12:20, ACC Network (very limited)/ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.
Be interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up at Lane Stadium, following a disappointing loss that officially eliminated the Hokies from repeating as ACC Coastal champs. The weather is going to be in the upper 40s and very gray. Rain is supposed to hold off until the evening. And the dreaded noon-ish start.
It’s also Senior Day and the last home game of the season to counter the reasons not to show. Plus, you know, the Hokies have been a pretty good team.
To some extent, you could make the argument that VT has been living off its opening game win. Beating WVU is their only win against a team above .500. Poll voters haven’t noticed them since, but have kept them ranked as their wins continued and the final scores looked absurd. They’ve handled the teams they should beat with ease. But not much else.
Not that Pitt has much room to talk, I know. Pitt’s best win is over Virginia (who will likely finish 6-6). It’s just that if you really, really try. And strain. And stretch. You could make a case for Pitt to have a decent chance.
Have a drink ready, and let’s see what happens.
The 2 exrtra day’s did not help vs 1-8 unc.
Need to show up with energy and smarts.
H2P!
That was too easy for VT. If the Pitt O goes 3 and out the score will probably be 52-0
Hope to see OC Watson mix a winning formula of plays today. The D didn’t show up.
Note to OC Watson – throw the ball on 3rd down. Try it, you might have some success.
For Pitt, OC Watson called a run play up the middle right into the strength of our opposition when our RB’s had been stuffed the entire 1st half for virtually no gain.
Ugh!
Geezzz!
this is the time when a head coach needs to take over the play calling , that’s what the hell he gets paid for not a worn out offensive coordinator.
The 4th down play with Hall running a sweep was the stupidest I’ve ever seen following Pitt….no lie. They might as well have punted. Narduzzi + Watson = submorons
SOP?
I say “same old Watson” – SOW
Maddening that OC Watson called for Hall 3 of the 4 plays. Hall had 3 yards on 18 carries (or something close)
With that said, I don’t know how much more experience, practice the head coach and offensive coordinator need to improve (LOL), but they better change something for next year. icpraiactice
Coaches make critical decisions during the game and those last four plays were brutal to watch. I know players make plays – but the OC calls the plays that should set the player up for success. 1 of the 3 plays was set up for success – the pass. But it should have been a jump ball pass Lyke the YSU OT pass for a TD.
The play before Weah’s catch & bulldozing run, the VT DB covering Ffrench was grabbing his jersey and pulled him down to the ground in the middle of the field for all to see while KP was scrambling to make a throw.
No flag!
… yeah, I know… tin foil hat. But then again, my 11 year old could have called better plays at the end… and how much do Nard and Watson make? How long have they been doing this. That’s bush league stuff – sandlot football. It’s truly a siege being a Pitt fan – at least Charlie Brown has hope he might kick that football someday….
Perhaps no one had the foresight to do a jump ball to Mathews, or a dive to Ollison, or a QB sneak.
I shouldn’t expect so much from coaches who spend their entire lives planning for situations like this.
I only got to watch the 4th quarter but was thrilled to see Pickett in there, chucking the ball downfield with authority. The kid is raw but for a true freshman, the talent and moxie are clearly there. I give credit to Narduzzi for making that change, but damn what a buzz kill series to end on. Stupid squared.
H2P!
What we did see is a glimpse into our future and it looks bright. Our defense is getting better and Kenny Pickett looks really good for a freshmen QB getting his first real playing time. Next year almost all of our starters will be back. They will be a year older, have another full spring under their belt, they should be stronger and a bit bigger.
Our only real concerns are play calling and the O-line which has been regressing for some reason. I have not lost faith in Narduzzi and try to keep my expectations somewhat realistic.
It would take a a perfect storm for Pitt to ever be able to compete at the highest level of College football. They don’t have the budget of the big teams (see SEC teams) and have yet to show to willingness to bend the rules of the NCAA (We all could name plenty of dirty teams that look the other way concerning grades, behavior, treatment, etc of star players).
That said we should expect an 8 win team next year and if we get lucky 9 or 10 wins isn’t out of the question. What we won’t get is a shot at a playoff game as very few teams who do things by the rule book get a shot at those games.
Big time college football and basket ball isn’t a level playing field at this time in history. I’m happy to be a fan of a team who might not always win but isn’t involved in a scandal every 5 to 10 years.
I enjoyed KP’s debut and that gives me hope for the future. Very entertaining game, but frustrating to watch the last 4 plays.
This is the first time in over a decade (unless my memory failed me) that both men’s BB and FB are in the dumper in the same year.
Better days ahead?
Beat psu tonight and I’m buying that BB has a future. I may even buy tickets to The Pete again…
H2P!
Someone needs to “TARP” the duzzie during his press conference. “We only gained 50 yards running during the game”, so we decided to run on the final plays of the game”. Unbelievable comments, take responsibility for the poor play calling and end game confusion.
ALSO, STOP TALKING ABOUT PAST PITT PLAYERS IN THE NFL, I AM SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THEM. THEY DONT DO ANYTHING TO WIN PITT GAMES ANYMORE AND ARE NO LONGER PART OF THE TEAM. PLEASE MOVE ON. DUZZIE SEEMS TO WATCH EX PLAYERS MORE THAN HIS PRESENT PLAYERS WHO NEED THE HELP.
Thank you and happy Thanksgiving.
See you on Friday at Heinz Field, bringing some garbage bags to “tarp” some of the empty seats near our group. LOL
She wants to tarp some seats , the Duzz does not want to and was not consulted, says schools are using that against him during recruiting.
The Duzz actually wants more money for his coaches and there is resistance from Lyke and the Chancellor. ( wonder why??). Sounds like the Duzzi is building more excuses for the team performance.
Hell, some of those coaches should be giving back some of their “hard earned no results efforts pay”.
All of this is so damn stupid it makes me sick.
Even before the tarp issue, the Duzzi only had 13 commitments for next year.
This school has suffered greatly from lack of season ticket sales for both football and basketball and the football coach wants more cash for his coaches???? They want to add a 10th coach, for God knows what? It is so fricking out of control I am losing all loyalty to the program.
The athletic department has a huge staff for nonsense and half of them should be let go to save money. Someone in the athletic department actually set up a go fund me page for equipment purchases.
Hate the game, not the player. It’s all about the money, and Pitt isn’t alone in this battle. If he can’t pay his staff, they leave. I’d love to know where the money goes. I’m sure donations are down, but that big ACC check must get spent on something. As far as the athletic department being overstaffed… well. it takes a lot of people to market a product no one wants 🙂
On good authority, the athletic department does not receive enough money to pay for itself. Even with the ACC pot, donations, ticket sales etc. there is not enough to make ends meet without the school allocating cash.
When I reference staff, I am not talking about marketing. Look at the athletic dept. web site and you will see countless names and titles of people like; Several Senior Associate Athletic Directors, Associate AD’s, Assistant AD’s , on and on. Its out of control.
As far as losing coaches, guess what, everyone is replaceable, it takes time to find them.
