Pitt roundball alum Sean Miller, arguably the best point guard in Pitt’s history, received some some good news from Xavier, namely:

Miller has agreed with Xavier on an extension that will keep him under contract through the 2009-10 season, the school announced Wednesday [October 5th].

The article goes on to reveal, if inadverntantly, that Coach Miller is a skilled impressionist. Specifically, he does a great “Dixon”, as demonstrated by his response to Xavier’s decision:

“I am excited about the future of our program and I very much look forward to continuing our great tradition,” Miller said.

As I said, an uncanny impression.

I just whish he’d have made the anouncement while spinning and dribbling about eight basketballs, but that’s just me pining for the “old school.”

Halfway through the college football season or so. That means “season so far” pieces:

Biggest Disappointment
Pitt came into the season ranked No. 23 and picked to finish second. Then it went a month without beating a Division I-A team.

Today, the Panthers are 2-4 overall, 1-1 in the Big East and with victories only against Division I-AA Youngstown State and freshman-laden Cincinnati. Two of those four losses were to Ohio and Rutgers, teams Pitt had traditionally beaten like piñatas.

New coach Dave Wannstedt’s biggest dilemma is lack of experience and talent on his offensive and defensive lines. Most players on both lines are in new positions, which has caused Pitt to be manhandled at times by opposing offenses and unable to protect quarterback Tyler Palko.

Wannstedt has taken to playing several true freshmen, a wise move, and this team still has some star power. In this conference, it would be no surprise to see Pitt turn things around. The first step would be a victory over a decent opponent.

Stewart Mandel at SI.com reviews some of his predictions so far.

“[Dave] Wannstedt could wind up being one of the best hires of any school this offseason.” (7/12/05)

I can’t even bring myself to talk about this one. Next …

What? Anyone expecting glowing reviews for Coach Wannstedt and Pitt to this point?

Still, the news isn’t all doom and gloom, on the subject of the future.

One visit to Heinz Field and Davie (Fla.) Western defensive tackle Jared Martin remains clear about favoring the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Though the 6-foot-2, 285-pound defender was scheduled to visit Minnesota weeks after his Panther official, a scheduling conflict has pushed that back. Both the Gophers and Arizona State are possible for his next trips, but he is still high on the Big East team.

“The Panthers are still my leader and I’m still very high on Pittsubrgh,” Martin said. “I just want to compare Pittsburgh to another school. I see big opportunity at Pitt. They are rebuilding on both sides of the line and I could get some early playing time there.”

Though a 2-4 season is not the start that coach Dave Wannstedt was looking for, it appears that uncommitted and committed prospects alike are both chomping at the bit to come in and make an early impact.

Both Rivals.com and Scout.com have him listed as a 3-start. So far, Pitt is the only school where he has taken an official visit.

Another player Pitt is recruiting broke Pennsylvania High School single game rushing record with 488 yards. The record had been set in 2000 by Marcus Furman with 455 yards. Of course, Pitt is recruiting Stephen Blose as a kicker.

This is just strange. Homecoming is next weekend. The theme or whatever you want to call it is “Remembering Pitt.”

Huh? What does that mean? Isn’t that the point of homecoming for alumni every year? Remembering their days at Pitt. It almost sounds like they are marking the anniversery of a death or something.

Perhaps they are planning a lot of estate planning seminars to help people put gifts to Pitt in their wills?

As has been the “tradition” for a while there will be the laser stuff and fireworks around the William Pitt Union on Friday evening. But wait, it gets even better this year.

The outdoor show is followed by Pitt’s free annual Homecoming Extravaganza in the WPU at 10 p.m. There will be video games, the dance machine “Dance Dance Revolution,” individual performers, and more.

I’m old. I know this. I’m not particularly hip to what the young’ins are into, but really. A dance machine? The same thing that they have in the game rooms at miniature golf courses? That Ronald McDonald is all over in some commercials? That South Park mocked?
This is what college kids want? Now, I’m worried about the future.

I think this would be hilarious.

[Baltimore] Ravens quarterbacks coach Rick Neuheisel said he has not been contacted about the Temple head-coaching job, which will be open at the end of the college season. He is rumored to be high on the list of potential candidates.

Talk about the hard road back. This would just be absolutely fascinating.

