It’s very late on this, so I’ll just link and dash off a little on each. There isn’t much in the national media on this game, other than “holy crap the ticker wasn’t in error, Pitt lost to YSU!” Since no one really paid attention to the game as it was spiraling out of control.
Gene Collier sort-of looks on the bright side since it is likely it can only get better for Pitt after starting the season in a dumpster.
Dejan Kovacevic is all about how Chryst has a lot of work to do in a short week. Terrifying how many things appear to be wrong with the team.
Failing to get a sack, never leading in the game, a team that looked slower than a 1-AA team, an O-line that couldn’t open holes inside. Yeah, a lot of problems.
Andrew Taglianetti is going with the “wake-up call” cliche. Funny, you would have thought the call would have been received by halftime. But maybe its like the names on the back of jerseys situation, it’s not that the “wake-up call” was not received earlier. Rather that the call was never actually made.
The defense was hoped to be something of a strength for the team. Instead it was pathetic. Leading Chryst to make a “controversial” call to go for it on a 4th and 1 from the YSU 21, midway through the 3rd quarter, down by 11. To be honest, at the time it didn’t seem controversial to me to go for it. Pitt needed something to spark them. They needed something to fire up themselves (and the fans).
And the numbers back up the lack of being controversial.
Youngstown State had scoring drives of 79, 92, 71, 78 and 67 yards. The Penguins had a 10-play drive, a 12-play drive and two 15-play drives. They were successful on 11 of 16 third-down conversions, including their first six.
Pitt’s defense forced no turnovers or sacks in 35-plus minutes on the field.
Now the lack of any push by the O-line and giving Bennett a deep hand-off to get one yard. Well, you have a case that it was a bone-headed play call. But the decision to go for it. Not really much question.
As weak as the D-line looked, there was no help behind them. The linebackers looked as inexperienced, overmatched and lost as feared.
But everyone likes Ryan Turnley. He’s got senior leadership.
Unfortunately no leadership can stop the stupidity of kids. Six of whom got suspended before the YSU game.
Starting defensive lineman Tyrone Ezell, reserve defensive lineman Shayne Hale, receivers Ronald Jones and Chris Davis, running back Rushel Shell and defensive back Anthony Gonzalez are sitting out the game for disciplinary reasons.
Could have been curfew. Could have been late for practices. No one knows. T.J. Clemmings also missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Obviously the depth took a blow on the D-line, but that should not have been the reason YSU beat Pitt. If so, this team has really bad problems.
The suspensions apparently sent a message to the players and speaks of what Chryst expects. Rushel Shell probably missed an opportunity, and now gets a bit of local attention for screwing up and it is noted that he was suspended for disciplinary reasons in high school — before a playoff game.
Much like Chryst’s view on discussing injuries — he’s not saying one way or another on their status for the next game. Whether the suspended six play on Thursday is unknown. Just that they are back in practice.
Not a lot of time to dwell now. Cinci in a couple nights.
Kinda dumb…
That is not as big a deal as:
– Shell getting kicked off the basketball team… twice by 2 different HC.
– Shell quit the baseball team but Collela was about to kick him off.
– Shell quit the track team..
Vestal, Shell’s HS coach, permitted him to do as he wished and would bail him out.
Glad to see Chryst lay down the law!!
Listening today to the post-practice interviews on PissburghPanthers.com, I cannot believe how stupid or soft the questions are.
Who’s the reporter who keeps asking over and over again of each player is the Cincy game just a game or is it special because of this being Pitt’s last year in the Big East?
What?
How about asking a player did you and the rest of the team feel really let down by the six players who got suspended right after all the work you put in leading up to the first game?
Or.. How about Coach Chryst, was he angry at all after the game? What did he say to the team in the lcoker room? Were any of the other coaches really angry?
Has there been a players-only team meeting since the loss? If so, what went down?
I’m sure there are better questions but these are a few that I believe were reasonable to ask.
Yes.. EJ Borghetti has big influence on reporters, questions, etc…
It’s a joke.
Now regarding the post game interview questions. What I would have given for just one question to Chryst like this one. “Coach Chryst where do you think you can find a big enough fan to handle the load of shit that your team produced tonight”?
Returners on Off, Def, QB, strengths, weaknesses, speed, coaching, practices, new players, run, pass, etc.
Paul Chryst = Carl Depasqua
Again, even if we are as good as Cinncy and play an inspired no mistake game, the Cinncy defense, just like YSU and every other team that has played Pitt, will bring their linbackers up, run blitz,double cover the short routes and assume that Tino cannot throw long…not a far reach!
