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November 17, 2007

Real world intrusions killed all hope of posting yesterday. Settling in for a game that I can’t help but have some hope for an upset.

12:02: Oh, no. Pitt is wearing their Georgia Tech tops. Why? Who? Someone is to blame for them. I need a name. Give me the name!

12:03: Meaningless stat. Pitt has lost the last two to Rutgers. Those were both night games. I’m thinking that the last time Pitt lost to Rutgers in a day game was back in ‘98.

12:14: Guess Teel’s thumb is feeling better. Still, I can’t complain that Pitt is selling out to stop the run. I’d rather take a chance with Teel and the receivers than Rice.

Field goal is good.

3-0 Rutgers, 11:29 in the 1stQ.

12:20: Bostick hits Turner who fights for extra yards. Nice. Get’s Turner’s head in the game immediately as well as opening things up.

Turner should want this game. He is a Jersey boy.

12:21: Poor footwork by Bostick. on that 3d and 5 pass attempt.

Pooch punt fails miserably.

12:25: Wow. Gift interception to Kennard Cox. Britt had position, but let it go past him. Good return.

Pitt at the RU 23.

12:26: No shock that Rutgers will also sell out on the run.

12:28: FG for Pitt now. 33-yarder is good.

3-3, 6:39 in the 1st quarter.

12:33: Wow. A fumble! McKillop caused it. On a blitz? Ah, Jabu was back.

Under review? For what? To see if his arm was coming forward?

12:34: Howling takes it to the 9 yard line for 3 yards.

Munoz (OLB) for Rutgers is down after the tackle.

12:36: Smart dump-off to Howling. Damn. Just stopped short of the goal line.

1st and goal. Have to make this a 4 down attempt.

12:39: Offsides by RU on two straight plays as Pitt QB sneaks have been pitiful.

Oh, crap. what the hell was that? Lucky to be sacked rather than the turnover. Not sure how that can be reviewed.

Vangas stepped on Bostick’s foot as he pulled out.

12:41: Refs say McCoy was short. 3d and inches from the goal line.

Wow. Great stop by Rutgers. Hat right on McCoy to deny him. I’m impressed by that one.

12:44: Going for it after a TO.

Jump ball to Strong. Hey. It worked this time!! Grife. Now we will have to read in the post game by Wannstedt saying, “See, told you it works.”

10-3 Pitt, 2:14 in the 1st Q.

12:50: Rutgers is getting good field position off of kick-offs. Short kicks and good returns on all 3.

Rice gets the first down on two carries. Curious to see how conservative Rutgers goes. Two turnovers by the QBs.

Scratch that. Cox got burned by Britt up top for a TD pass.

10-10, 59 seconds left.

12:52: Damn right there was holding on Strong. Nice pass. Still right on the money.

12:54: 6 yard sack on Bostick. Hesitate, held when no one had turned. Not to mention that side of the line collapsed.

End of the 1st quarter with a hold. Declined.

12:58: Rutgers can’t stop going offsides.

Damn. Another short-armed pass by Bostick. Looked like he hopped as he threw as well.

1:02: Brytus punt from mid-field, high, but bounce goes straight up. RU starting at their 25.

1:04: Mick Williams with a dumb late hit.

Blitz nearly got Teel, but got it away. Offensive pass interference by Britt on Chappel.

1:06: Great pick-off by McKillop. Dropped back and made the leap. SHould have been a late hit on Rutgers for diving on McKillop.

1:10: McCoy with a tough 9 yard run gets it to the RU 19 and a 1st down.

Crap. McCoy fumbled at the 14. Phew. Recovered it. 3d and 5.

1:13: Wow. Lee completely pulled that FG. I thought it was blocked the way it curved, but they say it was a clean miss.

1:17: Oooh. A sideline report on Rhoads. I always like things that make me want to drink more.

And a blitz that pays off. Forcing a 3 and out.

1:18: Well special teams are going Rutgers way. That punt really bounced their way.

1:19: Howling with a nice cut back run for 6 yards. Still 3d and 3. Turner shocked when Bostick gets it away to him and drops the 1st down.

1:20: Punt by Brytus, picking ball off the turf. Good job on getting it away.

1:26: Chappel seems to be in for Cox, and definitely has the speed and technique to stay with Britt.

1:27: and on cue, Chappel called for pass interference. Granted, I’m biased, but it looked clean to me.

1:29: Rice breaks it, gets past Chappel. (I should have kept my mouth shut) and runs it right in for a TD.

17-10 Rutgers, 4:51 until halftime.

1:36: “Never a good sign when your center gets blown up and put in your lap.” Thank you Dave Sims.

1:37: The blitzing by Rutgers is getting much more pronounced.

Good news. Pitt finally gets a good bounce on a punt.

1:38: Romeus got a push then got the block on the pass. Nice swat.

Lovelace appears to be in the rest of the way. Teel won’t be back it appears.

1:42: Pitt appears content to run out the clock and get to the half.

Yep.

Rutgers leads 17-10 at the half. Not sure why Rutgers keeps getting away from the run. They look like they can wear Pitt down, but keep stopping themselves.

Pitt’s offense is what we thought it was.

Not that good. The line can’t do much for McCoy. The blitzing and aggressiveness of the Scarlet Knights are overwhelming the lines and frankly Bostick needs time to throw. Every QB does, but with his wind-up style he especially needs it.

Pitt had 4 straight games against defenses that weren’t particularly good to outright sucking, so this is something of a shocking reminder of how much work is needed.

On defense, not too bad, but it helps that Teel is injured and now out. Still. It just seems a matter of time before Rice wears them down — see, last year.

2:06: Pitt starts the second half at their 29.

Kevan Smith returns???

Wow.

Oh, great Byham shaken up on the kick-off return.

2:07: Smith takes the snap and goes straight ahead for 14 yards.

McCoy runs for 3.

Throws behind Collins while Greene came at him.

Smith, actually escaped and got the 1st down. Nope. Otah called for holding.

3d and 17. Now Smith sacked. No lane for him to run. Nothing downfield to throw.

2:11: 66 yard punt with a solid 20+ yard bounce and roll.

2:13: You know, as Pitt gets a 3 and out, I can’t help but think I’ve seen this game before.

Sometime back in September. Give me a sec, I’m sure it will come to me.

2:16: We all love McCoy. He’s so good. He’s only scratching the surface. He is trying to do so much.

That said. He has to take better care of the ball.

Rutgers has the ball back.

2:24: Man this has become a dull game. Quick flicking.
24-0 UConn over Syracuse midway through the 3d Q.

FSU beating Maryland 21-6.

Georgia Tech has a 10-9 lead over UNC. The Yellowjackets got their 5th passing TD of the season.

Florida with a late patsy game is beating FAU 42-20 early in the 3d Q.

Kentucky beating Georgia 10-7 coming out of halftime.

14-3 Ohio St over Michigan halfway through the 3d.

Illinois killing Nwestern 35-14. There’s a hatchet or something involved for this game.

Entertaining live game on ESPN Classic. Tulsa leading Army 35-31.

Halftime, 21-18 Mizzou over K-State

2:33: Well, golly. Pitt managed to get a 1st down on a 3d and 1.

2:37: Damn. Forced to settle for a FG.

17-13, Rutgers, 16 seconds left in the 3d quarter.

Geez. First the situation seems familiar. Then the QB. Then the score. Wish I could place where I’ve seen this game before.

2:45: Oh, come on. That ball was so overthrown and the ref was determined to throw that one.

Nice correction. Waived it off.

2:50: Oh, yeah, that’s why Smith wasn’t starting. Staring down receivers too often with a lot of air underneath the throws. Pass broken up by two Rutgers players hitting each other fighting for the INT.

