From the desk of Jim Snyder
If it weren’t for bad luck
If it weren’t for bad luck this coaching staff would have no luck at all. Here is a list of players that have been lost for the season (or at least a good portion of the early season). A number of these players certainly would be on the two-deep chart if they were healthy and/or available for play.
1) Kevin Collier RB (wrist surgery)
2) Dexter Davidson QB (knees)
3) Elijah Fields DB (suspended)
4) Doug Fulmer DE (knee surgery)
5) Chris Jacobson (knee cap)
6) Derek Kinder WR (knee surgery)
7) Dan Matha OL (shoulder surgery)
8) Gus Mustakas DT (knee surgery)
9) Nate Nix LB (knee)
10) Jason Pinkston OT (shoulder surgery)
11) Bill Stull QB (thumb surgery)
12) Greg Webster LB (Chron’s disease)
It is starting to remind me of the Ralph Willard era in basketball.
Taking it to the next level
It might be best to look at where we have been to get some idea where we might be headed.
2000 7-5 Insight bowl
2001 7-5 Tangerine Bowl
2002 9-4 Insight Bowl
2003 8-5 Continental Tire Bowl
2004 8-4 Fiesta Bowl
Pitt then decided to take it to the next level
2005 5-6 (no bowl)
2006 6-6 (no bowl)
2007 2-3 (bowl unlikely)
This is not exactly what most alums had in mind in going to the next level. To make matters worse Pitt has now lost 8 consecutive games to teams from BCS conferences and the tough part of the 2007 schedule is still ahead of them.
Most national analysts had Pitt going somewhere between 5-7 and 7-5 this year with the consensus being about 6-6. One analyst at Fox thought they would go 9-3. Not sure who that was but in hindsight it might have been Homer Simpson.
Most analysts thought Pitt was still a year away from moving into the top half of the conference. However, based on the first five games it looks like Pitt will underachieve this fall for the third year in a row.
Based on the first five games it appears Pitt and Syracuse will finish at the bottom of the Big East Conferences. Two programs with proud football histories have their alums wondering what in the heck happened our football program?
My son-in-law has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Pitt and a MBA degree from Syracuse. You can imagine how he feels right now.
Parents and posting
Over the years we have been very fortunate to have the parents of many Pitt football players join the Pantherlair. It always makes me a little uncomfortable. Often it is only a matter of time until some posters hammers their son. I cringe and feel for them. In addition once their identity is known they are not just another poster. My advice to all of them is please exercise discretion when posting. Your thoughts almost assuredly will get back to the coaching staff. It has happened in the past and I have little doubt it will happen going forward.
Al Groh shows no class
I know this had nothing to do with the outcome of the Virginia game but in the closing minutes the Virginia quarterback heaved the ball into the middle of the line as he was being tackled. It should have been called intentional grounding or at least an illegal touch but by that the time the referees appeared to be about as bored as the fans. The ball should have been moved back and Virginia should have ended their scoring with a field goal. Instead Virginia runs a fake field goal for a touchdown.
After the game Virginia coach Al Groh said, "It was an opponent-specific call," Groh said. "We could call 'white' any time that the look was there and the look was probably only going to be there on that hash mark. If we get other looks, we would have other possibilities to do things with Vic."
It was a bush league call by Al Groh. I hope I live long enough to see Pitt run it up on Virginia in a bowl game.
The Perfect Storm
The Pitt football program has lost eight straight games to BCS teams and there is no athletic director in place to evaluate the program.
Last week I told you that the head coach would be back next year. Now I do not know what to think.
Pitt took a very long time the last time they searched for an AD and operated under an interim AD. As far as I can tell Pitt has not interviewed anyone and appears to be in no particular hurry to find one.
The head coach has two years remaining on his contract and there is no AD in place. Unless there is a quick turnaround Pitt fans could find themselves in the perfect storm.
