OT: D1

[IUP24]

The Phil Jurkovec era is mercifully over. News broke late afternoon that he has been benched.

I’ve never seen worse QB play than that at any level.

The homecoming for him had potential to be a great story, but things rarely work out how they’re supposed to. If he remains on the team, he’ll be standing on the sidelines with a hat and headset for games against Notre Dame and BC. Quite the irony.

[EyeoftheHawk]

The Phil Jurkovec era is mercifully over. News broke late afternoon that he has been benched.

I’ve never seen worse QB play than that at any level.

The homecoming for him had potential to be a great story, but things rarely work out how they’re supposed to. If he remains on the team, he’ll be standing on the sidelines with a hat and headset for games against Notre Dame and BC. Quite the irony.

It’s a change that was made a couple weeks too late. It should have happened right after the Backyard Brawl. I’m not sure what they thought was going to get better.

It’s hard to say how a kid that had success elsewhere could look completely different with a new team. There are a lot of potential factors ranging from not grasping the new system to maybe not preparing like he should have. I feel bad for him. I’m sure it’s not how he envisioned his college football career ending. I hope he sticks it out. Maybe his replacement ends up getting knocked out of the game and Phil comes in an leads Pitt to a win. Stranger things have happened.

[Chuck Norris]

It’s a change that was made a couple weeks too late. It should have happened right after the Backyard Brawl. I’m not sure what they thought was going to get better.

It’s hard to say how a kid that had success elsewhere could look completely different with a new team. There are a lot of potential factors ranging from not grasping the new system to maybe not preparing like he should have. I feel bad for him. I’m sure it’s not how he envisioned his college football career ending. I hope he sticks it out. Maybe his replacement ends up getting knocked out of the game and Phil comes in a leads Pitt to a win. Stranger things have happened.

He’s now working at tight end apparently. It sounds like there are people who believe that’s where he has a chance to have any football future after college. He certainly has the size for it.

[IUP24]

It’s a change that was made a couple weeks too late. It should have happened right after the Backyard Brawl. I’m not sure what they thought was going to get better.

It’s hard to say how a kid that had success elsewhere could look completely different with a new team. There are a lot of potential factors ranging from not grasping the new system to maybe not preparing like he should have. I feel bad for him. I’m sure it’s not how he envisioned his college football career ending. I hope he sticks it out. Maybe his replacement ends up getting knocked out of the game and Phil comes in an leads Pitt to a win. Stranger things have happened.

I doubt that will happen. It would be better for Pitt to go 1-11 this year and use the remaining 7 games to figure out what they have with either Christian Veilleux or Nate Yarnell at QB. Both have 3 years of eligibility, including this one, remaining.

I never envisioned this is how their season would go. They entered the year with 4 returning starters on the OL. Three of them are injured, with a 4th, who was going to be a new starter (with a lot of upside), lost for the year in camp. They have one OL out there who has played, the rest are freshmen or sophomores. That situation certainly hasn't helped Jurkovec. He's been under extreme pressure all season. I like some of the young guys on their offense, but they just haven't gotten much burn. They have 2 real good running backs who are freshman that haven't seen the field, and Kenny Johnson, who is the 4-star WR that they brought in from York, has been getting more snaps every week as a true freshman. So much just starts with the OL. If that group is healthier, or better, than that can help make up for a lot of problems due to youth at skill positions or just not enough talent overall.

They'll be fine (eventually) on defense. If there's anything that anyone be certain of, it's that. It's lost on many that Pitt replaced 7 starters on defense - all of whom played a ton of football for 3-4 years. This is truly the first year since 2020 where they have had significant turnover on that side of the ball. I'm not sure that those guys playing there are bad, but they are just really young and inexperienced. Consider that even in 2020, when they had NFL guys like Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones on their DL, the names everyone remembers from the last 2+ years were in that rotation as freshman. Since 2020, they've lost to the NFL: Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver, Jalen Twyman (although he is currently not on a roster - huge mistake for that guy to opt out of 2020), Calijiah Kancey, Sir'Vocea Dennis, Brandon Hill, Erik Hallet, Damar Hamlin, Dammari Mathis, Jason Pinnock, Dane Jackson, and Deslin Alexandre. That's a ton of guys who played a ton of football between the years 2019-2022. They just hadn't had this type of turnover during Narduzzi's entire tenure. I trust that some of the guys on the defense now will be far better down the line, but there's a ton of growing pains there.