2:57: Blindside sack by Murray! Fumble by Lovelace! McKillop recovers! Lots of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2:58: Direct snap to McCoy gets completely blown up. Look, the “wildcat” formation works at Arkansas because they actually have an O-line. In case the coaching staff hasn’t noticed, Pitt is noticeably lacking in one of those.

3:00: Well, given the Pitt offense overall, and down by 4. No way the team can settle for a FG in this possession. 4 down time if necessary. Yes, I know there’s still plenty of time, but…

3:03: Naturally Wannstedt is not going to do that.

31 yard FG attempt is good.

17-16 Rutgers, 11:05 left in the game.

3:06: Desperate times by Rutgers. Teel is back.

3:07: Uh-oh. Rice is starting to get longer runs.

3:12: The defense, um, bends but doesn’t break. Thatcher nearly with the pick, but no completion.

30 yarder by Ito is good.

20-16 Rutgers. 7:50 left.

3:21: Ball game. Smith gets sacked on 3d and 13 with 4 1/2 minutes left.

Smith is indeed being looked at on the sidelines. That’ll resolve any QB controversy if he’s hurt.

3:25: Technically Pitt has a chance. Pathetic punt goes barely 20 yards. Pitt starts at own 40. 2:40 left.

Bostick back in.

3:27: Look, I know Bostick has struggled. I know he hasn’t been the most accurate. But if you can’t even take one shot downfield on 2d and 1, there will never be a chance to open things up for the run.

Pitt is moving down field, but time is running out.

3:29: Strong with a big catch, but didn’t get out of bounds. Spiked the ball. 25 seconds left at the 7.

Ugh. Offensvie pass interference by Turner. Denises the TD. Now at the 21.

Intercepted in the endzone. Tipped. Strong didn’t know where it was.





have some faith. pitt will take the next 3 games and upset wvu’s aspirations of a BCS bowl game!!! pass the whiskey…

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:08 pm

Naturally we look good on 1st and 2nd down then leave someone wide open on 3rd.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:10 pm

Why rush 3 on 3rd and 8???
No pressure at all. Big Gain for Rutgers downfield.

DEFENSE 101 Paul!

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:11 pm

you got to be kidding me.. how can we leave a guy as big as brock that open? i need more whiskey already!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:12 pm

At least they put the gold jerseys with the blue pants instead of the gold pants.

Even still, I see those gold jerseys and instantly think MAC or Arena League.

Comment by Stoosh 11.17.07 @ 12:12 pm

Jabu is in the game!

Good to see we stuff Lovelace twice.

Comment by Tim Z. 11.17.07 @ 12:13 pm

Nice hit by Romeus.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:13 pm

I’ll be the first to say it…

Hey bartender! Jabu needs a refill!

Comment by Stoosh 11.17.07 @ 12:13 pm

love Romeus! gonna be great someday

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:13 pm

nice smackdown by scottie boy!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:14 pm

Nice stand…after that, I’ll take just being down 3-0.

Comment by Stoosh 11.17.07 @ 12:14 pm

Chas…I’ll agree with you by the way. I’d rather see them try to take Rice out of the game and force Teel/Lovelace to beat us.

Nice look on first down to Turner.

Comment by Stoosh 11.17.07 @ 12:18 pm

Interesting here in Pittsburgh…the Pitt game on WTAE has forced the OSU-Michigan game to be shown on Fox but with the ESPN broadcast.

I also like the gold unis…seriously.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:18 pm

nice pass from bostick to turner

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:19 pm

I think McCoy only needs like 200 yards to set the BE freshman rushing record.

Do it today Shady!!

Comment by Tim Z. 11.17.07 @ 12:19 pm

Bostick will never complete a pass if he’s throwing off his back foot.

Embarrassing fake punt.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:21 pm

what the hell was that? a punt or a grunt…

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:21 pm

guess Dave didn’t check the wind factor

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:22 pm

4 yard punts are money!

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:23 pm

nice job by the defense on the first play

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:24 pm

KENNARD COX!

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:24 pm

INT! yeah!

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:24 pm

easy guys, this does not make Cox suddenly a good player

should have been a 1st down rutgers

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:25 pm

WOOHOO!!! cox made a great interception!!!!! and a great return after the pick too…

alright.. lets drop kick now!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:25 pm

now that was a waste!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:26 pm

draw on 3rd and 7…don’t like it

we have mccoy, but we’re not playing grambling here. This is a good defense.

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:28 pm

I think I would have gone for it on 4th. Just me though. 3 points are good though.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:28 pm

A couple of poorly executed special teams plays…

Some bend but break defense…

Our QB shortarms a ball on third down…

Running the ball in 9 man fronts on 1st and 2nd (and now 3rd) down…

Our DBs getting murdered, but luckily while out of position a ball bounces in their hand…

And its a tie game? WTF?

Has anyone seen them blitz on a passing play? Its like when we’re sure they’re throwing, we drop 8…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:29 pm

another short kick-off!!! what the hell!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:30 pm

It is so painfully obvious that Pitt will not throw the ball no matter what the circumstance. I know McCoy is a great back and will get his yards, but to settle for a field goal when a short screen pass should work, is absurd. Please God, fire the whole coaching staff at the end of the year. Also 4 yard quick-kick?

Comment by Carnegie Mellon 30 Pitt 14 11.17.07 @ 12:31 pm

HELL YEEAHHH!

That was a smack!!!!

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 12:31 pm

scottie is on fire today!!! nice recovery of the fumble… now will we get seven or what this time!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:32 pm

Its funny to see us sell out on the rush…with the massive pass plays being given up, they should just realize they should throw it every down til we stop.

Nice! Turnover!

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:32 pm

PITT Ball. Lets get 7 here.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:33 pm

Was that our first blitz? And we get a turnover on it? Amazing!

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:35 pm

nice pass to howling.. just a tad short

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:36 pm

KILL ME NOW.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:38 pm

kill the freshman quarterback!!!!!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:38 pm

anyone got a quick answer to whether or not the game is televised here in the phila area? haven’t finished switching all the channels but growing impatient esp. ’cause the game seems worth watching… at this pt

Comment by Neil 11.17.07 @ 12:39 pm

Someone rip his fucking brain out, straighten that shit out, and ram it back in his skull.

This is the reason we do not let him throw the ball forward.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:39 pm

I don’t care if they score or not at this point. Play calling is less than high school at this point. 3 plays, no yards on 2 carries and an almost interception?

Comment by Carnegie Mellon 30 Pitt 14 11.17.07 @ 12:40 pm

Pat was down for sure, and maybe it’s better that we have about 5 yards to work with down there instead of 3 inches.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:40 pm

if we don’t get in….

Comment by Tim Z. 11.17.07 @ 12:40 pm

Are we the worst team in the entire world from 2 yds or less? We’ve had 57 attempts and haven’t ever gotten it in. What a bunch of bitches.

And still no toss to the outside…run it into the backs of people…they don’t see that coming…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:41 pm

Shady gets stuffed. Better go for it on 4th.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 12:41 pm

shoot me now.. how are we only coming away with 3 from this one!!! i will give the rutgers d a thumbs up on that hit though!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:42 pm

Let’s run the ball 18 straight times, maybe we fool the defense.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:42 pm

6 tries on goal? haha. pitt always outdoes itself

Comment by christopher 11.17.07 @ 12:42 pm

are we actually going for it…

NICE PASS TO STRONG!!!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:43 pm

HAHAHAAH a fade route to Strong inside the 2…but it works this time.

