Okay, last year Pitt finally took it out on USF for that debacle back in 2001. Not sure if they’ll be breaking out these pins and t-shirts again. Now, Pitt has to show that it can handle the Bulls at home. I think there should be little chance of the team taking USF lightly after the way they handled Louisville.

Game notes from Pitt are out (PDF).

On the depth chart, C.J. Davis will start once more at Left Guard. John Bachman is now behind Charles Spencer at Left Tackle. Ray Kirkley is still listed as the starter at Tailback with Stephens-Howling or Jennings backing-up. Not sure whether Stephens-Howling will be ready or not. He is no longer listed on the depth chart at Kick Returner — Terrell Allen and Marcel Pestano have the spots. Conredge Collins is listed behind Murphy at Fullback.

Now, the real downside for this game is the time of the year. I think for home games with USF, Pitt needs to schedule it for as early as possible. Warmer weather is important.

One other note. The Syracuse game on October 22, Homecoming, is now scheduled for a noon start. That means it will be on ESPN Regional and GamePlan. The game will be aired by WTAE locally.

Quiet day for the local media regarding Pitt. Any attention regarding Pennsylvania college football seems focused on some other team further east. Their name escapes me at the moment.

Naturally it is time to talk about Conredge Collins since he actually got to play, and will likely play more.

On Saturday, Collins got on the field for the first time in his college career. Playing fullback, he had seven carries for 15 yards in Pitt’s 38-20 rout of Cincinnati.

“We need all the healthy backs we can get,” Wannstedt said. “We’ll get (Collins) on special teams next week and we’ll continue to work him in more. His playing time will pick up as time goes on.”

With Collins’ debut, Wannstedt and his staff were able to get a close look at two-thirds of their backfield of the future.

Tailback Rashad Jennings, recovered from a shoulder injury, cruised for 102 yards and a touchdown. LaRod Stephens-Howling missed his second straight game with a high ankle sprain.

When all three freshmen are healthy, it could be a potent combination.

“When we’ve got a game, when it needs to be pounded out, that’s me and Rashad,” Collins said. “LaRod’s got scatback speed. If it gets a little too tough in the middle, we can give it to LaRod and he’ll bounce outside.

“We’ve got weapons. We’ve just got to use them all at the right time.”

Okay, I admit it, I started to drool a little bit thinking about all three of them playing. If we get even a halfway decent offensive line in place, that could be one hell of a backfield.

Collins turned down Miami, among other schools, in part because Pitt offered him a chance to play tailback. However, with Stephens-Howling and Jennings in place, Collins appears to be slated for the fullback spot.

“I think the guy has talent and could be really special there,” Wannstedt said.

Wannstedt said he and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh will try to get Collins as many touches as possible. He pointed out that fullback Tim Murphy has been used often in one-back sets this season. And in the NFL, it is not unusual for fullbacks to get the ball in their hands.

“All the years that Matt was at San Francisco, Tom Rathman was their leading receiver and he was a fullback,” Wannstedt said. “When we were in Dallas, it was nothing for (fullback) Daryl Johnson to catch 75-80 balls a year and he was still getting his carries.

“When you have players, you have to find ways to get them the ball.”

Collins was considered Pitt’s biggest get as a recruit and when he was landed by Pitt so late in the recruiting year, it got everyone’s attention that Coach Wannstedt can recruit.

The point he made about how getting him to the NFL and how he and OC Cavanaugh like to use fullbacks seems echoed by Collins.

Collins reportedly chose Pitt because Wannstedt told him he would have an opportunity to play tailback. Most other schools wanted him as a linebacker or fullback.

But Collins said that’s not entirely true. The main reason he’s at Pitt is because he believes he can help the Panthers win a national championship.

He said he trusts coaches will use him in a way that he’ll have an opportunity to have plenty of success.

Another factor in his decision to come to Pitt was Wannstedt’s and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s NFL experience.

“I’m a team player. I want to win above all,” Collins said. “And the reason I came here is because coaches let me know that whether I played tailback or fullback, I’d get a chance to run the football and catch some passes. That’s all I asked for, an opportunity and coach Wannstedt gave it to me. If you look at what the fullbacks have done on the NFL level for him and for coach Cavanaugh in the past, I know I’ll have a big part in the offense at either running back spot.”

If you are looking for the upside to Pitt’s season being less than hoped for (and that is about as nice as can put it) to this point, it’s that Pitt and Coach Wannstedt are playing the freshmen and underclassmen more. Proving to recruits and potential commits that he is not just paying lip service to giving them a chance to make an immediate impact and getting the best players out there regardless of seniority.

Pitt may be out of the ESPN.com Bottom 10 this coming week, so now we’re in the “mediocre middle“?

