10-3

Football Schedule

Finally, the meat of Pitt’s 2009 schedule is here.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-3) will look to shake down the thunder Saturday night at Heinz Field before a national television audience in a game that may look eerily similar to the last time Pitt (8-1, 5-0) and Notre Dame squared off on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Both Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis led their respective squads onto the Heinz Field grass in early September 2005 as first-time college head coaches. The Irish, behind 275 yards rushing, routed the Panthers 42-21 en route to a BCS berth in the Fiesta Bowl while Pitt was heading towards a disappointing 5-6 season after winning the Big East the previous year.

Again, the Panthers and Irish will square off in a high-stakes contest at Heinz Field. Notre Dame could potentially finish with a nine-win season, the most since 2006 while Pitt is chasing their first conference title since 2004.

“This will be a big, big challenge for us without a doubt,” said Wannstedt. “We need to jump from conference play to non-conference play, and that will be the biggest challenge for us.”

Notre Dame brings one of the most explosive offenses in college football to town on Saturday night. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen has been as good as advertised all season long. The strong-armed junior has completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 2,770 yards and 20 touchdowns. Clausen averages 307.8 yards passing per game and has a firm control of Notre Dame’s potent offense.

“I think that Jimmy Clausen is playing as good as any quarterback around,” said Wannstedt. “Playing him, I’ve had a chance to follow his career. From where he has come from, he is much improved in all aspects of his game.”

Clausen has a bevy of weapons to use in his toolbox. Receiver Golden Tate is Clausen’s go-to-player. Tate has 65 catches for 1,059 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I would say without a doubt that Golden Tate is the best player that we have faced,” said Wannstedt. “He does it all. This guy is exceptional at catching the ball. He is exceptional at making guys miss. He is a tough guy. Where ever they line him up, whatever responsibility they give him, this guy is special. He is very impressive.”
Tate’s running mate, Michael Floyd, returned last week against Navy after suffering a collarbone injury earlier this season. He has contributed 23 catches for 499 yards and six scores in only four games. Tight end Kyle Rudolph gives the passing game an added boost with 33 catches and three touchdowns.

Notre Dame can run the ball effectively with Armando Allen leading the way. Allen has 514 yards rushing and three scores.

“We know what kind of running backs they have,” said Wannstedt said.

Protecting Clausen and opening holes for Allen and company is a senior-laden offensive line that averages 315 pounds-per-man.

“They are a veteran group with size and experience,” said Wannstedt. “They’ve got as good an offensive line as anyone in the country.”

Notre Dame’s defense is led by safety Kyle McCarthy. The senior paces the squad with 72 total tackles and five interceptions. Linebacker Darius Fleming and defensive tackle Ethan Johnson each lead the defense with three sacks. Fleming paces the team with 11 tackles for losses.

“They’re a pressure team,” said Wannstedt. “They will force us to cover all of our bases from an offensive-standpoint. We will have our hands full when we have the ball.”

If Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt wanted to see how his players would respond to being punched in the mouth by a fired-up opponent, he got his wish.

He also must have liked what he saw on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field.

The Panthers fell behind 3-0 early to Syracuse, but responded with 37 unanswered points and cruised home to a comfortable 37-10 win over the Orange. Pitt improved their record to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big East while the improving Orange fell to 3-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play.

“I knew that this was going to be a challenge for us,” Wannstedt said following the game. “You get a week off and you win the way we won against South Florida and the players go home for the weekend and everybody is patting them on the back and talking about rankings. It’s very difficult for 18-year old kids to handle.”

Syracuse, which entered Saturday’s game without the services of leading receiver Mike Williams (quit the team earlier this week) and three other players who were suspended, brought plenty of fight to Pitt early in the contest. Orange running back Delone Carter ripped off a 58-yard run on the game’s second play, setting up Ryan Lichtenstein’s 29-yard field goal that gave the Orange an early lead.

Carter finished with 144 yards on 17 carries, the most permitted by Pitt’s defense this year. But the unit held strong when it needed to and kept the Orange out of the end zone until the game’s waning moments.

