Louisville’s record looks a lot like ours in that they got beat by some very good teams and beat the ones they should have.

This will be another measuring stick to see how much we are improving.

Looks like the penguins of course have a home game that we will need to compete with for attendance on saturday

I posted this in response to Dr. Tom’s Pitt Trivia references in yesterday’s thread but it is interesting info:

Dr Tom – I hope that This guy, Mark Diethorn, is the one concentrating on the recruits and Narduzzi is concentrating on the next two games.
link to pittsburghpanthers.com

Also, if we are into Pitt trivia at the moment…

* Peterman’s multiple three TD games is the first by a Pitt QB since Sunseri in 2012. I would have thought Savage would have done it in 2013 but he didn’t, he had a six TD game then the rest were two TDs or less.

* Dontez Ford’s 20.0 yards per catch average with 21 catches is great. If he can keep this going he will have Pitt’s highest YPC average (with 20 or more receptions) in at least the last 15 years (probably much more also – I only went back 15).

The next best averages were:

Baldwin 2009 19.5

G. Lee 2005 19.6 …and perhaps one of the worse decisions in Pitt football history was Greg Lee thinking he should forgo his SR year and declare for the NFL draft – where he didn’t even get drafted. Had he stayed he would have been on the receiving end of QB Tyler Palko’s very good SR year and would have broken many of Fitzgerald’s record – much like Boyd is doing now.

link to scout.com

G. Lee 2004 19.1

A. Bryant 2000 19.1

@Comment by rhyno527 11.16.15 @ 10:27 am

The Pens have sold out like 400 games in a row. Some of their fans might be Pitt fans/alumni – but their established season ticket base has zero impact on Pitt attendance this weekend…

I have been using stubhub as an indicator of attendance. Lots of tickets, very cheap are available. Look for a North Carolina size crowd.

Breaking …. NCAA announces that sanctions for Pitt FB are pending for obtaining the 7 win level during the regular season .. and apparently they will be more severe since there are still 2 games remaining.

Really – I don’t even understand how attendance is still a topic. The numbers have been the same for 50 years. Sellouts for ND/PSU/WVU with averages into low 50k when they’re good – low 40k when they stink.

Given the population of the city, the number of fans/alumni, and the fact that those numbers aren’t going to change – neither is attendance. Ever.

@@@@@@

Winning games will solve attendance
issues. Obvious to everyone. Did
anyone notice the small crowd in
Durham? Forget the negatives we are
on the verge of our best season since
DW.
JD taking no chances tomorrow
nite playing St. Joe of Indiana. I am
a supporter of JD but don’t get this one.

Is there any injury report? I saw the depth chart that Sam Werner posted on his PP-G Red Shirt Diaries page. I don’t see anyone missing, but I may be missing them

It sure seemed like they kept dragging Duke players off the field on Saturday. We (knock on wood) fared much better.

H2P

@BigB

Thanks for your earlier thread reply about “Let’s Go Pitt.” You all made lots of noise. Great job.

H2P

Wife & I are flying to Paris tomorrow evening and will be in Europe until the first week in December, so I’ll be following Pitt over the Internet. Before I fly across the pond, I’d like to voice my opinion on Pitt’s next two opponents. I’m staying with my earlier prediction that Pitt will win out. My reasoning: Chaney is finally getting his offensive strategy working and Nate Peterman is getting more comfortable as a full-time QB. Pitt’s defense is playing well enough to keep them in the game. An effective defensive strategy that Pitt’s secondary needs to employ on long passes, is to commit personal (holding) penalties to save TD’s. I know my strategy doesn’t make much sense but I’d rather that a team score slowly than strike quickly lowering team confidence. REMEMBER HOUSTON?

Pitt’s three losses were to teams with a combined 29-1 record with a national ranking 5, 6, and 12. Unlike the bowl game against Houston last season where Pitt played not to lose, this year Pitt is playing to win and they will.

Hail to Pitt!

JR – Supposedly Shaler was already booked so he picked St. Joe’s. Haha.

Marietta – Please be safe while traveling buddy.

Here is the article pmdHTP was talking about:

link to blogs.post-gazette.com

Here is the list of injuries as of today.

James Conner Out Knee Conner suffered a knee injury during the season opener and will miss the remainder of the year.

Jaryd Jones-Smith Out Knee Jones-Smith will miss the entire 2015 season with a knee injury.

Rachid Ibrahim Out Achilles Ibrahim has suffered an Achilles injury which will keep him out for the entire season.

Alex Paulina Out Shoulder Paulina will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

Chris Wuestner Questionable Abdominal Wuestner is sidelined with an abdominal injury and is questionable to return Saturday against Louisville.

