SBNation.com User Blog: PittScript Bryan

Matt House promoted to defensive coordinator; John Palermo, Hank Poteat join the staff

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:49:58 -0000

Pitt's two month search for defensive coordinator is finally over. From Pitt:

Paul Chryst announced today the promotion of Matt House> to defensive coordinator and the hiring of coaching veteran John Palermo as defensive ends and linebackers coach. Chryst also announced that former Pitt defensive back Hank Poteat (1996-99), who spent a decade as a player in the National Football League, will join the staff as a graduate assistant and work with the cornerbacks.

"I was very impressed by Matt’s work last year in the secondary,” Chryst said. “He has been a great fit for our program as a coach, recruiter and teacher of the game. His experiences and work ethic have more than prepared him for this opportunity to be a coordinator.

It's unfair to criticize this hire solely on the thrashing Pitt's defense took in the BBVA Compass Bowl while House was the interm DC. Even though their record indicated otherwise, Ole Miss was a vastly superior team to Pitt, so don't pin that one on House. It would be fair to point out that Matt House has no coordinator experience at either the college or professional level. Heck, his experience as a position coach is pretty limited too. I would have preferred someone with a little more experience to lead the defensive, particularly since the defensive staff has so little of it.

But I suppose that's the past. Paul Chryst thinks he's the guy for the job - and that's the opinion that counts - so we'll find out soon enough whether or not House is up for the job. I'm willing to give him a chance. Pitt is returning a lot of talent on a pretty good defense, so he'll certainly have the opportunity to succeed.

The Palermo hire is pretty interesting for a number of reasons. John Palermo has decades of experience, including the seemingly must-have Wisconsin/Alvarez connection. He is by far the most experienced defensive coach Pitt will have next year. He was most recently in Tennessee last year and before that had stops in Miami, Notre Dame and Minnesota.

It's the assignments that really make me wonder. Palermo will be coaching defensive ends and linebackers, which begs the question of what exactly Chris Haering and Inoke Breckterfield will be doing. House will retain safeties and Hank Poteat seems to be the de facto cornerback coach as a grad assistant. If Poteat does a reasonable job with the corners, I don't think it would be a stretch to see him hired as a full-time coach, particularly if his NFL experience helps establish him as a solid recruiter.

I would be awfully nervous if I were Breckterfield or Haering.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Pitt's resurgence due to stunning statistical efficiency

PittScript Bryan — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:52:34 -0000

If you're discussing the most exciting teams in college basketball this season, there's a good chance Pitt won't come up. And with good reason: Pitt is scoring a pedestrian 71 points per game, good enough for 88th place in Division I. But what Pitt is , and what has in part fueled the Panthers to a 7-1 record of late, is deadly efficient.

Basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy has been high on Pitt all season. Currently he has the Panthers ranked fourth in the nation, ahead of Michigan, Duke, Miami and Ohio State. And that's not too far off where Pomeroy has had Pitt all season, despite Dixon's squad sitting outside the Top 25 for a majority of the season. The reason is simple: according to Pomeroy's calculations, Pitt is the only team besides Florida to be ranked in the top ten in offensive and defensive efficiency.

The calculation is fairly complex, the idea is simple: Pomeroy's stats aim to represent how Pitt would fare against the average Division I defense given 100 possessions and how that team would fare against Pitt with the same number. In both categories, Pitt currently ranks ninth in the country, scoring 117.5 and giving up 86.4.

A big part of the offensive equation is Pitt's patient but extremely effective offense. An offenses that's built around assists. Pitt ranks seventh in assists and an astonishing third in assists to turnover ratio.

So how is Pitt doing it? Well, playing what is essentially two point guards helps. And as Ken Gorman writes, playing for the best shot doesn't hurt either:

Afterward, Dixon discussed the importance of spacing, setting screens and making the right reads to get the ball to an open man. The pass, he said, is what makes the play. And making the extra pass was pivotal to Pitt's shot selection, especially on a night when it shot a higher percentage from 3-point range (4 of 8) than from inside the arc (16 of 36).

“We take what's available. That's what we do,” Dixon said. “That's why our offensive efficiency is so high year after year. It's among the tops in the country this year.

“You can't rely on one thing, one play, one set, one player. It's recognizing that the passing speaks for itself, the numbers, the assists. The 13 assists and seven turnovers, that's what's impressive to me against a team that's pressing the entire time.”

Dixon always preaches that rebounding is everyone's responsibility, and I can't help but imagine that he applies the same thing to assists. How else do you get a beautiful Steven Adams pass to a cutting Talib Zanna for a critical dunk against Cincinnati's zone?

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

ACC still considering New York for conference tournament; Pittsburgh eliminated

PittScript Bryan — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:40:59 -0000

It's no secret that I want the ACC to take over as Madison Square Garden's tenant for the third weekend of March for all of eternity. No city in the ACC footprint can offer what the Big Apple can - a walkable city with superb public transportation, sightseeing, shopping and cultural events.

Two problems stood in the way, however. First, the ACC seemingly didn't invite either New York arena to enter bids, which then led to the Big East and Madison Square Garden recently extended their agreement. I view the whole situation as a total disaster - why bother destroying your Northeast competition if you're not going to appropriately plunder?

But now, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy, there's hope:

Because of the Atlantic Coast Conference's increased footprint in the Northeast, the ACC is interested in holding a future men's basketball tournament in New York, an ACC school official told ESPN.

....

However, because of the league's changing membership, the ACC is now considering other options for future tournament sites, the source said.

Besides New York, other cities being considered to host the 2016-21 ACC tournaments are Atlanta (Philips Arena), Charlotte, Greensboro, N.C., Tampa, Fla., and Washington D.C.

Coupled with a prior report by Andy Katz that the ownership of MSG feels confident they could escape their contract with the zombie Big East due to changing membership, I think we can correctly assume that a deal could get done if the ACC wants it. Madison Square Garden wants an annual tenant, which makes sense. The ACC just needs to be commit to it.

Also positive, McMurphy reports some bids to host the tournament have been rejected, including Pittsburgh. That's probably for the best - I can't imagine too many ACC fanbases really all that excited about spending a week in Pittsburgh in March. Miami is the only eliminated city worth a look, but obviously only if NYC isn't an option.

The question is, will the ACC be bold enough to lock down the Garden as its permanent home? I get that the conference is stuck in the safe cocoon of the familiar Greensboro Coliseum like a 30-year-old afraid of leaving mom's basement, but it's time to grow up. Otherwise, lets pull down the facade and just play half-court "make it, take it" in Swofford's driveway from now on and be done with it.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Pitt's open scholarships could test the program

PittScript Bryan — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 22:43:30 -0000

Jamie Dixon will have four scholarships to give out next season. Two were obvious and expected (Tray Woodall and Dante Taylor) and two were a bit more unexpected (John Johnson and Malcolm GIlbert). It seems as if Dixon had correctly planned to have just two openings, accepting the commitments of power forward Mike Young and point guard John Newkirk.

The problem, of course, is that Pitt is still two under the 13 scholarship limit next season. Here's Pitt's scholarship situation beginning with the 2013-14 season:

Pitt will have four players with senior eligibility at the start of the 2013-14 season - Trey Zeigler, J.J. Moore, Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna. If Dixon is unable to find suitable talent this late in the game for the 2013 class, Pitt will be looking to fill six open spots in the class of 2014, a monumental task.

