NEXT PANTHERS GAMEDAY:Signing DayFebruary 3rd 2010 Buy Pitt Tickets  
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 Posted on January 20th, 2010 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Pitt’s ascending football program will be well-represented in two college football all-star games that will take place later this month and serve as a showcase for prospective NFL talent. Three performers from the Panthers 10-3 squad will participate in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. Cornerback Aaron Berry and tight end Nate Byham will play in the East-West Shrine Game this Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. All-American Tight End Dorin Dickerson will participate in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Kickoff for the Senior Bowl is Saturday, January 30 at 4 p.m. The game will be televised by the NFL Network. Berry, Byham and Dickerson were integral parts to Pitt’s solid 2009 season. Berry notched 31 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and an interception during his 2009 campaign. He was selected to the all-Big East squad for the second time in his career following this season. Byham was also named all-Big East this year, also his second for his career. Although his 10 catches for 108 yards were not eye-popping statistically, he was a devastating blocker and helped provide the platform for Pitt’s conference-leading ground attack (180.3 yards rushing per game). Dickerson emerged as a big-play threat in 2009. His 10 touchdown receptions set a new school record for scoring grabs in a season. The senior from Imperial, Pa. finished the year with 49 catches for 528 yards. He was named to the 25-player All-American Team selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Dickerson is the first Pitt tight end to earn All-American status since Mike Ditka did so in 1960. He was also a finalist for the John Mackey Award and named all-Big East this season. The Panthers finished no. 15 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. Pitt ended their season with a dramatic 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Posted on December 9th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Three Panthers recently received top Big East player awards for their performance on the field this season. Freshman running back Dion Lewis was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while junior defensive end Greg Romeus and senior defensive tackle Mick Williams shared the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award. Lewis set the conference ablaze with 1,640 yards rushing to go with 17 touchdowns. He leads the Big East and is third nationally in rushing yards per game (136.67 avg.). The Albany, N.Y. native is the most prolific freshman ground gainer in conference history. He stands 46 yards shy of Tony Dorsett’s 1973 mark of 1,686 yards rushing. Lewis’ 102 points is the new record for points scored by a freshman, overtaking LeSean McCoy’s 90 points set just two years ago. Former Pitt receiver and current Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald earned the conference’s offensive player of the year award in 2003. Romeus led Pitt’s fierce defensive line with 40 stops, including 10.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks. The Coral Springs, Fla. native also has two forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and one blocked kick. Williams was a dominant force in the middle. The senior from Monessen is second in the conference in tackles for loss with 15. He also has three sacks and three forced fumbles to with his 39 total tackles. Former Pitt linebackers H.B. Blades (2006) and Scott McKillop (2008) also garnered conference defensive player of the year awards. The Panthers also had 10 first-team all Big East selections overall. In addition to the unanimous selections of Lewis, Romeus and Williams, other Panthers included on the first team were sophomore receiver Jonathan Baldwin, senior cornerback Aaron Berry, senior tight end Dorin Dickerson, senior linebacker Adam Gunn, senior offensive guard John Malecki, junior offensive tackle Jason Pinkston and senior quarterback Bill Stull. Second team all-Big East included senior tight end Nate Byham, junior safety Dom DeCicco, junior placekicker Dan Hutchins and senior defensive tackle Gus Mustakas. Notes: Three members of Pitt’s coaching staff were selected as finalists for the FootballScoop.com Coaches of the Year award. They are offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, offensive line coach Tony Wise and Director of Football Operations Chris LaSala. Posted on December 6th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Contrary to what many esteemed football experts based in Western Pennsylvania may say, the Pitt Panthers still have much to play for this season. Yes, the Panthers are heading to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte later this month against North Carolina on the heels of two painful losses by a combined four points against West Virginia and Cincinnati. Yes, a BCS berth in the Sugar Bowl was taken from them by Mardy Gilyard, Tony Pike and the rest of the Bearcats on Saturday. And yes, it is well known that Pitt’s fan base may very well not make itself known in Charlotte the day after Christmas this season. But this season still has some