This is the best Pitt info website reference out there…

link to sports-reference.com

FWIW,
I mentioned Saturday that I turned off the tv announcers and synced time with Hillgrove/ Bostick on the radio (they were 1 play behind the tv broadcast). Anyway, during the radio broadcast they interviewed Sean Gilbert and he said (if I heard it right) that there would be 2 MORE Gilbert family members coming to Pitt.
Anyone else also hear that in-game radio interview???

Pmd.. Big B is Loud..at least my wife and friends tell me that… Especially after I’ve had a few beers in me… Just ordered my tickets to the Miami game… Club level seats are going very cheap.

Was at the game on Saturday and there was a very good showing of Pitt Supporters. My guess is that there were more than 5,000 Pitt fans. It was also apparent that Duke is not a football school. Stadium about 60% full, a few thousand seats given to vets, a few sections that were covered over and the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. I had to move to the bleacher seats that were more comfortable.

Good showing in the second half. This is a different feel than the 6 and 6 we are accustomed to.

JP… I purchased two tickets through the duke university athletic department late Friday afternoon which were reserved seating on the 35 yard line/visitor side and had excellent seats. I was right in the middle of Duke blue and the fan beside me commented “the stadium is pretty full today! “Duke is a great venue to watch football at especially if you get reserve seats which have backs on them and The old bleacher sectionduke is a basketball school and you can always get a good selection of seating but it won’t be with the Home folks.

Above .. Not the bleacher section

Pittman4ever, FWIW Sean’s son, Zach, 3* DE, and Sean’s nephew, 3* CB (Duke commit) attended the game on Saturday. Zach tweeted some good comments .. but that is common for recruits. They say good things all the time about Pitt and HCPN .. but do the same for other schools also.

Zach is allegedly down to VT and Pitt. With Beame gone, you would think Pitt is the favorite

MarriettaMike, kudos to you for not backing away from your Paris European vacation in light of the terrorist attacks on Friday there. The gumption of regular citizens just like you to refuse to be intimidated by such henious murderous crimes against humanity is the bravest statement an individual can express in the face of such terrorist acts.

As long as those in civilized society refuse to alter their lives and simply continue to live their lives as they have, then these terrorist organizations will never experience anything other than defeats. I applaud you.

I sat in GA – in corner of North end zone .. completely opposite of where the Pitt fans sat. I thought there was a fine contingent of Pitt followers there who made ample noise, especially in the latter stages of the game.

Heard comments from Duke people who thought that the Pitt band was the smallest they ever saw .. but that was obviously the travel band.

Duke fans weren’t happy with the end zone PI call in 3rd quarter (understandably) but overall had favorable comments about Pitt’s team

Wbb.. What what is your take on the one play where the Duke receiver reached out over the pylon with the ball after that long run following the catch… Look like he scored from my vantage point

Above.. What was … Should do better with my dictation after all I just spent some time at Duke

@ MM, We just enjoyed a trip to Paris ourselves this past Spring. I have no idea if this is your first trip there, but if so, three suggestions I’d like to offer to you.

First, do not miss the Musee D’Orsay on the Left Bank adjacent to the Siene. Absolutely the best exhibits of the famous impressionistic artists in the city, if that’s of interest to you.

Second, make it a point to visit the Palace of Versailles, which is out in the suburbs of the city. If you intend on walking the expansive garden network of the grounds, be certain to wear comfortable walking shoes. The grounds are H U G E! The Palace is easily accessed by connecting with the train that terminates there at the Palace, with a straightforward connection from the city’s Metro subway system. The Metro system is extensive and can be utilized to pretty much make any part of Paris available to you for less than two Euros a ride.

Lastly, we almost passed on a trip up to the top of the Effiel Tower. That would have been a huge mistake! I would suggest visiting both Versailles and the Effiel Tower midweek to help avoid the weekend crowds and I’d wait until towards the end of your Paris visit to experience the Tower. My wife and I found it awe inspiring to have such a 360 degree panoramic view of the city after we had had the opportunity to had actually visited 1st hand so many of the Paris landmarks up close and personal prior to going up in the Tower. It was like reviewing a huge 3D map of the city as we strolled around the observation platform, amazing. We thought “tourist trap”, before we did it, we found it to be a highlight of our three week visit there after we did it. A must do IMO.

Enjoy your trip to the City of Lights. I sincerely hope that the recent tragic events have failed to dim those lights or the spirit of the citizens of one of the world’s most fantastic cities. Bon Voyage!