If it’s any consolation, 2 games later Pitt was installed as a minor underdog vs an Iowa team that had won big in its 2 games, and Pitt beat them. And it turned out to be a pretty decent year — until the Sun Bowl
It’s just not at Pitt. Good luck with anybody criticizing Mike Tomlin. The reporters need to eat and provide for their families. They have figured out that the best way to do that is to play nice with the head coaches. In return, they get snippets of information. Enough to show the public “they are on it”, but not enough to probe real issues.
Kind of figured Cook or Smyzak would be all over Pederson by now. Those two pounce on pitt because they are protected by psu management and also their historical work on steelers.
Pitt will roar again under Chryst, when pederson leaves.
Sunseri played a decent game he missed what 3 passes?
He isn’t my favorite but he didn’t fumble, miss a block on 4th down, drop the ball when thrown to or miss countless tackles. Right now Sunseri is the least of their problems. I saw a defense that couldn’t stop an old lady from crossing the street or was I watching a different game. Pitts defense gave up 31 points to YSU not OSU.
Oklahmoa St lost their QB last year (#1 pick) and didn’t miss a beat — TEAM SPEED. These poeple take ina 15 yd pass and turn it into 70 yd TDs
If Graham had kicked we would be reading broadsides demanding to know where the high octane is.
Something tells me that if Chryst had kicked no one would be happy either. Get off of the coach bashing; the players just plain stunk out the joint Saturday.
Now, for those of you that play golf, how many times have you stated, just after scourching a dead center drive down the fairway 250 yards, “now that’s the same guy that pull hooked his last drive into the woods, creek, lake, etc.?
Don’t be surprised if Pitt actually gives Cincy a game on Thursday. These are 17 to 23 year olds that are pretty much unpredictable in their day to day potential. Ask how many YSU fans thought their team was going to bring home a win on Saturday. Betcha a pretty low %. Just like that great drive, where the F did that come from?
Now, could Pitt stink it up again, surenough. They could pull a full load of $hit in their pants again just as easily as bringing home a win. Remains to be seen.
In any case, Hail to Pitt and try playing with some actual Pitt Panther Pride for a change this Thursday, could help the cause.
The press conferences are about a step down from scripted at this point at both the NCAA and NFL levels. It’s almost at the point of a political press conference where the SIDs/media relations directors know in advance who to point to for questions and who to ignore (or more accurately, deny access). As dhuffdaddy said, these guys want to keep their access and some programs/teams are quicker to revoke this kind of stuff than others.
On top of that, if years of Cowher and Tomlin press conferences have taught us anything, it’s that these press conferences are mostly an exercise in saying nothing. Outside of updates to injured players and some questions about the game plans or execution that we can already pretty much answer ourselves, it’s all vanilla. This is why things like Mike Riley’s epic meltdown from a few years back became lore, or why things like this…
wind up on Sportscenter “Top 10 Coaching Tirades”. It’s because reactions like these are few and far between.
Hopefully his coaching is outstanding because he won’t be much of a salesman for the program, and he better have some dynamic recruiters on the staff!
it is not the loss that kills me as mutch as it
is the lack of trying no balls no rockem sockem
just the same old shit we got on dave for not ready to play just no fire.
look penn state lost but there kids played hard
i just want some one to care to do there best
if we dont have the players so be it but play your butt off even if you lose.
a lot of times we lost in the 1960s
but the teams did not quit they played hard.
that iswhat i dont get there lack of effort
3 different coachs and no effort is there a cancer on the team what the F.
but what abought being motivated for ones self pride in your self show you have some balls for your self even if they were selfish and were out for them selves they would do better and you could say look at him he is a stud,
but nobody is even trying even on a selfish bases
it is like they dont care i just dont get it.
“You play to win the game”
“They are we we thought they were”
“Playoffs… playoffs… are you kidding me.. playoffs”…
Ditka has passion… fire in the belly… he is from Aliquippa!! not bumf Wisconsin.
PC wants guys who he doesn’t have to babysit and worry about commitment so he can can teach them the game. I’m predicting a rough season, a bunch of transfers after the season and a full, unhearalded recruiting class.
The team that wears the Pitt uniforms was just God awful. If they improve 200% between last week and this, it will still get beat handily in Cincy.
Long year? Yes.
The result of lousy management that selects bad coaches and then makes matters worse? Yes.
