Moving On To NFL Cut Day

Several Pitt players made the final cuts as teams trimmed their rosters down to 53 players:

Sixth-rounder Nate Byham is part of the 53-man roster of the San Francisco 49ers, and seventh-rounder Dorin Dickerson survived the cut with the Houston Texans.

Undrafted free agent cornerback Aaron Berry escaped Saturday's cuts after the Detroit Lions released former Pro Bowler Dre' Bly and Eric King, both cornerbacks.

The news was not as good for defensive tackle Mick Williams, an undrafted free agent who was one of the Chicago Bears' final cuts on Saturday.

Also, previously cut were OL John Malecki and Bill Stull lost out on the third string QB job to former Panther Tyler Palko.

Mick Williams made it down to the end and I expect he'll get another shot somewhere else. I was also surprised to see Aaron Berry land on an NFL roster - beating out Dre Bly, no less.

Dorin Dickerson Follows Byham's Lead

Former Pitt Tight End Dorin Dickerson has followed Nate Byham's lead and has signed a four-year deal with his team - the Houston Texans.

After a monster season, Dickerson slipped into the seventh round.  His deal is believed to be worth approximately $1.85 million over the length of the contract.

Like many rookies, Dickerson is expected to contribute first on special teams:

Kubiak expects Dickerson to contribute on special teams before cracking into the rotation at receiver.

"He's got to prove that he can help us out there. If he was a fifth receiver on game day or a sixth, you can suit six guys if they're all playing special teams. I think that's his number one priority, doing it for (special teams coach) Joe (Marciano) right now."

Dickerson by all accounts is doing okay so far.  Still, the speed of the game is what you usually hear first when rookies talk about the biggest hurdle - Dickerson is no different:

"It gets overwhelming when you're in the huddle and they say the play so fast," Dickerson said. "You've got to think a lot faster and react a lot faster."

For someone who's had to adjust so much, I have a hard time believing he won't make it in the NFL.

Catching up with Dorin Dickerson

So it seems that Dorin's new position is indeed wide receiver and he's officially gotten his first instructions.  Lose weight:

The transition hasn't been easy. Dickerson has been eating salads to shave 8-10 pounds off his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame. Lunching on lettuce after sweating through hours of practice in the Houston heat and humidity has been difficult, but he's sticking to it to reach his goal.

Coach Gary Kubiak said the weight loss is necessary to increase his stamina so he can compete with Houston's other receivers.

"His conditioning level is not good enough to play at our level right now," Kubiak said. "I don't think that's his fault. We're trying to catch him up. He's got to lose about 10 pounds and just get to where he can run all day."

Even though this is Dorin's fourth position in five years, somehow I don't think he'll have a problem with this one if it keeps him in the NFL.  And about that draft snub?  Yeah, that's not forgotten:

"I was supposed to go pretty high in the draft and I ended up not," he said. "So that's life. But I still want to prove something. I have a chip on my shoulder now and I want to show everybody I wasn't a seventh-round pick and hopefully help this team win."

Head coach Gary Kubiak is offering him probably the best advice he can at this point:

On Dorin Dickerson: "He's played a little bit of everything. He's a project but he'll be a wide receiver. We told him to just follow Andre Johnson around and do what he does."

And even with nine wide receivers in camp, the Texans are still sniffing around for potential free agents.  Those nine wideouts include veterans Andre Johnson, Andre Davis, and Kevin Walter.  Throw in TE Owen Daniels and with the position change, it's hard to envision Dickerson playing anything but the most minor of roles in his first season.  But he's a freak athlete and could turn into something down the line.

Dickerson is not yet signed, but then again, not many rookies are.

Catching up with Dorin Dickerson

So the drafting of Dorin Dickerson (along with other tight ends on the roster) already has some folks thinking current Titans tight end, Owen Daniels, may be in danger of losing a job. I don't see it that way even with his injury last year - especially with the type of numbers Daniels puts up. He's one of the best receiving tight ends in the league hands down. And speaking of that tight end position, the Texans are stocking up there, which could mean a move for Dickerson. He wasn't even the only tight end they took in the draft. Many sources, including this Houston Chronicle article, have quoted that Dickerson is bound to be moved to wide receiver.

Anyway, Fox Sports seems puzzled by Dickerson and Houston's entire draft.

And recently, a few people here locally had wondered why the Steelers didn't take a chance on Dickerson since he slipped so far. Jerry Micco gives a brief explanation in one of his PG chats:

The Steelers were not a good fit for Dickerson. He's a tweener WR/TE and they need a blocking TE. Byham might have been a better choice for them as far as Pitt TEs go. I was surprised by Dickerson's fall, but I think his size and being a tweener hurt him in a draft that was fairly deep. Still, he has a chance in Houston let's see what he makes of it.

And while I think Dickerson can be good, I think calling him potentially the best athlete in the draft is, well, nonsense.

Also, here's another Bleacher Report list that ranks Dickerson #89 out of all the rookies. But they also claim his only asset is his speed. You're right, his hands had nothing to do with the dozen or so TD passes he caught last year.

Meanwhile, a writer for a slightly more reputable source, is high on Dickerson, calling him his favorite pick in the Texans draft:

Favorite pick: TE Dorin Dickerson, Round Seven. I hear they are going to make him into a big receiver. I think the kid will make it. They have a ton of tight ends anyway and could use a sturdy backup to Andre Johnson. Every time I looked up at Senior Bowl practices, this guy was making a nice catch. He could be a good catch so late for the Texans.

