JJ Moore to Pitt!

Jamie Dixon snagged another outstanding recruit today as JJ Moore committed to Pittsburgh. According to our research, Moore will most likely be reclassifed to 2011 due to academics.

Thoughts:

If Moore does somehow get his academics together for 2010 things become interesting as it puts Pitt over the scholarship limit meaning a player would be forced off the team. Regardless of if we see him in 2010 or 2011 this is an outstanding get. Here is his scouting video from Gothamhoops.com.

Links:

NBE Basketball Report
Flagrant Fouls

Basketball Begins!

Well here we are again gentlemen. We’ve lost old friends and made new ones as this year Pitt is equipped with a new rotation of basketball astronauts ready to take off in their spaceship and discover new worlds. The planet of Wofford is the first stop on their glorious adventure through the cosmos.

Wofford is coming off there most successful season since joining the Southern Conference after going 16-14 last year. The game is at Pitt, Wofford isn’t too good, and this is a win. Moving on.

Expectations for the Season:

Growing pains. Pitt is young and lost a lot in Blair, Young, Biggs, and Fields. With Gilbert Brown (academic suspension) and Jermaine Dixon (broken foot) out for the time being the Panthers essentially begin the year without 2008s top 6. No team in the Howland/Dixon era has ever had to overcome anything quite this substantial.

That being said, Dixon has his best recruiting class coming in. Dante Taylor will rip off your limbs and laugh at you, Lamar Patterson (regarded by Brandin Knight as very cerebral) won a spelling bee when he was still in utero, Talib Zanna wrestles wild boars, and JJ Richardson is Superman’s third cousin. I expect a season similar to what WVU had last year. Struggles out of the gate due to a young roster followed by great improvement as the season progresses. I still see Pitt sneaking into the NCAA based on Dixon’s knack for developing young talent.

In fact, I don’t see how anyone with a functional brain cannot be totally pumped up for Pitt basketball regardless of this year’s outcome. They have an outstanding prospect in Isaiah Epps at PG and a good looking 2 in Cameron Wright coming in 2010 and another elite player in guard John Johnson for 2011.

Take a gander my friends. The 2011 roster as of now has Zanna, Taylor (if he doesn’t go pro), Richardson, Dwight Miller, Ashton Gibbs, Travon Woodall, Nas Robinson, Lamar Patterson, Isaiah Epps, John Johnson, and Cameron Wright. That’s an 11 man rotation of players all regarded as very good prospects with a smidgeon of elite in guys like Epps, Johnson, and Taylor. It is a lineup that talks to you. It looks you in your big brown eyes and asks “good afternoon sir, would you care to join me at the Final Four?” As great as Blair, Young, and Fields were for the Panthers, last years team lacked quality depth. Future teams will not have that problem.

Don't look directly at the future. It's too bright. You will damage your eyes.

Wrapping up the 'Cuse, looking ahead to ND

Not much to say about this game.  We were on vacation with the family, so we didn't even get to see much of the game.  Most reports point to Pitt coming out flat in the first half and leaving a ton of points on the board.  The game was never really in doubt, though, as Pitt cruised to an easy 2nd half win.  

Now, we move into Notre Dame week.   Speaking of the Irish, Pittblather got a hold of this gem.  So, even if Pitt beats ND on Saturday, the possibility of a 10-2 Pitt team playing in the Gator Bowl is looking pretty slim.  That, in a nutshell, exemplifies everything that is wrong with college football.  Here's our thoughts on ND:

Notre Dame football is, by most accounts, in need of a complete overhaul.  The coaching staff isn't getting it done, even with some pretty solid recruiting.  I talked with some ND fans after the loss to Navy at a bar in Florida, and that was pretty much their take.  It's a shame, really, I said to them, that it was Navy, not Pitt who exposed the Irish as the bad football team that they are.  It would have been great to have ESPN Gameday on hand (and a nationally televised game to boot) for Wanny and the Panthers to have their coming out party.  Be honest, Panther fans, who has Pitt really beaten this year?  Granted, they have handled the lesser teams they way a good football team should.  But there's a reason they've only reached #12 in the BCS.  A convincing win (like we're predicting will happen) over a top 15 Notre Dame team would have  been huge for Pitt.  It's looking like the Panthers will have to use WVU and Cincy to prove they're a top 10 program.  

