Pittsburgh football preview!

#29 R.P.I. Pittsburgh @ #27 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Today’s word of the day is… funambulist!

Fu‘·nam·bu·list

(fyo͝o-năm′byə-lĭst)

noun. mid-Latin.
  1. One who performs on a tightrope or a slack rope.
  2. Latin fūnambulus : fūnisrope + ambulāre, to walk.
  3. This V.Tech football program for every single second of the next 120 sporting minutes.

Pitt Head CoachPatrick “Duz” Narduzziage=53, (35-27 at Pitt and overall); has a rep’ for defense, willingness to take risks, stubbornness, and as a quote-machine!
And for being a peaking Mr. November coach.
$1,131,000.oo base with an additional $450,000 in incentives.

Like him or lump him… Duz‘; ain’t, dull!

Baller Narduzzi was a nepotistic collegiate Linebacker his ownself at Youngstown State and then he later transferred to Rhode Island. He holds a Master’s from Miami Ohio after his playing days were finished; .edu props on that.

Coach Narduzzi began his career at Miami University in 1990 where he was a graduate assistant in 199o and 1991 and where he tutored the Wr’s in 1992. From 1993 to 1999 Narduzzi coached back at the University of Rhode Island coaching the Rams Lb’s from 1993 to 1997 and as the defensive coordinator from 1998 to 1999. From 2ooo to 2oo2, he served as the Lb’s coach at Northern Illinois University. He was the defensive coordinator at Miami University in 2oo3 before joining the University of Cincinnati staff as defensive coordinator in 2oo4

At that point… and so the story goes, coach Duz’ tried to leverage Cincy into giving him the head job, and instead wound up at Michigan State as D-coordinator. From 2o11-2o14, Michigan State was the only team to rank in the D-1 Top-10 in total defense and rushing defense alike. I’d say that counts; as does being the coveted 2o13 Broyles Award winner as top assistant coach accordingly. Father (Bill) was the big whistle at Youngstown State, so coaching is in his blood.

Poppa Narduzzi and his wife, Donna, have four children:
Arianna, Christina, Patrick, and Isabella.

2018 record:  7 up and 7 down overall, tho’ 6-2 in A.c.c. and Coastal Division champs!

Pittsburgh Defense: (starters back=4)

  • 11th in Total D!
  • 7th vs. the run!!
  • 41st vs. the throw.
  • 9th in Passing Efficiency D!
  • 97th fewest fumbles recovered. (shew!)
  • 60th in passes picked.
  • 118th in passing yards per completion Allowed!!!
  • 25th in |zone| D.
  • 1st in all the land in Qb’s sacked!!!
  • 10th in Tackles for a Loss (TFL) inflicted!
  • TBA in dLine Havoc. De Patrick Jones II… stud! Seriously, he’s an oversized yesteryear Foster Stud-De. Studly. Studded. An absurd -to the point of questionable- 53-graded Qb pressures says so! That’s Hugh Green territory folks. Stay away from nine-one… and #91 and his fellow gangSTARS are as flexy, swaggy, and cocksure as they come. Kinda entertaining, never dull; and they are playing on straight fire of late. Good sized Pitt dLine, tho’ more parts heighty (all: 6′3″ or mo’) and nimble, mobile and hostile. Dt Jaylen Twyman only records 9.5 Qb’s sacked. He sucks; cut him now! Very quality front-4 in Gap attack.
  • TBA in Linebacking Havoc.  Cam Bright is a feature type of blitzer. Reminds of some of the better 49’er schemed open and came hard on the aggressive red-dog when they did pop free better historically ‘backers {cue: Kenna Turner, et al}. 14 years’ worth of practicing Linebacking experience balls here and they don’t get outta position or make many misQ’s duly. A very very solid second-layer that flirts with being dynamic at times. Not doing half bad for having departed 3 of their Top-2018 Linebacking 4. And as you see below… Pitt will drop their Lb’s just a little deeper. Making them much hard to scrape/fold to… and this tells you Pitt wants them speedy and clean.

