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On location: Iowa 24, Pitt 20 55
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS Getting ready for kickoff … Game: Pitt (3-0, 1-0 ACC) vs. Iowa (2-1, 0-0 Big 10), 12:02 p.m., Heinz Field TV, radio: ESPNU (national), 93.7 The Fan Online: Game Tracker / Multimedia / Official media notes
As a Hawkeyes fan, I have been looking forward to this game. But how the tables have turned since preseason.
Great non-con game for both schools. Pitt looking to go 4-0 for first time since ’00. Iowa’s scoring average (21.3) ranks 102nd in nation. If Pitt D has hard time keeping the Hawkeyes off the board, that will be telling. I’m guessing Iowa will load the box and force Pitt to..
throw. I happen to be at a family reunion in Iowa City today. Most of the people I have spoken to, and the press I have seen, is both down on the Hawks and very complimentary of HCPC. Ferentz is a very good college coach, especially coming off losses. Good test. Will be fun!
As a fan of the Big 10 and Pitt, too, I’m not torn on this one. Rooting for Pitt and HCPC.
Amazing how a good matchup is big. Delaware and FIU are needed to see who can do what in real time. Nice non conference game for both programs.
Amazing how non-competitive the Big10 has become.
MAC teams are beating them.
Urban Meyer forecasted this telling his fellow coaches to “UP their Recruiting Game” if they ever want to see a Big10 school in national championship game.
Iowa presents a very good challenge for an up and coming Pitt team. I am not concerned on the BG1 being down. I just want to find a win today. Pitt is still finding itself due to youth at QB and DL. Those are the two areas where the game will be won or lost.
James Conner is a beast but he takes a beating every week. Is it legitimate to wonder about his long-term viability…not only with Pitt but beyond.
Key to hawks game, can they run?
Guy is unstopable!
Nice response by hawks. I don’t think they trust their kicking game.
It must be a city of Pittsburgh thing. nobody covers a tight end in the end zone.
Impressive 10 minute pitt drive.
Pitt had a chance to take the all the fight out of Iowa On the first drive of 2nd half – punt feels like a failure in that moment. Play calling on last 3 offensive snaps was too predictable for my taste
Man Pitt really has weak secondary don’t they?
Pitts struggles with fundamentals of his position – his pure athleticism in HS was enough to mask some of the technical deficiencies in his mechanics.
He has not improved at all.
Pitt secondary is AWFUL. Been bad for two years and this year may be worse.
That is a recruiting issue!!!
Surprise qb change pays off for Iowa.
Having watched Iowa the last two weeks, this is a disappointing performance from the Pitt Defense.
10 yards off the WR? No closing capacity…the secondary shortfalls will compel Pitt to run the ball on offense the rest of the way if for no other reason than to keep Iowa offense off the field – a 2 score lead is our best weapon in this type of game.
Ynreal from 52!
Also how many holding calls have the Pitt WRs had today that’s atleast 3? What the crap?
Hopefully some of the zillion freshman and sophomores on the team are possibly corners and safeties.
Pitt shooting selves in foot with penalties. Iowa only one.
OL needs to impose their will in this drive – they were dominant in first half, but play calling sequence has not allowed for same level of performance in 2nd half
Hopefully D bails out the offense here
Or maybe not, another pathetic play by the secondary
Who coaches these kids in Pitt secondary? Tragic lack of fundamentals on full display
Well if teams hadn’t figured it out yet, they sure as heck will know now, Throw it deep, Pitt can’t handle it.
Heck of a throw by the qb there blitz just took a second to long to get there
Pitt really needs to keep them out of the end zone here somehow if they go for it. COVER the TE!
I tweeted to DK that Iowa is very good at halftime adjustments, ike the qb change.
They really didn’t change that much, though. Just kept damaging Pitt with those deep balls.
A really bad offensive plan in the second half. Run Conner twice and throw deep on 3rd down. Who are the offensive and defensive coordinators?? The entire secondary needs replaced–they cannot cover anyone man on man.
Lack of timeouts will be huge.
Who is that big blob–#95?? He does nothing.
So they probably double Boyd this drive Connor will have to do the job
Clutch catch there
This coaching staff is completely to blame for this loss.
Have to agree here, no adjustments on offense when the running game was clearly stalled.
Boyd had his chances, gotta come up with a catch on 1 of those. Iowa corner played him really tight there.
Are you kidding me?? Calvin Johnson would not have caught those balls the way #13 was playing. Excellent coverage.
Would have like a screen to Conner on 2nd or 3rd down there.
If Iowa holds on, this is the kind of ugly win that gets you a bowl game.
That drive was killed by calling another running play on first down.
It would have been nice to see some play action mixed in as Iowa clearly stepped up their game against the run in the second half.
Yea I didn’t like that play either Ron.
Iowa definitely out coached Pitt at halftime and in 2nd half. Hopefully Pitt’s young team learns how to win year games in the future.
Did not understand pitt’s time management on last drive.
It wasn’t bad until the last set of downs
Well 3 and 1 is probably better than everyone expected, but this is a little disappointing.
Definitely true, no one expected this. The bad thing is that Pitt win the yardage battle but settling for those two field goals might have been part of their undoing.
We all have to remember that this is the youngest team in FBS so there will be sold ups and downs.
Ho-hum…
Toledo, Iowa…Pitt for the past 25 years has almost always lost to an inferior opponent.
What is it about Heinz Field these days and failing to make adjustments after halftime???
I was there. It was a fun atmosphere.
.
That’s all I got.