Comment by Tim Z. 11.17.07 @ 12:43 pm

watching this level of incompetence is just soul-reducing.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 12:44 pm

Considering we still play like 5 year olds, it hasn’t been a bad first quarter haha. I like pain!

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 12:45 pm

another short kick-off? what the hell x2

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:45 pm

“Let’s hope McCoy sets the BE freshman rushing record today”
……………….
“We are running it way too much”

Comment by Joey D 11.17.07 @ 12:45 pm

Wow, 15 plays, we finally get the 1″. Go…team…

And its to the jump ball to Strong.

Anyone see how pissed off Bostick was after scoring a TD? Pissed he can’t sneak an inch?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:46 pm

AAARGH!!!! cox gets burned bad and now we pay for it!!!!

Comment by nick 11.17.07 @ 12:48 pm

Someone overruns the QB on the rush…he has all day…

…and Cox helps out by being our of position for the 100th time…

What a disaster…still, its tied.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:48 pm

phillips should’ve been helping over the top. pathetic.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 12:50 pm

futility thy name is Pitt defense

Comment by dan 11.17.07 @ 12:51 pm

Mike Phillips & Kennard Cox screw up……that is the first time I have ever heard that.

Comment by Joey D 11.17.07 @ 12:53 pm

Who sees a draw in the near future, 3rd and 16ish?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:56 pm

Bostick is a head case. The guy dies on the rush, he sidesteps him and has ALL WEEK, and he one hops ANOTHER ball…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 12:59 pm

Yeah, Bostick sucks….we should put Kevan Smith in

Comment by Joey D 11.17.07 @ 1:01 pm

Good job dumbasses…way to get a 5yd false start negated and give em a first down…and 10 yds…good job again…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:03 pm

Rutgers wants to give us this game, but we won’t let them

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 1:04 pm

Yeah Scottie!

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 1:05 pm

This may make the Duke ND game look like a NFL game. What a mess.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:06 pm

This game will be decided by the team that wants to lose it more, and I think our coaching staff gives us that edge.

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 1:08 pm

Both QBs have been inconsistent. Teel much more wildly inconsistent, obviously. If Bostick would just calm down, we’d be ahead in this game.

On cue, McCoy fumbles and then Bostick throws another terrible ball….sadly, we had great protection…

And now Lee gets in on our mediocrity…unbelieveable…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:12 pm

After all of the road games he has started in, Bostick really should know how to handle himself better.

Comment by Joey D 11.17.07 @ 1:15 pm

Dave has the best looking crutches. Must be nice.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 1:18 pm

we have 4 first downs, but we are 0-5 on 3rd down. wtf?

Comment by matt in orlando 11.17.07 @ 1:18 pm

0-6. crap.

Comment by matt in orlando 11.17.07 @ 1:21 pm

With Rice and Shady in this game, you wouldn’t think there’d be only 33 rush yards.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 1:21 pm

If we’re in our territory to start the drive, we can’t seem to move the ball

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 1:22 pm

Tie game against a mediocre team when we have a +3 TO margin. Awesome.

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 1:23 pm

Awful. Just awful. There is no other way to describe it. Their QB kept us in it for a while… If we would stop screwing ourselves and play, we’d have a chance here. But if they’re still tied with all that shit i’ve seen, i don’t know what else they can do to help us.

Chappel has played pretty decently so far…a bright spot i guess…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:26 pm

Only a matter of time before Ray Rice breaks a long one.

Comment by Yo adrian 11.17.07 @ 1:26 pm

Wait it wasn’t offensive pass interference on the last call, but it WAS defensive on this play? WTF is going on?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:27 pm

BS! Jovani looked good there.

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 1:27 pm

And rice rams it down out throat. Refs are retarded, give them second life, and they capitalize. It was bound to happen eventually. I guess they want to give it away less.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:29 pm

My God, Pitt might lose this game!!!! What a shocker! And to think I had so much faith! I never thought this would happen. Here comes a generic 3 and out!

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 1:31 pm

Our line is downright embarassing. They just get shoved back into the QB. Awful. Seems to be the word of the game.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:34 pm

Thank god for halftime.

Can they give that kid some medication so he settles down? There have been guys open he’s bounce passing to, he has time, but then freaks out. He’s playing like its his first game on the road.

Chappel is much better against the pass (that one call was 100% bullshit, there is no “bias” in seeing that) but terrible against the run. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. I guess because Teel is out, put Cox back it (i know, it hurts to say it) to prevent rice from decimating us in the second half. Make their second stringer throw it to beat us. Hasn’t shown that he can yet…

I wonder how often McCoy thinks as he’s being tackled in the backfield “why the fuck did i come here? These lineman are awful.” I think they’ve been better in the pass rush today, and that doesn’t say much considering how many sacks they’ve given up.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 1:46 pm

I find myself thinking the same thing I always do after watching Wanny on the sideline looking like he needs to leave a good fart: I hope they lose so we can get on with the next 4 year contract coach and have excitement for 2 years thinking he will make a difference.

Comment by wally 11.17.07 @ 2:01 pm

Stuart, every time McCoy touches the ball I feel bad for him for coming here and having to play behind such a bad line.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:02 pm

Here comes Kevan Smith….

Comment by Yo adrian 11.17.07 @ 2:02 pm

…and is there a reason this game is taking FOREVER?!?

Comment by Yo adrian 11.17.07 @ 2:03 pm

Kevan Smith? What a mess. I don’t even have words to descibe this…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:03 pm

Kevan Smith: quick on his feet…looks like a jackrabbit compared to Bostick.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:06 pm

And we’re back to inaccurate line drive throws, no touch on the ball.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:08 pm

nice adjustments at the half

Comment by wally 11.17.07 @ 2:10 pm

More penalties, more sacks. Did we just give up by putting Smith in?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:11 pm

I’m confused with this Kevan Smith insertion. If it’s to motivate Bostick that’s not the way to do it. You’ll put this team down more than 1 score to motivate him by doing that.

Let Pat work through this. Smith is probably a nice kid but not the answer. He’s a baseball player.

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 2:15 pm

And now McCoy fumbles again…WTF. I guess he didn’t learn his lesson. All for 2 extra yards. “No, i insist, YOU want it more…”

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:16 pm

Stuart,
you’re right. From the coaches down, we look like we don’t desire to win this. The defense…the only bright spot…but how long can they hang on…jeez

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 2:18 pm

Our line has been okay, but they’re going to get worn down soon. Just let the QB scramble for a first…

Our secondary has been awful. We’re just luckily Teel is hurt.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:21 pm

Way to hold to that ball Darrell. Not a fan at all of the Kevan Smith experiment — he’s not our QB of the future.

Comment by Yo adrian 11.17.07 @ 2:26 pm

This remains a winnable game. Smith might end up taking pressure off Shady…but still wish we could complete some mid to long passes.

Defensive Line has kept us in the game…time for some O.

Hail to PITT!
-al-

Comment by Oregon al 11.17.07 @ 2:26 pm

bostick couldn’t make that throw in a million years.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 2:27 pm

Smith is going to get one of his receivers killed.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:27 pm

The forward pass! Twice!

We have 3 TEs, we’ll be fine. It’s always tough over the middle.

If the safety got injured on this play, i think its time to pick on the backup…or is that too advanced for us?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:30 pm

2 inches short of the 1st. 3rd and 1…huge play.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:32 pm

turner need to learn to accelerate when he catches the ball

lee nails the short (but not automatic) FG

we need to win this damn game

Comment by the land grant trophy is a joke 11.17.07 @ 2:36 pm

Nice drive…not a TD, but the three is a start…Smith, though not the QB of the future most likely, has been a good change of pace—his quickness helps today.

Time for a D stop or turnover.