    Base fortythree: press edges, Cover-0, outside-ear Ng/Dt.
  • TBA in Secondary Havoc. Really strong bracketing (Cb) work(s) on the edges here folks. Coach Duz’ finally has his beloved/pet set of two Island Corners who get all the Ginger’s and Mary-Ann’s you can stand. A very handy set of Cb’s as deflectors go; who are very difficult to beat; long. Big-J.Holmes Corners if you will. Mafioso Corners, plug them in and: “fuhgeddaboudit”. Not a small secondary, average+++ sized. As both Cb’s start at a lotta A.c.c. places and Cb Dane Jackson starts at nearly any A.c.c. place. As this is a pretty dang experienced defensive backfield by-the-bye. Both Safeties did return, and the starting hind-4 is very schematically well-schooled for it.
  • D overall: 23.63% Havoc Rate overall! With a 10.92% sack-percentage. Meaning your Qb lands on his wallet 11 times in 100 pass attempts —or this D forces you to mess the bed about one in four! This is huge. (film-study): D surely favors the run in any standard down’s situation. Easily committing a magnificent seven of hombres to bum-rush your run-fits. Tells you just how much they trust their islander (Cb) coverage shapes in the spread set era. This will be Hooker’s most severe test, as those 7 keep right on hard-charging northwardly on a pass-fit when it is not a run. Those seven will five-finger discount (i.e. ‘steal’) our Hooker if/when they can too. A physical lot, be that on crash-run-fits or forced blitzing and tacking downfield. Pretty good tacking overall. And by that, I mean this is a strong tackling unit; saw me a surprising number of single-armed stops. When Pitt gets you, Pitt plays for keeps and tends to not let you go. And they tackle late… the secondary or tertiary guy arrives right at the hitting allowance buzzer. Maybe not a late-hit, tho’ it is pretty dang close and he tends to go for intimidation if the first-contact in front of him looks surefire enough. WILD, cur like Panthers roam/prey here. Pitt will kick their Will (Lb) out a little wide, tho’ he’s cooking with CH4 (natural gas) and really covers ground. The trust level they display in their front=4 leaving their 2nd-layer toggled deeper/back even on 4th-n-short is nearly nonpareil impressive. i.e. their four is >>> your five. Pitt hides what little they do use on coverage rolls pretty dang well pre-snap, as they will swap OLb’s to Cb’s just to keep you honest. Tho’ I’d just dance wif who Cb brung me if I were Pitt.
  • ∑ (summary): returning D production=64%. Jones and Twyman are your conflict defenders plural, here. The Panther D has a defensive TD already, tho’ typically they try to keep things in front of them and play the man not the ball. That said, they do remind a bit of early Fostering incarnations… late 1990’s or so, as they smother the run 1st and 2nd. Try to force/create situations where they can pin their ears back and plum ‘git after you’ on blitz fits, red-dogs, and dealings. Whereby they are so creative as to appear to be dealing from the bottom of the A.c.c., deck. The Top-11 is pretty close to lights out; although do be aware they log a lotta minutes due to limited 2019 depth. Three of last year’s top four tackles are also back, led by senior Amir Watts… so Pitt is top-heavy good to great and top-heavy very reliable/experienced for it too.
  • p.s. the vibes say Duz’ has a few rocks in his pocket he saved just for this game! (new rocks; yet to be Deering Hall Geo.Dept.catlogued)

Defensive letter-grade:

Pittsburgh Offense: (returning starters=4)

