Got to get moving. It is not quite dark, but the morning gloom is only beginning. The drive to the Burgh awaits.
No idea how this game breaks. Pitt should be able to win this game, but this has something of a must win for Iowa.
To start the season 1-2 is not the hole expected for a team that before the season, was believed to have a chance to win their conference division. Lose this game and beyond the record, the fanbase will essentially be checking out of the season in September. Kirk Ferentz may not be going anywhere because of his contract, but that doesn’t mean the fans have to stay.
For Pitt it is about one more step in trying to change the narrative of a flailing, fumbling around program that has been the embodiment of mediocrity and bad bowl destinations. A win doesn’t mean Pitt will win the ACC Coastal division. Nor does it mean they will land in the top-25 rankings. What it represents would be one more step out of the doldrums.
Some of the fault is with Voytik, but Chryst and Rudolf design and call the plays. Where is the creativity?
I think these are solvable problems.
I don’t think the pass rush is. The safety blitz is not enough. Hopefully Soto, Maclean, and Blair will come around, but I think it may be next year. The other thing we can hope for is that Iowa’s O-line may be one of the best we face this year. We also need some sacks from the linebackers.
Totally different challenge this week. We should be able to get our mojo rising again.
I hate losing ones we should have won.
I’m sure it being vanilla has to do with Chad, but at the same time, it doesn’t have to be vanilla just because of Chad and his weakness’.
Gotta be some play calling, that goes towards Chad’s strengths’s and capabilities, no?
IMHO
The stadium w/ its yellow seats looks embarrassing even when the steelers play there. Heinz Field sux. Pitt would be better served to partner with the local professional soccer team – get them up to MLS level and build a 45k seat stadium on the South Side.
Voytik does lock in too much on Boyd, or his primary, but he quite frankly threw the ball pretty well & was a pleasant surprise.
Statistically, though it doesn’t mean much now, we did beat Iowa pretty handily in yardage, first downs, and yards per rush, and were even in all other categories except one – penalties; and this was a huge disparity.
Negatives – Bisnowaty was clearly in over his head. Play calling was marginal. Corners were exposed, and the young DL showed their youth.
that loss was one hell of a kick in the teeth!!!
My own fault, counting my chickens before they hatched. I was trying to figure how bad of a blowout it was going to be at halftime.
34-10, 41-17, 31-14????????????
Damn it!!!!!!!!
That’s how close this game was. Losing close ones sometimes hurts more than blowout a$$ kickings when your team just stinks the place out. Then you kind of feel that you deserved to get beat, not so on Saturday.
If you had told me prior to the game that Conner runs for over 150 yds, Voytik passes for over 250 yds and the defense grabs an INT, I would have predicted a win, no doubt about it. Not so fast my friend!
You got to give the Hawkeye’s credit, they earned it in the second half. This was a victory savored by the Hawkeye fans, I assure you, especially after the debacle at the end of their game against Iowa State last week. That is their rivalry similar to the Pitt/WVU Backyard Brawl. That loss had to leave a mark on them. This win, a sigh of redemption, unfortunately at Pitt’s expense.
Now on to prep for this week’s opponent. I would not want to be a player on Akron’s defense this week. I’m predicting two things for this upcoming game. First, Pitt goes ape $hit on their D, running for over 300 yards, at least, and two, Pitt brings pressure on their QB heavy and often, since their running game is nonexistent.
This is a much better opponent than Delaware but the result could be similar. This Panther squad is going to be really ready to take out their aggression on somebody after they study the film and fully realize just how they let this bitter loss occur. They permitted Iowa to rip victory from their grasp and this team is going to be all about “righting the ship” this week. Unfortunately for the Zips, it is going to come at their expense on Saturday.
Time to get back on track, Panthers, Hail to Pitt.
Onward.
H2P!!!
3 Completions to Garner, 2 to Weatherspoon, 2 to Jones, 1 to Parrish, 1 to Conner
To add to the discussion, I think the Iowa OL and DL wore Pitt out in the 2nd half. An experienced B10 line can do that.
You would think I’d know better as a sports fan for 40 years, but I was really enjoying the moment, and thought that we were physically just taking it to them.
Shame on me.
Yes, you guys are right. It’s a “fake” show. The blaring music, the rap, the tee-shirt shoot, all horrible.
Not comparable to a college stadium or atmosphere.
However, there is nothing that is going to be done about it.
Can’t get an on campus stadium, where ya gonna put it?? Who is paying??
Heinz is it fella’s.
Ideally, a 40K or 45K would be great, would increase the demand of tickets by decreasing the number.
That ship has sailed. Heinz isn’t a bad venue and my seats are excellent, but there is no college flavor, no seeing campus stores, restaurants, buildings in the background.
This is why some of us are hard on Steve Peterson.
I don’t long for Pitt Stadium anymore. It’s not that at all.
People have said what a visionary Peterson is. What kind of vision was that, to build a basketball arena, with no place to put the football team??
His answer was Heinz??? Exactly. There has never been a college team, playing in a pro stadium that has worked. Never. Never will be.
It’s all smoke and mirrors, trying to convince you that it’s a real college atmosphere.
That’s what I’ve been pissed about. Not Pitt Stadium, not even Heinz Field itself, the fact that Peterson’s answer was Heinz Field, when everyone and their mother including the young kids know, knew, that is was going to be horrible.
Nothing to be done, it’s ours now.