Everyone's radar goes up when the words "Pitt" and "Big 10" are mentioned in the same sentence, yet I can't recall ever reading anything about Dave Wannstedt's thoughts on the long-rumored move.
"There are a lot of rumors out there as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I don't have any comment on that. That is for the chancellor [Mark Nordenberg] and the higher ups to discuss."
That basically boils down to a whole lot of nothing, which is pretty much all that's out there these days on the topic. Wannstedt may have some input as to the football-centric issues involved in jumping conferences, but as the coach implied, this is going to be a decision made by the bean counters, not the guys who are paid to win football games. So if you're waiting for some new news, I'm sorry to have disappointed you.
Moving on, it was mentioned later in the PG story that Joe Paterno happened to be at this same conference, and therefore in the same room as Wanny. Any talk of renewing the rivalry? If there was (which I'm sure there wasn't), both coaches were showing their finest poker faces:
Wannstedt and Penn State coach Joe Paterno declined to answer questions about whether there have been any talks about reviving the Pitt-Penn State series, which has been idle since 2000.
So to boil this article down, Dave Wannstedt has no comment on the Big 10 rumors and no comment on renewing the rivalry with Penn State. Fantastic. But on the bright side, both coaches pledged their support for a plan to petition the PIAA to allow spring football practice in Pennsylvania! Because if there's one thing high school kids need more of in Pennsylvania, it's football practice.
The Pitt Panthers (24-7) open Big East Tournament play today with a 7 PM matchup against Notre Dame (22-10) at Madison Square Garden, where the Panthers are 24-10 since 2000-01.
The Irish crushed Pitt while playing without Luke Harangody in their meeting two weeks ago, but he's now back and playing well, with 20 points and 10 boards in Notre Dame's win over Seton Hall last night.
I don't know how the Irish could shoot any better than they did in the last meeting with Pitt (50% from the floor, 56% from 3), and I think you'll see a much better effort out of the Panthers than you did in that debacle. Frankly, it couldn't be much worse.
The winner gets either the winner of the Huggy Bowl, Cincinnati or West Virginia, tomorrow night at 9 PM. [PG]
The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in action tonight, facing off against "could've been a Penguin" Ray Whitney and the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 PM. Again, this will be a night where your remote control needs to be in midseason form, with the Pens and Panthers playing at the same time.
Bill Guerin (back) is questionable, Eric Godard (groin) is out indefinitely, and Bill Cowher will hopefully be on hand to do something embarrassing. [Empty Netters]
Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reported during Wednesday's "Around the League" segment on Total Access that Roethlisberger already has met with ownership regarding the latest ordeal, and that the Rooneys are sufficiently "dismayed" with the situation to cause some in the building to believe that another incident could result in the end of Ben's career in Pittsburgh.
The Steeler Way is dead, writes Joe Starkey. He's not the only person saying this, and sadly, I must agree. Santonio, Harrison, Davenport, Reed, Spaeth, Cedrick Wilson, Barrett Brooks...need I go on? [Trib]
Hank Fraley, the free agent center who played collegiately at Robert Morris, is on the Steelers' radar, according to agent Ralph Cindrich. Fraley started his career in Pittsburgh, was released, and went on to start for several years in Philadelphia and later Cleveland. He will be meeting with St. Louis today. [Cleveland.com]
Woodley played at Saginaw HS and the University of Michigan, so there should be a good turnout. He will also be speaking to season ticket holders and fans before the game. [OurSportsCentral.com]
Antonio Bryant, former Pitt Panther extraordinaire, signed a $28 million deal with Cincinnati yesterday, ending the Terrell Owens-Ochocinco team-up that was rumored to be in the works. Not bad for a guy who was once out of the league altogether. [TampaBayOnline.com]
She's Out of My League, the movie shot in Pittsburgh starring Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve, opens in theaters tomorrow. If you didn't know that, you've probably missed the billion commercials they've run for it over the last few weeks.
But apparently Baruchel is a Canadian and therefore a huge hockey fan, and he recounts his experience meeting national hero Sidney Crosby in an interview with the PG today.
