Making my first trip to Morgantown today.

Any parking suggestions?

Pitt commit Kevin Weatherspoon with a 2 pt conversion fot the “Bears”

Cinci’s mediocre running game and their high powered passing attack could mean two things, a long day for our secondary, or unbelievable numbers for our D-line. Pike was impressive though. (is this me looking past WVU?)

Pitt wins this game but not in a blow out. The books in Vegas know what they are doing. Not a gambler but Pitt is 9-1 vs WV 7-3 at home and it is only a pick or Pitt by one. Just wondering what the line will be next week vs Cinci??? Pitt could be a small dog.

I believe the key for both this week and especially next week may be maintaining the run and keeping the opposing playmakesr off the field and out of rhythm.

I am guessing Pitt has an injury problem. Thats the only thing that explains the spread in this game. Pitt has the better team and should win. Berry??

2 things from the game:

1 – can we please get an F’ING Kicker please?!!!
2 – what’s coming out about Stull is that he can’t play the big games. looks like we are headed to the tire bowl. He’ll never step up to play Cincy.

I knew the Stull haters would be back.

Stull did play like crap. Hutchins should have made the shorter fg. Sort of like the Rutgers game for him. The offense better score points next week, Cincy will.

Berry did not play. Stull didn’t have one of his better days but you know who I thought was worse … Dickerson dropped 3 passes he could have caught … all were key plays. The chopblock was also pretty key.

Very disappointing but not devastating … especially if they beat Cincy.

Agree on the Dickerson thing. he was terrible. Tmg – get real. Stull was awful last night. to say anything less is a wrong.

Yep, two seniors saved some of their worst of the season for this big game (Stull and Dickerson). But they were not the only problems last night…They don’t kick Field Goals and they don’t play defense. The team just got outplayed. WVU wanted it more and got it. The good news is, we now have the power to send WVU to the Tire bowl by beating Cincy…and Cincy is very beatable.

Pitt is It – I didn’t comment on Stull’s play against WVU, so i don’t know what I need to get “real” about. By the way, you didn’t comment on it either. You just took the opportunity to trash him and declare that he won’t be any good in the Cinn game. I think we heard all that at the beginning of the season. Also, as I recall everyone labled ND as a “big game”. If he played well and we won against WVU no doubt you wouldn’t have considered it a “big” game. I would suggest that WBB and HbgFrank had the more accuarate and thoughtful analysis and commentary.

Stull had a bad game but nobody ever said he was right up there with Tebrow. The game was let down, but it never had the intensity of the historic brawl – from either the team or the fans if everybody was honest about it. If we had one eye on next Saturday, it is hard to be too critical of the team for being human like us. Bottom line is 10-2 looks pretty good from where I sit. Let’s make Heinz rock next Saturday. If the Panthers can bring that one home, last night will only bring back bad memories about a year from now when we play the eers again. If Pitt loses next Saturday, we would have been very disappointed even if they had won last night so, all in all, last night was like a mustard burp. I just hope the place is sold out and crazy. Stull has been better than expected this season, so I, at least, give him a pass last night because he didn’t lose that game on his own. By the way I tailgate in Green 23, are some of you guys there too – I would like to buy you a beer next Saturday for breakfast.

Gary McGhee with his second double-double, two in a row. Go figure! he has worked hard in the off season and I’m glad he has improved.

Re: the Brawl… it meant nothing for the championship and they played like it. I’m not too mad or shocked; kinda knew it was a trap game (more for the way we play out of a bye = sluggish and slow on offense)… Quite honestly, we should have been rolled if WVU had half a brain.

It would’ve been nice to see the BCS pundits debate a second BE team for the consideration of an at-large bid, but that was a pipe dream to begin with…

Obviously, I’m hoping for a win against Cincy for the financial and program exposure benefits. However, to me, we need to break the 10 win threshold this year. If we go to the Tire Bowl and roll Temple or North Carolina…so be it, we just need that 10th win. Call me crazy, but 10 wins is a huge accomplishment and, IMHO, the first example of us “turning the corner”…

Didn’t trash him TMG, simply made a statement about him not stepping up in big games. Playing WVU is slightly bigger than playing a down and out ND. WVU is ALWAYS a big game, come on now. Stull has been much better than anyone anticipated – including me. For that, he has been a great asset to the program this year. As a Sr (and Dickerson and the others), he needs to step up more in these games. He simply did not do that. Next time I will check my passion at the door for you. Having said that, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the team and program as well.

