May 18, 2012

Pittsburgh Sports, Opinion and Politics | Just Watch the Game Blog

Blog by John Steigerwald

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GOOD NIGHT FOR PITT

Losing your season opener in overtime is never a good thing.

Or is it? I think Pitt is a better team today than it was last night at 8:00. Tino Sunseri was a better quarterback at 10:30 last night than he was at 8:30.

It will never get tougher for Pitt this season than it was last night in Utah.

It’s easy to see why Utah now has an 18 game winning streak at home. That is one tough place to play and it was an especially tough place for a kid to start his first college game at quarterback.

Pitt’s offensive line didn’t have a good night. There were way too many false start penalties, but, with that crowd and Sunseri’s and their inexperience it’s not surprising.

And it’s not just the five-yard penalties that hurt the offense. The fear of getting one causes offensive linemen to be a little less aggressive coming off the ball and that’s going to effect the running game even more than the passing game.

The loss last night shouldn’t drop Pitt in the stupid polls but it probably will and it doesn’t matter. Pitt is better prepared for the rest of the season because of that loss than it would have been by a 54-3 win over Younstown State.

Related posts:

1. QUESTION FOR PITT AND PSU FANS
2. WHY ONLY ONE STEELERS QB?
3. ANYBODY SEEN THE GREAT 8?
4. PENGUINS STILL LOOKING FOR SWITCH?
5. 2010 NOT A GOOD YEAR TO BE A STEELERS QB

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Date: September 3, 2010

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• Reply

  Dannyboy

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 10:38

  That is an optimistic way of looking at the loss. How would rate the offensive and defensive game plans? too conservative and below average are mine……

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 10:57

  With a quarterback making his first start in an atmosphere like that, I don’t know how you could be anything but conservative on offense. Sunseri may never play in a more hostile environment. It was a great first game for him. I don’t know if the defensive game plan was too conservative or if it just didn’t work because Utah played better. Utah’s biggest play came on a blitz, by the way.

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• Reply

  Joe Bunda III

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 10:42

  Wow, an interesting NCAA game in early Sept. It’s a shame that Pitt walks away with a loss but the team is better served by that loss than beating up a turkey. Show me a real game any day.

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• Reply

  Erik

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 10:45

  What happened during the last minute in the first half after the interception? they had at least a minute left on the clock and they choose to let time expire with two time outs remaining. Was there an explanation for this?

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 10:58

  At that point Pitt had survived what looked like a total meltdown. Wannstedt obviously wanted to get to the locker room and re-group. Which they did, by the way.

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• Reply

  Chris

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 12:40

  It’s because Wannstache is a pussy who always plays not to lose instead of to win….the guy is a heck of a recruiter….but a Terrible coach. And one thing i need to get off my chest….Dom Deccico is THE WORST safety i have ever seen hands down….dude couldnt cover me and i weigh 300lbs….i think if he got in a foot race with Casey Hampton, Hampton would leave him in the dust…..it’s a shame if that is the best we can put back at the safety position.

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• Reply

  David McGwire

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 10:23

  DiCicco missed most of the game with an injury, Chris. He was second team all Big East last year, I think that would mean he’s probably not the worst safety you have ever seen.

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• Reply

  Gary M.

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 11:01

  Did you see the personal foul taken by the linebacker Mason? Wanny does the right thing and pulls the kid out to cool him down and then after he comes back in, he just keeps going back and knocking the QB down well after he has released the ball just begging for another flag.
  I sure hope he learns to keep his emotions under wraps in the future.

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• Reply

  Mike V.

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 11:26

  I saw the last quarter of the game after leaving the Carolina vs. S. Miss game at half because it was getting out of control. Sure wish I had a reason to stay four quarters. The Pitt game was a four quarter game and then some. The fans got value from the tickets they purchased. It was probably worth the investment in time watching the game for four quarters. Just think if the NCAA forced BCS teams to play only BCS teams…games like that would be on all weekend the first week of the season.

  Pitt had better talent than Utah. Utah runs the spread offense which is the great equalizer in football.

