Final score: Pitt 104, Northwood 62
This is the most points scored by Pitt in an exhibition game ever, save for a 112 point performance in Ireland this past summer.
Now, I know this game is mostly a glorified practice for Pitt, and we played without Nas and Gil, but if this game is any indication, Pitt freshmen Moore, Epps, and Wright will all get more playing time this year than the typical freshman does at Pitt.
Talib Zanna continued to be the story of the second half, finishing with 13 points and 9 rebounds. He'll likely be in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season with Gil and Nas battling injuries.
Ashton Gibbs is still the clear leader of this team, finishing 5-8 from beyond the three point line, and ending up with 25 points overall.
Check back Thursday for more game blogs when the Panthers take on IUP.
Oct 31, 2010
Pitt vs Northwood Halftime Notes
Well, the Pitt basketball season is officially underway. (Sort of). After the 1st half of the Panther's exhibition game against Northwood, Pitt is up 48-26. Some notes from the 1st half:
1. Ashton Gibbs has not lost his touch from beyond the arc, shooting 3-4 in the half
2. Northwood's team looks like the size of the guys I play pickup basketball with
3. Redshirt Freshman Talib Zanna is the real deal, he had a few great drives to the basket and definitely shows athletic ability
4. Northwood's first points didn't come until 9.5 min into the half
That's all for now, check back later for some postgame notes
1. Ashton Gibbs has not lost his touch from beyond the arc, shooting 3-4 in the half
2. Northwood's team looks like the size of the guys I play pickup basketball with
3. Redshirt Freshman Talib Zanna is the real deal, he had a few great drives to the basket and definitely shows athletic ability
4. Northwood's first points didn't come until 9.5 min into the half
That's all for now, check back later for some postgame notes
Oct 25, 2010
Wacky Week 7
It's been a very interesting season thus far in the National Football League but this past week was especially wacky. While I was sitting on my couch Sunday (and Monday Night) stuff just kept happening that made me say "wow, what is going on?" Here are ten storylines from Week 7 in the NFL that really had me scratching my head.
10. The Chargers are officially in "Panic Button" mode
Obviously the San Diego Chargers are off to a slow start this season, but heading into the week at 2-4 and residing in a rather weak AFC West, there was still reason to be optimistic. Now, not so much. The Bolts failed to get it done against New England on Sunday. I know, I know, the Patriots are a good team and the Chargers are banged up, but when your backs are against the wall and you're playing at home, you have to find a way to win. Philip Rivers and the gang couldn't do that this week.
9. Panthers finally win, San Fran returns to patheticness (I realize it's not a real word but it's just so perfect for the 49ers)
You might not agree that a match-up between an 0-5 team and a 1-5 could possibly make for a good storyline, but give me a chance here. When a team's two quarterback options are Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore, being able to win even one game is no small feat. Some guy named David Gettis scored two touchdowns for the Panthers. The 49ers got their first win last week against the Raiders but this week they were determined to show that beating Oakland was just a fluke. They are, in fact, completely terrible. Next week they head to London. Great timing.
8. Buffalo Bills remain winless but nearly nip the Ravens
Those damn Panthers. They had to go and win a game and leave the Bills by themselves at the bottom of the NFL standings. But Buffalo didn't go down without a fight. Thanks to a great performance by Mark Zuckerberg, woops wrong Harvard grad, I meant Ryan Fitzpatrick, they nearly upset the Baltimore Ravens, a trendy Superbowl pick. In fact, the Bills were actually driving down the field in overtime looking to get into field goal range until Fitzpatrick completed a pass to tight end Shawn Nelson, who got swallowed up by a gang of Ravens and was trying to fight for more yards when Ray Ray Lewis was able to strip the ball. It appeared that the play should've been called dead and Nelson given forward progress, but nonetheless, questionable call. More on that later.
7. Suddenly dominant Raiders destroy Broncos
As I mentioned earlier, the deplorable San Francisco 49ers got a win last week, at long last, against the Raiders. So, it's pretty safe to say that the Raiders are horrendous. Or is it? After watching the 1:00 PM slate of games, I went to Five Guys to grab a quick bite to eat. Upon my return to my room, my computer told me the Raiders were beating the Broncos 38-0. I then proceeded to refresh the screen approximately 384 times. How did this happen? Did the Broncos accidentally trot out a team of third graders? Lo and behold, they didn't. The planets simply aligned in some sort of crazy way. And the Raiders went on to win. 59-14. Go ahead, start refreshing.
