Less than 24 hours until I hit the road to Pittsburgh. The familiar giddiness is building. A smile creeps over my face as I think about it. I’ve missed this.

Think the Pitt coaches are hammering home to the players about what nearly happened to Tennessee against Appalachian  State last night? The risk of taking a team likely, simply because they are FCS? Without any doubt.

So what’s news?

On campus, a bonfire rally was done in the shadow of the Cathedral.

In front of a blazing bonfire, a crowd of students and alumni chorused along to Pitt’s alma mater, as Narduzzi took the makeshift stage to let his audience know what the Panthers plan to show them this year.

“We’re going to let the Panthers out of the cage,” he yelled to deafening cheers. “We expect our guys to play for four quarters, and the fourth will be the best!”

On Thursday night, Pitt fans of all ages swarmed onto the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning to show their school spirit in anticipation of the upcoming football season. Pitt Program Council’s Annual Bonfire and Pep Rally drew a crowd of nearly 2,000 people, chanting “Hail to Pitt!” in unison and dancing to blaring music.

Pitt’s marching band played upbeat anthems as people continued to trickle onto the Cathedral lawn and, by 8:45p.m., the crowd reached into the thousands.

Though Pitt’s season begins at Heinz Field at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, as the Panthers take on the Villanova Wildcats, the crowd wasn’t shy about its feelings for the week-two matchup against Penn State.

As the bonfire’s flames rose, so did a chant of “F— Penn State!”

/wipes a tear from eye

They grow up so fast.

This is the final season for Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley. The guy has been there for 32 years since Villanova resurrected its football program.

“I thought about it the other day, when I was sitting outside smoking my cigar. I can’t believe it. I made it through five ADs, with five completely different personalities, and three presidents.

“How many people can say that?”

Indeed, it’s been quite a run, even if there were some speed bumps along the way. But he’s survived. And thrived. Now it’s coming to a conclusion, largely on his terms. How many can say that?

“It’s really not that hard (to be leaving at this point),” said Talley, who will stick around for another year after he steps down in the role of coach emeritus. “At 73, when I put it in perspective, I had a chance to look at a lot of things . . . We have an opportunity to finish with a really good season. The program is one of the best FCS programs in the country, and has been. We have a new football operations building (set to open shortly), which should catapult this program into the top 15 teams, year in and year out. My longtime associate head coach (Mark Ferrante) is becoming the head coach, my handpicked successor. The coaching staff that’s been loyal to me continues to be here.”

Imagine building a program up to national relevance. Retiring while still on your game, with your reputation intact, no scandal to torch everything on you ever claimed to stand for. Well that’s not for every program.

Pitt’s defense is aggressive and takes chances. That leaves the secondary often on an island. Last year, those islands did not fare as well as hoped.

Opponents didn’t need to get inside the red zone to score against Pitt. The Panthers allowed 18 touchdown passes between 29 and 79 yards.

And it was evenly spread between the two Pitt teams — nine in 2014 under the previous coaching staff and nine last season under coach Pat Narduzzi, who is not afraid to take risks on defense.

What happened? Poor play in the secondary? A weak pass rush that allows the quarterback too much time to find an open receiver?

Narduzzi suggests another possibility.

“Maybe nobody messed up,” he said. “Maybe it’s the coach. We point the finger back at ourselves.”

That may be one reason wide receivers have been running free in the Pitt secondary the past two seasons. Narduzzi said there are other reasons, and all are investigated when the staff convenes the next day to review video.

“It’s going to be structural (something designed by the coaches), physical (someone got beat) or mental (a coverage breakdown),” he said.

Well… yeah. Those would be the choices. The secondary should be improved, though. Talent is there (even with Hamlin still hurt) and the players have had another year in the system to learn.

The third thing, is that Pitt should be able to generate more pressure up front this season. A key component to a Narduzzi defense. Pitt wasn’t able to do that as often last year which made it harder for the secondary.

I referenced 1998 yesterday. Villanova remembers it as Brian Westbrook’s coming out party.

The game had just ended, Pittsburgh had survived over Villanova, 48-41. Pitt coach Walt Harris walked over to shake hands with Villanova coach Andy Talley.

“The first thing he said, ‘Who in the hell is No. 20?’ ” Talley said this week.

Suspend any knowledge you have of Brian Westbrook. Block out his Eagles glory years. Don’t focus on the entirety of his Villanova career. Go back to September 1998 and the opening game of Westbrook’s sophomore season.

All Westbrook did on a hot afternoon at Pitt Stadium, in his first game as Villanova’s clear-cut No. 1 tailback, was go for 428 all-purpose yards. He scored two receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown – running 48 yards on a fake punt – and he scored a fourth touchdown on a kick return, 89 yards.

“The game was up for grabs, no question, and Brian almost single-handedly beat them by himself,” Talley said. “We couldn’t stop them, and they couldn’t stop Brian.”

The article notes that Pitt was especially bad that year, but still. Westbrook helped make a name for himself and got himself to the NFL in no small part because of that game.

Finally, read this entire story on Jaryd Jones-Smith. From the gruesome injury he suffered last year. To losing his father before finishing high school. The kid deserves plenty of cheers when he gets out on the field tomorrow.