The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Mr. NBA

EOG Dedicated
Let it be known I am the BIGGEST PITT/Big East homer on the planet.:houra



Who does everybody have......gonna make my biggest bowl bet on this game. Unless somebody has something crazy to add here.
 

mofome

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

gonna take pitt here.

91023i2ndw;l
 

tripp

EOG Master
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

lean to org st here. pretty even teams, org st might be slightly better, but huge coaching adv. for oregon st.
 

Mr. NBA

EOG Dedicated
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

lean to org st here. pretty even teams, org st might be slightly better, but huge coaching adv. for oregon st.



Pitt has the worst coach in all of football....PERIOD

Pitt has the worst QB in all of football.....PERIOD

Now what does Pitt have:

A running back 2nd to none and the back up aint too shabby either.

4 wide receivers that as a group would put with any 4 from any other team in the country.

The best middle linebacker in the Big East.


St. is soooooo banged up its stupid.......they just lost their best lineman to a death in the family as well. I think they are going to have 5 starters miss this game. One of which being their best player Jacquizz Rogers....hell his bro isnt going to be suiting up either.


I am unloading on Pitt.
 

winkyduck

TYVM Morgan William!!!
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

lean to org st here. pretty even teams, org st might be slightly better, but huge coaching adv. for oregon st.

MASSIVE edge for OSU - the 2nd biggest of the bowls only behind the Grand Canyon like diff for Ga Tech against Les(s) Miles

Pac-10 is 3-0 SU in bowls and in a game where the SU winner will most likely be the ATS winner - gimme the better conference and coach and i'll take my chances
 

Mr. NBA

EOG Dedicated
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

MASSIVE edge for OSU - the 2nd biggest of the bowls only behind the Grand Canyon like diff for Ga Tech against Les(s) Miles

Pac-10 is 3-0 SU in bowls and in a game where the SU winner will most likely be the ATS winner - gimme the better conference and coach and i'll take my chances


A heallthy OSU and I agree, but this is not a healthy osu....not close.
 

Apple

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Pac ten is 3 and 0 in bowl games this season. Now with that being said i'm on pitt here plus three. Oregon is banged up and pitt is pretty much completely healthy. I give pitt the edge here especially with the points.
 

Mr. NBA

EOG Dedicated
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Pac ten is 3 and 0 in bowl games this season. Now with that being said i'm on pitt here plus three. Oregon is banged up and pitt is pretty much completely healthy. I give pitt the edge here especially with the points.



agreed......no pts needed though......if OSU were healthy and had ALL their players present then I would not feel as good about Pitt.
 

mofome

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Angie Machado
BeaverBlitz.com Publisher
<script language="javascript">document.write("<div id=contentcontainer style='font-size: " + currentsize + "pt;'>");</script> Talk about it in The Lodge


After quite a bowl drought, Oregon State has been on a tear of late. Out of the Beavers 14 bowl appearances (including tomorrow's Sun Bowl), eight of them have occurred over the past ten years. Here is a collection of notes, numbers, and notables heading into the game. <!--Start Vegas Bowl Steven Jackson Image--><script language="Javascript">document.write(insertImage('http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1051/131835.jpg', '131835.jpg', 0, 250, 200, 1, 'Steven Jackson holds the record for most TD\'s scored in a bowl game (4)', '', 1230677188000, 'Vegas Bowl Steven Jackson', 1051, 'Align=Right'));</script><table width="208" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3" width="6"> </td><td width="202"> </td></tr><tr><td height="3"> </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Steven Jackson holds the record for most TD's scored in a bowl game (4)</td></tr></tbody></table><!-- End Vegas Bowl Steven Jackson Image-->Lucky number 14?
Oregon State's trip to the Sun Bowl will be the program's 14th bowl game all-time. In the previous 13 games, Oregon State is 9-4. In its last seven bowl appearances dating back to 1999's O'ahu Bowl, the Beavers are 5-2, including a four game winning streak. Here is a look at Oregon State's bowl history:
1940 Pineapple Bowl - Oregon State 39 Hawai'i 6
1942 Rose Bowl - Oregon State 20 Duke 16
1949 Pineapple Bowl - Oregon State 47 Hawai'i 27
1957 Rose Bowl - Iowa 35 Oregon State 19
1962 Liberty Bowl - Oregon State 6 Villanova 0
1965 Rose Bowl - Michigan 34 Oregon State 7
1999 O'ahu Bowl - Hawai'i 23 Oregon State 17
2001 Fiesta Bowl - Oregon State 41 Notre Dame 9
2002 Insight Bowl - Pitt 38 Oregon State 13
2003 Las Vegas Bowl - Oregon State 55 New Mexico 14
2004 Insight Bowl - Oregon State 38 Notre Dame 21
2006 Sun Bowl - Oregon State 39 Missouri 38
2007 Emerald Bowl - Oregon State 21 Maryland 14

