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Game Recaps
2009 Panthers Football Season Recap
Jan 15th
Well Panther fans, that’s it for the 2009 Panthers Football team. The season is over, the National Champion has been crowned, and the final rankings are in (Pitt found themselves at 15th in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Poll). Now that the season is over and you’ve had some time to digest everything, we’re going to take a look back at 2009 and what a successful season it was for Pitt. We’re going to give our analysis and thoughts on the year and let you know how we felt about the year.
Dan_P:
Well we all know the season outcome. 10-3 with a bowl win over UNC. It was the Panthers best record since 1981 under Dan Marino. I don’t think any Panther fans are complaining about the results now that they’ve had some time to soak it in. Sure, we’re all a bit disappointed that we were 2 points away from a Big East title. Sure it sucks that we lost the Backyard Brawl to WVU. Of course we would’ve liked a better bowl game than the Meineke Car Care Bowl. But when it boils down to it, this season was a successful season that took the Panthers one step closer to greatness.
One of the most impressive things about this season was the dominance of the younger players. Nobody can complain about the caliber of play we saw from Dion Lewis, Mike Shanahan, and Ray Graham. These three freshman stepped up and showed Pitt fans (and Pitt foes) that Pitt has some talent that’s going to be around for a few years. The rest of the Big East has to be a little bit concerned with facing these guys for the next two to three years.
Another great story from this year was Bill Stull. The Panthers have had a question mark at the QB position since Tyler Palko. Bill Stull really stepped up this year and played like a true leader. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big East this year. Losing him after this year will be one of Pitt’s big concerns for 2010.
The defense was impressive due in part to the play of Greg Romeus and Mick Williams. Having Romeus return next year is a huge positive for the Panthers.
It would have been easy to lose faith in Pitt after the loss to NC State. But Pitt proved that they had the composure to bounce back from a bad loss and make a legitimate run at the Big East title and battle for a spot in the BCS. Even though the two losses late in the season knocked the Panthers back into 3rd place in the Big East, they were within 4 points of winning the Big East outright, and only 2 points from splitting the title with Cincinnati and taking the BCS bid.
Attendance was up this year at Heinz Field as well, which is a very welcomed change. It’s not quite where it needs to be just yet, but as long as it’s improving, you won’t hear any complaints from this season ticket holder. I can only imagine this 10 win season combined with the allure of a pretty good home schedule in 2010 will help sell a few more season ticket packages next season. I can truly say that this season had a few games, most notably Notre Dame and Cincinnati, that reminded me of the days of playing a top ranked Miami team a few years ago. I can honestly say that I haven’t seen an atmosphere like that since 2004.
So to sum it up, it was a great season full of thrilling highs and a few not-so-thrilling lows. It was a season that should leave Panthers fans salivating and waiting for more. Pitt football is looking great again. September can’t come soon enough.
Mike_B:
What a year for Panthers football? 10 wins for the first time since 1981, highest finish in the polls, 15, since the 80s. It seems like Dave Wannstedt is slowly rebuilding the Panthers to greatness. It’s not what we wanted, the lack of a Big East Championship and a BCS Bowl game, but looking back to where the Panthers were 5 years ago, it’s hard to say many bad things. To think Pitt was 11 points away from being undefeated, really makes you want next season to be here tomorrow. I want to give out a couple year end awards for my part of the post.
Offensive Player of the Year: Dion Lewis
Was there any doubt who would win this award? Lewis broke the freshman scoring record and freshman yard record. Going into the season everyone was asking who would replace Shady McCoy and how; by the end of the season, everyone was asking, “Shady Who?” We all know the stats, and we all cannot wait until next year to see what the sequel holds for this young man. He is already back in the gym getting stronger knowing everyone will be gunning for him.
Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Baldwin, Dorin DickersonDefensive Player of the Year: Greg Romeus
In one word, beast, that’s what you would use to describe this phenomenal talent. Listed as 6’6”, 270 pounds, he hits offensive linemen up for breakfast. With 8 sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss, this young man is still developing after only playing one year in high school. He will anchoring the defensive line next year with Jabaal Sheard. Look for a repeat for Big East Defensive Player of the Year next year. Romeus coming back is huge news for Pitt.
Honorable Mention: Mick WilliamsMost Improved Player of the Year: Dorin Dickerson
What a journey for Dickerson his career at Pitt has been, coming in as a Running Back, being changed to a Wide Receiver, to a Line Backer, and then a Tight End. Dickerson finally found his spot and I believe will be drafted this year. Dickerson went to a no one thinking of him to being a main highlight in this offense. Nate Byham was supposed to be top dog and Dickerson snatched up the chance when he could. It was disappointing to see Dickerson disappear in the last 3 games of the year, as I believe it cost him the John Mackey award. A great year nonetheless for Dickerson though.
Honorable Mention:Bill Stull2010 Breakout Player of the Year: Mike Shanahan
Ok, so more of a prediction award, but this one is pretty easy to give out. Shanahan looked great in the Meineke Car Care Bowl with 5 receptions for 83 yards. Look for Shanahan to get more involved in the offense with Byham and Dickerson gone and defenses to double team Jonathan Baldwin.
Honorable Mention: Brock DeCiccoGame of the Year: Cincinnati Game
A loss as game of the year? Yea, I’m going there, simply put this game left you wanting more. More of the two potent offensives, more of the snow and the cold, more football, and the 2010 season to be here. While Pitt blew a big lead and they broke our hearts, if left you sitting there wishing the season wouldn’t end. You wanted to be going to Heinz Field the next week for another game. It was a close game, and this game took all the emotions out of you, the joy of being up big, the sadness and anger of blowing that lead.
Honorable Mentions: UConn, WVU, Notre DameThere are my awards for the year. Personally, I cannot wait for the 2010 season to begin. I can’t wait for the Blue-Gold game and for the end of August to be here to go back to Heinz Field. We have a lot to look forward to next year. You have to place Pitt at the top of the class for chances to win the Big East Championship. Sure Pitt has a couple question marks with their offense and defense, but I feel like Pitt will be able to answer these questions relatively easy just like they did this year. I feel like Tino Sunseri will be able to run the offense efficiently and maybe even open it up a bit more then Stull did. The defense should still be top notch and on the offense you still have Lewis and Baldwin. It’s going to be a fun year.
Hail To Pitt!
Well that’s it for 2009 Pitt football on The Pitt Blog. Our coverage of Pitt football will still continue in the offseason. We’ll keep you updated on recruiting, player development, and of course, spring camp when the time comes. Rest assured that any football developments will be posted here. Until then, enjoy our basketball coverage as the Panthers try to continue their surprisingly pleasant Big East run.
The Big East Bowl Recap
Jan 6th
Well the 2009-2010 bowl season is just about over. Only the BCS National Championship between Texas and Alabama remains. The Big East finished its bowl season with a postseason record of 4-2. We’re going to recap the Big East’s bowl season starting with the scoreboard, followed by our commentary on the results.
