The Sports Monitor

My friend from high school e-mailed me two weeks ago with free tickets to the Pitt-Connecticut football game at Heinz Field. Nah, I thought. I wasn't ready to see Pitt this season. I wanted to wait. I wasn't convinced the team was as good as its record was at that point. Then there was the team's struggles against UConn, and my mind was made up. At halftime, I still was pretty sure I made the right decision on that game. Pitt proved me wrong that week with a strong second half and a win over the Huskies. On Saturday, they got the attention of the national media with a win over Rutgers that vaulted the program into the Top 25 this season. There still are tough tests ahead, with South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati still on the schedule, but this team looks special, largely because of running back Dion Lewis. This kid has the goods. He finished that Connecticut game with 158 yards rushing. He followed it up with a 180-yard, two-touchdown performance against Rutgers. Le...

Last week there were a few howls when the Pittsburgh Panthers college football team was left out of the Top 25. They were 27th in the Associated Press poll after winning their first two games, and a win against Buffalo seemed to be enough to vault the Panthers into the Top 25. The Panthers did their part, beating the Bulls. However, the pollsters didn't agree. They actuallly dropped the Panthers a couple spots. So, armed with a potential chip on their shoulder, the Panthers traveled to N.C. State on Saturday and naturally lost. Pitt was in control of the game, leading 31-17 late into the third quarter. N.C. State scored three straight touchdowns and the Panthers missed out on a first-and-goal at the end of the game to tie it. So much for being a nationally ranked team. Going into the season, the Panthers didn't have many questions on defense. The offense was the unit that was up in the air. How would quarterback Bill Stull be? Who would be the running back? Well, we know those ...