From the desk of Jim Snyder
Who were those guys last Saturday night?
First a few thoughts on the Virginia game. On the way to the kickoff luncheon last Friday I remarked to Chris Peak that in theory Pitt has recruited at an equal level or better than virtually every team on the Pitt schedule this year over the past several years. Winning eight or nine games almost looked like a no-brainer until you start worrying about a few of the clunkers they played in 2005.
Pitt looked a lot quicker last Saturday night on defense. The defensive front had only one sack and no one had more than two tackles but they did pressure the quarterback. They did get a push up front that disrupted the Virginia offense. This allowed the three linebackers to make the tackles. H.B. Blades had 13, [/B]Clint Session[/B] had 9 and Tommie Campbell had 7. Coach Gattuso rotated five defensive tackles. I suspect the rotation will continue unless a couple of them separate themselves from the pack. Sophomore Gus Mustakas looked nifty early. The secondary played well and made several nice open field tackles.
The offense line allowed Tyler Palko time to throw the ball. They played well if you throw out the two holding penalties by first-time starter Jeff Otah. About the only worry was the sight of LaRod Stevens-Howling on the bench in the second half. LaRod has breakaway capabilities. He keeps the defense honest. Last year he showed flashes in the Nebraska game and then was slowed the balance of the year by ankle injuries. My hope is that he gets healthy and stays healthy. He gives Pitt another weapon when he is healthy.
One very encouraging note was that Pitt brought in a talented Class in 2006 but only junior college transfer Jeff Otah played a significant role in the game with Virginia. Pitt looked good without having to rely on the freshmen. They figure to get better once some of the talented younger players are able to contribute more.
Pitt is an eight-point favorite in Cincinnati tonight. On the surface it should be more but the Panthers did not play well on the road last year so this will be another test. I thought Pitt played a good game out at Nebraska last September and might have won if they had made a late field goal. The other four games they did not play well at all. Tonight we will get to see just how much progress this young team has made.
Clint Session gets the Pantherlair game ball
This week we ran a poll on the Between Fifth & Forbes Board asking who our subscribers thought the MVP of the Virginia game was and Clint Session got the majority of the votes.
Last month during fall camp we ran an article called In Session. Clint told Chris Peak, "I've never made all-Big East since I've been here, you know what I mean? I'm taking that personally. I want to be a first team All-Big East player this year, so hopefully I'm going to go out there and every time we step on the field and you're going to see the Clint Session that you know. I'm going to be out there doing my thing this year. Just look for it and, God willing, I'll be where I want to be and meet that goal."
Clint Session put down a good down payment on winning All-Big East honors this year by being named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Virginia. He had nine tackles including two for a loss. He also rambled 78-yards with an interception to help put the game away.
Pleasant surprises in the Class of 2007
Now that fall camp is over we would like to recognize Kevin Smith, Greg Romeus and Tyler Tkach. All three of these players appear headed for a redshirt year but all showed enough that they have become players to watch going forward. If someone beats them out at their position in two or three years they are going to have to be very good football players. These three will help build quality depth in the football program.
A few enhancement updates
Rivals.com released Tailgate TV this week. It gives you an opportunity to put your tailgate photos up on the Rivals.com network. We have put a link under Quick Links on the Home Page and on the Football Page. This is but a very small start in introducing subscriber based features. You will see more in coming months.
Rivals.com also has new message boards in Beta testing. I am sure they will be rolled out as soon as they feel they have a stable platform. My guess is you will see them sometime in September.
A problem area
Rivals.com is having problems getting accurate feeds for the “Ticker” service. The Line on the Home Page has consistently been wrong. You have to drill down to get accurate lines. There is also a link to the Daily Odds under Football on the gold border on the Home Page. You can get accurate Daily Lines on the Pantherlair just don’t use the one on the football schedule on the Home Page. It will probably be wrong all year. Ugh!
Basketball recruiting
Pitt has three commitments now that center Gary McGhee is on board and still has two scholarships available for the recruiting Class of 2007.
This week we had an article on Aaron Pogue from Dayton, Ohio. He is scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh the weekend of September 22nd and 23rd. The big guy proudly told me he lost five pounds and is now down from 290 to 285 pounds. It was all I could do to refrain from joking about him missing one meal. I would think the way his recruiting process is playing out Pitt probably has a very good chance of landing him.
Guard Chris Wight is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh this weekend. I am not really sure he fills a need at this point but he is too good a player to pass up if they can land him. Chris Wright is a four-star player who attends St John’s College High school in Washington, DC. Pitt director of basketball operations David Cox was an assistant principal at this high school until Pitt hired him this summer. Wright has visited Wake Forest and NC State recently. Georgetown has also been involved. Rivals.com has him ranked No. 68 prospect in the country. Brad Wanamaker also makes his official visit this weekend.