| Meineke Car Care Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Pitt UNC |
19 (10-3, 5-2 Big East) 17 (8-5, 4-4 ACC) |
| AllState Sugar Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Florida |
24 (12-1, 7-0 Big East) 51 (13-1, 8-0 SEC) |
| Konica Minolta Gator Bowl | |
|---|---|
| WVU Florida State |
21 (9-4, 5-2 Big East) 33 (7-6, 4-4 ACC) |
| PapaJohns.com Bowl | |
|---|---|
| South Carolina UConn |
7 (7-6, 3-5 SEC) 20 (8-5, 3-4 Big East) |
| International Bowl | |
|---|---|
| USF N. Illinois |
27 (8-5, 3-4 Big East) 3 (7-6, 5-3 MAC) |
| St. Petersburg Bowl by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s | |
|---|---|
| UCF Rutgers |
24 (8-5, 6-2 C-USA) 45 (9-4, 3-4 Big East) |
Dan:
A 4-2 bowl season record might appear pretty good at first glance. But some people would have you think that it’s actually a poor record for the Big East this year. I’ve seen a few articles that pointed out that Cincy was blown out by Florida and WVU lost to a 6-6 FSU team, turning the Big East’s two losses into pretty awful losses.I don’t buy it though. Sure, Cincy did get blown out by Florida. But you have to attribute some of that poor play to Brian Kelly leaving the Bearcats without their head coach for the bowl game. He did make a lot of the offensive calls, afterall. At any rate, Cincy lost to a great Florida team. They were a team that was ranked first in the nation for most of the season. Florida was the better team. But the play of a single team certainly doesn’t reflect the overall strength or performance of the entire conference.
As for WVU, I feel like they deserve a little more criticism than Cincy. WVU played a pretty bad FSU team. Granted, the fact that it was Bobby Bowden’s final game probably fueled FSU, and it was a virtual road game for WVU. They still shouldn’t have lost that game. Where was Devine late in that game? Come on WVU. Still, the circumstances just seemed to favor FSU.
On the other hand, there were four other games that turned out pretty well for the Big East. Pitt’s win over UNC is my pick for top Big East bowl win. That’s not a homer pick. UNC may have had a mediocre season by the record, but they had a top ranked defense and a home crowd in Charlotte. Pitt went in and let Dion Lewis rack up another 100+ yard game on that 6th ranked defense. The Panthers outplayed UNC despite making a few mistakes and came away with a win. UConn’s win is my pick for the second best win. As much as the SEC will want to point to the Sugar Bowl outcome, Big East fans can point to this one. UConn, after overcoming tragedy this season, pulled out a decisive victory over South Carolina, an SEC opponent.
And what about the other two wins? Well USF blew out Northern Illinois, a MAC opponent. Rutgers rolled right over UCF from C-USA. Isn’t that enough to silence the Big East haters that claim we’re a mid-major conference? The Big East simply plays at a higher level than those conferences and it showed in these two wins.
So about that 4-2 record? Well let’s put aside the fact that it’s better than the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-10 this year (and yes, that will stand despite the outcome of the BCS National Championship). We can even forget for a minute that the Big East sends a larger percentage of teams to bowls consistently. What’s most impressive to me is that since 2006, the Big East now has gone 17-6 in bowl games. Until people start respecting this conference, the best thing the teams of the Big East can do is keep posting records like this.
Mike:
The Big East went 4-2 this bowl season, not too shabby if you think about it. I predicted 5-1. Looking back though, how impressive is that 4-2 record? Rutgers and USF were expected to win their games against weak opponents, Cincinnati and West Virginia laid eggs in their games, Pitt beat a decent North Carolina team in what was a practical road game for them, and Connecticut had the most impressive win by beating South Carolina. I give the nod to UConn because of the tragedy they went through this year and the fact that South Carolina is a team from a dominate SEC. They barely edged Pitt in my opinion. As the record shows, the ACC had another terrible bowl year, so how great is that win for Pitt?Looking back at my predictions, I wasn’t too far off on some. I really thought the Rutgers game would be closer and more of a defensive game then what it was. I figured UConn and USF would run away with their games. I honestly thought Pitt would just run up and down and all around on North Carolina and that game ended up being much closer than expected. West Virginia, I have no idea what happened there, being up 14-3 and then just not using Noel Devine. That would be like Pitt not using Dion Lewis or Jonathan Baldwin. Uh, what? Looking back, I wasn’t even that far off with the Cincinnati game, I figured they would lose and by double digits, but I didn’t think it would be that ugly.
