I want to try and put the ND loss in the rearview and move on to Syracuse. But between what feels like unfinished posting due to limited time, and my own continuing frustration over the game; I am not quite ready to do that. I’m making this the last look-back type of post. Try to get the bile and anger out.

Turning to Coach Wannstedt’s presser yesterday, I’m not sure there is much that he could have said that wouldn’t have me feeling sarcastic and bitter. So, I’m going with it.

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The point of no return for Walt Harris with Pitt fans came in the loss to UConn in 2004. The infamous “slide right” call near the end of the first half to set up a field goal. Many still derisively make mention of it. It was a weak, conservative call and a big error.

Not only did the team fail to take one shot at the endzone or the first down, it sent a message to UConn that they had this game. The Huskies proceeded to march down the field before the half ended and kick their own field goal to take the lead at the half. The Huskies proceeded to dominate Pitt in the second half.

Coach Dave Wannstedt may have had that moment late in the 4th quarter when he called timeout on 4th and 4 or 5. Only to decide to punt.

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I’m going to keep this brief as I try to give myself a breather after games like this. When I’m feeling ticked, frustrated and more likely to overreact. Still…

Make no mistake, it isn’t like Pitt deserved to win this game. Too sloppy. Too stupid.

I’m not saying Notre Dame did anything to cover themselves in glory. They did their best to piss it away. It was almost like an inversion of last year’s ND-Pitt game where Pitt had the game well in hand and then nearly gave it away late.

That said, this game has me highly upset for the shear volume of mistakes.

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The team obviously, but also for us. I took the weekend off in part because of frustration. I didn’t want to post stuff that was too reactionary and without any real reflection. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to help.

There’s no excuse for the way Pitt played — on offense. The defense really was valiant considering how long they were on the field and the injuries — Romeus, DeCicco, Mason, and even Gary getting hobbled.

The offense had no such excuse. Like everyone else, I keep coming back to the offensive line, the gameplan and QB.

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Coach Wannstedt had to face a lot of questions and second-guessing in his New Hampshire preview presser. Not surprising on two fronts. First it was a loss in OT, with some questionable decisions by the coaches in calling the offense. Second, it’s New Hampshire. A 1-AA team, that regardless of how good they are, Pitt should and better crush.

“We discussed that (to run or pass on third down). Obviously every call stops with me — offense, defense or special teams. Where we were at with the third down-and-ten, the one thing you don’t want to do in the red zone, which we obviously did in overtime, was to turn the ball over and you don’t want to knock yourself out of field goal range.

“On the third-and-ten they were bringing a lot of pressure. If it’s third-and-three, third-and- four or third-and-five it’s obviously a whole different call. All you have to do is look up the percentages in the third-and-ten situations when you’re thinking in the back of your mind that you have a young quarterback and he can’t hear himself talk, you want to make sure that you’re making the right call. Plus, we thought if we went into overtime that we would win the game.

“On top of it all, you’re handing the ball to a great player. We did the same thing last year against South Florida when Dion Lewis went for 50 yards. Two years ago, if you remember the last play before the half against Navy down there, we handed the ball to LaSean McCoy on the draw and he went 50 or 60 yards. I think they’re anticipating the pass, but you’re also giving the ball to your best offensive player.”

There’s are some significant differences in those situations and this. The first being that 2008 and 2009 had a better/different offensive line. The next being that there was a more experienced QB that made it more expected that there could be a pass. Finally, and this is key: Pitt was inside the 15, not “50 or 60 yards” away. You know they were prepared for a running play at that distance.

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I don’t know about the rest of you, but this past Saturday was the last Saturday I expect to be doing house and yard projects or work until sometime in April. In just a few days, the season kicks off and Pitt is a big part of that start.

It should be one of the most hyped games of the week, but since it is on Versus rather than the Mouse Monopoly it is getting considerably less hype. Oh, well.

Papers keep running previews. Some  focusing on the Big East, and Pitt still is the favorite.