Paul Zeise takes a swipe or three at the remaining teams on Pitt's schedule.  He brings up some interesting points about ND not being where Pitt would want them to be coming into this game too.  He then goes on to say that WVU looks sluggish.  Cincy looked vulnerable against UConn on Saturday and has to host WVU on Friday night.  While we're on the topic of the quality of opponent for Pitt, Zeise's article brings up an interesting question. Would it be better for Pitt's BCS ranking if they were to beat an 8-2 WVU team coming off a huge upset of Cincy, and then go on to play a 10-1 Bearcats team the following game?  Or would Pitt want to face off against an undefeated Cincy team that would, in all likelihood, be #4 in the BCS, after holding serve against the Mountaineers? (You know how we feel about this).

Enough looking ahead.  It's time for Notre Dame. Regardless of their loss last week, this is Pitt's biggest challenge of the season.  There will be distractions (scoll down for the "snap judgement about Pitt and Dion Lewis) all week. The pressure of a big, nationally televised, prime-time game are going to have to be handled by Wanny and staff.   When it comes down to it, this is an absolute must win for this Pitt staff.  

Hail to Pitt   

South Florida recap

Awesome sports weekend in the city of Pittsburgh, as Heinz field saw two big wins for the home teams.  Most notably (for a Pitt blog, anyhow) was the Panthers 41-14 (palindrome!) blow-out of the South Florida Bulls.

This game was never really in doubt.  Pitt controlled the ball in the 1st half, scoring on all 5 of it's possessions, while limiting South Florida to just one score.  Dion Lewis continued his remarkable season, becoming only the 4th Panther to go over 1,000 yards in his first season.  Stull and a couple of the 1st teamers didn't play more than the 3rd quarter in the second half, a 30 point lead will lend itself to such luxuries.  

Pitt now moves into a much needed bye week before taking on Syracuse and then rolling into the toughest part of the schedule.  Some links:

Dom DeCicco was named Big East defensive player of the week for his effort.  He led the D with 10 tackles.  Pitt held South Florida to 212 yards, mostly on the ground.  I guess he's the guy on the defense that played the best game, but it was an all around team effort.  Aaron Berry, Elijah Fields and Antwuan Reed all chipped in with 3 interceptions as South Florida only had one real scoring opportunity against the 1st team.

Great article about the possibility of a Pitt vs. Penn State Fiesta Bowl this year.  I'd blow my life savings to go watch Pitt roll up JoePa and the Lady Lions.  Read some of the comments for this article.  It's great how some people still use the argument that Penn State doesn't need Pitt.  Granted, everyone plays cupcakes to pad their record.  It's nothing new in college football.  But, to the people arguing this point, are you saying that Penn State needs Akron, Temple and Syracuse?  Why dip into the Big East (talking about Syracuse here) and NOT play Pitt? Guh.  Do you really need to play 8 home games, 4 against shit teams? (via MH)   

Hail to Pitt

South Florida

Many people have been touting tomorrow's game against the South Florida Bulls as "The toughest team Pitt has played this year." Pitt fans better get used to hearing that for the rest of the season (with the exception of Syracuse week).

Bob Smizik says It's a really, really big game. He's pretty much on point with some of his statements. We're not big Smizik fans, but this one actually struck a cord with us.

Pitt athletic director Steve Pedersen is a master of marketing, but even he’s not been able to gain the kind of wide-spread public acceptance of the Pitt football program that it might otherwise deserve.