Hail to PITT!
-al-

Comment by Oregon al 11.17.07 @ 2:37 pm

Heh, Brytus got jacked up…hooray for the penalty flag!

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:39 pm

i’m officially off the cavanaugh bandwagon. two straight weeks of 100% ugly gameplans…. at least the byham injury wasn’t too serious

Comment by christopher 11.17.07 @ 2:42 pm

These officials are FUCKING AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 2:47 pm

Cavanaugh had a bandwagon?

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 2:48 pm

These refs are godawful. Second time that dick has tried ringing us up for a bullshit pass interference call. Luckily the other two were able to pry his head out of his ass.

And that was a block in his side. Marginal as best. Assholes.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 2:48 pm

Cavanaugh has no clue what he’s doing each week. It’s like he throws all of the plays into a hat and pulls them out at random.

It’s nice that Smith can run and all, but it’s no good if he’s only getting 5 when we need 8 on third down.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:52 pm

well some of us like giving our team a chance instead of moping about everything. that said, this game is disasterous.

Comment by christopher 11.17.07 @ 2:54 pm

Great hit by Shane Murray from the blind side

Absolutely huge fumble pickup, hopefully we can use it.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:57 pm

The Wildcat offense will never be effective if we run to the side where Kevan Smith is blocking.

Comment by Dennis 11.17.07 @ 2:58 pm

Enough Wildcrap. What others said above about “sans line.”

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:00 pm

Bostick needs to be in the game. He can operate in the redzone better than Smith. I just think he’s smarter.

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 3:04 pm

Please send help.

Now we need that TD we’ve been unable to get most of the game…

Id prefer a run back and then force them to win the game…wishful thinking…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:13 pm

55 yds from a win? 4 down territory, right?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:14 pm

Ah, McCoy didn’t hit the wide open hole.

Comment by the land grant trophy is a joke 11.17.07 @ 3:17 pm

McCoy is always 1 ft away from breaking it…goddamn it will it go our way one time…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:17 pm

Guess we didn’t see that coming on 3rd and long…what kind of dumbasses would blitz?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:19 pm

NO, I SAID YOOOUUU WANT IT MORE…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:24 pm

Lets go Pat! Lead the team to victory. This is how you grow as a QB!

Comment by DW for Prez 11.17.07 @ 3:25 pm

What a bullshit interference call. Absolute bullshit.

Comment by Stoosh 11.17.07 @ 3:31 pm

The win for this game will be awarded to the refs. That was a terrible fucking call to give it to them. That ref had it in for us all day. What a piece of shit. He needs hung.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:33 pm

Agree with Stoosh. That was not pass interference.

Comment by mjb 11.17.07 @ 3:34 pm

tough loss…touch interference call…Bostick might have grown up with the last drive, no TD, but showed confidence….still it hurts..should have been a W.

Hail to PITT!
-al-

Comment by Oregon al 11.17.07 @ 3:34 pm

Fuckin Ref’s…….How do you make a call like that!!!!

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 3:35 pm

The main thing we can take away from games like this is…yea, we’re 4-6. Add another year of experience, arm-strength, maybe better coaching, you could definitely swing three, if not four games, the other way. thank god it’s basketball season, but next year this team could be bowl-bound

Comment by merlin 11.17.07 @ 3:36 pm

Rutgers did not win that game. That was the worst call ever on the pass interference not only that but how about the call when Smith was clearly out of bounds and got hit then there was no call. What gives this is asham.

Comment by pitpanther01 11.17.07 @ 3:36 pm

that is absolute bullshit, i hate when refs decide who wins the game..this was pitt’s game who played one hell of a game on defense and held ray rice in check all day

Comment by max 11.17.07 @ 3:36 pm

Bull-shit call. Horrible.
Vv believe t bbbbefucking believe

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 3:37 pm

That’s the same ref who through the interferace call that was waived off…….Let the players decide who win or lose…….We’ll be fuckinunstoppable next year…..I cant wait!

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 3:37 pm

that ref can kiss my white ass

Comment by pittfan 11.17.07 @ 3:39 pm

When we lost a couple weeks ago, i was ok with it. Wasn’t pissed off or anything after…we lost.

This, on the other hand, if fucking terrible. Plain awful. We WIN THE GODDAMN GAME ON THE FUCKING FIELD AND THE REFS STRIP IT FROM US. There is nothing worse in the world. This is like the loss to Marquette last year when the refs awarded the win to them with a shitty call. This is even worse. We won. And got fucked. By a ref who CLEARLY had no idea what pass interference was all day. Banning him from football doesn’t do us justice. I’m fucking miserable all week.

Once again, Pitt just can’t get a break…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:39 pm

Scott Mckillop is a fuckin BEAST!!

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 3:40 pm

Another heart breaking loss…Thatcher, Cox and Vangas can’t go fast enough for me. They just make the most jugheaded mistakes at the worst time. Thatcher sporting a big, happy smile after he dropped an int right to him, and giving up the 3 points that forced that desparate heave to the end zone, can not be forgiven. Can’t believe that Strong did not even look for the ball, because if he does, it’s over. Can’t belive Turner did not use his body to seal off the defender, instead he keeps his body open (he knew the ball was in the air and where it was going) hand checks and gets a questionable off interference call. All in all, I like what I see from this team. They play hard the whole game. I really believe that they have turned a corner and will be a force in the BE next season.

Comment by HbgFrank 11.17.07 @ 3:42 pm

Game changing calls like that should be reviewed…..Not only did it strip the TD away, it pushed us back 15 fuckin yards!!!!

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 3:42 pm

Worst call of 07 - not even close …why not at least signal touchdown..he was so excited to give it to Ru, he didn’t even make the TD call.

If anyone thought we would be in this position 6 weeks ago, they are a heavier drinker than me.

Comment by Dan 72 11.17.07 @ 3:43 pm

Good things to come…but this one stings. I agree with everyone - let the players deice the game especially on a ticky tack call. I saw a lot of good things today - Ray Rice went nowhere with the exception of one play. The D looks more and more aggressive. We need to get those turnovers in the end zone. Mckillop - enough said. Next year its our turn.

Comment by Rex 11.17.07 @ 3:44 pm

This is the most upset I have ever been after a football game. Pitt won that fucking game and the officials stole it from them. Complete and utter bull-shit. The kids deserve better than a bunch of fucking loser 50 year old asshole to decide if they win or lose. That was a fucking horrendous call. I am fucking sick about this loss.

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 3:46 pm

absolutely horrendous interference call–hand checking from both players-Turner makes super catch and gets both feet in bounds–worst call (aside from the non-fair catch) I have seen this year!
Definite improvement from Pitt over the last few games–Rutgers stole this one.

Comment by tph60 11.17.07 @ 3:47 pm

I’m not pretending like we didn’t play an awful game, or if one of a handful of things would have went our way (Lee misses a 31 yarder - Cox doesn’t suck, causing Chapel to replace, causing Rice to get his one run - we score more than 1 TD on how many goddamn times the ball is given to us on their half the field) - and yes, even after the call, we had the ball at the end, still had a chance, and threw an int. But we’re not good enough to win any game twice. We’re just barely good enough to win once. And that wasn’t good enough today because of one fucking retarded ref. This isn’t whining where “that should’ve been pass int” on a ball that WASN’T caught - this was A CAUGHT BALL, this was a TD, we WON THE FUCKING GAME. It just doesn’t get worse than this. This is how Duke must have felt when they beat UConn the other week…just plain fucking awful. Once again, piss poor Big East refs fucking something up. Amazing.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 3:48 pm

There has been a LOT of complaining about Big East officiating this year.

