Thoughts

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

1) Felt really good to get this win, especially after Kent State bad beated me at -2.5 and cost me a 4-game parlay.

2) Kind of getting some 2015 vibes, when we played like a half dozen consecutive close games against P5 competition and found a way to win most of them.

3A) Holstein was obviously awful, but the line didn't do him many favors. I thought Bell could have been a little more creative with screens and misdirection to keep them on their heels.

3B) Good job by Cal to not let our receivers get behind their DBs. I don't know if that was a concerted effort to protect against explosive plays or of their secondary is just plain better than what we've been facing.

3C) Put it all together, and there just weren't a ton of options for Eli:

-Three step drop and over the top wasn't there.

-Pocket was collapsing and the short stuff was often getting batted down.

-Not a ton of time to go through reads

Probably no coincidence that he looked best when he was hitting his first read in that 10ish yard range.

4) Shame that people aren't even showing up to see a 5-0 team.

5) JMO, but Kenny Johnson doesn't really have a great feel (when to charge it; when to get away from it; when to fair catch; when to let it go; etc.) when it comes to returning punts.

6) Big thanks to Cal playing the Tomlin 2-point conversion game and chasing points

7) Big thanks to Cal for going ultra conservative before that missed FG attempt when a first down would have allowed them to put that on ice and even if they made the FG we'd have had a chance to win it.

8) Kyle Louis continues to be a top dog. He or Reid are probably the best players on our team. Also noticed Jimmy Scott quite a bit out there.

9) I'm pulling for Cuse tonight, which could make the next game 6-0 vs 5-1. Let's get some eyeballs on this game and show up big time on a national stage.

10) So cliche going for the end zone when we got the ball on the 31. Ugh, as if. But a big win, and we're already over on our Vegas total.

 

[h2p_5150]

It is what it is on the fan turnout. We could be #1 in the country and the 500 sections would be empty. It was pretty loud today at least.

Holstein was horrid but the OC put too much on him. We should have used Carter and Hammond more to get a run game going.


Big props to Narduzzi for having the stones to go for it from our own 28 yard line. That's one of those decisions we'd all be whining about had we got stuffed. Instead Reid housed it. The Cal coach (and their kicker) really blew it today.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

4) Shame that people aren't even showing up to see a 5-0 team.

5) JMO, but Kenny Johnson doesn't really have a great feel (when to charge it; when to get away from it; when to fair catch; when to let it go; etc.) when it comes to returning punts.

6) Big thanks to Cal playing the Tomlin 2-point conversion game and chasing points

7) Big thanks to Cal for going ultra conservative before that missed FG attempt when a first down would have allowed them to put that on ice and even if they made the FG we'd have had a chance to win it.

8) Kyle Louis continues to be a top dog. He or Reid are probably the best players on our team. Also noticed Jimmy Scott quite a bit out there.

9) I'm pulling for Cuse tonight, which could make the next game 6-0 vs 5-1. Let's get some eyeballs on this game and show up big time on a national stage.

10) So cliche going for the end zone when we got the ball on the 31. Ugh, as if. But a big win, and we're already over on our Vegas total.

Students were on a mini fall break, no school Monday so many went home for the weekend.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

1) Felt really good to get this win, especially after Kent State bad beated me at -2.5 and cost me a 4-game parlay.

2) Kind of getting some 2015 vibes, when we played like a half dozen consecutive close games against P5 competition and found a way to win most of them.

3A) Holstein was obviously awful, but the line didn't do him many favors. I thought Bell could have been a little more creative with screens and misdirection to keep them on their heels.

3B) Good job by Cal to not let our receivers get behind their DBs. I don't know if that was a concerted effort to protect against explosive plays or of their secondary is just plain better than what we've been facing.

3C) Put it all together, and there just weren't a ton of options for Eli:

-Three step drop and over the top wasn't there.

-Pocket was collapsing and the short stuff was often getting batted down.

-Not a ton of time to go through reads

Probably no coincidence that he looked best when he was hitting his first read in that 10ish yard range.

4) Shame that people aren't even showing up to see a 5-0 team.

5) JMO, but Kenny Johnson doesn't really have a great feel (when to charge it; when to get away from it; when to fair catch; when to let it go; etc.) when it comes to returning punts.

6) Big thanks to Cal playing the Tomlin 2-point conversion game and chasing points

7) Big thanks to Cal for going ultra conservative before that missed FG attempt when a first down would have allowed them to put that on ice and even if they made the FG we'd have had a chance to win it.