Finally, one Houston Chronicle writer doesn't see Dickerson playing a big role this year.

Lots of varied opinions. Personally, I think to get Dickerson that late was a steal. Not sure what type of pro he'll turn into, but he's an above-average athlete and should be able to play somewhere, whether it's halfback, tight end, or wide receiver.

NFL Draft Recap

As expected, both of Pitt's tight ends, Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, were drafted. What wasn't so expected was seeing Dickerson fall so far:

In one of the bigger local storylines that unfolded throughout the day, Pitt tight end Dorin Dickerson, a West Allegheny High School product who is 6-4, 226, was selected by the Houston Texans with the 227th overall pick in the seventh, and final, round. On many mock drafts, and projections done by the many experts who track such things, Dickerson was thought to be a talent who would have been selected much earlier, possibly as soon as the late-second round.

"All I can do now is go out and make the team," Dickerson said. "Everything that happened in the draft is behind me."

I was surprised to see Dickerson fall that far, especially in light of not only the type of year he had, but because his workouts were incredible.

Dickerson was rated in the top ten of most draft lists I'd seen, while Byham was lower. Byham was drafted as the 15th TE, but Dickerson wasn't drafted until 18th.

In his conference call with the media, Dickerson sounded as if his flexibility will be key:

(on how he would describe himself as a player) "I'm a versatile H-back. I could line up in different positions. I could line up in the back field and I could line up at tight end. You'll see me moving around a lot in special teams. Anything the coaches ask me to do, I'm going to do. I'm going to try to compete and win."

RotoWorld calls him a tweener and cites that reason as to why he may have fallen.

And a Houston Chronicle blog says he will start out at WR - possibly as Andre Johnson's backup.

Onto Nate Byham - he talked about his run-blocking and toughness with the media:

On run blocking being his forte:
“That’s what I pride myself on. I like to bloody noses. I don’t shy away from contact. I’m going into the hole and I’m trying to hit somebody. I think that’s what makes me unique. There’s not too many tight ends these days that want to go in there and try to hurt somebody. I’m trying to inflict pain when I’m in there as a tight end. I’m not trying to get in someone’s way. I’m excited to be a part of the hard-nose offense.”

Byham joins quite a few former Pitt Panthers on the 49ers roster including Andy Lee, Scott McKillop, and Shawntae Spencer.

It's somewhat ironic that in a reduced role this year, his blocking may have been the thing that got him drafted. Without it, who knows? The Pitt tight ends coach calls him one of the best in the business:

Pitt tight end coach Brian Angelichio thinks that Byham, who is 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds, is a top option for any team that values a tight end who can help the run game.

“Obviously, when you put the film on, that’s one of his strengths. There are not many end-line blockers across the country. And Nate has shown the ability to do that as well as anybody in the country,” Angelichio said. “If you’re [an] NFL team, you’re obviously looking at him if you’re looking for an end-line blocker.”

And among the teams he worked out for, the 49ers weren't one of them.

Glad to see both get drafted. Still, to see Dorin fall so far was a bit of a shock. So much for those so-called NFL sources that said Dickerson was possibly going in the second round.

Odds and Ends

Real quick hitters as all of this is pretty minor stuff:

The Pitt News calls for Tino Sunseri to start next year.

Former Tight Ends Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham both worked out for the Baltimore Ravens in preparation of the upcoming NFL Draft.

A website picks Pitt basketball to win it all next year. Seriously.

That same website calls Pitt football a potential sleeper at 30:1 odds to win the BCS National Championship next year.

Pitt baseball is moving on up after a great start to the season. The team is ranked 24th in the Collegiate Baseball Rankings.

Heinz Field, home of the Panthers, is named as one of the 25 best stadiums at night...albeit not by all that strong of a source. PNC Park was also named as one.

Football Talk

So after a long hiatus from football discussion, with basketball out of the way, let's get into it.

For starters, former Panther Elijah Fields could end up at California University. There were some grumblings of this as a possibility almost immediately after he was dismissed from the team and it looks as if it could be a possibility:

Elijah Fields, who was dismissed from Pitt's football team last month for violating team rules, might end up at California University.
Head coach John Luckhardt said Fields has shown interest in transferring to the university. The 6-2, 225-pound safety would have one season of eligibility remaining.

"Everything is still in the processing stage," Luckhardt said.

As much as he botched his chances at Pitt, I still try to convince myself that he's young and still learning. I hope he can turn things around there.

Paul Zeise of the PG thinks that while Tino Sunseri had the first crack at reps with the first team, that Pat Bostick seems to have the slight edge in terms of knowing the system. It's been documented that Coach Wannstedt would like this battle to be settled this Spring. I don't know - with the way last year's competition went on, I'd be kind of surprised if that happened. Both quarterbacks say they're ready.

ESPN.com blogger, Brian Bennett, goes over the usual questions in his Pitt spring preview video. He also talks to Offensive Coordinator, Frank Cignetti, about Pitt's many offensive weapons.

SI.com wonders if Pitt is ready to dethrone Cincinnati. More Pitt-Cincinnati talk. Everything I've heard this offseason has been about Pitt and Cincinnati. I'm a little surprised that it appears West Virginia isn't even being passively seen as a contender with both Jock Sanders and Noel Devine coming back.

Cam Saddler's opportunity to get on the field more comes - at wide receiver: I really think he could turn into a great kick returner and hope his focus remains there. But with the losses of Oderick Turner and Dorin Dickerson, there's definitely a need there for another receiver.