First were some calls in the Rutgers v. USF game that some thought were fishy.

Then the UConn vs Louisville game had a few bad ones that went against the Cards… especially them letting UConn return a fair catch for a TD.

Now this one.

Maybe Big East refs have an “East Coast bias”

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my Dad 11.17.07 @ 3:52 pm

Sorry, hit enter before finishing my thoughts there.

I don’t like blaming officials for everything though. We had other chances to make sure that we couldn’t get royally fucked by the officiating in the closing seconds of the game.

But man… that one stung.

I flew into a full on, blind rage after the last play. My girlfriend’s cats scattered and they probably won’t go near me again for about a week.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my Dad 11.17.07 @ 3:55 pm

Good to see us improving-next year look bright.

Would like to see us land Tino Sunseri.

D. Strong will be in the league next year.

Liked the uniforms too.

Comment by scoocher 11.17.07 @ 3:56 pm

will say it again: this Pitt team can compete with the best of ‘em — anyone in the natiom — and lose every contest by a field goal.

I’d like to be an optomist here but the bloodletting will cont. So long as DW & PR share a sideline — until one is separated from the other in whatever capacity — this team isn’t finished building on its ‘near-win’ reputation.

In spite of player development from this year to the next, 2008 doesn’t show any more promise than this train-wreck of a season.

Comment by Neil 11.17.07 @ 4:09 pm

That was absolutely a TD and absolutely a bad call.

We will be SOOOO much better next year without Cox, Phillips, McKillops, McGlynn, Vangas (who had his worst game, which is really saying something).

But what a disappointment. Kudos to Pat for coming off the bench and hanging in there - showed a lot of character. Even the TJ drop was a great pass.

Comment by ryan 11.17.07 @ 4:17 pm

UNBELIEVABLE. we played a heck of a game and the refs had to throw it away. and yes they threw it away. how in the world is that anything resembling pass interference?????????????

Comment by brian 11.17.07 @ 4:19 pm

This will be known as a season of missed opportunities…

Stull was the biggest loss we could not afford (more on this later)

On the positive note…you Rhoads bashers (myself included) need to give him some props…I think he had a very good gameplan for Rutgers

I was shocked at the aggressive play of our LB’s. McKillop is a stud…

I saw more blitzing and more TO’s today than I have seen all season…

I will critcize the coaching just as much as anyone on this blog…but the truth is the D missed two tackles today that would’ve kept Rice under 100 yards (and 1 less TD). That was not coaching that was bad tackling and still they played well enough to keep Pitt on track for a win.

You want to talk about piss poor coaching…talk about the O-Line…not just allowing pressure but the timely false starts and holding calls…putting a impotent offense in 2nd or 3rd and longs…allowing Rutgers to pin their ears back and blitz

It is a big reason why we lost today

Shady–Great talent…strong heart lots of desire…just missed breaking away several carries for big gains…but he needs to learn how to HOLD ON TO THE BALL! I have no problem with Wanny benching him after that miscue…kid needs to learn and I believe he will.

The QB situation–Bostick needs a lot of work…nothing new here…his passes are flat…lotsa air in them…he cannot make more than two reads and just doesn’t have a pocket awareness yet.

When Wanny put Smith in I saw his first pass and said wow that ball had some zip on it…I am speculating on this but Smith actually looked like the better QB and perhaps he just needed some time to finally “get it”. He also is the QB you want in a bad O-line situation due to his mobility.

Bostick needs work on his mechanics and he needs to throw the ball with more velocity. Hey no knock this kid missed a lot of camp. Which leads me to my last point

Wanny…the loss of Stull was a bad break in a season of bad breaks, but here is where the sin lies in your head coaching…no its not the stubborn schemes, and no its not how conservative you have been with your freshman QB’s…and no its not the level of ineptitude of you and your coaches.

Your inability to bring a Jucco QB in to protect your 2 freshman QB’s was the ultimate reason of a lost season.

4 games that have been lost this year…we had a chance to win or tie the game. An experienced QB behind center gives us a chance at 2-2 (if not better). You know what that puts Pitt at today? 6-4 with a good shot at getting a bowl.

Instead we are 4-6 and likely to at best end up 5-7. This is the reason this season has been a lost season more than anything else. And that is where Wanny should take a shitload of the blame.

sorry for the long post that PI at the end broke my heart. I thought it was a BS call, but it just made me reflect on Pitt’s lost season.

DaveD

Comment by DaveD 11.17.07 @ 4:37 pm

The defense is being setup to be a good one next season. Rhoads still has to leave though because someone else with fresh aggressive ideas can do a lot with these kids.

Bostick will be fine as long as Shady helps him, which he will. I would not trade them for any other freshmen in the country. We show flashes of what can be, we just have to make it be a full time thing.

Comment by Panthoor 11.17.07 @ 4:38 pm

if pitt had made a couple plays earlier in the game(scoring more than one TD when your defense forces 4 TOs would be helpful), it wouldn’t come down to a bad call at the end. quit whining about the refs. we need better players who are better coached to perform when it counts.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 4:39 pm

Hey scott you can say the game was lost by not scoring earlier but whenever it comes right down to it, it was lost when the ref threw a flag that should have never been thrown. The panthers did enough to win this game wheater you want to admit it or not.

Comment by pitpanther01 11.17.07 @ 5:03 pm

Pitt got fucking robbed. No question. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fucking idiot. The coaches and players did all the right things today. The team got fucked by some incompetent high-school drop-out who happened to know somebody that could get him job officiating football. I wouldn’t be surprised if that cocksucker had money on the game. Fuck him and fuck anyone who says Pitt lost the game because they didn’t.

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 5:04 pm

Here you go contact the big east and tell them how terrible there refs are http://www.bigeast.org/CreateTicket.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19400&

Comment by pitpanther01 11.17.07 @ 5:07 pm

I am sick of the “we have turned the corner” talk. This team has difficulty coming back from deficits (except for Cincy). Let’s also not forget the games we have won that we could/should have lost (Cincy without a doubt). Until Wanny can consistently lead a come back and pull these games out I do not think they have turned anything.

Comment by Mitch 11.17.07 @ 5:14 pm

I refuse to be a Seattle Seahawks fan…go out and make plays…don’t let officiating lose it for you.

Strong was open…make a good throw its a TD.

That doesn’t mean that the official didn’t blow the call, but I think whenever you play a game close to the sleeve you put it in the officials hands.

The officiating made a couple of offensive PI calls (two on Rutgers earlier in the game) so you know they were calling/looking for it.

I am heartbroken as anyone, but I think its too easy to blame officials…

As someone earlier wrote “…we are not good enough to recover from a bad call…” (I am paraphrasing). This is the real problem not the bad call.

DaveD

Comment by DaveD 11.17.07 @ 5:20 pm

What I wrote earlier is we’re not good enough to win the game twice. Anyone who thinks this was a loss is a moron. Watch the play, it is clearly not pass interference. It was a terrible call by a terrible ref making terrible fucking calls all day. And they all went against Pitt. The call on Chappel? Bullshit. The call at the end of the game? More bullshit. These kids went out and did exactly what we asked of them: just enough to win the game. And then they had it ripped away by some useless asshole who doesn’t know the first fucking thing about officiating.

Does anyone know the name of that official?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 5:37 pm

Stuart is 100% correct. A team of freshman and sophmores shouldn’t be asked to win a game twice. Turner caught that fucking ball. If anything that should have been defensive pass interference. Pitt was robbed in a game where they did everything correctly.

