Welcome back to In The Pitt, PantherLair.com’s new weekly discourse featuring a roundup of everything that’s happened in the past week, with insight and inside information thrown in for good measure.
September 26, 2008
Top of The Pitt
The Pitt football team opens conference play tomorrow, but there’s a bigger story in University of Pittsburgh athletics this week, and it centers on Jamie Dixon’s contract extension that was announced yesterday.
From this side of the computer, this move is huge. Not the extension itself, per se, since those things are, in reality, worth very little. But the public show of commitment from the University to Dixon and vice versa is significant
Take a step back from Pitt for a moment and look around the Big East. Specifically, look to the north and the northeast. Look at Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Forget what we all might think of those two as men and coaches, or what they have represented when their teams have beaten Pitt.
Instead, think about what those two represent in terms of their schools’ men’s basketball program.
Jim Boeheim IS Syracuse basketball. Jim Calhoun IS Connecticut basketball.
In Jamie Dixon, Pitt has a man who could very well become synonymous with Pitt basketball.
Relative to coaching, Dixon is young, but he has five years under his belt as the Panthers’ head coach. He’ll turn 43 this fall, which means he’s got plenty of years ahead of him. By signing with Pitt through 2015-16 - which would be his 13th season as head coach at Pitt - Dixon has announced publicly that he intends to be here for a long time.
And that’s very, very good for Pitt.
In Dixon, Pitt has the guy who can become the face of the program for many years to come. If all continues on the current path, college basketball fans will associate Dixon with Pitt basketball in the way that they associate Calhoun with UConn and Boeheim with Syracuse.
I know there are critics. There are those who criticize the fact that Dixon has been unable to get past the Sweet Sixteen, despite the fact that he has made it to that round twice in five seasons. But to hold a lack of ultimate postseason success as an indictment of Dixon’s coaching ability is to say that a coach has to make a Final Four in his first five seasons, which few coaches have done.
Besides, if Boeheim is a comparison here - and that’s the direction I have taken - then it should be pointed out that he didn’t take Syracuse to the Final Four until his 11th season as head coach. By that standard, Dixon’s got at least five more seasons after this one.
The fact of the matter is, Dixon has been a productive basketball coach, a responsible representative of the University, and the right guy for the job.
If he sticks around for another 25 years, I’m not betting against him reaching the Final Four and beyond. So kudos to Pitt and Steve Pederson.
In case you missed anything from our coverage of Dixon’s contract extension, here’s a set of links:
Video of Pederson and Dixon talking about the extension
Official press release on the extension
Tony’s write-up on the extension
Later this morning we’ve got another article looking at the impact of Dixon staying at Pitt long-term.
The Cuse
Now it’s time to talk football. Pitt opens its conference schedule Saturday when the Panthers play at traditional rival Syracuse, but everyone knows that there is nothing traditional about this Orange team. Syracuse is in a bad way that goes beyond the 1-3 record in 2008. Because as much as some like to bemoan the Dave Wannstedt Era at Pitt, it has been nothing like the irrelevance that the Orange have plunged into under the direction of one Greg Robinson.
Yes, there are definitely some parallels between the Pitt-Wannstedt situation and the Syracuse-Robinson situation, most notably the presence of two former NFL coaches who appear to be too stuck in their ways and stubborn in their philosophies to adapt to the ever-changing college game. But while Wannstedt has managed to recruit talented players to Pitt, which should eventually pay off in the form of victories for the Panthers, Robinson’s recruiting has been on par with everything else he has done at Syracuse:
It stinks.
So while Pitt has a chance of talent overcoming any philosophical handicaps, Syracuse would appear to have no such opportunity. And what’s worse for the Orange is that Robinson’s status has never been more in limbo and his seat has never been hotter. Earlier this week, Syracuse’s athletic director wouldn’t even give Robinson the obligatory vote of confidence, and while that athletic director’s seat probably rivals Robinson’s in terms of heat, the lack of a public proclamation of support is damning, to say the least.