1-0 in the Sun Bowl
Most Oregon State fans remember the thrilling come from behind victory over Missouri in the 2006 Sun Bowl. After trailing by 14 points with 12 minutes to go in the game, the Beavers staged a valiant comeback led by senior quarterback Matt Moore who threw for 356 yards and a Sun Bowl record, four touchdowns.
With 22 seconds on the clock, tight end Joe Newton caught a 14-yard touchdown pass pulling the Beavers within a point. While the announcers were sure Oregon State would go for the tie to press overtime, Beaver running back,Yvenson Bernard had another idea.
Missouri called a timeout to ice kicker Alexis Serna, which gave Bernard and the offensive line time to persuade Coach Riley to go for two. When the clock started, it was Moore and Bernard on the field, not Serna and Bernard followed blocker Adam Speer into the endzone for the two point conversion and the last second victory.
Oregon State vs. Pitt
<!--Start SunBowl CoachRiley celebrating 200x267 Image--><script language="Javascript">document.write(insertImage('http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1051/442716.jpg', '442716.jpg', 1, 267, 200, 1, 'The Beavers hope to celebrate in El Paso once again.', '', 1230677239000, 'SunBowl CoachRiley celebrating 200x267', 1051, 'Align=Left'));</script><table width="208" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="202"> </td><td rowspan="4" width="6"> </td></tr><tr><td align="right">Associated Press</td></tr><tr><td height="3"> </td></tr><tr><td align="center">The Beavers hope to celebrate in El Paso once again.</td></tr></tbody></table><!-- End SunBowl CoachRiley celebrating 200x267 Image-->Oregon State is 0-1 all-time against the Panthers. The only meeting between the two teams came in the 2002 Insight Bowl, which resulted in a 38-13 win for the Panthers. Both teams were under different coaches at the time and both are now under former NFL coaches. Pitt coach, Dave Wannstedt had head coaching stints with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Mike Riley was a head coach for the San Diego Chargers. Riley is 4-0 in bowl games at Oregon State.
Oregon State-Pitt ties
Both schools recruit in completely different areas. While over 60 percent of Pitt's roster is from the state of Pennsylvania, Oregon State cannot say the same for its own state. Interestingly, the Beavers have more players from the state of California (39) than any other. 32 of OSU's players are from Oregon, followed by 14 from Hawaii. Pitt has 63 players from Pennsylvania.
Pitt has 14 players from Florida, while Oregon State has two. The Beavers also have two players from Ohio, while the Panther have five. Steve Dell and Cedric McGee are both natives of Fort Lauderdale, as is Oregon State's Chris Johnson. That is the lone tie between both rosters.
Scott Turner, Pitt's offensive graduate assistant, also served in the same capacity under Mike Riley at Oregon State in 2005.
Notable Oregon State bowl records
Rushing yards: 177 - Yvenson Bernard (2007 Emerald Bowl)
Rushing TDs: 4 - Steven Jackson (2003 Las Vegas Bowl)
Passing yards: 358 - Derek Anderson (2004 Insight Bowl)
Passing TDs: 4 - Derek Anderson (2004 Insight Bowl)
Longest Pass: 74 - Jonathan Smith to Chad Johnson (2001 Fiesta Bowl)
Receptions: 10 - James Newson (2002 Insight Bowl)
Receiving Yards: 165 - James Newson (2002 Insight Bowl)
Receiving TDs: 2 - Chad Johnson (2001 Fiesta Bowl; Joe Newton (2004 Insight Bowl); Joe Newton (2006 Sun Bowl)
Most Points Scored: 55 - 2003 Las Vegas Bowl
Most Tackles: 10 - Trent Bray (2004 Insight Bowl)
Oregon State bowl MVP's
1942 Rose Bowl: Don Durdan (Back)
1999 O'ahu Bowl: Ken Simonton (RB)
2001 Fiesta Bowl: Darnell Robinson (LB) & Jonathan Smith (QB)
2003 Las Vegas Bowl: Steven Jackson (RB)
2004 Insight Bowl: Trent Bray (LB) & Derek Anderson (QB)
2006 Sun Bowl: Matt Moore (QB)
2007 Emerald Bowl: Yvenson Bernard (RB) & Derrick Doggett (LB)
 