The wildcard, of course, is Steven Adams. It seems like a safe assumption that Steven Adams will not be a one and done player as many predicted he might be. But after his sophomore year? That's anyone's guess. And while Adams developing into a high-caliber NBA draft pick would likely mean that Pitt got a great 2013-14 out of him, his departure would really, really put Pitt in a bad situation with the possibility of a whopping seven open scholarships.

As much as the sheer number of possible openings is a problem, even more daunting is their uneven distribution. While Pitt will have a glut of swingmen and guards, the situation under the basket is alarming. Here's that same chart, but organized by position:

By 2014, Pitt will be down to just two players to man power forward and center, and that's assuming one of them is Adams. Malcolm Gilbert was supposed to be ready to succeed Adams at center - or at least contribute as his back up in 2013 and then take over whenever Adams least. We all know that can't happen now. So at the least, Pitt will need to add two - maybe three - quality big men ready to contribute in time for November 2014 if not sooner. Big men tend to be less ready to play immediately than guards, so Pitt could have a huge problem unless this issue is addressed in a meaningful way quickly.

So is help on the horizon? Maybe. Baltimore native Jamel Artis keeps trying to commit to Pitt, but his position isn't at the level of need as a power forward or center. Dixon doesn't seem to be in on anyone in the 2013 Rivals top 150, and the ESPN top 60 of 2014 (early, I know) doesn't seem to have many big men that are from traditional Pitt recruiting areas.

It's certainly not time to panic, but I'm more than a bit worried about the talent on this team by 2014, particularly in the frontcourt.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Huge offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith commits to Pitt

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:27:01 -0000

A figurative and literal big pickup for the Panthers today as they secured a commitment from 6'7" offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith. The Philadelphia lineman is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ESPN and Scout, while he's just a two-star on Rivals. His list of schools suggest he may be more than a bit underrated by the scouting services, however: Jones-Smith had offers from Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Arizona and his other finalist, Virginia.

Philadelphia (PA) West Catholic offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith has committed to #Pitt.
— Chris Peak (@PantherLair) January 15, 2013

With the addition of Jones-Smith, Pitt seems to have successfully used the past two seasons to compensate for poor offensive line recruiting during the coaching carousel and the tail-end of the Wannstest era. Including Jones-Smith, Pitt has added seven big bodies up front. And not only is Paul Chryst adding numbers along the line, he's remaking the line with the type of players he wants. At a glance:

Adam Bisnowaty	6'6"	275 lbs
Gabe Roberts	6'5"	290 lbs
Carson Baker	6'5"	315 lbs
Dorian Johnson	6'6"	280 lbs
Aaron Reese	6'5"	290 lbs
Alex Officer	6'4"	300 lbs
Jaryd Jones-Smith	6'7"	300 lbs

That's seven lineman. Six are 6'5" or taller. Five are within ten pounds of 290 lbs or more. Will any of them pan out? Who knows. But Chryst has built his offenses on giant lineman and Pitt is taking a step in the right direction with those seven.

Welcome to Pitt, Jaryd!

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

ACC considering creating a conference network

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:12:00 -0000

Since expansionpaloza finally calmed down after great conference sundering of 2012, there's been a lot of clamoring for each conference to mimic the Big Ten's Big Ten Network. And with good reason: BTN has been a complete success and has made the Big Ten member institutions a lot of cash. The Pac-12 recently followed suit, and the SEC is close behind. (As a fan, that's lead to unseemly idea that athletic conference only exist to provide their conference channels with programing, but that's for another day.) But with the additions of Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville and (sort of) Notre Dame, the ACC is investigating its own dedicated network. Sports Business Journal broke the story yesterday:

While its media rights are tied up with ESPN for the next 15 years, that hasn’t stopped the conference from beginning the process of deciding whether such a channel is feasible. It hasn’t had formal talks with ESPN, which would have to play a big role in any ACC channel since the network controls the league’s rights.

But ACC Commissioner John Swofford has quietly been exploring a branded channel and began floating the idea for it in the fall, around the time that Notre Dame joined the league in all sports but football. The Fighting Irish have committed to play five ACC opponents in football each season, but it will maintain its independence.

For the ACC, it potentially could allow the conference to keep up financially with the Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC, which have all launched or are close to launching branded channels, and sources say the conference sees it as an enticement to keep schools from being seduced by other conferences.

Sources also say there continues to be angst among the conference’s presidents and athletic directors over the league’s ability to keep up with its peer conferences financially. The Big Ten lured Maryland, a charter member of the ACC, away from the conference with its future media revenue projections. The Big Ten’s numbers, buoyed by the growth of its channel, showed that each school’s revenue will rise to more than $40 million by 2020, compared with $24 million in the ACC.

And the article discusses the issues with any such arrangement. Most notably, with cable providers seemingly under pressure to hold the line on rate increases, charging consumers for yet another sports channel could cross a tipping point. With subscribers already paying a substantial percent of their monthly bill for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews, CBS Sports, NBC Sports and shortly, Fox Sports 1, we may have reached critical mass for sports programming. Add that ESPN is reportedly "lukewarm" against competing with itself in several overlap markets and I'm not sure this is something that's in the immediate future.

Locally, the problem is magnified by the existence of the Big Ten Network, which is already costing Comcast subscribers nearly a dollar per month. Would Comcast carry the ACC Network in addition to BTN in the Pittsburgh market? Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath. Guerilla warfare would have to be declared to get Pitt fans to push the ACCN on and possibly, the BTN off. I like the idea of that as much as I like writing posts about television subscriber rates.

But hey, if the ACC Network does come to fruition, WE GOT JOKES!

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Woodall cleared for contact; could play against Villanova

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:35:22 -0000

When Travon Woodall went down hard against Marquette Saturday, it understandably invoked bad, bad memories from last season's stretch without him. Things didn't go well for the Panthers then, and they didn't go well against Marquette. But thankfully, it seems as if Woodall is probable for minutes Wednesday night against Villanova, despite missing most of Saturday's game:

"It‘s all pretty uniform," Dixon said. "We know what to expect. I knew when he went down, even though he said he wanted to play and that he could play, I figured the policy is in place that he was going to be out."

Woodall is expected to participate in a full-contact practice Tuesday, after which his playing status will be officially determined for the Villanova game.

"If the doctors feel he can‘t play, even though he says he can, then he can‘t play," Dixon said. "It‘s as simple as that. As you know, we err on the side of caution. We‘re at the forefront of concussion testing."

That's absolutely the right approach, despite Pitt's dire need for the senior's skills and a win. That being said, Pitt really needs Woodall in the lineup and I fully expect him to be in the starting lineup baring any sort of surprise. With the team 1-3 in the conference, a win over Villanova - as questionable as the Wildcats may be - is absolutely essential.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

USC fires Kevin O'Neill; Jamie Dixon speculation immediately starts

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:41:18 -0000

It happens every year. It really does. This time it's notable only because it's so early, but it's here nonetheless.

USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill was fired Monday during an 8 a.m PT meeting with athletic director Pat Haden and associate athletic director Steve Lopes.

USC was 7-10 this season under O'Neill, including a 2-2 mark in Pac-12 play. A year ago the injury-riddled Trojans finished 6-26 and won only one conference game.