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 5:59 pm

omar and stuart, you’re both delusional. “pitt did everything right”?! give me a fuckin break! we scored one TD, had less than 300 yards total offense. did either one of you clueless wonders play college football? i did, i know what a solid, fundamentally sound, well coached team looks like. pitt’s not there yet. recruit better players and put them in positions to succeed. pitt has a long way to go. doesn’t have a goddamn thing to do w/ one bad call.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 6:19 pm

Watch the fucking video: the defender makes contact first, he shoves his hands off, they continue to slap hands back and forth, we score the fucking TD. It was defensive pass interference before it could ever be called offensive pass interference - which it still wasn’t. Since when is pushing the defender that is on you “offensive pass interference”? What a fucking nightmare. The other ref standing right there didn’t throw his fucking flag - he had the exact same view. We got jobbed.

You wanna see offensive pass interference? Look in the first half where their player laid ours out. That’s pass interference.

Same fucking ref didn’t call the penalty when Britt ran over Chapel, same ref made that terrible call when Chapel had perfect coverage, and same ref and made that terrible call at the end against us when we won the game.

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:20 pm

Scott,

FUCK YOU! I watched the game. What the fuck did Rutgers do to win that game? NOTHING! Pitt won the game. 1 turnover. On a great run by McCoy. The refs stole it. The defense played as well as any Pitt d has played in 5 years. The offense didn’t turn the ball over and made plays at the end of game. How can you criticize Pitt? Your are delusional.

Comment by omar 11.17.07 @ 6:25 pm

The pass interference call at the end was terrible. There is no denying it. Pitt won that game. I was shocked when he called offensive pass interference. He couldn’t have seen pass interference. What did he see?

Comment by GregD 11.17.07 @ 6:38 pm

BTW - did you play for Pitt? Didn’t think so - go root for your college, troll. Last thing i want to hear from is some douche that didn’t even attend our college…assholes…

Why don’t you tell us all what powerhouse you played college football for…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:48 pm

MSU takes the lead….

…this is where they find a way to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory and make morelli the overall number one pick all in one series…god i hate msu…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:49 pm

I can’t even quote myself after being misquoted and insulted? Awesome…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:51 pm

I’ll even settle for the refs screwing psu in exchange for us getting screwed…something….cmon morelli, one more time…that’s all i ask…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:53 pm

Suck it PSU. MSU finally comes through….after years of futility….i’d say the timing couldn’t be better….

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 6:57 pm

Shit, even we could lose to MSU by 4…i’d love to have a Pitt/PSU game this year…especially at the end of the year…but no big east officials…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 7:07 pm

at least we arent alabama

Comment by matt in orlando 11.17.07 @ 7:28 pm

ah, yet another thoughtful, refined, classy post from stuart. i played at washington & lee. 15 years after i graduated, i’m still in the record book. i’m quite sure you’ve never heard of W&L - it’s a top 15 school that you could NEVER get into. i could buy and sell you, loser.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 7:45 pm

Scot…”pitt has a long way to go”…IF you have watched this team over the last three seasons, then you would know that Pitt has come a long way and they will contend for the BE Championship next season. It will happen for the exact reason that you refer to…they have recruited “better” players. Those players are now starting to have more and more of an impact on the games. We have the best young QB in the BE, we have the best young RB in the BE, next year we will have the best DL in the BE, and likely the best TE’s and WR’s. If we can just get some talent on the OL, we will be a BE contender and a Top 15-20 team nationally.

Comment by HbgFrank 11.17.07 @ 7:51 pm

DaveD…”Strong was open”…that’s true and if he looks for the ball it’s a TD. But the guy who should have read the all out blitz from the line of scrimmage goes 19 YARDS DOWN THE FIELD AND NEVER LOOKS BACK AT THE QB WHO HE KNOWS IS BEING BLITZED…and you make it the fault of the QB who threw a perfect pass!

Comment by HbgFrank 11.17.07 @ 7:54 pm

First of all, Washington & Lee is not a top 15 school, c’mon now.

Second of all, we could have done things better in the first half especially. It was obvious that Pat was struggling and although we wanted to throw the ball down the field, some flare passes or especially some screen passes would have been much more effective just to get the D line off of Pat’s back.

Don’t get me wrong, with that bad of an Offensive line, it’s hard to do much, but we could have been more effective throughout the game.

But that was still complete robbery. I cannot believe they didn’t even give us the TD in the initial call. Two feet down by a mile.

Comment by ryan 11.17.07 @ 8:05 pm

Let’s try this again…you call me “delusional” - i ask if you’re illiterate. You misquote me, and don’t even understand the meaning of what i said.

I said “I’m not pretending like we didn’t play an awful game…” and you don’t seem to understand what i meant by that. Its self-evident. That is nowhere near saying “pitt did everything right.”

The rest of what i said: “…or if one of a handful of things would have went our way…and yes, even after the call, we had the ball at the end, still had a chance, and threw an int. But we’re not good enough to win any game twice. We’re just barely good enough to win once. And that wasn’t good enough today because of one fucking retarded ref. This isn’t whining where “that should’ve been pass int” on a ball that WASN’T caught - this was A CAUGHT BALL, this was a TD, we WON THE FUCKING GAME…”

Seriously, do you understand what i’m saying? Because your comments lead us all to believe you don’t, at all. You’re also very classy with your “clueless wonders” comment - ironic how it slips by you that we won the turnover margin by a large amount…and to top it all off, we score the winning touchdown…

Don’t purport to have any idea of my intelligence level or assume i went to Pitt for one reason or another. You have no idea…keep being a hypocrit by lobing insults and then calling others who do so “classless”…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 8:12 pm

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 8:16 pm

Scott….I don’t know who you are but it’s pretty obvious that you haven’t been paying attention to any PITT games this year…..We are a team of Freshmans and Soph’s, and we lost are starting QB during the secong game of the season…..Rice and Co beat us up pretty good last year and was favorite to win by at least 12 pt’s today….For our young players to put their selves in a position to win this game and then have a ref who has been throwing bogus flags at are defenders all day, wipe out the game winning TD is a hard pill for us all to swallow…….This team will be a beast next season, and the games will not be this close.

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 8:26 pm

Wait - are you seriously arguing about your liberal art colleges USNWR ranking to prove that you know more about football than all the other fans here? Seriously? Go troll on your college’s football fan blog… I don’t know what your “glory days” have to do with Pitt getting screwed today… Go bother PSU for losing to MSU…

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 8:31 pm

I forgot - do we compare SAT scores now?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 8:32 pm

I was at the game and without the benefit of seeing it on replay i must tell you all that it “looked” like offensive pass interference when viewing it live. 10 Pitt people in our section screamed when he pushed off. We all knew the flag was coming. We didn’t like it, but from our vantage point it looked like offensive pass interference. That’s obviously what the referee saw as well. It was a very diificult way to lose the game. I thought we played well enough to win and the D was excellent today. Our QB situation held us back today. at least three sacks should be blamed on the QB’s who don’t seem to know enough to get rid of the ball when no one is open.

Comment by TMGPanther 11.17.07 @ 8:39 pm

TMGPanther…..I had the benifit of seeing the reply over and over and the call was BULLSHIT!….From what I seen, both players were fighting for position to make a play on the ball and the best man caught the ball…..Situations like that, the refs gotta let the players decide the outcome of the game or at least review the play upstairs.

Comment by jumpingjohnnie_class82 11.17.07 @ 8:49 pm

that was horrbile, first off wanstedt should not of taken out bostick at the beginning of the second half….what a way to kill a freshamns confidence, there was no reason to take him out, he wasn’t playing well but were ot playing for this year were playing for next year and hwat’s to come, taking out your freshman qb will not help this, and after shady fumbled it seemed like he wasnt in for like 2 possesions….and how bout cavanugh gets some flow going, call some better plays in the redzone!!!