  The most disappointing part of the game was Utah getting the ball on a turnover in OT and promptly running the ball down the throat of Pitt’s defense. Pitt had the ball at the end of the game, they had the rest time between regulation and OT, and Pitt had the ball for one play. They should have come out rested and at least forced a 35+ yard field goal. They sort of gave up after the OT interception.

  Pitt is a good team and will rebound nicely.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 11:49

  I can’t believe that there are people out there who would have rather have seen Pitt blow out Kent State 63-0.

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• Reply

  Chris

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 12:42

  *Raises hand*……….Sign me up for the 63-0 blowout.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 13:07

  Why?

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• Reply

  David McGwire

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 10:26

  I agree with Chris, I’m tired of seeing Pitt lose at the last second…West Virgina, Cincy, and now Utah have all done it to them in their last 5 games. It makes me sick.

  A 50 point blowout this week won’t make me feel the same sickness at all.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 12:26

  I’d rather watch the game we saw in Utah than a 50 point blowout,

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• Reply

  Adam Lynch

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 12:28

  I agree. That was tough place to play and Tino improved as the night wore on. I’m not sure how many teams in the country can go into Utah and come out with a win in their season opener.

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• Reply

  Rob H.

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 13:36

  Pitt will be 1-3 after four games. Miami will trounce them at Heinz Field.
  Penn St. will get a needed scrimmage before they play a RANKED team on the road.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 14:19

  Wonerful. Let me know how that YSU “scrimmage” turns out. I can’t believe that 100 people would want to watch it much less 100,000. Of course, if not for Joe, Pitt and Penn State could have played each other this weekend, but who wants that when you can have the YSU Penguins in town?

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 15:05

  Sorry to say this, but unranked Utah hardly looked like a “good” team on Thursday night. I’d say Pitt has a ways to go before it can be considered a “ranked” team…

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 15:31

  18 in a row at home 8-0 against the Big East. Rankings bore me. I think everything that happened and where it happened will make Pitt better.

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 17:31

  Utah tried like hell to hand Pitt the game, but Pitt wouldn’t/couldn’t take it. While rankings bore you, teams’ past accomplishments bore me. This is 2010, and the Utes weren’t very good on Thursday night.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 19:04

  Pitt turned the ball over, too. That game could have been a blowout with the way things went in the 2nd qtr. We’ll see how good Utah is the rest of the way–see who beats ‘em at home.

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• Reply

  Mike V.

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 07:52

  The Utes were good when they need to be good. That’s how you win close games. A play or two goes differently, we are having a different conversation.

  My concern with DW has always been about his style of play. It’s a product of a time long gone. New players or not, he has always been too NFLish. Thursday night we all saw how a spread offense can neutralize a team with better players. Texas almost beat Bama last year with a freshman QB running the spread offense. It works. DW is a good coach at what he does. The problem is, what he does doesn’t work any more.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 14:09

  It’s one game into the season and they lost by 3 in OT to a team that had won 17 in a row at home. Let’s see how it plays out.

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• Reply

  David McGwire

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 10:28

  Utah is a better team than Penn St.

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 6th, 2010 @ 08:51

  Utah is better than Penn State? Real mature.
  I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Alabama is probably better than Utah, and that Ohio State is probably better Rutgers, and that Michigan is a wee-bit better than UConn.
  The Big Least didn’t do so well on Week 1, did it?
  To all the Pitt fans (both of you) who seem so concerned with Penn State, better stay focused on your own team. I see trouble looming for the both of you.

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• Reply

  DavidMcGwire

  in September 7th, 2010 @ 07:50

  Penn St. will probably lose 4 games this year.

  And their coach referred to playing Alabama as similar to “when the boys stormed normandy.”

  He also called facebook….facemask.

  When he talks not all I think is…..Ohhhh Grandpa!

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 7th, 2010 @ 10:01

  He’s been fattening up his record by beating cupcakes and second tier Big Ten teams. His record against the upper level Big Ten teams is horrendous.

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 09:34

  Rob H.: Make that 0-4. I think you’re overlooking those always-dangerous, giant-killing New Hampshire Whachamacallits.

