From the desk of Jim Snyder
A few thoughts on Michigan State & UConn
Before Pitt went to Michigan State we told a colleague I was hoping for an upset but would be satisfied if Pitt played well and kept themselves in the game and gave themselves a chance to win as they had done at Nebraska a couple of years ago. There were a number of disappoints against MSU with the interceptions, fumble and penalties but on balance there were also a number of bright spots. They accomplished what I had hoped they would do. They showed they could compete on the road.
Freshman LeSean McCoy continues to show he is the real deal. He should have a great career at Pitt if he avoids injuries and if Pitt can pass enough to keep teams from putting eight players in the box. My guess you will see the “Arkansas” or “Wildcat” offense in most games going forward. It will give the other team something else to prepare for. We will almost certainly see it this weekend.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevan Smith had a shaky start at Michigan State and then his confidence level went right into the toilet. Keep in mind that Rod Rutherford and Tyler Palko did not get off to great starts at Pitt and neither have hundreds of other college quarterbacks (high school & the NFL too). Notre Dame has been going through the same thing early on. Pitt has to complete enough passes to prevent all out blitzes and 8 men being put in the box. Kevan will see some heat until he burns them a couple of times.
So far this year Kevan Smith has completed 26 of 44 passes for 305 yards and 1 touchdown. He has completed 59.1% of his passes. If he had not thrown the one interception at Michigan State and had Oderick Tuner hung on for a 45-yard touchdown his stats would not look bad. The one interception he threw was a little high to an open receiver. It skipped of the receivers hands. That is usually big trouble and it was this time.
I am a little worried the crowd at Heinz Field will turn on him at the first sign of trouble. Kevan is a good athlete with a good arm. Coach Wannstedt said this week he has the kind of arm the NFL looks for. He just needs some experience and confidence right now.
The Pitt defense faced a big offensive line last weekend at Michigan State and a huge running back in Jehuu Caulcrik and held up well. Despite the disappointing loss there were a lot of nice things to build on. Pitt went on to go 5-3 after the close loss at Nebraska. Hopefully the effort Saturday propels them to enough wins that a bowl game awaits them at the end of the year.
Pitt is favored by 9 ½ points against UConn. Pitt should have beaten UConn on the road a year ago. This has become a must game for the football program. The Panthers should win this game Saturday night.
Pitt will play their next three games at night.
The next two will be carried by ESPNU. The Navy game will be on ESPN.
Bill Hillgrove will be recognized this weekend for winning the Chris Schenkle Award for his 37 years of broadcasting Pitt football and basketball. I worked for a number of years with Bill. He has done a lot for Pitt over the year. Congratulations Bill.
Rosters & Yahoo! update
We have updated the football rosters. We think they are the best looking profiles on the internet right now.
We have not listed QB Dexter Davidson or LB Greg Webster on our roster. They have not been cleared to play for medical reasons. Neither player is practicing. To the best of our knowledge they are still students at Pitt. If their medical condition does not improve you can expect the coaching staff to honor their scholarships but apply to the NCAA for relief to open up their scholarships.
The folks at Rivals.com shared some info with us from an outside rating service. For the first time during the month of August Yahoo! Sport (along with Rivals) was the most trafficked sports destination on the internet edging out ESPN. They set a monthly record for traffic on a sports internet site.
The Big East Conference
The Big East had four teams in the Top 25 this week. That represents half of the eight team conference. Cincinnati figures to get off to a 5-0 start and is lurking just outside the Top 25. I don’t think anyone expected the Big East to bounce back this quickly and that includes the commissioner. It has made the rebuilding job at Pitt a little more difficult but could pay long term dividends to all of the schools in the conference.
The Big East has three of the best freshmen running backs in the country in Pitt’s LeSean McCoy, Noel Devine at WVU and Mike Ford at USF. All three of them will help build excitement for Big East football going forward. The Big East is not going away once the current Heisman candidates leave the scene.
