The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the New Jersey Devils to end their seven game winning streak Saturday. The Devils broke through for four goals at Mellon Arena to defeat Pittsburgh 4-1. Today, Brett Favre returns to the Steele City for the first time in eleven years. Favre and the flawless Minnesota Vikings hope to continue gridiron perfection against Pittsburgh. Twenty-seven year old, Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL in passing yards and yards per attempt. The six year Steelers quarterback will ride a 4-2 start against the game’s leader in completions, wins, passing yards and touchdowns 1pm at Heinz Field. It’s one of the premier Sunday football matchups to end the month of October. Speaking of October and Pittsburgh, the Pirates rarely put the two terms in the same sentence. The Bucs are used to early exits from the major league baseball season. The biggest news in Pirates camp is part of the team’s coaching staff choosing not to return for the 2010 season. Infield instructor and first base coach, Perry Hill, declined an offer to return. All other sports aside, the real story coming out of Pittsburgh Saturday was the Panthers’ battering of the Bulls from South Florida. Pittsburgh improved to a 4-0 unblemished record in the Big East. Additionally, the Panthers endorsed the notion of winning the conference over a gaudy Cincinnati club. Pittsburgh, a more physical team, is in position to go 10-0. The Panthers must first consider three tough opponents in the ensuing months. Pittsburgh cannot discount their neighborly rivals, West Virginia. They will be challenged by a re-focused Notre Dame team. The December 5th showdown with number five Cincinnati will be the ultimate test if the Panthers remains undefeated in the conference. They are justifiably one of the more reputed Panthers teams the city has witnessed in years.
Bill Stull isn’t quite Dan Marino yet, but Coach Dave Wannstedt has a real winner at the quarterback slot. The senior was forced to compete for a starting job earlier this year after ending last year on a major sour note. The 2009 Stull already has 16 touchdown passes, one shy of Marino during his senior year. The 7-1 overall record the Panthers have built up is impressive. The defense succeeds in eroding offenses, and Stull has been a delight in dealing with nationally top-ranked foes. Saturday, Stull completed his first 11 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The 20th ranked Panthers racked up the yardage against the best defense in the Big East to romp the Bulls 41-14. Pittsburgh scored on all of their first five possessions. The lopsided score makes sense after considering how freshman rusher, Dion Lewis performed. Lewis was a true star and declared himself a legitimate running back in his fifth 100 yard rushing afternoon. He is the fourth Pitt freshman to run for 1,000 yards in one season, joining elite company Tony Dorsett, Curvin Richards and LeSean McCoy. The Bulls offensive line lacked any control and provided Stull with plenty of time to throw. The Big East Bulls repeatedly hurt themselves with penalties. The slips resulted in 71 total yards lost on penalties and 40 in the first quarter alone. That amount just happened to match the total first quarter offensive yards, never a good thing.
The Pitt defense forced four South Florida punts in the first quarter. The secondary breakdown allowed one Bulls touchdown drive early, but not another point until the clock wound down to ten seconds in the fourth. The scorching defense scoured four sacks and three interceptions, and neither side committed a first half penalty for the Panthers. South Florida’s offense was undressed in the first half and the defense resigned 297 yards. Quarterback B.J. Daniels and his backup, Evan Landi, combined for 13 pass attempts. Daniels was lifted after tossing his second pick of the game in the final quarter. South Florida never established the run and finished with a season-low in total yards. The Bulls basically pulled a no-show at Heinz Field a week after their miserable meltdown against Cincinnati. Bull defenders couldn’t get off the field and were beaten and shriveled down the whole game. The defensive calamity was to blame for the loss, but Pitt’s offense was on the mark too. The Panthers didn’t come up dry, even with a marginal lead in the second quarter. Pitt was 6-for¬-6 on third down conversions before the half. They ran the ball well through a spongy South Florida unit, and splurged on deep yard situations. Stull hooked up with tight end, Dorin Dickerson for 20 and 22 yards to set up the first touchdown pass, a two-yarder to backup tight end, Mike Cruz. It was the freshman Cruz’s first college catch. Pitt went ahead 14-0 on Stull’s strapping sling to a snagging Jonathan Baldwin. The 40 yarder sailed to the receiver on an improvised pass route. The wideout hauled in the nifty pass as Bulls cornerback, Jerome Murphy could only watch stunned from afar. Baldwin constantly found himself ahead of the Bull defenders and finished with six receptions for 144 yards. The team’s glaring weakness when Wannstedt took over; Pitt’s strength now lies up front. The lines are making Pittsburgh look like the team to beat in the Big East. Pitt was revamped after coming off a myriad of mistakes last Friday in the triumph over Rutgers. The Panthers are assured at least a bowl appearance when the season concludes. The Panthers can endure the competition and will reap in the dividends if they prevail.
Parting Points: Thank gosh Ohio State rebounded from that ugly loss to Purdue. This roller coaster team is not an easy one to appreciate.
The Yankees are going to wrap it up tonight in New York. That’s a guarantee.
Song of the day: “Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters
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