In case you missed it, Pitt turned in another dominating performance in an 85-69 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats yesterday, which means (as the crowd reminded us) that top-ranked UConn is next on the schedule. It couldn't happen at a better time, because Pitt is playing their best basketball and sitting at 22-2.
Levance Fields continued his unreal play with 13 assists and no turnovers, as he continues to lead the nation in assist:turnover ratio. Fields has 56 assists and just six turnovers over the past five games. To boot, Pitt shot 67.4% from the floor, a number that tied a school record set in a 2006 tournament game against Kent State.
But the highlight of highlights was when Sam Young threw down the windmill jam shown above, which can also be seen in the video below. Ironically, it happened on the same night as the NBA dunk contest. Maybe Young will end up in the contest opposite Lebron, who pledged to participate, next year?
All week, I was looking forward to my Friday podcast with Dave so we could discuss where the historic plays of Super Bowl XLIII would rank in our ongoing list of The Greatest Plays in Pittsburgh Sports History. I'm not going to play spoiler, but my answer just might surprise you.
The bulk of our discussion was putting the final touches on the season that was 2008-09 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we did manage to smoothly transition into a little Pens talk, with just a tad of Pitt Panther basketball for good measure. The Steelers' schedule might be complete, but we've still got a lot to look forward to in the following months. Right, newly-outspoken Geno?
As stated a few posts down, the biggest news on National Letter of Intent Day for the Pitt Panthers was OC Matt Cavanaugh taking a job with the New York Jets. That's one less person Panther fans have to kick around. But the Panthers did sign some players - 20 of them, in fact - to their 2009 recruiting class.
· Four players named All-Americans by national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, including tight end Brock DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson), defensive lineman Tyrone Ezell (Steel Valley), defensive lineman Jack Lippert (Central Dauphin) and wide receiver Todd Thomas (Beaver Falls).
· A total of six players named All-Americans by either PrepStar or SuperPrep recruiting annuals, including linebacker Dan Mason (Penn Hills), who was honored by both publications.
· Nine players who earned Associated Press All-State honors in Pennsylvania. Todd Thomas was named AP All-State each of the last three years at Beaver Falls -- and at three different positions (receiver, running back and defensive back).
· Five of the top 12 prospects in Pennsylvania according to Rivals.com, the most of any school.
· Five players from New Jersey high schools, the Panthers' most signees from the Garden State since the mid-1980s. The group is led by PrepStar All-America all-purpose back Ray Graham (Elizabeth).
It wasn't the sexiest recruiting class in Wannstache history, but then again, it wasn't bad, either. Scout ranked the Panthers 28th, with zero five-stars and five four-stars. The highest in the Big East was WVU at 23, the lowest being Syracuse at 94. The Big East was ranked sixth among conferences. Rivals.com had Pitt ranked 47th.
It's also important to remember that these rankings are not scientific and are many times influenced by what school is recruiting a player. If a guy is being wooed by smaller schools and suddenly gets noticed by Urban Meyer, his stock is going to rise. And also remember that a good class ranking does not guarantee on-field success, unless I missed Charlie Weis coaching in the BCS Championship game the last few years. In short, don't get too whipped up about today's news one way or the other.
On National Letter of Intent Day, the biggest news out of Pitt has to do with a coach, not a recruit. Much-maligned offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh is expected to take a job with the New York Jets as an offensive assistant, says the PG's Paul Zeise. The move reunites Cavanaugh with new Jets coach Rex Ryan, who worked with Cavanaugh previously with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Pitt fan base is probably holding another parade in the streets of Pittsburgh to celebrate the news, because Cavanaugh wasn't exactly thought of in the greatest terms by Panther followers. So far, there's no word on who the replacement will be, unless Pitt can lure Walt Harris from that Seneca Valley job.
McCoy joins a lengthy client list of colorful characters, including Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Edgerrin James, Anquan Boldin, Plaxico Burress, Willis McGahee, Antonio Pierce, Jeremy Shockey, and Kellen Winslow II. Rosenhaus also reps a few Steelers, including Lawrence Timmons, Justin Hartwig, and Bryant McFadden.