Hoops talk
Panther Club members can now buy tickets to the Duke basketball game in Madison Square Garden. Tickets will go on sale to season ticketholders and Alumni Association members on October 15th. Tickets are $60.50 each. Call the Pitt ticket office to reserve yours.
We were really looking forward to the upcoming basketball season only to read that point guard Levance Fields had been arrested. Ugh!
We have made some inquires and our sources say they expect the charges will ultimately be reduced against Fields. He probably is in for some sort of penalty from the basketball program. Not sure if that means two games, two weeks or two months. However, we think you will see Fields playing for Pitt this season.
We were not in the Strip District a 2 am or 3 am in the morning so we do not know the facts. We are simply passing on what those close to the scene are reporting. They say the charges will be reduced.
This is one of those situations where you wish Pitt had an athletic director in place.
In case you missed it Coach Jamie Dixon was in Texas this week to be inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame.
We spoke to Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith this week about forward Danny Jennings (6’ 8”). He confirmed that Jennings made an unofficial visit to Pitt in late August. At that time Jennings told another reporter Pitt was at the top of his list.
Coach Smith said, “We expect him to be in the Class of 2009. We are a high school so he can only play one year for us. I would expect him to attend a prep school somewhere next year.”
Last year Oak Hill finished No. 1 in the country with a 40-1 record. It should be fun to follow them this year with Jennings on board.
Jennings played AAU basketball for the New York Gauchos. This is a program coached by Oliver Antigua. He transferred to Oak Hill Academy this year from Bishop McLaughlin in New York City.
Jennings has offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida, Memphis, St. John’s and Xavier. Coach Smith said that he has no other visits scheduled at this time.
There had been a report that Eloy Vargas would make an unofficial visit to Pitt in late September. We spoke to American Heritage coach Danny Herz yesterday. He said he had heard the same thing a few weeks ago but nothing lately. As far as he knows no trip has been scheduled.
Football recruiting recap
We hope you got to see the All the Way to Friday video clip on Dublin Coffman. They beat a tough Lake Catholic team this past weekend. Steve Gardiner and Zach Stoudt from Dublin Coffman both have offers from Pitt. The highlights are archived on the All the Way to Friday page if you missed them.
Last night I had a chance to watch North Allegheny manhandle Upper St. Clair by the score of 43-19. North Allegheny has a nifty guard by the name of Austin Fedell. He is listed at 6’ 2” 265. I sure wish he was 6’ 3” 275. His father Steve Fedell played linebacker for Pitt from 1977-80. A very nice looking high school lineman.
Tony Greco reported yesterday that West Scranton’s Hubie Graham will make an official visit to Pitt this weekend. His high school coach is fielding calls for him so I would not expect a quick reaction from Hubie. I also expect him to take his 4 or 5 official visits so I would not expect a quick commitment. Beating UConn would be a big help in this one. The last time we reported on Hubie Graham he had an official visit scheduled to Michigan. It looks like it was cancelled. Michigan now has commitments from two tight ends and that could be the reason why.
Tony will also report today on a big lineman from West Scranton by the name of Eric Shrive (6’ 7” 285). He is a junior with an offer from Pitt. Who knows if you land Hubie Graham it might make it easier to land Shrive next year.
We had two reports on the Ticker on Mike Cruz this week. He told two different reporters Pitt is in his top five. The Pitt coaching staff has said they would like to take two tight ends this year. You will recall when they got a verbal commitment from TE Nic DiLillo they still hoped to land Hubie Graham. When Cruz decommitted I still thought there was a good chance he would still end up coming to Pitt. It got a little complicated when this teenager was quoted in the Tribune-Review. Cruz is also capable of playing on the defensive line. It appears the staff is now back recruiting Cruz as though the incident never happened.
We also had a report on the Ticker on Marcus Sales. If Pitt can put together a few wins I like Pitt’s chances with Sales. If Syracuse had its act together they would have been in a good position with both Sales and Averin Collier. The door is open with both if the Panthers get things started by beating UConn. Pitt will get a visit from Sales and maybe more.