And with all the NFL Draft talk about Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham getting drafted, after Bill Stull's season and experience with a pro-style system, he is getting some looks as well:

Stull, who was one of 15 former Panthers who worked out Tuesday for scouts representing 27 of the 32 NFL teams, is considered a late-round draft pick or a desired free agent.

After the year he had, I'm a little surprised there hasn't been more discussion about him as a middle-round draft pick. He has experience in a pro system, made very few mistakes last year, and despite his weaknesses such as throwing an accurate deep ball, makes for a reasonable NFL prospect.

Meanwhile, speaking of Dickerson, he's having a hard time gauging where he might be selected because of all the interest he's received.

More to come...

Oh, What A Difference A Workout Can Make

Dorin Dickerson is learning this fact after his monster workout at the combine.

He had all kinds of praise heaped upon him by a writer for the Jacksonville Jaguars after an apparent monster workout:

The most dramatic thing so far has been the performance of tight end Dorin Dickerson, who ran a blazing 4.4 on Saturday, which highlighted a workout that included an eye-popping 42-inch vertical jump, a 10-5 broad jump, 24 reps on the bench and solid pass-catching. Dickerson immediately became one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft. He’s a guy with the size of a smallish tight end, the speed of a wide receiver and the athletic ability of a cornerback. The crazy part is he didn’t find a position he could play in college until his senior season. He has literally gone from a forgotten player to a second-round prospect in the NFL draft. Dickerson is this year’s workout wonder.

Here's another look at Dickerson's workout, which apparently was quite the spectacle:

Dorin had the best time of all tight ends in the 40 yard dash (4.40), in the 225 pound bench press (24 reps), 1st by far in the vertical jump (43"), second in the broad jump (10'5"), and 3rd in the 3-Cone Drill (9.6 seconds) and the 20-Yard Shuttle (30 seconds).

ProFootballTalk.com calls him the 'Toast of the Tight Ends.'

In listing him as someone who's stock is rising, SportsIllustrated.com says something most Pitt fans who watched Dickerson this year saw with their own eyes:

Yet Dickerson has established himself as a receiving threat that's too fast for linebackers to cover yet big enough to outmatch defensive backs.

So, who's interested in him? Looks like the Chiefs for one. Possibly the Cardinals (subscription needed). And according to this article, potentially nine teams. Here, Dickerson also compares himself to a few NFL pros:

He's flexible: Pittsburgh tight end Dorin Dickerson started his collegiate career as a linebacker, but he switched to tight end before the start of his junior year. And now he has a couple of NFL tight ends that he admires--San Francisco's Vernon Davis and Indianapolis' Dallas Clark.

"Smaller-type tight ends. That’s what I classify myself as, a smaller receiving-type tight end," said the 6-foot-1, 224-pound player.

Kind of cool to see him possibly rising up the draft boards after struggling to find a position. The fairly ironic part is that it's not even set in stone that he would play tight end in the NFL.

Football News

A few football related notes:

Former 1980s Panther Teryl Austin was hired as the Defensive Coordinator of the Florida Gators. He's coached in a variety of positions in college and the NFL with the Cardinals and Seahawks.

ESPN.com blogger Brian Bennett talks expansion - not just Big Ten, but the idea of Big East expansion comes up.

Looks like Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham are the only two Pitt players headed to the combine. South Florida leads the way with six combine reps.

Conspicuously absent is Aaron Berry, Pitt's First-Team Big East CB. This projection has him as a possible 5th-6th rounder at best. And here's another one that projects him as a 7th rounder. Okay, one more - this one projects him as a Free Agent pickup.

Meanwhile, another former Pitt corner, Darrelle Revis, came home recently.

Looking ahead to next year, Mark Schlabach has Pitt at I think the highest I've seen in any of the preseason polls - #14. Cincinnati checks in at #13. Pitt has some lofty expectations to live up to, despite not knowing who will play QB - Pat Bostick or Tino Sunseri.

Speaking of Sunseri, his younger brother Vinnie, has his first scholarship offer (subscription needed).

And Bill Hillgrove, voice of the Panthers, is lending his expertise to, and I'm not making this up, a camp for aspiring announcers.

Cignetti Staying Put and Other Football Notes

Pitt got good news in that Frank Cignetti thankfully seems to have no interest in the Bears job:

"My return to Pitt last year was the realization of a longtime personal and professional goal," Cignetti said in a statement to ProFootballTalk.com. "It was made even more gratifying by the outstanding season we enjoyed. I couldn't be more fortunate to work for Dave Wannstedt and coach these great kids. Despite recent reports connecting my name with other jobs, I am wholeheartedly committed to being at Pitt and continuing to establish our program among the nation's very best."

The amount of relief for Pitt fans was probably only exceeded by Bears fans, many of who screamed on message boards they wanted no part of him. As I said before, that's good news for us.

A few other random football notes:

The Trib-Review takes a look at the recruting classes with Letter of Intent Day coming up. Pitt ranks 29th according to Rivals.com and as we've heard before, Pitt lost a couple of highly-regarded recruits, that had parents with Pitt ties, to Penn State.

About National Letter of Intent Day, here a small amount of media coverage for it.

Looks like Pitt players had quiet post-season bowl games. Only Dorin Dickerson showed up in either of the box scores, tallying one catch for seven yards.

Now that it's been four years, Scouts, Inc. looks back at the ESPNU top 150 players in the 2006 class and how they've fared. Pitt has three guys on the list - Lesean McCoy, Nate Byham, and Dorin Dickerson. Blogger Brian Bennett also weighs in with his hits and misses from that class.

