Personally, I’m not operating under any illusions that the loss to Pitt played any part in Rich Rodriguez’s decision to bolt WVU for Michigan. That’s just a little too much hubris that frankly, Pitt and we fans haven’t earned. To consider the guy who coached the Mountaineers to the upset over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl when held in Atlanta as some sort of choker is just silly. If you want to claim that he’s reached the point where he thinks he can’t go any further and seeks a higher level, I buy that. He nearly bolted last season for ‘Bama, but stayed for less money but key improvements in facilities and assistants pay. Arguing that if he had beaten Pitt, and was playing for the national championship and would have ignored Michigan’s entreaties is something I doubt. He was perfectly willing to go behind his own AD’s back with Michigan not seeking the cursory permission to speak.
I don’t like WVU or whining Rodriguez. I do respect, however, from a pure football standpoint what he has accomplished. His approach on offense and schemes he has developed has been one of the significant changes/innovations to college football in the past 20 years.

I also can’t help but feel a little pity for WVU. To lose the coaches who brought back their basketball and football programs in the same year to the same school is just beyond belief. That has to come back on the Wolverines at some point.

That said, he’s arguably as bad or worse than the duplicitous Bobby Petrino. Rodriguez was happy to use back-channels to let Michigan know he was interested and helped/aided in avoiding even the courtesy of having Michigan seek permission to talk to him. Add in that Rodriguez was a WV native and WVU alum and how much more does it hurt, even with his past flirtations.

It should also be a reminder/wake-up for Pitt and Pitt fans — and almost any other school and their fanbase — that hiring a “Pitt guy” means nothing. Absolutely nothing with coaching loyalty. If there is a better opportunity, more money or any other reason/excuse a coach will at a minimum listen and use it as leverage for more money.

That Coach Wannstedt hasn’t been approached in his time at Pitt is not a reflection of his loyalty but his win-loss record to this point. In the past Miami and Nebraska have both at least talked to him about their programs before he came back to Pitt.

I’m not trying to be negative, but I do think the coaching carousel deserves hard, cold cynicism. It’s why, when there is a change in coaching or the athletic department, nothing pisses me off more than hearing about the need for some “Pitt guy” or someone who understands the area or a local connection. The most important thing is to find the best coach for the job and who will do the best job. Period.

We did it. We seriously just did it. The Pitt Panthers just knocked those stupid toothless West Virginians out of the BCS Championship game. This is un-freakin-real. The biggest win for this program in over 20 years? Quite possibly. It means absolutely nothing to the 2007 season but in the long run it looks great for recruiting, it was against our biggest rival, and it was against the #2 team in the nation. Also gives a ton of positive feelings going into next year.

ESPN has helped Pitt tell the world who LeSean McCoy is. He looked good and carried the load a ton of times. Also very nice to see the announcers give a ton of love to Scott McKillop, who leads the NCAA is tackles. Pitt better advertise the hell out of those two next season.

On the defensive side, we fundamentally tackled so well. There were different blitzing schemes, we kept containment on their runners, and we just played like we wanted it so bad. I’ve been on Paul Rhoads’ ass all year but today I give him a ton of respect.

If you haven’t seen Rich Rodriguez’s post-game press conference, go watch it now. It’s great watching him try to find something to say but pretty much stumble with his words. Almost on the verge of tears. The best part is that you can hear the Pitt players cheering and yelling in the background.

Holy crap, we really won!!!

WVU folks will say White’s injury is the reason they lost, and when they do we can all laugh in their face. Jarrett Brown is a great QB, and it’s not like the drop-off that occurred when we lost Stull. not to mention we also didn’t have Kinder, Mustakas, Byham, and others. The main reason White’s injury wasn’t the reason is because the refs tried their best to screw us. The Big East wanted WVU in the BCS title game, no doubt. Two bad holding calls on Oderick Turner and then not calling it when Turner was trying to catch the pass was complete crap. Conspiracy theory? Confirmed.

No one thought we could do it. Nobody. I never thought we’d win, but there was that sliver in my heart that recognized the chance was there. Go streaking! Go drink excessive amounts of alcohol! Go crazy! I love it. I love it. I LOVE IT.