Saluting the fluffy center of the 117-team Division I-A college football universe, where No. 59 is the ultimate goal in a poll that goes up and down, with all roads leading to the middle.
…
58. Pittsburgh (2-4): Knocked off Cincinnati in the first ever “River City Rivalry.” Did they have to invent a trophy to make Dave Wannstedt feel better about himself?

Well, it’s a start.

I had intended to return during the day, but then I realized I had a rare opportunity to sit my ass on the couch with some beers and chips and watch the NFL all day without the wife and kid around — no interruptions.

There was no way to pass on that simple pleasure. Until you are denied it for a few years, you never realize what an oddly peaceful thing it is to watch big 200-350 pound men hit the crap out of each other for 3 hours at a time on TV

Sadly my Eagles got the snot beaten out of them by the Cowboys. Disconcerting as well to be happy to see Polite and Pettiti doing well with Dallas. Generally, a good day for former Pitt players. Martin scored a couple TDs to help the Jets win, as did Antonio Bryant for Cleveland. Barlow had nice stats, so did Fitzgerald.

Plus there was that absolute marathon 18 inning game between Houston and Atlanta. Then, of course, I had to watch the Yankees. Happily they pulled it out to force game 5 tonight.

The Cinci papers declared the Bearcat’s debut in the Big East a “flop.” Apparently they weren’t proud that the Bearcats were the first Div. 1-A team Pitt beat this year — they were just what Pitt needed. Cinci did learn that they just are not a good team. Specifically, their back-up QB wasn’t that good. Saturday just wasn’t a good day for coaches named Tressel. There was the obvious occurrence in State College, but Cinci special teams were pathetic. They are coached by Mike Tressel — the nephew of Jim Tressel.

As I was driving back from Pittsburgh yesterday morning, my dad called to cheerfully discuss his Penn State team being “back.” Well, that and he wanted another shot at corrupting his granddaughter’s fundamental belief structure of college football loyalties. He did politely inquire about how Pitt did since he was having trouble finding anything non-PSU related in the Harrisburg Patriot college football section. He finally found the story on page 14.

There were several things Pittsburgh should have learned during its 38-20 win against Cincinnati in the inaugural River City Rivalry game yesterday at Heinz Field.

First, freshman tailback Rashad Jennings is healthy again and appears to be the power runner Pitt (2-4, 1-1) envisioned when he was named a starter to open the season. Jennings ran 11 times for 102 yards with a 13-yard touchdown, his first.

Second, sophomore Darrelle Revis is quickly developing into an elite player. Already a shutdown cornerback and big-play defender, Revis has become an electrifying punt returner. He had two runbacks of 40-plus yards last week and torched the Bearcats for a 79-yard return for a touchdown.

And, third, not only did Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1) replace Temple in the Big East, but it took over for the Owls as the worst team in the conference. The Bearcats were inept on offense and have a porous defense, and Pitt should have beaten them by four touchdowns.

Pitt also got a lot of freshmen into the game. C.J. Davis started at Left Guard in place of Dale Williams. John Bachman got playing time on the O-line. Conredge Collins got some touches — and either was a little jittery or learned that the game is tougher in college than in high school. Backup-QB Bill Stull didn’t make it into the game. Coach Wannstedt wanted to, but when Pitt had a couple late turnovers to keep it closer than he was comfortable with, Palko stayed out there.

Darrelle Revis stood out on special teams and defense. Rashad Jennings was great running the ball.

Kicker Josh Cummings was back to consistent reliable kicking even if he doesn’t feel all the way back yet. 3 XP and 3 FG, including one of 45 yards.

Apparently the handle on the RCR trophy does move. After the game, H.B. Blades moved it to the Pitt side.

I do like what Wannstedt said after the game.

Wannstedt, however, was in no mood to celebrate. He was happy the Panthers got the win, but he sent a message after the game to his players that Pitt (2-4, 1-1 Big East) can and will play a much higher level of football.

“We’ve got a long way to go before we feel good about ourselves around here,” Wannstedt said. “We’re glad to get a win, don’t get me wrong, but now is not the time to get silly. We have a lot of work to do and we know where we have to get better and we have to get done. We should have won this game today, no disrespect to Cincinnati (2-3, 0-1) and its coaches.

“But we’re the University of Pittsburgh and we expect to win these games. And I expect to win these games. There have been a couple of games where we have gotten beat that we should win. That’s the attitude this football team has, that we should have and that we will have as long as I am here.”

Smizik agrees with Wannstedt’s assessment. I’m sure that will be on the Cinci bulletin board next year, but it is true.

Official attendance was 30,343. Witnesses, reality and just how quickly we were able to get to and leave the parking lot suggested otherwise.

And need to share.

The Cinci Band has a web page. Now, there are no photos of the flag-folk in full sartorial glory. The best I could find were photos from practice. This one, seems to provide a glimpse. Just remember, you can never unsee these things.