Tickets for the 2010 season are also now on sale.

Football Notes

With the Georgetown game out of the way, time to get caught up on a bunch of miscellaneous stories floating around:

Dorin Dickerson, Aaron Berry, and Nate Byham will all be playing in senior games to showcase their skills before the draft.

Meanwhile, Mel Kiper has his 2011 (yes, 2011) draft board up already. In it, Greg Romeus ranks as the #3 DE and Jason Pinkston the #5 OT. I don't know if Romeus can repeat the kind of success he had this year. With the loss of Mick Williams, more attention will probably be paid to him. But if he can, he could be a first-rounder.

Focusing on the NFL, here's a fairly unique article/slideshow of the top Big East players currently in the NFL - Pitt has three of them including the top two.

Brian Bennett breaks down the top ten Big East games of the year and Pitt lands in three of them...including, unfortunately for Pitt fans, the #1 game against that Ohio team that shall remain nameless. The game also ranked 3rd in the Big East games of the decade and a certain upset from 2007 was #4.

Bennett also rates Pitt as the #4 Big East team in the decade. I would have probably bumped them ahead of Virginia Tech, but maybe that's just me. And sticking with Bennett and this whole decade theme, he ranks Dave Wannstedt as the #10 coach of the Big East.

Moving from Bennett, Bill Conley of Scouts, Inc. says Pitt's 2010 class is better than its 2009 one.

GoPittfootball.com, the school's satellite site for football, has a nice video recapping 2009 season highlights.

Mark Schlabach at ESPN.com says Larry Fitzgerald was the top college wideout of the decade and the #9 overall player. Along those same lines, Paul Zeise throws out some options for Pitt player of the decade and also goes over yet more coaching changes including the departure of Joe Tumpkin and addition of former Pitt QB Luke Getsy.

But getting back to the original thought about player of the decade. Using his list, I'd rank the top five as follows:

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Lesean McCoy
3. Darrelle Revis
4. Rod Rutherford
5. (tie) H.B. Blades
5. (tie) Antonio Bryant
5. (tie) Scott McKillop

The last three were too close to call in my opinion.

Links Du Jour

Long, long day today - just getting to some links:

Looking ahead to the NFL draft, Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham get combine invites.

After a year of shutting down some of the top receivers in the game, former Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis finishes 2nd in the voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The Pitt women have tumbled out of the polls after losing their last three games.

Gary Parrish over at CBSSportsline.com has the Pitt men all the way up to 12th in its most recent poll.

And in the Post-Gazette's weekly Pitt basketball chat, Ray Fittipaldo discusses a number of topics including prospect Maurice Walker, his updated over/under on Pitt's Big East wins, and the likelihood of Ashton Gibbs leaving early for the NBA, and

Jumping ahead to the basketball game tomorrow:

Pitt is 4-0 since the return of Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown.

Ol' Sourpuss, Jim Calhoun, actually gives a compliment that's not backhanded.

UCONN's coach and one of its players can't quite decide on the importance of the game tomorrow night:

"It's not a critical game for us," said UConn coach Jim Calhoun, downplaying the importance only slightly. "It's an incredibly important game for us, as every single game is."

Meanwhile...

"I think for us it's a must win," UConn guard Kemba Walker said. "We need it. I think we need a win right now."

And if you think you needed another reason why tomorrow's game may be a difficult one:

No. 16 Pitt will shoot for a three-game Big East road sweep -- an unprecedented feat for the Panthers since they joined the conference 27 years ago.

The Awards Keep Comin'

Dion Lewis and Dorin Dickerson added more accolades to their seasons as both were named AP All-Americans:

Pitt freshman running back Dion Lewis was named a second-team All-American Tuesday by the Associated Press.

Lewis, who ran for 1,641 yards and a team-high 16 touchdowns, was joined by teammate Dorin Dickerson, who was named as the third team tight end. Lewis was the only true freshman player named as an AP All-American.

I haven't done too much looking back after that nightmare of a Big East Championship game, but with these awards it's hard not to.

Dion Lewis was arguably the top freshman in all of college football, as evidenced not only by this honor, but the growing list of accolades he's received:

Freshman tailback Dion Lewis’ status as the top newcomer in college football continues to be solidified with his growing list of honors. Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]) was the only true freshman named to The Associated Press All-America Team announced today. He was a second-team All-America selection by the AP as well as by Sporting News, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Lewis has also been named the National Freshman of the Year by CBSSports.com and the Offensive Freshman of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com.

I don't think there's any way he doesn't end up being a Heisman favorite heading into next year. He finished this year third in rushing (1,640 yards), 2nd in attempts (297), and 10th in TDs (16). Mix in the fact that Pitt will be going with a new quarterback and they could rely on the running game even more than this year. There aren't any words to adequately describe his dominant year - and I'm sick of trying to string some together.

Dickerson, meanwhile, was only one of the top tight ends in all of college football, with over 500 yards receiving and 2nd in TDs with 10. His year should help him land a job in an NFL training camp next year.

Congrats to both.

Dickerson Loses, Then Wins

Tight End Dorin Dickerson missed out on the Mackey Award as it went to Florida's Aaron Hernandez. Kind of difficult to argue despite the fact that Dickerson had six more TDs. Hernandez had 14 more catches and 200+ more yards.