P.S. — It’s clear why Pitt won. It had to be that pep talk from Lou Holtz on ESPN. That “respecth” he spoke of — I think Pitt earned it tonight.

P.S.S. — A replay of the game can be seen on ESPN at 3:30 am. Set your DVRs accordingly.

…at least for a week.

With LSU’s 3OT loss to Jeff Long’s Arkansas team on Friday, the BCS Championship picture has become much clearer. The newest BCS rankings look like so:

1. Missouri 11-1
2. West Virginia 10-1
3. Ohio State 11-1
4. Georgia 10-2
5. Kansas 11-1
6. Virginia Tech 10-2
7. LSU 10-2
8. USC 9-2
9. Oklahoma 10-2
10. Florida 9-3

Our Panthers have a very rare opportunity on Saturday — the ability to knock a team out of the title game simply by beating them. Too bad actually beating them won’t be too simple.

If either Mizzou or WVU lose, Ohio State will back into the Championship game. The chance of Missouri losing to Oklahoma in the Big XII conference championship is very possible. That would mean Ohio State plays WVU for the title. What about Pitt beating the Mountaineers? Dan Shanoff says no way.

If BOTH Missouri and West Virginia lose… well, that’s just not happening.

Did you see what West Virginia did to the next-best team in their conference, when WVU realized they had to impress the nation? They hung 66 on them.

They ran up the score, because they knew they had to, in order to silence any doubt spread from, say, Columbus. Those ‘Eers are one cut-throat bunch of s.o.b.’s; they ain’t losing to Dave Wannstedt with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

Since the Backyard Brawl starts at 7:45 and the Big XII game starts at 8:00, there won’t be time to know if Missouri wins or loses though. That means Buckeye Nation not only roots for Oklahoma, but also for Pitt. Other teams hoping that both OU and Pitt win are Georgia, Kansas, LSU, and Oklahoma themselves.

Pitt hasn’t had this many fans in a long, long time. We gladly welcome all of them — maybe someday they’ll come help us fill Heinz Field to more than 35% capacity.

I’ve tried to not get into this too much, but I think something needs to be said. By now, I’m sure a lot of you have seen the video from Saturday’s PSU-OSU game in Happy Valley. At a tailgate party, Penn Staters throw beer cans and shout obscenities at Buckeye fans. The video made it’s way to Youtube but has now been taken down, probably by the kid who put it up in order to attempt to stay clear of any charges. It’s too late.

First thought: This is a perfect example to throw back at Penn State’s face. Look at their fans, acting classless and stupid, throwing things at opposing fans.

Second thought: Take a step back and look at it a little bit more. There’s no way this represents their entire fan base. Sure they might all be elitists, but they can’t all be the jerks the video showed them to be. When I want to see something involving Penn State, I always turn to Black Shoe Diaries. In Mike’s post with the original video:

This is Penn State, bitch.

No, son, that is not Penn State.

To the Ohio State fans featured in the video, I’m sorry. On behalf of the 99% of Penn State fans that are nice people capable of showing respect to opposing fans, I’m sorry. This is not the Penn State I know and love.

See, they’re not all bad people.

One point that many people noticed, though, was that the cameraman (who, if you saw the video, was worthy of a sucker punch to the jaw) mentioned his beer-slinging friend was from Pittsburgh. It didn’t necessarily mean he was a Pitt student though.

Today (via Mondesi’s House), I saw a link to an update on the story: the kid you see below is, in fact, a Pitt student.

Oh no! A Pitt student did this! Now there’s someone to blame! Whoa, hold on…

A Pitt fan did this? No, not a Pitt fan, but a Pitt student. If he is a Pitt fan, there’s no way in hell he’s up in Happy Valley helping Penn Staters to throw beer at innocent OSU fans. Also, this does not let the other 100 PSU fans involved get off the hook. A lot of them threw beer (but most completely missed) and all should be charged. Hopefully when this is all over, that Pitt student is no longer a student at our school.

With many thanks to DJP from The Cat Basket, I was able to procure a Cat Basket t-shirt which I wore around the great city of Wexford, Pennsylvania, today.

He also invited me to the Oakland Zoo’s Student Event. (I wish I could go but won’t be able to make it.) Student’s can meet the players and coaches, with pizza and prizes available.

