For all of those who are interested in some info about the Sun Bowl and what is going on, I'd thought I'd share some of the info with you.
First off, their fan guide says that no signs, banners, or flags are allowed into the stadium. Well that is too bad because I will be bringing my Pitt flag into the stadium as well as carry it with me through out the rest of the day as we celebrate a Pitt win.
One thing different from the Sun Bowl compared to Heinz Field is that their gates will open 2.5 hours before kick off. That won't be a problem for most of Pitt's traveling fans as we usually show up well after kick off. For people like Brian (my traveling buddy) and myself we'll probably end up in line at 8 a.m. like we do for every home game.
There is a bunch of stuff going on Dec 30th. The sun bowl luncheon (50$), The Sun Bowl 5k Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk will be preceding the Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta. I have 0 desire to go to the luncheon or the run but I expect to be at the Fan Fiesta. For all of you Pittsburghers going, they will be doing a fire works show. So I expect to see every Pitt fan in attendance for that (especially the fireworks).
On game day, there will be a fun zone for the kids starting at 10:30 until kickoff. The big thing is that we need to be in our seats around 11:30. That is when they will introduce the 2008 Legends of the Sun Bowl, Introduce the 2008 Sun Court (WTF IS THAT?), Introduce the 75th all time anniversary team (including a few Panthers), Performances by our band and the beaver band. Lastly they'll conclude with the Golden Nights Army Parachute Team. I think we were supposed to have this at Pitt a few years back but due to windy conditions they had to cancel it.
Following the game, Miss Thea (a Sun Bowl rep) told me that Cincinnati Ave is the place to go. The biggest yinzer thing about me is I really really hate change. So following the game and probably all the way through new years, you'll probably find Brian and I at Hemingway's. Now it's not the same Hemingway's as in Oakland, but the name is close enough to get me to go. Thea recommends it, so I'll give it a check out and hope that it is worth staying at. For those wondering the location of the joint is 214 Cincinnati Ave.
If you were going to ask if I am planning on traveling to Juarez...........HAHAHAHA NO! I don't want to die just yet. I'll try to be safe in El Paso and then take my chances mouthing off to Georgetown fans in D.C.
The one death defying thing I did want to check out was the Wyler Aerial Tramway. Sadly it looks like it is closed on Tuesday which is the only day we would be able to go since we have the game stuff on Wednesday and fly to D.C. on Thursday.
Other than that we don't have too much planned right now. We're gonna take a relax and enjoy approach to this little trip.
If you are around, we will be staying at the La Quinta west and will probably be taking the Sun Bowl shuttle to get around. We'll probably hang up a sign or a roll-a-banna to paint El Paso blue and gold.
Anyway, Jason Jones will be leading you through the Sun Bowl coverage from here on out.
Lets Go Pitt!
(also, if you're going to the Pitt / Georgetown game, stop by Bar Louie for a pregame drink with the Cat Basket/Oakland Zoo)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
On behalf of Jason Jones, I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
~ The Cat Basket ~
~ The Cat Basket ~
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Add Tinker to the list
Most of us were surprised to see Ed Tinker in the crowd at the basketball game on Saturday night. I had thought that he would end up in Colorado as that was his favorite school last year. Well, after spending a year in prep school, he and his mom decided that it would be best to stay local. Today Ed Tinker made it official that he will be joining the Pittsburgh Panthers next season.
Tinker is an interesting prospect. We have plenty of depth at WR right now so there remains the option that we can move him to DB. While I wouldn't oppose it, I wouldn't be 100% behind it as he has had decent success at WR and that is his better position right now.
Hopefully this starts the domino effect on recruiting. Jordan Hill, Dan Mason, Kolby Gray, and some of the others who were in town over the weekend.
Tinker is an interesting prospect. We have plenty of depth at WR right now so there remains the option that we can move him to DB. While I wouldn't oppose it, I wouldn't be 100% behind it as he has had decent success at WR and that is his better position right now.
Hopefully this starts the domino effect on recruiting. Jordan Hill, Dan Mason, Kolby Gray, and some of the others who were in town over the weekend.
Monday, December 15, 2008
My Regular Season Review
So now that the 12 games have played out I thought I would give my thoughts and opinions on this season as a whole. This has been quite the roller coaster ride of emotion and success. My prediction on the podcast at the beginning of the season was 11-1 but that didn't come to be.
The first three weeks of the season absolutely broke me as a Pitt fan. I've never been a fan of Wannstedt and I couldn't believe that this season was going to be any different than the past 3. Losing to Bowling Green opening week just reinforced my pessimistic view of the staff. We came back week 2 and barely squeaked out a win against Buffalo, who over the course of the season has proven to be a decent team. Then we played Iowa when they were starting the wrong quarterback and having much of the same problems that we did, we some how squeaked out another win.
After an extremely shaky first half we found a way to get past Syracuse then game the South Florida game. Beating USF, while USF was still ranked nationally, felt like the turning point of the entire program on that night. Next week at Navy we had our first dominant performance of the Wannstedt era. Then came the big loss at home against Rutgers and we were back to square 1, another terrible home loss for a coach who has had his fair share. At Notre Dame we squeaked out another one and it there were back at weeks 2-4, barely beating teams who we should have arguably blown out.
