Clemson 42 - Pitt 10

There was to be no repeat of Pitt's stunning 2016 upset of undefeated Clemson in last night's ACC Championship Game.  When Clemson running back Travis Etienne was sprung for a 75 yard touchdown run on the first play of the game, followed by Pitt going three and out on their first series, which included a couple of penalties and a sack, the outcome was pretty much known.  Pitt is not in the same class as Clemson and this was anything but a fair fight, as indicated by the eventual final score of 42-10.

So, let's not dwell on the game itself, and instead ponder just where Pitt is right now, football-wise.

A few years ago, amid some coaching turmoil (Wannstedt?Haywood? Graham?  Who can remember?), someone asked me just what, as a fan, would you want from Pitt.   After thinking about it, I came up with the following thoughts.....

1. No, I don't want Pitt to become a football factory like Alabama, Ohio State, or any of a couple of dozen others you can name.  I like it that Pitt seems to think that the University's purpose is to, you know, educate people. (Full disclosure:  I am just a fan of Pitt's sports teams.  I did not graduate from or attend Pitt.  Nor do I give Pitt any money, other than the money for my season football tickets.)
2. As a fan, I would like to go into any given football season with a reasonable expectation that the team will be competitive in its conference and have a reasonable chance to win more games than it loses.
3. Play in a bowl game every year, and play in a higher level bowl game every third or fourth year.
4. I would like to see Pitt compete regularly for its conference championship, and maybe even win it once every four or five years or so.
5. Maybe, possibly see the team catch lightning in bottle every other generation or so, be ranked in the Top Ten and maybe, possibly complete for a spot in the CFP.

And what has happened in the four years of the Pat Narduzzi Era?   Pitt has gone 8-5, 8-5, 5-7, and 7-6.  They will play in some mid-level Bowl again this year and will finish either 8-6 or 7-7.   Certainly not spectacular, but the team has been competitive within the ACC, and has won more than its lost.  When I have gone to Pitt football games over the last four seasons, more often than not, I have been entertained. 

More significantly, I think, the 2018 Pitt team was different than the earlier three Narduzzi teams in that the team got better as the season went along, and, yes, I say that even though I am well aware of that horrendous egg that they laid in Miami to close out the regular season.   I mean, after that loss to North Carolina (and just why can't HCPN beat the Tar Heels?), who among us ever saw Pitt winning the ACC Coastal Division?

Also, despite the one-sidedness of the game, Pitt was playing in the ACC Conference Championship Game last night.  That is not an insignificant achievement.  (See Point #4 above!!)  So, all things considered, I think that reasonable people should be happy with the course that Pitt is on, football-wise.  As for me, all things being equal, I look forward to renewing my football tickets for 2019.  Although, I would like to see perhaps nine or ten wins in Year Five under HCPN.

In conclusion, I am going to dwell on one aspect of last night's game.  Pitt takes the second half kick-off with a touch back.  They come to the line, are completely unprepared to run a play, are in danger of being penalized for delay of the game, and have to take a timeout to avoid the penalty.  They burn a timeout with 15:00 on the clock in the third quarter.  How does something like that happen?  Who is responsible for something like that?  I mean what were they talking about in the locker room at halftime that could have led up to such a foul-up?  Crap like that drives me nuts!