All in all, it was a good year for Big East football. They had 0 teams ranked in the Top 25 to begin the year, but should end up with 2, maybe 3, teams ranked: Pitt, Cincy, maybe WVU. It was supposed to be a down year for talent and the teams in general, yet we saw the birth of new stars. Next year should be another fun year for Big East football. You have to figure Pitt and UConn are the two front runners. WVU and Cincy are next depending on players going to the pros and coaching transition for Cincy. Rutgers could easily be around the top next year, while USF is still a question mark, and Louisville and Syracuse are still rebuilding. It’s been a year full of memories, some good, some bad. But in the end, it was another successful Big East football season.
We’re not finished with our coverage of the 2009-2010 football season just yet. Look for a BCS National Championship preview tomorrow morning. Plus, we’re going to recap the Panthers successful 10-3 season in detail as soon as the final BCS rankings are released.
Also, don’t forget that Pitt basketball is in full swing now as they’ve entered into the Big East portion of the schedule. Look for an increase in our coverage of men’s basketball now that football season is over and basketball season is heating up.
Game Recap: Pitt falls to Cincinnati
Dec 7th
Pitt fell to Cincinnati on Saturday by a single point. The Panthers led most of the game, but were unable to hang on for the win at the end. It’s a disappointing and costly loss for Pitt, as they lost the Big East Championship and a bid to the Sugar Bowl. Now that the smoke has cleared and the bowl games are set, we can take a look at the game and the aftereffects.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Cincinnati was undefeated at 11-0. Their closest margin of victory was just 2 points (UConn gave the Bearcats a scare in a 47-45 game). Pitt was aware of Cincinnati’s offensive power and playmaking abilities. They were also aware of the Bearcats’ weakness: their defense. Cincinnati gave up an average of 34 points in it’s previous three games. With Pitt’s offensive power this season, it was expected to be a shootout.
The game started out pretty much as everyone had expected. Pitt scored first on a nice opening drive (Dion Lewis, TD), only to have their score answered by a Cincinnati touchdown (Jacob Ramsey, TD). Then Pitt scored again (Jonathan Baldwin, TD). Then Cincinnati answered again with a field goal (Jake Rogers, FG). This was looking like the shootout that everyone expected. It was only then that Pitt took control, scoring an additional 17 points in a nice stretch of play that made it appear that Pitt was going to blow out the Bearcats (Baldwin TD, Dan Hutchins FG, Bill Stull TD). Pitt held the lead near the end of the first half by a 21 point margin at 31-10.
Then it happened. Pitt kicked off to the Bearcats after their last touchdown of the first half. Mardy Gilyard, Cinci’s playmaker on special teams, returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown with 1:10 left, cutting the score to 31-17. Pitt would take this lead to the locker room at halftime.
Now Pitt knew all week that Cincinnati would make big plays. They specifically knew that Gilyard was a threat. And boy were they right. In the third quarter, Pike found Gilyard who took it in for a 68 yard touchdown pass to cut the Panthers’ lead to just 7 points. Pitt would answer in the fourth quarter with another Dion Lewis touchdown run. But Cincinnati would score soon after with a DJ Woods touchdown. The Bearcats botched the extra point, leaving Pitt with an 8 point lead.
After Pitt intercepted Tony Pike, they gave it back with their own interception thrown by Stull. Cincinnati scored again a few minutes later (Isaiah Pead, TD) and needed a 2 point conversion to tie the game. Pike found Gilyard for the conversion and tied the game at 38.
With time dwindling down, Pitt drove down the field with a drive that included a nice Baldwin catch on 3rd and 9 for a critical first down. Dion Lewis helped push the ball forward, eventually scoring with 1:36 remaining. However, Pitt would make a costly mistake. Andrew Janocko couldn’t handle the snap on the PAT causing Pitt to leave the lead at 6 points, 44-38.