Chancellor Nordenberg is very supportive of Pitt athletics but I think he would be the first to acknowledge he is not and X & O’s expert on football.
I hope you saw our photo slide show taken before the last home game. Chancellor Nordenberg was on the sidelines talking to recruits. The Chancellor often flies to games after attending another Pitt function the same day. His support for Pitt athletics is all you could reasonably hope for from a university president.
One of the duties of any university president is to meet with alums often with the hope of raising money down the road. Unless things turn around quickly you have to believe he will be hearing a lot about the state of the football program over the next 90-120 days. In some ways I do not envy him right now. He figures to get an earful. Maybe it will eventually put a sense of urgency into finding an AD.
Pitt is off this weekend before meeting Navy next Wednesday. The Midshipman can be tricky opponent with their option offense. Navy ranks No. 2 in the country in rushing offense averaging 348.4 yards per game. The game with Navy next week has become a must game if the Panthers hope to salvage something from this season.
In case you missed it Pitt will honor former Panther running back Curtis Martin at halftime of the Navy game. Martin went on to gain over 14,000 yards with the New York Jets. I might add he also dated singer Toni Braxton for some time so he another example of a Pitt guy doing OK for himself.
Hoops talk
Several weeks ago we reported in the War Room that the charges against point guard Levance Fields would eventually be reduced and that you would see him playing for Pitt this year. This week that is exactly how it worked out this week although I am still not sure Coach Dixon press release shed much light on the situation.
If you are a member of the Panther Club you have another week or so to order tickets to the Duke game in Madison Square Garden on December 20th before they open up sales to others.
Since it is highly unlikely the Pitt football team will be in a bowl this year it might be a nice substitute trip.
It will give you a chance to ask the “Dukies” how it feels to have a good university with a good basketball program and a suspect football program. Pitt fans like Duke fans are searching for a winning football program to root for.
People who live in glass houses
Earlier this week Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about USF being nationally ranked and his team dropping out of the Top 25. He replied, “The distribution of players is not the same for everybody," said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. "There's a significant amount of players who don't qualify (at some schools) and they end up being pretty good players at some other schools. I think there are six guys starting on South Florida's defense who probably could have gone to Florida or Florida State but Florida and Florida State couldn't take them. And if you do a good job of recruiting that way ..."
Well the NCCA published their data on graduations rates later in the same week. It turns out South Florida has been graduating 61% of their players. Alabama has been graduating 49% of its players. Georgia has been graduating 41% of their players. Florida State has been graduating 58% of its players. Tennessee gradates 52%, LSU (51%) and Mississippi State (59%). If you are the head football coach at a SEC school you should just shut up about academic standards unless you coach at Vanderbilt.
Incidentally Pitt listed as having a graduation rate of 63% in the latest publication and the national average is 67%. One of the areas Dave Wannstedt has gotten high marks in is that he has been upgrading the academic qualifications of student athletes.
Recruiting roundup
Alums take losses harder than prospects. Most teams will pile a few losses before the season is over. On the other hand if you lose too many games the negative media coverage will eventually have an effect on recruiting and other schools will test your players that have already committed. They will use your record against you. We are probably still at the point that the 2-3 start hurts alums more than recruiting although should it continue over the long run it will hurt both.
We have been reporting that the coaching staff has been recruiting quarterback Zack Stoudt from Dublin Coffman and Josh Vick from Kiski Area. Recently they have expanded their search for a quarterback and it is our understanding they may take two this year.
We have reported on three additional quarterbacks this week. Late last week Pitt offered Travis Kelce (6’ 5” 230) from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He has been a quarterback the past two years but many looked at him as a potential tight end. He told me when he was at the Pitt summer camp the coaches had balls thrown to him to see if they thought he could play tight end. It appears after watching senior video they have offered him as a quarterback. It might be best to look at him as an “athlete” who would be tried at quarterback and moved to another position if that did not work out. Many schools put their best athletes at quarterback. When we spoke to him this week he was still undecided about playing football or basketball at the college level.