It’s hard to believe basketball season is creeping up on us already.

Usually I won’t do this. I generally allow myself to at least wait to react to a game after I sleep on it. Sometimes you write things too quickly that are purely coming from the emotions of the game — this is not one of those times.

I’m pissed. Every person who I heard walking out of Heinz Field at 12:05 this morning (!) felt similarly. First, the actual game before things completely fell apart…

I expected the score to at least be in the 30’s, and I knew the defense was going to be it’s typical self while under Rhoads. I’m done complaining about the entire defensive side of the ball because it’s a dead complaint. Either Rhoads is fired or we’re going to have this for a long, long time. I will hand it to the Navy offense, though. QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is very smart and runs the triple option very well. You had to expect the triple option was going to torture our defense and it certainly did.

We also knew that the Navy defense wasn’t too great. I’m encouraged by the way that Bostick, McCoy, and Conredge Collins played. I don’t know what to make of it against a defense of this caliber…who knows.

The real problem here is with the coaching. I was fine with Pitt playing for overtime. Once we got there, though, I agreed with nothing else. The first OT is what it is – we scored then they scored (albeit on only one single play). We managed to hold Navy to only a field goal in second overtime. Obviously the thought is, “Great, the worst that can happen is we kick a FG of our own and go to a third overtime.”

That final drive started out well with the 16 yard pass to Pestano. 1^st and goal from the 9. Who better to give it to than the guy who has already carried the offense all day, LeSean McCoy. Smartly, we give it to Shady which is good for 6 down to the three yard line. Next play is McCoy for a yard to the 2.

At this point, the coaches fall apart. We don’t know what to do – pass, throw, crap our pants? They choose option #3. It takes so damn long to get a friggin’ play call in that we don’t break the huddle until the play clock is at 8 seconds. Bostick gets the snap (play clock at 3) and throws an incomplete pass to Nate Byham, but Byham gets flagged for illegal motion anyways.

Why do I bring this up?

1. We have a timeout left to take. When we haven’t even broken the huddle at 10 seconds it might be wise to take it. Instead, it was never used and it’s floating out there in “what if” land as we speak. Maybe Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense can keep their composure and hurry to the line to get a play of quickly. Instead, we’re the Pitt Panthers. Our QB is a true freshman, and the entire offense in general is young – probably not the best group to attempt to pull this kind of thing off with.

2. Using that timeout keeps Byham from getting flustered and being called for a penalty.

3. Lastly, what was up with the play call? Was Shady’s seven yards on the last two plays not good enough? Had Conredge Collins not proven himself enough yet during the course of the game? And if you are going to pass, why not in some type of spread formation?

In reality, it’s an incomplete pass with a declined penalty – 4^th and goal from the 2. I don’t know how I feel about going for the win as opposed to kicking in the chip shot field goal. I do know, however, that IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO BALLS TO THE WALL, THEN GO BALLS TO THE WALL! DON’T GO HALFWAY BUT TRY TO TIP-TOE YOUR WAY AROUND IT! If you’re not going with Shady or Collins on 3^rd down, then at least go on 4^th. If you think you’ll fool them with a pass play, DO NOT THROW IT TO A TIGHT END IN THE BACK CORNER OF THE ENDZONE. It is perhaps one of the worst play calls I’ve ever seen. A jump ball in the back corner has an amazingly low chance of being caught, even if we threw Larry Fitzgerald in there. Strong isn’t even our best receiving TE. NOTHING ABOUT IT MAKES SENSE.

What now? I’ve tried to keep from saying it, but all of the coaches need to go. Wannstedt, Cavanaugh, Rhoads, and every other coach beneath them. Gone. The season is over. The best we’re going to finish is 3-9, and I could easily see us losing out and finishing 2-10. You want Wanny around for next year, the year we’ve been waiting for? I can’t see how any team can keep their coach if they finish with 2 or 3 wins, Pitt being no exception.

As for me, I’ll still go to every home game. What I won’t do is make anymore road trips. It’s not worth my time or money to go to places like Morgantown to see this train wreck. I’ll be at every home game, sure, but I’m done cheering and booing. I will simply go, sit, and watch. I stood and cheered for all four hours of tonight’s game with the 30 foot long Oderick Turner sign in section 530. The sign is done for the year; nothing personal against Oderick, it’s just not worth it anymore.