Pitt kicked off to Gilyard once again, who returned it 26 yards to the Cincinnati 39 yardline. Cinci drove down the field on the Panthers, scoring with barely half a minute remaining. They would make the extra point, putting the Bearcats ahead by one point, 45-44. Pitt would fail to move the ball after the kickoff and fell to the Bearcats by a single point.
Now it was clear all week that the Panthers knew that Gilyard was a threat, yet they still kicked off to Gilyard all game. Even the north endzone crowd urged Pitt to kick it away from Gilyard by pointing to the opposite side of the field before the kickoffs. So with the knowledge that Gilyard was a special teams threat (he did have 1276 return yards this season after all), why on Earth did Pitt kick to him? It was clear at times that they were kicking away from him on punts, so why did they kick to him on the kickoffs?
Through the course of the game, Pitt was called for 8 penalties totalling 65 yards while the Bearcats were called for 4 totalling 40 yards. At the game, fans were irate with some of the calls against Pitt, as well as some of the calls not made against the Bearcats including a facemask flag that was picked up by the officials. Was it a poorly officiated game? Absolutely. Did it cost Pitt the game? Probably not. It takes more than a few bad calls to lose a 21 point lead.
Pitt was on fire in the first half. They had Pike’s number and they were relentless on offense. Through the first half, it looked like a lopsided victory in favor on Pitt. It even appeared that Pike was on the verge of being benched in favor of Collaros. But it was the second half that made the difference. Pitt struggled to move the ball on offense with the same efficiency as the first half. Even more detrimental to the Panthers was the play of the special teams. On 8 kickoffs, they allowed 278 return yards, an average of 34.8 yards per return. They also botched an extra point that would have left the game tied after Cincinnati’s last touchdown. Pitt’s special teams played a huge role in this loss.
In the end, it was a perfect storm of mishaps, poor play, and questionable officiating that allowed Cincinnati to win this game. Give credit to the Bearcats. They made the big plays that they needed on special teams. They moved the ball through the air with 302 receiving yards. They scored 45 points. Pitt’s offense wasn’t terrible. They racked up 44 points on 176 receiving yards and 193 rushing yards. Lewis broke the school record for carries. That’s a pretty productive day for your offense. Stull did throw two interceptions, but neither resulted in a Cincinnati score on the ensuing drive. While the defense had some nice plays, it failed to contain the Cincinnati offense in the second half when it mattered.
With the win, Cincinnati won the Big East Championship outright. They completed a perfect regular season (12-0, 7-0) and earned their BCS bid to the Sugar Bowl to face Florida. Pitt was left with a 9-3 (5-2) regular season record. With the loss they fell from a possible Sugar Bowl bid to an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, NC. This marks the second year in a row that the Panthers lost to Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry game. That brings the overall series record to 7-2, still in favor of Pitt. But give credit to the Panthers. They lead in all three losses they suffered this season. And in the two Big East losses, the two losses that mattered the most, it came down to the final seconds with combined margin of 4 points. So when you reflect upon this season, remember that Pitt was 4 points away from an 11-1 record, a Big East Championship, and a BCS bowl.
Pitt’s focus will now turn to the Meineke Car Care bowl on December 26th against North Carolina (8-4, 4-4).
Recap: The Brawl Gets Ugly
Nov 29th
Well the 102nd edition of the Backyard Brawl is in the books. Unfortunately, it’s not going in the way Panthers fans would have liked. WVU upset our Panthers 19-16 in Morgantown Friday night. It was a close game, as the Backyard Brawl tends to be, with the Mountaineers kicking a field goal with no time left to win the game.
The first half was relatively quiet. WVU seemed to stall on offense and was only able to put up a single field goal in the first half. Pitt’s offense was equally unimpressive, missing a field goal and also only putting up three points in the first half.
In the third quarter, WVU’s Noel Devine broke through the Pitt defense and ran 88 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Pitt was unable to score their first touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when Bill Stull found Jonathan Baldwin deep for 6. That touchdown tied the game at 16 points each with 2:54 left in the game.