life and can still be deemed a success if the Panthers beat the Tar Heels in front of what will assuredly be a pro-North Carolina crowd in Charlotte. Pitt has won nine games for the second consecutive season for the first time since the early 1980s. Coach Dave Wannstedt has the program on its feet and running in the right direction. Critics will say they still have no signature win in the Wannstedt era. But this program has won 18 of its past 24 games and is established as a Big East contender for years to come. Recruiting is at an all-time high and as a result; an improved talent base is in place. BCS berths and big wins are closer to the program more so than they were in the dark ages of the 1990s and early 2000s. Pitt’s defensive line established itself as one of the premiere units in the nation. The Panthers racked up 45 sacks this season, 36 of which came from the defensive front. Seniors Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas will move on following the bowl game. But ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard are juniors and will probably return. Talented tackles Myles Caragein and Chas Alecxih along with ends Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale are also slated to return. Linebackers Greg Williams and Max Gruder made strides this season. Talented Dan Mason will take over for departing senior Adam Gunn. No drop off will be expected from the linebackers. The secondary will lose corners Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel. Safety Jarred Holley may shift back over to corner to assist with man coverage. Safeties Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields each notched three interceptions and both will return. Fellow safety Andrew Taglianetti is slated to return following his knee injury. Antwuan Reed, Buddy Jackson and Ricky Gary will fight over the open cornerback positions. Pitt will miss the services of quarterback Bill Stull. The fifth-year senior threw for 2,470 yards with 21 touchdowns. He had a marvelous season following an erratic 2008 performance. Now offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has the chance to mold Pat Bostick or Tino Sunseri into a similar, if not better player in 2010. Who ever gets to start at quarterback will get to throw to the sensational Jonathan Baldwin. The sophomore nabbed 54 receptions for 1,080 yards and eight scores. Although seniors Cedric McGee, Oderick Turner, Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson all move on, players such as Mike Shanahan, Cameron Saddler and Aundre Wright will have a chance to step up in 2010. Pitt does lose three starters along the offensive line in guards John Malecki, Joe Thomas and Robb Houser. Tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix will return. Reworking the offensive line will be a priority after the bowl game and in the spring. The Panthers do return their biggest weapon in running back Dion Lewis. As a freshman, Lewis shattered school records for rushing and scoring with 1,640 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns. His 47 carry, 195 yard, three touchdown performance against Cincinnati was simply remarkable. The explosive Ray Graham will also return and spell Lewis. He could start for any other team in the conference or across the country. Fullback Henry Hynoski will also be back clearing the way. Not all is lost for Pitt this season. A win over the Tar Heels would give the Panthers 10 wins for the first time since 1981. Ask any Pitt fan in August if they would accept a 10-win season as a success, most likely they would say yes. With the returning roster in 2010, another similar season could be in the offing, making the future of Pitt football still very bright. Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey The building blocks of a program can fulfill the promise of creating a championship-caliber football team with one more win. Eighteen seniors will play their final game as a Pitt Panther at Heinz Field Saturday when they take the field against the undefeated and fifth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats in what amounts to a de facto Big East title game. These seniors came to Pitt four years ago with the goal of creating a championship contender. There were the lows of a five-game losing streak to end a once-promising 2006 season to the highs of a shocking upset of West Virginia in 2007 in between then and now. Players such as the highly-recruited tight ends Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, along with quarterback Bill Stull, receivers Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee; offensive linemen Joe Thomas and John Malecki; defensive tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas and cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel all contributed to turning the Panthers into a tough-minded outfit that coach Dave Wannstedt envisioned the program becoming when he arrived in 2005. Now, this group has a chance to leave its mark in grand style and bring a conference title and a coveted BCS berth. “It’s probably the biggest group of seniors that we have had since I’ve been here,” said Wannstedt. “Most of these kids are guys that came in as freshmen during that first full recruiting season when I first came to the university. So it’s been really neat seeing these kids grow as