Then came the big win against Louisville and we were staring down the Big East title. The Cincinatti game was another spirit breaker and another step back from the ultimate goal of a Big East title. An emotional win at the Backyard Brawl helped put the season back on track. Finishing out at UConn with a big win gave us the reward of the Sun Bowl. What a confusing narrative of a season and what is the final story?
Things I have taken from this season:
- Shady is an all-time great player and next year for him has the potential for ultimate greatness. He will be a Heisman contender.
- Our QB situation is much worse than it was at the start of the year. We now have statistical and video proof of the lack of talent we have at the position. Something needs to change here in the off-season.
- If we can find a replacement for Scott McKillop the defense could be great next year. I thought by the end of the season we had a legitimately good defense.
- This team is incredibly resilient and that trait makes them extremely dangerous. I'm in awe of the leadership to keep fighting through bad losses to salvage this season into something positive.
- The offensive line has become a real unit under Tony Wise and I'm interested to see what the line will look like next season.
- Speaking of needing change the offensive play calling needs to be revamped. Whatever we are doing isn't working and bad play calling in key situations has cost us games. If that means a new staff on that side of the ball so be it.
Finally, I would like to say that this season has been a wash for me. We are exactly were I thought we would be and I'm excited to see us in a postseason bowl. All the positives of the postseason bowl are slightly negated with the obvious problems that still exist on the offensive side of the ball. This season feels like the start of the ascension of the program to its place as the power in the Big East but let's not get ahead of ourselves and forget the problems of the season.
All in all a very enthusiastic thumbs in middle (but that is a fairly good thing considering how the season started)
Recruiting update
This weekend was a big weekend for recruiting. We had about 10 visitors come to the Pitt vs UMBC game and all of the guys are either committed or considering Pitt.
The big story from the weekend is that it is now about a 99.9% chance that Jordan Hill will officially decommit from Rutgers and make the wise life choice and join the Panthers.
He engaged in some fun interactions with the Oakland Zoo who were holding up some signs on their white boards for him.
Also of note is that Ed Tinker was in the crowd. Last year it looked as if Tinker had eliminated Pitt and was headed to Colorado. Ed ended up never making it there and has been somewhat in hiding since then. Don't worry too much, it was all helped set up by the Pitt coaches so that he could go to prep school for a year and get everything lined up to become eligible for next season. Ed and his mom both want to stay local and that is great news for Pitt.
The Merrill twins, Dan Mason, and some other guys were in attendance. All of the players had guys currently on the staff show them around all weekend like we usually see. One difference between visits you see most often and this trip is that all of the guys that were in town raved about how much they enjoyed the visit. I wouldn't be shocked if every single one ended up as a Panther because they were raving about Pitt that much.
I was able to get 2 big pieces of info out of the coaches that should put some of this years recruiting into perspective. Many people were wondering why we were going so hard on trying to get guys despite only having between 14-17 ships available. The staff now believes that through academic ineligibility, off the field problems, and transfers that we will be able to take 20 - 22 guys this year. So there maybe some issues that have been down played during the season that will be resolved once we finish up after the Sun Bowl.
I was asking the staff about Kolby Gray because I'm all for big quarterbacks that can throw the ball well and are mobile. Kolby will be visiting Pitt on the weekend of January 9th. Pretty much the only thing holding us back from a commitment here is a campus visit. So I'm pretty sure after he comes here to check things out, gets to meet a few Steelers, and has a fun time on the visit he will be announcing his choice to come here.
It's pretty interesting how we got involved with him. One of the assistants who was instrumental in recruiting Shady was the purpose for finding him. Due to the poor qb play this year, the staff went on a hunt for quarterbacks that they felt could fit our system and could be ready to play sooner rather than later. So, after doing some investigating, the assistant coach came across footage of Kolby and was blown away. He took what he found to Coach Wannstedt. Since he is a Texas guy, Phil Bennett called in a few favors to get more information about him. We were very lucky to have Phil on the staff because through his contacts, we found out that Kolby was on the short list for schools like Texas and Oklahoma but they did not recruit him hard since they already had quarterbacks who committed. This is a lucky find for us and I hope we're able to get him to stick around as I'm ready to anoint him as the #1 qb on the roster after signing day.
The last piece of news is that it looks like junior day will be on February 14th for the Pitt/Cincy basketball game.
The big story from the weekend is that it is now about a 99.9% chance that Jordan Hill will officially decommit from Rutgers and make the wise life choice and join the Panthers.
He engaged in some fun interactions with the Oakland Zoo who were holding up some signs on their white boards for him.
Also of note is that Ed Tinker was in the crowd. Last year it looked as if Tinker had eliminated Pitt and was headed to Colorado. Ed ended up never making it there and has been somewhat in hiding since then. Don't worry too much, it was all helped set up by the Pitt coaches so that he could go to prep school for a year and get everything lined up to become eligible for next season. Ed and his mom both want to stay local and that is great news for Pitt.
The Merrill twins, Dan Mason, and some other guys were in attendance. All of the players had guys currently on the staff show them around all weekend like we usually see. One difference between visits you see most often and this trip is that all of the guys that were in town raved about how much they enjoyed the visit. I wouldn't be shocked if every single one ended up as a Panther because they were raving about Pitt that much.
I was able to get 2 big pieces of info out of the coaches that should put some of this years recruiting into perspective. Many people were wondering why we were going so hard on trying to get guys despite only having between 14-17 ships available. The staff now believes that through academic ineligibility, off the field problems, and transfers that we will be able to take 20 - 22 guys this year. So there maybe some issues that have been down played during the season that will be resolved once we finish up after the Sun Bowl.