Regarding Jurkovec and the offense... The system doesn't help much. I understand balance and needing to run the ball. But there's also recognition that you are going in the opposite direction as what everyone else in football is doing. Kedon Slovis took all the criticism last year. But we're seeing now at BYU that he could still play. The offense Cignetti was running just wasn't suited for him. I don't see how Narduzzi brings Cignetti back after this season.

[IUP24]

He’s now working at tight end apparently. It sounds like there are people who believe that’s where he has a chance to have any football future after college. He certainly has the size for it.

I gained a ton of respect back for him. He could've easily pouted or just left the team. He didn't. It shows that the guy enjoys football and just wants to play. I don't think everything was entirely his fault regarding the offense, but you just can't ignore the glaring issues pertaining to the QB play.

[GoldenRam94]

I doubt that will happen. It would be better for Pitt to go 1-11 this year and use the remaining 7 games to figure out what they have with either Christian Veilleux or Nate Yarnell at QB. Both have 3 years of eligibility, including this one, remaining.

With the transfer portal it is too easy to get better quick. Find out now if one of those guys can play and plan on one or two of them leaving.

[EyeoftheHawk]

What’s worse? Miami not taking a knee and running out the clock or IUP forgetting how many timeouts they had?

For those who haven’t seen it, all Miami had to do was take a knee to close out Georgia Tech but they decided to keep running the ball and fumbled with 0:33 on the clock. GT recovered and ended up scoring on a long pass play with 0:02 left. What a disaster.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The old Hail Mary probably isn't a popular prayer in Morgantown this morning. Unreal.

[Fightingscot82]

The old Hail Mary probably isn't a popular prayer in Morgantown this morning. Unreal.

And against Holgerson too.

[Ship69]

The old Hail Mary probably isn't a popular prayer in Morgantown this morning. Unreal.

One of my friends, an avid West Virginia fan, posted a meme that read: "WVU football: Saving opposing coaches' jobs since 1891."

[IUP24]

The old Hail Mary probably isn't a popular prayer in Morgantown this morning. Unreal.

If Garrett Greene doesn't act like a buffoon, taunt Houston, give the finger and "jaw" at the Houston fans, all while taking his helmet off on the field, WVU wins the game. The 15-yards on the kickoff put Houston in position to have a shot at the endzone on the final play.

[EyeoftheHawk]

If Garrett Greene doesn't act like a buffoon, taunt Houston, give the finger and "jaw" at the Houston fans, all while taking his helmet off on the field, WVU wins the game. The 15-yards on the kickoff put Houston in position to have a shot at the endzone on the final play.

My thoughts exactly. As soon as that happened, I was thinking “Oh boy, here we go.” Normally I wouldn’t have stayed up to watch the end but I’m glad I did.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Colorado blew a 29-0 lead and lost 46-43 to Stanford in 2OT.

Between than and WVU ... heck of a start to weekend.

[IUPNation]

Colorado blew a 29-0 lead and lost 46-43 to Stanford in 2OT.

Between then and WVU ... heck of a start to weekend.

Peon Sanders is a passing fad.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If Garrett Greene doesn't act like a buffoon, taunt Houston, give the finger and "jaw" at the Houston fans, all while taking his helmet off on the field, WVU wins the game. The 15-yards on the kickoff put Houston in position to have a shot at the endzone on the final play.

I can see one of the 'LIT AF' dudes on special teams getting this flag. But, man, for a QB to get it.

It's mind-numbing. Us IUP fans have lived with these stupid penalties for years -- largely special teams personal fouls after the whistle.

It will never prove a thing and will always hurt your team. But, keep doing it.

Greene no doubt had it coming. He deserved it. Act a fool, pay the bill.