I've also got to say I was a little surprised not to see Dickerson on Todd McShay's top five NFL prospects for TE, unless he's projecting him at another position or something (which I would find it hard to believe). NFL coaches have got to be excited about an athlete like Dickerson who really had one full year of playing TE after getting his feet wet last year, and almost being named named as the best in the nation. He's big, fast, and an athletic freak.

Even though he missed out on the Mackey Award, he rebounded to win All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America. He was the first Pitt Tight End to win the award since Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

The story's been overdone like a cheap steak at a buffet, but Dickerson's comeback after being grossly mishandled has been nothing short of remarkable. The fact that he wasn't even considered the best Tight End on his own team and that he wasn't even named to the Mackey Award watch list at the beginning of the season makes this year all the more improbable.

Gearing Up for the Big Game

Since it's Thursday, the game is getting harder to ignore. I've been trying not to think about it too much, but less than two days away, that's nearly impossible. It seems like the Big East knew what they were doing scheduling this as the last game of the year.

And at least the game finally sold out. A little surprised that standing room only tickets are only being offered to students, but maybe Pitt didn't want those tickets ending up in the hands of Cincinnati fans.

Second consecutive sellout? I wonder when that happened last. Eh, it probably wasn't that long ago, just seems like something that doesn't happen too often.

Much of the talk this week is focusing on Tony Pike and how to stop him. Even with a great defense, I don't expect to fully stop Tony Pike. Pitt is going to allow yardage, but the key will be stopping Cincinnati on 3rd downs and getting off the field.

Everywhere you look, the stories seem to focus on the Bearcats' offense. But Cincinnati isn't the only potent offense on the field. They realize that Pitt's offense is capable of putting up points as well.

I could really be wrong on this, but I'm not expecting the kind of offensive show many are predicting. I think both teams may come out a little stiff (at least in the beginning) just because there's so much at stake. I do expect both teams to come out and take some shots downfield early, though, trying to make an early statement. So if one of them can connect, it could be the beginning of a shootout.

And the fortunes of Pitt won't rest entirely on Dion Lewis, but he could go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.

Meanwhile, Dave Wannstedt has other concerns:

The Cincinnati offense has gotten most of the attention this season, but Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt seems just as concerned about the Bearcats' defense, which lost 10 players from a year ago. "I've been just as impressed with their defense, considering all the players they graduated off of a last year's defense," Wannstedt said. Cincinnati leads the Big East in tackles for loss.

I guess coaches can find all kinds of things to worry about, but really. 45 points to UCONN? 36 to Illinois? Their defense clearly isn't terrible, but the offense is much more frightening. You've got to figure that Pitt's offense will be out to play much better after the WVU debacle, making the job of Cincy's defense that much harder.

Some quick hitters:

Former Pitt QB Tyler Palko may be around his hometown team for a while.

Paul Zeise fields a variety of questions including possible bowl scenarios, an Aaron Berry update, and a game prediction.

Greg Romeus also joins Dorin Dickerson as a finalist for a national award.

ESPN.com's Big East blogger Brian Bennett also weighs in with a prediction.

Lots of Notre Dame Stuff

Lots of Notre Dame stuff to get in with a short hiatus due to....stuff.

But first, Paul Zeise's Redshirt Diaries has a lot of interesting stuff including the deal about the Gator Bowl, Greg Cross redshirting, Dion Lewis possibly leaving earlier than anticipated, and non-conference scheduling. I always hesitate to declare 'must-reads', but this post has a lot of info in it not related to the game this weekend.

So, it seems there are a lot of questions this week.

Can Pitt get to Jimmy Claussen?

Why does the Big East allow Notre Dame to take bowl spots from the conference?

Who should Pitt fans be rooting for in the Cincinnati / West Virginia game on Friday?

Paul Zeise has answers.

Despite Dave Wannstedt saying the game doesn't have the meaning of some other rivalry games back in the day, (which, by the way, it doesn't) make no mistake that this is a big one. Pitt will have a large part of the country paying attention for it for perhaps the first time since last year's bowl game. We all know how that turned out. But seriously, Pitt has a legitimate shot to have an incredible season and even they go on to win the conference, a loss would be a disappointment.

I'm getting way ahead of myself, but a 10-1 season would mean so much to the program in my opinion. Perception is a funny thing. Dave Wannstedt has recruited well since he's been here, but a 10-1 record could legitimately show bigger recruits that Pitt might not be all that far from a run at a national championship. With the schedule getting tougher, this game is the beginning of a possible program-defining stretch.

This is the best way to sum up the game that I've seen:

The game against an unranked opponent falls right before No. 8 Pitt plays archrival West Virginia followed by perhaps the biggest of this season's Big East showdowns - against No. 5 Cincinnati.

Winning probably won't substantially boost the Panthers' ranking. Losing might derail all the momentum they've spent a half-season building. It's the kind of non-conference distraction many players and coaches dislike so late in a season.

There's also been a lot of talk about the different directions Wannstedt and Charlie Weis have gone since their first meeting four years ago, which was also their first game. Had you asked me back then which coach would be with his school longer, I probably would have gone with Weis. I wasn't sold on Wannstedt really until this year. But a lot can happen in four years. Wannstedt is now a trendy pick as a top candidate for Coach of the Year Awards (must be an insider to view) while the Notre Dame media has lots of questions regarding the fate of slumping coach Charlie Weis.

And speaking about coaches, does this mean if Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo takes over at Notre Dame, that Associate Head Coach Norwin Brown wouldn't be retained?