Like him or not, Rosenhaus represents a ton of high-end NFL players, many from the Florida area. He apparently gets the job done for his clients. But I wonder how high he could potentially vault Shady, considering he got McGahee into the 23rd slot just months after he tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL? As the video says, "next question".
If I may interrupt our Super Bowl obsession for a few moments, there are a few other sports notes around our city today that are worth mentioning:
--The Pitt Panthers are no longer the #1 team in the nation. It sure was a fun two games while it lasted. But they rebounded from the Saturday night loss nicely with a 78-60 win over #8 Syracuse last night at the Pete.
As we've seen numerous times and most recently against Louisville, this team's going to have to keep Dejuan Blair out of foul trouble, and keep him out they did against Syracuse, as Blair contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds to the cause. Sam Young found his shooting touch and lit up the scoreboard for 22 points in front of a crowd of 12,508 and one basketball-loving two-time Super Bowl QB.
Next up for Pitt is a Sunday matchup with Huggy Bear and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
--Adam LaRoche just re-signed for one year, $7.05 million, a raise of over $2 million from his .270, 25 HR, 85 RBI 2008 season. Because if anyone deserves a $2 million raise in this economy, it's Adam LaRoche. [PG]
--Headline from Sunday's previously-discussed Pirate Winter Caravan: Nutting: Pirates must improve in 2009. I agree with Nutting. I expect nothing less than at least 95 wins in 2009. [PG]
--It's another Staal Bowl tonight at the Igloo as the Pens take on the Carolina Hurricanes, trying to build on the little two-game win streak in which the team has allowed just one goal. This town loooooves defense. [Pittsburghpenguins.com]
After months of a back-and-forth, Shady McCoy has made it official: he's going to enter the NFL draft. He had this to say as per a statement released by Pitt:
"During my two years at Pitt, I have received an overwhelming amount of love and acceptance, starting from my first visit to the university all the way through the end of this season. I have been treated with respect, class and consideration. For that I am incredibly grateful.
"I will always cherish the opportunity Pitt has given me. I wore number 25 with pride and tried to represent my coaches, teammates, staff and Panther fans with class. I would like to thank everyone involved with the Pitt football program for a wonderful two years in Pittsburgh."
It was a huge decision with literally millions of dollars on the line, and I hope for his sake that LeSean has made the right one. While I wished he would've stayed for purely selfish reasons, I'll be rooting for him in the pros.
In case you've forgotten, there's more going on in the Pittsburgh sports scene beyond our beloved Steelers. And one of the ongoing storylines of the past week continues to steam ahead, as Shady McCoy remains undecided about where he will play football next year:
It is the second time in four days that McCoy has delayed his decision and that has given the coaching staff at least a glimmer of hope that he is legitimately having second thoughts and might stay in school. According to a source close to the situation, McCoy is struggling with his decision because he is being pulled in a lot of different directions by many different people with conflicting agendas.
We've discussed this ad nauseam over the past few days, but it's clear that the lure of having a lot more money in his bank account this spring is dancing in his head. On the other hand, the bank account could potentially grow even bigger should he defer his decision to leave for one more year. Then again, something could happen during the course of the season (such as an injury) to make the payday shrink from where it's at right now.
It's a high-stakes decision, and there are a lot of people in this guy's ear: agents, advisors, coaches, teammates, and most of all, family. Shady needs to think about what's going to make him the happiest, because sometimes the obvious answer (money, money, mo-ney.....money!) isn't so obvious.
A new report from KDKA based on sources close to McCoy say that Shady wants to stay, loves Pitt, and loves college life, but is being pressured to turn pro. The report describes McCoy as "an emotional wreck". Unfortunately, the situation sounds as tense and dramatic as I feared, given all the back-and-forth we've seen.
Just as I came to grips with the fact that Shady McCoy would be moving on to the NFL, word has spread that he hasn't yet decided to go anywhere. Says the Trib's Kevin Gorman:
After what was described as an emotional meeting with Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt Friday, Panthers star tailback LeSean McCoy is delaying his decision on whether to declare for the NFL Draft.