Kelce told us that when he was 14 years old he went to an Atlanta Braves tryout camp with a friend. You had to be 15 but he lied about his age. He said the Braves clocked him throwing at 88-90 mph. He said “I was whistling some over the catchers head but the Braves continue to stay in contact”. However, he does not like baseball so it will be football or basketball at the college level.
We reported on quarterback Wayne Warren (6’ 1” 200) from Salisbury, Maryland. He also should probably be viewed as an “athlete”. He is a Wing-T quarterback that would be tried as a QB but could eventually play another position if necessary. Pitt has not offered but suggested they might if he comes to Pittsburgh for an official visit. Warren has quarterbacked his team to a 15-1 record over the past two seasons.
We also reported on quarterback A.J. McKenna (6’ 5” 235) from Lackawanna Junior College. He is still waiting for his first offer. His coach suggested NC State might be the leader but they already have a commitment from a quarterback. I guess they could also take two. Perhaps the most interesting angle on McKenna is that it appears he would be eligible to transfer in January and therefore could take part in spring practice.
As is usually the case there have many a lot of articles on the recruiting Ticker this week. The articles that should be of most interest to Pitt fans are reports on Aliquippa’s Jonathan Baldwin, Dublin Coffman’s Steve Gardiner, Gateway’s Cameron Saddler, CBA’s Marcus Sales and Dunbar’s Reggie Ellis. If you missed any of these articles please check the Ticker.
Pantherlair Pick’em standings
Here are the top ten standings at the end of five weeks:
1) Fitzgerald#1
2) Pitt2005
3) Bkm67
4) TiredRam97
5) UP#1
6) goadie
7) mak1734
8) Pittparty
9) MtLeboPanther
10) Crony2002
If you have not already done so please enter your selections for this week’s games. The Panthers are off Saturday so at least you will not have to agonize over you selection in Pitt’s game.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
If it weren’t for bad luck
If it weren’t for bad luck this coaching staff would have no luck at all. Here is a list of players that have been lost for the season (or at least a good portion of the early season). A number of these players certainly would be on the two-deep chart if they were healthy and/or available for play.
1) Kevin Collier RB (wrist surgery)
2) Dexter Davidson QB (knees)
3) Elijah Fields DB (suspended)
4) Doug Fulmer DE (knee surgery)
5) Chris Jacobson (knee cap)
6) Derek Kinder WR (knee surgery)
7) Dan Matha OL (shoulder surgery)
8) Gus Mustakas DT (knee surgery)
9) Nate Nix LB (knee)
10) Jason Pinkston OT (shoulder surgery)
11) Bill Stull QB (thumb surgery)
12) Greg Webster LB (Chron’s disease)
It is starting to remind me of the Ralph Willard era in basketball.
Taking it to the next level
It might be best to look at where we have been to get some idea where we might be headed.
2000 7-5 Insight bowl
2001 7-5 Tangerine Bowl
2002 9-4 Insight Bowl
2003 8-5 Continental Tire Bowl
2004 8-4 Fiesta Bowl
Pitt then decided to take it to the next level
2005 5-6 (no bowl)
2006 6-6 (no bowl)
2007 2-3 (bowl unlikely)
This is not exactly what most alums had in mind in going to the next level. To make matters worse Pitt has now lost 8 consecutive games to teams from BCS conferences and the tough part of the 2007 schedule is still ahead of them.
Most national analysts had Pitt going somewhere between 5-7 and 7-5 this year with the consensus being about 6-6. One analyst at Fox thought they would go 9-3. Not sure who that was but in hindsight it might have been Homer Simpson.
Most analysts thought Pitt was still a year away from moving into the top half of the conference. However, based on the first five games it looks like Pitt will underachieve this fall for the third year in a row.