  • 78th in Total O.
  • 105th in ground O.
  • 39th in aerial O.
  • 99th in passing efficiency.
  • 62nd in completion percentage.
  • 94th in |zone| O.
  • 73rd in sacks allowed | 69th in TFL allowed.
  • O overall: oLine: blindside Ot (Warren) is a sore spot, seems very upfield available upon breaking tape, might moonlight as a roller-skater, or turnstile of sorts. Relatively big ass oLine, tall and strapping healthy-strong looking on film; smallest one tips the Toledo’s at three-ten (310 lbs.). One starter returned and frankly, it shows; and it also altered Pitts play-calling splits quite a bit. Center Jimmy Morrissey has started 23 games for the Panthers; all other returnees have combined for nine starts, and five of those were at another school, {sic: Michigan}. Wr/Te: Maurice Ffrench (QUESTIONABLE, busted jaw; St.Antipas bless!) and Taysir Mack are your hero or go to playars and Pitt does go to them early, often and quite a lot. Wr’s are about average on their metrics; a healthy mix in point of fact. Starters are strong yet depth is pretty thin here due to class of 2019 graduation. Not entirely All-State… the good hands’ people. Rb: 6′, 215 lb., third-year AJ Davis is your 9′ in a cloud of dust proverbial runner for Pitt. He’s okay, and that’s what he has been on the year; although he has been flashing a few signs of late. A.J.D. was ESPN’s no.14 Rb in America, after a dual-threat type Floridian all-star career that brought in a slew of D-1 offers. No Conner or whomever to be found here this year and although the Pitt run-fits may not want for dust although they do lack burst. Lottsa singles and a few doubles nearly so far. And you almost are left wondering if Davis has underachieved just a scosche? Qb:  Qb1 6′2″, 220 lb. t-Jr., Kenny “red-state/carrot-top” Pickett is solid. He does not beat you or beat himself, a nonabusive Qb1 if you will. He can run a bit, and he makes just enough short to shortest-medium plays to move the sticks. Kinda a super Steve Casey of Hokie 1980’s redux fame with a better run-shape. That all being said, Pickett may be the best Dooley era “roll-out style play” redux in the A.c.c. since Mark Cox finished off all of that. He’s very comfortable here, to the point of having an N-S pressuring knack when he finishes extending plays E-W and actually heads upfield. Best I’ve seen at this in a minute, or a season; or three. Unlike last week’s Gah.Tech Qb who was actually worse where the game was being played, this Pickett charges pretty dang well away from home. As Kenny’s completion percentage (somehow) escalates by nearly 7% on the road; his Qb-rating goes up by 14-points and his passing ratio actually goes positive (3:2) in your house. As Ken’ was the no.10 Pro Style Qb in America per 247Sports; even if his scholastic throw-game numbers were decent, not great. Daddy Ken’ some of you will recall was an all-American monsta Lb in his own right so the Pickett’s Family Genome Project is in charge and projects well enough now. He also enjoyed something of a cardiac relief Qb2 tag’ two seasons ago pulling the fat outta the 2017 fire; twice! Ken’ has also suffered something of an 11th-month resurgence after a slumpy looking October. As he has been a season-high 68% Qb in the last fortnight of work. And yet a closer he may not be, as this Ken Doll’s 4Q passing percentage is a 1950’s looking 52% on a negative 1:2 ‘rong way ratio for the final 15-minute duration. He is also a negative 2nd-half rusher on the season (18 in the hole) and yet a stunning +129-yard gainer in the 2nd-quarter when he and his decent enough wheels really burn Orange Belt rubber. Go fig’ on this? That the one neg’ is that he can be in-game inconsistent. That or his good/bad streaks can extend to consecutive games plural. And his last two games have been pretty dang productive, after three-weeks of rather murky Allegheny River football. Tough kid to peg… an F.Gump “…never know what…” type Qb1.