I was asking the staff about Kolby Gray because I'm all for big quarterbacks that can throw the ball well and are mobile. Kolby will be visiting Pitt on the weekend of January 9th. Pretty much the only thing holding us back from a commitment here is a campus visit. So I'm pretty sure after he comes here to check things out, gets to meet a few Steelers, and has a fun time on the visit he will be announcing his choice to come here.
It's pretty interesting how we got involved with him. One of the assistants who was instrumental in recruiting Shady was the purpose for finding him. Due to the poor qb play this year, the staff went on a hunt for quarterbacks that they felt could fit our system and could be ready to play sooner rather than later. So, after doing some investigating, the assistant coach came across footage of Kolby and was blown away. He took what he found to Coach Wannstedt. Since he is a Texas guy, Phil Bennett called in a few favors to get more information about him. We were very lucky to have Phil on the staff because through his contacts, we found out that Kolby was on the short list for schools like Texas and Oklahoma but they did not recruit him hard since they already had quarterbacks who committed. This is a lucky find for us and I hope we're able to get him to stick around as I'm ready to anoint him as the #1 qb on the roster after signing day.
The last piece of news is that it looks like junior day will be on February 14th for the Pitt/Cincy basketball game.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cat Basket Challenge
This bowl season it will be DPJ vs Jones vs Johnny in a 3 way battle to see who the bowl picking champion is.
Eaglebank Bowl (Dec 20): Navy vs Wake Forest
DPJ: Navy
Jones: Navy
Johnny: Navy
New Mexico (Dec 20): Fresno State vs Colorado State
DPJ: Fresno State
Jones: Colorado St
Johnny: Colorado St
St. Petersburg (Dec 20): Memphis vs USF
DPJ: USF
Jones: USF
Johnny: USF
Las Vegas (Dec 20): BYU vs Arizona
DPJ: BYU
Jones: BYU
Johnny: BYU
New Orleans (Dec 21): Southern Miss vs Troy
DPJ: Southern Miss
Jones: Southern Miss
Johnny: Troy
Pointsettia (Dec 23): TCU vs Boise State
DPJ: Boise State
Jones: Boise State
Johnny: TCU
Honolulu (Dec 24): Hawaii vs Notre Dame
DPJ: Hawaii
Jones: Notre Dame
Johnny: Hawaii
Motor City (Dec 26): Central Michigan vs Florida Atlantic
DPJ: Central Michigan
Jones: Central Michigan
Johnny: Central Michigan
Car Care (Dec 27): North Carolina vs West Virginia
DPJ: West Virginia
Jones: North Carolina
Johnny: West Virginia
Champ Sports (Dec 27): Florida State vs Wisconsin
DPJ: Florida State
Jones: Florida State
Johnny: Florida State
Emerald (Dec 27): Miami vs Cal
DPJ: Cal
Jones: Miami
Johnny: Cal
Independence (Dec 28): Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech
DPJ: NIU
Jones: NIU
Johnny: Louisiana Tech
Papa Johns (Dec 29): NC State vs Rutgers
DPJ: Rutgers
Jones: NC State
Johnny: Rutgers
Alamo (Dec 29): Northwestern vs Missouri
DPJ: Missouri
Jones: Northwestern
Johnny: Missouri
Humanitarian (Dec 30): Maryland vs Nevada
DPJ: Maryland
Jones: Maryland
Johnny: Nevada
Holiday (Dec 30): Oklahoma State vs Oregon
DPJ: Oklahoma State
Jones: Oklahoma State
Johnny: Oklahoma State
Texas (Dec 30): Rice vs Western Michigan
DPJ: Rice
Jones: Western Michigan
Johnny: Rice
Armed Forces (Dec 31): Houston vs Air Force
DPJ: Houston
Jones: Houston
Johnny: Houston
Music City (Dec 31): Boston College vs Vanderbilt
DPJ: Boston College
Jones: Vanderbilt
Johnny: Vanderbilt
Insight (Dec 31): Kansas vs Minnesota
DPJ: Kansas
Jones: Kansas
Johnny: Kansas
Chik-Fil-A (Dec 31): Georgia Tech vs LSU
DPJ: Georgia Tech
Jones: LSU
Johnny: Georgia Tech
Outback (Jan 1): Iowa vs South Carolina
DPJ: South Carolina
Jones: South Carolina
Johnny: Iowa
Gator (Jan 1): Clemson vs Nebraska
DPJ: Clemson
Jones: Nebraska
Johnny: Nebraska
Capital One (Jan 1): Michigan State vs Georgia
DPJ: Michigan State
Jones: Georgia
Johnny: Georgia
Cotton (Jan 2): Ole Miss vs Texas Tech
DPJ: Texas Tech
Jones: Texas Tech
Johnny: Texas Tech
Liberty (Jan 2): Kentucky vs East Carolina
DPJ: Kentucky
Jones: Kentucky
Johnny: Kentucky
International (Jan 3): Buffalo vs Uconn
DPJ: UConn
Jones: Buffalo
Johnny: Buffalo
GMAC (Jan 6): Tulsa vs Ball State