7-10 isn't disastrous, but coming on the heels of a 6-26 season (with only one win coming after December 19th), it would be hard to say that it wasn't deserved. It was a pretty big surprise that O'Neill was kept on after last season, but January 14th seems pretty early to fire a basketball coach, really.

Anyway, if you've followed Pitt basketball even casually over the past decade, then you know where this is going:

Look for USC to make another inquiry/run at Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, source told CBSSports. West coast guy. You never know.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) January 14, 2013

Collective sigh in 3...2...1....

With all due respect to USC, I'd be stunned if Dixon seriously considered leaving Pittsburgh for the Trojans. Dixon has had dozens of chances to "go home" to the West Coast - including USC once before - and was never really all that interested. He declined interest from Cal. Oregon offered to pay him in large sacks of gold coins with "$" on them. Arizona offered him a chance to take over a just-a-shade-below-elite program. TCU even offered the opportunity to coach his alma matter, an advance that was similarly declined.

While some of the speculation centers around Dixon's supposed "West Coast Guy-ness," another source seems to be that he's so unhappy about the move to the ACC that he's ready to jump ship. Dixon did his part by worshipping at the alter of Big East basketball, but I think he'd be hard pressed to say that it wasn't in the best interest of the program. He has toed to the company line about the move and while he may truly be nostalgic about the old Big East, I doubt he wishes he'd be playing road games against Tulane and SMU next year instead. As Rush the Court correctly notes, if Dixon is looking for a new home in a strong basketball conference, the Pac-12 probably isn't the way to go.

While we'll probably post some updates to this story - like when Dixon flatly denies interest or when USC settles on a third tier candidate after being rejected by Mark Few, Jamie Dixon, Josh Pastner, Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens - but this story is dozens of notches below the "Paul Chryst to Wisconsin?" on the panic-meter.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Tra'von Chapman, three other Pitt recruits enroll early

PittScript Bryan — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:52:30 -0000

Well, at least four Pitt football players had good days on Saturday. That's when four Pitt 2013 commits - quarterback Tra'von Chapman, tight end Scott Orndoff, defensive end Shakir Soto and defensive tackle Tyrique Jarrett - moved into Oakland officially became Pitt students, according to Chris Peak of Pantherlair.

Having players on campus, in class and in the weight-room as early as possible is an obvious good thing, but having them not count against the numbers in Pitt's potentially large 2013 class is even better. Ken Gorman explains:

It will be interesting to watch how Pitt attempts to add as many recruits as possible to its Class of 2013.

Pitt coach Paul Chryst is believed to want to sign as many as 29 players in February, which, on the surface, would be four over the NCAA limit of 25 per class.

....

To count forward, start by counting backward.

Because [Pitt's early enrollees] are to start classes this week, the four will count against Pitt‘s 2012 recruiting class.

That means the Panthers reduced their Class of ‘13 commitments from 21 to 17, which would allow them to sign as many as eight more.

Tra'von Chapman is the biggest name in the group, in both recruiting stars and the inherent star of the position. The Trib did a fantastic piece on Chapman back in December and chronicled his intense drive:

"I just figured this is something I really wanted," he said. "This is something I really dedicated myself to. Why should I sit around and wait? I should go get it."

Chapman, who will be eligible for Pitt‘s spring drills, may have to watch and learn behind quarterbacks Tom Savage, Chad Voytik and Trey Anderson, but he does make one promise about his freshman season:

"No one is going to outwork me," he said. "I‘ll be patient, but I‘ll still grind hard. If I am third string or fourth string, I‘m still going to work the hardest."

How hard?

Most days this summer, Chapman awoke before sunrise to start his morning workouts at Roosevelt, but he refused to drive to school.

"I thought that was cheating," he said.

Instead, he ran or rode his bicycle two miles. Then, after arriving, he went to work.

"We would run hills, we would run through the sand, do squats," he said. "It got to the point where two workouts a day weren‘t enough, and we started doing three sometimes. Every day, except Sunday, and even Saturday I would go to Kent State with my dad (Thad Jemison, that school‘s wide receivers coach) and work out."

"He is fanatical," Roosevelt coach John Nemec said.

Soto, a 3-star 6'4" 250 lbs defensive end, got some nice ink in his local paper when he signed his binding letter of intent to the University of Pittsburgh:

"He’ll be the first to tell you, elementary-wise, he was a rough kid," GAR coach Paul Wiedlich Jr. said. "We got him in the seventh grade, he was a wiry, tall, lanky kid."

But Soto turned himself into a shining example of what diligence in the classroom can lead to.

Which is why he chose to hold his collegiate signing day at Heights-Murray Elementary School.

"I wanted to be an inspiration to the younger kids," said Soto, who was named to the All-Pennsylvania Class 2A team earlier this week, "to follow my path. Not necessarily by playing football, but working hard to get what you want. Football wasn’t really on my mind when I was here. I had other distractions.

"Really, the people here are the reason why I’m where I’m at today."

It's always great to have high character guys in the locker-room, but from just a football perspective, Soto is putting himself in a great spot to earn playing time on a very thin defensive line. He'll certainly have a jump on Pitt's other defensive end commits, James Connor and Luke Maclean. And with the move of T.J. Clemmings to offense, Pitt's defensive end situation is wide open for young guys to make a contribution.

Scott Orndoff is another guy who should benefit from getting to campus early. J.P. Holtz will be back and so will hybrid Drew Carswell, but that's it at a position of emphasis for Chryst's offense. Having Orndoff on campus early - and counting against the 2012 class instead of 2013 - should provide a bit of separation between him the 2013 tight ends Devon Edwards and Tony Harper.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Tino Sunseri to play in Raycom All-Star Game

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 01:10:40 -0000

An interesting tidbit this weekend as the Trib's Jerry DiPaola tweeted that Tino Sunseri will play in the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic in Montogomery, Alabama on January 19th.

Yeah, I've never heard of it either. From the website, it seems to be fairly regional, with players from Alabama State, Troy and Jacksonville State among the early announcements. Like all the post-season all-star games, it's mainly an additional opportunity for seniors to be evaluated by NFL scouts, and hopefully it's also a bit of a reward for guys who worked their asses off for four or five years.

Yes, it's sort of the BBVA Compass Bowl of all-star games, so yuck it all you'd like. But being selected for any sort of post-season all-star game is an accomplishment for Sunseri given everything has gone through during his three years as a starter at Pitt, including his own play at times. I think we can all agree that it's highly unlikely that Sunseri will ever be a professional football player, but lets not forget that he's someone who has given a lot to the program and wish him well.

Congratulations to Tino.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Tomorrow's the day for Robert Foster

PittScript Bryan — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:50:08 -0000

Last year, I watched Hopewell take on Central Valley on ESPNU. The main attraction, of course, was Rushel Shell, who had just announced his commitment to the Panthers. Central Valley did what any team would do against one of the most legendary high school players in Pennsylvania history - they loaded up the box to stop the run. And for most of the game, they were successful. Shell was able to break a few runs late, but the damage was done and Central Valley came away with the win.

But even though I had planned on doing things around the house while Hopewell was on defense, I couldn't stop watching Central Valle's offense. And that was because of one player who seemed every bit as electrifying as Shell.

Central Valley's Robert Foster is a star.

