From the Ray Fittipaldo B-Ball Q&A today.

Q: I am concerned that Pitt is not beating teams badly enough. Sure, there have been plenty of comfortable 15- and 20-point victories, but where are the full-fledged blowouts? Florida beat Southern by 56 points and North Florida by 46 points. North Carolina won a game by 46 points. Ohio State has a number of 30-point victories this season. Shouldn’t Pitt be dominating lesser competition in the same fashion? Maybe I am just being crazy. Please put my mind at ease and tell me this isn’t something to worry about.FITTIPALDO: Some of its has to do with the caliber of competition Pitt is playing and some of it has to do with the fact that Pitt, by its nature, tends to play in a lot of low-scoring, close games. You mentioned Florida beating Southern by 46 points. Well, Southern is 0-9 and is ranked No. 302 in the RPI. Pitt’s non-conference games have been against tougher competition. Let’s say Delaware State is Pitt’s worst non-conference opponent. Delaware State is 1-8 but its RPI is No. 117. That’s a huge difference, and it shows the difference between scheduling for Florida and Pitt this season.

But I’m not going to put your mind at east completely, Jason. Pitt does play a lot of teams closer then it should, and one of these times it’s going to come back to bite the Panthers. I’ll put it this way: If Pitt plays the way it did against Buffalo, the Panthers will lose by double digits to Wisconsin and Oklahoma State.

Records matter at this point, RPI not so much. The sample sizes are too small and one game creates a wild fluctuation. We’ve seen in the past how games that look like big wins early become meaningless later if that team is a disappointment. What is a big difference in why Pitt doesn’t blow out teams is that Pitt is playing one of the slowest tempos in all of basketball. While many teams are playing at a faster pace, Pitt isn’t.

Taking a look at Ken Pomeroy’s stat page, Pitt’s adjusted tempo is for 63.0 possessions/game. 313th slowest. By comparison, North Carolina is averaging 74.5 poss/game (21st). Both teams are playing teams are very efficient in their offenses, but if you are getting more opportunities and converting them, you will score a lot more and make the wins look that much bigger.

It’s unfair. It isn’t right. Two very different games, differing amounts of personnel and everything else. Having typed that… Geez you would hope the football team would get the memo as well.
The article about the team making adjustments at halftime to how to defend Buffalo.

“They kind of have a unique offense,” Dixon said. “We don’t see it a lot. They have big guys who play out on the perimeter and pass the ball and handle the ball so well.”

The combination caused problems for Pitt’s defense, which is predicated on hedging, or faking a trap.

Assistant coach Mike Rice Jr., based on his film study, suggested a slight change. The adjustment worked.

“Instead of hedging all the way out, we just hedged flat on ball screens and handoffs,” Cook said. “That made it easier for the guards to recover.”

The Panthers allowed only 25 points in the second half. They held Buffalo to 33.3 percent from the field, including 1 of 11 from 3-point range, and forced seven of Buffalo’s eight turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

“Coach Rice did a great job on scouting,” Dixon said, “and our guys made a great adjustment.”

No one is going to accuse Coach Dixon of being a master tactician, but he has shown greater flexibility in how to adjust to things as he has gotten more comfortable as the head coach. There is a style of play that he prefers to use, but he adapts it to better use the players and their strengths and weaknesses. He has understood that certain teams have to be played in different ways and the same approach every game is not going to work.

This story suggests that Freshman Gilbert Brown will not be getting redshirted.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is juggling a nine-player rotation, which is about the limit for most college basketball coaches. All nine of those players are averaging more than five points and 12 minutes per game.

There does not appear to be room for another player in the mix, but yesterday Dixon made it seem as if he was preparing to put freshman Gilbert Brown in the rotation.

Brown, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Harrisburg, has been practicing with the team for only about three weeks. He had a bout with mononucleosis in October that set him back and ligaments in his right ankle were torn.

Brown missed practice for a month and is behind in his development, but Dixon seems convinced that he is close to being ready to contribute to the team on a consistent basis.

Many projected Brown to be the only freshman in the class with the skills that could allow him to crash the line-up this season. Brown also did a year of prep school, so he is more eager and a bit more polished then a regular freshman.

I think a side story in the article is that Keith Benjamin sounds much wiser and more like a leader than ever before.