We also reported yesterday on four-star running back Ryan Williams. He is tough to read. There are reports he is a Notre Dame lean with Virginia Tech also a strong possibility. My gut tells me you cannot land three four-star running backs (Burns, Collier and Williams). I know Collier will probably be a safety. Pitt is still on Williams’ list but I think Pitt’s best shot is simply to land Collier.
We had a report earlier this week on WR Vaughn Carraway from the Reading area. I don’t like Pitt’s chances on this one. Michigan and Boston College are his top two. Pitt and WVU are both behind these two schools right now.
We have reported on Jarred Holley from Easton this week and he has Pitt in his top 5 or 6. Pitt will get a visit later this year. Holley will take all five visits. There have been reports he will pass on basketball this year so he can get his visits in.
We featured senior video of Kiski Area quarterback Josh Vick this week. He sent out video on his first two games this year to a number of schools including Pitt and Penn State and was nice enough to send Tony and myself a copy. If you missed it just go to his profile in the football recruiting database.
We also had video this week of Steel Valley QB Ryan Szabo (6’ 3” 205). Szabo has Steel Valley off to a 3-0 start this fall. We also had video of kicker Nic Rigall from Wilmington Area. He plays with Pitt commit Chris Burns.
The Mentor Cardinals (3-1) have a big game this weekend at Massillon. The Cardinals are now the No. 1 ranked team in the Cleveland area. If they can beat the Massillon Tigers they will have negotiated one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state of Ohio. Mentor placekicker Kevin Harper is scheduled to visit Pitt on Sunday so his family can meet with the academic advisors. Harper has visited Pitt on 3 or 4 other occasions. It will be the first trip for his mother.
Pick’em standings after four weeks
1)pitt2005
2) Fitzgerald#1
3) gburgess1300
4) UP#1
5) pittparty
6) Pitt Magician
7) TiredRam97
8) crony2002
9) St. College Panther
10) Rockhen
Don’t forget to get your selections in today (Friday).
Early this morning Rivals experiencing technical problems through the network that played havoc with the Home Pages and some content items. Hopefully they have they issue resolved now.
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.
A few thoughts on Michigan State & UConn
Before Pitt went to Michigan State we told a colleague I was hoping for an upset but would be satisfied if Pitt played well and kept themselves in the game and gave themselves a chance to win as they had done at Nebraska a couple of years ago. There were a number of disappoints against MSU with the interceptions, fumble and penalties but on balance there were also a number of bright spots. They accomplished what I had hoped they would do. They showed they could compete on the road.
Freshman LeSean McCoy continues to show he is the real deal. He should have a great career at Pitt if he avoids injuries and if Pitt can pass enough to keep teams from putting eight players in the box. My guess you will see the “Arkansas” or “Wildcat” offense in most games going forward. It will give the other team something else to prepare for. We will almost certainly see it this weekend.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevan Smith had a shaky start at Michigan State and then his confidence level went right into the toilet. Keep in mind that Rod Rutherford and Tyler Palko did not get off to great starts at Pitt and neither have hundreds of other college quarterbacks (high school & the NFL too). Notre Dame has been going through the same thing early on. Pitt has to complete enough passes to prevent all out blitzes and 8 men being put in the box. Kevan will see some heat until he burns them a couple of times.
So far this year Kevan Smith has completed 26 of 44 passes for 305 yards and 1 touchdown. He has completed 59.1% of his passes. If he had not thrown the one interception at Michigan State and had Oderick Tuner hung on for a 45-yard touchdown his stats would not look bad. The one interception he threw was a little high to an open receiver. It skipped of the receivers hands. That is usually big trouble and it was this time.
I am a little worried the crowd at Heinz Field will turn on him at the first sign of trouble. Kevan is a good athlete with a good arm. Coach Wannstedt said this week he has the kind of arm the NFL looks for. He just needs some experience and confidence right now.
The Pitt defense faced a big offensive line last weekend at Michigan State and a huge running back in Jehuu Caulcrik and held up well. Despite the disappointing loss there were a lot of nice things to build on. Pitt went on to go 5-3 after the close loss at Nebraska. Hopefully the effort Saturday propels them to enough wins that a bowl game awaits them at the end of the year.