Comment by jared 11.17.07 @ 9:11 pm

Pulling Bostick was the right call because it worked. Bostick will probably be redshirted next year. If it hurt his feelings to get pulled after throwing for 30 yards then we don’t want him as our quarterback. We need to play to win the current game, not a game 2 years from now.

This comment is not so much because of these comments but one of the other Pitt sites: the D played well. We held their run the whole game except for one play. I hate PR as much as the next guy, but give credit where credit is due. Rice did not run all over us like we all thought he would. Good defensive performance.

Comment by Jon C 11.17.07 @ 9:21 pm

Jared, I am a big fan of Bostick, but he was clearly rattled and pulling him was the right thing to do.

Comment by HbgFrank 11.17.07 @ 9:43 pm

well said jon C. YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME. bostick deserved to get pulled, then seemed to respond well to it when he was put back in the game.

and scott: a ranking for liberal arts schools? seriously? since you like lists so much, point out your school on this one: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php

Comment by matt in orlando 11.17.07 @ 9:48 pm

i’ve been attending Pitt games for 30+ years, am a season ticket holder and Panther Club member. and yes, i’m certain i’m more intelligent and knowledgable about football and countless other subjects than an ignorant, loud-mouth like you stuart.

Comment by Scott 11.17.07 @ 9:49 pm

I am outraged that a terrible unnecessary call lost us the game and for all intents and purposes, the season (no bowl now). But I’m more outraged in the conference. Can’t we all agree now that the Big East is garbage and Pitt has to do everything it can to get into the Big Ten? Better to stink in a respectful conference then stink (and get screwed over by officiating, as we do particularly in basketball) in a big-money conference with real bowl affiliations and absolute crap schools. With Notre Dame down now, it may be the last chance (though Mizzou’s success is a bad omen). Call the retarded administration and demand it. Bombard Nordenberg’s secretary. Picket the Cathedral. Throw tomatoes at his limosine. Most of all, the next time the GoldenTeamPantherClub sends an extortion note, send it back charred around the edges with slash marks through it and a demanding note that not another cent is forthcoming without action. Screw Mike Trangrese up the ass.

That felt good. And to prove I’m a stand up guy, kudos to the Pitt defense (I can’t bring myself to say that directly to Rhoads) for a nice job today.

Comment by geeman2001 11.17.07 @ 10:00 pm

I meant NO absolute crap schools … like the Big East has. Indiana gets 10000000000000000000000% more respect than South Freakin’ Florida, no matter what the record.

Comment by geeman2001 11.17.07 @ 10:01 pm

Bostick will never be any better. He has no arm. But this team has 17 future starters redshirted and waiting to play next year. The refs took this game. Could you imagine how many games we could win with Pryor behind center?

Comment by oliver 11.17.07 @ 10:04 pm

You obviously can’t read or don’t understand the english language - misquoting me and mischaracterizing what i said is more prone to come from a high school kid, not a college graduate. And the insults top it off…

Here’s a thought - attack my arguments and what I say, not me. Do you understand what logical falacies are?

Comment by Stuart 11.17.07 @ 10:21 pm

Geeman2001…(1) Both Northwestern and Minn are crap teams (2) The Big 10 DOES NOT WANT OR NEED PITT (3) The BE is, top to bottom, just as good, if not better than the big 11 this year. Get over it.

Comment by HbgFrank 11.18.07 @ 12:29 am

I think it’s hilarious when men in their 30s brag about Division III college football glory and make ridiculous boastfull “I could buy and sell you” claims.

Who cares?

I agree that Pitt didn’t do enough to win. It shouldn’t have come down to an officiating blunder.

On the other hand, I also agree that Slutgers didn’t do anything to win the game either. They played just as much of a shit-laden game as we did.

But they just got a good call (at least for them, not us) at the end.

Should they have gotten that call? Probably not.

But oh well. If we had stepped above the slop and shit football that was being played by BOTH teams, we wouldn’t won by two TDs like we rightfully should have.

We didn’t play above that level though, and we opened ourselves up to getting assfucked out of a game that we should’ve rightfully won.

Next year, we’ll beat ‘em by 17 at Heinz to eliminate any chance of Tony Soprano’s paid off refs (relax, I’m being sarcastic) costin us a W.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my Dad 11.18.07 @ 4:16 am

“Pulling Bostick was the right call because it worked.” - Jon C.

Amen!

Smith briefly sparked an offense that was lifeless in the 2nd quarter. And, most importantly, he lit a fire under Bostick’s ass.

So yeah, benching Pat to start the 3rd was a good move. The proof that it was a good move is in the result. And if Pat’s game-winning TD pass doesn’t get called back, this is a non-issue right now.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my Dad 11.18.07 @ 4:20 am

Kevan Smith looked like an olympic track star compared to Bostick. It really put back in to perspective how slow and bogged down Bostick looks when he moves around the pocket. I like Bostick but he needs to work on some quickness and that throwing motion looks like hes winding up to throw a softball.

Next year its our turn, look at the potential:

1) all of the big games are at home.
2) Bostick and McCoy both almost a full year of experience.
3) Kinder and half the injured team come back healthy and rested.
4) Our nemesis Pat White, Brohm, and Ray Rice will all be gone.
5) The defense has steadily improved every week since the Navy disaster.

lots of good things to look forward to.

Comment by Rex 11.18.07 @ 8:41 am

This team will be amazing in the near future.

Comment by ChtisA 11.18.07 @ 10:23 am

Bostick is a pocket passer. That is a tough thing to be when the word “pocket” cannot possibly fit in to any gameplan with our line. I didn’t see the game but just assume he had no time. He is also a freshman, who was not supposed to play this year. Remember, I really doubt he will start next year. Hopefully we have a QB situation that will allow us to redshirt him. That is not knocking him, anyone could use some experience. You cannot teach someone to be fast (insert Wanny joke here.) He will never be a scrambling QB, ever. If you want to bash someone, lay off the freshman.

We’ve lost 4 or so games now by 1 play. Things are looking a lot better. Hopefully the roster we have next year makes that one play difference at least. This is the first time in recent memory that we put the clamps on a good running team.

Comment by Jon C 11.18.07 @ 10:43 am

It seems pretty obvious that every bounce and call we got a couple years in the Fiasco Bowl season is now correcting itself this season, where we can’t get anything to go right when we need it to.

Comment by Joey D 11.18.07 @ 11:38 am

Joey D: I think that is true and we are (for some reason) paying for the Steelers super bowl XL win with the questionable calls against Seattle (see “push off” in end zone.)

Comment by Jon C 11.18.07 @ 12:18 pm

Just to add fuel to the fire: I left that game yesterday on the lowest of lows after being on the highest of highs 10 seconds earlier. The officiating in that game was awful and admittedly it went both ways but that last call should get someone fired. There is a quote this morning in our local paper from RU’s Devin McCourty on that TD pass: “I thought he made a good play, I just assumed the ref would call defensive interference as soon as I saw the flag..” It doesn’t get anymore frustrating. This was a finish that should have given Bostick a much needed boost of confidence. By the way, when Pitt comes back in two years I’m getting one of those crappy seats with the other Pitt fans because although we had great seats we were in a sea of red and it was getting pretty tense there at the end.

Comment by Rich in NJ 11.18.07 @ 1:38 pm

Jimbo Covert’s son: The point some of you are overlooking is what we *did* do enough to win the game. We had a receiver catch a ball in the endzone, get two feet in, and maintain posession, which was enough to give us the win. And he did all this after he got pushed and was fighting off a defenders hands.