“I talk to him [Brown] all the time,” Benjamin said. “Things are not always meant to be. Sometimes in recruiting you’re sold dreams. He is finally starting to realize that there are eight or nine guys who are good already. He’s doing a better job of fitting in. I hope he’s out there soon. He’s looking good. His shooting has improved tremendously since he got here. He’s a complete-package guard. Everyone knows about him now. It just takes some time.”

Benjamin, early last year, seemed too eager to only look for his shot and push his way into the lineup without regard to the team. This is a very good development.

Of course, the other reason for Gilbert Brown playing this year may mean that the Sam Young at small forward plan may be scaled back this season.

To his credit, Young is switching to small forward after playing mainly power forward last year. While he is averaging only 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, Young is impressing Dixon with his seamless transition from interior defense to the perimeter.

“He’s doing a great job on the defensive end,” Dixon said. “He’s a very good player and has really worked hard and is making a great adjustment in that regard. Better than almost all who have tried to do that.”

On offense, however, Young has at times looked uncomfortable in the new spot. He has 12 turnovers, or two more than point guard Levance Fields.

…

But the adjustment from power forward to small forward means Young is defended by quicker players. Suddenly, his 35-inch vertical leap and rebounding prowess aren’t as important as his decision making, ball-handling and passing skills.

“He’s still getting the feel for it,” senior guard Antonio Graves said. “Last year he played the four (power forward) most of the time, and he had a bigger guy guarding him. Now, he has guards on him. He’s just got to adjust. He’ll be OK.”

Dixon said Young is improving every day at practice.

“He’s done a great job, and it’s because he’s worked so hard,” Dixon said. “That’s why he’s such a much better player than he was in high school and after his freshman year.”

Young is too good, valuable and important a part of the team to not play more and be able to provide more impact. He’ll likely still play a bit at the small forward to keep learning it, but more inside at power forward would be my guess.

This will mean a numbers crunch at power forward, and Biggs and perhaps Kendall playing some more at Center behind Gray. Doyle Hudson seems likely to have his numbers fall further.

Let’s give credit to Pitt Wide Receivers Coach Aubrey Hill. I’ve been thinking about this as I start to consider all the things that went wrong and right for Pitt this year. The brightest spot and biggest surprise (in a good way) has been the emergence of a solid young receiving corp.

Think about it. After spring practice, Derek Kinder was the default #1 WR who no one was sure was really more than a possession guy. Joe DelSardo was the default #2 guy. Oderick Turner, Marcel Pestano and Cedric McGee had all done nothing to really separate themselves from one another. They all looked shaky and unsure.

By the first game of the season, that all changed. Kinder showed he was more than just a possession guy. He was a complete receiver who was willing to go over the middle and could handle getting under the deep ball. And, of course, his downfield blocking. Well, even in the bad loss to WVU, his taking out 2 Hoopies to spring Revis on the punt return was a season highlight.
Turner, Pestano and McGee all made tremendous progress and continued to be solid all year long. They were running great routes, making the catches and just doing everything you want from receivers. Turner and Pestano got more time and opportunities at a suddenly crowded WR spot. Turner and Pestano were 2nd and 3d on the team for receptions (44 and 28) and yards (660 and 424). They combined for 10 TDs and had a virtually identical yards/catch average (15 and 15.1).

It’s part of the reason Freshmen like T.J. Porter saw so little action and Dorin Dickerson wasn’t seeing any time at WR. Not to mention a factor in DelSardo spending most of the games with his helmet by his side sitting alone or with the injured players.
The players obviously did the work and its a credit to them for really stepping up this year. But Aubrey Hill deserves a ton of credit. Watching the WRs this year has been an area to enjoy. All the receivers were catching the ball with their hands up. They ran good routes and they were doing the downfield blocking as they were supposed to. Doing all the fundamentals and doing them right. He has developed the kids and got them playing WR using their natural skills but not relying on them to make the play.

It is also clear that Hill has earned more responsibilities and challenges in recruiting.

Wannstedt said Pitt will place a greater emphasis on recruiting in Maryland and Northern Virginia, a region that will be handled by receivers coach Aubrey Hill, and concentrate less on recruiting Florida.

The talent in that area has been rising the last few years, so it makes sense to mine it. It’s part of what Pitt’s basketball team is trying to do.

Having 28 assists in a game is a noteworthy accomplishment, regardless of the opponent. Last year, the team was quite impressive in sharing the ball coming in at 21st nationally with 16.4/game (yes, even with Krauser running the point), but the team is even better this year to date. Of course what helps is making the shots, and Pitt shot 62.5% in the game.