Pitt is favored by 9 ½ points against UConn. Pitt should have beaten UConn on the road a year ago. This has become a must game for the football program. The Panthers should win this game Saturday night.
Pitt will play their next three games at night.
The next two will be carried by ESPNU. The Navy game will be on ESPN.
Bill Hillgrove will be recognized this weekend for winning the Chris Schenkle Award for his 37 years of broadcasting Pitt football and basketball. I worked for a number of years with Bill. He has done a lot for Pitt over the year. Congratulations Bill.
Rosters & Yahoo! update
We have updated the football rosters. We think they are the best looking profiles on the internet right now.
We have not listed QB Dexter Davidson or LB Greg Webster on our roster. They have not been cleared to play for medical reasons. Neither player is practicing. To the best of our knowledge they are still students at Pitt. If their medical condition does not improve you can expect the coaching staff to honor their scholarships but apply to the NCAA for relief to open up their scholarships.
The folks at Rivals.com shared some info with us from an outside rating service. For the first time during the month of August Yahoo! Sport (along with Rivals) was the most trafficked sports destination on the internet edging out ESPN. They set a monthly record for traffic on a sports internet site.
The Big East Conference
The Big East had four teams in the Top 25 this week. That represents half of the eight team conference. Cincinnati figures to get off to a 5-0 start and is lurking just outside the Top 25. I don’t think anyone expected the Big East to bounce back this quickly and that includes the commissioner. It has made the rebuilding job at Pitt a little more difficult but could pay long term dividends to all of the schools in the conference.
The Big East has three of the best freshmen running backs in the country in Pitt’s LeSean McCoy, Noel Devine at WVU and Mike Ford at USF. All three of them will help build excitement for Big East football going forward. The Big East is not going away once the current Heisman candidates leave the scene.
Hoops talk
Panther Club members can now buy tickets to the Duke basketball game in Madison Square Garden. Tickets will go on sale to season ticketholders and Alumni Association members on October 15th. Tickets are $60.50 each. Call the Pitt ticket office to reserve yours.
We were really looking forward to the upcoming basketball season only to read that point guard Levance Fields had been arrested. Ugh!
We have made some inquires and our sources say they expect the charges will ultimately be reduced against Fields. He probably is in for some sort of penalty from the basketball program. Not sure if that means two games, two weeks or two months. However, we think you will see Fields playing for Pitt this season.
We were not in the Strip District a 2 am or 3 am in the morning so we do not know the facts. We are simply passing on what those close to the scene are reporting. They say the charges will be reduced.
This is one of those situations where you wish Pitt had an athletic director in place.
In case you missed it Coach Jamie Dixon was in Texas this week to be inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame.
We spoke to Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith this week about forward Danny Jennings (6’ 8”). He confirmed that Jennings made an unofficial visit to Pitt in late August. At that time Jennings told another reporter Pitt was at the top of his list.
Coach Smith said, “We expect him to be in the Class of 2009. We are a high school so he can only play one year for us. I would expect him to attend a prep school somewhere next year.”
Last year Oak Hill finished No. 1 in the country with a 40-1 record. It should be fun to follow them this year with Jennings on board.
Jennings played AAU basketball for the New York Gauchos. This is a program coached by Oliver Antigua. He transferred to Oak Hill Academy this year from Bishop McLaughlin in New York City.
Jennings has offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida, Memphis, St. John’s and Xavier. Coach Smith said that he has no other visits scheduled at this time.
There had been a report that Eloy Vargas would make an unofficial visit to Pitt in late September. We spoke to American Heritage coach Danny Herz yesterday. He said he had heard the same thing a few weeks ago but nothing lately. As far as he knows no trip has been scheduled.
Football recruiting recap
We hope you got to see the All the Way to Friday video clip on Dublin Coffman. They beat a tough Lake Catholic team this past weekend. Steve Gardiner and Zach Stoudt from Dublin Coffman both have offers from Pitt. The highlights are archived on the All the Way to Friday page if you missed them.