Pitt still has two scholarships to give for 2007. Quite frankly early in the process one would have figured Herb Pope and DeJuan Blair were good bets to end up at Pitt. I am not confident that either of these guys will end up at Pitt but as long as Pitt scholarships to give and as long as they have not committed elsewhere Pitt will continue to recruit this pair. One could make a case these two may need to get out of town simply to continue to grow as persons.
Next week Pitt reportedly is getting unofficial visits from a number of juniors. Roscoe Davis (6’ 11”) from [/B]Frederic Douglas[/B] HS in Maryland, [/B]Sean Mosley[/B] (6’ 5”) from St Francis HS in Baltimore, Anthony Crater (6’ 1”) from Flint, Michigan and Chris Braswell (6’ 8”) are all tentatively scheduled to make their way to Pittsburgh and are all part of the recruiting of Class of 2008.
Pitt released the 2006-07 basketball schedule yesterday. There is a copy at the top of the free basketball message board.
Football recruiting
From a recruiting point of view the win over Virginia was huge. It should keep Pitt right in the hunt for many of the players that they are still chasing.
Earlier this week we reported on wide receiver prospect Matt Clements from Barron Collier High School. He made his official visit to Pitt Labor day weekend and seemed to have a great visit. He came into the process with South Carolina reported to be his favorite. Pitt may have drawn even in this race although you really need to wait until he visits South Carolina later this month. Generally I like Pitt chances against South Carolina although Steve Spurrier’s Fun Ball could have an appeal to a wideout.
There have been a couple of articles on Ohio kicker Brandon Walker recently on the “Ticker”. He visited Louisville and Indiana this past weekend and is going back for second visits to both schools later this month. I simply don’t get this one. It’s a good thing Conor Lee made his kicks this past weekend.
Defensive tackle Uriah Grant from Everglades High School in Florida is scheduled to make his official visit the weekend of the Michigan State game. He has five visits scheduled so I am not sure you will see a quick commit here.
I spoke to Coach Blair Armstrong at Peachtree Ridge High School this week. His team is off to a 1-0 start. He said that Cameron Heyward has not scheduled any official visits yet but a lot of schools were clamoring for one. He had talked to Heyward’s mother about it recently. As a general rule I think play both football and basketball these days are a bad idea. They are both the equivalent of full-time jobs these days. Our “birdies tell us Cameron appears to be more adamant than ever about wanting to take a crack at both sports. Coach Wannstedt may need an assist from coach Dixon on this one. We have new video up to day on the “Ticker” on Cameron Heyward.
We have had articles this past week on running back Zach Brown and Xavier Stinson. It is a funny thing both of these guys have played mostly on defense this year. Both are hoping the Pitt coaches invite them soon. Stinson had a bye week Labor Day weekend. He would have been in Pittsburgh in a heartbeat. The Pitt coaches could be waiting to see where the stand with running backBo Williams. This weekend Bo will be in Lincoln for the Nebraska game. NBC did a great job last night showing off Pittsburgh and Heinz Field in their pre-game show. If Bo Williams and his father were watching last night (and they probably were) the folks in Lincoln should start worrying.
Colleges were permitted to send written offers September 1st to 2008 recruits. We have started to accumulate a list. You can check it by going to the football database and selecting the Pitt offer list. The default is set to 2007 but you may now toggle to 2008. Generally these offers are sent to what I like to call low hanging fruit. They are players that made reputations as a sophomore or had a going showing in a summer camp after their sophomore year. This list will continue to grow over the next twelve months.
Not sure if you read the article that Alex Atiyeh (6’ 5” 225) has been declared ineligible by the PIAA. There is clearly a fight going on between the family and the head coach at Bethlehem Catholic. Alex seems like a very nice young man and has a 3.6 GPA. This spring the head coach at his old school virtually blackballed him from going to the Nike Camp. Assistant coaches were writing letters of recommendation because the head coach refused to take an active role in his recruiting process. Former Panther Dennis Atiyeh has a very large family. This kid may need a scholarship to go to college. It is a mess.
We may have Pitt video today
I am told we may have highlight video today of the Pitt-Virginia game. I know a few of you were unable to see the game because it was carried on ESPNU. It was a fun game. I would like to see them again to help myself get psyche up about Cincinnati tonight.
We should also have senior video of Jordan Mabin today. Jordan will visit Northwestern and Pitt this month before making a decision.
Play Pick’em
Don’t forget to get your Pick’em selections in. We have set up Quick links on the Home Page and Football Page.
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.
