33-15 Pitt wins.

Well, Revis needed that interception at the end run back for a TD. If for no other reason, his confidence had to be somewhat shaken after a bad game handling punts, missing tackles on coverage and just having to play soft the entire game with the defense.

This game had more of a feel of the wins Pitt had last year. Just shaking your head and muttering that, “hey, it’s a win.”

The entire team seemed to start sitting back at some point in the 3rd quarter after going up 23-0. They came out in the second half fired up, but once they got the lead everyone coasted. And that included the coaches who seemed to encourage killing the clock to killing the opponent.

That Pitt didn’t finish Cinci and put them away before the end of the 3d quarter meant the starters had to stay on the field for the entire game. When Blades cramped up, I got sweaty palms. This game should have been done. We should have seen Stull at QB, Dickerson in the backfield, just more players out there because the game was completely over.

Just frustrated feeling right now. And this was a win.

11:07: Fumbled hand-off exchange. Now Cinci is inside the 20. Just an overthrow away from a TD as the defense blew coverage. Jeez. Effin hell. This is why you can’t just sit on the ball. H.B. Blades is cramping up for the second time.
11:00: The defense wasn’t even in prevent. It was just soft and gooey. 2 minutes or so to go down and score. 26-15 Pitt. 4:35 left. Onside kick failed.

10:54: Frustrating in the last quarter. Pitt has gone too conservative. Conent to kill time on offense. No sense that they are even trying to do more than maybe kill a couple minutes at a time.

10:15: Revis! Having a horrible night handling the punts. Fumble, turnover to Cinci at 17. Not good since he was quoted saying Pitt can’t turn the ball over, then tried to backtrack saying he didn’t mean to put it on the offense. I guess, he was putting it on himslef.

10:05: Safety, when Cinci QB Davila shovel passed in endzone. 16-0 Pitt. Nothing like the other team screwing up to help make the cushion better. Gets the Jugular by a 55 yard TD pass to Kinder. Not even good pass interference effort. 23-0, despite flubbed snap and hold.

9:51: Anyone getting the feeling that there was a pretty good halftime chewing out by Coach Wannstedt?

9:46: 5 yard pass, 75 yard run for a touchdown 28 seconds into the second half. Palko to Kinder. 14-0 Pitt. Looks like Kinder has more speed then given credit going into the season.

Halftime: 7-0 Pitt. With, I’m frustrated to say, a little luck.

Wannstedt at the end of the half, very frustrated by the O-line. Essentially says the team doesn’t seem to have its mind in the game. Erp.

Hope you took the under on this game. It’s hard to have clear thoughts when you grind your teeth so hard because the play calling crew is driving you to distraction.

Does the whole team just tighten up on the road? The whole team looks a lot slower and less sound in tackling and on the lines.

9:15: TD to Oderick Turner!! That will work. 7-0 Pitt. 1:49 until halftime.

9:14: Big interception by Cox on a screen. Defense got pressue to blind Grutza to the coverage. Now Pitt needs to do something with it.

9:10: Palko to Kinder!! Looked like a face mask at the end as well. Palko made a great throw across the field to Turner, but just broken up at the end. Once more the O-line doesn’t hold against the blitz

9:00: That lack of depth on the O-line — I don’t see Simonitis back in there — is an issue, but what’s the excuse for the defense and special teams play? Cinci is willing to blitz more and is not losing on that gamble.

8:48: Crap. The call wasn’t bad to QB draw, but he was still short before the fumble. Pitt is not looking like the same team on either side of the ball.

8:42: T.J. Porter has shown a good burst to get the needed yardage on the end around and the screen.

8:36: Defense is in Rhoads’ “bend but don’t break” mode. I’m dying.

8:30: Pitt’s pass protection for Palko is not looking good. Okay, scratch that. The whole O-line seems to have gone back to last year.

Trevor Matich is a hideous color commentator. “Good” Palko or “evil” Palko? Grife.

Okay, sorry for blog silence. Just found out I’ll be homeless for the next month or so. Trying to get things put together so I may be a little spotty. I plan to liveblog the game.
As I have remarked on occasion, the wife is a Cinci grad. She’s not sports ignorant. She does suffer as a loyal Brown’s fan, but at least she knows and likes pro football. She’s fairly typical for Cinci fans. Loves her Bearcat basketball, loves (loved?) Huggy-bear, and never went to a footbal game. Her thoughts on Nippert Stadium is that they dumped a lot of money into a facility that was used mainly by cheerleaders and the Greeks to sunbathe during the year.

Undaunted, I talked to her about tonight’s game. I think it is typical.

Me: So, do you think the Bearcats will win tonight?

Wife: Basketball doesn’t start until November.

Me: No, I mean in football.

Wife: I thought college football was on Saturday?

Me: No. ESPN — well that’s another story — It’s tonight. It’s supposed to be a rivalry game.

Wife: (slightly interested) They’re going to play Xavier?

Me: Um, no. Xavier doesn’t play 1-A
Wife: Louisville?

Me: Er, Pitt. It’s the River City Rivalry.

Wife: (blank look)

Me: Nevermind. They’re playing Pitt, it’s in Cinci. It’s on TV tonight. What do you think?

Wife: Wait. I’m stuck in a hotel with only one TV, one room and you are going to watch Pitt?

Me: Uh-huh.

Wife: [stream of expletives deleted]

Me: So you don’t like Dantonio’s team’s chances?

Wife: Who?

Me: The head coach of Cinci.

Wife: I don’t care.

I hate to generalize, but I suspect that is reflective of the interest of most Cinci fans.

And the excitement leading up to it is palpable. Especially here in Northeast Ohio. Why, that other Ohio team that’s playing somewhere in Texas tomorrow is barely registering a blip.

