Sunday, September 9th, 2007 by Matt Felser
Some Refs, A Band, and Maybe Even a Football Game
I came home from the Pitt-Grambling State game satisfied, but disappointed. I was satisfied because I obtained the autographs of the entire Pitt basketball team, plus Coach Jamie Dixon, after I snuck into a closed line (the team had been there for two hours and I dodged a few security guards to be the last person in line). I was disappointed by the team’s play. After breaking out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on the strength of Shady McCoy’s first three touchdowns, I expected domination, not a 34-10 snoozefest. Sure the game had its bright spots, including a blocked punt, mostly stellar defense, and a perfect 50 yard touchdown pass to Nate Byham, but it showed that Pitt has a long way to go before it can compete with Louisville or West Virginia.
Aside from a few lapses, Pitt’s defense and special teams were excellent. Four times, Grambling had the ball inside the 20 and came away with nothing, making three fourth down stops. The Panthers obviously work on a tip drill, as two tipped passes led to interceptions. Grambling’s offense was ineffective for the majority of the game, thanks to several dropped passes and a surprisingly strong pass rush from Paul Rhoads’ boys.
Former Purdue Boilermaker Dave Brytus punted very well for the Panthers, unlike Grambling’s punter who took forever to get off his kicks and had one blocked. Placekicker Connor Lee went two for two kicking field goals and converted four extra points. This left him with 54 in a row, six shy of the school record. Kickoff coverage could use a bit of work, and I can see why Coach Dave Wannstedt had open tryouts for a kickoff specialist. Brytus’ kicks routinely landed at only the ten yard line.
Pitt was completely overwhelmed by Grambling’s speed, something they will have to deal with against the Mountaineers. The Panther’s first play from scrimmage was a reverse that was quickly sniffed out by Grambling and lost them 15 yards. Pitt’s secondary was burned by the small but quick Grambling receivers and Grambling’s cornerbacks repeatedly jumped routes. Grambling players were flying left and right, with diving touchdown catches and interceptions. One of them leapt at least three feet to knock a jump ball out of the air.
Pitt’s offense got out to a quick start, with Shady McCoy’s aforementioned touchdowns, thanks to some great defense and turnovers. However, they really slowed down from there, scoring one long touchdown and settling for a pair of field goals. Kevan Smith was effective, but not exceptional at quarterback. He missed a few throws badly and his interception was atrocious, but he got the job done. The receivers played well, but dropped a few easy passes. Shady managed to run for over 100 yards while LaRod Stephens-Howling was forgotten on the sideline, with only three carries. Every time McCoy touched the ball, the stadium was on its toes. In the postgame wrap-up, even Wannstedt said he was surprised that he didn’t break off a big run.
The most glaring issues came from the Panther’s two field goal drives. The first came after safety Mike Phillips returned an interception to the four yard line. Everyone but offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh thought they would hand it off to Shady for his fourth touchdown. Instead, fans were treated to a one yard run by Conredge Collins (wasn’t he supposed to be a big deal?) and two incomplete passes by Smith. After a 61 yard completion to Oderick Turner and a few rushes, the Panthers were set up with a first down at the fifteen. Five yards and three plays later, Pitt settled for their second field goal. Against a team like Grambling, both series should go for six points.
The scariest part of the game came late, when wunderkid Pat Bostick replaced Smith at quarterback. Keep in mind that this is the guy that almost everyone, including myself, was campaigning to get the start. He proceeded to go 0-1 with an awful interception that even a junior high quarterback could have avoided. Bostick repeatedly took too long in the huddle and forced the team to waste a timeout and take a delay of game penalty. He appeared very nervous and had trouble taking snaps. Hopefully, this was just a product of being an 18 year old D1 quarterback and not a sign of things to come. I am particularly worried because of his alleged panic attack that led him to miss a week of training camp.
However, Bostick was not the most incompetent one on the field. The men in the white stripes were. Anyone can criticize referees, but this isn’t about the calls they made. Its about how they conducted themselves, such as blowing their whistle into the microphone or, in a bout of dyslexia, announcing that “The play on the stands fields”. They appeared to be lost on the field, mistaking Grambling’s kick returner’s call for blockers with a fair catch wave. They proceeded to penalize Grambling five yards for running after a fair catch was called. The worst offense came after Byham’s touchdown catch. An unsportsmanlike conduct flag was thrown against number 47 on Pitt. However, there is no 47 on Pitt’s roster. Only after Lee set up for a 30 yard extra point and put his streak in danger, did the refs correct themselves and say that the penalty was on Grambling. Aside from their bumbling, they also broke one of football’s unspoken rules: they called holding whenever they saw it. Anyone who has played football knows that all linemen hold. It is the only way to prevent a 300 pound man from getting around you. Refs know that it should only be called when it directly affects the play and is a blatant offense. In this game, it was called a relatively high seven times, among 24 penalties total. The referees needed a bit more training before they were ready for game situations.
Throughout this rainy, boring game, Grambling State’s band stole the show. They put Pitt’s marching band to shame, drowning them out and acting much more lively. They also didn’t try to play marching band renditions of Green Day or Black Sabbath. After the halftime show, they received a standing ovation.
On a side note, since when are bands allowed to play while the game is going on? Grambling played for a good five minutes while their football team marched up the field. I always thought that they were supposed to be silent after the players got to the line of scrimmage.
Anyways, that’s what I saw yesterday. Sorry it took so long to get this out.
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