By Paul Sykes
Noon in the Pizza Oven.
I promise not to say anything bad about noon kickoffs ever again. It’s almost starting to have a melodic ring to it.
Wasn’t too long ago that most Big East football prognosticators were trying to decide whether West Virginia or Pittsburgh were the best team in the Big East. Fast forward to mid-November and both squads reeling from two conference losses, University of Louisville and Cincinnati atop the conference standings.
Take Pittsburgh star running back Ray Graham out of the Panther equation and you have a beat-up, demoralized and confused Pittsburgh football team that comes to Louisville Saturday to become bowl eligible.
At least one Panther player will have a sense of familiarity with Floyd Street. That’d be Pitt QB quarterback Tino Sunseri, who was headed to ‘da Ville’ to play before he saw what the Kragthorpe effect was having on Louisville football. He now heads a team that has lost three out of their last four. Sometimes the more things change, they seem the same.
Without Graham, looks like it might be another pass-fest from the opponent on 11/12/11. With one major difference. Tino Sunseri is no Geno Smith. Louisville’s offense keeps rolling, the Cards defense gets a few more sacks, picks and fumbles and the Panthers crawl back to the Pennsylvania woods on the short end of a 31-14 score.
Yeah, we were a little off in this prediction. Part of the growing pains with a young team. The Cards had chances, though. Penalties, interceptions and unable to produce against a better than average Pitt defense.
Give Pitt credit for going with the hurry-up offense and the quick three step drops and releases by Sunseri. The Cardinal defense never had time to get to the QB effectively
Wouldn’t want to be around the Cardinal practice fields this week as UofL prepares for UCONN.
For being so far off, Paul, you are hereby sentenced to the practice field for three days next week.
The objective is to practice like winners, Charlie. Me on the practice field for three days would be the like turning the CARDINAL COUPLE chimps loose out there to block, tackle and receive Bridgewater passes. Sheer chaos…
Your prediction could easily have been accurate, Paul. But Pitt was ready to play and we weren’t. Being game-ready is a head coach responsibility, and I figure CS learned a hard lesson today. Does ‘No more Mister Nice Guy’ ring a bell with you, too?
Losing when you should win, then winning when you should lose…it must be maddening for the coaches, and it sure as heck is to fans, too. Come on, sophomore season…
Sorry, Paul, you’re going to have to live with this prediction. Have to give you credit for sticking your neck out for a young team.