For IMMEDIATE Release
November 16, 2015

NOV. 27 PITT-MIAMI GAME TO KICK AT NOON

PITTSBURGH—The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that Pitt’s November 27 home game against Miami will kick off at noon.

The contest will be televised by either ABC or ESPN2. The network will be announced following the completion of games played on November 21.

The Panthers’ remaining 2015 schedule with announced television coverage and kickoff times:

Date Opponent (TV) Time

11/21 Louisville* (ESPNews) 3:45 p.m.
11/27 (Fri) Miami* (ABC or ESPN2 )Noon

Guys, sorry to be Off Topic, but: Curious if any of you guys are ChemE’s, or work with companies that employ them (or process eng’s)?

Imagine that, a nooner for the Miami game, what a novel concept!

Dr. Tom, Thank you for the kind words and advise. We’ve been to all sites you recommended except we have not gone to the top of the Eifel Tower but this Thursday we have tickets for the 12:30 lift to the top of the Tower, provided it’s open. We love Paris and refuse to alter our plans because of terrorism. Terrorists are anything but and are the scourge of the earth, we cannot give into their threats and acts of cowardice.

I’m taking my favorite Pitt ball cap & Pitt script tee shirt with me to Paris but it might be a bit too cold for walking around in just a flimsy tee shirt. My GA Tech stuff is in the closet.

Never take our freedoms for granted and Hail to Pitt! Beat the Cardinals & Hurricanes.

MM – ifr I may suggest an early morning service at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Regardless of its name it shouldn’t be missed… here are the service times – if you go to the first ones you can spend time afterward walking around… or skip the service and just walk around but either way go early.

link to notredamedeparis.fr

WEEKDAYS, MONDAY TO SATURDAY NOON

– 8:00 a.m. mass in the choir
– 9:00 a.m. mass in the choir (Except in July, August and first half of September)
– 12:00 p.m. mass at the main altar
– 5:45 p.m. Vespers service broadcast live on KTO-Catholic Television
– 6:15 p.m. mass at the main altar

BTW folks – speaking of Cathedrals. I have a cousin my age who is almost obsessed with European Cathedrals and Churches and visits there about once a year.

I took her to our own National Cathedral and as soon as we walked inside she looked all around and said ‘Why do I even go to Europe – this is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen!’

link to cathedral.org

So, if you haven’t been there, located in DC, please put it on your bucket list – it is the US’s best kept secret – started in 1910 for all the American citizens. It is formally Episcopalian but it is all encompassing.

Here are some photos of the interior –

And….the Miami game is announced as yet another nooner. At least we may benefit by some sunshine on the visitor’s side. And we know the noon routines by now.

link to theacc.com

@ Upitt… Thanks. Please keep the trash talking for our opponents. 🙂 Remember, Pitt is it, win or lose!
——————————
Marietta – Please be safe while traveling buddy.

Comment by Upittbaseball 11.16.15 @ 11:42 am
——————————

Big B – The ball put a shadow on the pylon, haha. I thought it was a TD and an easy call.

You think we can call the AD’s of Pitt and Miami and get this game in South Florida. Beach, Bikinis, Cuban Cigars, Colados and Brazilians with Brazilian Waxes parading in Teal blue water. We will win that game so location doesn’t’ matter.

Marietta – Will do my best… Think Bobby is riding his Hog up to Pitt or flying?

I can’t help but think the coaching carolusel will get a Narduzzi rumor started soon. I see Kiffin gone and Fuentes. I think UH’s coach stays.

* Heard the Sean Gilbert interview, too. Hopefully, Zach makes the correct recruiting decision.

* MM….if you have the time…add the Musee du Louvre to your list. Gotta see the Mona Lisa….if you have the time. And I agree with a trip to the Chateau de Versailles. It is about a 20 miinute bus ride SW of Paris. Lots and lots of GOLD trimmings inside of the palace…and stunning gardens.

HAIL TO PITT !
Je Suis Paris !

Thank you Reed for posting the noon start info ASAP regarding the Miami game. This information now tells me I need to get completely hammered this Saturday.

I have had little opportunity to do so all year. The Clark Bar may have to escort me out at some point.

Pittman and TT – heard the Sean Gilbert as well. Sean’s comment when discussing Gilberts playing at Pitt: “And there are more on the way”!!

Ya think, maybe, he has access to a little inside information??!

TT is for “The Truth”, not Tossing Thabeets! Gotta watch my shortcuts!

Gilbert or no Gilbert, I’d rather Narduzzi to get a shot at some 4*’s and 5*’s that can maybe make the same type impact that Whitehead did this year.

