It was an absolutely brutal weekend of football for our area teams. Let’s start with the most painful one of all, IUP’s loss to Shepherd. To call this a devastating setback would be the understatement of the year. IUP trailed by two touchdowns but rallied to score with just over a minute to go, only to let Shepherd drive 84 yards for the winning touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game. So close, yet so far were the Hawks from getting a second shot at rival Slippery Rock. Blame the defense for this loss. Not only could they not make a stop with the game on the line, IUP’s horrendous defense also allowed the visitors 516 total yards, including drives of 99 and 98 yards. That’s simply inexcusable. It’s going to be a long off-season for IUP as they’re left to wonder what the heck happened Saturday at Miller Stadium.
• The Steelers’ win at Cincinnati was one of the ugliest games I’ve ever seen. Both teams were horrible, and yet the Black and Gold could have fallen to a team that entered the game at 0 and 10. Hats off to the defense. They played great, and continue to force turnovers, something we didn’t see much of last year. Minkah Fitzpatrick came up with another big fumble recovery, and Bud Dupree keeps making himself more money in this his contract year.
• We finally got to see Benny Snell Football. That’s how the Steelers’ rookie refers to himself and his game. I thought the Steelers made a great selection when they took Snell in the draft, but he hadn’t done much to date. He was terrific against the Bengals, and with James Conner hurt again, and his long-term future in question, Snell just might be a guy who gets a lot of playing time in Pittsburgh.
• I wrote last week that I don’t think Mason Rudolph is the next franchise quarterback. I’m now convinced he will never be anything but a backup in the NFL. It must have been humiliating for Rudolph to be pulled for Duck Hodges. I like Rudolph a lot, but just don’t think he is the answer to replace Big Ben when Number 7 rides off to Canton one day.
• I wasn’t surprised that the NFL upheld the suspension of Cleveland’s Myles Garrett for the rest of the season. He deserved it. I was shocked when Garrett claimed in his appeal that he was a victim of a racial slur by the Steelers Mason Rudolph when all heck broke out at the end of the Steelers-Browns game. Am I the only one who found it kind of strange that Garrett would make this claim more than a week after the incident? And that no other player on the field heard this alleged slur? If this really happened, why didn’t Garrett say so during the post-game interviews? Rudolph denied ever making such a reprehensible remark, and his teammates, many of whom are African-American, stood by him. By the way, the Steelers play the Browns again next week. Should be interesting.
• Penn State should end the season with ten regular season wins, provided they beat hapless Rutgers next week. That’s a pretty good year. But when I watched my beloved Nittany Lions against Ohio State it was painfully obvious to me that the two programs aren’t close when it comes to talent. The Buckeyes are simply loaded at every position. Yes, the game ended up being fairly close, but the programs aren’t close at this point. As much as I hate to say it, I think Ohio State is the best team in the country.
• I’m not sure what was worse in Blacksburg, Pitt’s performance against Virginia or the awful weather the two teams had to endure. The Panthers managed just 177 total yards in this disaster. It also eliminated the Panthers from repeating as ACC Coastal Division Champs this season.
• The Penguins had lost four of five before beating New Jersey Friday night. Talk about a must win for the battered and injured Pens. I was at the meltdown against the Islanders the other night. The Pens blew a two goal lead late in the game and fell in overtime. They lost again in OT to the Islanders two nights later. The Isles are the Penguins’ kryptonite.
• The Pirates should have their manager in the next week or two. I still think that Jeff Bannister is the safe choice. He’s been successful as a major league skipper previously, and he re-joined the organization in the last year. Now that Ben Cherington is calling the shots as GM, I would suspect that his former Red Sox manager, John Farrell, will also emerge as a candidate. Reports over the weekend had the Pirates interested in a couple of other lesser name candidates. This is a big hire for the Pirates, and a big hire for Cherington as well. I’m anxious to see who will guide the Buccos in 2020.