Finally, sorry for any misspellings, grammatical errors, awkward sentence structures, and those caps I used a few paragraphs back. It’s almost 2:00 in the morning and I’m cold and unhappy. Less than a month till Pitt hoops…go team.

Update: 1:59 am — Didn’t see Chas’ post until after I published mine. Sorry for any repetition you might see.

ESPN has played the Mike Gundy tirade as often as they possibly can. Hey, it’s filler so that they don’t need any more original programming; as if showing SportsCenter 15 times a day wasn’t enough. I swear I’ve seen it a hundred times (and you can too). I like what Gundy did — his stock with the entire team is through the roof now. The article in question began like this:

Bobby Reid stood near the team charters last Friday night, using his cell phone, eating his boxed meal.

It would’ve been normal post-game activity but for one thing.

His mother was feeding him chicken.

Which brings us to the quarterback switch-a-roo at Oklahoma State.

The first thought that ran through my head with this was the similarity to Pat Bostick’s situation. A member of the media (ESPN Radio’s Mark Madden) made a comment about a player that delves into his personal life (about the supposed “panic attacks”). Just sayin’.

The game this week is on ESPNU. Pitt would rather be on a “national” channel that a large majority of their fans don’t even get rather than be an ABC/ESPN Regional game that most fans can actually watch. Fans always come first to the Pitt athletic department, no question. Maybe I’ll go to a restaurant and watch the game. Maybe I’ll listen to Hillgrove and Fralic on the radio. Perhaps I’ll actually enjoy my Saturday night and not even watch/listen instead of Pitt ruining another beautiful weekend night for me.

Virginia is 3-1, including a tight win over Georgia Tech last week. In SI’s power rankings, they come in at 43 (with Pitt at 78). Virginia sophomore QB Jameel Sewell has picked it up in the last few games after playing horrendously in the opener, a loss against Wyoming. Since that ugly game, he’s completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns.

More importantly, Sewell has contributed in three wins for the Cavaliers (3-1, 3-0 ACC), which includes the most recent victory, a 28-23 decision over Georgia Tech. Against the Yellow Jackets’ vaunted blitz-happy defense, Sewell passed for a 177 yards and guided the team on two lengthy touchdown drives.

The Pitt defense’s ability to get into Sewell’s head early and throw him off for the entire game is a possibility, and a key to a Panthers victory. Too bad he’ll have all day to throw like every other QB we’ve faced this year. For now, we’re 7-point underdogs.

Those of you at the game on Saturday who sat on the visitors side or the bleachers (or who saw us on the jumbotron in the last minute or two of halftime) maybe have noticed the “Oderick’s Crazy 8’s Crew” sign hanging in section 530 — I take some credit for that one.

My friends and I have always wanted to make a huge banner. We were thinking of ideas when someone threw out the possibility of playing off of Turner’s number, 88 — thus the “Crazy 8’s”.

The Specs:

• Length: 29 feet
• Height: 3 feet
• Letter width: 3 inches
• Letter height: 2 feet, 8 in.
• Colors: Blue inside of black outline with yellow background
• Awesomeness: Immense

We hope to be in the same spot this coming week, so be sure to check it out.

(Lack of image quality due to pictures being taken with my cell phone…errrg. Next week I’ll have the digital camera with me for better shots.)

After the jump, a look at where to find us and how it was made.

(more…)

It’s been nearly 48 hours since I logged on, what’d I miss?

The 5-year old gave the wife an extremely difficult time while I was in Pittsburgh. That meant spending all of Sunday doing my best to make it up to her by taking care of the kids and generally providing her with downtime. She’s already glaring at me when I mentioned next week’s game so I might be taking my daughter to her first Pitt game about a year earlier than I thought.

We had the opportunity over the last year or two to move closer to the 50-yard line in our seats because of our accumulated points in season tickets. We steadfastly refused because our present seats had us right next to the student section. A pleasant distraction and usually a good source of humor when a student was too drunk to barely stand. So, this year they moved the student section by a whole section. The band was apparently relocated to the other end to accomplish this. Frustrating.

At the game, Carl Krauser.

