Pittsburgh Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 12) - Presenting High Octane Football

[moose141]

Upsets Abound as National Title Race Thickens

Some big names go down as the list of unbeatens drops to three. Included in this Around the NCAA is the potential champions for each conference, as well as the projected BCS matchups, Heisman Watch, Top 25 rankings, and the Top 25 scores from last week.

Story: http://www.dynastymanager.com/teampa...&sport=ncaa_fb

Enjoy!

[moose141]

FUMBLED AWAY
Panthers Squander Chances at Undefeated Season in Backyard Brawl

MORGANTOWN, W.V. -- On December 1, 2007, the Pittsburgh Panthers marched onto a snowy Mountaineer Field and destroyed #2 West Virginia's bid for a national championship with a 13-9 upset victory.

On November 25, 2011, the tables were flipped as the #3 Panthers traveled to Morgantown to face the Mountaineers, who were looking to exact revenge for the 2007 upset. As fate would have it, West Virginia got their revenge, but it wasn't the Mountaineers who beat the Panthers. It was the Panthers who beat the Panthers.

Pitt turned the ball over 5 times (including four by starting QB Tino Sunseri), with West Virginia scoring 20 points off those turnovers en route to a 27-20 upset victory.

Terence Garvin scooped up a Sunseri fumble for a 47 yard touchdown and set up a touchdown with an interception (all in the first quarter), while Julian Miller also recovered a fumble for a 49 yard touchdown recovery that proved to be the game's deciding score.



"When you lose the turnover battle, 5-0, you're going to struggle to win a football game," Pitt head coach Todd Graham said. "We outplayed them all day, but didn't take care of the ball and we're sitting here with an 'L' today."

The Mountaineers did get a bit of outside help in the win, as Miller's touchdown came on a questionable fumble. Sunseri was hit as he was attempting a throw, and the play seemed to be a forward pass, but was scooped up and returned for the touchdown. The Panthers challenged the call, but it was upheld as the official's ruled Sunseri had retucked the ball and was a runner before fumbling.

"You have to play what you're dealt," Graham said. "We can't control the officials and just play our game outside of that. It put us in a big hole, but we dug ourselves enough of that hole as well."

The Panthers opened the scoring on their first drive, as Kevin Harper knocked a 43 yarder through the uprights.

West Virginia did nothing with their opening possession, but were given great field position after Sunseri was intercepted by Garvin, who returned it deep into Pitt territory. Just a few plays later, Geno Smith found Stedman Bailey for a seven yard touchdown strike.

Garvin made his second big play on the following Pitt drive, as Sunseri rolled out and looked to flip the ball to Ray Graham, despite having a running lane for himself. Garvin, who shadowed Graham, got a piece of the ball and knocked it free, scooping it up before returning it 47 yards for a 14-3 WVU lead.

Graham, the Panthers' Heisman hopeful halfback, was one name not heard all day. He carried 16 times for a measly 32 yards, even with a 25 yard carry in the first quarter, as the WVU defense nullified the Pitt running game.

The Panthers battled back, with Sunseri finding Mike Shanahan on a crossing route with the Mountaineers on a jailbreak blitz. This allowed Shanahan free reign in the open field and he went 46 yards to paydirt.

Neither team found the endzone again until the waning moments of the first half, when Smith scrambled for a 6 yard touchdown to give West Virginia a 21-10 lead heading into the half.



Miller's fumble recovery pushed the Mountaineer lead to 27-10, as the Panthers blocked an extra point for the second consecutive week.

As the teams headed to the fourth quarter with Pitt trailing by 17 points, the upset looked to be all but sealed. The Panthers had other ideas though, going on a few long drives to turn this one into a nailbiter.

After failing to score on three straight plays from the WVU 2 yard line, the Panthers were forced to settle for a 21 yard chip shot from Harper to cut the deficit to 14.

"We knew we had the ability to move the ball on their defense," Sunseri said. "We knew we weren't dead yet."

With another WVU three and out, the Panthers regained the ball and drove back down the field for a touchdown, with Sunseri hitting Shanahan on a slant from three yards out to make it a one possession game. A huge play came on a 4th and 10, when Shanahan fought through two Mountaineer defenders to gain the first down by mere inches.



The Panthers had a single timeout to try to halt West Virginia from running out the clock, but did force a three and out to get the ball back at what would have been their own 42 with 1:37 to play, but a clipping penalty brought the ball back to the 27.

Another penalty crushed the Panther drive from the start, with a hold negating an 11 yard pass play. After a pair of incompletions, Sunseri found Hubie Graham for 13 yards to set up a 4th and 6. Sunseri scrambled desperately for 7 yards to keep the drive alive but was knocked from the game with bruised ribs, which he had suffered in the second quarter, when he was sacked on the next play.

Trey Anderson came in relief behind center and proceded to complete a 40 yard bomb to Devin Street, who barely kept a foot inbounds to complete the catch.



A 16 yard strike to Shanahan moved the Panthers deep into WVU territory, and they looked poised to send the game to overtime. However, the next play saw Shanahan find a seam in the defense for what looked to be the game tying touchdown, but Anderson underthrew the ball and was intercepted by Darwin Cook to foil the Panthers' comeback.



Street and Shanahan had their most productive days of the year, with Street catching 10 passes for 124 yards while Shanahan hauled in 8 balls for 108 yards and 2 scores. Sunseri finished 25 for 48 for 253 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.

