little odd on the time, but it is a Friday night, so it should make it easier for fans to get to the Pete.

Detroit is from the Horizon League. Under Jamie Dixon, Pitt has never lost to a Horizon League team (10-0). I only note that, because when Dixon was still an assistant, he was a finalist for the Wright State job that went to Paul Biancardi (then, an Ohio State assistant).

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Since I, for one, am completely not used to this. This is NOT a noon game. Nor is it a 1 pm game. It is a 3:45 start time. Weird, I know. We’ll all try to cope.

And in light of the attacks in Paris last week, stadium security is back up to tight levels.

E.J. Borghetti, Pitt’s executive associate athletic director for media relations, said Wednesday that the university would take the same precautions as the Steelers did for their game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Heinz Field is owned by the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and operated by PSSI Stadium Corp., an entity linked to the Steelers.

…
Fans and employees will be required to open their outerwear, and security guards will pat down those entering the stadium.

Some people also may be asked to empty their pockets, depending on the circumstances.

The school is discouraging bags at the game, although clear, one-gallon zip-closed plastic bags will be allowed.

Expect long lines and give yourself plenty of time to feel violated.
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