I think that Bob is right to not put the blame on the marketing initiatives at Pitt. Nothing sells more than winning. Pitt needs to be competitive year in and year out to sell out Heinz Field on a consistent basis when competing with the caliber of High School football found in western PA, the Penguins and the Steelers.  In the short term- ticket sales for the rest of this year (excluding Notre Dame) are really going to hinge on tomorrow's outcome.

Paul Zeise talks about Lewis filling Wannstedts need for a durable, punishing RB.  Lewis is a straight ahead runner, and at times can be shifty.  He certainly can wear on a defense when they're chasing him around or he's running them over late into the 4th quarter.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about Lewis is his ability to carry the ball multiple times productively late in games.

Against Rutgers, Pitt -- clinging to a seven-point lead -- had a 13-play, 60-yard drive that consumed 6:53 in the fourth quarter and should have put the game out of reach, except that Dan Hutchins missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt. On that drive, Lewis had nine carries for 43 yards.

Against Connecticut the week before, Pitt had two fourth-quarter drives -- one to tie the game and one to win it -- and Lewis had 10 carries in 23 plays.

"You have to tackle him every time," Wannstedt said. "And, in the fourth quarter, those 21/2-yard runs become four-yard runs. He has proven he can do it all. He can go inside and outside, shows power and speed, and that is very unusual for any back, let alone a freshman."

It goes without saying, but it really is great to have someone step in and pick up the slack left by McCoy when he left to go to the NFL last year.  Lewis is only a freshman and he's already making big impressions at Pitt.  

South Florida knows they'll be in for a long day against Lewis and plan on keying their defense around him.

Slowing Lewis, however, won't be easy. USF's rushing defense (119 yards per game) is second-to-last in the Big East, while the 5-foot-8, 195-pound freshman leads the conference in rushing and is third in the nation with a 131-yard average.

In recent years, with Matt Cavanaugh calling plays, that would be an invitation to come out throwing.  Thankfully, Pitt has an OC that people have generally been pleased with this year.

Frank Cignetti has done a heck of a job.

I remember writing in February, when Cavanaugh left to become the New York Jets' quarterbacks coach, that no offensive coordinator could make a significant difference for Pitt as long as Stull was quarterback. Well, I was way wrong.

Seriously, what a jackass for not thinking that Stull could play up to this level.  Jerk.

Here's hoping the weather stays like this for tomorrow.  We'd like to see a sloppy terf and a game decided on the ground.  Advantage: Pitt.  Oh, and we'll be in Section 534 if anyone wants to come and scold us for thinking it would be beneficial for Pitt to lose to an undefeated Cincy team this year.  

Hail to Pitt!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Our Halloween Horror Scenario for Pitt Football

Let's start off by saying sorry. Sorry for the long break in between posts. Honestly, we went into the football season thinking that we were going to make this a Pitt basketball-only blog. It's looking more and more like that's going to be the case. We're going to start talking Pitt hoops here soon.

But, as the football season presses on, and Pitt climbs to #20 in the BCS rankings, we're beginning to worry. Yes, Pitt football fans, there is more worry than joy in our hearts right now, regardless of a 3-0 Big East record and 6-1 overall.

Let's start with the matters at hand. The inevitable mid-season collapse feels like it's right around the corner, doesn't it? The Wanstache has his troops all lined up with a set path to the promised land. But, it's the land-mines on the way that are giving you that sinking feeling in your stomach. Those land-mines have names, they're called South Florida, WVU and Cincinnati. Let's take a look at the obstacles ahead, and eventually get to what worries us the most about the rest of this season.

Pitt vs. South Florida

Un-ranked South Florida comes into Heinz Field on Saturday for a noon game against Pitt in what can be considered the biggest game at Heinz Field for Pitt since the 2003 Miami game (WALT!!). The bulls boast a stout defense with new-comer DE Jason Pierre-Paul and safety Nate Allen leading the way.

South Florida's D may be impressive, but they've yet to face a running game on par with Dion Lewis. Cincinnati proved that South Florida can be beat in the air, even without an all-american QB for half a game. Pitt's offense should roll, but it's the D that will be the concern in this one.