The Panthers are shooting 53.0 percent from the floor, which would break the team record (50.9 in 1986-87). They are shooting 47.0 percent from 3-point range, which would obliterate the Panthers’ standard. Pitt hasn’t shot better than 38 percent from 3-point range in any of the past 15 seasons.

“You can’t double-team one of us, because that’s going to leave somebody open,” said Antonio Graves, who scored a team-high 17 points against Florida State. “We all can play. We’re all good. That’s the thing about this team.”

Admittedly, Pitt has played its easiest part of the schedule. Open shots and accompanying assists may not be as plentiful when Big East play starts Jan. 4 at Syracuse. But while the percentages might decrease, the mind-set of passing the ball is one every coach desires in his players.

“I am,” Jamie Dixon said, “very fortunate to coach these kids.”

Mike Cook, who has quickly become a favorite with the way he has completely meshed with this team — that year sitting out was not wasted. He was big on the assists.

Small forward Mike Cook led the way with nine assists. Cook and the rest of the Panthers took advantage of Florida State’s tendency to overplay passing lanes. Dixon put in a few new plays to expose that, and the Panthers made an effort to make the extra pass.

“That’s what we preached all week,” Cook said. “We watched film on them and saw how they played the passing lanes. We tried to come out and make extra pass and play off Aaron. When they double- and triple-teamed him, we wanted to make the play.”

Dixon said no one should be surprised with Cook’s ability to pass. Cook played some point guard at East Carolina, and Dixon always admired his passing skills going back to his days as a high school player in Philadelphia.

“I realized how good a passer he was then,” Dixon said. “I think we’re seeing it now.”

Studying film of opponents? Making adjustments to take advantage of the opponent’s tactics? No — must stay focused on basketball for this post.

To think there were questions about whether Cook could make the adjustments from being the big fish in the small pond/go-to-guy at East Carolina to playing as part of a team where he may not be the focal point of the offense every night.

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News really liked what he saw from Pitt’s shooters, and how it bodes for the season.

Good luck trying to use a zone defense against Pitt. Opponents often were tempted to try it against the Panthers in recent years because they were erratic from behind the 3-point line, but the team’s unselfishness and zone offense execution generally were effective counters. This team has those qualities and is making 47.1 percent of its 3s–with G Ronald Ramon, G Antonio Graves, G/F Mike Cook and F Sam Young all hitting at least half their attempts. Florida State tried to control 7-0 C Aaron Gray with a 2-3; he wound up with nine points, but the Pitt regulars had FSU down by as much as 36.

Must maintain perspective. Must remember it is not even December. It’s hard. Really hard. I am so excited about the possibilities with this team.

The depth on this Pitt basketball team is so impressive, and will make for some spirited debates throughout the season as to who should be seeing more minutes, who should see less and (hopefully) why.

Last night it was Tyrell Biggs stepping in to a primary role with a season high 24 minutes in which he scored 11 points (5-7) and grabbed 8 rebounds. He stepped up when Aaron Gray was first limited by early foul trouble and then a split lip requiring 7 stitches.

Levon Kendall moved to center, meaning more minutes for Biggs at power forward. Known for his defense and rebounding, Biggs shot 5 of 7 from the floor yesterday. He has scored a career-high 11 points twice in four games this year. Last season, his single-game high was eight points, as he played only eight minutes a game.

“When Tyrell shoots like that, we’re going to be tough to stop,” said Fields, who finished with five assists, five rebounds and no turnovers.

Biggs underwent a startling offseason transformation, losing about 20 pounds thanks to a conditioning routine and an improved diet. Reportedly a 300-pounder as a New Jersey high schooler two years ago, Biggs now has a chiseled 6-foot-8, 245-pound frame. But he insists his physical attributes are the same. Dixon disputes that.

“He’s quicker. He jumps better,” Dixon said. “It’s not even close. But he doesn’t think he lost any weight.”

Biggs is not selling it to anyone. His old HS coach last week saw the difference. Still, if he wants to claim that, fine. Keep playing this well, and no one will care.
UMass tried — and succeeded early — to get Gray in foul trouble. They learned a lesson about Pitt’s depth and versatility in scoring options. Not to mention, a still stout defense inside.