There’s an interesting theme I’ve been noticed, that didn’t crystallize for me until last night. I read this simple conference prediction rundown on DawgSports.

Pittsburgh. I have a special level of disdain for the Panthers—Georgia has a frustrating history with Pitt—and I have little inclination to repose faith in Dave Wannstedt, but Brian Kelly, Jim Leavitt, and Rich Rodriguez all are gone from what was never a deep league, putting the Panthers in a position to finish atop the conference.

Yeah. A frustrating history. Fun.

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School starts for my kids this week. Between trying to get all the last minute stuff finished before they go back. Not to mention get stuff together for the quick trip to NYC, it’s been a little hectic.

Today has the first set of game notes for the season (PDF), along with the 2-deep. was the first pre-game presser for Coach Wannstedt. Not sure that anything truly ground-breaking was revealed. It was normal stuff, but still fun to comb through.

Let’s do this.

“We are excited about this week. The game won’t get here soon enough. Any time I think it’s the opening game, it always carries a lot of end-of-camp, beginning-of-season attitude and there’s that dead time in between when you’re practicing and it’s almost like a bowl game mentality.”

Oh, hell yeah. You and everyone else.

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Paul Zeise makes some nice points that the Utah game is not the be-all, end-all game for Pitt. Winning or losing it does not make the season. Even replete with good examples from last year. It’s rational, reasonable and defensible.

It is a non-conference game. Even if Pitt loses, they can still make (and even win) a BCS bowl simply by winning the Big East. Just as Oregon and Ohio State lost their high profile early season non-cons and still went to the Rose Bowl.

You could make a good argument that what everyone ultimately uses to judge the success of the season would be how the team did in the bowl game. Cinci went 12-0 last year, were possibly a few seconds away from the BCS Championship game if Texas QB Colt McCoy’s pass hung a little longer, and lost their head coach before they went to the Sugar Bowl. That didn’t matter, getting pounded by Florida is all people think about with that Cinci team.

There are three major non-con games for Pitt: at Utah, Miami and at Notre Dame. If Pitt were to go 2-1 in those games, I think most Pitt fans would generally prefer the two wins came against Miami and Notre Dame. It isn’t that Utah isn’t as good or as important, it is that there is more history with the other teams and an impulse to want to see Pitt win those other games more.

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Ron Cook had a column this morning taking Pitt’s athletic director and football coach to task for the non-suspension of Jabaal Sheard.

If I’ve heard Wannstedt and athletic director Steve Pederson say it once, I’ve heard them say dozens of times that they want a strong program at Pitt — not just a strong team — and that they’re always going to do the right thing for the long term rather than overlook problems for short-term benefit.

Well, guess what?

Hey, I know that admirable policy isn’t always easy to follow. Wannstedt and Pederson wouldn’t have to swallow hard to suspend Sheard if he were a third-string defensive end or if Pitt’s opener was against New Hampshire at Heinz Field. Of course, it’s a lot more difficult in this case. But that doesn’t change the message Wannstedt and Pederson will be sending if they allow Sheard to play at Utah. They might as well tack up a sign in the locker room that says: “If you’re a good enough player and the game is really big, you can get away with bad behavior.”

I’ve already indicated my feelings on this, and that a suspension for the first game still would make more sense to me.

Today was the opening of Pitt’s training camp and Coach Wannstedt wanted to get out in front of all of this.

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Jock Sanders not withstanding,  Pitt was the overwhelming choice to win the Big East. That means, of course, that Coach Wannstedt needs to tamp things down.

“We’re younger this year and less experienced, so that’s my feeling.”

And then this:

“We’ve been together long enough now that the players understand we’re not going to overreact to anything good or bad. It really doesn’t mean anything at this point.”

From that the players took their cue.

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Big East Media Day, the start of camp. Too much coming too fast to take my time getting to links piling up in my tabs. So I’m just going to pass along the links and let you do all the work.

Starting with remaining Terrell Chestnut stories.