This post was edited on 9/8 9:09 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 9/8 9:48 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
Who were those guys last Saturday night?
First a few thoughts on the Virginia game. On the way to the kickoff luncheon last Friday I remarked to Chris Peak that in theory Pitt has recruited at an equal level or better than virtually every team on the Pitt schedule this year over the past several years. Winning eight or nine games almost looked like a no-brainer until you start worrying about a few of the clunkers they played in 2005.
Pitt looked a lot quicker last Saturday night on defense. The defensive front had only one sack and no one had more than two tackles but they did pressure the quarterback. They did get a push up front that disrupted the Virginia offense. This allowed the three linebackers to make the tackles. H.B. Blades had 13, [/B]Clint Session[/B] had 9 and Tommie Campbell had 7. Coach Gattuso rotated five defensive tackles. I suspect the rotation will continue unless a couple of them separate themselves from the pack. Sophomore Gus Mustakas looked nifty early. The secondary played well and made several nice open field tackles.
The offense line allowed Tyler Palko time to throw the ball. They played well if you throw out the two holding penalties by first-time starter Jeff Otah. About the only worry was the sight of LaRod Stevens-Howling on the bench in the second half. LaRod has breakaway capabilities. He keeps the defense honest. Last year he showed flashes in the Nebraska game and then was slowed the balance of the year by ankle injuries. My hope is that he gets healthy and stays healthy. He gives Pitt another weapon when he is healthy.
One very encouraging note was that Pitt brought in a talented Class in 2006 but only junior college transfer Jeff Otah played a significant role in the game with Virginia. Pitt looked good without having to rely on the freshmen. They figure to get better once some of the talented younger players are able to contribute more.
Pitt is an eight-point favorite in Cincinnati tonight. On the surface it should be more but the Panthers did not play well on the road last year so this will be another test. I thought Pitt played a good game out at Nebraska last September and might have won if they had made a late field goal. The other four games they did not play well at all. Tonight we will get to see just how much progress this young team has made.
Clint Session gets the Pantherlair game ball
This week we ran a poll on the Between Fifth & Forbes Board asking who our subscribers thought the MVP of the Virginia game was and Clint Session got the majority of the votes.
Last month during fall camp we ran an article called In Session. Clint told Chris Peak, "I've never made all-Big East since I've been here, you know what I mean? I'm taking that personally. I want to be a first team All-Big East player this year, so hopefully I'm going to go out there and every time we step on the field and you're going to see the Clint Session that you know. I'm going to be out there doing my thing this year. Just look for it and, God willing, I'll be where I want to be and meet that goal."
Clint Session put down a good down payment on winning All-Big East honors this year by being named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Virginia. He had nine tackles including two for a loss. He also rambled 78-yards with an interception to help put the game away.
Pleasant surprises in the Class of 2007
Now that fall camp is over we would like to recognize Kevin Smith, Greg Romeus and Tyler Tkach. All three of these players appear headed for a redshirt year but all showed enough that they have become players to watch going forward. If someone beats them out at their position in two or three years they are going to have to be very good football players. These three will help build quality depth in the football program.
A few enhancement updates
Rivals.com released Tailgate TV this week. It gives you an opportunity to put your tailgate photos up on the Rivals.com network. We have put a link under Quick Links on the Home Page and on the Football Page. This is but a very small start in introducing subscriber based features. You will see more in coming months.
Rivals.com also has new message boards in Beta testing. I am sure they will be rolled out as soon as they feel they have a stable platform. My guess is you will see them sometime in September.
A problem area
Rivals.com is having problems getting accurate feeds for the “Ticker” service. The Line on the Home Page has consistently been wrong. You have to drill down to get accurate lines. There is also a link to the Daily Odds under Football on the gold border on the Home Page. You can get accurate Daily Lines on the Pantherlair just don’t use the one on the football schedule on the Home Page. It will probably be wrong all year. Ugh!
Basketball recruiting
Pitt has three commitments now that center Gary McGhee is on board and still has two scholarships available for the recruiting Class of 2007.
This week we had an article on Aaron Pogue from Dayton, Ohio. He is scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh the weekend of September 22nd and 23rd. The big guy proudly told me he lost five pounds and is now down from 290 to 285 pounds. It was all I could do to refrain from joking about him missing one meal. I would think the way his recruiting process is playing out Pitt probably has a very good chance of landing him.
Guard Chris Wight is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh this weekend. I am not really sure he fills a need at this point but he is too good a player to pass up if they can land him. Chris Wright is a four-star player who attends St John’s College High school in Washington, DC. Pitt director of basketball operations David Cox was an assistant principal at this high school until Pitt hired him this summer. Wright has visited Wake Forest and NC State recently. Georgetown has also been involved. Rivals.com has him ranked No. 68 prospect in the country. Brad Wanamaker also makes his official visit this weekend.
