Four hours of sleep, a lot of coffee, back at work. Yeah, I’m still feeling very bitter. Actually I think the bitterness is keeping me more awake than the coffee.

As was pointed out in the comments previously, Pitt looked like the overall superior team in size, strength and talent. Check that. Pitt looked like the team with the superior players. UConn was the superior team. They were better coached. Better prepared. Just better last night.

After Pitt had gone up 21-13 with 13 seconds left in the 3d quarter, I wrote the following in the notes I was taking on the game:

This where superior size, talent, and conditioning come in to play against UConn — again. UConn played better than Pitt for a while, but Pitt has simply worn them down.

Then Moore broke off a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD. A total momentum changer. The sort of thing (like Cinci last year) that rejuvenated the UConn side. They still had hope. They played like it, and Pitt went back on their heels.

(more…)

Another wasted night.

Will try and get some sleep. Will try to compartmentalize that this does not mean it is all downhill from here and that Pitt will blow at least two of its final three games. I’ll try. Honest.

Ugh.

Special teams did their worst tonight. Like Cinci last year. Just when it seemed Pitt had the game in hand, they blew the kickoff and renewed the other team’s spark. That 95 yard kickoff return changed it all for UConn. Free points when they weren’t getting anything in the second half and Pitt seemed to be taking total control.

Then Graham with the fumble on the kickoff to give UConn a short field and 7 more points. 14 points from special teams for UConn.

Mark May was so ticked at the half regarding Pitt’s defense against UConn. He had a point. Stick eight in the box and take your chances with the UConn passing game. Not that it mattered late. Pitt’s defense couldn’t do anything against Todman. He wanted a yard or more, he and the UConn O-line got what they needed.

Sunseri and Hutchins are so similar. They are good with the short to medium stuff, but ask Hutchins for a long FG or Sunseri to throw deep and it is likely to be anyone’s guess where it will go. Hutchins sure picked a bad night to suck with punting as well.

The thing that probably has me most pissed is that Wannstedt will not devote any introspection as to why his teams have blown every national appearance, Why his teams play so poorly with extra preparation. Instead, it will be because of the turnovers that Pitt lost. Nothing else.