QB B.J. Daniels took over the reigns for the Bulls in their third game after 5th year senior Matt Grothe went down with a knee injury. Since then, he's been a one man offense for South Florida. He leads the team in rushing and has thrown for 800+ yards in those games combined. The pressure will be on Pitt's injury riddled secondary to play their best game of the season to allow Romeus and the D-line to contain Daniels long enough to force him to make bad decisions. Aaron Berry is still listed as day-to-day, and Elijah fields is expected to be at full speed come Saturday.

Regardless of the blow-out loss to Cincy last week, South Florida is still a solid team. Their resume includes an impressive win over Florida State and only that one loss to the Bearcats. The spread is Pitt -7. It's a trap bet. People will be all over South Florida, but Pitt will cover and then some.

Syracuse

Pitt's already overlooking this game. Upset in the making.

Notre Dame

If there's one thing Pitt has been able to do the last 10 years, it's proven that they aren't intimidated by big name programs outside of the Big East. Notre Dame has had only 1 lopsided victory against Pitt, that win coming in Wanny's first year at the helm. Visions of Pitt Stadium's last game, Tyler Palko swearing on live T.V. and Shady McCoy running all over Notre Dame stadium come to mind when you think about ND/Pitt. Pitt gets another crack at the Fighting Irish in November. A win over South Florida, Syracuse and Notre Dame will have people talking about the 9-1 Panthers as a legit BCS team.

WVU

If WVU continues to roll, and Pitt comes in at 9-1, this game might attract the ESPN GameDay crew. More on this game to come as it approaches (obviously), but no one can ever predict what will happen in the Backyard Brawl. The winner of this game could head into the final week of the season as a top 10 team. If it's Pitt....well...here's the scary part.

Cincinnati

Our fears realized all over again. For sake of argument, a 1 loss Pitt team vs. an undefeated Cincy team means bad, terrible, horrible things for the Big East and, in turn, the Panthers. It's a catch 22 situation for any big picture-thinking Pitt fan.

I'm sure the score 13-9 means something to all of you for one reason or another. For die-hard, narrow minded PItt fans, it's a reason to brag to WVU fans and knock them down a peg. God knows they need it. But that game did far more damage to the Big East than it did to the WVU program and it's fans as a whole. A Big East team in the BCS championship game means better recruiting throughout the conference. It means respect nationally and ultimately can turn a mediocre conference into an all around good conference. Regardless of Ohio State's blow-out losses in title games in years past, how many people don't consider the Big10 as college football elite, undeserved as it may be. How many people think of the Big East as a joke? Why do you think that is? I wasn't the only Pitt fan who wasn't irate with the horrible officiating against PItt in that WVU game. It seemed that even the Big East refs knew that WVU needed to win that game.

This is the situation that Pitt may find themselves in this year, only with an added twist. Yes. It would be great for Pitt to somehow play in the Rose Bowl against a Big10 team. I personally would LOVE to see a Pitt get another shot at a mid-major in a bowl that didn't end with .com. But tell me, readers, would you rather deal with people perceiving the Big East as a joke with no recent title contenders for another year or 5, or see Pitt in a BCS game, a feat that can be accomplished almost any year.

I'm already preparing myself for the tearing at my soul that could ensue. Assuming that Cincy makes it through WVU alive and into the last week of the season in the top 3 in the BCS, a win against a 10-1 Pitt team should catapult them into the National Championship game. That would do more good for the Panthers than a run of the mill BCS game ever would.

This entire post may be pre-mature. Cincy could roll over and play dead against Louisville without Pike on Saturday. Pitt could legitimately end up 11-1 or 7-5 this season. But it's almost Halloween. This is the scariest story I could tell.

Pitt Stadium Photographs

I've been collecting old photographs of Pitt Stadium. Here are a few I'd love to share with the readership.