Massachusetts coach Travis Ford, whose 2-1 team is picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10, said having Gray sit out so much was his team’s goal. Late Friday night, the Minutemen put in three new plays designed to try to get Gray in foul trouble.

“When he went out, I said, ‘OK, ‘ ” Ford said. “And then it got worse.”

The Minutemen stayed in the game and led, 29-28, with 6:16 left in the first half before foul trouble caused Rashaun Freeman, Stephane Lasme and James Life to spend time on the bench. Pitt responded, running up a 46-37 halftime lead.

“We couldn’t score anymore,” Ford said. “We don’t have enough weapons. We didn’t take advantage of [Gray’s absence] because our guys got in foul trouble.”

It helped Pitt, too, that it continued to shoot well.

Here’s the thing about that kind of approach — trying to draw fouls on a player. Unless it’s well executed and well planned, the team trying it is also going to be called for more than a few. It’s just going to happen. You need depth to pull that off. Something UMass didn’t have.
Finally, a little recap story on how Jamie Dixon and Pitt ended up discovering Levon Kendall after 9/11.

Instead, Dixon went to a Nike All-Canada camp at Toronto, the only high-profile event within driving distance of Pittsburgh being held the weekend following the attacks. He didn’t take a day off recruiting because the nation was on high alert.

“There’s often times in recruiting when things fall through. You have to have back-up plans,” he said. “I knew a couple of kids who were going to be up there. I didn’t know anything about Levon.”

Three players in the Toronto tournament were being recruited by Pitt, but Dixon kept noticing Kendall, a power forward from Vancouver. He passed and shot well. He showed good defensive fundamentals. He even had intangibles, like interacting well with his teammates during downtime.

Because there were no flights — and virtually all the U.S. tournaments were postponed — Dixon stayed in Canada for another day. He saw Kendall play in four games in two days. He came back to Pittsburgh and told Howland about the experience.

Pitt ended up whiffing on the other 3 players in Canada including Denham Brown who went to UConn. That opened up the scholarship offer for Kendall.

As Rex pointed out, the ESPN.com column from Joe Starkey on Wannstedt was a good one.

Twenty-one games into his tenure, Wannstedt is 11-10 overall, 9-10 against Division I-A competition. He has yet to score a significant victory. None of the four Division I-A teams that Pitt beat last season (Cincinnati, Syracuse, South Florida, UConn) finished with a winning record, and none of the five it has beaten this season (Central Florida, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Toledo, Virginia) has a winning record.

The “significant” win theme seems to be the meme of the week.

The fan base wasn’t exactly crushed when Harris resigned under pressure and left for Stanford. Wannstedt, a former Pitt player and a graduate assistant on Johnny Majors’ 1976 national championship team, took over amid great excitement and enjoyed an extended honeymoon period despite going 5-6 last year. His first full recruiting class was widely praised, and the Panthers beat up on weak opponents to win six of their first seven games this season.

Then came a 20-10 home loss to Rutgers, one in which some familiar problems resurfaced. Pitt couldn’t protect its quarterback, couldn’t run the ball and couldn’t stop the run at key times, allowing Rutgers to rush for 268 yards.

That was followed by an ugly 22-12 loss at South Florida — Pitt rushed for only 55 yards — and the disaster against UConn, which had been 0-3 in the Big East and started six freshmen on offense.

Pitt led 31-17 early in the fourth quarter but was bludgeoned for drives of 98 and 77 yards, sending the game into overtime — and Pitt fans into a frenzy.

Much of the fury has been directed at defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, for obvious reasons, but Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh also were blasted for sitting on the ball in the fourth quarter.

The obvious reasons with Rhoads is that the defense has sucked again versus decent to good opponents. Given my animosity to Rhoads, it should be no surprise that I don’t think he really addressed why fans want Rhoads gone

I’ll add another thing, the stubborness of Coach Wannstedt to even consider making changes on the approach on defense (“I’ve been doing this for 30 years.”), even as he then says they were trying different things. After last season and going into this season, we read and heard from Coach Wannstedt about how he and the whole team had to and did take a hard look at things. What needed to be done and all stuff like that.

The offense improved as it was tweaked to throw downfield a bit more to utilize the skill of Palko and the receiving corp, there’s even been improvement from the running game, as the O-line while inconsistent has definitely improved. Pitt has done things on offense to play up the strengths and not let the weaknesses kill them in most games.
The defensive players, we readm all slimmed down, got faster, worked harder. Yet, the defensive schemes and strategy still didn’t change. The approach remained the same. So, apparently that was the one area where the hard look was excepted.

