Great link to Major’s camp, thanks. I was also struck by the ESPN headline. There were 4 TD passes (the one to Boyd a beuty) and excellent passes to avoid losses – the underhand shuttle was my favorite, but NP is streaky. He runs OCJC style very well but I thought CV should have had a series or two in second half. That said NP has not committed turnovers and big kudos to that, he is indeed nearly flawless on turnovers.

First memory as young kid at Pitt Stadium – pint bottles clanking down steps in seats – dreams of my future. Damn terrorists and body searches.

Dr. Tom as to the OCS I was content to never see one but the link to the Trib’s Hyle that I posted the other day indicates he has heard Temple wants an OCS and Ped State wants restoration of its gaudy stadium payed by tax dollars. SPECULATION ON MY PART- Pa Budget Impasse – Philly Dems want Temple Stadium (even though they have what we do) and center of the state T repubs and Ped State legislators want public funding for 200 million in renovations – time is ripe for a side deal not in the budget and even though I speculate, it fits. ADSB and CPG have got to realize how W Pa is treated and flex what muscle we have through local legislators.

Looks like a close game Friday, LET’S TAKE THE WIND OUT OF THE CANES!!! (And get rid of that Blue and White mid-field logo that makes us look like a subsidiary of cowheads). HAIL TO PITT

Fact is, Pitt was in that exact position with Narduzzi this year. He and Chaney adequately addressed the issue though with Peterman’s transferring in, scooping up DiNucci, flipping him from Penn and getting MacVittie to commit in this 2016 class.

So there will be opportunities for Ford, just don’t see Pitt being one of them.

College football like Pro Football generates huge amounts of cash, but they need the public to pay for the stadiums. Unbelievable.

Here is the rub in this game. DISCIPLINE. Pitt hasn’t been penalized much and has kept turnovers to a minimum too. This will be one of the keys to victory for the Panthers.

Miami is talented but rather undisciplined, IMO. If we can play disciplined it will be a great advantage for us. Miami will make mistakes.

Another thing that has been the Achilles heal of this defense is giving up the big play. I get stopping the run first mentality of Narduzzi but I think that with the current talent & size that we have at the CB position presently, he has to back off QB pressure on sure passing plays by blitzing LBs/Safety thus leaving our CBs vulnerable to being toasted!

Our tendencies have been established that on third and long downs, you can expect Pitt to come with aggressive presurre or blitzes on the QB. IMO, we have been burnt more often than not on this play call and Miami could exploit this tendency as well.

I hope that Conklin backs off from this mentality against the Hurricanes and keeps the stairs back in coverage with help over the top.

Now with both Mitchell and Webb healthy and back in the rotation, and Whitehead proving his speed in the secondary, my “attack” philosophy on those third and long downs would be to prowl for those INTs in the secondary instead of attempting to sack the QB.

BTW, starting the prediction thread early, Pitt is peaking at just the right time. The confidence is back, the momentum is now strong with this team and their two most complete games have been their last two outings. Play that way against Miami again, especially if they can substitute an INT for one of the big pass plays that have burnt Maddox and/or Pitt’s in the pass and we see the Panthers signing the Pitt fight song in the Panther Pitt at game’s end and the Victory Lights shining brightly on top of the Cathedral in Oakland Friday night!

Hail to Pitt! Bring some Pain down on the Canes!

link to cbssports.com

Beer sales would make a difference to me. I have the tickets but the 4 hour trip each way sometimes looses out to a cold beer at home on the couch watching TV. I don’t get into the tailgating but enjoy a beer or two at football games.

They play next year??? So friggin’ what???

What’s it going to effect, the anticipation???

Heinz Field will be sold out to the rafters next September, whether they would meet up in a bowl game or not.

It would most likely be one of the highest attended bowl games, (besides the playoff and NC game), bowl games themselves that is.

But, I’ve seen a couple people say (they can’t play, they play next year).

I don’t get that.

Selfish reasons too, I think we can easily handle them this year. Get a leg up on the series.

**caveat** maybe they are not in the same tiers so there isn’t a chance they can meet. I understand that.

DALLAS (FWAA) – Pittsburgh defensive end Ejuan Price posted the highest sack total in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season with five in the Panthers’ 45-34 win over Louisville. Price’s dominant play with 10 total tackles that led to 49 yards in losses earned him the AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 21, as selected by the Football Writers Association on America.

link to sportswriters.net five sacks were a career high and came one short of the national record. The 6-0, 250-pound senior from Rankin, Pa., spearheaded a defense that held Louisville to minus-one yard on the ground, which was the first time that Pitt held an opponent to negative yards rushing since 2002. Price is the first Pitt player with at least 4.5 sacks in a game since 1987. Six of Price’s 10 tackles were for losses, marking Pitt’s highest tackles-for-loss total since defensive tackle Aaron Donald had six at Georgia Tech in 2013. He had seven unassisted tackles overall.