Since then, Robert Foster has been one of Pitt's biggest priorities. Of the three major WPIAL recruits (Foster, Pitt commit Dorian Johnson and Clairton's Tyler Boyd) the 6'2" receiver may be the most college-ready and have the highest ceiling. He will announce his college decision tomorrow at 2:30 at CV.

According to his coach, there will be plenty of drama:

"I don't think anybody has an idea of what he's going to do," Lyons said. "I'm not sure he has an idea."

Foster hasn't given any indication of where he'll commit, Lyons said. He previously narrowed his choices to Alabama and Pitt.

Since his recruitment began, Foster hasn't been looking for a coach to tell him how he fits in or that he could play right away. But he wants a school that reminds him of Central Valley.

"He wants that family atmosphere and a closeness in the community," Lyons said. "He likes being a high school student and a high school athlete. There is a comfortableness for him at Central Valley. When he finds the same feeling at a school, that's going to the deciding factor. I'm sure that's what he's been mulling over for the past two to three weeks."

That certainly sounds a lot like Pitt, but it would seemingly be hard to say to Nick Saban's fist-round pick factory in Tuscaloosa.

According to Rivals' Mike Ferrell, Pitt fans should be in a celebatory mood by 3:00 tomorrow:

I think #Pitt "@paul4gators: @rivalsmikeRobert Foster?Who ya thinking?#bama #pitt"
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) December 6, 2012

He later tweeted that it would be "stunning" if Foster picked Alabama over Pitt.

We'll find out soon enough. Check back for updates over the next 24 hours.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Pitt explodes in second half to blow out Delaware State

PittScript Bryan — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:33:28 -0000

It wasn't a complete game, but Pitt's second half was good enough to blow out Delaware State 71-43 on 61% shooting tonight at the Petersen Event Center.

Talib Zanna had his way inside to the tune of 20 points and nine rebounds playing both power forward and backup center in lieu of an banged up Dante Taylor. But Pitt didn't need Taylor inside tonight, as J.J. Moore and Steven Adams combined for 25 points and and eleven rebounds. Pitt outscored Delaware state under the basket 48-18.

But Pitt's big men had plenty of the help from the guards. Tray Woodall and James Robinson combined for 17 assists with only four turnovers, mostly feeding the big men in the paint. Lamar Patterson had a very Lamar night with nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

Cameron Wright scored only four points, but played an instrumental role on defense, slowing down Delaware State' Tahj Tate, who scored 12 of his 18 in the first half before Wright clamped down in the second half.

As usual this season, there's an internal conflict as to whether Pitt is actually this good or if their opponent is just that bad. Delaware State's claim to fame so far is taking Penn State to overtime. Forgive me if I'm not impressed. But it's impossible to deny that this Panther team is putting up some pretty gaudy stats, even against seemingly inferior competiton.

Unfortunately, things will get worse before they get better as Pitt hosts 1-9 Kennesaw State Sunday before beginning Big East play against a still undefeated Cincinnati New Years Eve.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

New York offensive lineman commits to Pitt

PittScript Bryan — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:38:18 -0000

Pitt added to the future of its offensive line today with a commitment from a big offensive lineman from New York. Alex Officer is the newest member of the 2013 class and is listed at 6'4" and anywhere from 285 to 310 lbs. He picked Pitt over offers from Syracuse, Boston College, Purdue and Rutgers, among others.

Officer is a consensus three-star recruit by Rivals, 247, Scout and ESPN. ESPN gives him high marks for run blocking and physicality. Both Rivals and 247 rank him as the eighth best prospect in the state of New York.

He's the 20th commit overall and the fourth offensive lineman in this class, joining Dorian Johnson, Carson Baker and Aaron Reese. Based on the sort of lines Chryst formed at Wisconsin, Officer seems to be a guard prospect, despite playing tackle in high school.

There's not much else available now since offensive lineman just don't get the press that skill positions get, but we've got OFFENSIVE LINE HIGHLIGHTS below (and holy crap, he demolishes some kids in this video).

Welcome home, Alex.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Big East Catholics Officially Leaving the Conference

PittScript Bryan — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 19:22:10 -0000

Today, the Big East's Catholic, non-football schools announced their intention to leave the Big East conference.

Their statement, courtesy of Zagsblog.com:

Earlier today we voted unanimously to pursue an orderly evolution to a foundation of basketball schools that honors the history and tradition on which the Big East was established. Under the current context of conference realignment, we believe pursuing a new basketball framework that builds on this tradition of excellence and competition is the best way forward.

We are grateful to our Commissioner, Michael Aresco, for his exceptional leadership of the Big East Conference. We have been honored to be associated with the outstanding group of institutions that have made up the Big East. While we pursue this opportunity for our institutions, we believe the efforts of the past two years have established the foundation for an enduring national football conference.

We look forward to building this new foundation with an emphasis on elite competition and a commitment to the development of our students engaged in intercollegiate athletics. That is where we will now spend our energy as we move forward.

Last one out, turn off the lights. No word on whether the schools will vote to dissolve the league or just split on their own. This will undoubtedly lead to litigation, which is the whole reason I got into sports blogging. /wankmotion.gif

Talk amongst yourselves.

UPDATE: From the Big East:

The basketball institutions have notified us that they plan to withdraw from the BIG EAST Conference. The membership recognizes their contributions over the long distinguished history of the BIG EAST. The 13 members of the Conference are confident and united regarding our collective future. We have a strong Conference with respected national universities, and are working together to forge the future. We have a variety of options, and are looking forward with great partnership, collegiality and optimism.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Dave Huxtable leaves Pitt for NC State

PittScript Bryan — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:40:44 -0000

At least it's not the head coach this time.

Once again, Pitt will head to the BBVA Compass Bowl with an interim coach, this year at defensive coordinator, as it was announced last night that Dave Huxtable will be taking the same position with ACC foe North Carolina State:

A veteran assistant, Huxtable adds ACC experience to Doeren’s staff. Huxtable, who has also worked as the defensive coordinator at North Carolina and Georgia Tech, agreed to a contract at N.C. State worth $450,000 annually that runs through the 2015 season.

Huxtable and Doeren have not previously worked together.

....

"The more I talked with Dave, the more impressed I was with him," Huxtable said Friday night. "He did a great job at Northern Illinois."

But why leave for NC State? Pitt doesn't release current salary information, so there's no way to verify if this is a raise, but I'd imagine Pitt is paying in the ballpark of a half million for coordinators. Huxtable replaced Doeren at Wisconsin, so while they never overlapped, it seems fair to assume they know a lot of the same people and that's how this match-up formed.

"Coaching style" seems to be the buzz coming from the South Side:

On Huxtable, it's my understanding the move was mutual. DH had a very vocal coaching style, contrasting w/ Chryst's laid-back demeanor #Pitt
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 15, 2012

Similar thoughts are echoed in DiPaola's article, calling his coaching style abrasive:

Huxtable, who often displayed an abrasive coaching style that contrasted with coach Paul Chryst‘s laid-back demeanor, will join the staff of new Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren, who was hired after two years at Northern Illinois. Huxtable will not coach Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 5, but Chryst has not named a replacement.

Obligatory reaction from Chryst and a player:

“We appreciate Hux‘s contributions to our program this year and wish him the best in his new opportunity,” Chryst said in a statement.