WVU

EOG Master
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Pitt will roll here, but you and I both know that Mr NBA
 

mofome

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Chris Peak
Special to BeaverBlitz.com
<script language="javascript">document.write("<div id=contentcontainer style='font-size: " + currentsize + "pt;'>");</script> Talk about it in The Lodge


It is bowl week and while the Beavers prepare to battle the Pittsburg Panthers in the Sun Bowl, we at BeaverBlitz, thought it was time to learn a little bit about them. We pose five questions to the expert that covers Pitt, Chris Peak of Pantherlair.com to get his take on a wide variety of topics surrounding the Pitt Panthers.
<hr> <!--Start Baldwin9_200 Image--><script language="Javascript">document.write(insertImage('http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/996/674702.jpg', '674702.jpg', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Baldwin will be one to watch on Wednesday', 'Pete Madia', 1230531400000, 'Baldwin9_200', 996, 'Align=Left'));</script><table width="208" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="202"> </td><td rowspan="4" width="6"> </td></tr><tr><td align="right">Pete Madia</td></tr><tr><td height="3"> </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Baldwin will be one to watch on Wednesday</td></tr></tbody></table><!-- End Baldwin9_200 Image--> 1. Oregon State fans have gotten to know the names LeSean McCoy, Derek Kinder and Scott McKillop over the past few weeks, but who is a key player on offense and defense that Beaver fans may not know much about?

The offense has a couple big weapons. Freshman wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin was a five-star prospect and played like one at times this season. He had moments when the defense couldn't cover him, but he also had some freshman lapses. Still, he's a deep threat that can stretch the field.
Junior tight end Nate Byham is another Panther that will be playing on Sundays, and although he was somewhat underused this season, every time the ball was thrown to him, he made a strong play. He has great hands and runs with a lot of power, and he can create some matchup problems. Plus, he's a pretty good blocker.
On the other side of the ball, the Oregon State fans need to watch Pitt's defensive line. The line - starting ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard and the tackle rotation of Mick Williams, Rashaad Duncan, Gus Mustakas, Myles Caragein, and Tommie Duhart - has been virtually unstoppable this season. McKillop has been among the nation's leading tacklers this season and last because the line has created opportunities for him to make plays.
Pitt's defense starts up front, and if those guys are making an impact - whether it's against the pass or the run - it will be a long day for the Beavers.

<hr> 2. What are the strengths and weaknesses to this years Pitt squad?
On offense, the biggest strength is obvious: LeSean McCoy. But in a way, McCoy has had to be the biggest strength because the offense's biggest weakness is at quarterback. Bill Stull is a redshirt junior who has been in Matt Cavanaugh's system for four years, but throughout the season he has struggled. Whether it was a lack of poise in the pocket, an inability to make good decisions under pressure, or a difficulty making crisp passes and hitting the open man, Stull has been efficient at best and a liability at worst.
Pitt's offense starts with running the ball, and the Panthers need the running game to work in order to take pressure off the passing game.
On defense, the strength is up front with the line and at middle linebacker with McKillop. The outside linebackers are inexperienced, but they have improved throughout the season. The real weakness on defense is in the secondary. More than once this season, Pitt's corners and safeties have been exploited, most notably by Rutgers and Mike Teel, a quarterback who floated through a mediocre season before torching the Panthers for 361 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Pitt's secondary made some improvements down the stretch, but the vulnerabilities that were exposed will take more than a few weeks to correct.