Practice officially starts tomorrow afternoon. There’s no Midnight Madness for Pitt. There is a fan appreciation day in about 2 weeks — Saturday, October 29 — but no details as yet. While the new media guide is not available, you can download the Pre-Season Prospectus (PDF). It contains coaches and player bios. It also has the stats and all box scores from last season.

The prospectus was apparently produced back in late August. It still includes Trevor Ferguson.

The other thing the prospectus provides is “pre-season storylines.”

Pitt will be challenged to replace three departed starters: All-Big East First Team selection Chevon Troutman, NBA Draft pick Chris Taft and four-year letterwinner Mark McCarroll.

Two starters return in guards Carl Krauser and Antonio Graves.

Pitt welcomes five signees to the program: Tyrell Biggs, Trevor Ferguson, Levance Fields, Doyle Hudson and Sam Young.

Head Coach Jamie Dixon begins his third season at Pittsburgh. His 51-14 career record
is the all-time best start to a Pitt coaching career after two years at the school. His current .785 winning percentage ranks as the top current winning percentage among Big East coaches.

Pitt will once again face a difficult schedule with the addition of five new Big East schools: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida and a much improved non-conference slate.

I like that last note. A tacit acknowledgment of what a dog non-con Pitt has had the last few years.

At ESPN.com, Andy Katz looks at the new incarnation of the Big East, including the unbalanced schedule and the monstrous size.

Pitt was very quiet in the early signing period. They did get Gilbert Brown and Mike Cook, a transfer from East Carolina who will be sitting out the season. Pitt has at least 2 more scholarships to give but is taking its time.

Mike Davis was supposed to be part of the previous recruiting class, but has had (to be kind) academic issues. He’s in prep school and if he can show actual seriousness about attending his classes and actually studying, then he could still be a great possibility for Pitt.

According to the latest from the Pittsburgh Sports Report, these are other potential players Pitt is looking at.

Austin Wallace, from La Salle Academy in New York City, recently visited Pittsburgh and will decide shortly between the Panthers and Florida Atlantic, who are now coached by former Notre Dame and North Carolina coach Matt Doherty. The 6’8 1/2″ Wallace needs to add to his 210 pound frame, but he is very young for his class, is an excellent student, and has untapped potential.

Another big man, Ekpe Udoh, of Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, has narrowed his list to Pittsburgh and Michigan. The 6’9″ Udoh was originally scheduled to visit Pittsburgh this week but has postponed it for a few weeks. Udoh is a sleeper who missed the very important summer camps due to a shoulder injury. Many thought he was headed to Michigan, but Pitt has put an all out assault on him over the past few weeks.

Last but certainly not least is Senegal native Hamady N’diaye, formerly of Florida Prep Academy in Port Charlotte, Florida. The 6’10” N’diaye recently left Florida Prep and has yet to surface elsewhere. While very raw, especially offensively, N’diaye is a superb physical specimen with a great wingspan and excellent mobility for a kid his size. His potential alone has helped him garner offers from the likes of UConn, Wake Forest, Memphis, Southern Cal, and Florida State. Pitt expects an official visit from him in the coming weeks.
…
The Panthers have numbers and young talent at the wing but continue to recruit at those positions should a sudden change force them to add. Included in this group are former Tennessee signee and top 60 player Tyler Smith, who failed to qualify academically at Tennessee and now plays for Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. Another Smith, this time Kiwan Smith of Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina via Brooklyn, is a 6’7″ small forward that the Panthers are monitoring. Kiwan Smith is a big time scorer and a top 100 player. A third forward Pitt is watching is England native Ben Eaves, a 6′ 7 1/2″ 210 pounder currently playing for Worchester Academy in Massachusetts. Despite needing to add weight, Eaves is a scrapper with excellent three point skills and superb athleticism. Once a sleeper, Eaves is now hearing from the likes of UConn and Syracuse.

At shooting guard, the Panthers are enamored with 6′ 4″ Adrion Graves of Hughes High School in Cincinnati. Graves, who originally committed to Cincinnati verbally before Bob Huggins was fired, is an extremely confident player on the court and is more of a scorer than a shooter. He will unofficially visit Pittsburgh this weekend.