McCoy's parents, Ron and Daphne, and brother, LeRon, accompanied him to the meeting at Pitt's Duratz Athletic Complex on the South Side. Afterward, LeRon McCoy said his brother was overwhelmed by the gravity of the decision and will wait until next week to make up his mind.
Before people start jumping on him for being a little Favreish in his thinking, consider the factors at play here. As we've already discussed, there is no shortage of running backs available, including Knowshon Moreno, Beanie Wells, Javon Ringer, Donald Brown, PJ Hill, Rashad Jennings, and just announced, Alabama's Glen Coffee. And those are just the running backs. For the big money, he's going to compete against all position players. So every time a Jeremy Maclin or Michael Crabtree decides they're jumping in the pool, that's two more notches that a Shady McCoy will fall. And every notch equals lost income.
Second, there's the wear and tear on his body that another season will surely provide. He's toted the rock 276 times in 2007 and 308 in 2008. That's almost 600 carries in two years, putting him on pace for around 900 if he stays. Plus, there's always the threat of a serious injury looming. And for a guy that's already suffered through one such incident in high school, that's a concern.
Those are the negatives, and they are big. But there has to be positives to come from staying at Pitt, and at the top of the list would be the opportunity to drive his stock up in the 2009 season. With McCoy in the mix, as well as an improved offensive line, a tough defense, a stud WR (Jonathan Baldwin) and (hopefully) some better play at the QB position, Pitt would have to be considered a favorite to win the conference and subsequently play in a BCS bowl. Granted, there are a lot of factors at play when considering team results; but should things fall into place, that's a lot of exposure to potentially vault McCoy near the top of next year's available running backs. And that means a bigger pile of money when an NFL team eventually calls his name.
Whatever his decision may be, I would understand. This is a young guy that's given Pitt fans a lot to cheer about in a short period of time, and he really doesn't owe anybody anything. It's selfish reasoning to want him back, but I don't know any fan who wouldn't want to have a Shady McCoy on their side, given the choice.
The odds of Pitt winning the Big East in football next season just got a little big longer, as Shady McCoy apparently changed his mind and decided he wants to play in the NFL after all. An official announcement should be coming tomorrow.
This is good news and bad news for Pitt. The good news is that this is another feather in the program's cap from a draft point-of-view. McCoy will join a growing list of prominent Panthers in the league, including recent first-rounders Larry Fitzgerald, Darrelle Revis, and Jeff Otah. The bad news is that he was one of the few bright spots on offense this season for the Panthers, and no one they have on the roster is another Shady McCoy-in-waiting. He was a special talent.
The NFL draft advisory board graded McCoy as a first rounder, but as Kevin Gorman points out,in his story, running back will be a crowded position in this year's draft. Already, five underclassmen have declared, including Iowa's Shonn Green, Connecticut's Donald Brown, Ohio State's Chris Wells, Wisconsin's P.J. Hill and Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Also in the mix among the top running backs are Michigan State's Javon Ringer and Pitt transfer Rashad Jennings, who ended up at Liberty. That's right, another Pitt guy who finished his college career at a small school is going to get picked fairly high. Maybe Baltimore can draft him so he and Joe Flacco can line up in the "What Could've Been" formation.
While I would've liked to have seen Shady stay, I understand the rationale. Sure, his stock could rise next year at Pitt. Of course, it could also fall. Or he could get hurt, which is a factor considering the fact that he fractured his leg a few years ago in high school. It's a risky proposition either way, but all we can do is wish him the best at the next level and appreciate the excitement he brought to the Pitt program while he was here.
2009 is off to quite the interesting start in terms of local sports. I could talk about the probable #1 team in the county, I could talk about an upcoming playoff game at Heinz Field, or I could talk about one of 2008's Stanley Cup finalists hitting rock-bottom. We have no shortage of topics. It's a good time to be blogging. Let's attempt to tackle all three.