Pitt's defense was stellar against the WVU offense, limiting Smith to just 152 yards through the air and sacking him six times. Myles Caragein was a menace in particular, with 10 tackles and 4 sacks, while Shane Gordon added 9 tackles (4 for loss) and a sack.

The Panthers can still clinch a Big East championship and BCS berth with a win next week against Syracuse. It is the final home game and will be Senior Day, with a noon kickoff.

Notes - The Panthers outgained the Mountaineers, 329-170... Both teams had more rushing attempts than yards gained... Cam Saddler was lost in the second quarter to a torn tricep, and will miss the remainder of the season.

For VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS be sure to visit the official Panther site at: http://www.dynastymanager.com/teampa...&sport=ncaa_fb

[moose141]

Around the NCAA: December Dawns With 2 Unbeatens
DECEMBER 1, 2011

Washington, DC -- Live from the Army-Navy game in our nation's capital, it's College Gameday Presented by The Home Depot.

College Gameday will provide their main points of note from the week that past, and some top games for the week ahead.

Last Week's Big News

#3 Pitt falls on road at WVU. Mountaineers get revenge for '07 loss... LSU finalizes undefeated regular season... Luck-less Stanford crushes Notre Dame... Michigan wins the Game, 34-17, over Ohio State... Ball rushes for 201 yards in Wisconsin win over Penn State... Oregon wins Civil War on last second field goal... Florida upsets FSU in the Swamp.

This Week's Top Matchups

Syracuse at #10 Pittsburgh: Pitt has no chance for the national title, but a win will seal the Big East crown no matter the WVU-USF result. They will just need to replicate their solid performance from last week, without the turnovers that killed them. Pick: Pittsburgh

#18 West Virginia at USF: The Mountaineers upset Pitt last Friday, and can win the Big East with another Pitt loss. Will need to their jumpstart offense after horrible performance last week. Both teams have stellar rush defenses that look to shut down solid ground attacks. Pick: West Virginia

Oklahoma at #2 Oklahoma State: A win for Oklahoma State will put them into the BCS National Championship game. They should have no problem facing an Oklahoma squad that has lost 5 straight after starting 6-0. Oklahoma State has the #5 scoring offense, facing the Sooners' #76 defense. Pick: Oklahoma State

Current BCS Projections

Rose Bowl: Nebraska (Big 10 Leader) vs. Stanford (Pac-12 Leader)
Sugar Bowl: Pittsburgh (Big East Leader) vs. Alabama (At Large)
Orange Bowl: Miami (ACC Leader) vs. Michigan (At Large)
Fiesta Bowl: Virginia Tech (At Large) vs. Boise State (At Large)

BCS National Championship: LSU (SEC Leader) vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Leader)



1. Michael Dyer, SO Halfback, Auburn - Dyer nearly led Auburn to an upset over Alabama, running for 125 yards with 2 TDs while adding 108 receiving yards and another TD. The standout favorite for the trophy.

2. Case Keenum, SR (RS) Quarterback, Houston - Keenum had a great bounce back game in blowout of Tulsa, tossing for 251 yards and 5 touchdowns. Now has 42 TDs vs. 5 INTs on the season.

3. Spencer Ware, SO Halfback, Louisiana State - LSU back ran for 178 yards and 2 scores in drubbing of Arkansas. Now has 1597 yards on the ground this year, sixth in the nation.

5. Orwin Smith, JR Halfback, Georgia Tech - Smith ran for 131 yards and TD in loss to Georgia, dropping GT to 8-4 overall which will most likely hurt his chances.

5. Ray Graham, JR Halfback, Pittsburgh - Graham was completely neutralized as WVU upset Pitt. The junior ran for just 32 yards on 16 carries, and had 2 catches for 5 yards.

For the full AP Top 25 Poll, as well as the scores from last week's Top 25, be sure to visit: http://www.dynastymanager.com/teampa...&sport=ncaa_fb

[superjames1992]

BTW, I just saw your blog. That's cool you play pro football in real life. I bet you were happy about Pittsburg State's championship last weekend!

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by superjames1992

BTW, I just saw your blog. That's cool you play pro football in real life. I bet you were happy about Pittsburg State's championship last weekend!

Haha of course you're happy WVU won, killing the dream.

Hmm, not sure who you have me confused with haha, I play hockey and go to Pitt (like in PA), not Pittsburg State haha, interesting mix-up there.

[moose141]

Note for this dynasty: To be honest, I hate having another coach run my dynasty, because I am forced to play in their style and such without any input on my own despite me playing the games.

Thus, from now on, I'm going to act as if I was appointed coach instead of Todd Graham from the start, since even though it says things about High Octane offense, besides runnig the spread I've never really run a hig octane offense all year because with Ray Graham it's mostly been run first.

Plus, I'm not really sure how I can stay with Pitt for example if Graham was offered a new position elsewhere, how could I remain the coach of Pitt without affecting recruiting, etc.

If anyone could help with that issue I may just stick with how it is, but I'm considering this change due to my aforementioned issues.

Thanks, let me know if you guys have any insight on this!

[superjames1992]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Haha of course you're happy WVU won, killing the dream. Hmm, not sure who you have me confused with haha, I play hockey and go to Pitt (like in PA), not Pittsburg State haha, interesting mix-up there.

I should read. gorillapittpray is who I was thinking of. I just clicked on the link in his blog in his signature and assumed it was yours, LOL.

[moose141]

Cardiac Cats Clinch Big East Crown

Updated for the Syracuse/Pitt game to end the regular season.

Story: http://www.dynastynation.net/clubhou...1&sport=ncaafb