Third Quarter

White guides the Mountiees down the field on the opening possession, but the drive stalls inside the 10. Dorrell Jalloh drops a touchdown pass on third down leading to a 26-yard field goal by Pat Mcafee. It’s now a one point game; 7-6.

Brandon Hogan sacks Stull on the ensuing drive and Pitt is forced to punt. On 3rd-and-short from WVU’s 36 yard line, Pat White rolled to the left, but could not find a hole. He cut back across the field and scored a remarkable 54-yard touchdown run. After a missed PAT, the score is 12-7.

Fourth Quarter

First play of the quarter is a fourth down play action pass that falls incomplete, giving WVU the ball on their own 36. On second down, White tried to throw the ball out of bounds but was picked off by Dom DeCicco.

Bill Stull throws another interception as Brandon Hogan comes up with the pick.

A pass interference penalty on a halfback pass gives WVU the ball on the 30-yard line. They are unable to get a first down, and Mcafee kicks a 40-yard field goal to put WVU up by eight; 15-7.

Jovani Chappel intercepts a Pat White pass on WVU’s 35 and returns it to the 16. McCoy scores on a 5-yard touchdown run.  Stull is stopped on the two-point conversion attempt, making the score 15-12.

WVU was unable to get anything accoplished on the ensuing drive and were forced to punt.

McCoy steadily moves the ball down the field and scored on a two-yard run with just over 50 seconds remaining in the game. After an unsucessful two-point conversion, the score reads 19-15.

After a punt return inside WVU’s 40 yard line, White drove the Mountaineers inside Pitt’s 20 yard line, but was unable to put the ball in the end zone.

The Panthers beat WVU for the second time in as many years. Final score: 19-15

John Thompson III can’t ask for much more than a meager 2-point deficit after having to sit Greg Monroe for most of the half with two fouls.

Couple things:

DaJuan Summers—game-leading 11 points, but Summers still needs to assert himself around the rim. I realize he’s not a real power forward, but on this smaller team he needs to act like one and get to the rim at times, especially with Monroe on the bench. Getting in foul trouble of his own (3 in the first half) is most certainly NOT something he should be doing.

Jessie Sapp—continues to contribute intangibles throughout the game. He isn’t lighting up the score sheet, but whether its a steal, a pass, a charge, or anything else, Sapp is still the man.

Henry Simms—stop shooting 3s. Just stop it. STOP IT. Simms started off his collegiate career by coming off the bench against Jacksonville and chucking up a brick from the top of the key. He’s fired up several since then with similar results. You are a big man, act like it. I assume JTIII has told him the same thing, but if so, wouldn’t he be benching him every time he lets one rip? The bottom line is that this team just cannot afford to have Monroe in foul trouble.

Tennessee is starting to assert itself, but not the way I thought they would.

It was an easy bet that the Vols would dominate the Hoyas inside after the teams’ respective performances yesterday, but that hasn’t quite happened yet. Georgetown is currently only -3 on the glass. However, Tennessee is 4-5 from behind the arc and are scoring a lot of buckets in transition off of steals.

Georgetown is going to be in trouble every time Monroe gets in foul trouble this year. Julian Vaughn and Henry Simms are trying to pick up the slack while Monroe sits with two fouls, but the Hoyas can’t compete this year with those guys working down low—they need Monroe in the game.

I don’t know what John Thompson III said to these guys last night, but this isn’t the Georgetown team that had me fighting to keep down my Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.

It’s early, but DaJuan Summers is asserting himself, tomahawk dunks abound, and the team is showing much more urgency on the offensive and defensive glass.

Greg Monroe looks like the best player on the court for the fourth straight game, I’m still not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. In any event, check out the text of the original Monroe Doctrine, and try substituting basketball terms—it’s a lot of fun. It states that opponents will not meddle in the affairs of the Hoya rim.

We’ll see if Georgetown can match-up inside with the bigger, more physical Wayne Chism. If not, maybe switch to zone and guard the three-point line? We will see.

Georgetown 17 Tennessee 16 (12:00)

First Quarter

A 30-yard touchdown pass by Bill Stull to Derek Kinder puts Pitt up by 7 on the game’s opening drive - 5 plays, 64 yards.

Pat White runs for 26 yards on two plays. Pat Mcafee kicks a 48-yard punt pinning Pitt on the 3.

Penalties and Stull move the Panthers within  WVU’s 10 yard line. WVU’s defense gets aggressive and LeSean McCoy is injured. A holding penalty backs Pitt up, and WVU forces an unsuccesful 40-yard field goal attempt by Connor Lee.

Second Quarter

Not much offense early on. John Holmes forces a fumble by Stull, recovered by Scooter Berry on Pitt’s 48 yard line.

Jock Sanders runs an inside hand off 38 yards, followed by an 8-yard run off a screen pass on the ensuing first down.

Pitt’s defense was able to keep WVU out of the end zone on the next two plays. Mcafee tacked on WVU’s first points with a 20-yard field goal, making it a 7-3 game.