Pitt still has two scholarships to give for 2007. Quite frankly early in the process one would have figured Herb Pope and DeJuan Blair were good bets to end up at Pitt. I am not confident that either of these guys will end up at Pitt but as long as Pitt scholarships to give and as long as they have not committed elsewhere Pitt will continue to recruit this pair. One could make a case these two may need to get out of town simply to continue to grow as persons.
Next week Pitt reportedly is getting unofficial visits from a number of juniors. Roscoe Davis (6’ 11”) from [/B]Frederic Douglas[/B] HS in Maryland, [/B]Sean Mosley[/B] (6’ 5”) from St Francis HS in Baltimore, Anthony Crater (6’ 1”) from Flint, Michigan and Chris Braswell (6’ 8”) are all tentatively scheduled to make their way to Pittsburgh and are all part of the recruiting of Class of 2008.
Pitt released the 2006-07 basketball schedule yesterday. There is a copy at the top of the free basketball message board.
Football recruiting
From a recruiting point of view the win over Virginia was huge. It should keep Pitt right in the hunt for many of the players that they are still chasing.
Earlier this week we reported on wide receiver prospect Matt Clements from Barron Collier High School. He made his official visit to Pitt Labor day weekend and seemed to have a great visit. He came into the process with South Carolina reported to be his favorite. Pitt may have drawn even in this race although you really need to wait until he visits South Carolina later this month. Generally I like Pitt chances against South Carolina although Steve Spurrier’s Fun Ball could have an appeal to a wideout.
There have been a couple of articles on Ohio kicker Brandon Walker recently on the “Ticker”. He visited Louisville and Indiana this past weekend and is going back for second visits to both schools later this month. I simply don’t get this one. It’s a good thing Conor Lee made his kicks this past weekend.
Defensive tackle Uriah Grant from Everglades High School in Florida is scheduled to make his official visit the weekend of the Michigan State game. He has five visits scheduled so I am not sure you will see a quick commit here.
I spoke to Coach Blair Armstrong at Peachtree Ridge High School this week. His team is off to a 1-0 start. He said that Cameron Heyward has not scheduled any official visits yet but a lot of schools were clamoring for one. He had talked to Heyward’s mother about it recently. As a general rule I think play both football and basketball these days are a bad idea. They are both the equivalent of full-time jobs these days. Our “birdies tell us Cameron appears to be more adamant than ever about wanting to take a crack at both sports. Coach Wannstedt may need an assist from coach Dixon on this one. We have new video up to day on the “Ticker” on Cameron Heyward.
We have had articles this past week on running back Zach Brown and Xavier Stinson. It is a funny thing both of these guys have played mostly on defense this year. Both are hoping the Pitt coaches invite them soon. Stinson had a bye week Labor Day weekend. He would have been in Pittsburgh in a heartbeat. The Pitt coaches could be waiting to see where the stand with running backBo Williams. This weekend Bo will be in Lincoln for the Nebraska game. NBC did a great job last night showing off Pittsburgh and Heinz Field in their pre-game show. If Bo Williams and his father were watching last night (and they probably were) the folks in Lincoln should start worrying.
Colleges were permitted to send written offers September 1st to 2008 recruits. We have started to accumulate a list. You can check it by going to the football database and selecting the Pitt offer list. The default is set to 2007 but you may now toggle to 2008. Generally these offers are sent to what I like to call low hanging fruit. They are players that made reputations as a sophomore or had a going showing in a summer camp after their sophomore year. This list will continue to grow over the next twelve months.
Not sure if you read the article that Alex Atiyeh (6’ 5” 225) has been declared ineligible by the PIAA. There is clearly a fight going on between the family and the head coach at Bethlehem Catholic. Alex seems like a very nice young man and has a 3.6 GPA. This spring the head coach at his old school virtually blackballed him from going to the Nike Camp. Assistant coaches were writing letters of recommendation because the head coach refused to take an active role in his recruiting process. Former Panther Dennis Atiyeh has a very large family. This kid may need a scholarship to go to college. It is a mess.
We may have Pitt video today
I am told we may have highlight video today of the Pitt-Virginia game. I know a few of you were unable to see the game because it was carried on ESPNU. It was a fun game. I would like to see them again to help myself get psyche up about Cincinnati tonight.
We should also have senior video of Jordan Mabin today. Jordan will visit Northwestern and Pitt this month before making a decision.
Play Pick’em
Don’t forget to get your Pick’em selections in. We have set up Quick links on the Home Page and Football Page.
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.
This post was edited on 9/8 9:09 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 9/8 9:48 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