    Panther’s base O package.
  • ∑ (summary): returning O production=64% (film-study): shortest to most medium throw game I’ve seen in a spell. Very moderate on their downfield risk/stretches. O is not quite ‘pass-happy’ per se… although they are throwing more than normative Pitt seasons have in the past— although Eye do suspect this says as much about their run-fits as it does their throw-shapes. Says something about their Pickett-line trust as well. The Pitt O runs a lotta today’s game Spread-Gun sets. Tho’ they have modified 10 and/or 20 personnel looks. Double H-backs, a true(r) Fb hybrid guy, and varying varieties of We/Te toggles and formations. Like using the same play from different formations. Saw me way more sideline works or elementary Outs. With both same-side guys running the same pattern to different depths. Flashy this just ain’t, Norm Van Brocklin it is, tho’ the Pitt O gets the ball out semi-fast on all these horizontally longer sideline looks and Pickett is not bad here; not at all. He clearly has a feel for this. Pitt will go naked oLine and 4 or 5-wide; or wide-side Te. They have a lotta little cuttie ball-fakes after the first give/pinch too. And again; Pickett sells this neediness pretty well. The Pitt oLine is no longer siege-weaponry great, neither are their traditional run fits. Honestly, Eye thought them to be smaller than listed upon breaking take, or at least not entirely; physical. Pitt’s C-pass (snap game) is about what ours was with poor Holt. Tho’ Pickett sure has a knack for making chicken-salad outta pocket-pressure chicken-‘bleep’. He’s very good, darty and even a bit shifty for about 10-15 extending downfield yards; even if he is not a pure housing type burner; he is quick. Kinda like Todd Greenwood on run-game crack. As Pickett may have been a pretty solid Pt.Guard in another life/sport. Picket may not have a Bradshaw long-range arm, tho’ he’s a zippy ‘good hair day’ Bubby Brister out to 30-yards on the ease. Eye don’t mind this vs. our Cb’s and Divine. Eye do mind this vs. DAX, a lame/gimping Ashby and vs. the always willing to cover uneven Floyd. (remember Eye said this men…)
  • 47% run:pass 53% mix. Observe: …a rarified passing matrix tilt. Davis and his catch-game are your secret sauce offender here. Pitt only enjoys one single solitary carry north of 33-yards this season; with only one pure Rb >4.3 ypr. The Panther airwaves have tallied three throws beyond 48-yards and only one of those three grab-guys sees regular P.T. Now notice that Pitt was a 64%:36% rush-team just last season and you begin to appreciate just how much Pickett’s 2019 Charge truly means. As he and Atlas are carrying (see: the pun?) they are carrying this Pitt O on their backs’. As this 2019 ‘does just enough’ offense is a far cry from 2018’s 19th ranked in rushing offense. New offensive coordinator and ex-UMass big whistle Mark Whipple was brought in to help develop Pickett. Whipple is known for mentoring Qb’s, having worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger and former Philadelphia Eagles star Donovan McNabb. Coach Whip’ also being known as a Pro-Style innovator and air force savant. So, this may still yet be an offense in at least a mini-me state of developmental flux. As it sure has gone from being a big-R.Back to a medium-Q.Back centric O.

Offensive letter-grade:

Panther Special Teams: (both return)

Pittsburgh is 121st in Net Punting and so is Kirk Christodoulou. Kirk is yet another (young) Man Down Under. Or imported Aussie punter the same as our own, (per Melbourne, Australia). Kirk goes 6′1″, 210 r-Soph. season lbs. Down in ‘bloody’-‘roo-land, Kirk was a standout Australian rules football player before embarking on his goal to play college football in America. Kirk worked with the renowned Prokick Australia program that has produced many successful collegiate and N.f.l. punters alike. Kirk has a pretty dang healthy leg when he gets it into the pigskin bladder, 27 career punts this season >50 yards and four >70 for his bigfoot career says so. Kirk can and has changed field-position all by his ownself before. Kick also has faked one on the ground this year —that went for negative-seven nowhere. He additionally has a higher off the turf than normal toe-to-leather impact point. Go’on and aim high(er) if you wanna be a blocker, here. Good Punter, will only get better and he prolly does have a Pro’ strength leg: be that N.f.l., C.f.l. or Aussie Rules Football and the southern hemisphere. He just needs some punt-coverage love; as he’s individually improved quite a bit off of a pretty impoverished 2018.

  • 80th in Punt Returns | 122nd in KO returns.
  • 120th in punt coverage | 37th and in suicide-squad.
  • Pitt has blocked 2 kicks and allowed 2 kicks to be blocked!
  • Pitt has blocked 2 punts and allowed 2 punts to be blocked.

Alex Kessman is Pitt’s K1 and he’s not a dull one to watch. As a lotta ‘tude gets copped by this Kicker here. 6′3″, 195 lb. r-Jr. year; and last year Special-K set a school record with four field goals of 50-plus yards during the 2018 season and he also owns Pitt’s all-time mark with six in excess of fiddy for his career! So, leg strength this bionic Lee Majors kicker gots in spite of his spindly looking string-bean frame. Alex is a 2 outta 3 maker this year, although understand that he is also 6 outta 11 from ≥42-yards as Pitt gives him a long-range FG-attempt looksee whereas others will short-punt and just play D. Alex has not less than 40 FGA makes for his three-year starting K1 career, so experience is not wanting either. Admittedly, his make% is not gaudy, tho’ Kessman can tie or win a long-range ½ play game for you when everyone else has to revert to a likely “Fail Mary” heave-ho.

Special Teams letter-grade: clearly the Panther ST’s are a lotta things and dull -per so much social-media -esque blocking- ain’t among ’em. And make NO misQ’s here people, who is to say that this is not a ½ play game at the end of the day? Hokie Punt Returner, T.Rob’, I’m counting on you! C+++.