Defensive philosophies are different between each team. Pitt relies on its front four to bring pressure, while Notre Dame uses the blitz quite often. John Malecki and the offensive line will have their hands full. All-World Tight End Dorin Dickerson and the passing game will look to burn them on blitzes.

And speaking of defense, Pitt's secondary will be tested by the Michael Floyd / Golden Tate combination. We should have a pretty good idea whether the secondary's issues have been solved after this game. I think the secondary will be the key to whether Pitt wins or loses this game.

Meanwhile, the City of Pittsburgh officially jumps on the bandwagon with the Turn It Blue promotion. To be honest, it'd be nice if the City supported Pitt a little more in my opinion. You rarely hear of this type of stuff. I'm well aware that Pitt is only one of several universities in the area, but it's the main one as far as athletics are concerned. Despite being a solid football program and recent basketball power in a city that has no NBA team, Pitt always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to hyping up the major sports teams in town.

Quick hitters:

- Game preview from the Notre Dame side.

- Dion Lewis makes the cut for yet another award

- Ditto for Dorin Dickerson

- Speaking of Dickerson, here's another 'redemption' piece for Dorin Dickerson

- And I may be wrong on this, but I have a hard time believing Pitt isn't a little more excited than they're letting on about the top ten. It's a big deal.

Now onto a prediction since a post may not happen due to a visit from in-laws. I expect Pitt to win this game as I don't think Notre Dame is a strong as people have been making them out to be. I think the only thing that may keep it close is if the secondary plays poorly. I don't expect the ND defense to shut down Pitt's offense, but they are fully capable of outscoring them.

Let's go with 30 - 24, Pitt.

Now the Fun Begins

After escaping a sluggish start, Pitt was able to pull away from the Orange. Trap games are over now and here's where it gets serious for Pitt. Games vs. Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati are all certainly losable, but also all winable. At this point, for me, Pitt needs to finish at least 10-2 before this season can be considered a success. Sure, 9-3 at the beginning of the season would have looked pretty good, but since they've started 8-1, that would be a disappointment.

Onto a very quick recap of what I recall from the game:

- Dion Lewis solved the Orange defense with 114 yards and a TD averaging 6 yards a carry. His numbers are starting to look pedestrian and that's a scary thought. Ray Graham looked pretty mediocre today and I'm starting to fall into the group that would be fine to see him only enter in for a few plays per game. There's no reason to pull Lewis at this point and even the announcers seemed confused when Graham came in for one series, thinking Lewis had an injury.

- And speaking of the announcers, I'm not the type to bash these guys. Most see different teams each week and there's no way they could be on top of everything. But they left a lot to be desired. A lot of botches today from them. The one that got me was the guy who announced the score as 21-3, then upon saying the score wrong (it was actually 20-3), promptly excused himself saying he meant to say the score was 21-3. Really - how hard can it be to at least get the score right. And if another announcer calls Henry Hynoski's hometown Elysburg (pronouncing it like it looks - Elies Burg when it's actually pronounced Eee-Lees Burg), I'm going to scream. Maybe I'm having a bad day.

- Syracuse was able to capitalize and keep the score close in the first half until disaster struck. You could literally FEEL the entire game get away from them after that Paulus interception that was a pick 6. That made it a ten-point lead and even though Syrcause had some success running the ball, it didn't seem like they were going to be able to overcome that. The sideline looked dejected, almost like they expected it to happen. The very next play on the kickoff return, the return man ran right into his own blocker. Talk about bad signs.

- Kick return game was disastrous and the bad news is that I don't think there's any easy fix. A couple of bobbles/drops and Aaron Smith calling for a fair catch when there's no one within 20 yards of him is inexcusable. Oh, and Cam Saddler catching the ball on the five as he's going out of bounds? That was my 'scream at the TV and hope they hear me' moment. Seriously though, I don't know who else they really have left to field kicks, so kick returns might be kind of a 'hold your breath' exercise for Pitt fans.

- It's hard to nitpick in a 27-point win, but I was really puzzled by some of the coaching calls today. I thought not going for it on their first drive of the game when it was literally 4th and inches was a mistake. They went for the short field goal to tie it up and while it wasn't a terrible call, you've got to trust Hynoski or even a QB sneak can get the first down. I was almost wondering if Wannstedt knew that he could get another first down and didn't need to get a touchdown there. The call for Ray Graham to run on 3rd and 9? I don't even know how to address this. And kicking the FG with 9 seconds left was a bad call. At that point it was only 3rd down and I there was plenty of time to throw a sideline route to get a little closer. There were others I questioned, but those are just the ones that stand out.

- I said it before, but I was unsure why Chris Burns came in again for mop-up duty. I guess to keep both Lewis and Graham healthy, but 1. I thought he was switching positions to either safety or corner, and 2., it would be nice to have preserved his redshirt if they think he is really going to be a good player in the secondary.

- So many players made good plays including Lewis, Bill Stull, Jonathan Baldwin, Cedric McGee - but Dorin Dickerson had an unbelievable game with 7 catches, 118 yards, and a TD. I've stopped being mad at the coaches for not using him properly before this and just have really been watching and appreciating his play. Pitt should have a good team next year with the return of a lot of guys, but Dickerson may be missed the most.

Looking forward to these next three games.

Latest Test of the Year

That's the first thing I think of when I see the matchup this weekend Vs. South Florida. It seems like literally since the beginning of the season, each game has been more important. Not just because of the roll Pitt is on, but because the opponents have almost always been tougher.