Based on the first five games it appears Pitt and Syracuse will finish at the bottom of the Big East Conferences. Two programs with proud football histories have their alums wondering what in the heck happened our football program?
My son-in-law has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Pitt and a MBA degree from Syracuse. You can imagine how he feels right now.
Parents and posting
Over the years we have been very fortunate to have the parents of many Pitt football players join the Pantherlair. It always makes me a little uncomfortable. Often it is only a matter of time until some posters hammers their son. I cringe and feel for them. In addition once their identity is known they are not just another poster. My advice to all of them is please exercise discretion when posting. Your thoughts almost assuredly will get back to the coaching staff. It has happened in the past and I have little doubt it will happen going forward.
Al Groh shows no class
I know this had nothing to do with the outcome of the Virginia game but in the closing minutes the Virginia quarterback heaved the ball into the middle of the line as he was being tackled. It should have been called intentional grounding or at least an illegal touch but by that the time the referees appeared to be about as bored as the fans. The ball should have been moved back and Virginia should have ended their scoring with a field goal. Instead Virginia runs a fake field goal for a touchdown.
After the game Virginia coach Al Groh said, "It was an opponent-specific call," Groh said. "We could call 'white' any time that the look was there and the look was probably only going to be there on that hash mark. If we get other looks, we would have other possibilities to do things with Vic."
It was a bush league call by Al Groh. I hope I live long enough to see Pitt run it up on Virginia in a bowl game.
The Perfect Storm
The Pitt football program has lost eight straight games to BCS teams and there is no athletic director in place to evaluate the program.
Last week I told you that the head coach would be back next year. Now I do not know what to think.
Pitt took a very long time the last time they searched for an AD and operated under an interim AD. As far as I can tell Pitt has not interviewed anyone and appears to be in no particular hurry to find one.
The head coach has two years remaining on his contract and there is no AD in place. Unless there is a quick turnaround Pitt fans could find themselves in the perfect storm.
Chancellor Nordenberg is very supportive of Pitt athletics but I think he would be the first to acknowledge he is not and X & O’s expert on football.
I hope you saw our photo slide show taken before the last home game. Chancellor Nordenberg was on the sidelines talking to recruits. The Chancellor often flies to games after attending another Pitt function the same day. His support for Pitt athletics is all you could reasonably hope for from a university president.
One of the duties of any university president is to meet with alums often with the hope of raising money down the road. Unless things turn around quickly you have to believe he will be hearing a lot about the state of the football program over the next 90-120 days. In some ways I do not envy him right now. He figures to get an earful. Maybe it will eventually put a sense of urgency into finding an AD.
Pitt is off this weekend before meeting Navy next Wednesday. The Midshipman can be tricky opponent with their option offense. Navy ranks No. 2 in the country in rushing offense averaging 348.4 yards per game. The game with Navy next week has become a must game if the Panthers hope to salvage something from this season.
In case you missed it Pitt will honor former Panther running back Curtis Martin at halftime of the Navy game. Martin went on to gain over 14,000 yards with the New York Jets. I might add he also dated singer Toni Braxton for some time so he another example of a Pitt guy doing OK for himself.
Hoops talk
Several weeks ago we reported in the War Room that the charges against point guard Levance Fields would eventually be reduced and that you would see him playing for Pitt this year. This week that is exactly how it worked out this week although I am still not sure Coach Dixon press release shed much light on the situation.
If you are a member of the Panther Club you have another week or so to order tickets to the Duke game in Madison Square Garden on December 20th before they open up sales to others.
Since it is highly unlikely the Pitt football team will be in a bowl this year it might be a nice substitute trip.
It will give you a chance to ask the “Dukies” how it feels to have a good university with a good basketball program and a suspect football program. Pitt fans like Duke fans are searching for a winning football program to root for.