“When you get five sacks you’re doing something special,” Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He’s explosive. Early in that first quarter I was like, ‘They can’t block Ejuan.’ I mean he was just staying low, coming around the corner with the speed rush. He’s fast. He’s feeling it. So five sacks, that’s a giant man’s game right there. I’m proud of him.”

As part of AutoNation’s history of charitable involvement, AutoNation will donate $1,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) in Price’ name. This charitable college football initiative culminates with the AutoNation Cure Bowl, a new post-season NCAA football game that kicks off bowl season at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla., and will be aired by CBS Sports Network. The aptly named AutoNation Cure Bowl also serves as a fund raiser for the BCRF, CharityWatch’s only A+ rated breast cancer organization in the country.

“We want to celebrate the very best of college football, while also helping to raise awareness for the importance of finding a cure for cancer,” says AutoNation CMO Marc Cannon. “This season-long partnership with the FWAA, leading up to the AutoNation Cure Bowl, puts a spotlight on a cause that we’re determined to tackle.”

“In our 75th season of existence, this a marvelous platform to get our players and the team of the week series excellent exposure as well as helping AutoNation in its effort to fight cancer and contribute to the educational funds of deserving student-athletes,” said FWAA 2015 President Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald. “It is very exciting to be able to help our organization as well as others in this splendid effort.”

The FWAA National Defensive Player of the Week and National Team of the Week, both sponsored by AutoNation for the first time this year, have been determined collectively by a group of FWAA officers and the FWAA All-America Committee for several years. The AutoNation FWAA Offensive Player of the Week has been added this season. Nominations are taken from game performance all over the country each week and then those nominations are reviewed by the FWAA, which determines the actual recipients.

AutoNation is also the new sponsor of the 2015 FWAA All-America Team, which will be comprised of 26 first-team and 26 second-team selections as nominated by the membership and chosen by the FWAA All-America Committee. The 2015 AutoNation FWAA All-America Team will be announced at the AutoNation Cure Bowl on Dec. 19.

Coincidentally, the 2002 and ’03 FWAA All-America teams were honored on the floor of the very same Citrus Bowl Stadium. Over the years, the FWAA’s All-America teams have been honored in different locations and on various media platforms during the second-longest continuous annual selection of an All-America team in major college football.

Additionally, the AutoNation 75th Anniversary FWAA All-America Team, which was announced in August, will be celebrated during the 2015 season. That team includes players selected from past FWAA All-America teams dating to 1944, three years after the organization was formed in 1941. The AutoNation 75th Anniversary FWAA All-America Team is composed of three teams of 25 players each, with all eight decades, starting in the 1940s, represented among the playing eras of members on the team. It includes 56 National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Famers. Forty-one schools are represented on the team that was selected by an FWAA Blue Ribbon Committee after taking into consideration nominations from the membership.

About AutoNation, Inc.:
AutoNation is transforming the automotive retail industry through bold leadership. We deliver a peerless automotive retail experience through our customer-focused sales and service processes. Owning and operating 293 new vehicle franchises, which sell 35 new vehicle brands across 15 states, AutoNation is America’s largest automotive retailer, with state-of-the-art operations and the ability to leverage economies of scale that benefit the customer. As an indication of our leadership position in our industry, AutoNation is a component of the S&P 500 Index.

link to sportswriters.net the AutoNation Cure Bowl:
The AutoNation Cure Bowl a new post-season NCAA football game whose net proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The AutoNation Cure Bowl takes place December 19 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and will be broadcast by CBS Sports Network. The bowl is scheduled to involve teams from the American Athletic and Sun Belt conferences.

About the Football Writers Association of America:
Founded in 1941, the FWAA consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.

After all the Pre-Season HYPE… it’s turned out that Render is really a PRETENDER.

Rowell, on the other hand… has EXCEEDED EVERY EXPECTATION I’ve had for him after his injury a year ago.

To Steve: Werner’s coverage of Pitt FB is pathetic; and when
He admits in his blog that he voted for Temple over Pitt due
to the comparative scores among the schools. Let’s petition the PG to move this guy to PSU or WVU.

Fans will become believers as wins roll in. Pitt has a hardcore
45k fan base. Will be difficult to fill the stadium at almost 70k
but believe better days ahead .

.

I’m new at this stuff and could use help/advice

Thanks…

When I was taking classes – the marketing projects were geared toward stuff like increasing donations to the food bank. Or national competitions with corporate sponsors and cash prizes. Think it was Coke won year, and Honda or Toyota another.

Point is well taken though.

link to espn.go.com

—–Really getting impressed with Brian O’Neill at OT. What a great move that is turning out to be – going to make him a ton of money. Should be solid for 2 and hopefully 3 more years at Pitt.

We should have a really sound – and deep – offensive line next season. We have some good talent on the bench right now.

Go Pitt.

On the first two series against Louisville, the QB was rushed on a throw and sacked on another play because the RT missed his block – then the RT was flagged for a false start. He is young, undersized and considered a rookie to the position. I get that.

I’m rooting for him to succeed, but I read posts from time to time praising the RT and it’s false hype. The back-up at RT is a better blocker for the run game.

Just sayin…