Senior safety Andrew Taglianetti said he appreciated Huxtable‘s passion and intensity for the game.

“You didn‘t want to be the one getting yelled at by him, but you appreciated it when it happened,” Taglianetti said. “Even when he yelled at someone else, you fed off it and said, ‘Let‘s get it going here.‘

“That is something North Carolina State is really going to like. He has taught us well these past 14 weeks. I don‘t think we will lose a step for the (Compass Bowl) because of the groundwork he laid.”

Both Pittsburgh papers calling this a mutual decision is not an accident. Whether that's the truth or just what's leaking on the Pittsburgh side of things remains to be seen, but either way, Pitt's losing an astounding defensive coach. Style be damned, I really liked Hux as a coach at Pitt. But then again, I didn't have to work with him.

~~Best of~~ Some amount of luck to Hux in the ACC.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

TJ Clemmings switches from defense to offense

PittScript Bryan — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:39:43 -0000

When T.J. Clemmings committed to Pitt, a lot of positive reaction followed. Clemmings was a four-star recruit out of New Jersey and picked Pitt over Florida, Georgia and Notre Dame among others. At 6'6' and 265 lbs, Clemmings had all of the tools to come into college and immediately make an impact.

But recruiting is an inexact science and the plan to redshirt Clemmings while Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard manned the defensive end position. That plan detoured when Pitt was injuries struck the defensive line and Clemmings was forced to play as a true freshman. He was able to redshirt last season, however, and started several games this season while fighting a lingering back injury.

He was never really the disruptive force this season that many had hoped, but hey, that's what happens when a player has a reoccurring injury. However, Clemmings' time at defensive end has come to an end as he announced today that he's been moved to the offensive line:

"Coach (Paul) Chryst asked me if it was something I wanted to do," Clemmings said Friday. "I didn't have to. He said it was no big deal. I went home, thought about it and thought I'd be pretty good at it, so I figured I'd give it a try. The team needed some help on the offensive side anyways, so I stepped in to try to help the guys out."

....

Clemmings said he's currently playing at 285 pounds. He expects to add good weight during the off season and wants to play around 300.

Though it appeared to be an experimental move at first, Clemmings believes it will be permanent heading into next season. He said he's enjoyed playing the position so far and wants to continue improving.

"I'm going to say it's moving forward in the future," he said. "I would think my coaches think I was going to the future for it, but I'll probably stick with it because I'm liking it so far."

It's been speculated that Clemmings could be a pretty nasty offensive lineman. He has a huge frame and is clearly a superior athlete. But at first glance, I'm not sure I like the move. Next year without Clemmings, Pitt looks like it has four options at end: Bryan Murphy, Devin Cook, Terrell Jackson and LaQuinten Smith. That's a two-deep. If anyone gets injured, Pitt will seemingly have to burn the redshirts of one of the incoming freshmen just to fill rotation.

But this does make one thing crystal clear: The coaching staff must be absolutely horrified by what they have at offensive tackle next year. That's the only reason I could see for moving a starter at an already thin defensive end position and switch him to the offensive line midway through his career. If the coaching staff feels that way, it's with good reason. There is no returning player on the offensive line that right now looks remotely like a starting left tackle on a contender in a major conference. Even if Juantez Hollins comes back from his season-long suspension better than he was in 2011, he still probably has a long ways to go before left tackle is not a cause for serious concern. And that's just one of two spots.

Hopefully Clemmings will do what he has to do, bulk up, learn the position and make me feel ridiculous for worrying about the offensive line. Hopefully.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Pitt home attendance down 10% from 2011

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:42:27 -0000

Pitt's average home attendance in 2012 was 41,494, a ten precent decrease from 2011 and significantly below Heinz Field's capacity of 60,050, according to a comparison done by AL.com.

Only 13 BCS schools reported lower attendance. Seven of those 13 are currently in the Big East or ACC. Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Texas all reported an average of over 100,000.

Losing to Youngstown State week one is an easy answer to Pitt's dreadful 2012 numbers, but my guess is that damage was reasonably blunted by an unexpected win over Virginia Tech. No, the cause of Pitt's double-digit attendance drop should be attributed another six win season and a disastrous offseason, the second one in as many years.

Excuses aside, there is absolutely no reason for Pitt to be behind programs like Purdue, Indiana and South Florida. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Pitt's attendance problem comes down to one thing: winning. Pitt averaged 53,446 in 2009, a year the Panthers rose to ninth in the country and went 9-1 before falling to West Virginia and Cincinnati. 53,000 isn't fantastic by any stretch, but it sure as hell isn't 41,000.

If nothing else, this report will likely give more ammo to those who still blame Steve Pederson for tearing down Pitt Stadium. An on-campus stadium might get a few more students in the stands, but that would surely be negated by a drop in fans discouraged by Oakland's lack of tailgating space, few bars and traffic congestion. There just isn't room in Oakland for a stadium with the amenities currently enjoyed by fans in Heinz Field. It may not be perfect, but it's what Pitt has, and it's a better situation than any other current college program using shared NFL facilities.

Heinz Field is not the problem. Going 20-18 with six head coaches in three seasons is.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

John Johnson transfers to Penn State

PittScript Bryan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:41:34 -0000

Just a few games into the season sophomore guard John Johnson saw the writing on the wall. He had been passed on the depth chart by freshman James Robinson at point guard. Any time at shooting guard was similarly diminished with the combination of Cameron Wright and Trey Zeigler backing up Travon Woodall. So Johnson announced that he'd be leaving the program and this week it was announced that he'd be heading to State College.

Pat Chambers is quietly doing a nice job upgrading the talent at Penn State. He has still has an upward climb, but I think the combination of John Johnson and Shaler's Geno Thorpe could be a small but effective backcourt for the Lions.

Things went south quickly for Flipp at Pitt, who tweeted that he was perfectly healthy after Dixon told the media that he didn't play due to illness. As PennLive notes, not playing defense for Jamie Dixon is usually a one-way ticket to the end of the bench:

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has mandated that anyone who gets run this season must give it all up on defense. After last year's pratfall following the Travon Woodall injury, Dixon made it known that until the Panthers reasserted themselves in the national hierarchy, he was playing the guys who played the best D.

And Robinson was not one of those guys. He's too slight at 6 feet to handle big opposing off-guards and not quick enough to defend most lead guards. With Woodall back and playing at the two-guard, Johnson was headed for bit-part time this season.

I think Johnson was athletically capable of playing satisfactory defense, but just never learned to give it the effort that Dixon demanded. For all his charisma and big plays in Greentree, Flipp never really materialized into a role for the Panthers.

You can now follow John Johnson's career over at Black Shoe Diaries, one of the best collegiate blogs on the internet, despite being about Penn State.

With 13 scholarships and a rotation of usually around eight guys, I never begrudge a player for leaving (EXCEPTION: Birch, Khem). Cardiac Hill wishes John Johnson nothing but success in his time at Penn State.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Newspaper calls Chryst "the front-runner;" buyout reportedly $6 million

PittScript Bryan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:27:49 -0000

Paul Chryst's statement released late last night has apparently done little to quiet the speculation that he may be the next head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Today's Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal calls him the front-runner after speaking with unnamed sources:

"Paul still misses Wisconsin," a source close to the UW program said, adding that the Madison native was the No. 1 choice of athletic director Barry Alvarez.