<hr> <!--Start McCoy9_200 Image--><script language="Javascript">document.write(insertImage('http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/996/528926.jpg', '528926.jpg', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'McCoy is the heart of Pitt\'s offense', 'Pete Madia', 1230531471000, 'McCoy9_200', 996, 'Align=Right'));</script><table width="208" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="4" width="6"> </td><td width="202"> </td></tr><tr><td align="right">Pete Madia</td></tr><tr><td height="3"> </td></tr><tr><td align="center">McCoy is the heart of Pitt's offense</td></tr></tbody></table><!-- End McCoy9_200 Image--> 3. What are the keys to the game for a Pitt victory?
Pitt needs to do what it has done when the Panthers have played well this season: on offense, run the ball effectively, convert first downs on the ground, and make the occasional short-to-medium range play through the air; on defense, stuff the run, create pressure with the front four, and keep the receivers in front of the secondary.
That may seem like a pretty common formula for victory, but those keys are the main tenets of the Dave Wannstedt approach to football: that's how he has built this team, and that's how this team plays when it wins.

<hr> 4. Among players and coaches, what is the general feeling about playing Oregon State and playing in the Sun Bowl?
I think they're excited. For the players, the mere fact of being in a bowl - which Pitt hasn't done since the 2004 season - is excitement enough. But they all have a certain appreciation for playing in a bowl that does carry some name recognition beyond the dot.com or auto parts maker that sponsors the game.
And I definitely think that they are anxiously anticipating the opportunity to play a team from the Pac-10. That's not something Pitt does very often, and the fact that it's happening against a team that had a very good season probably has the players and coaches even more excited. Plus, Wannstedt often waxes poetically of "the USC's and the Miami's and the Oklahoma's," so the OSU upset of USC has certainly not gone un-mentioned in Pitt meetings this week.

<hr> 5. What's the X-factor for Pitt in this game? What part of the Panthers do most people overlook?
It's gotten a lot of press in Pittsburgh, but I think this still bears mentioning:
The hallmark of this 2008 Pitt team is the uncanny ability to fight back and not give up. Without sounding too corny or clich?d, these players have shown a pretty impressive knack for coming back in games this season, as evidenced by fourth-quarter comebacks in five of the Panthers' nine victories. That's a remarkable number, particularly for a team that spent the past three seasons as a team that very notably did not play well in the second half of games.
If there's something special about this Pitt team, it's that those come-from-behind wins have given them confidence that they're never truly out of a game, and that confidence carried the team through four overtimes at Notre Dame and a game-winning drive with time ticking away against West Virginia.
For most of these players, this is something new. They've never had this kind of confidence, ability, and flat-out winning attitude in the past three years at Pitt; now they've been building it all season (despite notable flops against Bowling Green, Rutgers, and Cincinnati).
It's an intangible, and it's not something that can be drawn up with X's and O's, but that sixth sense of being able to manufacture comebacks - and the confidence that is inherent in that quality - may be the team's biggest strength of all.

<hr> 6. Prediction time:
With Quizz Rodgers out, the task would appear to be considerably lighter for Pitt's defense, and LeSean McCoy seems to have a knack for showing up in nationally-televised big games, so I'll go with the Panthers here.
Pitt 38
OSU 17
 

mofome

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Tony Greco
Pantherlair.com Senior Writer
<script language="javascript">document.write("<div id=contentcontainer style='font-size: " + currentsize + "pt;'>");</script> Talk about it in Between Fifth And Forbes


Pitt will make its first bowl appearance in almost four years tomorrow when the Panthers take on Oregon State in the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso. Here is a collection of notes, numbers, and notables heading into the game.