--I'll start with the Steelers, who get the streaking San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field next Sunday. As you and I remember, these teams met before, and the game ended like this:
There was snow, there was Jim Nantz, there was 115 yards of Steeler penalties, and there was the first 11-10 final in NFL history. There was also a controversial call at the end of the game that swung $64 million in favor of the bookies. Willie Parker and Hines Ward each generated over 100 yards of offense, Phil Rivers was picked off twice, and Darren Sproles was merely a box score footnote.
But that was then, and this is now. Now, Sproles is another good game or two away from appearing on a Wheaties box. Now, Ladainian Tomlinson wonders on an hour-to-hour basis whether or not his groin is attached. Now, Pittsburgh gets a chance to redeem the loss in the 1994 playoffs that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. And now, we get to see if any cobwebs linger in the noggin of Ben Roethlisberger after ending the regular season on a Heinz Field motorized cart.
It should be quite the intriguing matchup. As far as probable media storylines go, we've got the obvious "Roethlisberger vs. Rivers, 2004 draft revisited" angle. There's the aforementioned 1994 rematch, so plan on ample references to Dennis Gibson throughout the week. There's the ongoing magnifying glass of Norv Turner's less-than-stellar playoff resume. But let me be the first one to cite something absurd that I happened upon doing research: The San Diego Sports Curse.
San Diego has a sports curse? I'd consider myself a pretty big sports fan, and that's news to me. And even better, they're claiming the roots go back to the 1970 trade of Lance Alworth to the Cowboys. Well, I guess every loser city needs a curse excuse for inept on-field and front-office results. I'm surprised the Pirates' Curse of Barry Bonds hasn't caught the attention of the mainstream yet.
Like most of the playoff games, this one is going to come down to ball control and turnovers, not Roethlisberger and Rivers trying to re-create Ken O'Brien vs. Dan Marino in 1986. Look at the other games. Chad Pennington throws seven picks all year and four versus the Ravens. Not surprisingly, the Ravens move on despite the presence of a rookie QB who completed nine balls. all day. Why? Simple - he didn't throw four picks. OK, so he's a Game Manager. The fact of the matter is that he's moving on while Chad Pennington stares at those two Comeback Player of the Year trophies and wonders what went wrong.
Look at Matt Ryan - he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against a team that people were laughing at after their 40-point loss to the Patriots. But so it goes. Cardinals move on, Falcons go home. It's not that tough of a formula to decipher.
The Steelers need to play smart (especially on special teams, which usually kills them this time of year), slow the Chargers' running game, take care of the football, try their best to win the battle of field position (which is tough if you watched San Diego's punter place four balls inside the 20), and keep the ball out of the Chargers' hands. Is that a lot to ask? Sure it is. But that's the recipe for a playoff victory, where nothing comes easy.
Now sit back and enjoy way too many references to Anchorman in the next seven days.
--Now let me shift my attention to what should be the #1 team in all of the land, the Pitt Panthers. No, I'm not referring to the football team, who managed to get upstaged by the Village People on New Year's Eve; I'm talking about the basketball team, which was all over the Georgetown Hoyas on enemy turf on Saturday.
That wasn't just a win, that was a statement. Georgetown was coming off of an upset win at then-#2 UConn and was riding a 29-game home win streak. And Pitt dismantled them. Embarrassed them. Humiliated them. It was the kind of game that inspires an immediate ESPN feature on the rebound machine known as Dejuan Blair.
Pitt's wooed us before, but for some reason I think this edition of the Panthers might be different. For openers, the stars aligned this week and took down the two teams ranked ahead of them. That should give Pitt their first #1 ranking in 101 years of playing basketball. I'm sure there's been a curse all this time, but I was just too lazy to look it up.
Past history indicates that Pitt will have a great regular season, spend all their energy winning the Big East tournament, and bow out in the Sweet 16 to some mid-major. Hopefully, 2009 won't play out like Groundhog Day once again.