When you combine subpar talent with a lame duck coach, you get uninspired play and a low chance of success. And that’s the situation with Syracuse football 2008.
Which leads to the mousetraps, because, for as unimpressive as Pitt has been through its first three games, the Panthers are still in a position of enough superiority that there’s a chance the players could overlook Syracuse as they build off the excitement of the win over Iowa and look forward to next Thursday’s throwdown in Tampa. So, in an effort to stress the importance of this game and the value of taking each opponent seriously, Wannstedt has decorated the Panthers’ lockerroom and practice facility with mousetraps, symbolizing the potential trap that this game represents.
Wannstedt first used mousetraps as visual props back in 2006 when Pitt was preparing for a midseason tilt at Central Florida. The Panthers were fresh off a 21-11 win at Syracuse - when LaRod Stephens-Howling rushed for a career-high 220-plus yards - and the week after the UCF game they would host Rutgers, who at the time was considered one of the best in the Big East. To overlook Central Florida would be easy for the team, so Wannstedt turned to the mousetraps.
The result:
Pitt dropped 52 on the Knights, setting the Panthers’ high-water mark for scoring in the Dave Wannstedt Era. The final score was 52-7, and the trap was avoided.
The moral of the story:
It doesn’t matter what’s hanging up in the practice facility; Pitt should score 50 on Syracuse, if for no other reason than because the Panthers can. Pitt has the firepower on offense and the dominant force on defense to stuff the Orange on their own field and score a ton of points. Syracuse is not a good team on offense or defense (later today we’ll have another Behind Enemy Lines segment where CuseConfidential.com’s Ryan Murray basically says that there aren’t really any high points on either side of the ball), and Pitt’s talent alone should be enough to carry the Panthers to victory.
Plus, while the coaches are stressing to the players that they should not look ahead to South Florida, a little foresight could go a long way. If Pitt can go out and give Syracuse a healthy plate of trouncing, the after-effects could benefit the Panthers in Tampa. That game will be a tough one for Pitt, one that they won’t be favored to win, and one in which they will undoubtedly face a lot of adversity. Confidence can go a long way in situations like those, and what better way to build confidence than to go into the Carrier Dome and score 50-plus on an inferior opponent.
And really, scoring that much on Syracuse shouldn’t be all that difficult. Simply executing the gameplan should lead to enough scoring that Pitt will have a healthy lead in the second half. Truth be told, if Pitt can’t execute well enough to score 40 or 50 on Syracuse, then there are bigger problems with this offense than a freshman wide receiver, a junior college transfer quarterback, or a fancy package of plays can help solve.
The key is this: Pitt shouldn’t overlook this game. That much goes without saying. But the Panthers (and their coaches) should go into the Carrier Dome with a healthy amount of confidence and swagger and a little bit of attitude. With that approach, they should have the chutzpah to score early, often, and at will. If they do that, they will win handily and they will start building up some momentum for next week’s game at South Florida. A 3-1 Pitt team going into Tampa could be facing a season-changer when it takes the field against the Bulls.
And if that’s the case, it sure would be nice to have a 40-point win in the pocket, wouldn’t it?
Recruiting Roundup
The biggest Pitt recruiting news of the past week centered around New York (NY) Rice shooting guard spoke highly of the visit, but he’s looking to take at least one more before deciding, so we’ll see what happens.
If Pitt could land Scott, then a recruiting class that was already one of the best in school history could solidify itself as one for the ages.
Speaking of hoops recruiting, Pitt’s 2009 class checked in this week at No. 15 nationally.
On the football side, Hoboken (NJ) defensive end include Pitt in his top five, along with Oklahoma, Syracuse, Maryland, and Oregon. Personally, I don’t think Oklahoma and Oregon are contenders for anything other than official visits. I’ve heard that an official visit to Eugene can change a young man’s mind, but I think he’ll end up choosing between Maryland and Pitt. Maryland was an early favorite for Nunez and they’re still probably the team to beat, but if Pitt can get him on campus, then I’ll give them an even chance.