Silver bowl appearance

Pitt's trip to the Sun Bowl will be the program's 25th bowl game all-time. In the previous 24 games, Pitt is 10-14. In its last six bowl appearances dating back to 1997, Pitt is just 2-4. Of the 24 matchups all-time, seven have been against Pac-10 teams, with Pitt going 3-4. Here is a look at Pitt's all-time bowl results:

1927 Rose Bowl - Stanford 7 Pitt 6
1929 Rose Bowl - USC 47 Pitt 14
1932 Rose Bowl - USC 35 Pitt 0
1936 Rose Bowl - Pitt 21 Washington 0
1955 Sugar Bowl - Georgia Tech 7 Pitt 0
1956 Gator Bowl - Georgia Tech 21 Pitt 14
1973 Fiesta Bowl - Arizona State 28 Pitt 7
1975 Sun Bowl - Pitt 33 Kansas 19
1976 Sugar Bowl - Pitt 27 Georgia 3
1977 Gator Bowl - Pitt 34 Clemson 3
1978 Tangerine Bowl - N.C. State 30 Pitt 17
1979 Fiesta Bowl - Pitt 16 Arizona 10
1980 Gator Bowl - Pitt 37 South Carolina
1981 Sugar Bowl - Pitt 24 Georgia 20
1982 Cotton Bowl - SMU 7 Pitt 3
1983 Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State 28 Pitt 23
1987 Bluebonnet Bowl - Texas 32 Pitt 27
1989 Sun Bowl - Pitt 31 Texas A&M 28
1997 Liberty Bowl - Southern Miss 41 Pitt 7
2000 Insight.com Bowl - Iowa State 37 Pitt 29
2001 Tangerine Bowl - Pitt 34 N.C. State 17
2002 Insight Bowl - Pitt 38 Oregon State 13
2003 Continental Tire Bowl - Virginia 23 Pitt 16
2004 Fiesta Bowl - Utah 35 Pitt 7

2-0 in the Sun Bowl

Pitt's two previous trips to the Sun Bowl - both victories - have seen record-breaking performances from both the passing game and running game. The result is two former players (Alex Van Pelt, Tony Dorsett) and a coach (Johnny Majors) named to the "Legends of the Sun Bowl." The two previous Pitt teams to play in El Paso took completely different paths the following season.

Pitt's trip to the 1975 Sun Bowl against Kansas resulted in the Panthers' second-ever bowl win, and its first in nearly 40 years. Dave Wannstedt began his coaching trek that year, as it was his first year as a grad assistant under Johnny Majors. The Panthers saw a running performance that hasn't even been close to being duplicated. Three different players rushed for 100 yards in a 33-19 win. Tony Dorsett ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, but was joined by quarterback Robert Haygood (101 yards, 14 carries) and fullback Elliott Walker (123 yards, 11 carries). That set the tone for 1976, when the Panthers went on to win the national championship.

In the 1989 Sun Bowl, Pitt did it through the air, as freshman quarterback Alex Van Pelt threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Van Pelt brought the Panthers from behind, throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Henry Tuten with two minutes remaining. Pitt finished that season with eight wins, and wouldn't see another eight-win season for 13 years. They wouldn't see another bowl game for another eight years.

Pitt-Oregon State

Pitt is 1-0 all-time against the Beavers. The only meeting between the two teams came in the 2002 Insight Bowl, which resulted in a 38-13 win for the Panthers. Both teams were under different coaches at the time and both are now under former NFL coaches. Wannstedt of course had head coaching stints with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Mike Riley was a head coach for the San Diego Chargers. Riley is 4-0 in bowl games at Oregon State.

Pitt-Oregon State ties

Both schools recruit in completely different areas. While over 60 percent of Pitt's roster is from the state of Pennsylvania, Oregon State cannot say the same for its own state. Interestingly, the Beavers have more players from the state of California (39) than any other. 32 of OSU's players are from Oregon, followed by 14 from Hawaii. Pitt has 63 players from Pennsylvania.

Pitt has 14 players from Florida, while Oregon State has two. The Beavers also have two players from Ohio, while the Panther have five. Steve Dell and Cedric McGee are both natives of Fort Lauderdale, as is Oregon State's Chris Johnson. That is the lone tie between both rosters.