Hail to Pitt.

Quality programs don’t make excuses for losing games. The “I don’t care attitude” exhibited by some on this site blows me away. Learn to call a spade a spade, Pitt played with no energy and the coaching stunk. Wanny played scared to lose football, and the result was a loss. A fifty-three and a 47 yard field goal, a punt returner that hates to field a punt, and if he does, he heads out of bounds as fast as he can, throwing to basically one receiver, and having your corners playing five to seven yards off a receiver are all parts of a formula to lose. Brown will never be confused with Clausen, so why when we finally blitzed on the game winning drive would you have your corners playing soft coverages? In my opinion, gutless football. I am not a Stull hater like some, but he started throwing off his back foot again half way through the ND game, and it continued most of the game yesterday. When Stull is decisive with the ball and steps into the throw he is a decent QB, but when he throws off his back foot, like he did most of last night, his below average arm strength surfaces, and you saw the results last evening. Wanny was aggressive the night of the WVU upset, but last night he was as passive as a lamb and his team followed his lead. Admit it men, this looked like a different team last night. Is WVU that good, or did we choke? Wanny, coached tight, and the players, played tight. Steward is a rotten coach, but stupid as he seems, he played to win, and he did. If you’re afraid to make mistakes, and take chances, the results are usually poor. If Wanny lets the dogs out, and lets Cignetti call his game, we will beat Cincy, but if he coaches scared like last night, expect the same results. And yes, I do believe Wanny effected the play calling last night, because this didn’t appear to be a typical game called by Cignetti. I may be wrong, but this offense appeared to have Wanny’s conservative nature stamped all over it. Alright guys, fire away.

AMEN Itl…Amen.

“Wanny played scared to lose football, and the result was a loss.”

ltl49, I want to be sure that I understand you. DW tried kicking field goals when the more conservative approach would be to punt. He went for it on 4th down. He had the QB throw deep on a number of plays. (The QB either over threw or under threw on most.) He ran Dion on a sweep on short yardage when the more conservative approach would be to run the ball up the middle. As far as the separation distance between the DB’s and WVU’s receivers, do you have it on good authority that those were marching orders from DW? And would it be smart coaching to tell a DB to have their chest touch the receiver’s chest on pass routes?

I don’t want to brush you off as someone who is either completely unknowledgeable or who just likes to attack Wannestedt without giving you an opportunity to explain yourself. Please fill in the blanks.

DW played scared because he????? instead of?????

Do as many lines as you wish.

As TMGPanther indicated, McGhee had his second consecutive double-double, but he only played 23 minutes against YSU (with one personal foul) and just 20 minutes against Texas (with 3 PF’s). Any guesses as to the apparent limited playing time? JD wants to give Taylor minutes for developmental purposes or because he believes that Taylor is deserving? Seems like McGhee should be a 30+ minutes guy and let Taylor develop at the 4 position.

ltl49…

maybe one thing to consider regarding the less than vehement tone from some of us is—this loss(although hard to take and digest considering the differences in talent and momentum) is not a “bad loss” in comparison to others in the Wanny regime. Losing to a 8 win team on the road; and a program that has been to multiple BCS games and won, is not a bad loss. Especially considering the rivalry piece and the non-ramifications for the BE championship.

Not apologizing for the loss, but let’s face it… we have witnessed much, much, much worse loses.

Taking my homer glasses off, I would probably say the call that really erked me was the 3rd and 2 in the first period. Not sure whyywe run a counter when two shots up the middle would have done the job easily for a first down, and even if it does not, we are 2-3 yds closer for the FG. That call perpexled me…

This loss really hurts Pitt’s perception with the media. Not to mention a drop in the polls. I really thought Pitt turned the corner and could play with the Texas’s of the world. If a team can’t get fired up for WV, well thats a bad reflection on the team.