Whether he wants to or not, Coach Wannstedt has to deal with some issues. He has to face the reality that some adjustments to the way he plays defense need to be made. I honestly believe Pitt will give him 5 years — he was the choice of so many in power — but he’s only got another couple years before he completely loses the fans.

After a breakout game against Rutgers, it’s no shock that Redshirt Freshman RB Donald Brown has supplanted Senior Terry Caulley. Officially, it is because Caulley is not 100 percent from an ankle injury. Reality is that Brown ran for 198 yards against Rutgers. Production on the field matters a lot more then being a team captain and the all-time leading rusher (for now) at UConn. Brown of course, is ready for the job.
As if that isn’t enough of a reason to beg, plead and scream to Coach Wannstedt and DC Rhoads to stuff the box against UConn’s offense, surely the fact that D.J. Hernandez was named the starting QB should.

But even with all of Brown’s athletic ability and promise, the Huskies still need some semblance of a passing attack to win and keep their fading bowl hopes alive. D.J. Hernandez, named starter for the second time this season prior to the Rutgers game, was again ineffective in completing 8 of 17 passes for just 67 yards, an interception and a fumble.

Hernandez’s dismal statistics were all but lost in the euphoria over Brown’s breakout game. He needs to get better, Edsall said Tuesday. Hernandez agreed, saying the problems stem from a combination of miscommunication with the receivers and his own occasional lack of patience.

“Sometimes it’s breakdowns, sometimes it’s me not securing the ball,” Hernandez said. “It’s a little bit of both. Whether there’s route confusion or myself not holding onto the ball and protecting the ball. Sometimes I try to stay in pocket a little bit too long, and go through my reads when things are opening up.”

The game plan against Pittsburgh (6-3, 2-2) will still be a heavy dose of Brown, with Caulley, if recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him against Rutgers in the first place, and Lou Allen spelling him at times.

But as any coach knows, a team needs to be able to throw to keep defenses honest. Even though Brown churned out several big runs against Rutgers, he was limited in the fourth quarter because Hernandez wasn’t throwing well, and the Scarlet Knights loaded against the run.

Will it be a shock to anyone to know that UConn  has the 7th worst passing offense in the Big East, and 112th overall.

Seriously, when you see those numbers, know you have a bad QB who hasn’t started much, and that the whole offensive game plan for the opponent is to run. How does any sane HC and DC not just say, “Okay, we have a good secondary so we’ll let them go one-on-one. We’ll bring up the safeties. Bring the linebackers closer. The focus is not just on stopping the run, but stuffing and forcing them to throw.”

I’m not talking about blitzing, I’m talking about lining up to stop the run. That’s it. I really don’t know how or why that red herring of blitzes keeps getting tossed out there whenever someone questions the defensive strategy, and somehow it works. It’s like people in Pittsburgh are so conditioned by the Steelers about blitzing, that it simply mentioning “blitz” confuses and distracts them from anything else.

UConn also has lousy punting. Blocked punts in three games this year.

I suppose there would be a bit of bashing if players came out after the game saying that they felt good about things. The way the players are talking at the moment, though, is a big concern.

“That is the million-dollar question — why we have self-destructed and why we haven’t made the plays we’ve made in the past,” quarterback Tyler Palko said. “It isn’t a lack of focus. We need to get to the root of the problem.

“We tip our cap, but, shoot, we can’t do these things and expect to win football games. It is hard enough to win football games when you play mistake-free.”

The Panthers have been anything but. Wannstedt used the word “disappointing” to describe their play and was surprised because he believed they had practiced well. Right tackle Mike McGlynn respectfully disagreed, saying the team had been “lackadaisical” the past two weeks.

After-the-fact, last year’s poor team psyche was attributed to some “bad apples” and poor leadership. Something that no one actually considers and issue. The effort and energy from Pitt’s best players have been there, even as they shoulder the blame.

“The lack of focus we have, that’s my fault,” Blades said. “As a senior leader on this team, I can’t allow those things to happen. So you can put this on me. It is my job, and for that matter Tyler’s [Palko] job and all the captains’ job, to get this team focused and playing well again.”

Blades, whose knee was so beat up Saturday he had to do his postgame interviews while sitting down, said it is frustrating to see the Panthers lose in the manner they have the past two weeks. He said he knows Pitt is a better football team than it has displayed.