DPJ: Ball State
Jones: Tulsa
Johnny: Ball State
BCS BOWLS
Rose: (Jan 1): USC vs Penn State
DPJ: USC
Jones: USC
Johnny: USC
Orange (Jan 1): Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati
DPJ: Virginia Tech
Jones: Cincinnati
Johnny: Cincinnati
Sugar (Jan 2): Utah vs Alabama
DPJ: Alabama
Jones: Alabama
Johnny: Alabama
Fiesta (Jan 5): Ohio State vs Texas
DPJ: Texas
Jones: Texas
Johnny: Texas
BCS Championship (Jan 8): Florida vs Oklahoma
DPJ: Oklahoma
Jones: Florida
Johnny: Oklahoma
Sun Bowl (Dec 31): Pitt vs Oregon State
DPJ: Pitt
DPJ (total points scored): 44
Jones: Pitt
Jones (total points scored): 51
Johnny: Pitt
Johnny (total points scored): 48 (Pitt 31-OSU1 17)
Eaglebank Bowl (Dec 20): Navy vs Wake Forest
DPJ: Navy
Jones: Navy
Johnny: Navy
New Mexico (Dec 20): Fresno State vs Colorado State
DPJ: Fresno State
Jones: Colorado St
Johnny: Colorado St
St. Petersburg (Dec 20): Memphis vs USF
DPJ: USF
Jones: USF
Johnny: USF
Las Vegas (Dec 20): BYU vs Arizona
DPJ: BYU
Jones: BYU
Johnny: BYU
New Orleans (Dec 21): Southern Miss vs Troy
DPJ: Southern Miss
Jones: Southern Miss
Johnny: Troy
Pointsettia (Dec 23): TCU vs Boise State
DPJ: Boise State
Jones: Boise State
Johnny: TCU
Honolulu (Dec 24): Hawaii vs Notre Dame
DPJ: Hawaii
Jones: Notre Dame
Johnny: Hawaii
Motor City (Dec 26): Central Michigan vs Florida Atlantic
DPJ: Central Michigan
Jones: Central Michigan
Johnny: Central Michigan
Car Care (Dec 27): North Carolina vs West Virginia
DPJ: West Virginia
Jones: North Carolina
Johnny: West Virginia
Champ Sports (Dec 27): Florida State vs Wisconsin
DPJ: Florida State
Jones: Florida State
Johnny: Florida State
Emerald (Dec 27): Miami vs Cal
DPJ: Cal
Jones: Miami
Johnny: Cal
Independence (Dec 28): Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech
DPJ: NIU
Jones: NIU
Johnny: Louisiana Tech
Papa Johns (Dec 29): NC State vs Rutgers
DPJ: Rutgers
Jones: NC State
Johnny: Rutgers
Alamo (Dec 29): Northwestern vs Missouri
DPJ: Missouri
Jones: Northwestern
Johnny: Missouri
Humanitarian (Dec 30): Maryland vs Nevada
DPJ: Maryland
Jones: Maryland
Johnny: Nevada
Holiday (Dec 30): Oklahoma State vs Oregon
DPJ: Oklahoma State
Jones: Oklahoma State
Johnny: Oklahoma State
Texas (Dec 30): Rice vs Western Michigan
DPJ: Rice
Jones: Western Michigan
Johnny: Rice
Armed Forces (Dec 31): Houston vs Air Force
DPJ: Houston
Jones: Houston
Johnny: Houston
Music City (Dec 31): Boston College vs Vanderbilt
DPJ: Boston College
Jones: Vanderbilt
Johnny: Vanderbilt
Insight (Dec 31): Kansas vs Minnesota
DPJ: Kansas
Jones: Kansas
Johnny: Kansas
Chik-Fil-A (Dec 31): Georgia Tech vs LSU
DPJ: Georgia Tech
Jones: LSU
Johnny: Georgia Tech
Outback (Jan 1): Iowa vs South Carolina
DPJ: South Carolina
Jones: South Carolina
Johnny: Iowa
Gator (Jan 1): Clemson vs Nebraska
DPJ: Clemson
Jones: Nebraska
Johnny: Nebraska
Capital One (Jan 1): Michigan State vs Georgia
DPJ: Michigan State
Jones: Georgia
Johnny: Georgia
Cotton (Jan 2): Ole Miss vs Texas Tech
DPJ: Texas Tech
Jones: Texas Tech
Johnny: Texas Tech
Liberty (Jan 2): Kentucky vs East Carolina
DPJ: Kentucky
Jones: Kentucky
Johnny: Kentucky
International (Jan 3): Buffalo vs Uconn
DPJ: UConn
Jones: Buffalo
Johnny: Buffalo
GMAC (Jan 6): Tulsa vs Ball State
DPJ: Ball State
Jones: Tulsa
Johnny: Ball State
BCS BOWLS
Rose: (Jan 1): USC vs Penn State
DPJ: USC
Jones: USC
Johnny: USC
Orange (Jan 1): Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati
DPJ: Virginia Tech
Jones: Cincinnati
Johnny: Cincinnati
Sugar (Jan 2): Utah vs Alabama
DPJ: Alabama
Jones: Alabama
Johnny: Alabama
Fiesta (Jan 5): Ohio State vs Texas
DPJ: Texas
Jones: Texas
Johnny: Texas
BCS Championship (Jan 8): Florida vs Oklahoma
DPJ: Oklahoma
Jones: Florida
Johnny: Oklahoma
Sun Bowl (Dec 31): Pitt vs Oregon State
DPJ: Pitt
DPJ (total points scored): 44
Jones: Pitt
Jones (total points scored): 51
Johnny: Pitt
Johnny (total points scored): 48 (Pitt 31-OSU1 17)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Cat Basket Bowl Challenge
So this bowl season, Jones and I will be having a little competition. We will be picking the bowl winners. The person with the lower score will have to tell a very embarrasing story about themself on the next podcast.