Also, Hershey tight end/defensive end Pitt is in it. Gilliam has 10 offers so far, and I would imagine he’ll pick up at least a few more before it’s all said and done. Still, I think Pitt and Penn State are the two to beat here, but I’m not quite sure which way this one will go.
Speaking of 2009 tight ends, Pennsbury’s Pitt is at the top of his list. The staff is looking at taking two tight ends in the class, and if they like Marck’s senior film - or they feel like they’re not going to get one of their other top targets - then Marck could be a mid-fall offer. If that happens, I’d imagine he’ll commit.
We talked to 2010 Canon-Mac linebacker he’s got a handful of offers, including one from Pitt. Popular opinion seems to have Hull being a Penn State lean, and I don’t really have much to disagree with that; but it was good to see him give Pitt a positive nod in the article.
Tony also caught up with 2010 Central York tight end three offers so far, and it looks like Pitt will offer him sooner rather than later. At 6’5” 240, Baublitz figures to be one of Pennsylvania’s top recruits in 2010.
Under the lights
Each week I figure I’ll take a look back at the most recent Prospects Play Under the Lights.
Among the Pitt-related highlights from last weekend’s games:
- Pitt commit Devin Street returned an interception for a touchdown in a 65-0 victory.
- Todd Thomas scored two touchdowns in a 45-14 win.
- Thomas Jefferson’s Brock DeCicco caught three passes for 70 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown Friday night, and he added two sacks on defense.
- 2010 Sto-Rox QB Paul Jones had another strong outing, throwing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
- Pitt commit Carl Fleming played on Monday and Friday last week, and his two-game totals were 282 yards and three touchdowns.
- Pitt’s New Jersey commits were the real show-stoppers, though. Elizabeth’s Kevin Adams scored a 40-yard touchdown run on offense and added seven solo tackles and a blocked punt on defense.
- Still, the best player in New Jersey just might be Irvington’s Josh Evans. Evans put on another show over the weekend, throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another 178 yards and a 92-yard touchdown. Evans is a high target for Pitt in the Garden State, and the chances are not great, since he’s got over 30 offers, but I keep hearing that he’s got a good relationship with Pitt defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, so don’t count the Panthers out just yet.
A few other items you might be interested in
Just to run down a couple other notes from the week:
- In case you missed it, here’s video of Dave Wannstedt’s press conference.
- Scott McKillop and Dave Brytus were named Big East players of the week.
- The fourth-down attempts and conversions against Iowa were big motivating factors for Pitt.
- Speaking of motivating factors, Dave Wannstedt has taken to visual aides to ensure that the Panthers don’t fall into a trap against Syracuse.
- Pitt is also looking to improve its punt return game.
- This week we unveiled The Pitt Dow, a weekly stock market approach to the Pitt football team, ranking the top ten players in any given week. Each week players will join the list, drop out, move up, or move down, and we’ll chart the movements and see how they’re trending.
- We also had the usual cavalcade of videos:
- Wannstedt on special teams
- Wannstedt on traps
- Wannstedt on Syracuse
- Matt Cavanaugh on Greg Cross and the Wildcat
Prediction time
Well, I think I made it pretty clear in the above portions of this write-up that I think Pitt should be able to dominate Syracuse. Really, that much isn’t in question. What’s in question is whether or not Pitt WILL dominate Syracuse.
For now, I’m going to go against what we’ve seen in the first three games and say that the Panthers go for broke against the Orange and try to really lay it out there. I’m talking the ball flying around the field, with big runs, hurry-up offenses, and go routes all over the place. I’m looking at 400, maybe 500 yards of offense on Saturday, and at least 45 points.
Who am I kidding, right? Pitt will win this one, but it won’t be the blowout that it should be.