Krauser was very cool about people who started coming up to him and ask to take a picture with him. It’s always a good thing when alum, who don’t live in the ‘Burgh any longer will still come by when getting a chance (not too sure about the track suit, but that’s just me). That’s also a good reflection on the athletic department to make sure they keep connecting with the past players.

Eventually he had to leave his seat when people essentially started began lining up to pose with him, like some Vegas greeter. Still, he kept smiling and was gracious and engaging to all comers, even as he started inching up the aisle. I know he polarizes people to this day with his game and play at Pitt. As a person and alum, he is what you want from Pitt players.

Lots of high school recruits and their families at the game. Apparently they had seats somewhere near us, but much lower. Saw a steady stream of kids (and some parents) with name tags going up and down the aisle past us. Some names were familiar — Lucas Nix, Zeke DeCicco and Chris Hayden-Martin. Others included James Harvey, Jim Sabia, Nick Sizemore, and a few others.

Finally, there’s a new Pitt blog out there called The Cat Basket. I don’t know if these are the students, or if it’s just a coincidence. I’m assuming a connection. Not too sure I agree with their take on the video intro. And definitely not the whole need for AC/DC.

More to come in a bit about the actual game and media

Yesterday I promised words and pictures for this post. That’s before I found out that my camera was not going to work with me in uploading the pictures I took onto the computer — so we’ll move along without pictures until a) someone sends some to my e-mail address, or b) I am able to get my own pictures to upload. Anyways…

Thursday night was the first time I had been to a Pitt Football Fan Fest, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We walked in Gate A (by the river, under the scoreboard) and were handed a roster by some cheerleaders, which turned out to be a handy tool during both the autograph sessions and the practice.

The seniors were sitting at tables on the south plaza (or what I call the “giant patio”) facing the scoreboard so that they could meet the fans and sign autographs. The combination of me not being big on autographs as well as long lines kept me from talking/taking pictures with any of the seniors. Over to the far left, near the tunnel the team comes out of, Stan Savran was doing his show, interviewing Dave Wannstedt and a handful of players.

Onwards to the Great Hall where the rest of the players were broken up by positions to sign whatever fans brought to them. Once again, I didn’t get in line but I was happy enough to just see some of the players up close in street clothes (read: game jerseys and jeans).

The autograph session that was supposed to last from 6:30 to 7:30 was ended ten minutes short. One of the security guys said, “The coach wants ’em down there” — not sure if he was serious or not. As he walked from his table to get down onto the field, I was able to shake Oderick Turner’s hand (my personal favorite player), and he thanked us for our support.

Between the autographs and the practice, we headed over to the team store. We were greeted by a display of about 8 shirts — every single one of them plastered with the new logo. I might be able to live if it was 2×2 inches but the thing was HUGE. I’m also wondering why they are selling replica jerseys that look nothing like the game jerseys.

The block PITT is nowhere even close to being the same size and the shades of gold are different on the replica compared to the real deal. I realize that’s exactly what it is, a replica, but a replica of what? Certainly not the jersey the players wear.

After grumbling to myself about not liking anything I saw over at the clothing tent, we moved to some seats a few rows off the field near the corner where the visiting fans usually sit.

The practice was basically a big joke; players going at 50%, no fun drills or anything. The first thing the skill players did was field punts/kicks, with one of the groups catching kicks from who I believe was Henry Hynoski. One thing that will stick in my mind was that the first time everyone got to see LeSean McCoy in action, he dropped his punt return. I didn’t really watch the practice too closely (and do any sort of real reporting like I could have), but instead chose to take in the whole thing and talk about the upcoming year with two friends: one being very cynical, one very optimistic — which leads to some interesting chats.

Fan Fest was something that I needed to attend simply because I was going through some serious college football withdrawal — thankfully the real games start in only a week.

Last year I didn’t go to football Fan Fest, but this year I’m pretty sure I’ll be there. This year it’s on a Thursday — was it on a weeknight last year or is this new? Doesn’t it seem like a better idea to have this on a weekend?

2007 Pitt Football Fan Fest is set for Thursday, August 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Heniz Field. Admission is free and open to all fans. 2007 Fan Fest will again offer fans the opportunity to get team autographs and get their first look at the 2007 Pitt football team.