-By the way, quick story which I can justify using by the G-town connection: I'm doing research for my "real" job the other day, and I need to look up some stuff on John Thompson. I'm reading the expected information: 1984 NCAA Championship, six Big East tournament championships, blah, blah, blah...and then I run into this Wikipedia entry:
Wha? I must have missed this, not surprising considering it happened when I was, oh, about 12. But anyway...from Wikipedia:
"In the late 1980s, Thompson got word that several of his players, including Alonzo Mourning, were associating with noted DC drug lord (and avid Hoya fan) Rayful Edmond III. At the height of his empire, Edmond became very friendly with several Hoya players. When Thompson received word of what was happening, he sent word through his sources to have Edmond meet him at his office at Mc Donough Gymnasium.
When Edmond arrived, Thompson was initially cordial, and informed Edmond that he needed to cease all contacts with his players post haste, specifically John Turner and Mourning, both of whom had befriended Edmond.When Edmond tried to assure him that his players were not involved in anything illegal, the 6'10" Thompson stood up and pointed his index finger between Edmond's eyes. A profanity-laced tirade ensued, in which Thompson told Edmond he didn't give an (expletive) who Edmond was on the street or his crew's violent reputation; he had crossed the line with his players, and that he wasn't going to let Edmond (expletive) up their lives. If Edmond had any sense of intelligence, the coach continued, he'd be wise not to (expletive) with Thompson. Thompson's parting words to Edmond before dismissing him was that he was not going to repeat himself: Stay the (expletive) away from his players, or Edmond would suffer serious consequences. It has even been suggested that Thompson told Edmond he would '(expletive) kill' him if he did not leave his Hoyas alone, and 'dared' Edmond to try him. By all accounts, Edmond never associated with another Hoya player on a personal level. It is believed that Thompson is the only person to stand up to Edmond without consequence, initially causing some shock and surprise that there was no reprisal against Thompson for standing up to Edmond. While he felt embarrassed and humiliated by the encounter, Edmond could not bring himself to seek any retaliation whatsoever. Thompson was a black man Edmond truly admired and revered, and he respected the honor, presence, and leadership role that Thompson commanded in the black community. Aside from that, Thompson's imposing stature and celebrity status likely would have made any such attempts at retaliation back fire."
Wow. So in addition to learning that Thompson spent two years as a Boston Celtic backing up Bill Russell (where he earned the nickname, "The Caddy", as well as two championship rings), I find out that John Thompson intimidated the city's most powerful drug lord. Which goes to show that you never know what you'll accidentally bump into on Wikipedia. And by the way, I would definitely pay $10 to watch that story as a two-hour feature film.
It's clear that this mix just is not working. There's little time to change much for the next game, a 7 PM matchup tonight with the Rangers, followed by your regularly-scheduled Colby Armstrong lovefest on Tuesday. But the season looks to be slipping away, so Ray Shero might have to go into his bag of tricks, and fast. There were some interesting remedies suggested in the comments section, but I think it's pretty clear that this team is going to have to part with some of their luxuries if they want to remain competitive. This is the NHL, not the NBA. You can't win three championships with two superstars and Devean George. You need a deeper roster to compete, and with complimentary parts. The Penguins' biggest complimentary part of last year is now a Red Wing. Another complimentary part is wasting away in Tampa Bay (and getting written about at length in this week's ESPN: the Magazine). This is a team that lost far more than it gained in the offseason, and their player ledger is out-of-whack. Unfortunately, it's going to take something dramatic to right this wrong. And it might not happen overnight.
--With my previously-mentioned year-end site evaluation now in the rear-view mirror, here's the formula that I'm going to try out for at least the early stages of 2009: a weekly column, to satisfy my desire to write at greater length; top-10 lists probably two or three times a month; and some mix of interviews and field trips, to mix it up a bit.
While I get very little creative satisfaction from them, I realize that "link dumps" are wildly popular, especially with those trying to "work". To compromise, I promise at least one large link post weekly. And as compensation for sending in links, I will be drawing one name each week from the emailers to receive a prize from the Mondesi Mystery Box. And speaking of prizes, check back later today as we unveil the finalists in the Cope/Hope Photoshop Challenge.