Pitt 23
Syracuse 12
Add your prediction to the bottom of this thread.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
September 26, 2008
Top of The Pitt
The Pitt football team opens conference play tomorrow, but there’s a bigger story in University of Pittsburgh athletics this week, and it centers on Jamie Dixon’s contract extension that was announced yesterday.
From this side of the computer, this move is huge. Not the extension itself, per se, since those things are, in reality, worth very little. But the public show of commitment from the University to Dixon and vice versa is significant
Take a step back from Pitt for a moment and look around the Big East. Specifically, look to the north and the northeast. Look at Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Forget what we all might think of those two as men and coaches, or what they have represented when their teams have beaten Pitt.
Instead, think about what those two represent in terms of their schools’ men’s basketball program.
Jim Boeheim IS Syracuse basketball. Jim Calhoun IS Connecticut basketball.
In Jamie Dixon, Pitt has a man who could very well become synonymous with Pitt basketball.
Relative to coaching, Dixon is young, but he has five years under his belt as the Panthers’ head coach. He’ll turn 43 this fall, which means he’s got plenty of years ahead of him. By signing with Pitt through 2015-16 - which would be his 13th season as head coach at Pitt - Dixon has announced publicly that he intends to be here for a long time.
And that’s very, very good for Pitt.
In Dixon, Pitt has the guy who can become the face of the program for many years to come. If all continues on the current path, college basketball fans will associate Dixon with Pitt basketball in the way that they associate Calhoun with UConn and Boeheim with Syracuse.
I know there are critics. There are those who criticize the fact that Dixon has been unable to get past the Sweet Sixteen, despite the fact that he has made it to that round twice in five seasons. But to hold a lack of ultimate postseason success as an indictment of Dixon’s coaching ability is to say that a coach has to make a Final Four in his first five seasons, which few coaches have done.
Besides, if Boeheim is a comparison here - and that’s the direction I have taken - then it should be pointed out that he didn’t take Syracuse to the Final Four until his 11th season as head coach. By that standard, Dixon’s got at least five more seasons after this one.
The fact of the matter is, Dixon has been a productive basketball coach, a responsible representative of the University, and the right guy for the job.
If he sticks around for another 25 years, I’m not betting against him reaching the Final Four and beyond. So kudos to Pitt and Steve Pederson.
In case you missed anything from our coverage of Dixon’s contract extension, here’s a set of links:
Video of Pederson and Dixon talking about the extension
Official press release on the extension
Tony’s write-up on the extension
Later this morning we’ve got another article looking at the impact of Dixon staying at Pitt long-term.
The Cuse
Now it’s time to talk football. Pitt opens its conference schedule Saturday when the Panthers play at traditional rival Syracuse, but everyone knows that there is nothing traditional about this Orange team. Syracuse is in a bad way that goes beyond the 1-3 record in 2008. Because as much as some like to bemoan the Dave Wannstedt Era at Pitt, it has been nothing like the irrelevance that the Orange have plunged into under the direction of one Greg Robinson.
Yes, there are definitely some parallels between the Pitt-Wannstedt situation and the Syracuse-Robinson situation, most notably the presence of two former NFL coaches who appear to be too stuck in their ways and stubborn in their philosophies to adapt to the ever-changing college game. But while Wannstedt has managed to recruit talented players to Pitt, which should eventually pay off in the form of victories for the Panthers, Robinson’s recruiting has been on par with everything else he has done at Syracuse:
It stinks.
So while Pitt has a chance of talent overcoming any philosophical handicaps, Syracuse would appear to have no such opportunity. And what’s worse for the Orange is that Robinson’s status has never been more in limbo and his seat has never been hotter. Earlier this week, Syracuse’s athletic director wouldn’t even give Robinson the obligatory vote of confidence, and while that athletic director’s seat probably rivals Robinson’s in terms of heat, the lack of a public proclamation of support is damning, to say the least.