We will have the post up in the next couple of days with our picks.
Also if you're interested, you can challenge us and email your picks to TheCatBasket@gmail.com and we get it posted on here.
We will have the post up in the next couple of days with our picks.
Also if you're interested, you can challenge us and email your picks to TheCatBasket@gmail.com and we get it posted on here.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Cat Basket at the Sun Bowl
The reservations have been made and the Cat Basket will be making our first appearance at a Pitt bowl game. The reason for this is since the inception of the Cat Basket, we haven't made a bowl.
Instead of spending an arm and a leg, I was able to find a good deal by flying out of Washington D.C. on December 30th and returning on January 1.
I wasn't too keen on flying out of Washington as the weather will be a question mark and also because it is crappy driving 4 hours to get to the airport. Despite this, there is a great reason to go through D.C.
On January 3rd, the Panthers hoops team will be taking on Georgetown at the Verizon center. So I get to make my first ever road trip to Georgetown as well. Tickets from this game are as cheap as 10 bucks, so it will be worth the trip.
Also if you are interested to know, the Cat Basket will be staying at the Laquinta West. According to the posters on Pantherlair, it is close to the Sun Bowl and a nice hotel.
If you are planning on going and want to share your travel plans feel free to do so on the comments section. Also I'll be posting information about Pitt events in El Paso as I hear about it.
Instead of spending an arm and a leg, I was able to find a good deal by flying out of Washington D.C. on December 30th and returning on January 1.
I wasn't too keen on flying out of Washington as the weather will be a question mark and also because it is crappy driving 4 hours to get to the airport. Despite this, there is a great reason to go through D.C.
On January 3rd, the Panthers hoops team will be taking on Georgetown at the Verizon center. So I get to make my first ever road trip to Georgetown as well. Tickets from this game are as cheap as 10 bucks, so it will be worth the trip.
Also if you are interested to know, the Cat Basket will be staying at the Laquinta West. According to the posters on Pantherlair, it is close to the Sun Bowl and a nice hotel.
If you are planning on going and want to share your travel plans feel free to do so on the comments section. Also I'll be posting information about Pitt events in El Paso as I hear about it.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sun Bowl Pluses and Minuses
The entire bowl picture played out very well for the Big East. We were able to fill all of our slots thanks to a late push by Rutgers. The Gator Bowl took Nebraska which means that next year they'll be forced to take a Big East/Notre Dame team. Luckily for us ND will be worse off than last year and probably won't be able to supplant a Big East team from the Gator Bowl. Speaking of Notre Dame, they'll be going down to the Hawaii bowl to get slaughtered. Hawaii handled Cincy pretty well until the 4th quarter and I'm pretty sure that Cincy would dominate Notre Dame if they played right now.
Moving on to Pitt, there are some things I like and some things I dislike about our bowl.
The Pros:
We're playing on a New Years Eve bowl. It is always great the later you play your bowl game (except maybe the international bowl) because usually then that bowl has more coverage, more prestige, and more $$$. The Sun Bowl is obviously no exception to this. It is highly regarded as one of the top non-BCS bowls available.
Another great thing about this bowl is that it has a great base of fans in El Paso. This is perfect for a team like Pitt that doesn't travel as well as other schools. Since we're more of a watch it at home fan base, we will be able to provide big TV ratings for the bowl which is what they are looking for.
Another benefit is that we're going to be playing an opponent from one of the BCS conferences. I don't think many people would have cared to see us play a non-BCS type of opponent unless it was a Boise State or BYU type of team and frankly, there aren't too many of those teams out there.
The last great thing about this is that for the first time in the Wannstedt Era, the team will be able to continue to practice all throughout December. We've lost out on valuable practice time the last 3 years by not being able to practice due to not getting a bowl. Now we are able to get the extra practice time which will be extremely valuable for our younger guys who will need to be ready for next year.
The Cons:
I'm going to be a bit selfish on this one. The mens bball team plays on the same exact day and the same exact time. While I am just a Pitt fan (I like football and bball equally) I hate having to miss the game. Pitt has already announced that they will not try and get the game time changed so for the people at home, I hope you have 2 tv's ready to go. To the fans who are going to either game, well, I guess that we're going to be the ones losing out.
Oregon State. After they beat USC they looked like a dominant team that everyone in the country should be scared of. That faded quickly and we saw that the PAC-10 is basically a 1 team conference in USC. Oregon spanked Oregon State at State and really showed that the Beavers are no where close to being that team that upset the Trojans (nice catch) just a few months ago. Another problem with OSU is that we've already played them in a Bowl game not too long ago. One of the great things about bowl games is that you get a chance to play teams you normally don't play. I wish we would have been picked with another team that we haven't played yet this decade. I love playing different teams so going up against OSU is really just a bit of a disappointment for me.