In the end, WVU got the ball off of the kickoff and was able to drive 42 yards into field goal position with a drive that included a fourth down conversion. The Mountaineers’ freshman kicker, Tyler Bitancurt, made his fourth field goal of the game to take the win.
The game had a completely different look than what was expected. Pitt’s dynamic offense was nowhere to be found for most of the game. Dion Lewis was one of only a few bright spots for Pitt as he racked up another game with over 100 yards rushing. Lewis ran for 155 yards on 26 carries. Ray Graham only got the ball once for a loss of one yard. Baldwin seemed well covered, but was able to somehow rack up 127 yards and Pitt’s only touchdown. Dorin Dickerson was fairly quiet aside from dropping a few passes that should have been caught. Cedric McGee had only one catch, as did Hynoski. Mike Shanahan was Pitt’s second leading receiver in the game, yet he only managed 17 yards on 2 receptions. Stull threw two interceptions and looked unsettled all game.
Pitt’s defense was actually quite strong. In the first quarter, it looked like WVU was going to struggle to go anywhere with Pitt’s defense. On the Mountaineers’ first two drives, they actually lost yardage. When they finally drove down the field on Pitt, the defense stuffed them on fourth and goal. Overall, the defense was able to manage Devine and stop the Mountaineers from putting up big yardage. Unfortunately, they got no help from the offense. Their few mistakes, allowing Devine’s 88 yard touchdown and allowing the final drive, cost the Panthers more than they should have.
In the end, the loss means nothing to the Big East race. Pitt hosts Cincinnati next weekend at Heinz Field for what is essentially the Big East Championship game. If Pitt wins, they take the Big East BCS bowl bid. However, Pitt now needs Rutgers to beat WVU next week to ensure that the Panthers take second place in the Big East if they lose to Cincinnati. The second place Big East team will now go to the Gator Bowl since Notre Dame is ineligible after losing to Stanford and dropping to 6-6. If WVU were to beat Rutgers and Pitt were to lose to Cincinnati, Pitt would tie for second place with WVU. As the head-to-head tiebreaker winner, WVU would get the Gator Bowl invitation leaving the Panthers to a less attractive bowl game.
Pitt wasn’t the only ranked team to fall to their rival. Georgia beat #7 Georgia Tech (30-24). Oklahoma shut down #12 Oklahoma State (27-0). South Carolina beat #18 Clemson (34-17). NC State edged out #24 North Carolina (28-27). And Mississippi State crushed #25 Ole Miss (41-27).
But that’s how rivalries go. It wouldn’t be a brawl if each team didn’t wreak havoc for the other. This year isn’t exactly payback for the 2007 loss that Pitt handed a #2 National Championship-bound WVU, but it’s a bit of relief for WVU fans. For Pitt fans, it’s just another reason to hate WVU.
Game Recap: No Luck for the Irish
Nov 15th
Our number 8 ranked Pitt Panthers continued their excellent season last night with a win over Notre Dame at Heinz Field. The Panthers overcame a slow start and held off a late Notre Dame rally to put a 27-22 win in the books. With the win, the Panthers improved to 9-1 overall. Notre Dame, of course, is not a Big East opponent, so last night’s win has no effect on the Big East race. Still, the Panthers sit at 5-0 in the conference, and with Cincinnati’s win over WVU on Friday, are tied for first place in the Big East.
Last night’s game started a bit slower than expected. Notre Dame scored just 3 points in the first half, while Pitt scored just 10 including a touchdown off of a spectacular Jonathan Baldwin 36 yard catch in the second quarter. Pitt came out looking more like themselves in the second half as they put up another field goal followed by a touchdown after another highlight-worthy 53 yard run by Ray Graham.