“We need to concentrate on us right now,” Blades said. “We need to forget about all the other stuff that’s going on. We can only control what we do. We can’t control anything else. We can’t be focused on other people and other things. We have to be focused on what we do. Period, point blank. I was shocked [by Pitt’s lack of effort]. We just didn’t put out the effort you need to play winning football.

“It seemed to me like some of the guys weren’t into the game. You just can’t cry about it when things go wrong. You have to keep playing football.”

Blades wasn’t the only player who questioned the effort of some of his teammates after the game. Cornerback Darrelle Revis said there were Panthers who flat out quit…

It all seems to start on the lines. If the D-line isn’t stopping the run, or if the O-line can’t provide holes for the running game or protect the quarterback; then it seems the whole team starts to fall apart. They can’t handle the adversity.

I’ll ask: might it have anything to do with a lack of faith in the coaching staff to make adjustments to what the other side is doing? It speaks, poorly to the discipline within the team.

On the field, the O-line is in bad shape.

Pitt shuffled its offensive line, which is beset by injuries, against South Florida. Midway through the second quarter, the Panthers replaced guards C.J. Davis and Joe Thomas for a series with Dom Williams and Chris Vangas, who drew back-to-back penalties. In the fourth quarter, Jason Pinkston replaced Jeff Otah at left tackle on the final drive.

And on top of that, with only 3 games left Coach Wannstedt may take the redshirt off of Freshman DE Greg Romeus. Please don’t.

No discussion in the Q&A about the Bulls. Zeise in his intro states that he thinks Pitt should and will win this one.

I guess if Coach Wannstedt and DC Paul Rhoads aren’t going to answer the question about stuffing the box to stop the run — other then to give a “because, I say so” response — Zeise is going to have to keep answering for them.

Q: What are your thoughts on the game plans against Rutgers? Why no hurry up offense? Why no eight men in the box?

ZEISE: The Panthers did some hurry-up offense and to some degree it worked.

I thought on defense, the game plan was pretty solid ?? they were losing 13-10 with about 10 minutes to play. The idea that there were so many different things the Panthers should have tried on defense to me is a little silly given the fact that they held Rutgers — despite giving up a huge edge in field position — to six points in the first half. The defense did the job and finally just wore down.

The offensive game plan seemed to be sound, it was the execution that was terrible. I know that is coach-speak but in this case it is true. The Panthers were their own worst enemy. They had penalties, they had dropped passes, they had a lot of negative plays. They seemed to be in terrible field position and third and long the entire first half. It is hard to call plays when that is the case.

I will concede the offense bears a lot of responsibility for doing a poor job in execution. Missing opportunities, making mistakes and drops. No question. It also allowed the Rutgers defense to take more chances and get more aggressive.

Having said that, the defensive game plan was anything but solid.  They held them to only 6 points in the first half, in large part becaues Rutgers brokedown at the very end of those drives and a missed a 35 yard FG. As for the defense wearing down, sure because that’s what happens when you continually bend but don’t break. Rutgers held the ball for over 18 minutes in the first half (10:24 in just the second quarter) and converted 3-6 on 3d downs in the second quarter.

I don’t want to keep rehashing the same thing. It’s just that it defends the indefensible and offers flawed logic. If you allow a team to continually get better field position, you keep the offense further back and don’t do anything to help change field position and it is no shock later in the game that the D is wearing down.

Q: There is a movement among Pitt fans to have a “Blue Out” for the WVU game, where all students and fans wear blue to the game. What do you think?

ZEISE: I think it is noble and all, but doesn’t West Virginia also wear blue? So how can you tell who is cheering for either team because a lot of Mountaineers fans will be wearing blue? I mean, it would make more sense to me if Pitt still wore the blue of the old uniform colors.

You know, I make no promises as to what color I wear to a night game in November other then to be certain it is quite warm.

Big thanks to “Pittpanther14” if he’s a reader or just had the same issue on his own for asking the question in Zeise’s chat.

Pittpanther14: I was confused by your article today. Is there a difference between applying pressure / run blitzing vs just keeping 8 or 9 men in the box?

Paul Zeise: There is but the bottom line is it starts up front. This whole nine men in the box thing is nice — but if your big guys get blocked one on one, which was happening, your nine men no longer have a big advantage in outnumbering the blockers — and all you really have is a lot of guys close to the line scrimmage who are forced to chase a running back down the field. If you can’t win the battles up front, all of the rest is really irrelevant in a lot of ways.