Looks like Pitt, while still staying tight with the NY/NJ talent is really trying to reach further out to recruit talent. On that front it is not just a positive in that it makes the pool deeper, but it also indicates that Pitt and the coaches have been developing a more national presence that is getting recognition and the kids are listening.

Seems inconceivable, doesn’t it? Especially after a bye week following a pasting by Miami. The Bulls of South Florida looking past the Pitt game. Ridiculous. Probably. Still, there is something in the way the game is being covered by the local press that assumes a win.

Playing a program with Pitt’s standing would be a big game for USF any time, but with what’s at stake now it’s bigger than ever. If the Bulls keep winning conference games, they would earn a major bowl bid.

Not that long ago, the notion of USF playing, say, Alabama or Florida in the Sugar Bowl would have been ludicrous. Not now, not after the Bulls became a player on the national scene by joining a BCS conference and beating Louisville the way they did.

Now they play a Big East road game for the first time. Beat Pitt, and the Bulls are 2-0 in the conference with West Virginia coming to Tampa.

Such aspirations have to be a way of life now.

Beat Pitt, and the Bulls are a step closer to things once unthinkable. It’s the most important game of the season for USF — at least until next week.

This is talk of controlling ones destiny. A win at Pitt and the stakes just keep getting higher. One can only hope the players start thinking ahead. Seeing the possibilities in front of them an look to their next home game — when scouts from the Motor City Bowl will be in town.

With the University of South Florida halfway to the six wins needed to become bowl eligible, a Motor City Bowl scout will attend next week’s home game with West Virginia.

Ironically, the Motor City Bowl, which pits the seventh-selection from the Big Ten against a Mid-American team, is not one of the Big East’s four bowl tie-ins, but has an agreement to select a Big East team if the Big Ten does not have seven bowl eligible teams.

That just seems cruel. A Florida team potentially travelling to Detroit for a bowl game? I can’t imagine the fan base making that trip — the flow is the opposite direction — even if that became USF’s first bowl ever.

The USF athletic department is doing a good thing for their fans. Despite no TV coverage, they will show the game live on a giant screen at the Sun Dome on Saturday. Admission is free and the USF cheerleaders and sundolls dance team will be there.

Of course a visit from USF is one more chance to remind Pitt fans of the disaster that became the 2004 recruiting class. This time in the form of USF WR Johnny Peyton. Peyton is athletic and big — 6’5″, 200 pounds — and will likely be matched up against Josh Lay who isn’t too worried.

Lay, however, isn’t getting all charged up to play against Peyton for several reasons, most notably because he’s expecting the Bulls to attack the Panthers the same way their previous six opponents have — on the ground. That means he is not likely to see many passes come his way.

“It’s been kind of boring for [Pitt’s other starting corner] Darrelle [Revis] and me from a coverage standpoint these days,” Lay said. “The last game I only had three balls thrown my way, I knocked two down and should have intercepted the other. They throw at Darrelle even less. I usually get up to play the top receivers, but this year it doesn’t seem like teams are really coming after us at all.

“We do a lot more against the run than we do in pass defense, but that’s just how it is right now. Teams are going away from us and I expect South Florida to do a lot of the same things we’ve seen.”

Peyton’s numbers support that. Aided in no small part by less than spectacular passing from the QB. In 5 games, Peyton only has 11 catches for 118 yards, and 3 TD receptions. Keep in mind, though, that USF has only 586 total passing yards and Peyton accounts for half the TD receptions. Officially, though, Peyton is not a starting WR, according to USF’s depth chart and their records in the USF Game Notes (PDF).

That also means Pitt WR Greg Lee has an opportunity to stick it to his hometown team. Like he did last year.

“It doesn’t look as though South Florida has been playing a lot of the same type of coverage as last season,” Lee said. “I’m not expecting it, but if it happens, we’ll be looking to exploit it.”
…
We’ll have to make an adjustment this week because of their team speed. We have to really make sure we simulate that as best we can in practice,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “But you know, we’ve got 17 guys from South Florida (high schools) and our guys are looking forward to this challenge.

“We feel like we’ve made a little bit of headway here the last game-and-a-half with our football team. The thing I’ve been talking about is consistency. Can we continue to make progress? That is the challenge of the week.”

Redshirt Freshman Adam Gunn still feels good about blocking a punt against Cinci.