Scott Turner, Pitt's offensive graduate assistant, also served in the same capacity under Mike Riley at Oregon State in 2005.

Texas ties

This is Pitt's second trip to the Lone Star State this decade. The last time, a trip to Texas A&M in 2003, resulted in a win. In 10 previous games played in the state of Texas, including three bowl games, Pitt is 5-4-1. Here is a look every game the Panthers have played in Texas:

Nov. 3, 1951 - Rice 21 Pitt 13
Oct. 22, 1960 - Pitt 7 TCU 7
Sept. 29, 1962 - Pitt 24 Baylor 14
Sept. 26, 1970 - Pitt 15 Baylor 10
Dec. 26, 1975 - Pitt 33 Kansas 19 (Sun Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1983 - SMU 7 Pitt 3 (Cotton Bowl)
Dec. 31, 1987 - Texas 33 Pitt 27 (Bluebonnet Bowl)
Sept. 16, 1995 - Texas 38 Pitt 27
Sept. 13, 1997 - Pitt 35 Houston 24
Sept. 27, 2003 - Pitt 37 Texas A&M 26

While there are no players on Pitt's roster from Texas, Pitt's coaching staff does have extensive ties to the state.

Dave Wannstedt spent the first four seasons of his NFL coaching career as defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. He also recruited in Texas when he was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (1979-81), his first college gig after he left Pitt. Offensive line coach Tony Wise also coached in that same capacity with the Cowboys from 1989-92.

Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett is a native of Marshall, Texas, and played his college football at Texas A&M. He had two coaching stints as an assistant at TCU and Texas A&M, as well as a head coaching gig at SMU. Bennett's final college game was a win over Florida in the 1977 Sun Bowl.

Linebackers coach Joe Tumpkin previously served as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State and SMU before coming to Pitt this season.

Notable Pitt bowl records

Rushing yards: 202 - Tony Dorsett, 1976 Sugar Bowl
Rushing TDs: 2 - Tony Dorsett, 1975 Sun Bowl
Passing yards: 387 - Matt Cavanaugh, 1977 Gator Bowl
Passing TDs: 4 - Matt Cavanaugh, 1977 Gator Bowl
Longest Pass: 89 - Pete Gonzalez to Jake Hoffart, 1997 Liberty Bowl (also ranks as the second-longest passing play in school history)
Receptions: 10 - Gordon Jones, 1977 Gator Bowl
Receiving Yards: 163 - Gordon Jones, 197 Gator Bowl
Receiving TDs: 3 - Elliott Walker, 1977 Gator Bowl
Most Points Scored: 18 - Elliott Walker, 1977 Gator Bowl
Most Points Scored by a kicker: 13 - Dave Trout, 1977 Gator Bowl and Eric Schubert, 1979 Fiesta Bowl

Pitt opponent bowl record

Rushing yards: 145 - Robert Wilson, Texas A&M (1989 Sun Bowl)
Rushing TDs: 3 - Woody Green, Arizona State (1973 Fiesta Bowl)
Passing Yards: 368 - Brett Stafford, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl)
Passing TDs: 4 - Alex Smith, Utah (2004 Fiesta Bowl)
Receiving Yards: 242 - Tony Jones, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl)
Receiving TDs: 2 - Chris Anthony, Iowa State (2000 Insight.com Bowl), Tony Jones, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl), Paris Warren, Utah (2004 Fiesta Bowl)
 

mofome

Banned
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

Chris Peak
Pantherlair.com Publisher
<script language="javascript">document.write("<div id=contentcontainer style='font-size: " + currentsize + "pt;'>");</script> Talk about it in Between Fifth And Forbes


Pitt is two days away from its Sun Bowl showdown with Oregon State, but for most Pitt fans, the Beavers are something of an unknown. So PantherLair.com tracked down BeaverBlitz.com publisher Angie Machado for a breakdown of the Beavers.