Last night I had a chance to watch North Allegheny manhandle Upper St. Clair by the score of 43-19. North Allegheny has a nifty guard by the name of Austin Fedell. He is listed at 6’ 2” 265. I sure wish he was 6’ 3” 275. His father Steve Fedell played linebacker for Pitt from 1977-80. A very nice looking high school lineman.
Tony Greco reported yesterday that West Scranton’s Hubie Graham will make an official visit to Pitt this weekend. His high school coach is fielding calls for him so I would not expect a quick reaction from Hubie. I also expect him to take his 4 or 5 official visits so I would not expect a quick commitment. Beating UConn would be a big help in this one. The last time we reported on Hubie Graham he had an official visit scheduled to Michigan. It looks like it was cancelled. Michigan now has commitments from two tight ends and that could be the reason why.
Tony will also report today on a big lineman from West Scranton by the name of Eric Shrive (6’ 7” 285). He is a junior with an offer from Pitt. Who knows if you land Hubie Graham it might make it easier to land Shrive next year.
We had two reports on the Ticker on Mike Cruz this week. He told two different reporters Pitt is in his top five. The Pitt coaching staff has said they would like to take two tight ends this year. You will recall when they got a verbal commitment from TE Nic DiLillo they still hoped to land Hubie Graham. When Cruz decommitted I still thought there was a good chance he would still end up coming to Pitt. It got a little complicated when this teenager was quoted in the Tribune-Review. Cruz is also capable of playing on the defensive line. It appears the staff is now back recruiting Cruz as though the incident never happened.
We also had a report on the Ticker on Marcus Sales. If Pitt can put together a few wins I like Pitt’s chances with Sales. If Syracuse had its act together they would have been in a good position with both Sales and Averin Collier. The door is open with both if the Panthers get things started by beating UConn. Pitt will get a visit from Sales and maybe more.
We also reported yesterday on four-star running back Ryan Williams. He is tough to read. There are reports he is a Notre Dame lean with Virginia Tech also a strong possibility. My gut tells me you cannot land three four-star running backs (Burns, Collier and Williams). I know Collier will probably be a safety. Pitt is still on Williams’ list but I think Pitt’s best shot is simply to land Collier.
We had a report earlier this week on WR Vaughn Carraway from the Reading area. I don’t like Pitt’s chances on this one. Michigan and Boston College are his top two. Pitt and WVU are both behind these two schools right now.
We have reported on Jarred Holley from Easton this week and he has Pitt in his top 5 or 6. Pitt will get a visit later this year. Holley will take all five visits. There have been reports he will pass on basketball this year so he can get his visits in.
We featured senior video of Kiski Area quarterback Josh Vick this week. He sent out video on his first two games this year to a number of schools including Pitt and Penn State and was nice enough to send Tony and myself a copy. If you missed it just go to his profile in the football recruiting database.
We also had video this week of Steel Valley QB Ryan Szabo (6’ 3” 205). Szabo has Steel Valley off to a 3-0 start this fall. We also had video of kicker Nic Rigall from Wilmington Area. He plays with Pitt commit Chris Burns.
The Mentor Cardinals (3-1) have a big game this weekend at Massillon. The Cardinals are now the No. 1 ranked team in the Cleveland area. If they can beat the Massillon Tigers they will have negotiated one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state of Ohio. Mentor placekicker Kevin Harper is scheduled to visit Pitt on Sunday so his family can meet with the academic advisors. Harper has visited Pitt on 3 or 4 other occasions. It will be the first trip for his mother.
Pick’em standings after four weeks
1)pitt2005
2) Fitzgerald#1
3) gburgess1300
4) UP#1
5) pittparty
6) Pitt Magician
7) TiredRam97
8) crony2002
9) St. College Panther
10) Rockhen
Don’t forget to get your selections in today (Friday).
Early this morning Rivals experiencing technical problems through the network that played havoc with the Home Pages and some content items. Hopefully they have they issue resolved now.
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.