A bit of trivia I learned today from an old North Carolina friend in his late 80s. Duke was known as Trinity College prior to the investment of big tobacco money from the Duke family.

He also told me that wake forest was moved from its original location in the little hamlet of wake forest North Carolina to Winston Salem by the Reynolds family/RJR .. No wake forest is located on a 300 acre site that was the Reynolds Estate…

Best thing in Paris, IMHO, is to just wander in the areas away from the big tourist sites. Window shop. Grab a croissant and coffee in the morning. Pressier (draft beer) at an outdoor cafe in the late afternoon. Check out the gorgeous women.

H2P

Enough with the cultural enlightenment… Louisville is on the clock…

Oh, and remember that Heinz Chapel is modeled after Ste Chapelle.

H2P

Emel..UPitt … Going back to the post when you guys were claiming credit for all the good nicknames assigned on this blog… Who came up with the one for Chancellor Gallagher”Johnny neutron. ” I thought that was a good one but haven’t seen it used again.

BigB — True. Mr. Duke offered Princeton $$ if they changed their name to Duke and we know the answer to that. Mr. Duke’s statue resides in front of Dukes cathedral like church. Like Heinz Chapel, the church is very impressive.

@MM – I believe he is actually smoking a cigar in the statue. Duke was also the force behind Duke Power – which may have provided even more wealth than the American Tobacco Company which was broken up in 1911. The Duke name change wasn’t until around 1924.

The Princeton connection was that James Duke and his second wife lived on a farm not far from there in Hillsborough NJ.

And, remember that R J Reynolds wanted a university in Winston-Salem, so he bought the one located near Raleigh (in a town called “Wake Forest”) and moved it to W-S.

H2P

Big B.No we just claimed the ones we came up with….

Potato Paul
Nerdberg
McRib
Chubbs

Haha

BigB, that happened right in front of me, although I was at the top — I thought he scored

MM, wife and I were there in May, you will have a great time! I second Docs recommendation of the D’Orsay and Reeds of ND, both of which are memories of a lifetime, and definitely use the Metro, cheap and quick, but if you get the chance go to Arc d’ Triumph and go up( steps only unfortunately ) . You will actually get the best views of Paris there , while nowhere near as tall as ET it sits on much higher ground!! We were there for VE Day and the ceremony for the Unknowns was moving!

Smug Smile Steve

@ Reed & JoeKnew — Thanks for the tour tips. I’ll be sure to stop at ND and say a prayer for world peace. D’Orsay & Arc are on our list. Don’t know if I’ll walk the steps in the Arc though.

@UPittbaseball — Did you play baseball for Pitt? If so, do you know Paul Helsel? He and I went to high school & Pitt together. Paul was a fine baseball player in his day.

Cyanide was a personal favorite who ever coined that one.

and Outhouse

It was my impression that Sean Gilbert was referring to his extended family. I think Pugh from Alliquipa is a nephew. Maybe others in the Beaver/Central Valley area.

In D.C. a cathedral that few visit even though the Cardinal resides there is Saint Mathew’s. Old style beautiful and where the Pope spoke to his Bishops.

link to google.com.)&h=842&w=594&tbnid=RVUFlz8vGBZm-M:&tbnh=160&tbnw=112&usg=__H8hs6IKUHz-bB4h9MJ65PU5L-Ew=&docid=33qjzYdw4UIbhM&itg=1

PITT’S MIKE CAPRARA AND JORDAN WHITEHEAD HONORED BY ACC

PITTSBURGH—Two Pitt defensive standouts, junior linebacker Mike Caprara and freshman strong safety Jordan Whitehead, were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference today for their performances in the Panthers’ 31-13 victory at Duke. Caprara was named the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week, while Whitehead was named the league’s Rookie of the Week.

This is the third time overall, and second week in a row, that Whitehead has earned the ACC’s weekly rookie award—the most of any newcomer in the conference this season. For Caprara it is the first ACC recognition of his career.

Caprara (Turtle Creek, Pa./Woodland Hills) compiled eight tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup at Duke. His play helped limit the Blue Devils to minus-2 rushing yards in the second half. Caprara helped slam the door on Duke in the fourth quarter with a seven-yard sack and, three plays later, a fumble recovery to ice the game.

On the season, Caprara has 38 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Whitehead (Aliquippa, Pa./Central Valley) produced on both sides of the ball at Duke. He had a team-high nine tackles, broke up a potential touchdown pass in the end zone with a jarring hit and snuffed out the Blue Devils’ final threat with a fourth-quarter interception at the Pitt 7. Whitehead was also a productive ball carrier for the second consecutive week, averaging 9.5 yards per carry (38 yards on four rushes). His 18-yard jaunt to the Duke 1 set up the Panthers’ final touchdown.