young men and also become better football players and build this program back up.” This group of seniors is known for its leadership. That was evident in the waking moments following last week’s loss at West Virginia. The squad got together for meetings and practice the very next day, which was scheduled as an off-day for the team. “These kids were in here bouncing around this weekend getting ready to play in this game,” said Wannstedt. “They’re looking forward to playing this football game.” Wannstedt said having a large contingent of senior leaders on this team will allow for the Panthers to remain focused and keep their eyes on the prize: a Big East title and a spot in a BCS bowl game. “It’s an opportunity to play their last game in front of a home crowd, a sell-out crowd, on national TV and ultimately play for the Big East championship,” said Wannstedt. “It’s a great script for our football team. It’s a great script for our seniors. Now, we obviously have to take care of business to make sure we are prepared to go out and play the best game that we’ve played all season.” It is hard to imagine that these senior leaders will not make that happen. Posted on October 26th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey The Pitt Panthers appear to be on the precipice of a very special season. Pitt’s 41-14 destruction of South Florida at Heinz Field on Saturday signaled to the Big East and the rest of the country that this outfit of Panthers is loaded and ready for a BCS run. The offense scored on their first five possessions and never punted. At times, the offense resembled the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback Bill Stull simply dissected the Bulls defense with an 18-of-25, 245 yard, two touchdown performance. Stull spread the ball to eight different receivers and was never sacked. In fact, Pitt’s offensive line was so dominant; it appeared Stull had enough time to down a sandwich and beverage before picking out a receiver. Tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix, with help from tight end Nate Byham and fullback Henry Hynoski, shut down South Florida’s prolific defensive end duo George Selvie and Jean Pierre-Paul. The line also blasted open holes for Dion Lewis all game long. Lewis finished with 116 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. Lewis’ running mate Ray Graham joined the party with a solid 11-carry, 88-yard performance. Pitt rolled up 214 yards running, giving the Panthers two consecutive 200-plus rushing yard performances. Sophomore Jonathan Baldwin again displayed the skills that make him the likely heir to the wide receiver throne previously held by the likes of Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald. Baldwin abused the South Florida secondary to the tune of six catches and 144 yards with one score, a 40-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Tight end Dorin Dickerson contributed five receptions for 58 yards and a nine-yard score. The senior from West Allegheny High School now leads the nation with nine touchdown receptions. Pitt’s defense turned in yet another dominant performance. South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels was held to 104 total yards. He was sacked twice and intercepted twice and was pressured all day by Pitt’s athletic front seven. But the true star that has not been recognized enough is first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. Cignetti came on board the Pitt staff in the off-season after a successful run at California. The Western Pennsylvania native came home and is the architect of perhaps the Big East’s most complete offense. He continues to show a penchant for getting the ball into his playmakers hands. Performers such as Stull, Dickerson, Baldwin and Lewis have exploded onto the scene. Others such as Byham, Graham and receivers Mike Shanahan, Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee are also more than capable to make plays and will assuredly so later this season. The offense has truly taken off and has shown more explosiveness than the days of the pass-happy Walt Harris era. That is a scary prospect for the remaining four Pitt opponents. Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was in this same position in 2006. The No. 20 Panthers enter Saturday’s Homecoming tilt against South Florida with a 6-1 record and aspirations of a Big East conference title. Pitt is also rolling along on a three-game winning streak that includes victories of Connecticut and Rutgers, two programs that have given the Panthers fits during the Wannstedt era. The scenario Pitt faces Saturday is not much different from what the Panthers encountered three years ago. The Panthers were also sporting a 6-1 record. They too had a Big East title run on their minds. But standing in their way was an upstart Rutgers squad that was unbeaten and in possession of a bruising running game and rock solid defense. Pitt saw their season unravel that late October 2006 evening at Heinz Field. Rutgers running back Ray Rice gained 225 yards rushing and led the Scarlet Knights to a convincing 20-10 win over the Panthers. The Panthers never won another game that year and finished with a disappointing 6-6 record which included a 2-5 mark in the conference. Fast-forward to 2009, Pitt again has a big home game against a quality conference