<!--Start Image--><script language="Javascript">document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/Player/video/JACQUIZZRODGERS250_1014.JPG', '', 1, 300, 250, 1, 'Jacquizz Rodgers will miss the Sun Bowl.', '', 1230567985000, '', 996, 'Align=Left'));</script><table width="258" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="252"> </td><td rowspan="4" width="6"> </td></tr><tr><td align="right">Associated Press</td></tr><tr><td height="3"> </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Jacquizz Rodgers will miss the Sun Bowl.</td></tr></tbody></table><!-- End Image-->1. Obviously the big story in all of this is Jacquizz Rodgers; how does his absence change Oregon State's approach on offense?

Losing Quizz is a huge loss for the Beavers, but equally big is the loss of his brother James who suffered a broken collarbone during the season finale game against rival Oregon. The brothers accounted for half of the offensive production (2515 yards out of 5019 total yards) and scored 21 of the 46 offensive touchdowns.

I don't expect Coach Riley to change the offense too much as he relies on a balanced attack, but there is no question that without Quizz, the running game will be tougher to establish for the Beavers. Ryan McCants is a talented runner, but with the success of Jacquizz, he hasn't seen significant minutes and hasn't proved it in a game.

Jeremy Francis will also see time in the backfield and gives the Beavers another target for the passing game.

2. From the east coast perspective, Oregon State's season hinged on two games: the loss to Penn State and the win over USC. How did each of those games shape the Beavers this season and does the USC win define the season for the players and coaches?

Oregon State broke in seven new starters on the defensive front this season and the Penn State game was still part of their learning curve. I also think that the players were a little awe struck at playing in Happy Valley with a stadium seating over 100,000.

The Beaver defense looked sluggish and out of place much of the day against the Nittany Lions, and they uncharacteristically missed several tackles. That said, the defense really came of age quickly the next week in the home opener versus Hawai'i and by the fourth game against USC they were really starting to click.

There is no doubt that the USC victory was a big day for the program, and it did show the country that Oregon State was a different team than lost to Penn State early.

3. It's no secret that Pitt's offense is centered around LeSean McCoy; how does Oregon State's defense match up against a pro-style/I-formation running game?

Oregon State is actually very familiar with the pro-style offense and the defense practices against Oregon State's pro-style/one back set everyday in practice. In the PAC 10, the Beavers also face other teams who run similar pro-style offenses like USC, UCLA, and ASU.

I expect with Coach Riley's and Coach Wannstedt's background in professional football, both will have their teams very ready.

4. What's the X-factor for Oregon State in this game? What part of the Beavers do most people overlook?

I doubt that the Pitt coaches have overlooked the Beaver receivers, but with all of the attention paid to Jacquizz Rodgers, opposing fans and media outlets sometimes forget about the Beavers wide receivers, especially Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales.

Without Quizz, the Beavers will need to rely more heavily on their passing game and Stroughter and Morales will be the key cogs in the passing attack. The offensive line has done an excellent job all season in the pass protection area, giving up only 16 sacks all year, which is tops in the Pac 10.

Additionally, after getting their rears handed to them in the Civil War game, the defense (with its 8 senior starters) will look to clean that bad taste out of their mouth with a solid performance.

5. What's at stake for Oregon State in this bowl game? How important is it to finish the season with a win on Wednesday?

Redemption. After having the conference title and Rose Bowl berth within their grasp, the Beavers completely collapsed at home against arch rival Oregon. The defense gave up the most points ever and they will be looking to make a statement that they are better than that.

It was a bitter disappointment for the players and fans, but the team has had three solid weeks of practice and seems to be rejuvenated.

Prediction: I think this is going to be a great game, a close one. Oregon State will need to come out throwing, and I'm concerned about the Beavers running game, but the defense should come out fired up. OSU 28—Pitt 27
 

Mr. NBA

EOG Dedicated
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

good read mo especially for the folks that dont know much about Pitt. What that guy said was dead on. When he says Stull is the weakness he aint joking.......toooooo many other advantages point to pitt here.


I really see this as a laugher, but hell what do I know I picked Nevada.....who was the worst team ever:+textinb3
 
Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread

I understand everything that I read in this forum, but what I don't understand is how the powers that be opened this line at OSU-3. I see movement the other way, but what angle could they possibly see. :+clueless

I was going to jump on OSU, but after reading this Pitt is a solid play.
 
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