You know how I think Pitt is actually taking this game seriously? I’ve read nothing about the short week and Pitt’s Thursday night game against UConn. There is no looking past this game so far. A good sign.

Me, September 19, after the Nebraska game:

To some degree, maybe you can compare this to the Texas A&M game for Rod Rutherford 2 years ago. Pitt’s offense looked pathetic most of the game, and then in the 2nd half, Rutherford seemed to find the switch. Pitt still lost, but things finally started falling into place for Rutherford. Wishful thinking? Rod had Fitzgerald. Perhaps. We won’t know for a few more weeks. I’m just saying there is something in my gut…

Joe Bendel, September 24:

Tyler Palko and Rod Rutherford had strikingly similar starts to their Pitt quarterbacking careers.

Both were awful in their debut game.

Both struggled against a Big 12 opponent Palko vs. Nebraska; Rutherford vs. Texas A&M — in the first half of their second game.

And both came to life in the second half, nearly leading the Panthers to improbable last-minute victories.

Glad I’m not the only one who saw some parallels.

We might see a quick kick this weekend, but it may come from Furman. A piece on their quarterback points out that he has experience punting.

Marcus Furman is tired of hearing stupid comments about the opponent being the same as his last name. Furman and Kirkley both suffered “slight” concussions in the Nebraska game (is that like a little pregnant?”) but will play. Tim Murphy is questionable with an ankle sprain.

As for the ever-questionable O-line. Is the glass half-full?

Harris sees some progress in the line

Or half-empty?

Pitt’s line banged up

Belarski and Pettiti are playing well. Spencer is still struggling with the conversion. Simonitis is returning this week, but left practice early for more treatment on his ankle. Frederick is still out. Who knows.

Not a lot of attention for the Furman game around the country (surprise!) . An AP Big East piece has Harris saying all the right things. There is also a really long piece covering Div 1-AA teams, that gets really, really bold about this game:

GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 2 Furman (3-0) at Pittsburgh (1-1), 1:00 This I-AA upset thing could start to become a trend. New Hampshire took down Rutgers two weeks ago, and Maine went in and defeated Mississippi State last week. Now, the Paladins have an opportunity to prove that teams from outside the Atlantic 10 can take down a BCS level opponent. Furman has some experience knocking off I-A opponents with five total wins, though only one of those triumphs came in the last 18 years. The Panthers are saying all the right things, and appear to be taking the Paladins seriously. “People look at I-AA and see pushover,” said Pittsburgh head coach Walt Harris. “But I’m sure Greg Schiano (Rutgers head coach) and Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom don’t believe that.” The Panthers focus should be strong, and they will want to get a win at home. But as focused as they might be, Pittsburgh is not as good as Furman. With Ingle Martin at quarterback, the Paladins hold an edge at the signal-caller position. Pittsburgh’s offense is without last season’s stars at the skill positions, and the Furman defense has enough talent up front and in the secondary to shut the Panthers down. The Paladins are second in I-AA in total offense, and a running game averaging 300 yards per contest has to perform against a pretty strong Pittsburgh run defense. The defenses will battle it out most of the day, but Martin is the best player on the field and will live up to the hype with a late touchdown pass for the win. Prediction: Furman 20, Pittsburgh 14

Pitt might start to feel like Rodney Dangerfield before the coma.

From the Pitt News, the columnists are bothered by the student section clearing out early at the Nebraska game. Another theorizes that the problem with the student section is the lack of uniformity in color scheme.

Take T-shirts, for example. Right now you see people walking around with shirts in navy blue, royal blue, yellow, gray, white and even pink. The designs on the shirts range from the old-school “Pitt” logos to the new and dull “University of Pittsburgh” print.

Starting to see the problem?

Things are much different when it comes to basketball. You could make the argument that the team is better, but Pitt football has been solid over the last four years, so it has to be more than that.

Uniformity rules at basketball games, and the atmosphere at the Petersen Events Center benefits greatly. The student section is a sea of gold “Oakland Zoo” shirts, and, because of fans’ intensity, the organization has received national recognition over the last few years.
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It’s not up to the athletics department to put a mandate out on what color shirts students should wear. This one is up to the students. They’ve started a “Panther Pitt” with towels that students wave, but so far no shirts have been printed, and if they have, they haven’t caught on yet.

The Pitt football team wears navy blue jerseys at home, right? So this Saturday, if you’re planning on going to the game and sitting in the student section, plan on wearing navy blue.

I recall an edict from the athletic department last year for a “golden shower.” Failed miserably. Uniformity of colors may look good for the camera, but those things take time. The Oakland Zoo at Pitt basketball game didn’t happen overnight or in one season. It took a while to catch on with the students, and a willingness to buy the t-shirts.

Uniform colors from fans looks nice for the cameras, but it doesn’t help the team. Enthusiasm, excitement and lots of cheering is what makes a good student section. Pitt students are willing to get excited for a game, but let’s face it. The first 3 quarters of the Nebraska game was sucking the life out of the biggest, loudest fans.

Yeah, Nebraska fans wore a lot of red. Big surprise, they’ve had the same colors for decades. Plenty of time to get the gear you like. Pitt shifted its colors and the present logo sucks — that doesn’t endear itself with the fans young or old. You want to see the fans embrace a little more uniformity of color scheme, give up the bland new San Diego Chargers color stylings and embrace a little more of the old school stuff.