opponent and again they are looking to start a season 7-1 for the first time since 1982. However, it appears that the Panthers are much-better equipped to navigate the meat of their schedule. The 2006 edition of the Panthers were simply not strong enough to handle the likes of Rutgers, West Virginia and eventual conference champion Louisville. The young defense was pushed around the field by the Cardinals, Scarlet Knights and Mountaineers. While the defense collapsed, the offense could not sustain enough firepower to keep up. First-half leads melted away and the Tyler Palko-led offense could do nothing to stem the tide. Current Panthers such as quarterback Bill Stull, offensive lineman John Malecki, defensive tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas; along with tight ends Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham and receivers Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee were freshmen in 2006. They all have prominent roles into Pitt’s 2009 surge. They all remember what happened in 2006. They clearly do not want a repeat. Wannstedt remembers the 0-5 skid that cast a pall on the 2006 season. He does not expect that to take place again. “If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have remembered to be quite honest with you,” Wannstedt told the media earlier this week. “We hadn’t beaten Louisville since 1983 on the road. We hadn’t beaten Rutgers in five years. And we did it. So this is a different football team. It’s a different year. Those things really have no bearing on what we are doing.” The Panthers have displayed a tremendous amount of grit and resolve the past two weeks. They came from 15 points down to beat a solid Connecticut team at home and traveled on the road to defeat a Rutgers squad that tormented the Panthers since 2005. The Panthers are stronger, more athletic and deeper than in 2006. They will not waver in the face of adversity as they did in the early days of the Wannstedt regime. Pitt came from behind to beat Notre Dame, South Florida, Iowa and West Virginia last season. They have shown the same resolve at times this season. Even as South Florida, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati await, do not expect another Pitt collapse. Expect a strong finish and a run at their first conference title since 2004. Posted on October 12th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey One thing has become perfectly clear this season for the Pitt Panthers. Coach Dave Wannstedt has a squad that will not take no for an answer and will fight until the bitter end. The Panthers earned their fifth come-from-behind victory since the beginning of the 2008 season Saturday with a 24-21 decision over Connecticut. It was not pretty and at times, it seemed like the Huskies were the stronger and more physical team, but Pitt dug deep in the fourth quarter and extracted victory from the jaws of defeat. Pitt outgained Connecticut 145 yards to six in the game’s final quarter. Simply put, they muscled up and took the game away from a brutish Huskies squad that is better than their 4-2 over record. The Panthers conditioning is a source of pride Wannstedt and his coaches point to on a regular basis. Strength and Conditioning Coach Buddy Morris was the man behind some of Pitt’s finest teams in the late 1970s and 80s. Wannstedt brought Morris, a 1980 Pitt graduate, back into the fold after the 2006 season, a campaign that saw the Panthers drop their last five games following a 6-1 start. Pitt’s late 2006 skid was attributed to a lack of conditioning amongst the players. The squad looked especially tired in the second-half of losses to Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville. Since Morris returned, the Panthers almost always look like the fresher and better conditioned team on the field, especially when the game rolls into the fourth quarter. Pitt overcame late deficits last year against Iowa, South Florida, Syracuse, Notre Dame and West Virginia to win games. Each time the offensive line assumed control of the line of scrimmage while the defensive front applied pressure and shut down opposing offenses when it mattered most. Saturday against Connecticut was no different. Pitt faced a 21-6 deficit late in the third quarter after Andre Dixon scored from two yards out. At the time, Connecticut’s large offensive line was controlling Pitt’s smaller defensive front. But players such as Greg Romeus, Adam Gunn and Myles Caragein stepped up and simply denied UConn the rest of the way. The Panthers limited the Huskies to 106 yards rushing, nearly 90 yards below their season average. While the defense stiffened, the offense expanded and took over. Quarterback Bill Stull directed three straight 65-plus yard drives in the game’s final 18 minutes. It was a show of stamina and force that Wannstedt wants his team to demonstrate every week. On Saturday, he got his wish. “Late in the game, it was a gut check for us,” said tight end Nate Byham. “We had to look ourselves in the eye and say ‘we have to be able to run the ball or the game is over.’ We had to face adversity and we pushed on. We were tired and we were in pain, but we kept fighting and we made plays.” Those words were clearly music to Wannstedt’s and Morris’ ears. Posted on July 1st, 2009 by panther
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