Three Goats: The Pitt Game

The premise is simple: when we win, I praise our heroes, when we lose I criticize our goats. Take any praise in stride, lest we get a big head. Take any criticism with a grain of salt, this is how we learn.

This week we go high concept with our blames. The architect, Warde Manuel? No, not today, the Architect of the Stadium. The dark cloud over UB Stadium, Jeff Quinn? No, not Quinn, the dark and cold rain clouds that possibly led to fans staying at home. And finally Quinn, who's glass is always half full, because he never shows up for the second half.

3) James H Pieper, Architect

An eight-lane, 400-meter track circles the stadium's infield, with 186-foot, free-standing light towers providing lighting for nighttime events. The stadium also houses administrative offices and meeting rooms, state-of-the-art training facilities, physical conditioning equipment, two large locker rooms capable of housing 800 athletes, 12 luxury suites and a 45-seat press box.

1. 8 lane track for D-1 Football, probably should have made the track temporary with permanent bleachers set to accomodate the track removal after the NCAA Track Championship in 1998.
2. Free-standing light towers are ugly and outdated, they don't provide HD level lighting for night games. We would have been better off without lights, no late night games on Tuesdays in November.
3. Large locker rooms capable of housing 800 athletes...but we didn't say what kind of athletes did we? I bet you could fit 800 gymnasts, but probably no more than 150 football players.
4. You didn't mention the rediculous wind tunnel, although that might not be on you, it may be on whoever architected the metal wing bleachers in the endzone.

Can we at least put the temporary bleachers over the track in the back end zone. That is the end zone always on tv, and it looks like some kids wandered out of school and stumbled upon a game at a fence. Put temporary bleachers there, real close to the field. Put the band and the student section there. Get some atmosphere. Anyone can put "Homecoming" on the schedule, but unless there it atmosphere, it is meaningless.

2) The Weather

It doesn't like the Bulls. It was 69 on Thursday, 65 on Friday, but 52 and rainy on Saturday.

Next week, it's 72 on Thursday, 67 on Friday but 57 and rainy on Saturday.

When it rains it pours am I right?

1) Jeff Quinn

Tim told me "Jeff Quinn is 0-for-(insert anything here)" stats are meaningless because Quinn is almost literally 0-for-everything except FCS wins. But I'm going with the now 0-15 in slight adversity situations.

When tied, or down by no more than 10 points at halftime, we are 0-15. Quinn has fallen in 25 games, which means 60% of those losses came in games that were winnable at the half.

• 8 of these games were conference games
• This week was the 5th of these winnable games against a Big East rival.
• 2 of those 15 games we scored as many points as our opponent.
• 2 of those 15 games we outscored our opponents in the second half.
• 5 times, including Saturday against Pitt, we were shut out in the 2nd half.

33% of the games when we are within 10 points at the half, we have come out of the locker room and been shut out!

The last time we won a game while we were tied or down 10 at the half was 10/17/2009. We converted a 7-7 tie against Akron into a 21-17 victory. The last time we won a game when we were down at the half was the MAC Championship Game in 2008, Ball state lead 10-7 at the half.

Down 13-6 at the half, at home, it was anybody's game. However, it was hard to shake the feeling that we already lost. Quinn does not win the second half, and he never has at UB. Another damning 0fer stat for a failed regime.