Chestnut had a hard time deciding between Pitt and Rutgers, but ultimately felt more comfortable at Pitt.

He is looking forward to playing defensive back full-time when he gets to college — whether it is cornerback or safety.

While Chestnut appears more comfortable at cornerback, he said he’s willing to make a change if necessary. That, of course, bodes well for Chestnut, considering Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt routinely suggests some recruits switch positions in an effort to maximize their potential.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to play — and win,” said Chestnut, who has 17 career interceptions, including four in 2009.

Solid local paper article on Chestnut and his commitment. He is just happy to have made the decision to try and enjoy his senior year.

“I went out there and felt it was the best place for me,” Chestnut said. “I want to major in pre-med, too, and (Pitt) is one of the best pre-med schools in the country.”

“Right now, though, (making a decision) is a big relief. It’s just a lot of stress off my back.”

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Summer time. Summer camps. Some mornings go better than others to get them moving. No children died today, but emotional scarring may have taken place.

Chris McKillop, the older brother of Scott McKillop and a good player in his own right at Pitt, has been looking at getting into coaching.

The 25-year-old was brought aboard as a graduate assistant to coach the defensive line at Duquesne this year. Last season, he served as a football intern, assisting with linebackers, special teams, strength and conditioning and equipment management at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan.

“At a smaller, Division II school like that, every coach has a bunch of responsibilities,” McKillop said. “It was a good experience. I got to see what it’s like. Now, I see things from a different perspective.”

He’s also taking a graduate program in sports leadership. Something that can aid for the administrative side of things.

Relating to a McKillop, Scott has been in town to help out at some of the  camps Coach Wannstedt has been running this year. He was in for the 7-on-7 passing camps. As was D.J. Dinkins — who despite being a journeyman NFL player making the minimum — continues to work in whatever community he is based to help kids.

Current and former players were also involved with the youth camp, including D.J. Dinkins, backup tight end for the Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints and a former Panther.

“I think it’s great that these boys can come out and just run around and have fun,” Dinkins said. “Through all the publicity and hype that football gets, it’s still just a game.”

Scott McKillop, a more recent Pitt alumnus, also made an appearance at the camp. McKillop is now a reserve/special teams linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said of the camp. “Anytime you can start kids at a young age and get them exposed to football, and show them how fun it is, when they get older they’ll be a step ahead of other kids.”

Very, very interesting about these camps.

That’s why the Pitt coaching staff has changed its philosophy on the prospect camps this year. At a time when many college camps are seeing a decline in attendance because of the economy, the Panthers had almost 300 more players attend their June prospect camps this year than last.

The fix was simple. Wannstedt invited 65 to 70 coaches from more than 40 universities — from the Mid-American Conference, Division I-AA, Division II and Division III schools — to work with and scout players at the camp. As a result, more high school players had an opportunity to get recruited.

“We’d get 100 or 200 kids here [in camp] and, really, we might only be interested in four or five and maybe one we’d offer a scholarship,” Wannstedt said. “That just didn’t sit right with me. I thought we could make the experience better for the players and really make the camps something that could help more kids play college football.

“We can only take 15 to 25 kids every year but there are an awful lot of really good football players out there who we’d bring to our camps and I felt like we could do a better job to make the camps something that would be helpful to them and help them get a shot that maybe they wouldn’t get otherwise.”

Now, beyond the cool thing of simply making more kids available to be evaluated to other programs, this is a brilliant goodwill program in the area.

You not only make the camp more than just learning for the kids, and an opportunity to be seen. You have them going back to their high schools talking about it. How Pitt and the coaches gave them opportunities.

Then there is the goodwill with the lower 1-A schools that get to take part. They know Pitt and Coach Wannstedt are helping them, and saving them some vital recruiting budget money. They can get a chance to evaluate and review more possible kids without having to go out as much on the recruiting trail. They can hone in on others. That goodwill can only help Pitt when it comes to getting the non-con games on the schedule later.

Also have to love how Coach Wannstedt puts all the money to the assistants rather than his own pocket.