Unit Rankings:

  1. Pitt D.
  2. VT O/VT D (in order).
  3. Pitt O.

X-factor(s):

  • motive: Push. As this is a Coastal Sweepstakes eliminator for both clubs. EDGE=push.
  • weather: IF, it really does get wet, wetter, wettest or plum soaked? It favors the best frontline which is obviously the Panther defensive front-4. It also, however, injures their play tilt matrix all the more as you already read up above (VT=64% run:pass 36% mix). The actual gridiron savvy among you is already waving your ‘pick me b.street! pick me!!!’ hands here in our indiscreet football laboratory. As this is the largest or heaviest run-tilt in the History of the Fu’fense; ever! You guys already knew that, right? And it will come down to our imported Big-10 or ‘Sota Heavy/Jumbo-Te sets vs. this collegiate Steel City, Steel Curtain. This is a tough one gents… tho’ I have to favor Pitt. Unless: our defensive front-7 inflicts as much (or more) damage on their Western-Pa., pass:run matrix up above. In that case, I favor the Under out on the Vegas big board and if weather.24060.edu sucks? I nearly favor it, huge. EDGE=Under Betting.
  • health/off-field: First time | long time… tho’ Pitt is pretty Wr and Rb beat-up as Cat depth does not (much) exist here. And their injury report is nearly 200%, longer. Size matters, just ask wimminz; everywhere. EDGE=VT.

    Do you see, a; trend?
  • penalties: Pitt is 3rd from last in flagging. You do the indiscipline, maths. EDGE=VT, BIG!
  • intangibles: curiously enuff… for the first time in a long time, we are playing a team worse in the all-important metric otherwise known as: Turnover Margin, than us. EDGE=VT. (tho’ both are pretty dang sloppy at pigskin integrity!)
  • fatigue: Pitt is 24th best in TOP (time of possession) and does tend to wear/grind on you a bit. They are also +2 in the last 9 days of R&R with only 8Q’s of combat since October; and with a likely k.Kong shoe-size junk-kicking contest on the way? This is a J.Major(s) advantage here. EDGE=Pitt (XL).

The winner/survivor of this football game wins/survives because of... what(s)???

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Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of who Panthers who could ‘snarl’ @Tech=11

the takeaway:

note: the de facto odds on a: PUSH.

The takeaway here is…

The Pittsburgh Panthers have gone from playing the role of spoiler to that of first-fiddle or A.c.c. title contender during the last couple of seasons under the highly colorful and likewise highly animated made for sideline cameras Pat Narduzzi.

The Panthers -to their credit- have won a lot of close games while using their strengths to cover their weaknesses, with both changing periodically during Narduzzi’s Keystone state tenure. (this is a telltale sign of an E.A.Poe big-whistle or of a reformatting flexible coach)

***

If you like yesteryear, fitful, fistic, punchy and/or pugilistic football? You’ve prolly come to the right place.

And then this one is gonna actually kick-off.

As the Refs need to watch this one early -and possibly often- and try to keep this one to a slow roil. Because Pitt surely plays to the “echo” of the whistle and they play with a whole lotta newfound swagger, trash-talk, body-language, and gesticulations.

i.e. you either punch first vs. these bullies, or you remain composed and do not deign to lower thyself and play *their* cocksure game. Take thy cultural pick.

permutations:

  1. Δ1=45% that V.Tech wins a hard-fought hard-won game.
  2. Δ2=45% that Pittsburgh wins a hard-fought hard-won game.
  3. Δ3=10% that it takes OT (overtime) to decide this hard-fought hard-won game.
  4. Δ4=100% chance that this is gonna be a very physically needy hard-fought hard-won football game either way.
the optics
Bet the Sunday AM Whirlpool over for both Training Rooms now, thank me; later!

the skinny

Lo.FM (Long-field Management©)

  • Pitt 1st down O: 61st. Pitt 3rd down O: 59th.
    Inclusive. As Pitt is on/off schedule basically dead average.
  • Pitt 1st down D: 19th best! Pitt 3rd down D: 12th!!!
    (per: C.Coleman) Pitt has 21 sacks on third down.
    MAJOR 2-hour snow delayed-scheduling edge to Pitt here.