When you combine subpar talent with a lame duck coach, you get uninspired play and a low chance of success. And that’s the situation with Syracuse football 2008.
Which leads to the mousetraps, because, for as unimpressive as Pitt has been through its first three games, the Panthers are still in a position of enough superiority that there’s a chance the players could overlook Syracuse as they build off the excitement of the win over Iowa and look forward to next Thursday’s throwdown in Tampa. So, in an effort to stress the importance of this game and the value of taking each opponent seriously, Wannstedt has decorated the Panthers’ lockerroom and practice facility with mousetraps, symbolizing the potential trap that this game represents.
Wannstedt first used mousetraps as visual props back in 2006 when Pitt was preparing for a midseason tilt at Central Florida. The Panthers were fresh off a 21-11 win at Syracuse - when LaRod Stephens-Howling rushed for a career-high 220-plus yards - and the week after the UCF game they would host Rutgers, who at the time was considered one of the best in the Big East. To overlook Central Florida would be easy for the team, so Wannstedt turned to the mousetraps.
The result:
Pitt dropped 52 on the Knights, setting the Panthers’ high-water mark for scoring in the Dave Wannstedt Era. The final score was 52-7, and the trap was avoided.
The moral of the story:
It doesn’t matter what’s hanging up in the practice facility; Pitt should score 50 on Syracuse, if for no other reason than because the Panthers can. Pitt has the firepower on offense and the dominant force on defense to stuff the Orange on their own field and score a ton of points. Syracuse is not a good team on offense or defense (later today we’ll have another Behind Enemy Lines segment where CuseConfidential.com’s Ryan Murray basically says that there aren’t really any high points on either side of the ball), and Pitt’s talent alone should be enough to carry the Panthers to victory.
Plus, while the coaches are stressing to the players that they should not look ahead to South Florida, a little foresight could go a long way. If Pitt can go out and give Syracuse a healthy plate of trouncing, the after-effects could benefit the Panthers in Tampa. That game will be a tough one for Pitt, one that they won’t be favored to win, and one in which they will undoubtedly face a lot of adversity. Confidence can go a long way in situations like those, and what better way to build confidence than to go into the Carrier Dome and score 50-plus on an inferior opponent.
And really, scoring that much on Syracuse shouldn’t be all that difficult. Simply executing the gameplan should lead to enough scoring that Pitt will have a healthy lead in the second half. Truth be told, if Pitt can’t execute well enough to score 40 or 50 on Syracuse, then there are bigger problems with this offense than a freshman wide receiver, a junior college transfer quarterback, or a fancy package of plays can help solve.
The key is this: Pitt shouldn’t overlook this game. That much goes without saying. But the Panthers (and their coaches) should go into the Carrier Dome with a healthy amount of confidence and swagger and a little bit of attitude. With that approach, they should have the chutzpah to score early, often, and at will. If they do that, they will win handily and they will start building up some momentum for next week’s game at South Florida. A 3-1 Pitt team going into Tampa could be facing a season-changer when it takes the field against the Bulls.
And if that’s the case, it sure would be nice to have a 40-point win in the pocket, wouldn’t it?
Recruiting Roundup
The biggest Pitt recruiting news of the past week centered around New York (NY) Rice shooting guard spoke highly of the visit, but he’s looking to take at least one more before deciding, so we’ll see what happens.
If Pitt could land Scott, then a recruiting class that was already one of the best in school history could solidify itself as one for the ages.
Speaking of hoops recruiting, Pitt’s 2009 class checked in this week at No. 15 nationally.
On the football side, Hoboken (NJ) defensive end include Pitt in his top five, along with Oklahoma, Syracuse, Maryland, and Oregon. Personally, I don’t think Oklahoma and Oregon are contenders for anything other than official visits. I’ve heard that an official visit to Eugene can change a young man’s mind, but I think he’ll end up choosing between Maryland and Pitt. Maryland was an early favorite for Nunez and they’re still probably the team to beat, but if Pitt can get him on campus, then I’ll give them an even chance.