The Panthers offense then revved up the 46,885 in attendance with a nine-play, 93-yard drive that culminated in Dan Hutchins’ 30-yard tying field goal. Pitt would not trail again, but would struggle to finish drives throughout the first half.

Pitt’s offense rolled up 481 yards, 247 of which came on the ground against a defense that came into the game allowing less than 90 yards per game rushing, good for the top spot in the conference.

Freshman Dion Lewis continued his stellar campaign with an 18-carry, 110-yard and one touchdown performance. He also caught two passes for 42 yards, including a 31-yard catch and run that set up his one-yard scoring plunge early in the third quarter that gave Pitt a 20-3 lead and essentially iced the game.

“Dion Lewis did a good job and he had his runs,” Wannstedt said. “Billy Stull played extremely well again.”

Stull’s performance was nothing less than business-like. The fifth-year senior operated offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s system with precision, completing 16 passes in 23 attempts for 225 yards and one score.

Tight end Dorin Dickerson notched his 10th touchdown of the season when he gathered in a 14-yard scoring toss from Stull in the third quarter. Dickerson finished with seven receptions for 118 yards and appeared to be unstoppable yet again.

Although the Panthers defense struggled to contain Carter at times, they did shut down the Orange most of the day. The front-wall continually pressured quarterbacks Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib. The defense finished with six sacks and three interceptions, one of which was returned by linebacker Greg Williams for a 51-yard touchdown late in the second quarter when it appeared the Orange were threatening to score.

Defensive end Brandon Lindsey and defensive tackle Chas Alecxih had two sacks while Greg Romeus added a sack and a diving interception of a tipped Paulus pass late in the third quarter.

Safety Jarred Holley had an interception of a Jovani Chappel deflection early in the third and added a team-high nine total tackles.

Pitt will face Notre Dame next Saturday night at Heinz Field. Kickoff against the Fighting Irish, who lost 23-21 at home to Navy on Saturday, will be at 8 p.m. and be televised nationally on ABC.

“Everybody is excited about Notre Dame,” Lewis said. “Everybody is going to be fired-up and ready for this game.”

This is a bye week that the Pitt Panthers surely deserved.

The Panthers are in the throes of enjoying their best start since 1982 and are staring at a golden opportunity square in the face.

At 7-1 overall and in possession of a sterling 4-0 Big East mark, Pitt has a shot of making large waves on a national scale. The Panthers have defeated five bowl game participants from last year (Buffalo, Navy, Connecticut, Rutgers and South Florida). But the meat of the schedule remains as home games against Syracuse, Notre Dame and Cincinnati along with the annual grudge match at West Virginia await.

No two people involved in the Panthers football operations should feel more accomplished at this point of the season than Coach Dave Wannstedt and quarterback Bill Stull.

About three months ago, questions were swirling around both the coach and quarterback regarding the Panthers reaching another level of success. Many of those questions were answered.

Stull was named the starter by Wannstedt during the early stages of fall camp. This did not sit well with a large faction of Panthers fans that remembered his uneven play down the stretch in 2008 and horrific performance during a 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.

He was even booed during the Panthers season-opening win over Youngstown State. However, the fifth-year senior has responded by having a huge year. Stull has completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 1,654 yards, 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. His performance this season earned him a spot on the midseason watch list for the Manning Award earlier this season. Earlier this week, Stull was again recognized when he was named as a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Finalists for the O’Brien Award, which is awarded to the best quarterback in the NCAA via a panel of writers, broadcasters and former winners, will be named Nov. 23. The winner will be named during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10.

The fact that Stull is even mentioned for these awards is an accomplishment in itself. Stull has overcome a season-ending thumb injury in early 2007, a concussion against Rutgers in 2008 and never-ending criticism from the fans and media in Pittsburgh.

All Stull has done this season is win ball games and become the most efficient passer in the conference this season. No question, this young man deserves everything that comes his way, especially if he can help navigate Pitt through the treacherous rough waters of this late season.

Wannstedt also deserves all the accolades that are being heaped onto the program this season.