Finally, congrats to Nate Byham for signing a deal with the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed rookie tight end Nate Byham to a four-year deal.

The team announced the deal with its sixth-round pick Monday. Byham is the fourth of San Francisco’s eight draft picks to sign a contract.

Newest Pitt verbal Lafayette Pitts may have been listed as an athlete or running back on recruiting sites, but Pitts makes no bones about where he wants to and likes to play.

Pitts made a verbal commitment to Pitt Satuday at its team passing camp, where he shined in showing off his coverage skills.

Pitt was the first to offer a scholarship to the 6-foot, 185-pounder, who picked the Panthers over Buffalo, Illinois, Iowa, Kent State, Maryland and West Virginia.

“I bring a little bit of toughness to the cornerback spot because I like to press,” Pitts said. “I want to stay close to home and they all feel like family here.”

Pitts played receiver and running back last season for the WPIAL Class AAAA champions, and also starred in the secondary and as a kick returner.

“He’s like the Energizer Bunny – he’s always on the go,” Woodland Hills coach George Novak said. “He can do a lot of things but he’s very natural at defensive back. He’s very competitive for the ball and a good tackler.”

No question Pitts is a solid player for Pitt and as a DB, fills a need spot. This is recruiting, though, and nothing ever occurs in a vacuum. Everyone wants to see whether this effects other players.

But perhaps, most importantly, Pitts’ commitment could swing a couple other Woodland Hills’ prospects — LB Ejuan Price and DL Quinton Jefferson – to stay closer to home and choose Pitt as their school. Both Price and Jefferson are piling up the scholarship offers — Price has nine offers to date and Jefferson 10.

“That’s what we’re hoping (that Pitts committing to Pitt helps keep Price & Jefferson local),” said Woodland Hills assistant coach Joe Lafferty told me prior to the Wolverines’ first scrimmage Saturday morning against Findlay.

Pitts said he committed to the Panthers to stay closer to his family and to home. He also said Pitt was always his favorite program.

“Pitt has a great program and Dave Wannstedt is one of the top coaches in the nation,” said Woodland Hills head coach George Novak. “Pitts is a very versatile athlete and is one of the best in the WPIAL and the entire state.”

Unanswered (or asked) is just how close Pitts is to Price and Jefferson. That would offer more insight into how much his decision holds any sway. Jefferson might decide on Pitt, but it may have as much to do with 2010 commit and his cousin Brandon Ifill.

Like Pitts, the other two are solid 3-star prospects. All of three of them recevied offers from Iowa and WVU. Price has offers from Michigan State and Ohio State as well. Jefferson holds offers from Illinois, Maryland and Wisconsin.

As a sidebar, you can bet that fans/alum of other schools are less than thrilled to read Gateway coaches openly hoping their players go to Pitt and any fawning given to Coach Wannstedt.

Speaking of fawning. Here’s a solid puff-piece on Coach Wannstedt. Native Pittsburgher. Check. Worked iron mills. Check. Great recruiter. Check. Pro style offense run. Check.

Still, Wannstedt believes he’ll take the Panthers to the Promised Land again. “Nothing has changed since that press conference,” says Wannstedt, whose team finished No. 17 in the final BCS poll last season. “In fact, enough things have happened recently to reaffirm what I said then.”

There is evidence to support Wannstedt’s beliefs. First, Pittsburgh is winning regularly. After three seasons in which the program went a combined 16–19, the Panthers went 9–4 in 2008, then produced that 10–3 mark last season. The Panthers were seconds away from the Big East title and a BCS bowl berth in the regular-season finale, but a one-point loss to Cincinnati foiled those hopes. That setback was followed by a victory over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Small steps, yet vital, according to one college football historian. “I thought 2009 confirmed that the program is moving forward,” says Beano Cook, the venerated analyst. “Now, the question is: Can they go from this point to a national championship? It would be difficult, but feasible. Things are more challenging today because they don’t have the high school players in Pennsylvania that they used to have. And, Pitt has to play a tough non-conference schedule. That’s imperative. And, to their credit, they are playing tough non-conference games.”