Um, okay. Sure.

While on Chat transcripts, this from Mel Kiper, Jr. (ESPN Insider).

Jade (Duquesne, PA): Hello Mel, What round to you think Tyler Palko will get drafted in 2007 or will he get drafted at all?

Mel Kiper: I think he’s had a good year. He’s a great year. I had a chance to meet him when he was a freshman. He’s been there and had good coaching. He’s a tough kid. He’s got a chance on Day 2 of the draft. How high, it depends on how he finishes out. They could be a large factor on how things finish out. They play WVU still.

Hmph. You’d think showing the ability to thrive in two different style systems would be a big plus in showing his ability to grasp and run any offense.

A very unsatisfying article talking to Pitt’s DC Paul Rhoads about stopping the run (or Pitt’s failure to do so in key games).

The Pitt Panthers (6-2, 1-2) will play South Florida (5-3, 1-2) Saturday at Tampa, Fla., and the Bulls operate out of a spread formation that features an option-style rushing attack mixed with conventional power rushing plays.

Traditionally, that’s the kind of offense that has caused the Panthers fits. A common theory is the Panthers don’t “run blitz” enough and they need to use more stunting and line games. By extension, the Panthers’ philosophy of staying in a base defense and trying to win individual battles up front instead of committing extra players may be sound, but it isn’t practical because they don’t have the players to do that.

Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said such a theory is based on the incorrect assumption that the Panthers haven’t been mixing it up or applying pressure.

Now, I may be being purposefully dense, owing to my bias against the DC, and I’m willing to concede the possibility, so please correct me in the comments if you disagree. Perhaps he means more than just “run blitzing” and such when he means “applying pressure.” Perhaps, his definition of “applying pressure” is meant to include putting more men up to stop the run.

I just don’t see it in the entire discussion. My sense is that the entire focus of the article is more about run blitzing and attacking. There seemed to be nothing about just committing ot put 8 or more men in the box to stop the run. Nothing.

Instead, Rhoads just talks of applying pressure in key points. That it has worked fine for 6 of the games. Just not the two where the team had a good rushing attack made to look like they were a juggernaut.

And god help us, he was quoted as saying, “Overall, we were bending but certainly not breaking…” in reference to the Rutgers game. Mainly in reference to the first half. A half, where I felt that Rutgers hurt itself at the end of drives more then Pitt stopped them. A half where Rutgers held the ball for more than 18 minutes. You know, something that might have contributed to wearing down the defense in the second half.
I have to take my daughter to class around noon. If Zeise is doing his online chat today, someone ask him to clarify this. Whether Rhoads was claiming that “applying pressure” included bringing more players closer to the line to stop the run.

Anyone else watch much of the UConn-Rutgers game last night? UConn, if not for it’s own ineptitude and RU’s defense, had a real shot. RU scored 2 of its 3 TDs off of special teams and defense. UConn, going into that game had the 2nd worst run defense in the Big East. They held Ray Rice to under 80 yards. Care to guess how?

”They packed the box,” Rice said. ”They did a great job. I’m just happy we came out with a win. That’s the biggest thing: we’re 8-0.”

Someone send a tape of that to DC Paul Rhoads.

The Huskies have the best pass defense in the BE, in part because their run defense is so porous it’s easier to run. The Huskies, understood that their best shot on defense was to sell-out against the run, trust in their secondary and the fact that Teel and his receivers suck (11-24, 0 TD, 1 INT). Doing that also limited the best receiving weapon on the Scarlet Knights, TE Clark Harris since he had to stay and block most of the time (only 2 catches).

Now I’m getting pissed about the Rutgers game again.

It may be hard to accept that Rutgers is better than Pitt this year, but is it so hard to accept that the Rutgers lines were definitely better than Pitts’? I don’t think so.

What made this game so frustrating. So annoying and familiar. There were coaching adjustments that could have been made to at least partially compensate for this. I’m not saying Pitt would have won, but it would have put Pitt in a better position consider Rutgers managed to miss a bunch of opportunities in the first half.

On the defense, as discussed ad nauseum, you bring the linebackers closer to the line, bring up at least one safety. Maybe even mix in a blitz, though, not totally necessary when a team is running the ball 71% of the time. Just do something to accept the reality that the run was coming. If you want to make a QB throw, you have to make it attractive to take the chance. It’s not going to happen if the run is there, the entire game.