The former NFL coach was named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year watch list by virtue of the Panthers scintillating start.

Thanks to his patience and the ability to build the program in a steady way, Pitt has won 17 of their past 22 games; a far cry from the disasters of 2005, 2006 and most of 2007.

It is an undeniable fact that Pitt’s talent base has expanded exponentially. When Wannstedt returned to Pittsburgh, he declared he would build a fence around western Pennsylvania and target areas such as Florida for players.

Ten of Pitt’s 22 starters hail from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League. They include Stull, receiver Jonathan Baldwin, tight end Dorin Dickerson, offensive tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix offensive guard John Malecki, defensive tackle Mick Williams, linebacker Adam Gunn, and safeties Elijah Fields and Dom DeCicco. Up and comers including receiver Mike Shanahan, kick returner Cam Saddler, defensive end Brandon Lindsey and linebacker Dan Mason also hail from western Pennsylvania.

But Wannstedt knows Pitt cannot win on local talent alone. He fetched defensive linemen Greg Romeus, Jabaal Sheard and Gus Mustakas along with receiver Cedric McGee from Florida; running backs Dion Lewis and Ray Graham hail from football-rich New Jersey, while fullback Henry Hynoski was recruited from eastern Pennsylvania.

Wannstedt clearly knows talent and knows how to bring it to Heinz Field. Now his labor is bearing a bountiful collection of fruit.

Many laughed as they watched Pitt’s undermanned defense get blowtorched by West Virginia’s Steve Slaton and Pat White during a 2005 game in Morgantown. Wannstedt said during a halftime interview that his players simply had to run faster. Deep down, he knew that was impossible at the time.

Now, he has a team that outran a lightning fast South Florida squad and outhit Rutgers and Connecticut when it counted earlier this season.

No one is laughing now.

Football Schedule

North Carolina State coach Tom O’Brien knows physical football from his time coaching at Boston College.
So it is no surprise he has come away impressed with the physical blueprint of football the Pitt Panthers display on a regular basis.
O’Brien will get a first hand look Saturday when his Wolfpack collide with the undefeated Panthers at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
“We haven’t seen an offensive line like this one,” O’Brien said during his press briefing earlier this week. “They have pro prospects up there. They have guys who have played three and four years and four of the guys have started before. They have a ton of experience and they are committed to running. A lot of the teams haven’t been as committed to the run as Pittsburgh has.”
Pitt’s offensive front, which includes left tackle Jason Pinkston, left guard Joe Thomas, center Robb Houser, right guard John Malecki and right tackle Lucas Nix; has imposed their will in wins over Youngstown State, Buffalo and Navy.
The line has paved the way to 174 yards rushing per game and also has been the platform for an offense averaging 39.1 points per game this season.
Quarterback Bill Stull is enjoying ample protection. He has only suffered one sack in the first three games.
“This game is going to be like 60 minutes ofmidde drill with their offense and their defense,” said O’Brien. “It’s going to be a hard-fought, slug-them-in-the-mouth football game. I love it. They will line it up and run it and throw some play-action passes. It won’t be spread-the-field-and-play touch football stuff.”

This is the defense many imagined Pitt would possess this season.

The Panthers defense, most notably the front seven, controlled Navy’s potent option attack during Saturday’s 27-14 win before more than 55,000 fans.

“I was pleased with our defense,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt following the game.

Pitt held the Midshipmen to 129 yards rushing, more than 100 yards below their 238 yards per game rushing average.

Both the Pitt players and coaches knew they had advantages in physical ability and talent along the line. But staying focused and playing solid assignment football would be key to winning this game.

“It’s a big step for us,” said defensive end Greg Romeus. “We know today was a better performance, but we’re still not where we want to be. We’d like to have teams not score at all. It’s something that we are happy about, but we’re not satisfied at all.”

Filling in for an injured Adam Gunn, freshman Dan Mason made his first career start at middle linebacker. The highly-regarded Mason made good with the opportunity and finished with a game-high 11 tackles and two sacks.

For his performance, Mason was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week.