Whitehead leads Pitt in tackles with 82 stops. He averages 8.2 tackles per game, which ranks eighth in the ACC, and is the only freshman among the league’s top 20 tacklers. Offensively, he is averaging 8.1 yards per carry (65 yards on eight rushes) with two touchdowns.

In addition to his ACC honor, Whitehead was also recognized for the second consecutive week on the Paul Hornung Award honor roll. The Hornung Award is presented annually to the most versatile player in major college football.

The Panthers have had at least one ACC weekly award winner in nine of their 10 games this season.

Pitt (7-3, 5-1 ACC) hosts Louisville (6-4, 5-2) this Saturday at Heinz Field. The game will kick off at 3:45 p.m.

The Panthers’ 2015 ACC Players of the Week:

PK Chris Blewitt: ACC Specialist of the Week (Georgia Tech)
WR Tyler Boyd: ACC Receiver of the Week (Iowa and Syracuse)
LB Mike Caprara: ACC Linebacker of the Week (Duke)
LB Matt Galambos: ACC Linebacker of the Week (Virginia and Syracuse)
LB Nicholas Grigsby: ACC Linebacker of the Week (Youngstown State)
NT Tyrique Jarrett: ACC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week (Akron)
CB/KR Avonte Maddox: ACC Specialist of the Week (Youngstown State)
RB Qadree Ollison: ACC Rookie of the Week (Youngstown State and Syracuse)
DE Ejuan Price: ACC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week (Notre Dame)
FS Terrish Webb: ACC Co-Defensive Back of the Week (Virginia Tech)
SS Jordan Whitehead: ACC Rookie of the Week (Virginia, Notre Dame and Duke)

Reed – nice pick up on the Players of the Week we’ve won thus far.

It got me wondering…..since we are basically the same personnel as last year, can you show us all the Player of the Week awards these guys garnered last year? Although we already know the outcome, it would be in interested ng to compare how much more our guys have learned this year!

I expect James Connor won a few, and probably a few OL the same. But I’d be surprised if we won nearly as many last year as this year.

Thanks in advance!

@MM, I don’t want to divert a sports blog into a diological debate but I must disagree with the concept of suicide terrorism being an act of “cowardice”. Rather, I see it as an individual’s decision to become a martyr in the act of sacrificing his own life while taking along other innocents with them. It is a very distorted, twisted version of what true Muslim jihad is all about, but those in positions of influence within the world of Islam have been successful in there recruitment of those young disenfranchised within that society. Those radical leaders have found success in convincing individuals to sacrifice their lives to bring meaning to their otherwise meaningless existence.

It is such a abstract concept for those of us who are rational and value life for ourselves and who respect the lives of others. However there are those who are so easily led into these radical recruitment processes through their own hopelessness or due to the charged emotions of revenge, hatred and religious fanaticism to be able to create this current face of religious fanaticism.

Make no mistake about it though, the decision to initiate such actions that most assuredly will result in one’s own death takes a personal dedication to a cause that is anything other than cowardice. It is an evil brew of many motivating factors but “cowardice” is not one of them.

May the Nation of Islam at some point in it’s future hopefully be able to address these dire issues, heal the divisions between their own believers, and provide harmony within the Muslim world. Shiites vs Sunnis is a dead end avenue. Furthermore those disenfranchised in there midst must be educated and redirected from those that would employ their own twisted, perverted version of Muslim doctrine for their own evil intentions against humanity. There has to be another future for the Nation of Islam other than this misguided jihad against the world. It has no potential for producing anything more than death, pain and suffering for all of humanity.

@BigB, where are your seats for the Miami game? You are welcome to come and tailgate with us since we haul everything but the kitchen sink to the games (and I think we took that once). Menu so far is Chile, Beef on Weck, hot holiday spiced wine, beer, rum (Mocha flavored to go into hot chocolate) and more beer!

MariettaMike If the Eiffel Tower restaurants are open, I recommend 58 Tour Eiffel. One of the best meals I ever had. I had to reserve way in advance but with current conditions, you might get right away. link to restaurants-toureiffel.com

Marrietta – I will echo the recommendation on Musee D’Orsay. Lots of great works in a smaller space and fewer crowds than La Louvre.

Ste Chapelle chapel is on the same small island where Notre Dame is located. Its inside the courts complex, so you have to go through security.

I highly recommend the Museum Pass. It get you in almost everywhere.