Ray Jr on Sports

1. As we know, the Pitt Panthers suffered an embarrassing 51-28 beat down to the Miami Hurricanes and to be honest, I wasn’t surprised. The team still has defensive issues which will always begin with their struggling secondary. The ACC slogan should be this: “If you want to beat Pitt, just throw the ball deep on them.”
2. To be honest with you, I think it’s starting to wear the team down; they’re now 0-2 since their impressive victory at Virginia which had them at 5-2 (2-1 ACC). After getting beat by Virginia Tech and Miami, they’re now 5-4 (2-3 ACC) and are still one win away from that elusive Bowl Eligible bid.
3. Well, I’m afraid it doesn’t get any better for the Panthers as they will now face the 3^rd ranked team in the nation as they will travel to South Carolina to face the undefeated Clemson Tigers (9-0, 6-0 ACC) the Tigers are clearly the Cream of the ACC Crop right now.
4. This will be the first time in 40 years that Pitt has faced Clemson. The schools have played only one time, and never during the regular season. The lone meeting occurred in the 1977 Gator Bowl, a 34-3 Pitt win.
5. The game is nationally televised which means only one thing: The entire nation will see Pitt get destroyed by this team. Sorry, I’m an optimist, but also a realist. If the Panthers couldn’t beat UNC, Va Tech, Miami and OK State, then they haven’t a chance against Clemson.
6. Now for some good Pitt football news: College football’s most dangerous return man, Pitt sophomoreQuadree Henderson, was named the ACC Specialist of the Week for the third time this season following his Nov. 5 performance at Miami.
7. Henderson leads the country with a school-record three kick return touchdowns this year. He has four over his last ten games, including another 100-yarder against Navy in the 2015 Military Bowl. Henderson is also the national leader in kickoff return average (33.8) and ranks second in combined kick return yards (872). And to think this kid is only a Sophomore. He’s Pitt’s only hope as a legitimate weapon against Clemson. Congrats to the young man.
8. In other College Football news, here’s the latest College Football Playoff Poll: 1. Alabama, 2. Clemson 3. Michigan 4. Washington. It’s truly no surprise that Texas A&M wouldn’t hold on that #4 spot long. I figured the Huskies would take it, and that they did.
9. As for the AP Top 25, here are the locally ranked schools: West Virginia and Penn State are ranked 11^th and 12^th, respectively. And former Pitt HC Paul Chryst’s Wisconsin Badgers are ranked #7. Impressive.
10. As the Pitt Basketball team prepares for their 2016-17 season, they’ve already suffered a loss as Sophomore guardCrisshawn Clark will miss the 2016-17 men’s basketball season after suffering a left knee injury during practice Monday, Nov. 7. Wow.
11. Apparently, Clark has a history of injuries as he’s also missed the entire 2015-16 season at Canada College with a left knee injury. He was a Junior College transfer hoping to make an impact in new HC Kevin Stallings offense this season. Now he must wait a year. I wish the kid the best.
12. The basketball team also made news as they’ve announced the signing ofTerrell Brown, Marcus Carr, Aaron Thompson and Jared Wilson-Frame during the early signing period. The Panthers’ four-man class is currently listed 25th overall and sixth in the ACC in 247Sports Team Rankings.
13. Of course, the player that stands out is Brown, a 6-10 power forward from Barrington, R.I. He averaged nearly 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in helping BABC to the EYBL Finals at the 2016 Nike Peach Jam. He’s the type of Big Man that the Panthers has desperately needed.
14. Now onto the NFL as that other struggling Pittsburgh football team, the Steelers are now preparing themselves to play the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys, who are the NFL’s hottest team not named the New England Patriots.
15. After mostly beating themselves in a 21-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers are hoping to the right themselves against this rejuvenated Cowboys team. They will be close to healthy, but here’s hoping that they will be mentally ready to take on Dallas.
16. Of course, it doesn’t help that QB Ben Roethlisberger will be the starting QB. He was very rusty in the loss to the Ravens. As we know, the team goes as Big Ben goes, here’s hoping he can get his team together.
17. As for the Cowboys, the story is who will be their QB as they enter Heinz Field Sunday. It’ll either be rookie Dak Prescott, who’s responsible for their 7-1 start, or veteran Tony Romo.
18. I don’t think it’s an issue. Prescott’s the one who’s got the Cowboys where they are. If owner Jerry Jones starts Sunday, it could mess up team chemistry, and the Steelers may have a better chance at winning.
19. As for MLB, congrats to Pittsburgh Pirates LF Starling Marte on winning his 2^nd straight Gold Glove, given to the MLB player who best exemplifies defensive excellence. If he could ever get his offense together, he will be an incredible player.
20. And also: The Pirates finally revealed that they and the Washington Nationals discussed a blockbuster trade involving All-Star CF and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen. If that would’ve gone down, I think some fans would’ve gone to DC with him.

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