8) Kyle Louis continues to be a top dog. He or Reid are probably the best players on our team. Also noticed Jimmy Scott quite a bit out there.

9) I'm pulling for Cuse tonight, which could make the next game 6-0 vs 5-1. Let's get some eyeballs on this game and show up big time on a national stage.

10) So cliche going for the end zone when we got the ball on the 31. Ugh, as if. But a big win, and we're already over on our Vegas total.

Thoughts on your thoughts

1. You mention a Kent State bet. I am not a big bettor. I just bet the PSU moneyline when Franklin is favored. I must be like 20-0 doing that. Dont win much but its free money. He never loses as a favorite. Bet $75 to win $42 today. I did bet EMU to cover @ Kent State a few weeks ago. I think this might be the worst FBS team ever so I figured it was free money to bet a team that lost to St. Francis of Loretto to not cover.

2. Reminds me of TCU, who was really a 7-5 type of team who won every game by 1. Also reminds me of that Jamie Dixon team after Blair/Fields/Young left and we thought they'd be an NIT team and then they won like every game close and got a 3 seed.

3. Eli was bad but the Cal D is legit. I've watched them a lot and I was very worried about this game. I didnt think we matched up well.


4. We discussed attendance. Pitt just doesn't have a large enough fanbase. Attendance will be similar for Syracuse, more students. Maybe less regular folk. I couldn't even make the game today but attended Northwestern @ Maryland last night. God awful game. Both teams looked terrible. The Maryland QB reminded me of Jurkovec. Maybe 20K-25K in attendance. 40K announced. No way. There werent even 100 people in the upper deck. Half the students left at halftime in a 17-10 game. Half of that half left after the 3rd. Dead atmosphere. Kinda felt bad. Say what you want about Acrisure but College Park made Acrisure for a Pitt game look like Bryant-Denny Stadium.

5. Johnson makes me nervous. No one else can return a punt?

6. I think that 2 point play is the kicker's call. If he sees something, they run the play. The guy was open. I doubt that was planned.

7. Yea I dont agree with them playing for a FG with a bad kicker.

8. SEC is taking note of Louis.

9. No one is watching Pitt/Syr opposite the NFL and now the NBA and NHL are in season.

10. Eli was just bad. But we won. Survive and advance.

Hey, Tennessee just scored. I think QB Nico makes $100K per Tennessee TD.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Thoughts on your thoughts

1. You mention a Kent State bet. I am not a big bettor. I just bet the PSU moneyline when Franklin is favored. I must be like 20-0 doing that. Dont win much but its free money. He never loses as a favorite. Bet $75 to win $42 today. I did bet EMU to cover @ Kent State a few weeks ago. I think this might be the worst FBS team ever so I figured it was free money to bet a team that lost to St. Francis of Loretto to not cover.

2. Reminds me of TCU, who was really a 7-5 type of team who won every game by 1. Also reminds me of that Jamie Dixon team after Blair/Fields/Young left and we thought they'd be an NIT team and then they won like every game close and got a 3 seed.

3. Eli was bad but the Cal D is legit. I've watched them a lot and I was very worried about this game. I didnt think we matched up well.


4. We discussed attendance. Pitt just doesn't have a large enough fanbase. Attendance will be similar for Syracuse, more students. Maybe less regular folk. I couldn't even make the game today but attended Northwestern @ Maryland last night. God awful game. Both teams looked terrible. The Maryland QB reminded me of Jurkovec. Maybe 20K-25K in attendance. 40K announced. No way. There werent even 100 people in the upper deck. Half the students left at halftime in a 17-10 game. Half of that half left after the 3rd. Dead atmosphere. Kinda felt bad. Say what you want about Acrisure but College Park made Acrisure for a Pitt game look like Bryant-Denny Stadium.

5. Johnson makes me nervous. No one else can return a punt?

6. I think that 2 point play is the kicker's call. If he sees something, they run the play. The guy was open. I doubt that was planned.

7. Yea I dont agree with them playing for a FG with a bad kicker.

8. SEC is taking note of Louis.

9. No one is watching Pitt/Syr opposite the NFL and now the NBA and NHL are in season.

10. Eli was just bad. But we won. Survive and advance.

Hey, Tennessee just scored. I think QB Nico makes $100K per Tennessee TD.