“I thought Dan Mason played better than I thought he could,” said Wannstedt. “As a freshman with his first start, I thought Dan was outstanding.”

Pitt’s defensive front performers, which included Mason, Romeus, tackles Gus Mustakas, Mick Williams and Myles Carragein along with defensive end Jabaal Sheard combined for 45 tackles and four sacks. The defense as a whole collected six sacks, giving the Panthers 15 total in three games.

Pitt led the conference last year with 33 sacks.

Saturday’s performance may have calmed some nerves regarding the status of the defense following last week’s 54-27 shootout win at Buffalo in which the Bulls racked up more than 500 yards of offense.

But coordinator Phil Bennett and his charges were committed to not allowing another such offensive outburst before the home crowd.

“Our defensive front played well and came up big,” said safety Elijah Fields, who made his first start. “That helped us out a lot. This week, we went over our assignments over and over again so we were comfortable out there tonight.”

The Panthers (3-0) will travel this Saturday to Raleigh, N.C. for a date with the North Carolina Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.

Pitt’s last meeting against the Wolfpack was a 34-19 win in the 2001 Tangerine Bowl.

September 19, 2009

Panthers 27, Midshipmen 17

Pitt used an efficient offense and disciplined defense to upend Navy 27-14 Saturday night before 55,064 at Heinz Field.

Silencing some of his critics, fifth-year senior quarterback Bill Stull enjoyed a solid performance. The Seton LaSalle product  finished with 17 completions in 24 attempts for 245 yards and one score. Stull directed an 89-yard touchdown drive on the Panthers (3-0) initial offensive possession. His six-yard scoring toss to senior receiver Oderick Turner capped the march.

The maligned signal-caller found eight different receivers on the evening. Sophomore sensation Jonathan Baldwin led all pass catchers with six receptions for 111 yards.

“We came in with a plan to throw the ball and I thought that we did that effectively, said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. “ I was very pleased. I thought Bill made good decisions and got the ball out quickly.”

Pitt’s aerial attack was needed on a night when the Panthers ground game was controlled by a tough Midshipmen defense. Panthers running back Dion Lewis entered Saturday night’s contest as the nation’s third leading rusher with 159.5 yards rushing per game. He was held to 79 yards on 23 carries. But the true freshman from Albany, N.Y. scored from six yards out late in the first half to give Pitt a 21-7 lead.

“Things were rolling today,” said Stull. “I was screaming a little bit on the sidelines to get the defense pumped up. The only thing that can stop us is ourselves.”

For the second year in a row, Pitt’s defense contained Navy’s potent option offense. The Panthers limited Navy to 218 total yards of offense; only 129 came on the ground.  Navy entered the contest averaging 238 yards rushing per game.

The Midshipmen gobbled up 331 yards on the ground in a 48-45 win over Pitt at Heinz Field in 2007.

“This is a difficult scheme to prepare for and I thought our defensive coaches and our players really bought into what we were trying to do this week,” said Wannstedt.

Navy was able to move the ball at times Saturday night. Midshipmen quarterback Ricky Dobbs capped a 52-yard march by plunging in from the 1 late in the first period. Navy found the end zone again in the fourth when slot back Marcus Curry scored from four yards out to slice Pitt’s lead to 24-14.

But the Pitt ground game help seal the deal with a 79-yard drive that was climaxed by an 18-yard Dan Hutchins field goal that pushed the Panthers lead to 13 points with 5:02 remaining in regulation.

Navy never threatened to score again thanks to a Panthers defense that owned the line of scrimmage and pressured Dobbs into 15 incompletions in 21 attempts.  The Pitt defense was paced by freshman Dan Mason, who was making his first career start at linebacker. Mason finished with 11 tackles and two sacks. Panthers defensive tackle Gus Mustakas added 10 stops and helped corral Navy’s offense throughout the evening.

“It’s like we’ve been saying all week, the big thing about this game was responsibility,” said Mustakas. “And everyone has to do their assignment. You can’t be heroes when you face this offense. We did a great job with responsibilities.”