For the offense, keep the tight ends in to block more frequently. If there is a need to pass go with max protection. In other words, if the lines couldn’t do the job straight-up, give them some help.

These adjustments weren’t made. Again.

The defeat cost the Panthers a chance to move into the Top 25 and, once again, exposed their run-defense deficiencies — a troubling revelation with the No. 1 rushing team in the nation, West Virginia, and Louisville, ranked seventh, looming on the Big East horizon.

“Physically,” coach Dave Wannstedt said, “we didn’t hold up like we need to.”

Rutgers sophomore Ray Rice rushed for 225 yards on 39 carries, both career highs, and the Scarlet Knights offensive line mauled Pitt’s undersized defensive front.

The only hope I am taking from this is that it forces Coach Wannstedt to make the change at defensive coordinator. These “run defense deficiencies” have been there for the last 4 years or so. A run-only offensive team that everyone knows will be running, just imposes their will. The defense doesn’t prepare or adjust to it.

I know I’m not unbiased to Paul Rhoads. I’ve wanted the DC gone since the 2003 season. I’ve made no secret of that. It isn’t the lack of blitzing, or even the actual “bend-but-don’t-break” defensive philosophy. Or even seeing the team regularly make a good back look like Tony Dorsett. No. It’s the soft coverage even with talent in the secondary. It’s poor recruiting work on the D-line. It’s poor gameplanning. It’s the complete lack of adjustments after halftime. It’s not playing to the defense’s strengths and exploiting the opposing offenses weaknesses. It comes down to not putting the defense in a position to succeed.

Rhoads follows more of a “read-and-react” approach on defense, which is why he won’t make adjustments. He concedes to the offense what will be dictated. It doesn’t allow the defense to play to its strengths and mask or help at the weak spots.

On the offensive lines, I admit to being willing to cut a bit of slack. Not just because there is a new offensive system and OC, but because I honestly wasn’t even expecting this much from them this season. Talented players like Joe Thomas give hope for the future. The loss of Simonitis and injuries to back-ups also provides something of an excuse.

Rutgers has a very good and fast D-line. They used their strengths to attack Pitt. They didn’t blitz Pitt repeatedly because they always do. They did it, because they could exploit the weaknesses of Pitt (the O-line) and cover their own weak area (secondary).

Dave Wannstedt is responsibe for all of this as the head coach. I would say this is the last year he can even mention that he is still learning things about the college game and differences from the pros.

Morning everyone. I’m nursing a bit hangover this morning, and I still have to drive back. I haven’t had time to read all the comments yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I assume it was as frustrating to watch on TV as it was live.

A couple questions. Was that really a late hit by Blades on the sidelines in the second half? It sure didn’t look like one to us. Did Kinder fumble? As soon as they announced it was under review, the jumbotron shut-down any replays for the fans to see. An annoying thing at Heinz Field to not show any replays of reviewed plays. There was a general sense in the stands that the officials sucked for this game. Either that, or they were instructed by the Big East offices to make sure Rutges won.

No, I’m not feeling bitter this morning.

Rutgers didn’t need the help. They were the better team then Pitt last night. Their lines far outplayed Pitt. DC Paul Rhoads is now reaching Hackett-levels of my disgust for the way he calls  defenses. Isn’t it about time for one of the papers to run a soft feature on him, that paints him in a human, favorable light?
Direct comments that I wrote down in my notepad at halftime:

“Pitt hasn’t played particularly well. Bad O-line and no running game. D has been out a lot. Continually unable to stop Rutgers on 3d and short. Noting going Pitt’s way right now.

“That Pitt is only down 6-0 is because RU’s receivers can’t hold onto the ball.

“The band is now playing some Phantom of the Opera. I hate Andrew Lloyd Weber.

“Neither team should be happy with their play in the first half. Problem for Pitt is that RU is running real well, and will probably continue to do so and wear down the D further. Help needed on the line.”

These were some other comments from the second half.

“No pressure and soft coverage in a Paul Rhoads defense? What are the odds?”

The box score just disgusts me. Rutgers had 14 more plays on offense (and it seemed like more). Teel only attempted 18 passes because Pitt made no effort to adjust to stopping the run.

I’ll have more later. I need some more time and I have to leave soon.