El Paso. Before you get mad at me on this one, I'm not knocking the city (although I should bash Juarez, Mexico). The reason I dislike El Paso is that it is almost virtually impossible for the students to get to the game. Train and bus tickets are outrageous and it would be a terribly long and uncomfortable trip. So the only real option is flying. If there is one thing I know about students, it is that we have hundreds of dollars just sitting around waiting to be spent. It is great that the Athletics Department is making tickets for students free. What is not great is that there aren't any decent travel packages available for students.
The alumni association has put together a package for the small price of $1500. Really? Who can afford to pay for that? I will find a way to this game whether it's begging my parents and family or through little odd jobs to pay the nice chunk of change that it takes to get a round trip flight with 16 layovers and 4 red eyes to get to the game but I will be there. I just really wish we would have had better travel options that weren't so expensive for our fans. This is just like the Fiesta Bowl. There are tons of students who want to go desperately, however the fact remains that they just don't have the money to go which is never good for our school.
Again, don't forget to stop by the Oakland Zoo's website and help them raise money for needy families this holiday season.
Moving on to Pitt, there are some things I like and some things I dislike about our bowl.
The Pros:
We're playing on a New Years Eve bowl. It is always great the later you play your bowl game (except maybe the international bowl) because usually then that bowl has more coverage, more prestige, and more $$$. The Sun Bowl is obviously no exception to this. It is highly regarded as one of the top non-BCS bowls available.
Another great thing about this bowl is that it has a great base of fans in El Paso. This is perfect for a team like Pitt that doesn't travel as well as other schools. Since we're more of a watch it at home fan base, we will be able to provide big TV ratings for the bowl which is what they are looking for.
Another benefit is that we're going to be playing an opponent from one of the BCS conferences. I don't think many people would have cared to see us play a non-BCS type of opponent unless it was a Boise State or BYU type of team and frankly, there aren't too many of those teams out there.
The last great thing about this is that for the first time in the Wannstedt Era, the team will be able to continue to practice all throughout December. We've lost out on valuable practice time the last 3 years by not being able to practice due to not getting a bowl. Now we are able to get the extra practice time which will be extremely valuable for our younger guys who will need to be ready for next year.
The Cons:
I'm going to be a bit selfish on this one. The mens bball team plays on the same exact day and the same exact time. While I am just a Pitt fan (I like football and bball equally) I hate having to miss the game. Pitt has already announced that they will not try and get the game time changed so for the people at home, I hope you have 2 tv's ready to go. To the fans who are going to either game, well, I guess that we're going to be the ones losing out.
Oregon State. After they beat USC they looked like a dominant team that everyone in the country should be scared of. That faded quickly and we saw that the PAC-10 is basically a 1 team conference in USC. Oregon spanked Oregon State at State and really showed that the Beavers are no where close to being that team that upset the Trojans (nice catch) just a few months ago. Another problem with OSU is that we've already played them in a Bowl game not too long ago. One of the great things about bowl games is that you get a chance to play teams you normally don't play. I wish we would have been picked with another team that we haven't played yet this decade. I love playing different teams so going up against OSU is really just a bit of a disappointment for me.
El Paso. Before you get mad at me on this one, I'm not knocking the city (although I should bash Juarez, Mexico). The reason I dislike El Paso is that it is almost virtually impossible for the students to get to the game. Train and bus tickets are outrageous and it would be a terribly long and uncomfortable trip. So the only real option is flying. If there is one thing I know about students, it is that we have hundreds of dollars just sitting around waiting to be spent. It is great that the Athletics Department is making tickets for students free. What is not great is that there aren't any decent travel packages available for students.
The alumni association has put together a package for the small price of $1500. Really? Who can afford to pay for that? I will find a way to this game whether it's begging my parents and family or through little odd jobs to pay the nice chunk of change that it takes to get a round trip flight with 16 layovers and 4 red eyes to get to the game but I will be there. I just really wish we would have had better travel options that weren't so expensive for our fans. This is just like the Fiesta Bowl. There are tons of students who want to go desperately, however the fact remains that they just don't have the money to go which is never good for our school.
Again, don't forget to stop by the Oakland Zoo's website and help them raise money for needy families this holiday season.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Pitt/Uconn Gameday Thoughts
Well I'll be at the Pete all day for a marathon of Pittsburgh sports (bball, football, and a hockey game) so I'm giving you my thoughts and predictions for what I believe will happen today.
Today will be the end of our drought in Connecticut. This is a year that we should be able to beat them on the road. They have some injuries as well as some issues off the field that should play nicely into the hands of our offense. On the defensive side of the ball we should dominate as we are a great run stopping team. UConn won't be able to see what Brown can do you for you as he should struggle to find running room all day long.
On the offensive side of the ball for the Panthers I think that we will see a heavy dose of Shady. Cavanaugh will keep things mild in what just might be his last regular season game as our offensive coordinator. Halftime of the WVU game was a turning point for this offense much like the Bowling Green game was. Stull will have limited amounts of pass attempts so expect lower than usual numbers from him. This will be offset by the increased number of carries for Shady and Hot Rod. This is a game where I can see them both going over 100 yards rushing each as both guy should have the opportunity to run the ball quite often.
On defense our 3 main guys will be Sheard, Romeus, and McKillop. Having the D-Ends seal off the outside and force the rush up the middle plays directly to our strengths. Scott is a tackling machine and will be able to grab anyone around him. If we can contain Brown, we are in great shape. One area we could be in trouble is if UConn decides to go Rutgers on us and throws it deep all day long. UConn has had some quarterback issues this season due to injury but it looks like everything is settling down for them now.