TTT (Time To Throw©)

  • The Pitt oLine is not quite so bendy as most of the teams that we have recently beaten, upset, or pwned: 73rd in sacks allowed | 69th in TFL allowed. Pretty so-so overall.
  • The Pitt D is 1st in all the land in Qb’s sacked!!! And 10th in Tackles for a Loss (TFL) inflicted. Snap! And they sure have the post-play gyrations/mannerisms to prove it. (because what would mustard do without all these Panther hawt-dawgs?)
  • Gotta think Pitt is gonna throw the kitchen sink at our rookie oLinemen 25/8. The TTT Edge goes to Pitt here.

Forum Guide:
Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide is calling for a ½-play or an FG of a VicTory formation on Saturday. (tho’ Eye must add… the Forum Guide swung wildly in round-robin format this time. Exceptionally uneven results vs. the same opponent; and this tends to suggest another blowout as one or the other fugazi gets exposed).

The total yardage maker comparison between common opponents, however, says that Pitt was a staggering +443 total yards to the good in round-robin formatting. This splits out to an 11-point or about a 1.5 play ‘meow’-mix kinda day.

seasonal metrics:

The two O’s in play are separated by a mere 6′ on the year. Although V.Tech is about 40-yards better in their run-fits with Pitt about 40-yards better on their pass-fits. The Panther D, however, is almost 70-yards better overall purr a nearly equal run D vs. pass D betterment alike.

recent play splits:

In each squads’ most recent 3-games… Pitt is now 12′ better in total O. With V.Tech enjoying nearly the same as above 40-yards worth of rushing superiority and yet 40-yards worth of passing inferiority the same as annually before. Bud Bock, however, has really narrowed the stop-unit gap… as Pitt is now only 8-yards better overall. With V.Tech being about 15-yards better on the ground and the Panthers being about 25-yards better in threw the air.

The most intriguing thingy I found is… Pitt has virtually silently increased, found or outright manufactured nearly +30 bonus rushing yards in their last 3-scrums.
(this could be your soggy-bottom Lane swing-vote to boot)

  • Heading into a mutually deadlocked 60-minute affair vs. U.n.c., these two were separated by ½ a play vs. the very same extra innings opponent (31 vs. 27  in gridlocked regulation points). No matter how many mb’s of Mercury you keep, I serially doubt you can find a better pre-game barometer than this. As this one has: ‘even’ or ‘push’ or getting to 1st-base per a sister-kisser written all over it.
  • V.Tech is averaging 448.6 yards per game since Hooker entered the Qb1 lineup— 111 more than when Willis was running the show.
  • Pitt is courting its greatest rush-defense in a whopping 19 seasons of ball right now!
  • Pitt has won seven of the past 10 meetings, including a 52-22 victory at Heinz Field in 2018. However, the Panthers are just 2-6 all-time in Blacksburg, Va.
  • Pitt enjoys not less than five that’s (5) wins by 1-full play or less this campaign!

Pitt Projected S&P+: 59th.
Panther Projected S&P wins: 5.9 W’s.

the call...

This one is a tough one folks. Gonna be a county fair arm-punching contest and he who punches last very well many LOL last here.

As Pitt -although not technically: dirty- is pretty much the enemy of clean and they have to be feeling no pain about their chances vs. us after what they totally and entirely did in truly physically and mentally wrecking ball type effort vs. us last year in Stiller country.

^this^ is what it looks like when you want NO smoke!

As this will be a very salty affair.

A struggling affair.

A muddy affair.

A fugly affair.


And if the weather does not cooperate it could be a brutal affair in terms of modern era basketball on grass type of made for Telly pinball Spread Formation scoring showcases that everyone less us few remaining purists seem to nowadays prefer.

oOo

3:30 pm tipoff!

Thereby making this one -in extreme particular if/when the precipitation sours- a race to 20… the first team there… wins! And by that, I could very well mean a race to seventeen. Or if the weather is a real live bitch; a baseball game could very well break out in Lane.

That, and how many uva-bullets do we have to spay and neuter this uppity Panther den with to get this penultimate win?

Accordingly… And I get that most view Coach Duz’ as the Gaullist of likeability itself. I did like the weather here, I did like V.Tech @home here, I did like the fact that Pitt cannot go on winning nip-n-tuck games forever here. Tho’ most of all I liked what Chris Coleman special-teams found in his TSL.com preview. I liked that that posits, avers and connotes a hidden-yardage swing in Vah.Tech’s favor.