6. Unreal, video game-type wide receiver performances
Anyone that has ever played football video games knows that 230-yard, 3-TD games for receivers are pretty commonplace. In the NFL, not quite. But on Sunday, they were. Falcons wide-out Roddy White went off for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt decided he'd go out and record 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Madden-like performances, indeed. Interestingly enough, in my Fantasy league White's team and Britt's team squared off this week. The only problem is Britt was on my team. And on my bench, as well. Niiiiiiiiiice.
5. Suddenly dominant Browns destroy Saints
This sounds familiar. Only even more flabbergasting. Where do you start with this one? The Browns punter, Reggie Hodges, nearly led them in rushing yards. It only gets crazier from there. Many believe Drew Brees to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, if not the best, and he led the Saints to a Superbowl ring last year. But this week, he was atrocious. He threw 4 interceptions, against the woeful Browns, no less. Two of those interceptions were by 6-3, 265-pound, 34-year-old linebacker David Bowens, and he took them both back to the house for touchdowns. To be fair, Brees has a lot going on in his life right now. His wife just had a baby last week. They named the baby Bowen. I guess that's karma for giving your baby a weird name.
4. Romo down (and out)
Perhaps the most significant injury of the season took place on Monday Night Football, as Tony Romo suffered a broken clavicle and is most likely done for the year. The Cowboys dropped to 1-5, essentially eliminating from playoff contention, and now their quarterback is gone. It's Jon Kitna time now in Dallas. Fun, fun, fun.
3. Interception-prone Jay Cutler throws lots of interceptions...to the same guy
You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall once, Cutler would give him a little more respect the rest of the way. You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall twice, Cutler would really start to shy away from his side. You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall three times, Cutler might just stop throwing the ball entirely. But no, Cutler got picked off by Hall a fourth time. Of course one of them was returned by Hall for an interception. This one really baffles me.
2. Brett Favre
After the Sunday Night game, it was discovered Favre has two fractures in his ankle. I know he's a warrior and all that, but c'mon. TWO FRACTURES IN YOUR ANKLE. If he plays through this next week, it's not gutsy. It's not honorable. It's not courageous. It's dumb. Just plain dumb. I really think that if Favre tries to play Sunday, it's a particularly selfish moment by him. You could argue that a hobbled Favre is an upgrade over backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, but Favre was especially awful against the Packers. He threw three interceptions, one of which was a pick six. Just break the streak Favre. Don't do anything stupid.
1. Questionable calls
At long last, my top storyline for this wild week 7. There were a lot of iffy calls by officials this week, probably the most controversial week for referees since the week one Calvin Johnson issue. In the Steelers-Dolphins game, Ben Roethlisberger fumbled a ball inbounds and no one recovered it. Yes, apparently that can happen. The head official, who did a great job all game explaining his rulings and the reasoning behind them, just so happened to be from Pittsburgh. So when he ruled that the play in question was not a Steelers touchdown, as originally called, Dolphins fans erupted in cheers, as they would now almost surely have the football. But no, much like the Calvin Johnson catch/no-catch call from week one, a strange NFL rule awarded the ball to the Steelers about an inch away from the goal line. This is a polarizing issue, with some pleading for basic common sense to be exercised, and some saying that the rule, while it may be a bad one, was properly applied. Either way, the Steelers came away with the victory. Wait til Seahawks fans see this one.
10. The Chargers are officially in "Panic Button" mode
Obviously the San Diego Chargers are off to a slow start this season, but heading into the week at 2-4 and residing in a rather weak AFC West, there was still reason to be optimistic. Now, not so much. The Bolts failed to get it done against New England on Sunday. I know, I know, the Patriots are a good team and the Chargers are banged up, but when your backs are against the wall and you're playing at home, you have to find a way to win. Philip Rivers and the gang couldn't do that this week.
9. Panthers finally win, San Fran returns to patheticness (I realize it's not a real word but it's just so perfect for the 49ers)
You might not agree that a match-up between an 0-5 team and a 1-5 could possibly make for a good storyline, but give me a chance here. When a team's two quarterback options are Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore, being able to win even one game is no small feat. Some guy named David Gettis scored two touchdowns for the Panthers. The 49ers got their first win last week against the Raiders but this week they were determined to show that beating Oakland was just a fluke. They are, in fact, completely terrible. Next week they head to London. Great timing.