At the end of the day I expect a solid clock controlled game from the Panthers and a nice 24-14 victory for our Panthers. I also hope I never have to see DJ Hernandez in my life again as that guy has been a Panther killer.
So Lets Go Pitt (football)
Lets Go Pitt (basketball)
Lets Go Pens
and don't forget to donate to the Oakland Zoo's adopt-a-family.
Today will be the end of our drought in Connecticut. This is a year that we should be able to beat them on the road. They have some injuries as well as some issues off the field that should play nicely into the hands of our offense. On the defensive side of the ball we should dominate as we are a great run stopping team. UConn won't be able to see what Brown can do you for you as he should struggle to find running room all day long.
On the offensive side of the ball for the Panthers I think that we will see a heavy dose of Shady. Cavanaugh will keep things mild in what just might be his last regular season game as our offensive coordinator. Halftime of the WVU game was a turning point for this offense much like the Bowling Green game was. Stull will have limited amounts of pass attempts so expect lower than usual numbers from him. This will be offset by the increased number of carries for Shady and Hot Rod. This is a game where I can see them both going over 100 yards rushing each as both guy should have the opportunity to run the ball quite often.
On defense our 3 main guys will be Sheard, Romeus, and McKillop. Having the D-Ends seal off the outside and force the rush up the middle plays directly to our strengths. Scott is a tackling machine and will be able to grab anyone around him. If we can contain Brown, we are in great shape. One area we could be in trouble is if UConn decides to go Rutgers on us and throws it deep all day long. UConn has had some quarterback issues this season due to injury but it looks like everything is settling down for them now.
At the end of the day I expect a solid clock controlled game from the Panthers and a nice 24-14 victory for our Panthers. I also hope I never have to see DJ Hernandez in my life again as that guy has been a Panther killer.
So Lets Go Pitt (football)
Lets Go Pitt (basketball)
Lets Go Pens
and don't forget to donate to the Oakland Zoo's adopt-a-family.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Helping During the Holidays
This is the season for giving and we hope you have it in your hearts to help out those in need this holiday season.
The Oakland Zoo is doing a fundraiser to purchase gift cards for a family they are sponsoring this season as well as trying to raise money to purchase Giant Eagle gift cards so that families can have a Christmas dinner.
For more information visit this site: http://pittoaklandzoo.blogspot.com/2008/12/time-to-give.html
or email the Zoo at:
TheOaklandZoo@gmail.com or dpj5@pitt.edu
The Oakland Zoo is doing a fundraiser to purchase gift cards for a family they are sponsoring this season as well as trying to raise money to purchase Giant Eagle gift cards so that families can have a Christmas dinner.
For more information visit this site: http://pittoaklandzoo.blogspot.com/2008/12/time-to-give.html
or email the Zoo at:
TheOaklandZoo@gmail.com or dpj5@pitt.edu
Thursday, December 4, 2008
All quiet on the coaching front
With all of these coaching rumors going around, it's amazing we haven't heard too much about our own staff. There were some rumblings early last week that Phil Bennett would be heading back to K-State to take over as the D-Coordinator and assistant head coach, however we haven't heard much on that front since then.
Another major story that hasn't gotten much play is the fact that Wanny was so upset at Cavanaugh's play calling in the 2nd quarter that he had to be restrained at halftime.
I certainly expect there to be some coaching changes at the end of the year as there typically are with every team, but this year could be very different. It isn't often that you see both head coordinators replaced, but this year could be it. Wannstedt may have had enough of Cavanaugh (see BG/WVU) and could go in a different direction.
I have always felt that Cavanaugh was an awful coordinator. He was awful in Baltimore and he has been awful here. Being a former quarterback you would expect more from that position, but comparing Baltimore and Pitt we have seen Trent Dilfer, Bill Stull, and Pat Bostick all remain stagnant. I won't say that Cavanaugh has had a hand in Stull's regression because I feel that the injury he suffered is what set him back. If Cavanaugh goes, we really need someone with some innovative ideas on how to run the offense because we're going to have a ton of weapons in the immediate future. It shouldn't be hard for someone to be successful with the offense as Shady, Baldwin, Byham, Dickerson, Harris, Burns, and Shanahan all can be amazing weapons for someone. Whoever we hire needs to have proven experience developing quarterbacks as this is the greatest weakness on the team.
On the defensive side of the ball, if Bennett leaves many people think Gattuso will be the successor to take over the defense. This wouldn't be a bad move for Pitt has Gattuso has been getting interest from some smaller schools for a head coaching position. Moving him up to D-Coordinator would allow us to hold on to him for a little while longer while keeping the crucial recruiting ties. Also if he is promoted, we won't need to hire a new D-Line coach which would allow us to hire a position coach for somewhere else (quarterback perhaps).
I'm interested to see what happens over the off season. If in fact someone does leave will we promote from within? Will we hire one of Wannstedt's old friends? Will the person be an up and comer or another re-tread?
Another major story that hasn't gotten much play is the fact that Wanny was so upset at Cavanaugh's play calling in the 2nd quarter that he had to be restrained at halftime.