I took Iowa -2.5, Ball State -2.5, Mizzou-27, Penn State ML. I was actually thinking Kent State scored a late TD and got a 2-point conversion, which I thought was insane to even attempt, but it looks like they were down 9, not 10. So it still sucks that they hit a 57-yard TD with like 30 seconds left, but at least they didn't also go for two.

I made another parlay on the way home (Syracuse -1, Iowa State -3, Kansas State -3), so we'll see how that goes. Likely not well.

But yeah... we're just a lower bowl program now. That's the best I can hope for. Sucks, but we need 10k+ visiting fans to even hit 50 most weeks. At least it was decently loud.

Even if Cal made that kick I thought they played it dumb. We'd have still had like 2 minutes to match, and anything can happen at the end.

Narduzzi also played it like a bonehead before the end of the half. Cal had it at the 39 and he didn't call timeout with like 30 seconds left after 3rd down. You call timeout there to make them pay if they go for a FG and miss. That probably causes them to punt. If you let them wind the clock, you give them an opportunity to either attempt a FG or a hail mary with a second left. They ended up getting an unsportsmanlike penalty so it didn't matter, but it was dumb.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I took Iowa -2.5, Ball State -2.5, Mizzou-27, Penn State ML. I was actually thinking Kent State scored a late TD and got a 2-point conversion, which I thought was insane to even attempt, but it looks like they were down 9, not 10. So it still sucks that they hit a 57-yard TD with like 30 seconds left, but at least they didn't also go for two.

I made another parlay on the way home (Syracuse -1, Iowa State -3, Kansas State -3), so we'll see how that goes. Likely not well.

But yeah... we're just a lower bowl program now. That's the best I can hope for. Sucks, but we need 10k+ visiting fans to even hit 50 most weeks. At least it was decently loud.

Even if Cal made that kick I thought they played it dumb. We'd have still had like 2 minutes to match, and anything can happen at the end.

Narduzzi also played it like a bonehead before the end of the half. Cal had it at the 39 and he didn't call timeout with like 30 seconds left after 3rd down. You call timeout there to make them pay if they go for a FG and miss. That probably causes them to punt. If you let them wind the clock, you give them an opportunity to either attempt a FG or a hail mary with a second left. They ended up getting an unsportsmanlike penalty so it didn't matter, but it was dumb.

Pitt's undergraduate alumni base:football game attendance ratio is as good as anyone's. The problem is that our stadium is too big relative to the size of the school. It really just comes down to that. That's why I say even if tickets are free, you aren't going to get that casual Pitt fan who lives in Avonworth but went to IUP to drive in for a game. He'll flip between that and the NFL game.

 

[HailtoPitt]

1) Felt really good to get this win, especially after Kent State bad beated me at -2.5 and cost me a 4-game parlay.

2) Kind of getting some 2015 vibes, when we played like a half dozen consecutive close games against P5 competition and found a way to win most of them.

3A) Holstein was obviously awful, but the line didn't do him many favors. I thought Bell could have been a little more creative with screens and misdirection to keep them on their heels.

3B) Good job by Cal to not let our receivers get behind their DBs. I don't know if that was a concerted effort to protect against explosive plays or of their secondary is just plain better than what we've been facing.

3C) Put it all together, and there just weren't a ton of options for Eli:

-Three step drop and over the top wasn't there.

-Pocket was collapsing and the short stuff was often getting batted down.

-Not a ton of time to go through reads

Probably no coincidence that he looked best when he was hitting his first read in that 10ish yard range.

4) Shame that people aren't even showing up to see a 5-0 team.

5) JMO, but Kenny Johnson doesn't really have a great feel (when to charge it; when to get away from it; when to fair catch; when to let it go; etc.) when it comes to returning punts.

6) Big thanks to Cal playing the Tomlin 2-point conversion game and chasing points

7) Big thanks to Cal for going ultra conservative before that missed FG attempt when a first down would have allowed them to put that on ice and even if they made the FG we'd have had a chance to win it.

8) Kyle Louis continues to be a top dog. He or Reid are probably the best players on our team. Also noticed Jimmy Scott quite a bit out there.

9) I'm pulling for Cuse tonight, which could make the next game 6-0 vs 5-1. Let's get some eyeballs on this game and show up big time on a national stage.

10) So cliche going for the end zone when we got the ball on the 31. Ugh, as if. But a big win, and we're already over on our Vegas total.

Did you just say "as if"?