Pitt started out with Youngstown State, a I-AA team before moving onto Buffalo. Week three represented another step up against an always tricky Navy team and the following week, Pitt played its first BCS conference opponent in NC State. Yes, you can argue that the next opponent, Louisville, may not be as good as NC State. But it was a conference road game on a Friday night, so you could argue that it was more important. Pitt then played a better team in UCONN and possibly a bettter team in Rutgers. This week, it gets tougher with a visit from South Florida. It's a good thing Pitt thinks more is left in the tank, because they'll need it.

Dave Wannstedt said it after Pitt's 24-17 win against Rutgers Friday night.

So did Mick Williams, Bill Stull, Dorin Dickerson, Dion Lewis and every other player who entered the media interview room at Rutgers Stadium after the game.

"We haven't played as well as we can play. We haven't played our best football yet."

Pitt has been somewhat fortunate in getting by with some crucial mistakes. Just when you think it's going to cost them, they stepped up and fought their way out of it. But I can't help but think that the mistakes are going to cost them in another game down the road.

Head-to-head, the teams are pretty even on paper.

Unknown to Dave Wannstedt at the weekly press conference, Pitt is trying to do something it hasn't in nearly 30 years.

Pitt faces another freshman QB, albeit a redshirt, in B.J. Daniels. Make no mistake, he's pretty good.

Paul Zeise at the PG says Pitt expects a good turnout. To be honest, I do, too. Pitt is 6-1, ranked in the top 20, playing a good team, and it's homecoming. Yes it may be a little rainy on Saturday, the temperature is supposed to be fairly warm in the neighborhood of 60 degrees. The game is televised, but Pitt should get a good draw for this one.

This comment by Bulls' coach Jim Leavitt seems a bit off to me:

"They do everything off the run game," Leavitt said. "I don't see any weaknesses in their offensive line. We're looking at film trying to figure out what to do."

Yes, the running game is strong. But Pitt has shown they can pass when needed. Bill Stull continues to play mostly error-free football this year and if Pitt doesn't turn the ball over, they're dangerous.

A few quick hitters:

ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's latest tidbits include Dion Lewis appearing on some Heisman ballots and picking Pitt to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Jared Holley has stepped up big time.

Cam Saddler may be back this week. If he is, Pitt will have two dangerous kick returners in he and Ray Graham.

Dorin Dickerson gets some love as a nationally-recognized TE.

The Petersen family steps up again.

Some quotes from Wanny.

Mark Cuban made a guest appearance at Pitt while in town for the Cavs/Mavs exhibition game.

This is old news, but Dion Lewis got some more accolades this week. Pat Forde also has some respect for Dion.

Well That Was Interesting

I can't be the only one who has a hard time getting a true pulse on this team. I expected Pitt to win a close game, but I purposefully left out predicting a score because I thought it was completely possible that Pitt would lose this game. Add up the facors - Friday night game, on the road, conference game, vs. an offense that has struggled, but still had two possible All-Conference WRs and an All-Conference RB.

Pitt really came out after a very shaky first half and impressed. Yes, the first half was no picnic - the defense was not all that great (even though Louisville only had ten points) and was downright terrible on that first drive. They really tightened it up in the second half and the offense was much better then as well. A few things:

- Holy penalties, Batman. And dumb ones, too. Peronsal fouls, holding, etc. Both teams were guilty, but Pitt has to get this fixed. There's no reason for this to happen.

- Bill Stull was very impressive again and had maybe his best game of the year. 16 for 23, 242 yards, 3 TDs, and again, no picks. For the naysayers, Stull now has 11 TDs and 1 INT on the season. His passer rating is over 159 and has to be one of the top in the country I'm sure. And he's now already thrown two more TDs than he did ALL OF LAST SEASON. That's unbelievable when you think of it. He's really come a long way and there should be absolutely no one criticizing him now.

- And speaking of Stull, he was able to do something I've criticized him for - throw the deep ball accurately. The two big strikes he hit on to Dickerson and Baldwin were right on the money. The defenders made two horrible plays on those passes, but Stull still made the throws. And if you don't think it's possible to miss wide open guys, look for a replay of the West Virginia game on Thursday night - their QB missed two wide open receivers on deep balls.

- Now onto Wanny, the coordinators, and the offense/defense - Again, I think he called a heck of a game. Not sure who was responsible for calling the offensive deep balls, but it was good to see Pitt take shots down the field. Yes, the defense is still a ways away, but they played pretty well tonight if you look at the entire game. 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing is pretty solid. The offensive playcalling has been great. The only thing I might slightly disagree with was Wannstedt going for it on fourth down in the first half rather than kicking a fairly reasonable field goal (of about 40 yards I think). Not sure if that was lack of faith in Hutchins or what, but I would have went the other way on that one.

- I think the stop at the end of the half was big. To hold them to a field goal at that point in the game, was big for Pitt.

- Dion Lewis essentially split carries with Ray Graham tonight. Graham actually had a higher yard-per-carry, but also had the big fumble in the first half when Pitt was driving. I was glad to see Wannstedt talk to him immediately and not get too much on his case. I'm curious to see how the rotation will play out the rest of the year, but we could see another game of seeing the backs basically split the carries. Oh, and Dion Lewis is a freak. Not sure if anyone else caught it, but there was like a 3rd and 2 or something...I don't even remember when it was. But he put on a quick juke in what appeared like it was going to be a loss to get the first down. He made several similar plays making defenders look silly. Five games in and now seeing him against to BCS-Conference Teams, and I'm a believer.