I certainly expect there to be some coaching changes at the end of the year as there typically are with every team, but this year could be very different. It isn't often that you see both head coordinators replaced, but this year could be it. Wannstedt may have had enough of Cavanaugh (see BG/WVU) and could go in a different direction.
I have always felt that Cavanaugh was an awful coordinator. He was awful in Baltimore and he has been awful here. Being a former quarterback you would expect more from that position, but comparing Baltimore and Pitt we have seen Trent Dilfer, Bill Stull, and Pat Bostick all remain stagnant. I won't say that Cavanaugh has had a hand in Stull's regression because I feel that the injury he suffered is what set him back. If Cavanaugh goes, we really need someone with some innovative ideas on how to run the offense because we're going to have a ton of weapons in the immediate future. It shouldn't be hard for someone to be successful with the offense as Shady, Baldwin, Byham, Dickerson, Harris, Burns, and Shanahan all can be amazing weapons for someone. Whoever we hire needs to have proven experience developing quarterbacks as this is the greatest weakness on the team.
On the defensive side of the ball, if Bennett leaves many people think Gattuso will be the successor to take over the defense. This wouldn't be a bad move for Pitt has Gattuso has been getting interest from some smaller schools for a head coaching position. Moving him up to D-Coordinator would allow us to hold on to him for a little while longer while keeping the crucial recruiting ties. Also if he is promoted, we won't need to hire a new D-Line coach which would allow us to hire a position coach for somewhere else (quarterback perhaps).
I'm interested to see what happens over the off season. If in fact someone does leave will we promote from within? Will we hire one of Wannstedt's old friends? Will the person be an up and comer or another re-tread?
Final thoughts on WVU
When we took the field against WVU last Friday, the start to the game was almost perfect. It seems as if when the team can script out the series and practice it all week we seem unstoppable. Our first drive ended with Bill Stull throwing probably the best pass he has as a Panther. The touchdown wasn't a long bomb, but it was long enough for those of us who have watched Stull enough to think that it was a great pass and one that we really haven't seen him complete before. He hit Kinder right in stride and put it in a spot that even if it wasn't caught, you knew it wouldn't be intercepted.
Following this series we saw some strange play calling. I must say that our offense was puzzling after the first drive. I don't know if we were trying to remain unpredictable or what, but it seemed that we were doing everything we could to not get the ball in Shady's hands. The most obvious being the goal line play where we attempted a pass to Baldwin that was intercepted. With a player like Shady and with the continually improving play of our offensive line, anytime we have a goal to go situation inside the 3 yard line, the ball needs to be in Shady's hands every single play.
The sad part about the game was that in the 3rd quarter we should have been up, at most, 28-3. I understand the ruling about Ransom's phantom fumble recovery as White's progress was stopped. I do not understand how WVU got away with the blatant block in the back on that run.
Despite those mistakes, we used the end of the fourth quarter to make it the Shady show. WVU knew each time the ball was going to him but they couldn't stop him. The only time they really did stop us is when we called that awful quarterback draw on the 2 point attempt. I really think that the quarterback draw was the worst call Cavanaugh has ever used in his career.
On that cold Friday afternoon, our Panthers were the better team. We overcame our own mistakes, we overcame some questionable calls by the refs, and we overcame some questionable play calling.
Everyone should now know, the only way to stop us is to stop Shady. Hopefully on Saturday the Huskies aren't able to do that and we can win against a team that for some reason has given us major trouble these last few years.
Following this series we saw some strange play calling. I must say that our offense was puzzling after the first drive. I don't know if we were trying to remain unpredictable or what, but it seemed that we were doing everything we could to not get the ball in Shady's hands. The most obvious being the goal line play where we attempted a pass to Baldwin that was intercepted. With a player like Shady and with the continually improving play of our offensive line, anytime we have a goal to go situation inside the 3 yard line, the ball needs to be in Shady's hands every single play.
The sad part about the game was that in the 3rd quarter we should have been up, at most, 28-3. I understand the ruling about Ransom's phantom fumble recovery as White's progress was stopped. I do not understand how WVU got away with the blatant block in the back on that run.
Despite those mistakes, we used the end of the fourth quarter to make it the Shady show. WVU knew each time the ball was going to him but they couldn't stop him. The only time they really did stop us is when we called that awful quarterback draw on the 2 point attempt. I really think that the quarterback draw was the worst call Cavanaugh has ever used in his career.
On that cold Friday afternoon, our Panthers were the better team. We overcame our own mistakes, we overcame some questionable calls by the refs, and we overcame some questionable play calling.
Everyone should now know, the only way to stop us is to stop Shady. Hopefully on Saturday the Huskies aren't able to do that and we can win against a team that for some reason has given us major trouble these last few years.
Monday, December 1, 2008
A moment of silence.
If you're reading this, I want you to stop whatever you are doing and just relax for a minute.
Think back to exactly one year ago when we were heading into Morgantown as 28 point underdogs getting ready to see WVU head to the national championship.
Take a minute to think back and enjoy what a defensive gem we witnessed that night as we went on to a 13-9 victory and shattered the hopes and dreams of all WVU fans, players, and coaches.
Think back to exactly one year ago when we were heading into Morgantown as 28 point underdogs getting ready to see WVU head to the national championship.
Take a minute to think back and enjoy what a defensive gem we witnessed that night as we went on to a 13-9 victory and shattered the hopes and dreams of all WVU fans, players, and coaches.
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