8. Buffalo Bills remain winless but nearly nip the Ravens
Those damn Panthers. They had to go and win a game and leave the Bills by themselves at the bottom of the NFL standings. But Buffalo didn't go down without a fight. Thanks to a great performance by Mark Zuckerberg, woops wrong Harvard grad, I meant Ryan Fitzpatrick, they nearly upset the Baltimore Ravens, a trendy Superbowl pick. In fact, the Bills were actually driving down the field in overtime looking to get into field goal range until Fitzpatrick completed a pass to tight end Shawn Nelson, who got swallowed up by a gang of Ravens and was trying to fight for more yards when Ray Ray Lewis was able to strip the ball. It appeared that the play should've been called dead and Nelson given forward progress, but nonetheless, questionable call. More on that later.
7. Suddenly dominant Raiders destroy Broncos
As I mentioned earlier, the deplorable San Francisco 49ers got a win last week, at long last, against the Raiders. So, it's pretty safe to say that the Raiders are horrendous. Or is it? After watching the 1:00 PM slate of games, I went to Five Guys to grab a quick bite to eat. Upon my return to my room, my computer told me the Raiders were beating the Broncos 38-0. I then proceeded to refresh the screen approximately 384 times. How did this happen? Did the Broncos accidentally trot out a team of third graders? Lo and behold, they didn't. The planets simply aligned in some sort of crazy way. And the Raiders went on to win. 59-14. Go ahead, start refreshing.
6. Unreal, video game-type wide receiver performances
Anyone that has ever played football video games knows that 230-yard, 3-TD games for receivers are pretty commonplace. In the NFL, not quite. But on Sunday, they were. Falcons wide-out Roddy White went off for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt decided he'd go out and record 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Madden-like performances, indeed. Interestingly enough, in my Fantasy league White's team and Britt's team squared off this week. The only problem is Britt was on my team. And on my bench, as well. Niiiiiiiiiice.
5. Suddenly dominant Browns destroy Saints
This sounds familiar. Only even more flabbergasting. Where do you start with this one? The Browns punter, Reggie Hodges, nearly led them in rushing yards. It only gets crazier from there. Many believe Drew Brees to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, if not the best, and he led the Saints to a Superbowl ring last year. But this week, he was atrocious. He threw 4 interceptions, against the woeful Browns, no less. Two of those interceptions were by 6-3, 265-pound, 34-year-old linebacker David Bowens, and he took them both back to the house for touchdowns. To be fair, Brees has a lot going on in his life right now. His wife just had a baby last week. They named the baby Bowen. I guess that's karma for giving your baby a weird name.
4. Romo down (and out)
Perhaps the most significant injury of the season took place on Monday Night Football, as Tony Romo suffered a broken clavicle and is most likely done for the year. The Cowboys dropped to 1-5, essentially eliminating from playoff contention, and now their quarterback is gone. It's Jon Kitna time now in Dallas. Fun, fun, fun.
3. Interception-prone Jay Cutler throws lots of interceptions...to the same guy
You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall once, Cutler would give him a little more respect the rest of the way. You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall twice, Cutler would really start to shy away from his side. You'd think after being picked off by DeAngelo Hall three times, Cutler might just stop throwing the ball entirely. But no, Cutler got picked off by Hall a fourth time. Of course one of them was returned by Hall for an interception. This one really baffles me.
2. Brett Favre
After the Sunday Night game, it was discovered Favre has two fractures in his ankle. I know he's a warrior and all that, but c'mon. TWO FRACTURES IN YOUR ANKLE. If he plays through this next week, it's not gutsy. It's not honorable. It's not courageous. It's dumb. Just plain dumb. I really think that if Favre tries to play Sunday, it's a particularly selfish moment by him. You could argue that a hobbled Favre is an upgrade over backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, but Favre was especially awful against the Packers. He threw three interceptions, one of which was a pick six. Just break the streak Favre. Don't do anything stupid.
1. Questionable calls
At long last, my top storyline for this wild week 7. There were a lot of iffy calls by officials this week, probably the most controversial week for referees since the week one Calvin Johnson issue. In the Steelers-Dolphins game, Ben Roethlisberger fumbled a ball inbounds and no one recovered it. Yes, apparently that can happen. The head official, who did a great job all game explaining his rulings and the reasoning behind them, just so happened to be from Pittsburgh. So when he ruled that the play in question was not a Steelers touchdown, as originally called, Dolphins fans erupted in cheers, as they would now almost surely have the football. But no, much like the Calvin Johnson catch/no-catch call from week one, a strange NFL rule awarded the ball to the Steelers about an inch away from the goal line. This is a polarizing issue, with some pleading for basic common sense to be exercised, and some saying that the rule, while it may be a bad one, was properly applied. Either way, the Steelers came away with the victory. Wait til Seahawks fans see this one.
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