Homecoming is the perfect time for Pitt to be it again

Forget mustard yellow, Pitt needs to bring back the pride.

Saturday’s victory against South… Forget mustard yellow, Pitt needs to bring back the pride.

Saturday’s victory against South Florida was an embarrassment. Not for the team, but for the students. Most of you weren’t there to notice, but the student section was half full, and I’m only talking about the first level.

By the way, Pitt won that game.

The next time the Panthers win a big game at home, which they will at some point, I want security guards to stop fans before they rip down the goal posts – to check ID’s. Any Pitt student that wasn’t there for the Youngstown State, Cincinnati or South Florida games should not be allowed to celebrate. They have no right.

Being a fan means being there through the good and the bad. It makes victory that much sweeter. In 2003, the Red Sox sold out every game, and they hadn’t won the World Series in 85 years. Pitt fans should take a page from their book and keep the faith.

We all know “Penn State sucks,” but 99,235 fans attended their game against South Florida. Penn State won by 10. On the contrary, 33,497 Pitt fans showed up to watch their team beat the same South Florida team by 14. Heinz Field was just over half full and that’s embarrassing. If you were a recruit, where would you go?

Of course, the Notre Dame game was a sellout, but since halftime of that game, Pitt fans have sold out. A partly full stadium and crickets in the student section have become the norm. Blame it on bad matchups against boring teams, but West Virginia packed in 54,630 fans against Wofford and 57,295 against East Carolina. Although there isn’t much else to do in West Virginia and a football game may be their only chance at indoor plumbing.

It’s not like this Panther team has nothing worth watching.

Linebacker H.B. Blades is leading the Big East in tackles. Receiver Greg Lee has already notched four 100-yard receiving games this season and cornerback Darrelle Revis returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown against Cincinnati, Pitt’s longest punt return since 1993. Oh yeah, and then there is Tyler Palko.

I’m the first one to admit that Pitt has had some bad losses, but seven games into the 11-game season, Pitt, with a 2-1 conference record, still has a chance of winning the Big East title.

Even when Pitt loses, it’s still exciting. The Panthers’ three losses this year have been by a combined 15 points. Since 2002, 12 of Pitt’s 17 losses have been by eight points or less, so even when the Panthers are down, it’s worth staying until the end.

Pitt Stadium is gone and it may be a trek downtown to Heinz Field, but if Youngstown State fans can make the hour trip down I-79 to watch their team lose by 41, Pitt fans can make the trek down Fifth Avenue to watch their team win by the same margin.

In both Heinz Field and the Peterson Events Center, Pitt has some of the finest facilities in the country, but college sports are about atmosphere – crazy fans, fight songs and pep rallies. I’ve seen more atmosphere at a WNBA game than at Pitt games.

Sure, the Oakland Zoo has been crazy for Pitt basketball games versus Syracuse or UConn, but when a ticket policy needs to include punishment for those with tickets who don’t attend games, it says something about the fan base. Do you think Duke or Kentucky has that problem?

So this weekend, put on your blue and gold, learn the alma mater, jump a bus to Heinz Field and cheer Pitt to victory. That way, after the next big win, maybe they’ll let you on the field.

Keith Wehmeyer is a staff writer for The Pitt News.