Where is Mike Haygood by the way? Did Pederson destroy the intro video?
on Yahoo NCAAF
STATE OF EMERGENCY
That would be the state of Pennsylvania (23). Traditionally one of the great football states in America, the power programs there are now reeling.
Penn State lost its opener to Ohio by 10 points, getting shut out in the second half and being outgained by 147 yards.
Pittsburgh was worse, losing its opener by 14 to Youngstown State and never leading against a team that was 115th in the final Sagarin Ratings of 2011. Two first-year head coaches, Bill O’Brien and Paul Chryst, and both flopped.
Last time both schools lost their opener in the same season? Try 1972.
Both programs are grease fires. Penn State figures to only get worse over the next four years, as massive NCAA sanctions take hold and further reduce the talent and manpower and morale in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions might need to get Savannah State on the schedule five years from now in hopes of winning a game.
[Eric Adelson: Penn State opens post-Paterno era with loss]
Pitt has staggered through coaching chaos, from Dave Wannstedt to Mike Haywood (for two weeks) to Graham (for one year) to Chryst. How athletic director Steve Pederson has kept his job while bungling multiple major hiring decisions is mystifying.
It has, inconceivably, come to this: Historic doormat Temple (24), with all of three returning starters on offense, looks like the best team in the state.
How athletic director Steve Pederson has kept his job while bungling multiple major hiring decisions is mystifying.
Butt buddies, society members, whatever, there is something maybe only ppl like Todd Graham might be aware of. But there’s something we aren’t privy too. Cause no way ANYBODY should still have a job after f*cking up so Royally.
If it wasn’t, as that article said, “the worst loss in all of college football in Week 1,” it was certainly in contention.
It’s been four days and I’m STILL royally pissed off.
Pitt called me at work yesterday looking for money and I told them to pound sand until they clean house in the Athletic Dept and get serious about resurrecting a once-proud football program.
Go ahead, tell me my priorities are screwed up. Maybe so. But athletics, football particularly, is in many ways the face of the University (like it or not), and if you’re going to have a program at least don’t let it be humiliatingly bad.
And I have a sinking feeling that the Chryst hire is yet another disaster, one that will be exceedingly difficult to recover from. PC is a likable, friendly, laid-back guy, good teacher, but his marble-mouth, shrugging, inarticulate demeanor drives me nuts. He’s not some mysterious but brilliant professor in an obscure anthropology class, he’s the public face of an enterprise that depends on positive support from its fanbase. Didn’t anyone see that when he was interviewed?
Yes I’m being emotional, irrational, unfair and recklessly impatient. But it’s passionate fans like me who will carry this program, if indeed it ever returns to respectability. I’ll gladly donate generously again once I see ACTION from Pitt to fix things.
Dumping Pederson would be a good start.
All will be forgot if they show up at Nippert Stadium and deliver a W on national TV. The good news is that nearly every one of the remaining games is one that can be won by PITT. Time to see which players want it. Too early for the fans to throw in the towel.
By the time its all done with civil lawsuits, NCAA fine,…. probably 3-500million… where are they going to get the money?? They said they would not use endowment money, etc?? Transparency?
I will be in Pedophile Valley later this week and will ask them for some answers.
Whether I get out alive is another question.
A winning QB makes those throws to keep his team in the game. Tino has never made those throws and will never make them. Every game looks like his freshman year.
Gordan at MLB is horrible for the experience he has but Chryst has no other options. They really need Todd Thomas back.
They better start Holley and Hendricks at saftey if they are healthy.
Same as the old coach.
Yet again, a team not ready to play at the first game of the season. They might as well have never had spring practice or camp, they would have played with the same level of fire and execution.
Pitt hasn’t had a coach that has had the team ready to play at the start of the season for 30 years. One or two years under Harris they were, that’s about it. This is a 3-9 or 4-8 team at best, and I’m pretty worried about Chryst’s ability to be a gameday coach if this is what he gives us.
Frank Beamer. Check out his record in his first six seasons at Va Tech. Granted, he was HC at Murray State prior to that, but still it *could* happen.
1987 Virginia Tech 2–9
1988 Virginia Tech 3–8
1989 Virginia Tech 6–4–1
1990 Virginia Tech 6–5
1991 Virginia Tech 5–6
1992 Virginia Tech 2–8–1
Good thing they weren’t on TV much back then, as BigEast, SYU, MASA and all these other sports channels didn’t exist. Cause I never ever could have watched that disaster of a decade.
2010-2020 appears to be setting up as a repeat of 1990-2000. The parallels are striking.
Friggin Pederson.
