Pitt Season Begins Tonight

The college football season officially begins tonight when the University of Pittsburgh travels to Salt Lake City to face the University of Utah. The entire University of Pittsburgh really isn't traveling to Utah (how would you move the Cathedral of Learning?), but the football team, marching band and other students, staff and alumni will go west. Anyway, I've been on record stating that I despise the Division I college football system (get a 16-team playoff!); however, the atmosphere of college football games are unmatched, and I enjoy watching the games especially the Pitt Panthers.

Therefore, in honor of the season-opener, I give you Darrelle Revis' incredible punt return in the 2006 Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia.

A Lesson in US Geography

You may or may not know that the Senior Bowl took place this Saturday in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is an exhibition college football game for many prospects hoping to get drafted by an NFL team.

Here is a brief recap from the Associated Press via ESPN:

Pat White had a message for all those experts who think the West Virginia quarterback might make a better receiver in the NFL: Not so fast.
A local hero from Daphne, just outside Mobile, White led two scoring drives and passed for 95 yards as the South defeated the North 35-18 in the Senior Bowl, a showcase for many of college football's top prospects.

"I'm just happy I had the opportunity. This was a great coaching staff that taught me a lot in a week," White said. "I'm looking forward to keeping working, trying to get better."

The most prolific running quarterback in major college football history, White stood out among a group of high profile signal callers and was the most valuable player of the game that featured many top NFL prospects.

If there were doubts about the strength of White's arm, he tried to erase them in the third quarter when he stretched the South's lead with an impressive 39-yard scoring toss to Mississippi's Mike Wallace in the corner of the end zone.

Based on this map, I always thought that West Virginia was in the North.



From the West Virginia in the Civil War website, West Virginia was created in the midst of the Civil War and provided the Union Army 31,872 regular army troops. It is also estimated that somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 men served in the Confederate Army. Therefore, based on the number of people who served the Confederacy and the fact that much of West Virginia is south of the Mason-Dixon Line, historically, I guess you could make a case that West Virginia is in the south.

However, the AP story ends with this line:

The North's Juaquin Iglesias of Oklahoma was the leading receiver with six catches for 90 yards.



I have no explanation.