A steady dose of McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling moves Pitt to WVU’s 2 yard line in a 1st-and-goal situation. On second down, Stull underthrew a fade pass that was intercepted in the end zone by Quentin Andrews with less than a minute remaining on the clock.

Halftime Stats  

Total Yards – 230 (Pitt), 100 (WVU)

Rushing Yards – 105 (Pitt), 67 (WVU)

Passing Yards – 125 (Pitt), 33 (WVU)

West Virginia needs a victory over Pitt on Friday, a Cincinnati loss (against Syracuse) on Saturday, and a win over USF next week to win the league championship. That’s a tall order, but a win tomorrow afternoon will also help heal the wounds still being felt from last year’s Backyard Brawl. 

The Panthers upset WVU in the last game of the regular season in 2007, costing the Mountaineers a spot in the national championship game. The loss also cost WVU a coach, as Rich Rodriguez jumped ship to Michigan a few weeks later.

Pitt beat the Mountaineers by stopping the run, particularly the spread option. Look for White to go to the air and utilize the play action. If he can get the defense on their heels with the pass, it will create opportunities to run the ball.

WVU’s defense will have to contain running back LeSean McCoy, who ran for 148 yards against WVU last year as a freshmen. 

Pitt is unable to win the conference, but are favorites against WVU. This marks the first time in the Pat White era that WVU is an underdog against Pitt, but the Mountaineers are use to the role.

Since White’s freshmen year, WVU has won three consecutive bowl games (2 BCS) as an underdog. The 101st Backyard Brawl will have a bowl-like atmosphere with all the drama and emotion surrounding the game.

Regardless of what Cincinnati does, beating Pitt would feel like winning a national championship for WVU and their fans.

Read more: Charleston (WV) Gazette  -  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Let the dating game begin.  Syracuse football is the contestant and it’s trying to find its perfect coaching match.  The season isn’t even over yet, but heck, let the good times roll.

Candidate No. 1: (Questions and responses are dramatization)

1. What is your experience?

I’ve been the offensive coordinator at Illinois since 2005.  Before that, I was an assistant and recruting coordinator at Florida.  I worked with Ron Zook at both stops.  Most of my coaching (including time at Maryland) has been on offense, but I was a defensive backs coach at the US Naval Prep School and a linebackers coach at the University of the Pacific.

2. Candidate No. 1, I am looking for a good recruiter.  Who have you gotten to come play for you?

I recruited highly touted WR Arrelious Benn along with defensive back Vontae Davis.  Both guys come from the east coast.  I also brought Juice Williams to Illinois.  The QB hails from Chicago, the same city that produced SU great Donovan McNabb.

Sports Illustrated also named me one of the nation’s top 20 recruiters.  I was dubbed the fifth best recruiter in the Big 10.

3. How good have your offenses been?

Well, the offense at Illinois went for 5,000 yards last season.  It’s just the third time in school history an Illini group has done that.  The Illini also ran for 3,000 yards for the first time ever and earned a berth to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1983.

4.  Many people are concerned about our next coach being from the east coast.  What are your ties?

I’ve coached in Maryland and in Florida, an area where the Orange has previously recruited fairly well.  I am from Washington D.C. and played college football at Towson.

Candidate No. 1, I think you are….Illinois offensive Coordinator Mike Locksley?  I believe it’s been reported by rivals.com that you have already interviewed for the Syracuse job.

–END DRAMATIZATION–

Yeah, so, Mike Locksley has reportedly interviewed to be SU’s next head coach.  The courting process has begun.  the bad news is that if Locksley ends up at the top of the Orange list, he is also reportedly interested in the Clemson job.  For more info check out the above link to Rivals.com.

University of Louisville defensive coordiantor Ron English has been reported as a possible candidate for the head coaching jobs at San Diego State University and Eastern Michigan. English, in his first year at Louisville, has not commented on the rumors nor has U of L athletic director Tom Jurich.

Under the guidance of English, the Cardinal defense improved considerably from last season. The Cards’ rushing defense ranked in the top 10 for most of the season until West Virginia droped 376 yards on the ground last Saturday.

The Blue Demons square off agianst Detroit Mercy in the Allstate Arena (IL) at 8:30 tonight.

When these two teams met last December, DePaul managed a 70-64 win.

The Titans are 1-2 under first year coach Ray McCallum (Kelvin Sampson’s former assistant at Indiaina). Detroit finished dead last in the Horizon Conference with a 7-23 record last season.

DePaul is 2-0, and are coming off a tight 67-63 victory over Illinois-Chicago of the Horizon Conference. Sophomore center Mac Koshwal is averaging a double-double (points, rebounds), and junior Will Walker averages 18 points per game.

DePaul has been less than impressive so far this season as most of the younger players have yet to settle in. Although the Blue Demons may struggle at times, they won’t let the Titans walk away with a W tonight.