Fan Fest will not only include the opportunity to get autographs but also the chance to purchase season tickets and official Pitt merchandise. Outside Heinz Field, families can enjoy games and activities while kids test their skills in the Jr. Panthers Training Camp. Also, on Art Rooney Ave and into the Gate A plaza fans can watch the one-hour Savran on SportsBeat telecast and see the Bendel and Benz live radio broadcast from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

I’m definitely most interested in the open practice.

They’re also giving every incentive to have you donate blood. If you do give blood, you’ll get a tour of the Pitt locker room, tickets to the Grambling State game, and a chance to win a few other things.

For the Big East media days, Rivals Radio interviewed a player from each Big East team. Pitt’s representative was Derek Kinder and the interview can be heard here. Before even finishing greeting one another, the interviewer immediately asks, “Who is going to be your starting quarterback?” The answer was pretty much what you’d expect: he’s seen three different guys in practice and didn’t say if any where ahead of the others.

He says the upcoming season isn’t looking too bad and that last year’s 6-6 record was a failure in the end. When he talks about them needing to finish games better, I automatically gag and think of the Michigan State and UConn games. In all, it’s a quick little interview, and not a bad listen.

Also, for your Penn State fill of the week, two articles about PSU and more specifically, their fan base. The first is from Rakes of Mallow, a Notre Dame blog. Penn State and Notre Dame are two of the three teams I dislike the most (WVU the third) but the ND writer makes some great points; highly recommended reading.

I don’t blame Penn State for trying to find a rival, as they don’t really have one. Ohio State is considerably more concerned with Michigan, and vice-versa, while the Irish are more focused on the Wolverines and Trojans. They could restart the local rivalry with Pitt, but the Lions envision themselves on some sort of blue-and-white pedestal when it comes to playing the Panthers.

There was also a reader submission from Mondesi’s House about college allegiances. The reader says that his Penn State co-workers dislike his favorite coach, Jim Tressel.

You would think Jim Tressel stole some of these fans’ dates to the prom, they HATE him with such passion.

This is the classic case of where PSU fans are looking for a rival. They try to act all tough towards Ohio State when Buckeye fans simply shrug it off since they have more important teams to throw their animosity towards.

The Pitt Athletic Department has confirmed the new logo through a press release to the media, an e-mail to Panther Club members, and on the website.

The University of Pittsburgh’s torch-cut Panther head, first unveiled in 1997, is being reintroduced with a sleeker, more polished look. The new mark is the result of the creative efforts of the Pitt Athletic Department and Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC).

I called that they would use the word “sleeker”. By the way, we also know who to blame for coming up with this.

But wait, there’s more of this drivel…

The new Panther head will be a secondary mark for Pitt Athletics. The primary logo will remain the arching block-style PITT, first introduced in 2005. The PITT logo will continue to be the featured mark on the uniforms for each of the University of Pittsburgh’s 19 intercollegiate teams.

“We have been known as Pitt for more than a century and that name and logo will continue to be our primary identity,” Athletic Director Jeff Long said. “After receiving consistent public feedback, we felt the time was right to give our Panther head a more refined, contemporary look and one that is easily reproduced and recognized.”

Merchandise with the “sleeker” Panther will be available in stores beginning July 2. Those of you who can’t wait that long can shop on the Pitt online store which is carrying the new clothing as we speak.

Most people you ask will say any logo choice that the Pitt Athletic Department makes which doesn’t involve changing back to script is a wrong choice. Even if you don’t think that, I’m sure we can all join in saying this is about as bad as it gets.

What we have is a replacement of secondary logo including a “sleeker,” more “modern” look. Yeah, right. Expect to see both of those words in the press release.

Some are calling it “Dinocat 2.0,” others saying it looks like a harmless dog. The topic has six pages (and counting) on the message boards. Chas also wrote about it over at the FanHouse.

I’m moving across town, meaning less computer/blogging time until everything is complete (hopefully soon), and it makes the drive to Heinz Field only about 10 minutes longer. I don’t think this was ever considered as part of the new house:

They’re offered by York Heating and Air Conditioning and come in a variety of NCAA teams. Seriously, they’ll put a logo on anything if it squeezes some cash out of people. Better make sure you order your Furman Paladins air conditioner before they run out.