I sill think Pitt is better that Cinci and will win. I can think of 6-7 teams that would lather Pitt or Cinci in a bowl game. I will be happy after the bowl game so I don’t have to see B. Stull any longer in a Pitt uniform. As long has he has 4-6 sec. to find a reciever he is ok, but.

Running hyno as 1st back through and some reverses might have helped also Pederson, never ever have 2 bye weeks sandwiched around the last 3 games of the season, talk about a momentum killer. we peaked w/ the S. FL game, haven’t looked that good on o or d since. move the 12/5 slot to earlier

BigGuy, let’s start with the punt returner. Three returns for three yards!! If you have attended the home games or watched on TV, you should have noticed this is a recurring theme. Once Smith called for a fair catch with no one within 15 yds. of him. The crowd booed, and Wanny made a switch for one punt. Sadly to report, Saddler fumble the punt and Smith was back in action. At this level someone, anyone should be able to field a punt and return it at least “four” yds. I may be wrong, but I believe Wanny instructs Smith to stay clear of the ball whenever it hits the ground. He is only interested in fielding high punts, and he could care less if any yards are gained during the return. My opinion, gutless football! Last night going for a 53 yd. field goal with our kicker wasn’t gutless, it was downright stupid. If you’re crazy enough to go for a 53 yd. field goal, you should be aggressive enough to go on fourth down. The “wise” choice on both long field goal attempts at that stage of the game was to punt. First down passes were seldom used in this game, screens were not used, and slants were not even thought of. Byham, which came up big in the Uconn game when things got tough, was a forgotten man. Either someone had a brain cramp or Kav made a guest appears as the OC. I hate to break it to you, but long passes never have and never will be Stull’s strength, so to say that’s aggressive football is like barking at the moon. But playing tight press coverage in certain situations, especially during one of our only blitzes of the season is, in my uninformed opinion, non aggressive. And unless the headphones on Wannstedt’s head is just for show, he’s putting his two or three cents in, especially on defense. When was the last time Chappel was even close enough to even bat a pass down. Watch the game again, Chappel is barely in the right zip code half the time. Loose coverage is one thing, but this coverage borders on flag football. I got a call from a friend immediately after the game and the first words out of his mouth were why was Pitt so passive. So at least one person and seemly “Pitt is it” saw the game the same way I did. To each his own opinion. But after saying all that, I still believe that Wannstedt is good for the program. I often disagree with his game day coaching, but I’d have to get in line for that, but I respect the way he has built the program and the way he handles his athletes. GO PITT

19-16….its the new 13-9.

ltl49, the only thing that hurts our media perception is the loss to NC State and all the passing yardage we gave up to Buffalo…Losing to WV at Morgantown in a rival game does not hurt our media perception…Too be honest, the defense played good enough to win, our offense let us down, but all good teams have bad offenses days, you can only hope they play good enough to win, which we didn’t, but with that said, WV’s offense played just as bad, but their Quarterbak was able to convert just emough third down coversion to put them in scoring position, whereas Stull was just horrible for 3 quarters, after the first couple series when we went three and out, I knew it was gonna be a long day….It also sounds as if you don’t like Smith returning punts, I don’t know if you ever played football and had to catch punts, but it is very, very difficult to concentrate on a ball thats constantly moving, and then positioning yourself to catch it while you are surrounding by defenders who are waiting for you to muff it…You can not make any mistakes when fielding a punt, and as a coach you want someone who can field the punt first and foremost, and Smith has done a FANTASTIC job at fielding the punt, what he does after that is considered a bonus…Eventhough this loss hurts, I can sleep better knowing that we can still win the Big East and go to a BCS bowl, and knowing that our loss was actually a good win for the Big East, it should move WV into the top 25 which will help the Big East media perception…It’s been a long time since I actually felt a little good after a Pitt loss, exspecially to WV…Cheer up guys, we’re gonna need everybodies positive energy to beat Cincy.

You guys are too accepting of the loss. A loss is a loss – there is no good loss unless you are Temple and managed to actually score 7 on a real opponent. Come on people.

As for WVU82 – get real. The circumstances were totally different, but it was spoken like a true Hoopie…

“I still believe that Wannstedt is good for the program. I often disagree with his game day coaching, but I’d have to get in line for that, but I respect the way he has built the program and the way he handles his athletes. GO PITT”

Ah, ltl49, I was all set to fire away with a nice rebuttal, but you threw me off with your closing statement. Hail to Pitt!

