With Pitt playing on Thursday I'm just gonna go ahead and tack the weekly preview onto last week's roundup. This will take me some time so I'll jump right into it.
Week 4 Roundup
Notre Dame 15, PITT 12
- This high octane offense is running on empty. Tino Sunseri looked much better than he did in the first three weeks but he still did far too little to win Pitt a very winnable game. We keep hearing how close he is. Well, time is up. Show me now or get on the bench.
- Why does Pitt continue to pooch punt the ball in the opposing team's territory. Go for it! You're running the spread offense and all pooch punts tell me is that there is no confidence from the coach in his offense. I don't care that they've been pretty decent. This offense was made to score and it's not happening. No one has ever scored on a pooch punt.
- Speaking of a lack of confidence in the offense, Todd Graham's harsh criticism of his players was uncalled for. I do like the fact that he at least came out the next day and blamed himself whether he believes that or not, but it still bothers me that he is obviously only doing that to cover his own butt. This is his system for players recruited to be in another. If it doesn't work, if the players don't get it, if the players don't trust it, it's on Coach Graham. I agree there is a complete and utter lack of execution, but you can't call out your players publicly.
- The defense looks much better. I have to believe that the only reason they've looked bad is a lack of game conditioning because of the new offensive system. I think this will continue to be a strong part of the team, and if the offense is as close as Todd Graham thinks maybe this Pitt team will be a legit contender.
LSU 47, WEST VIRGINIA 21
- It's a shame that the final score ended up the way that it did. West Virginia fought hard to get back in the game after a horrid start and made it a lot closer than it probably should have been. This is a good team, LSU is a national championship contender though.
- Geno Smith is really good. He is highly underrated and had West Virginia won, Smith would be in the national spotlight right now.
- Another game, another piece of bad media attention for the Mountaineers. A fan was beaten after the WVU game and this is exactly why the ACC and SEC doesn't want West Virginia around. Call the conference presidents hypocrites all you want, but academics and integrity do play a role in what they're doing. Why would Alabama's president want to put his fans in a position to be beaten after playing in Morgantown. It would be silly to do so. And the poor academic standards WVU has had for years is finally catching up to them.
PENN STATE 34, Eastern Michigan 6
- Penn State played much better and I'm not sure Joe Paterno being on the sideline didn't make a big difference. Not only did the team look much improved, but there weren't any of the miscommunication mistakes we've seen Penn State make all season long.
- I guess Penn State is going to be a two quarterback team for the long haul. Well if my first point holds true and JoePa on the sideline changes things, I won't fault any decision he makes.
DUQUESNE 41, Valparaiso 14
Week 5 Preview
Things I'll be looking for this week:
Pitt at USF:
- Pitt's offense to click - Todd Graham keeps saying they're close. Well, I'm inclined to believe him. He knows what he wants to see and apparently it's about there. They'll need it this week.
- Trey Anderson to play - I'm still not sold on Sunseri and if he struggles early then Anderson will take over. It's Big East play now. It's time to put up or shut up.
- Holding a lead - Again I have to put this here. They can't blow leads late. It wasn't the defense's fault either. The offense needs to help keep these guys off the field.
- NO POOCH PUNTS - This one is vital. Tino Sunseri has punted six times already. That is uncalled for. If Pitt goes for it and gets it half of those times this offense can earn a lot more credibility. I'm losing faith in this fast, and I hope that Graham knows what he's doing.
- A good start to Big East play - I've picked Pitt to win every game, and though they've lost the last two, they've been really close and I'll go as far to say they should have won both. A win against #16 USF will make the pain of these last two losses go away.
Penn State at Indiana:
- Joe Paterno on the sideline - Penn State looked great with him down on the field for the first time. Maybe that's all this team needed. A big win this week could verify that.
West Virginia at Bowling Green:
- A rebound game - A loss against LSU will keep this team hungry for a win before they get into Big East action. Before this may have looked like a trap game, but now this one means a little more.
- Geno Smith to perform well yet again - 65 passes last week was a bit much, but keep the ball in this guy's hands and you'll win a lot more than you lose.
- Dustin Garrison to prove himself - The freshman got off to a great start last week, but only had 10 carries to show us what he has. The Mountaineers running game has been atrocious and they need someone to step up. I think he does.
- Create more turnovers - West Virginia hasn't forced many, but this week is a good week to try and make some plays. They don't have too many tough opponents left, but turnovers will be key to winning out like some expect.
- Less turnovers and better special teams play - That's what cost them the game last week. It hasn't been a huge concern other than against LSU, but they don't need it to become habit.
Our mixed bag of articles for the week including articles after last week's action and preparation for this week's action:
Pitt
Penn State
West Virginia
Duquesne
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