Chryst's mother still lives in Wisconsin and his middle child, daughter JoJo, is a senior at Madison Edgewood High School. The family still maintains a cottage north of Madison.

"He still misses home," the source said.

Chryst, 47, has guided Pittsburgh to a 6-6 record in his first season as head coach. The Panthers are scheduled to meet Mississippi in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 5 in Birmingham, Ala.

A source said Tuesday it would be difficult for Chryst to leave Pittsburgh after just one season, but the allure of returning to UW might be enough to sway him if offered the job.

Another source close to the program noted the players on the team, most of whom played under Chryst, would be overjoyed to see him return to UW.

He's the obvious choice so this is going to continue until Wisconsin hires a coach. And t drumbeat continues in the Badger State, as columnists call on Alvarez to make the obvious move and hire Paul Chryst. He seems to be the pick with the fans too. And the players. Pitt's best hope is that either Alvarez looks to make an outside-the-box or wants a more established head coach. Either way, the longer Wisconsin's search goes on, the more the fanbase will long for Wisconsin to hire Chryst and be done with it.

In other news, 93.7 The Fan's Greg Giannotti - and current Pitt sideline reporter - tweeted that Paul Chryst's buyout is $6 million. That's a staggering amount, but the Big Ten school may be able to afford it. Each school reportedly got $24 million from the conference's television deals. For what it's worth, new NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who was a defensive coordinator under Bielema before two successful seasons at Northern Illinois, has a buyout of $3.5 million.

Pitt's coaches were busy working the phones last night, reassuring recruits - and fans by extension:

Quarterback Tra’von Chapman, who is the Panthers’ prize recruit from the Class of 2013, said he received a phone call from secondary coach Matt House, telling him that Chryst is not leaving.

“He said they are not going anywhere,” Chapman said. “They are not going to Wisconsin. He said, ‘Spread the word. The rumors are false.’

“That’s great news,” Chapman said.

Paul Chryst is a better person than Todd Graham. That's obvious and undeniable. But there's nothing to prevent him from going to UW and claiming that he never had any intentions of leaving. Nothing out there that could be called a lie if he bolts.

This will not end until Wisconsin hires someone. Alvarez is a smart guy who hopefully had a contingency plan in place. Hopefully we know soon. For our collective sanity.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Several outlets speculating Paul Chryst is Wisconsin's frontrunner

PittScript Bryan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:02:08 -0000

We know nothing right now. We do not know whether or not Paul Chryst is Wisconsin's choice to replace Bret Bielema or whether he'd accept that position if offered. There have been no reports either nationally, locally or in Wisconsin to warrant any sort of panic. At least not yet.

But there obviously is speculation. And it's important to remember that it's just speculation at this point.

Deep breaths everyone. Deep. Breaths.

That being said, I think it's safe to speculate that if Wisconsin offered the job to Chryst there's a seemingly good chance he would likely take it. His ties to the state are pretty solid. As to whether he would be the pick, the Milwaulkee Journal Sentinel consulted, eh, someone?:

A source who follows college football closely suggested UW should approach former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who is in his first season as the head coach at Pittsburgh.

Chryst coached tight ends at UW in 2002, left to join his friend Mike Riley at Oregon State after that season but returned to UW in 2005 as offensive coordinator.

Chryst, 47, still has family in Wisconsin, including his mother, and maintains a cottage here.

Oh God. Please don't let "maintains a cottage here" be the new "he has family here." But besides Chryst's ties to the state and university, there's his relationship with athletic director Barry Alvarez, who really went to bat for Chryst when he was looking to become a head coach. I really wouldn't underestimate that as a factor.

ESPN's Big Ten Bloggers Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett tweeted that Chryst is the logical pick:

Really think Alvarez has to hire Chryst. Wisconsin guy. Wouldn't be looking for next best thing. Knows the offense.
— Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) December 4, 2012

Mark Schlabach of ESPN also speculates that Chryst "is the perfect guy" for Wisconsin. Fantastic.

Our SBN Wisconsin blog, Bucky's Fifth Quarter, also speculates that Paul Chryst is the obvious choice for Wisconsin.

Chris Peak gives us a veiled but reassuring tweet as my blood pressure falls from "dead" to "cardiac arrest.":

It sure sounds like Paul Chryst isn't likely to leave #Pitt, for a variety of reasons. But the next few days will be interesting.
— Chris Peak (@PantherLair) December 4, 2012

Bless you, Chris Peak.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Paul Chryst to Wisconsin?

PittScript Bryan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:36:51 -0000

Should Pitt fans be worried about a potential Paul Chryst to Wisconsin move?

If there was one job that I would be afraid of Paul Chryst leaving Pitt for, it would be the head coach position at Wisconsin. So, naturally, the news that Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas has me afraid. Very, very afraid.

And we as Pitt fans have every right to be. After everything this program has been through for the past few years, this would fit right in. A head coach that preaches what Pitt football stands for leaving for greener pastures. But unlike last season with Todd Graham, I wouldn't be upset with Chryst for doing so. Wisconsin is home for Chryst - he grew up in Madison, went to college there, and recently was the offensive coordinator for the Badgers for 6 years. I would be a little disappointed if Paul Chryst left, but I can at least understand why he was leaving.

Of course, it's not a guarantee that he's going to get up and go after one season as head coach. Remember, Paul Chryst was a longtime assistant, waiting to get his chance at a head coaching gig before Pitt gave him the job. You would have to think, or rather hope, that Chryst would remain loyal to Pitt for giving him his first head coaching opportunity. Following that logic, if you were to pick anytime for the Wisconsin job to open, it would be after Paul Chryst's first year because ideally, Chryst wouldn't bolt for Madison after Year 1.

Regardless, we have every right to be on edge for a while now. I know Chryst is an honest man, but I never thought Todd Graham would leave after one year and I was wrong about that. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm not believing a word out of Paul Chryst's mouth regarding the Wisconsin opening until that position is filled, either by him or someone else. You can thank Graham for that one.

Robert Foster narrows his choice to Pitt and Alabama

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 03:45:15 -0000

Central Valley's Robert Foster has options on where he'll go to college. That's pretty much an understatement. Robert Foster can choose wherever he damn well pleases to spend the next four years of his life. That's what happens when you're ranked as high as the 22nd best recruit in the country. But those choices narrowed Sunday when the talented receiver tweeted that he will pick between Pitt and Alabama on December 21 at Central Valley High School.

That would seem to eliminate Ohio State, who was widely believed to be the third school of interest to Foster. Foster visited the Panthers two weeks ago with other top recruits Dorian Johnson and Tyler Boyd. The visit went well enough to earn a commitment from Johnson, and Boyd recently announced he'll make his decision January 4th.

Alabama and Pitt both have one receiver already committed to their class - Raheen Falkins for Alabama and Zach Challingsworth for Pitt.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Cam Wright has a big defensive second half as Pitt beats Detroit

PittScript Bryan — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 03:19:41 -0000

A few days late after a busy weekend that saw Pitt clinch another bowl berth, but bear with us.

That comeback was thanks in no small part to the defensive heroics of Cam Wright:

"Cam Wright stepped up big-time in the second half and contained him," said freshman point guard James Robinson, who guarded McCallum in the first half. "He really did a great job on him. Cam was playing better defense than I was tonight, so that's what we went with."