Lots to catch up on with this week's podcast with Dave Dameshek, who bravely battled on despite the presence of a nasty cold. We had a Steeler game that Dave and I both attended, the just-completed NFL MVP balloting (Manning in a runaway?), the troubles of the Penguins, Nittany Lion fans drinking the Penn State Kool-Aid, the most boring bowl game in history, and Pitt's narrow win over Rutgers in men's hoops. Plus, we had a lengthy discussion on fan apparel, specifically jerseys and what a Pittsburgher should be wearing. I say if you get one choice among all Pittsburgh athletes you've gotta go with a 66 from the Stanley Cup years.
Adam the Penn State fan has found an ally: it's Oregon State fans, who've compiled a list of Five Reasons to Hate Pitt, with the author going to the lengths of calling Pitt fans "some of the most arrogant that I have come across yet".
Oh, so it's like that, Oregon State? That's a lot of crowing from a school that ranks Chad Johnson as one of their most distinguished alumni. Don't worry, I'm sure the arrogant Pitt fans will have a response.
The hits keep on coming for the Pitt Panthers, who officially joined the AP Top 20 this week following yesterday's regular season finale against UConn.
The 9-3 Panthers are currently 18th, trailing only Cincinnati (12th) as the highest-ranked Big East team. The Bearcats managed to escape Hawaii with a 29-24 win last night, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter. And no, I didn't stay up until it ended sometime in the middle of the night, in case you were wondering.
The Penn State Nittany Lions finished the regular season sixth with an 11-1 record. They'll be headed to the Rose Bowl against 11-1 USC, who ended their campaign with a lopsided victory against UCLA on Saturday.
Pitt's Sun Bowl opponent, #24 Oregon State, wrapped up their business on November 29 with a 65-38 loss to rival Oregon. Based on that score,I'm guessing their defense bears little resemblance to, say, the Steelers' defensive unit, so we may be in for some offensive fireworks when the two teams meet on December 31.
Normally, I wouldn't assume a win over UConn to necessitate a Gatorade soaking of the head coach, but after the past couple of seasons, it was a welcome sight for the Pitt Panthers today, who probably locked up a birth in the December 31 Sun Bowl with a 34-10 win at UConn. The nine wins for Pitt are the most since 1982.
The story of the day was the play of UConn's quarterbacks, who completed just six passes to their own team and five to Pitt. For the day, Tyler Lorenzen and Zach Fraser were 6-for-31 for 80 yards, numbers uglier than that girl in the peanut commercial.
Shady McCoy was once again Shady McCoy, running for 95 yards on 24 carries and scoring his 20th touchdown of the season. Bill Stull added touchdown throws of 61 and 28 yards to Derek Kinder and Nate Byham, respectively, as the Panthers brought out the big play on multiple occasions.
It was a great way to end a momentum-building campaign for the Panthers, who looked in serious trouble after opening the season with a loss to Bowling Green, which ended up a mediocre 6-6 in the MAC. But all's well that end's well, I suppose (especially if Lesean McCoy returns next season).
In other local college football news, our two dream seasons are over, and it wasn't pretty. Cal U lost in the D-2 Semifinals to Minnesota-Duluth, 45-7; and Washington & Jefferson lost the D-3 quarterfinals to Mary Hardin-Baylor, 63-7. It was fun while it lasted.
A few relevant links to add...
--Sun Bowl tickets are already on sale. So I guess it's official. They'll be playing 8-4 Oregon State in El Paso, Texas. OSU beat USC, so I suppose they'd be considered a good team.
Some of the longtime Mondesi's House readers may remember a guy known only as "Adam the Penn State Fan". He fanned the flames of controversy many times in the comments sections of years gone by with unwavering support of all things nittany, then seemingly disappeared into thin air. At one point, he had become so big that he got his own "Adam the Penn State Fan" tag, a gift given only to Ronnie Florian and Gwenjen among Pittsburgh fans. He was a phenomenon, I tell you.