A pleasant enough read.

The time when coaches and key members of the athletic department are throughout the state for Pitt-events and dinners, etc.

This week took Coach Dave Wannstedt and Coach Jamie Dixon and others into central PA to York for an alumni golf event. Guess what they were asked about?

“I really haven’t commented on it much for one reason: It really isn’t going to change my job day-to-day,” said University of Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt, addressing the speculation that the Panthers may be a potential target in Big Ten expansion.

“We have to go out and try to recruit the best players that we can,” Wannstedt added. “Regardless of who we’re going to play and when we’re going to play them.”

Both Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson and Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon stuck to a similar mantra when addressing the idea of potential conference changes on Thursday afternoon. The three men, along with Pitt wrestling coach Rande Stottlemyer, were in York for the University of Pittsburgh Sports Banquet and Golf Outing. The event was held at the Out Door Country Club.

I guess if you want to read between the lines a bit you might note that Coach Dixon is no longer saying much about conference realignment. Going more with the whole not commenting on things like this

/on snark

Much like when his name is mentioned for other jobs.

/off snark

But that is stuff covered ad nauseum (and will continue to be) even as Pitt and all other schools stick to the official “no comment” policy.

Meanwhile the visit to York allowed local reporters to ask about local players.

Asked for an update on York High graduate Greg Gaskins, Wannstedt, 57, started by stating that his offensive line will need a new center and two new guards because of graduation losses.

That means that Gaskins, a redshirt junior who saw action in all 13 games last year, will have a shot to distinguish himself.

“Greg Gaskins will get his opportunity this year,” Wannstedt said.

The Pitt coach also said that Gaskins will compete for time at right guard after he was a backup right tackle last year.

In the post-spring practice depth chart, Gaskins was listed ahead of Ryan Turnley at Right Guard. That is one of the spots that isn’t solidified and Turnely could well supplant Gaskins in the summer.

Coach Wannstedt was also asked about Jack Lippert. Coach Wannstedt praised Lippert’s work in school and in the weight room.

“He’s probably put on close to 40 pounds in one year’s time and it’s all good weight.”

Lippert made the move during the Panthers’ spring practice sessions after some concerted lobbying by the Pittsburgh offensive line coaches.

“[It was] because of a need,” Wannstedt said.

“He has progressed extremely well. I think he’s going to be a heckuva player for us on the offensive line. You know, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s athletic.”

“We were looking [for] some depth at center,” Wannstedt continued.

“So we said, what player could possibly be smart enough, No. 1 and athletic enough, No. 2, and have a chance to get over there and develop down the road and be a two or three-year starter?”

“Jack was a guy that our offensive coaches wanted. He had a very good freshman year even though we redshirted him.”

They also spoke well of another local recruit, WR Salath Williams.

And Pitt’s 2010 recruiting class includes another McDevitt big-play threat – 6-4 wideout Salath Williams.

“Salath’s got a lot of talent,” Wannstedt said.

“He’s a little bit raw but he’s got speed, he’s got size and he’s got skill.”

In Dauphin County, former Pitt running back LeSean McCoy held his first annual “Shady’s Community Day.”

Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy signed autographs, footballs and jerseys for kids and adults, while kids played games and had plenty of activities going on the entire day. Also, a basketball tournament was held for kids and adults. Some of McCoy’s teammates committed to make an appearance and meet the fans. Overall, it was great to see as McCoy gave back to the community.

“It’s a great turnout … it’s a good thing to see them [kids] out there,” said McCoy, a former Bishop McDevitt High School and University of Pittsburgh star. “The reaction has been great and special. It’s all about giving back to the community.”

There was also a silent auction for the Pennsylvania ALS Foundation for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Something McCoy’s grandmother unfortunately is suffering from.

This bit from Brian Bennett has been sitting in a browser tab for nearly three weeks.