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• Reply

  Mike_NC

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 14:10

  I thought some of the playcalls were too conservative or just didn’t make sense, but really the biggest problems were the supposed strengths of the team: the defense and the running game. The defense couldn’t stop Utah and the offensive line missed numerous blocks all night.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 14:20

  I think it was an inexperienced offensive line dealing with silent counts in a really loud stadium.

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• Reply

  Mike_NC

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 15:07

  Agreed. All that aside, what a good game to watch, even with all the infractions. It was a roller-coaster. Much better than a usual first game in college. Now if they’d only implement a playoff…

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 15:31

  The motion penalties were to be expected.

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• Reply

  Clifford Claven

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 16:29

  Pitt had a chance to win in regulation, but got super conservative and accepted overtime when they could’ve gone for the win. Instead, they took their chances in overtime in a hostile environment with a QB making his first start. Utah appeared to be the better team all night, and they’re not even ranked.

  At some point, Dave Wannstedt needs to be called out for losing games he needs to win.

  When you’re conservative to a fault, you end up playing in a lot of close games. Close games with a coach who struggles with X’s and O’s? Not a good recipe. Dumb Dave should be put in charge of recruiting but removed as head coach immediately. He simply can’t coach. (see: Wannstedt quits on dolphins, Wannstedt ruins Bear, Wannstedt can’t win must-win games at Pitt)

  The local media coddles Dumb Dave because he’s a nice guy. That’s great. But the truth is, the guy gets outcoached consistently.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 19:02

  Yeah. He was outcoached when Sunseri threw that interception. There’s another team out there and it now has an 18 game home winning streak. How many of the previous 17 victims had dumb coachea?

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• Reply

  Clifford Claven

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 20:28

  Smart coaches play to win and settle for overtime. Dumb Dave played for overtime (on the road vs. a team that had outplayed them all game). Big difference. Pretty stupid.

  Pitt is supposedly loaded with talent, yet lost to an unranked team. At some point, the coach needs to be held responsible. As for those 18 wins in a row at home you cite, it’s not like Utah is playing SEC teams. 8-0 vs. the big east? Who cares? This year we’ve been told Pitt is loaded, so who cares what Utah has done in the past vs. teams that weren’t loaded (like this years Panthers!!!!)

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 21:03

  Was Pitt playing for a tie with that long pass to Baldwin that was called back? Sunseri was making his first start. You saw what he did in OT. He could have done that trying too force the issue at the end of regulation.

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• Reply

  Clifford Claven

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 07:44

  The pass to Baldwin you’re citing was a fluke because there was no defender there. So much of a fluke that it was called back because Pitt wasn’t even lined up properly (and they were subsequently penalized).

  Sunseri was scorching hot throwing the ball until they got to about the 12 yard line or so. That’s when Freddy Flintstone pulled out his playbook from 500 B.C. and played for overtime.

  He let the hot hand cool down just enough that Sunseri’s first pass in O.T. got intercepted.

  Again, we can make excuses all we want, but the bottom line is that this loaded, talented team just lost to an unranked team. Wannstedt, once again, can’t the games he needs to. Wait, I forgot, he did beat UNC in a bowl game last year by 2. Even though UNC sucks, that was still great! Hopefully Dave got a lot of high fives from the media after that brilliant bowl game victory.

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• Reply

  DiscoDan

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 23:10

  “Sunseri was scorching hot throwing the ball until they got to about the 12 yard line or so. That’s when Freddy Flintstone pulled out his playbook from 500 B.C. and played for overtime.”

  Yep. And then they throw on the first play? Dumb.

  Every big game Wanny looses is the same thing:

  Early on they think it’s 1976 and they try and run the ball.

  They’ll get behind, have to throw, and get back in the game only to fall short.

  Wanny should have been canned 5 minutes after his team blew a 31-10 lead at home in a championship game last season.

  He can recruit, but then he doesn’t use his talent like he should because they play simple minded power football to appease the boosters.

  Wanny needs to adapt to the college game, Get a legitimate QB and tell him he won’t have to hand off 30 times a game.

  The program has made no progress since he got here, and in some ways, it’s worse.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 12:24

  Let’s see where Pitt is in December. It’s not even Labor Day yet.