Did anybody really think Stull was going to step up in a big, late-season game? He’s been fine this year when the competition has been average or below average, but now it’s the time of year when you can’t get by with a kid like that playing the most important position on the field.

I do think they’ve got a chance against Cincy, because they might be able to control the game on the ground. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Watching Stull just focus on Baldwin play after play and then just chuck it up while leaning backward was painful. It’s too bad, because they’ve got a pretty decent team around him.

Let’s go beat Cincy by running Lewis and keeping the ball out of Pike’s (and Stull’s) hands.

I also agree that this hurt Pitt (and the Big East) considerably in media circles. Having two teams ranked close to the Top 5 and then having those two teams meet for the league championship and the bowl berth was going to be great for this program and the league. Bummer. Sure, it’s still an attractive game coming up next weekend, but it definitely lost some luster in Morgantown.

Hugh, the Cincy coach agreed with your assessment of the loss hurting the BE and Cincy. I heard him in an interview state how all of Cincy was rooting for Pitt to win. The higher our national ranking, the more it would help Cincy’s national ranking if they beat us. Nothing good comes from losing unless you’re Notre Dame and want to get rid of your present poor coaching staff.

Pitt It Is and ltl49, I never said that this was a good loss for Pitt, I said this may be a good loss for the media perception of the Big East…Pitt’s loss would most likely vault WV into the top 25, which means more Big East teams are ranked at the end of the year…There are those in the media circle with alot of influence who believes that the Big East is undeserving of a automatic bid to a BCS bowl and would use every excuse imaginable to strip the conference of this previledge…Although we’ve been able to maintain our ties to a BCS bowl, it comes with a price, and somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the Big East has to place 2-3 teams in the final top 25 BCS Rankings to keep our bid active.

From what I’ve heard from most of the announcers, the BE has gained respect by the way the conference teams have performed this year. The way the present system is setup, quantity of fans will always bring about more respect for a conference than quality of teams. Until a true playoff system is established, the fans in the stands will always dictate the football rankings. The thing about having 2-3 teams in the final top 25 BCS rankings is new to me, but if it’s two, Pitt and Cincy would have looked better for the conference than just Cincy. Pitt needed to finish high in the rankings to continue to attract quality recruits. If you ask Wannstedt, I’m sure he’d agree that a high ranking finish would have made his recruiting pitch a little more attractive.

ltl49, you say, “fans in the stands will always dictate the football rankings”…Hummmmm, never heard that before, the BCS commitees are always looking for attractive teams that have a good traveling fanbase, but that is not how teams are selected to BCS Bowl games, and fans in the stands have nothing to do with football rankings, if thats the case Michigan and Penn State will be ranked in the top 5 every year…If your school is playing in a BCS conference and you win your conference, you go to a BCS Bowl, simple as that, regardless of how large your fanbase is…Each school is given a ticket allowment, and if the schools fails to sale all of their tickets, then they have to purchase the remaining unsold ticket, and most of the time, those tickets are donated to the local businesses and high schools of the city the BCS Bowl is being played at,this pretty much guarantees a decent crowd for each bowl game…Your arguement is the same one that JoePa is trying to sell to BCS Bowl committee in his attempt to steal a gurantee BCS Bowl bid to the two top teams in the Big Ten, which re Ohio State and Iowa…Penn State I believe will finish 3rd after losing to both of these teams which eliminates them from BCS, but JoePa’s arguement is they will be a more attractive team then Iowa…It’s what you do between the hashes not your fan base.

Here’s an idea – put a shock collar on Stull. Every time he throws on his back foot while falling away from the team Cig jolts him from the box. Nice! Now that would be good TV. I can hear Brent Musberger now…”Now that’s gonna hurt the man from Pittsburgh…”

JumpinJohn, I’m more than aware of what you’re saying, but check the lastest BCS rankings. If it wasn’t for an automatic bowl bid for a BCS conference who do you think would get the bids? You think it’s because the Big Ten has three superior teams to Pitt that they all instantly jumped over Pitt…….”It’s fans in the stands man.”