McCallum was 5 for 6 from the field in the first half and only 2 for 7 in the second half.

"Their plan was they wanted to give him special attention," Detroit coach Ray McCallum Sr. said. "Pitt is such a great help defense team. It kind of wore him down."

Wright gets a raw deal from fans at times because he's... eh, offensively challenged at times. But Wright was clearly the difference in the second half and limiting McCallum allowed the Panthers to claw back in it.

Lamar Patterson and James Robinson did their part offensively, both scoring nine points in the second half. JJ Moore had 7-and-5.

Pitt's scoring was once again led by - you guessed it - Talib Zanna who scored 16 points going 10-for-11 from the foul line. He added five rebounds and a block to his stat line.

As regular as Zanna is the star of the show, Adams is just as often the disappointment. The much hyped freshman played just 12 minutes and scored only two points to pair with his three rebounds. It's way, way, way, way too early to be disappointed in Adams, but we are inching closer to not worrying about him leaving after a year for the NBA.

What is concerning is that he paired with Dante Taylor for a grand total of two points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of game play. Pitt has been getting very little production from the center position and it seems as if Taylor is at his ceiling and Adams is at least a year away. Unless someone takes a big step forward this month, Pitt is going to be in for a rude awaking against Big East caliber centers.

Pitt also struggled against Detroit's zone, but that's what happens with an inexperienced starting lineup. I'm not particularly worried, although it would be nice to have Nasir Robinson back to put up 20-and-10 in the zone.

Pitt will play the 4-3 Duquesne Dukes Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Five years ago today: Pitt 13, WVU 9

PittScript Bryan — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:45:18 -0000

Five years ago today, Rich Rodriguez's WVU team was preparing to slaughter a hapless Pitt Panthers team that had gone 4-7 on the season. I wasn't there, but I'd have to guess they were feeling pretty confident. And why wouldn't they? WVU had annihilated Pitt two straight years. Pitt had lost earlier in the season to Navy at home. WVU, on the other hand, was running on all cylinders. This was the year RichRod's offensive scheme was a masterpiece with Pat White and Steve Slaton putting up video game numbers all season. WVU was a 28.5 point favorite, and the only question seemed to be whether or not WVU would rest their players before their lead hit five scores. Kirk Herbsteit mentioned before the game that the only problem the Mountaineers would have with Pitt is whether or not they had enough shoes.

But things didn't happen that way. Instead, Pitt's defense played out of their minds in one of the most hostile environments in college football to hold WVU's high-powered offense to just one touchdown en route to a 13-9 victory over the #2 Mountaineers.

Aaron Torres wrote a fantastic article last year about the game and how it forever changed college football. Go read it. But here's the gist: If WVU wins, RichRod stays at WVU to coach in the championship game. Les Miles and LSU don't have a shot at the BCS title game and instead are Sugar Bowl bound. Would Les Miles have then been the pick at Michigan? There were reports indicating that he was.

Further, with RichRod at WVU and the school likely fresh off a national championship, does Western Pennsylvania super-recruit Terrelle Pryor commit to the Mountaineers like many expected at the time? And now for the final mind-bending scenerio: without Pryor at Ohio State, there likely are no sanctions. Would Jim Tressel be preparing to coach his #1 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship game today on their way to meeting Notre Dame in January's national championship game?

There is no spoon. Would all of that have happened? Maybe. Maybe not. But there is no doubt that a 5-win Pitt team dramatically altered the college football landscape.

And for your viewing pleasure, the best video on YouTube:

I love everything about that video. The music is perfect. The clip of the overconfident WVU defender getting in Pat Bostick's face early is perfect. The shots of WVU fans and their sad, sad faces. Perfect.

The runner-up has to be RichRod's sad, sad "nightmare" press conference after the game. Hear those noises? That's Pitt celebrating in the visitor's locker room:

Watch the video, but Chick Finder drew the image vividly in the next morning's Post Gazette:

With Panthers loudly and giddily celebrating in the visiting locker room over his left shoulder, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez struggled from the start of his post-mortem.

He glumly walked into the Puskar Center players' lounge, underneath the stadium's south stands. His hands were plunged in his pockets. He yanked them free to wipe his face once, then twice. He exhaled deeply. He struggled to keep his composure, pausing for 30 seconds as the Pitt din grew louder.

"Well, we're obviously disappointed," Rodriguez began. "Certainly, it was just off all day offensively. ... Just off. Just off.

FSN had a great hour-long special on the game where they mashed up actual clips from the locker room with RichRod's press conference. No idea where to find that video now. I'd love to have a copy.

And now that we live in an era with camera phones, some video of general campus merriment. Hat-tip to the guy at 1:45 who says "Everyone to the cathedral!"

Yeah, Pitt won five games that year. There would be no bowl game for the Panthers. Most of the seniors walked off the field that night to never play again. The Mountaineers went on to handily defeat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to claim their second BCS Bowl win. But knowing that Pitt ruined WVU's shot at their first ever national championship in heartbreaking fashion? That's the stuff of legends. And the legend will always be remembered by one short, now iconic phrase: "13 to 9!"

Hail to Pitt.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

ACC adds Louisville as conference realignment (hopefully) comes to a conclusion

PittScript Bryan — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:57:07 -0000

No one knows whether the conference realignment music has truly stopped, but it's clear that Louisville has a seat no matter what. This morning the ACC presidents voted to invite Louisville to the league, throwing the Kentucky school a life-preserver from the wreckage of the Big East:

BREAKING: ACC votes to add Louisville sources tell @espn. Cards will be 6th team to leave Big East for ACC
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 28, 2012

No indication yet when the Cards will head to the conference, although Maryland's expected departure of 2014 is probably a safe bet. Also no initial indication of what division the Cards will be in or if the divisions will be reconfigured, but renaming the "Coastal" and "Atlantic" might be practical since the league now has teams in Pittsburgh, Kentucky and upstate New York. But hey, Ron Zook coached in the "Leaders" division, so semantics clearly aren't a priority in college football.

So where does that leave the Big East? Last week, the Providence Journal had an interesting story on the non-football members taking their ball and going home:

One constsntly discussed scenario is the seven basketball schools "going out on their own." That won't happen but what is becoming possible is a ``dissolving'' of the conference. According to the Big East's bylaws, the conference can be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of all members. With one more defection, the seven basketball schools would own that voting advantage over the three remaining all-sports members.

Fans of the football schools have given the non-football schools a lot of grief over the years - and much of it deserved - but who can really blame them for not wanting to be part of this monstrosity? The Big East is nothing more than a Frankenstein's monster of Conference USA, recently FCS and Temple. This conference has been dying since the exodus of Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami, and now all that's left is the name (and Temple).

So the ACC now has six teams from the old Big East (Pitt, Syracuse, BC, Miami, Virginia Tech, Louisville) plus Notre Dame. So it's basically the Big East of 2003 with Louisville instead of Rutgers and Temple.

I'm ok with that.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Pitt overcomes sloppy start to handle Howard, 70-46

PittScript Bryan — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:40:25 -0000

With Pitt's loss to Michigan in Madison Square Garden in the books, Pitt likely won't face another true challenge until Cincinnati comes to town December 31st.