People who live in glass houses
Earlier this week Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about USF being nationally ranked and his team dropping out of the Top 25. He replied, “The distribution of players is not the same for everybody," said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. "There's a significant amount of players who don't qualify (at some schools) and they end up being pretty good players at some other schools. I think there are six guys starting on South Florida's defense who probably could have gone to Florida or Florida State but Florida and Florida State couldn't take them. And if you do a good job of recruiting that way ..."
Well the NCCA published their data on graduations rates later in the same week. It turns out South Florida has been graduating 61% of their players. Alabama has been graduating 49% of its players. Georgia has been graduating 41% of their players. Florida State has been graduating 58% of its players. Tennessee gradates 52%, LSU (51%) and Mississippi State (59%). If you are the head football coach at a SEC school you should just shut up about academic standards unless you coach at Vanderbilt.
Incidentally Pitt listed as having a graduation rate of 63% in the latest publication and the national average is 67%. One of the areas Dave Wannstedt has gotten high marks in is that he has been upgrading the academic qualifications of student athletes.
Recruiting roundup
Alums take losses harder than prospects. Most teams will pile a few losses before the season is over. On the other hand if you lose too many games the negative media coverage will eventually have an effect on recruiting and other schools will test your players that have already committed. They will use your record against you. We are probably still at the point that the 2-3 start hurts alums more than recruiting although should it continue over the long run it will hurt both.
We have been reporting that the coaching staff has been recruiting quarterback Zack Stoudt from Dublin Coffman and Josh Vick from Kiski Area. Recently they have expanded their search for a quarterback and it is our understanding they may take two this year.
We have reported on three additional quarterbacks this week. Late last week Pitt offered Travis Kelce (6’ 5” 230) from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He has been a quarterback the past two years but many looked at him as a potential tight end. He told me when he was at the Pitt summer camp the coaches had balls thrown to him to see if they thought he could play tight end. It appears after watching senior video they have offered him as a quarterback. It might be best to look at him as an “athlete” who would be tried at quarterback and moved to another position if that did not work out. Many schools put their best athletes at quarterback. When we spoke to him this week he was still undecided about playing football or basketball at the college level.
Kelce told us that when he was 14 years old he went to an Atlanta Braves tryout camp with a friend. You had to be 15 but he lied about his age. He said the Braves clocked him throwing at 88-90 mph. He said “I was whistling some over the catchers head but the Braves continue to stay in contact”. However, he does not like baseball so it will be football or basketball at the college level.
We reported on quarterback Wayne Warren (6’ 1” 200) from Salisbury, Maryland. He also should probably be viewed as an “athlete”. He is a Wing-T quarterback that would be tried as a QB but could eventually play another position if necessary. Pitt has not offered but suggested they might if he comes to Pittsburgh for an official visit. Warren has quarterbacked his team to a 15-1 record over the past two seasons.
We also reported on quarterback A.J. McKenna (6’ 5” 235) from Lackawanna Junior College. He is still waiting for his first offer. His coach suggested NC State might be the leader but they already have a commitment from a quarterback. I guess they could also take two. Perhaps the most interesting angle on McKenna is that it appears he would be eligible to transfer in January and therefore could take part in spring practice.
As is usually the case there have many a lot of articles on the recruiting Ticker this week. The articles that should be of most interest to Pitt fans are reports on Aliquippa’s Jonathan Baldwin, Dublin Coffman’s Steve Gardiner, Gateway’s Cameron Saddler, CBA’s Marcus Sales and Dunbar’s Reggie Ellis. If you missed any of these articles please check the Ticker.
Pantherlair Pick’em standings
Here are the top ten standings at the end of five weeks:
1) Fitzgerald#1
2) Pitt2005
3) Bkm67
4) TiredRam97
5) UP#1
6) goadie
7) mak1734
8) Pittparty
9) MtLeboPanther
10) Crony2002
If you have not already done so please enter your selections for this week’s games. The Panthers are off Saturday so at least you will not have to agonize over you selection in Pitt’s game.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