Also, Hershey tight end/defensive end Pitt is in it. Gilliam has 10 offers so far, and I would imagine he’ll pick up at least a few more before it’s all said and done. Still, I think Pitt and Penn State are the two to beat here, but I’m not quite sure which way this one will go.
Speaking of 2009 tight ends, Pennsbury’s Pitt is at the top of his list. The staff is looking at taking two tight ends in the class, and if they like Marck’s senior film - or they feel like they’re not going to get one of their other top targets - then Marck could be a mid-fall offer. If that happens, I’d imagine he’ll commit.
We talked to 2010 Canon-Mac linebacker he’s got a handful of offers, including one from Pitt. Popular opinion seems to have Hull being a Penn State lean, and I don’t really have much to disagree with that; but it was good to see him give Pitt a positive nod in the article.
Tony also caught up with 2010 Central York tight end three offers so far, and it looks like Pitt will offer him sooner rather than later. At 6’5” 240, Baublitz figures to be one of Pennsylvania’s top recruits in 2010.
Under the lights
Each week I figure I’ll take a look back at the most recent Prospects Play Under the Lights.
Among the Pitt-related highlights from last weekend’s games:
- Pitt commit Devin Street returned an interception for a touchdown in a 65-0 victory.
- Todd Thomas scored two touchdowns in a 45-14 win.
- Thomas Jefferson’s Brock DeCicco caught three passes for 70 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown Friday night, and he added two sacks on defense.
- 2010 Sto-Rox QB Paul Jones had another strong outing, throwing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
- Pitt commit Carl Fleming played on Monday and Friday last week, and his two-game totals were 282 yards and three touchdowns.
- Pitt’s New Jersey commits were the real show-stoppers, though. Elizabeth’s Kevin Adams scored a 40-yard touchdown run on offense and added seven solo tackles and a blocked punt on defense.
- Still, the best player in New Jersey just might be Irvington’s Josh Evans. Evans put on another show over the weekend, throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another 178 yards and a 92-yard touchdown. Evans is a high target for Pitt in the Garden State, and the chances are not great, since he’s got over 30 offers, but I keep hearing that he’s got a good relationship with Pitt defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, so don’t count the Panthers out just yet.
A few other items you might be interested in
Just to run down a couple other notes from the week:
- In case you missed it, here’s video of Dave Wannstedt’s press conference.
- Scott McKillop and Dave Brytus were named Big East players of the week.
- The fourth-down attempts and conversions against Iowa were big motivating factors for Pitt.
- Speaking of motivating factors, Dave Wannstedt has taken to visual aides to ensure that the Panthers don’t fall into a trap against Syracuse.
- Pitt is also looking to improve its punt return game.
- This week we unveiled The Pitt Dow, a weekly stock market approach to the Pitt football team, ranking the top ten players in any given week. Each week players will join the list, drop out, move up, or move down, and we’ll chart the movements and see how they’re trending.
- We also had the usual cavalcade of videos:
- Wannstedt on special teams
- Wannstedt on traps
- Wannstedt on Syracuse
- Matt Cavanaugh on Greg Cross and the Wildcat
Prediction time
Well, I think I made it pretty clear in the above portions of this write-up that I think Pitt should be able to dominate Syracuse. Really, that much isn’t in question. What’s in question is whether or not Pitt WILL dominate Syracuse.
For now, I’m going to go against what we’ve seen in the first three games and say that the Panthers go for broke against the Orange and try to really lay it out there. I’m talking the ball flying around the field, with big runs, hurry-up offenses, and go routes all over the place. I’m looking at 400, maybe 500 yards of offense on Saturday, and at least 45 points.
Who am I kidding, right? Pitt will win this one, but it won’t be the blowout that it should be.
Pitt 23
Syracuse 12
Add your prediction to the bottom of this thread.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