- The more I see Dorin Dickerson succeed, the angrier I get. This guy could have been a big weapon over the past three seasons. You've got to think he could be one of the top tight ends taken in the NFL Draft. And on the other end, Nate Byham has been virtually non-existent, with only three catches this year.

- Cam Saddler is eventually going to break one of those punt returns (assuming his injury wasn't too serious). He seems like he always takes the right angles and it's just a matter of time. That could really end up being a great weapon for Pitt this year.

- Not sure what the atmosphere was like in person, but it seemed like the crowd was really out of it most of the game. I know Pitt eventually ran away with it in the 2nd half, but it didn't seem like it was really all that raucous.

- A great win for Pitt. As I said before, it was much more important that they win this game than the NC State game because it was in-conference. Pitt now gets a mediocre UCONN team at home and should have a good chance to get to 5-1.

- Kind of a side note, but I was kind of surprised to hear one of the commentators say that Pitt was the, and I'm paraphrasing here, 'main traditional power' or something to that effect in the Big East. That may be true I guess, but I don't think fans around the country necessarily see it that way. West Virginia has had more success recently and the year they could have gone to the National Championship with Pat White and Steve Slaton was the best Big Team in a while. I'd have to give that one more thought.

Recapping a Beatdown

Holy offense, Batman. At least one thing went right on Saturday as Pitt scored the most points since running up 55 on Temple ten years ago.

Ron Cook was thinking what most Pitt fans probably felt :

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said something late yesterday afternoon that was unimaginable a week ago, a month ago, certainly 9 1/2 months ago when his Panthers defied incredible odds in the worst way to be shut out in a college football game, 3-0, by Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.

"Offensively, we were able to carry the load today. That's a nice feeling."

Can you believe that?

Can you believe Pitt spanked Buffalo, 54-27, here yesterday?

I watched it and I can't believe it.

54-27!

I would have told you before the game that Pitt couldn't score 54 points combined against any four opponents on its schedule, outclassed Youngstown State aside. Of course, I also would have said no four opponents could score a combined 27 points on Pitt's alleged great defense.

Dorin Dickerson finally 'broke out' and had the type of performance people at Pitt have been waiting for since he arrived on campus:

Dorin Dickerson was the prize of the Pitt's 2006 recruiting class, but, for the first three seasons of his Panthers' career, he was mostly a non-factor.

Yesterday, he showed why he was such a prize catch. Dickerson caught eight passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns as Pitt (2-0) stampeded Buffalo, 54-27, before a crowd of 21,870 at UB Stadium.

Of course, as the Buffalo News points out, some of those points came as the result of miscues:

But the Bulls committed four turnovers that the Panthers turned into 27 points. Before the offense even took the field, UB was down, 14-0. That made for a long day in a game where the Bulls were clearly under the spotlight, hoping to shock the Panthers from the Big East.

Pitt (2-0) is the lone Bowl Championship Series program on the Bulls' schedule and a win over the Panthers could have propelled the program closer to the Top 25. Instead, with the spotlight glaring, the Bulls (1-1) forgot their lines.

"It hurts, it really hurts because we thought we had a shot to go out here and beat a BCS school and that was one of our goals this year," said senior free safety Mike Newton, who led the Bulls with 10 tackles. "We have to come back and rebound from this."

That Newton guy seemed to be around the ball quite a bit.

Even the defense got in on the act scoring-wise.

Oh that defense. There were a couple of downers...

Paul Zeise breaks down a few things and says what everyone should be thinking - you can't give up 500 yards in offense to Buffalo.

Uh, yeah - what he said.

And while we're on the subject of downers, Pitt got some bad news when they found out safety Andrew Taglianetti is lost for the season. Elijah Fields should assume the starting spot. Definitely some bad news, but Fields should be a capable backup.

My thoughts on the game:

- Bill Stull's leash has probably gotten a bit longer with two solid games thus far. He played better in this one and the play-calling has been excellent - good mix of pass vs. run, extensive use of the TE, and keeping Stull within his limits. Yes, the deep play probably will not be there all that much under his reign - even with Baldwin on the team. But he's been accurate thus far on the shorter passes and as long as he doesn't lose games, he could do an accurate job. Even if he remains the starter all year, I hope that Sunseri still gets some reps to get him ready for a competition with Bostick next season.

- Yes, Buffalo was no match for Pitt's offensive line, but man can Dion Lewis run. He looks real solid and Pitt's running game hasn't taken even a small step back from last year so far. The road ahead will be the true test, but so far, so good. Some people might be surprised that Graham hasn't gotten more touches so far, but really, there's no been no reason to give him any with the way Lewis is playing.

- Two missed extra points in a game? I hope that gets fixed soon. Dan Hutchins' punting was, again, pretty good, however - averaging over 47 yards a punt.

- With Stull effectively having trouble going deep, I think it may be another year until we see Jonathan Baldwin possibly have a real breakout season. Maybe not, but it's looking that way so far.

- Slightly irritating, but I AGAIN saw Stull look to only one receiver again on a short pass play. Can't remember if it was Baldwin or Dickerson, but it was a 3rd and 4, I believe, in the 2nd half. They didn't convert and it was a bad play all around. I have seen him look for other receivers on other plays, but sometimes he gets so locked onto one guy that it's not healthy.

Did you miss the game? I think it can still be seen on ESPN360.com as of the time I'm posting this assuming you have Verizon or Comcast.

Looking forward to Navy next week - especially since it's a night game.