I'm happy to report that Adam is alive and well, and that all of you Pitt fans managed to, in his words, "get the blood going" once again with your comments following the recent Penn State story posted a few days ago.
He penned a response to the Penn State critics that was published on the PSU blog Black Shoe Diaries entitled, "Teach Them Once and For All", that I figured you would be interested in reading.
He takes the classic angle of a Penn State fan claiming to be indifferent to Pitt, then subsequently tells a story of how he dragged a Pitt fan to the PSU-Michigan game to illustrate (to a Pitt fan that he's indifferent to, mind you) the greatness of Penn State. Maybe it's just me, but if you're indifferent, wouldn't the proper course of action be ignoring Pitt altogether?
So check out his article. And if nothing else, celebrate the fact that Adam the Penn State Fan in back in our lives to stir the pot while remaining indifferent.
I enjoyed the PG's feature on Wednesday that looked back at The City Game (Pitt vs. Duquesne, for those of you somehow not familiar with that moniker) and how it has morphed from a competitive rivalry to a Steelers-Browns, hammer vs. nail style "rivalry" over the past 30 years. Despite my admiration of sports history, especially of a local variety, I never realized that the teams would meet up two, even three times in a season.
But those days are long gone, with Duquesne largely relegated to an afterthought in the college hoops world and Pitt becoming a part of the sport's truly elite. Even with the recent improvement brought by coach Ron Everhart, the Dukes had the deck highly stacked against them for this year's edition. And the results were pretty much what you would have expected: Pitt 78, Duquesne 51, just three points away from matching Pitt's largest margin of victory in the series (30, in 2004).
The game was relatively close for much of the first half, with Pitt clinging to a 24-20 lead as late as 15 minutes into the game. The Panthers would lead at the break by a 36-28 count, but that would gradually expand as the contest rolled on. The second half played out like you would've imagined, with Pitt outscoring the Dukes by a 42-23 count.
Sam Young led the charge for Pitt with 23 points, four of them coming on dunks. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's in line for a high-scoring season. Dejuan Blair, one of the few local players involved in the game, tossed in 14, and freshman guard Jermaine Dixon added 10. Duquesne's high man was Damian Saunders with 15; he was the only Duke that reached double figures. I'd give you more details, but since the game was not broadcast on TV, this was the best I could do.
The Dukes, having ended their murderer's row portion of the schedule (at Duke and Pitt in succession), resume in a week against Radford College, which should be a more winnable game. Pitt picks up on Saturday at home (where else?) against the Vermont Catamounts, 4-2 out of the America East Conference.
One of my favorite topics to discuss is and always will be Pitt vs. Penn State. Everyone has an opinion. In fact, an article I wrote over two years ago on the game that isn't still draws ample traffic due to the fact of it being the #1 Google placement for the often-searched "Pitt Penn State" phrase.
So why do I bring it up today? Well, it looks like the debate randomly heated up in an article on Pennlive.com that mentioned the possibility of Pitt winning nine games, a feat they haven't accomplished since 1982, believe it or not.
It started with a user named "Ihavenobeef" throwing out this unprovoked thought:
"Twenty-five years since Pitt last won 9 games? Pathetic. Pitt should be relegated to I-AA for that sorry feat, especially since they play in the worst I-A conference of all. Losers.
Penn State, the best I-A team in the state by far, has done it 17 times since 1982. Now THAT'S a great football team."
Yep, you knew that would draw a response. Like a moth to a flame, a Pitt fan with the user name "PoopyPantsJ" takes the always-classy Paterno-bashing angle:
"It may have been 25 years since Pitt has had 9 wins in the regular season, but Pitt has managed to play 119 season without it's coach crapping his pants.
How long has it been for Penn State? 2 years? Now that REALLY IS PATHETIC! Maybe PSU should play in a league with preschoolers, who aren't potty trained."
From there, it evolves into the typical urinating contest that the Pitt-Penn State debate has become. Personally, I think it's hilarious that any PSU fan rips on Pitt, which earlier this year beat the same Iowa team that probably kept Penn State out of the national championship. But I digress. You should check out their comments. Or add your own two cents below.