Tonight Pitt played like a team that expected Howard to roll over in the Pete. At least for a half.

Whatever Dixon said to his team at half time lit a fire under the Panthers, who overcame a sloppy first half lead of eight to an eventual 24 point blow-out of the Bisons, 70-46.

Lamar Patterson and Tray Woodall led the way for the Panthers with 15 points a piece. Patterson scored his shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, while Woodall struggled from three but made 6-of-7 from inside. James Robinson put up 11 points and led the team with eight assists.

Pitt's inside game continues to be a work in progress, as Adams and Taylor combined for just four points and 12 rebounds. Both Pitt big men looked confused at times and failed make an sort of contribution offensively, a disturbing trend. We're all familiar with Dante Taylor's limitations, and Steven Adams' issues can be chalked up to age and inexperience, but Pitt could be in for some major problems in Big East play unless someone steps up.

Luckily, Talib Zanna once again picked up the slack, scoring 12 points to pair with his eight rebounds. Zanna continues to amaze and make a compelling case that he's Pitt's best player, at least through seven games.

Pitt plays next Saturday night at home against Detroit.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Elite Pennsylvania offensive lineman Dorian Johnson commits to Pitt

PittScript Bryan — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 23:58:58 -0000

The battle for Dorian Johnson has been well-documented on this blog. In many ways, Johnson embodies Pitt's needs going forward. Pitt desperately needs help on the offensive line. Pitt also needs to keep top WPIAL talent home. It got both when the program's huge recruiting weekend landed them a five-star offensive tackle.

Just heard it from the man himself: Dorian Johnson has committed to #Pitt
— Chris Peak (@PantherLair) November 19, 2012

Johnson is the 10th best prospect nationally according to 247Sports, 22nd on ESPN and 187th on Rivals. He picked Pitt over a final three of Pitt, Ohio State and Virginia Tech after decommiting and eliminating Penn State in the wake of their NCAA sanctions. He also held offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Wisconsin, WVU, Maryland, Boston College and others.

SBN's recruiting guru Bud Elliott recently had this to say about Johnson:

Dorian Johnson | Belle Vernon (PA)

Johnson is perhaps the most athletic offensive tackle recruit in the country. The former Penn State commitment has great length at 6'6 and should eventually see his 270-pound frame north of 300 pounds. Johnson is thought to be favoring Pitt, though Ohio State cannot be counted out of the race. The Nittany Lions are no longer a factor after the NCAA bombshell. Johnson has more than 30 offers and would be a major coup for Pitt. The work that Pitt's staff did at Wisconsin with offensive linemen plays a large factor here for Johnson, as does the hometown advantage.

Elliott also added a bit in his write-up of Johnson's commitment. At 6'6" and around 275 lbs, Johnson has the frame is typical of the prototype lineman that Chryst helped mold into all-conference players and high NFL draft picks. Despite being an elite prospect, offensive lineman almost always require a redshirt to adjust to BCS-level football. That being said, given Pitt's lack of depth at tackle, he'll have a shot at the field protecting the winner of the Voytik/Chapman/Kincade battle in 2014.

Hail to Pitt.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt football and basketball.

Mike Young and Josh Newkirk Both Sign Letters of Intent for Pitt

PittScript Bryan — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:57:07 -0000

In case you didn't set up adequate Google alerts, Wednesday was National Letter of Intent Day for college basketball. And while Jamie Dixon isn't done recruiting the 2013 class thanks to a brand new open scholarship a la John Johnson, today was the first day that Pitt's two current recruits - power forward Mike Young and point guard Josh Newkirk - could sign away their eligibility to the University of Pittsburgh. And according to Pantherlair's Matt Steinbrink, both of them did just that.

Young seemed to always be Dixon's to lose since he was an actual high-major basketball recruit from Pittsburgh. The former Shadyside Academy product decided it was prudent to gain exposure as a New Jersey prep school product, but ended up committing to Pitt over Florida. He's a consensus 4-star, top-100 recruit that ranks as high as 56 per ESPN.

Superficially, it's easy to just proclaim Newkirk as a recruit from the ACC stronghold of North Carolina and draw whatever poorly formed conclusions one could from that (Also, Newkirk goes to the same high school as John Wall, so he's pretty much a lock to be the top pick in the draft). The three-star point guard's calling card is his athleticism and should immediately see time backing up James Robinson next season. Newkirk is a consensus three-star recruit

With one scholarship left to go, Pitt likely isn't done recruiting the class of 2013. With one-time top target Beejay Anya off the board and headed to a future ACC foe, Pitt seems to be relegated to "plan B" type of recruits going forward.

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Former Pitt wide receiver Darius Patton dead at age 19

PittScript Bryan — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:54:13 -0000

Extremely sad news this week as former Pitt wide receiver was found dead Thursday morning of a now-confirmed suicide. He was just 19.

The wide receiver from Poland, Ohio, left the team after playing as a true freshman. He made headlines before last season when he collapsed at practice and was hospitalized. No official reason was given for his hospitalization or his departure from the team. He caught six passes for 25 yards during his brief time at Pitt.

Patton is remembered by his local newspaper as inspiration to younger athletes in the Youngstown area:

Patton was a 2011 graduate of Poland High School where he played football and basketball, and ran track for two years. Considered the Mahoning Valley’s top football prospect for the 2011 class, Patton earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.

“I hope people can remember what a great athlete he was, what a great competitor he was and what an idol he was to so many people,” said former Poland standout Luke Wollet, now a junior safety at Kent State. “I hope that doesn’t get lost.

“There’s so many young kids who grew up playing in their backyards wanting to be Darius Patton.”

Pitt SID EJ Borghetti offered condolences on behalf of the university:

“We are all very saddened to hear this news and give our deepest sympathies to Darius’ family and loved ones,” Borghetti said.

We join EJ in offering our thoughts and prayers to Darius' family and friends. Such a tragedy.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics.

Cardiac Hill Big East Basketball Preview: UConn Huskies

PittScript Bryan — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:37:50 -0000

Returnees: Guard Shabazz Napier returns as UConn's leading scorer and sophomore Ryan Boatright should see starter minutes, if not starting altogether. But that's really it. UConn lost Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb to the NBA draft and Alex Oriakhi, Roscoe Smith and Michael Bradley to transfers due to an NCAA-imposed post-season ban.

The most notable departure however, is long-time head coach Jim Calhoun, who stepped down before the beginning of the season due to health issues. He's replaced by assistant Kevin Ollie, a man thought so high of by the athletic department that they signed him to a one-year deal.

Newcomers: With only 10 scholarships to give thanks the NCAA, UConn did an admirable job restocking their roster, all things considered. One-time Pitt recruiting target Omar Calhoun is expected to be an immediate scoring threat from the shooting guard position and was one of the top players out of New York City last year. UConn also added Holy Cross transfer R.J. Evans for backcourt depth. Forwards Phillip Nolan and Leon Tolksdorf round out their recruiting class, but I'm not sure we'll see a lot of either player this season.

Final Outlook: With only ten scholarship players, a post-season ban, and an interim head coach in all but title, UConn won't be the program we're used to seeing year-in and year-out. It's a shame that after so many legendary heavyweight battles between Pitt and UConn the past decade, Pitt's last regular season matchup with the Huskies will likely be so very "blah."

Obglitaory:

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