For Pitt, starting tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling is listed as questionable for the game. If he doesn’t go, Shane Brooks might get the start after his 9 carries for 43 yard effort in relief last week. Of course, Conredge Collins at fullback is at full strength so he might see some more touches. Plus, Coach Dave Wannstedt said Dorin Dickerson is nearly 100% finally, so he could be used.

The defense for Cinci is their strength with 10 starters from last year — though still quite young.

On defense, two starting linemen, a linebacker and cornerback are sophomores. On offense, the left tackle and the fullback are freshmen, while the quarterback is a sophomore. Other sophomores are the right guard and a wideout. So, the Bearcats are extremely young, but not without talent.

“I think their secondary’s very athletic, and their corners are very big,” Palko said. “They’re taller kids, and No. 13 (junior FS Haruki Nakamura) is a heckuva ball player. He’s a tough kid, and their linebackers are stout and athletic. Their D-line was young last year, but they’re much-improved.

“They love to get to the quarterback. They play hard, and they’re great football players. They have a very talented defense, and Coach D has them hyped up and ready to go. So, we have to be prepared for that.”

The beat writer for Cinci has also noted that getting pressure on the QB, even just knocking him about not necessarily sacks, is part fo what the Cinci D likes to do. Cinci feels good about their 1-AA shutout but knows there’s something of a difference.

“Pitt’s a little better than Eastern Kentucky,” [Cinci DC Pat] Narduzzi said.

EKU had an accomplished quarterback in Josh Greco, but Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, a three-year starter and fifth-year senior, plays at a higher level. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Palko is a two-time second-team all-Big East selection who has passed for 5,755 yards in his career, which ranks fifth on Pitt’s career list.

UC head coach Mark Dantonio said Palko reminds him of former Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari.

Now, anyone who remembers Bellisari knows what a cheap shot that is.

Finally Pitt has a few strands of frustration and futility it needs to snap in this game.

Pitt was 0-5 on the road last year. The Panthers failed to score an offensive touchdown in their first 10 quarters on the road, then lost by a combined score of 87-33 in their last two road tests.

The Panthers also ended the 2004 season with a 35-7 shellacking by Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. To make matters worse, they have not fared well in Friday night games, either.

Last year, the Panthers played two Friday night games and lost them both, including a 16-10 overtime loss at the hands of MAC lightweight Ohio University.

And to complete the sad tale, the Panthers are 0-2 in their past two trips into Ohio.

Oh yeah, the Toledo game in 2003.

No, brackets aren’t available yet – although I am sure Joe Lunardi is on his fourth edition of his braketology by now – but yesterday, Pitt released the 2006-2007 basketball schedule. Much of this had already been reported, but this put a bit of a final stamp on it.

The University of Pittsburgh released its entire 31-game 2006-07 men’s basketball schedule on Thursday. Pitt will play a school record 15 national television games and host 18 contests at the Petersen Events Center.

Overall, Pitt will play 12 games against opponents who advanced to NCAA Tournament play in 2005-06, 18 contests against teams advancing to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT last year, 14 games against teams that won 20-plus games in 2005-06 and 17 games against opponents that won at least 18-plus games last year.

The 15 national games are awesome for me – since I’m in Maine – and enough to make me stop thinking about buying a CBB package from my cable company. Thanks again for coming back Aaron Gray. The national exposure can’t hurt recruiting either.

As we already knew, Pitt’s schedule is much tougher this season, thus creating a nightmare for guys like Doug Gottlieb who will need to find something new to write about the Panthers.

Pitt opens the season at West Point Nov. 12 against Western Michigan, which is sure to be both amazing and heart wrenching at the same time. I am going to look into buying tickets to that game, but I am sure they will be next to impossible to get.

Here’s my little schedule breakdown, highlighting some of the big games (this is not an entire schedule):

Dec. 3 @ Auburn – First semi-tough road game (way earlier than the last few years)

Dec. 16 @ Wisconsin (ESPN) – First big test (comes a bit earlier this year).

Dec. 21 @ Okalahoma St. (ESPN2) – This is Pitt first huge test. State will have already been tested earlier in December in the Jimmy V. classic, where they open play against Syracuse, plus it’s on the road. Note: I had this as home at first. My mistake.

Jan 4 @ Syracuse (ESPN) – A little revenge perhaps.

Then there are three HUGE home games in eight days:

Jan 13 vs. Georgetown (ESPN College Gameday) – Big East regular season game of the year.

Jan 16 vs. UConn (ESPN2) – A down year for UConn? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Jan 21 vs. Marquette (CBS) – A budding rivalry continues.

After playing Louisville (ESPN), which I am not labeling as a big game because it is at home, making it a game Pitt really should win, Pitt has a bit of an anomaly:

Feb. 16 vs. Washington (ESPN) – I love this game. It boosts the non-con a bit later in the season, and get some the team some exposure to non-Big East basketball before heading into the NCAA Tournament. Pitt always gets caught off guard by officials and style of play once the Big East season ends and NCAA Tournament play begins, this game will help prevent that.

The end of the schedule is road heavy – three of the last four are on the road with the lone home game coming against Div. IAA West Virginia. I like having the road heavy bit come late, better then early in my eyes. I also like that Pitt faces tough teams like Georgetown and Marquette at home before having to face them on the road. Here are the final three road games:

Feb. 19 @ Seton Hall – Down year for the Pirates, but a possible trap game on the road. New coach Bobby Gonzalez will have them playing tough by this point in the season, and Seton Hall may be fighting for a post season spot, giving them a lot to play for.

Feb. 24 @ Georgetown (CBS) – Could decide the Big East regular season title and who gets the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament.

March 3 @ Marquette (ESPN) – A possible trap game to finish the regular season.

Oh, and the Final Four is scheduled for March 31-April 2. Mark your calendar.