Pitt-USF Open Thread
September 29th, 2011 at 8:05 PM ^
It's on espn3.com, for whom it may concern.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^
Should have posted where it was, derp. It's national on ESPN, isn't it? I have it here in Indiana on standard ESPN.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:07 PM ^
...as soon as I can talk my 5 y ear-old into believing that "Dora The Explorer" doesn't look any better in high-definition, but how football does.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^
lolwut. Looked like he just threw the ball away.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^
I was drunk and added a few too many zeroes on this game - Let's go PITT
September 29th, 2011 at 9:33 PM ^
Yuengling beer is available in Ohio October 3rd. Anyone know where to get it? Toledo maybe (as I live in MI.)
September 29th, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^
I actually can't believe that you still can't get it in Ohio. It seems like it's virtually everywhere (at least where I've been and had the opportunity to be in a store that sells beer) now (and has been for the last couple of years). Weird...
September 29th, 2011 at 10:07 PM ^
across from Franklin Park (Sorry, Westfield), has it. If not, Andersons will order you anything you want.
September 29th, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
Appreciated.
September 30th, 2011 at 7:38 AM ^
wow I won money on this game ($10)!
September 29th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^
I see Tony Gibson on Pittsburgh's sideline and they are turning it over...coincidence? I think not.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:19 PM ^
USF beat ND. They should be a unanimous #1 in every poll. If you smelllllllalalalll.... what the Holtz .... is cookin'.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:20 PM ^
Nobody watching the Mich/Minn game from 03 on BTN? Currently enjoying my last Oberon I brought back to TX after the Mich/ND game
September 29th, 2011 at 8:21 PM ^
man the low-def looks bad
September 29th, 2011 at 8:26 PM ^
Wow...Pitt is bad. I wont even comment on their secondary either. They are getting whooped up front already.
Sunseri might be one of the worst returning starters I have ever seen.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:42 PM ^
This is exactly what I thoughtt watching him during the Pitt-Notre Dame game. Sunseri is awful.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
Eh... he was going to get every benefit of the doubt, being a Pitt legacy, and all. Speaking off, though, it is interesting (at least to me) that Vinnie Sunseri decided to follow his dad to Alabama instead of following in his dad's footsteps at Pitt...
September 29th, 2011 at 8:26 PM ^
Did Pitt allot a large portion of the tickets to empty seats? Most of them appear to have shown up.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:34 PM ^
Heinz is decently filled, probably more than average. A 2-2 Pitt team will not sell out at Heinz Field. It's a little like UCLA playing in the Rose Bowl as a 2-2 team.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
they got no hope of ever filling it. Read over on EDSBS that they've had 6(!) sellouts in the 11 years they've been at Heinz.
For shame.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:00 PM ^
First of all, they moved into Heinz in 2001, not 2000, and second, they were damn close to selling the entire allottment for 2010 before Pitt imploded last season.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:13 PM ^
Why did they move to Heinz, anyway? What happened to their old stadium?
September 29th, 2011 at 9:26 PM ^
Before my time (I never followed Pitt before 2007 [enrolled in 2008]) but my understanding was that Pitt Stadium was in need of more rennovation dollars than they felt they could spend with the offer on the table from Heinz Field/ Steelers. I know there are a couple people on the board who can answer better than me, but that's what I've always heard.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:38 PM ^
Huh. For some reason I thought you were a Ford School kid.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:44 PM ^
I transferred from Pitt to SPEA at IU, which is similar to Ford at M. My degree will be a bit different than a student from the Ford School, but probably not different enough to mean different jobs/grad school options.
Ford awards BA degrees in Public Policy, SPEA awards BS degrees in Public Affairs with a concentration (mine is Policy Analysis). I doubt anyone cares, but that's the difference on the ground level.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
SPEA is unquestionably top notch. Are you planning to test the employment market now, or enroll in grad school?
September 29th, 2011 at 10:03 PM ^
Option C for me, I'm applying to USMC Officer Candidate School, hopefully to be commissioned as a Marine Officer in about a year (scary, very scary). Are you at the Ford School, or an alum? That's cool that there's actually someone who shares policy analysis as an interest, very few people (even at school) like it enough to specialize in it.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
I'm applying to the Ford School (MPP) this winter. It's a bit of a reach academically, but I'll know soon enough. I knew you had a public policy/affairs background, so I've been reading your posts more intently than others. MGoBlog is definitely the place to find people interested in obscure brands of nerdery.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
Good luck to you, I know the Ford School is one of the best anywhere, so it's a hell of an honor to be accepted, especially as a grad student. MGoBlog is definitely a place to find people interested in nerdery, but now I wish I was Elinor Ostrom or something so I could actually help MGoUsers.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:56 PM ^
Yeah, the long and short of it is that Pitt had the opportunity to move to Heinz Field and jumped all over it. Mainly because Pitt Stadium was going to need massive renovations in the near future and the campus was running out of space in Oakland. The administration saw a great opportunity to move the football team into a brand new facility and then redevelop the land for other student purposes without having to expend the money to buy the land necessary to expand the campus to make those same additions. Really, no matter which way you want to cut it, it was a financial decision.