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• Reply

  David McGwire

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 10:35

  Cliff, did you watch the game? Dion Lewis got banged up on his last run of regulation, how do you know how he felt in overtime enough to critisize the play call? Also, Sunseri made a rookie mistake by locking on to Shanahan that first play of overtime and the defender jumped the route. That happens and has nothing to do with the play call. Utah has won 9 bowl games in a row, including beating Alabama two years ago. There aren’t too many teams that could go into that environment and win the first game of the season. Pitt lost by 3, which is what the experts predicted would happen. Let’s not talk like their Ole Miss who got beat by Jacksonville St. in overtime.

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• Reply

  Karl Marx

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 17:54

  I love Wanni and play in his golf outing every year BUT,,,this one is on him and the entire coaching staff. If you hang your hat on D like Dave does you have to be able to at least slow down the spread. If they make any big stops last year vs Cinci they win the Big East. Lets wait to see how good the utes are before we say it was a good night. I think we will look back at the end of the season and feel like Pitt really let one get away,,,the utes are not a good team. ALSO: I agree with Chris,, Dom Deccico sucks big time.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 19:06

  Utah is obviously a tough place to win. Let’s see how many teams win there.

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 4th, 2010 @ 06:24

  John, you also forgot to mention that “the best running back in Pittsburgh” was held to a career-low 75 yards … against a rebuilt defense, no less.
  Maybe a tune-up game, against a Division II patsy, might’ve helped Dave Bumstedt look a little smarter.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 7th, 2010 @ 19:40

  Mendenhall’s spin move would have gotten him an extra 100 yds I’m sure.

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• Reply

  Karl Marx

  in September 3rd, 2010 @ 21:59

  It doesn’t matter how many teams win or lose at Utah. Lets see where the utes stack up at the end of the year. If they are not in the top 15-20 and are a CFB afterthought then it was a bad loss. I don’t care how many scrub teams that the utes beat at home they are NOT a top program. If Pitt had lost at Ohio State I would chalk it up as a good night. At Utah? No way…Pitt has talent hence they must win that game. This isn’t the garbage Walt Harris had to work with,, this team has some big time players. They didn’t win and it falls directly on Dave and the coaching staff. Dave is a great guy and a helleva recruiter but he is not a very good game day coach. It pains me to say that but he had months to prepare for the spread and still couldn’t even slow it down.

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• Reply

  Rooster

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 10:36

  Last I checked, that wasn’t Wannstedt on the field missing tackles or blocks or being caught out of position. Maybe the problem wasn’t the game plan or preparation, it was the execution. Utah may not be a top program, but they exploited Pitt’s weaknesses at LB and interior OL, and Utah’s OL dominated Pitt’s vaunted DL. The way Pitt’s defense is built, if the DL can’t pressure the QB, they’re in trouble. Pitt is a good team, but they have holes to fill.

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• Reply

  Rob H.

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 03:25

  ya only post what ya wanna post even if you’re wrong? guess it’s your site.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 12:25

  No idea what you’re talking about,

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  Richard

  in September 5th, 2010 @ 13:38

  Utah IS a good team. They were favored by three and won by three. Pitt could have and should have won that game, but give Wanny a little credit. New Hampshire was supposed to be the season opener this year. Wanny told Peterson that he wanted Utah first. How many other teams in the top 15 are going on the road, across two time zones, to play another ranked team? How many schools are taking that gamble?

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• Reply

  Bobzilla

  in September 6th, 2010 @ 08:52

  I think I know what he’s talking about.

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• Reply

  JohnSteigerwald

  in September 6th, 2010 @ 09:43

  That’s nice. I still don’t.

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  Ochotexto

  in September 7th, 2010 @ 11:17

  Tino did a good job considering it was his first start., the pass in OT aside. I think Pitts bigger problem is on defense. Their linebackers and safeties are way too slow. Anyone who watched the Cincinnati game last year witnessed that pitch and catch demo by the Bearcats. I’m sure other coaches saw that film and developed match ups to expose it. #31 looks like he’s running in quicksand., where was Tags ? I think QB is not their main problem., until they shore up that defense I see more games like this down the road. Utah is a midlevel Big/Pac 10 team at best.

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