Actually, Pittsburgh could have won the last the two Big East titles. The Panthers have arguably had the most overall talent in the league, but they couldn’t beat Cincinnati either year.

The program has steadily climbed under Dave Wannstedt, reaching the Top 10 last November, winning 10 games for the first time in more than a quarter of a century and beating North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. But the Meineke Car Care Bowl is a long way from the BCS. And with the Bearcats going through a coaching change this season, the timing couldn’t be better for a breakthrough year.

“We’re a team that expects to win the Big East,” quarterback Tino Sunseri said. “We know what it’s like to see Cincinnati celebrating on our field. We understand how close we’ve been and what we need to do to go the extra step.”

There aren’t many excuses for Pitt this year. Lewis, the Big East’s reigning offensive MVP and rookie of the year, returns after running for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman. Romeus, the Big East’s co-defensive MVP last year, decided to wait on the NFL draft and come back for his senior year. Jonathan Baldwin, a 6-foot-5 athletic freak who had 1,111 yards receiving last year, should challenge for the Biletnikoff Award this season.

“If you look all around the country, you can’t think of too many teams that last year had a receiver go over 1,000 yards and a running back go over 1,700 yards,” Baldwin said. “Teams don’t know what to expect, whether we’re going to pound the ball down your throat or throw it.”

Everyone is saying that Pitt has the most talent — not just concentrated at some skill position, but across the board. The point being, Pitt and Coach Wannstedt are the favorite to win the Big East this year.

1. Pittsburgh: The Panthers have some questions, notably on the interior offensive line. But they’ve also got Dion Lewis, Greg Romeus and Jonathan Baldwin and more answers on both sides of the ball than any other Big East squad.

There is a reason that so far in early top-25s. Pitt is the Big East team ranked the highest.

13. Pittsburgh Panthers With former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly moving to Notre Dame, Pittsburgh might be the team to beat in the Big East. The Panthers were close to winning the last two Big East championships, but they couldn’t beat the Bearcats. With tailback Dion Lewis and receiver Jonathan Baldwin coming back on offense, and end Greg Romeus returning to harass opposing quarterbacks, Pittsburgh might be poised to clear the last hurdle. Tino Sunseri beat out Pat Bostick for the starting quarterback job during the spring, and he’ll replace departed fifth-year senior Bill Stull. The Panthers play an aggressive nonconference schedule, including a Sept. 2 opener at Utah.

Andy Staples at SI.com, has Pitt at #16. It is a safe bet to see Pitt ranked anywhere from #12 to #25 in the various preseason polls and mags.

Greg Romeus and Jason Pinkston were named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watchlist for best lineman.

Romeus, Pinkston along with Dion Lewis and Jonathan Baldwin were named to the NationalChamps.net All-American team. More than any other program, period. Not just in the Big East.

Yes, there are questions about the secondary, the middle of the O-line and QB, but unless those spots absolutely fail, that shouldn’t be enough to derail the team.

That puts the pressure on the team to meet expectations. The pressure especially falls on Coach Wannstedt.

We’ve all seen the brain fart games. We’ve seen the games where Pitt took the foot off the gas and go conservative. We’ve seen the failure to adjust.

There was a big step towards Pitt and Coach Wannstedt starting to overcome the perception of underachiever and just not winning the big games. Yet the perceptions remain when you look at the 3 losses last season.

The NC State game showed poor game planning for the QB, the offense letting up after building a lead, and then not able to get it back.

The Backyard Brawl had a disturbing lack of intensity, focus and poor execution.

And the Cinci game. Simply not able to make the key stops.

Yes, these are oversimplifications. I am talking perception, though.

These games fit a narrative of a head coach and Pitt team — regardless of the coach — that don’t get over the hump and spit the bit when they have the chance.

Think of how most view, say Virginia Tech. A team that has talent, a very good coach, great defense and special teams. Yet, they almost inexplicably blow at least a couple games every year.

This becomes one of those seasons that can alter perceptions or confirm them.