It's actually kind of interesting that there isn't a whole lot of "history" written on this subject. A little bit of Google searching did turn up this gem from the Pitt administration trying to "sell" the decision: http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/frequently-asked-questions-about-universi…
September 29th, 2011 at 10:06 PM ^
Sounds like it was similar to Minnesota's situation when they moved to the Metrodome. It seems like these shared college-NFL arrangements don't work out often. I wonder if Pitt fans would agree, in retrospect, that the move "obviously strengthened the football program" and "made Pitt 's traditions better" as the page claims.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
Yeah, I thought that was a complete propaganda line, myself. It don't think this move was ever overly popular with students, fans, players, alumni or anyone not named Petersen or Nordenberg.
September 29th, 2011 at 11:33 PM ^
Actually, they built the basketball arena on the land where the football stadium was. There were huge issues with traffic and parking that were creating issues in Oakland (part of Pittsburgh where Pitt is) that were causing problems for the university and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (now the largest employer in town and a cash cow for the university).
I personally believe the athletic department made a choice at that point that going "all-in" on basketball was the right move and football was a losing battle. It was a great on-campus stadium in an urban environment. As someone who watched games there as a kid, I was very sad when it was demolished and replaced with a cookie cutter, boring basketball arena. This was a football stadium with a great deal of history that was demolished without a second thought. I guess this is what happens when your college is in a pro sports city.
September 30th, 2011 at 12:04 AM ^
Yeah, that's what I was getting at with "other student purposes". I didn't want to just say the Pete because they did build more than just the Pete there, but yeah, the main reason was that they needed the land to build the Pete and the only other option wasn't really feasible.
September 30th, 2011 at 8:38 AM ^
Just dropped a basketball arena (albeit a very nice one) into the footprint of Pitt Stadium. No real adds to parking or space (i.e. no other buldings on the site). If it had been an arena + building +2500 parking spaces, it would have been a win; as it is, more of a draw.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^
"First of all, they moved into Heinz in 2001, not 2000,"
Well, that is true, but the last season for Pitt Stadium was 1999. Pitt played the 2000 season in Three Rivers.
September 30th, 2011 at 8:35 AM ^
1) If 2001 is their first year there, they're in their 11th year of playing there, no?
2) They can tell me 65,050 bought tickets for the ND game, but I'll be dammed if it looked like there were more than 55k there. And last night was another fantastic showing on national TV.
I just wish their fan base was less apathetic. Would have liked to see Pitt in the Big 10, but that ship seems to have sailed.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:27 PM ^
Flipping back and forth watching 2003 Mich/Minn. game on BTN. Shockingly they were decent with the Barber/ Maroney tandem with a running QB. I see running Qbs have plagued us for years.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:39 PM ^
Donovan McFreakingNabb
September 29th, 2011 at 8:28 PM ^
Pitt's offense looks pretty familiar. Yardage eating and TOs included.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:30 PM ^
Not the Panthers, just the city and their fans. I am a Browns fan though, so that is mainly why I hate them. Pittsburgh just is not a college town. The fans show up at the Panthers game just for something to do because that is Steelers town. Pitt games are boring to watch, too, because the crowd is so quiet.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:14 PM ^
I stopped reading after you said this: "I am a Browns fan".
September 29th, 2011 at 8:36 PM ^
I'd forgotten how awesome this college football hustle is to watch live, even between nominally second-tier teams. (Obviously USF is ranked, beat ND, etc.)
September 29th, 2011 at 8:38 PM ^
"thats for real" lol, he sounded so white
September 29th, 2011 at 8:39 PM ^
.....on an interception made after offsides call. Chuckled at that. It somehow set everyone up for roughing the passer.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:42 PM ^
I had no idea Pitt has won 9 national titles, let alone 1.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:52 PM ^
And recognized by a "major selector" in 11 seasons. Pitt claims nine: 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1976.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
I guess I always thought Pitt was a below average to average football program. Well, lately they have been, but I honestly had no idea they won that many titles.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:05 PM ^
Interesting, Michigan also claims that 1918 title. Yost's men went 5-0 that season, beating Case, Chicago, Syracuse, Michigan Agricultural College (MSU), and OSU. Due to war-related travel restrictions and the great influenza epidemic, games against Camp Custer, Syracuse, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Cornell were canceled.