We *didn’t* do enough to win the game twice. We’re not that good yet. That’s asking too much of this team. Quite simply, they got fuct. And our players are all better people than I am for not bitching about it. I would be furious.

And i don’t care if their sloppy play means they didn’t *deserve* to win the game - they made the goddamn play at the end to WIN THE GAME. Who the hell determines who *deserves* to win a game? What the hell is that? They made the play to win the game. That’s all that matters. And it was stripped from them. Too bad they didn’t make it twice…

I hope they remember this next year when Rutgers comes here, and do something about it. If we’re winning late next year, there is absolutely no chance I’d let up, even for one second. Our goal should be to embarass them next year.

Comment by Stuart 11.18.07 @ 2:50 pm

Give WANNY the FIVE YEAR extension now- Finally everyone can see what DW is building. Just think, Fields and Dom will be our safeties next year and all the other players have one more year of experience under their belt.

Did anyone think that Strong should have scored on the late catch?

Hail to Pitt-

PS- Pryor would be the missing link to our magical run in 2008- BTW- that is the year DW said the team would be ready

Comment by cdmoore25 11.18.07 @ 5:51 pm

Strong doesn’t score on last play, game winning catches. That’s not his thing. See: my rant after the Navy game.

From this game, it does look better for next year, but i’m still tenative. Yes, our D played well against the guys that were on the field, including a mobile backup QB - but when Teel would come in, our secondary would get exposed on deep throws - or we put in Chapel and he provided no run support. Its awful. We need some guys to step up out of nowhere next year.

Our QB situation improves by default, as long as Stull doesn’t transfer. Either Bostick improves immensely, or Stull is the man - and we start throwing that tricky “forward pass” thingy i see other teams doing. Our lack of passing has obviously been the biggest problem with this team. We had a very solid chance of having been 8-2 at this point with a real QB and a top WR like Kinder, even with our other problems.

Also - what the hell is that embarassing formation that we have to go to in order to get 1 yard? Are we really that soft we’ve resorted to crawling? I appreciate the coaching staffs willingness to do anything, no matter how pathetic, to get us a win, but those lineman should hang their heads in shame at what they’ve had to resort to. What happened to all that Buddy Morris strenght crap? All those lineman should have to wear Strong’s “I WORK OUT AT CURVES” pink shirts in practice next year until they can consistently get 1 yard when necessary. This is either a line coach that needs fired or more time needed in the gym. Disgusting. I’ll understand if somehow Rhoads maintains his job, but i see no way in hell that the Oline coach has any chance at all to be here next year.

As others have mentioned, the schedule and other schools graduating players helps immensely too.

Like i also said, and agree with you cdmoore, give him an extension, rewrite the buyouts in the University’s favor just in case. Win-Win situation, and a no-brainer. To bad we have no AD.

Now that it looks optimistic, i’m reverting back to my typical Pitt-fan self and waiting for the impending disasterous collapse…

Comment by Stuart 11.18.07 @ 8:01 pm

PS. Penn State still sucks.

Comment by Stuart 11.18.07 @ 8:05 pm

I’d like to declare that every one of those calls in the Super Bowl were spot-on.

Comment by ryan 11.18.07 @ 9:24 pm

I’m not from Western PA and was a neutral observer in the Stillers superbowl - and to compare someone fully extending their arms and creating a full yard of seperation from a defender, to two guys slapping hands with no seperation occuring at all (even the defender admits he thought the penalty would be on him - he hit our receiver early, first) is absurd. The players and fans of Pitt got robbed. Hopefully they don’t forget it next year and are improved enough to do something about it.

Comment by Stuart 11.18.07 @ 11:09 pm

$250 plane ticket
a lay over in Cincinnati,
2 $40 game day tickets,
$150 rental car,
watching the coaching staff blow another victory, priceless!

Pitt plays just good enough to lose every week…and this is due exclusively to the coaches, WHEN WILL IT STOP? Big time coaches coach their kids to big time wins, and this coaching staff has not and will never be able to accomplish this feat. Until we get a competent coaching staff things will never change.

Comment by Marco 11.18.07 @ 11:19 pm

Marco - both the last 2 throws were right where they needed to be - what more do you want from the coaches? As a matter of fact they did do enough to win the game once. I’m not sure how we can blame the coaches here…

Comment by Stuart 11.19.07 @ 1:30 am

Xmas wish list for Bostick: 1. Speed up throwing motion 2. Improve footwork 3. Improve pocket speed and escapability (let’s face it Pat will never be Pat White)

Wanny X-mas list: New DC, New Oline, New OC…Juco Center, Juco QB, Recruit athletic QB, Some stud DBs, LBs

PR X-mas List: 1. By/Read/Understand ? any book dealing with blitzing, aggressive defenses. 2. New Resume…send to Akron, Miami OH, Kent St. oh hell…whoever will take him

O-line Coach: A nice set of Samsonite Luggage and a moving van…hopefully a good letter of recommendation from Wanny

Pitt O-line: The Heart to make a yard when it counts

Comment by Deter 11.19.07 @ 7:49 am

Marco, I’m in the same boat, we actually left Friday and went to the Pitt and Steeler game, looks like we are 0-2 in the meadowlands for the weekend.

Comment by Jimbo B 11.19.07 @ 8:43 am

Stuart & cdmoore,

If you are referring to Strong’s catch that took him down to about the five, I’m going to give Strong the benefit of the doubt on that one. Bostick put the ball where it needed to be but he floated it a bit. Strong made a nice catch and broke at least one or two tackles right after making the catch. I seem to remember him having two Rutgers defenders standing in his direct path to the endzone, and another one coming from the middle of the field. He lowered his shoulder to try to bull his way into the endzone, but it would’ve been tough for anyone to get in there.

On the final play, he probably should’ve looked sooner, but I think Bostick let the pass fly about a split-second too early.

Comment by Stoosh 11.19.07 @ 11:45 am

Stoosh…On the last play, Strong ran straight down the middle of field and never looked back. Bostick was in the face of blitz and thew the ball to where Strong was going, if Strong looks back to his QB, say around the 5 yard line, that was most likely a TD pass. The bottom line is this, while I do think that Bostick should red shirt next year, he is often made to look bad by receivers who are not where they belong, or who lack the instincts to go after the ball (in this case to even look for the ball). For all the talk of how much losing Stull hurt our offense, I’m not so sure that losing Derrick Kinder was not an equal, or even greater loss.

Comment by HbgFrank 11.19.07 @ 12:46 pm

I’m talking about the last play.

The ball was thrown to the exact spot that the tallest guy on the field was going to be. You’d expect him to be able to outjump the shorter ones and get it. Too bad he can’t. I wouldn’t even bitch if this wasn’t the first time he did this.

The play before was a much bigger improvement from him than i’ve seen all year. At least he didn’t try to run out of bounds short this time. They must have made him wear the pink shirt again after the Navy game.

I hear you about Kinder - maybe he makes both of the grabs we needed and we have a winning record right now. Oh well…

Comment by Stuart 11.19.07 @ 3:28 pm

would somebody drive out to Jeannette and give Pryor smokers until he commits so i can be optimistic about the future rather than delusionally optimistic?

Comment by Foge Fazio 11.19.07 @ 4:04 pm

I am not blaming anyone. Our young men played a hell of a game. My only thought is that BIG DARELL STRONG could have fought his way to the end zone on his last catch. The Rutgers corner was scared to tackle strong. Either way, we played hard and he future looks bright especially if a certain mr pryor, mr hale, mr baldwin, and the gang answer our call
For the records- Next year Byhnam is taking that reception and turning into to SIX. Byhnam is a stud.

Hail to PITT

Comment by cdmoore25 11.19.07 @ 4:37 pm