Tied up today. So all I can do is clear some old tabs with some things to read.
Athlon ranked the best running backs in the Big East from 1-10. Pitt has 1 and 10.
1. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh (SR)
Rushing Stats: 164 att., 958 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving Stats: 30 rec., 200 yards, 0 TDGraham was well on his way to a 1,000-yard season, but a torn ACL in Pittsburgh’s eighth game ended his 2011 campaign. Through the first eight games, Graham posted 958 yards, including 201 in the opener against Buffalo and 226 in a 44-17 victory over South Florida. His production was even more impressive considering the struggles of the passing attack and an offensive line that never seemed to jell. Graham did not practice this spring, but is expected to return in time for the season opener. The Panthers won’t rush the senior back into action, but as long as he returns at full strength, Graham should be the Big East’s leading rusher at the end of 2012.
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10. Isaac Bennett, Pittsburgh (SO)
Rushing Stats: 58 att., 237 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Stats: 14 rec., 88 yards, 1 TDWith Ray Graham coming off a torn ACL, it’s a good thing Pittsburgh has some depth at running back. Bennett became the Panthers’ go-to option in the backfield after Graham’s injury last year, rushing for 237 yards and two scores over the final five games. He posted back-to-back efforts of 69 yards against Louisville and West Virginia and rushed for 51 yards in the 33-20 win over Syracuse. Bennett will face competition for the No. 2 role in the backfield when highly-touted freshman Rushel Shell arrives in the fall.
As we are all very familiar, by now, Bennett was the star of the offense in the spring. Not to mention the only healthy running back with a start under his belt from last season. He also wants to be encouraging to the much-maligned offensive line.
This spring he has seemed like a natural, especially with the scheme change and the way Chryst is emphasizing the run. That did not go unnoticed in the running backs room. Bennett also has noticed a change in the mind-set of his offensive linemen as well.
“I’ve seen them have a greater passion this year,” Bennett said. “I just see the looks in their eyes when they line up for the huddle. Everybody is getting up there properly, they have a new motivation. That is the vibe I’m getting from them.”
Okay, then.
One of the few good stories from last year on the O-line was Ryan Turnley at center. He was converted to the spot in the summer and really made it his own. Then, as the injuries throughout the line piled up, he had to do more and played through his own injuries. Even though he is one of the few returning starters to the O-line (and the only returning starter who started every game last year), he was one of the most improved players from the start of the spring practices to the end.
Turnley, a center who will be a senior next season, won the team’s Ed Conway Award on offense this spring. The award is meant to recognize the player who improved most during spring practices.
“Coach Chryst came up to me before the spring and said, ‘We’re going to rely on you because you’re one of the seniors, you’ve been here, you’ve played before and we need you to set the tone and show these guys how to work,'” Turnley said after Pitt’s Blue-Gold spring game April 14. “I just went out every day and tried to work as hard as I could and it paid off.”
Turnley will be expected to provide an anchor for the Pitt offensive line this season. Last year, he played in every game for the Panthers despite dealing with a nagging foot injury all year.
Now fully recovered, Turnley displayed improvement and leadership to his new coach over the spring.
“Ryan earned that award,” Chryst said. “[The award] also puts a little bit of pressure on [him]. The bar is set high for him.”
I am hoping he has a better — and healthier — senior year.
Is Pitt a darkhorse contender to win the Big East? Sure. Why not. Honestly, outside of Temple, UConn and Syracuse it wouldn’t be a stunner for the other five teams in the Big East to win it.
Finally, a bit more on one of Pitt’s 2013 commits, Shakir Soto.
Soto, a Pitt commit, was one of 400 high school seniors across the nation nominated for a spot in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He’s one of just 14 Pennsylvania players to be nominated.
“It just feels great,” Soto said. “It tells me that hard work pays off, and I’m being rewarded for it. I’ve been working at it for years, and everything’s coming into place. It’s just awesome. To be nominated, it’s just great.”
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Soto has a strong academic drive. He’s a consistent fixture on the school’s honor roll and ranks 18th out of the 162 students in his class. He plans to major in nuclear pharmacy at Pitt.
Even away from school, Soto has the kind of compassionate personality that would make Gandhi blush.
Last summer, harsh rains flooded the Susquehanna River cascading into the Wyoming Valley. With G.A.R. Memorial located on a hill, people in the affected low-lying areas took refuge in the high school.
Soto along with a few others were among the first to pitch in for the effort. Without being told and not even asked, he was there passing out water and setting up cots for displaced families.
What the hell is nuclear pharmacy? Dude is smart.
Not too shabby so far…
Seems like their basically taking away AQ status from Big East and ACC! Haven’t found anything official yet, but this is not good news if accurate.
Such career advice often comes from a friend or relative who either works in the field or has intimate knowledge of it. That advice can be good or bad, depending on the aspirations, aptitude and talent of the person receiving it. One should be very careful in giving advice to young people, because they often take it on face value (pays well for example) without considering alternatives for which they may be better suited. Fields also change over time – whatever is hot today might be cold in the future.
My object back in August was PITT using the threat of going to the Big 12 to parlay that into getting an invite into the Big 10.
The Big 10 would have been much more concerned with a Big 12 school in Pittsburgh, at a school that recruits all of PA, NJ and Ohio and also giving Texas & Okla access to those regions as well.
Than the Big 10 is concerned with an ACC school anchored in Pittsburgh.
Hopefully others can see the difference.
I would think it also lessens any chance, allthough a long shot anyhow, of Notre Dame ever joining the ACC.
I say again, FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!
I really find it hard to believe that there will be only two schools (WVU and PSU) north of Columbia, SC and east of the Ohio River with “access” to the kind of dollars this supposed playoff will generate. Doesn’t this start to dip into the antitrust universe?
the champ of the ACC plays the champ of the BIG
EAST on say dec 30 in the gator bowl unless the champ is in the four team play off in which case they would send the runner up and may be to keep the game importent ESPN sweetens the pay off to the gator bowl teams what else can we do outhet wise we are shut out of a major bowl you like or you dont like which one.
I’d love for the conference to stay intact but in the long run it just doesn’t matter all that much to me.
Now, if all the BCS talk is true and the ACC gets shut out of a chance at a BCS bowl then that concerns me but I don’t see that happening as there will be lawsuits galore for the exiled conferences and schools.