Of which V.P.I. is gonna need every single centimeter in this proverbial game of inches. As the Panther defensive front-7 really does bugbear me that dang much.

So I will make two predictions… Pitt wins the Box Score (modestly outgaining V.Tech) and yet the Hokiebird hidden-yardage talons these Panthers late; on not more than a single play VicTory. Via knocking Pickett outta the contest. That or Pitt’s superior halt-unit wins the Turnover battle and swaggers their way to a good conduct medal upside ‘rong VomiTorium kinda day. Whereas a cleaner, dressier Hooker mighta put a run in these cats’ hose with just 1 or 2 more developmental games under his current half-season worth of synching-up the Qb1 starting belt.                            ☔

As one side is gonna barely maintain their ambulatory tightrope high-wire routine balance Saturday sans any Coastal sweepstakes netting.

As the winner goes fu’nambulist and narrowly nicks or steals one late, here.
Because… “60% of the time, sex-panther works… every time!”

Stay frosty kittens.
—Starbuck
🐈

upset Index=59%.

#wimps!

Virginia Tech=19, Pittsburgh=2o

LETS GO!

HOKIES!

bourbonstreet**

20 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Your failure to be able to read the tea leaves means that you grasshopper missed it this week. Please. Go ahead and predict a hoo victory while you are at it. If you are playing devils advocate then it is one thing but your analysis is preposterous.

    1. A.c.c.tually, I lean towards hooVa being too limited on O for us at the moment.

      Tho’ let us both agree to reconvene posthumous to Pitt and see how catty our injury list is/is-not?
      i.e. we would beat uva tomorrow in the 11-hole.

      In the 12-hole however is a bit, trickier.

      b.street

      1. Don’t forget the revenge tour is not over yet and that ass whooping we got at Pitt last year has not been forgotten. Edge- VT. I think we can run better than Pitt if needed in the rain. Pitts run is pedestrian.
        “When the day becomes the night and the sky becomes the sea, when the clock strikes heavy and there’s no time for tea, and in our darkest hour, before my final rhyme, she will come back home to Lane and turn back the hands of time.”

        Cheshire Cat revised

        Don’t give up faint of heart- We can pull it out!

    2. Sorry about my tone- you got me mad. You have a good analysis but just like the Fufense in the past, it is not able to see the forest for trees at the moment.

      1. Oh no.
        Not even close on mad.

        Tone=fine. We have no Tone of Service here.

        God Bless/carry on,
        b.street

  2. I do believe you’re buying way too much Pitt D, I see them as a really good D that’s been helped by a pretty middling schedule. Watched the entire unc game, the opportunities were there for unc to hang a lot more than they did, kept missing until the fourth.

    And if the rains come as expected I see us winning easier frankly, 4 to 6 yards at a time.

    We’ll find out in less than a day who’s right.

  3. 4 Field goals and a touchdown? With our sterling red zone record this year?
    Or 2 TDs, an FG, and a safety?

  4. The Pitt DL I watched play UNC wasn’t scary. Good? Yes. And UNC moved the ball very well when they had to late in the game.

    Late in the game, that D was gassed. Edge-VT

    1. Well… how well will our 60% rookies handle these Wild-Cats?

      (recall they really struggled with I.D. and pick-ups early on)
      And Pitt -when they do actually blitz- is nasty on
      the red-dog. Methinks they have seen this and
      will be looking to test, this. Early. Often. Late.

      b.street

  5. One thing that will play a big role in this game is special teams where VT has an advantage. In a game that could be a field position game,Oscar Bradburn is a key. He has the ability to pin teams deep in their own territory. I don`t see Pitt driving 90 yds for scores often with their offense. I could see Pickett throwing a pick or two ala the GT game. Also,Robinson`s punt return abilities could result in a big play or two,especially considering Pitt`s lack of coverage skills.

    1. Agry. Hence I mentioned I do like that up above.

      Fu’ has to beat Pitt here the same as he snuck one -hidden yardage- past w.v.u. a few years back.
      Caveat being… this Pitt D is sneaky itself.

      b.street

  6. Glad you were wrong Bstreet! Happy for Bud re the shutout! Having me some bourbon on a rainy Bama evening … cheers!!

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