Notre Dame finally came alive in the fourth quarter scoring off of a 1 yard run by Jimmy Clausen at the beginning of the quarter. After a blocked extra point, Pitt answered on the next drive with a nice drive down the field capped off by a 50 yard touchdown run by Dion Lewis. But Notre Dame refused to die. They answered with their own drive down the field ending with an 18 yard touchdown reception by Golden Tate. The Irish would kick the extra point this time.
On the following drive, Pitt stalled and punted to Notre Dame. In typical late-game form, Golden Tate returned the punt 87 yards for a touchdown. Pitt stuffed the two point conversion attempt.
Notre Dame would force Pitt to punt on the following drive, giving themselves one more chance. The Irish would eventually find themselves in a 3rd and 16 situation after a 15 yard personal foul. On their final offensive play, Jimmy Clausen fumbled and Pitt recovered. The Panthers ran the clock out and walked away with their second straight victory over Notre Dame.
Last night’s game was certainly not what many of us expected. While we expected to see Notre Dame give Pitt a decent game, no one expected the first half that we saw last night. Until the fourth quarter, I was simply underwhelmed by Notre Dame’s offense. Pitt played pretty solid defense up until the fourth. As expected, it was the secondary that looked most suspect. They played soft and seemed to give up the short throws to the Irish without a second look.
Pitt, on the other hand, looked like they were on the verge of breaking loose all game. Baldwin’s catch in the second quarter was spectacular. It was the kind of play that everyone had expected from the offense coming into this game.
As much as the first half wasn’t what was expected, the second half was. Pitt’s offense looked more like what everyone had expected. Ray Graham broke a big run. Dion Lewis broke a huge run as well. Pitt put up 27 points overall, just a touchdown short of my prediction.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, didn’t find their groove until the end of the third quarter. They scored their first touchdown in the fourth. But in typical Notre Dame fashion, the Irish fought till the end, forcing Pitt to make a late game stand. It was the kind of determination you expect from the team and players like Clausen and Tate.
Overall, the win is good news for Pitt. Obviously everyone wants the “W” on the record. But this win helps the Big East as well. Notre Dame is on the verge of securing an invite to the Gator Bowl, an invite that would replace the Big East runner up. The conference needed Pitt to beat the Irish. They also need the Irish to drop at least one more of their remaining games. Seeing as the Irish play UConn, a Big East team that’s been close to winning in quite a few of its losses this year, and Stanford, a top 25 team that demolished USC yesterday, it’s quite possible that the Irish lose one, or both games. A 6-6 Notre Dame team is officially ineligible for the Gator Bowl. A 7-5 Notre Dame team is a tough pick for the Gator Bowl, especially if a 10-2 Big East team is available.
At any rate, while it wasn’t exactly the offensive shootout that was expected, the game spotlighted the Panthers. A national TV audience got to see all of Pitt’s talent last night. Between Ray Graham, Dion Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, and Bill Stull, the audience was treated to spectacular offensive play by Pitt. Pitt’s defense was strong through three quarters. It showed college football nation that Pitt can play a little defense in addition to being able to put up points.
Hopefully the nation finally sees that Pitt is a team to be taken seriously, and the Big East isn’t as weak as everyone thought coming into this season.
Game Recap: Syracuse vs. Pitt
Nov 7th
Mike_B:
Everyone knew this game was going to be ugly on the scoreboard, and it was. Pitt won 37-10. The Orange’s single touchdown came off the second string defense and was assisted by 4 pass interference calls and a holding call on the Pitt defense. The scoreboard wasn’t the only ugly part this of this game. Maybe it was the bye week, maybe it was the competition, but whatever it was, Pitt did not come out looking like a high ranked team. Their defense was sloppy on the first drive, the special teams were putrid overall with only a few bright spots, and the play calling was very conservative.
The defense looked very shaky the first quarter of the game, mainly the first drive, missing tackles and falling for misdirection. But the defense shored up really nicely after the drive, allowing only one more big play after the opening drive. Surprisingly, both big plays for the Orange were rushes against what is usually a stout run defense for Pitt. The Panthers got nice pressure on the Orange all game with 6 sacks and 3 interceptions. The defense was lights out on 3rd and 4th down as the Orange were 3-13 on third down and 0-2 on fourth. Allowing only 285 yards, the defense really shined today aside from the first drive.
Chalk up another good game from Bill Stull, Dion Lewis, and Dorin Dickerson, as these three led the Panthers offense to glory once again. Stull connected with Dickerson for his 10th touchdown of the year, and Stull’s 17th. Stull went 16-23 with 225 yards while Dickerson caught 7 balls for 118 yards. Dion Lewis chalked up another great game, which will hopefully get him some more Heisman notice. Lewis eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark yet again, rushing for 110 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. Lewis also caught 2 passes for 42 yards, netting him 152 yards from scrimmage on the day. This is truly a statement to this kid’s skills as Syracuse was 8th nationally in run defense coming into this game, allowing only 83 yards per game. We didn’t really hear Jonathan Baldwin’s name much today, as he had only 1 reception for 5 yards and 1 rush for 61 yards. He did, however, have a nice block and dropped what could have been a touchdown. It appeared he faced single coverage most of the day and Stull just wasn’t connecting with him today.
While the offense still put up 481 yards, it seemed at times the play calling was very conservative. At the end of the first half, with 9 seconds remaining, the Panthers went for a field goal and missed instead of going for one more play. At times, it felt like Matt Cavanaugh was back calling the plays.
The special teams were abysmal today. There were a few bright spots as Dan Hutchins and Luke Briggs kicked very well, Briggs with 4 touchbacks, and Hutchins 3-4 on field goals with his miss coming from 46 yards and the open end zone. Cam Saddler had another nice return of 36 yards, but those were the lone bright spots. It seemed that on every punt, the Panther faithful were covering their eyes because it seemed like every punt was being muffed by the returners. It was so bad at one point, Aaron Smith fair caught a ball with no one around him while he could have returned it a good 10 yards. This brought out the boo birds at Heinz Field. Hutchins punted one ball straight out of the end zone instead of trying to bury the Orange deep in their own territory.
All in all, the Panthers walked out victorious improving to 8-1 overall, 5-0 in the Big East, and get to look forward to a date with Notre Dame at 8:00 PM next weekend. The game will be televised on ABC. There’s still no word yet on whether College Gameday will be in Pittsburgh or not.
Dan_P:
Mike did a pretty good job of summarizing the game overall, so I won’t go into much detail here.
Pitt looked good overall in their win today. While they got off to a rocky start, the Panthers seemed to get back onto track after the first quarter. Aside from a few mistakes, the defense looked pretty solid. Stull and company appeared to get rolling as the game went on. Pitt didn’t seem to want to throw down field much early on, but they managed to put up 234 passing yards by the end of the game. In the end, it wasn’t exactly how I pictured it, but my 38-0 prediction was pretty close.
This win was key to getting the Panthers ready for next week. Notre Dame is going to come into next week ready to play after being upset today. Mike will have more on that upset as well as the other key upsets today and how they affect Pitt. Look for that article to be posted later today.
Welcome to The Pitt Blog!
Oct 28th
Welcome to the Pitt Blog! The Pitt Blog is a new website that will bring you the latest sports news related to the Pitt Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. Run by Pittsburghers, our site will bring you articles, interviews, photos, videos, and more… all relevant to the Panthers!
We’re currently working on getting everything set up, but as soon as we’re up and running, you can expect a steady flow of Pitt sports news on our site. In the meantime, check out our Twitter page and follow us. Following us on Twitter will ensure you’re among the first to know when we post new articles. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking the RSS link at the top right of the page. RSS is another way to ensure you receive the latest news from the Pitt Blog when it’s posted.
We’re looking forward to serving the needs of Pitt fans everywhere. Thanks for checking in with us!
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The Pitt Blog is listed on: Dmegs Web Directory.
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