The American flag was on the ground. In what turned out to be a miserable climax to an evening in Pittsburgh that ended on such a sour note, we returned following the game to our tailgate area to discover that zealous Pitt fans, apparently much bigger fans of their Panthers than their country, had torn down and stolen the Virginia Tech flag and banners flown atop his RV by my buddy and tailgate host Larry Ramsey, leaving on the ground the American flag the Gulf War combat veteran Larry proudly flies atop them.

These fine examples of Pitt fandom had not been content at mere theft or desecration, however. As a crowning touch they had trashed the area around Larry�s RV, which those of us fortunate enough to enjoy Larry�s tailgating hospitality refer to our as Clubhouse, leaving beer cans and assorted garbage in their wake. I long ago learned to pay little attention to words, including those of �traitor� hurled at us as we exited Heinz Field Saturday night, but actions do tend to get my attention.

One does wonder if what seems to be a very low caliber of certain Pitt fan, who would call us traitors and then proceed to tear down their country�s flag, are even aware of the meaning of the word. Perhaps the Pitt administration should have catered to those cretins, and instead of supporting Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida for L�il E admission, demanded that the replacements include Baghdad U, Taliban State and South Serbia. The post game violence that seemed so appealing to certain Pitt fans could then be put to a much better use.

To be fair, the actions taken were not perpetrated by the terrific Pitt fans with whom we had the pleasure of enjoying an extended pre-game tailgate, great fans who were as disgusted at the spectacle of our trashed tailgate area as we and who gladly pitched in to assist us in cleaning up the mess. That there were those who would deign to steal and wreck other people�s property leaves a very bitter taste in regards to the Pitt community, however. I have attended football games in, roughly guessing, over twenty stadiums, and up until last Saturday night, there was only one where treatment by opposing fans had caused me to swear that I would never again set foot in the place, that being Mountaineer Field. There are now two. Perhaps it is the proximity of Pittsburgh to West Virginia. Good riddance, and enjoy that upcoming South Florida series, guys. I am sure ESPN will.

The game itself was a fairly exciting one, chock full of good and bad play by both sides, culminating in a closing drive by Pitt that was eerily reminiscent of that by Syracuse in 1998 and had the same result, a sacrificing by Tech of the inside track to the BE title and a BCS bowl that would have perhaps provided enough extra Athletic Department coin to make possible next year�s LSU game. Tech had done a remarkable job of grabbing back its 2003 football destiny the previous week against Miami, and it was quite painful to observe it snatched away again.

It is also agonizing to contemplate that what led to a repeat of the ending of that Syracuse game again occurred, an inability of Tech�s offense to gain one lousy First Down that would have likely enabled them to salt the game away. It is very easy to in hindsight criticize Tech�s play-calling on that critical fourth down, so I will do it and point out that if I had a guy in my backfield who had 240 rushing yards on the night, the ball would be going nowhere but his hands, but I am not paid to make that decision, and once again I have noticed that Frank Beamer and Bryan Stinespring do not solicit my opinion in such circumstances. Unusual play calls are only considered inspired if they work, a fact of life of which I am sure Frank and Bryan are now aware.

The Pitt loss means that the conference championship of Tech�s final BE season will be determined without further input from Tech, and the great season that was earlier contemplated can now only become a very good one. If the team is able to shake off the effects of this loss as well as they did the one to WVU, a 10-2 season is well within Tech�s reach and grasp and would constitute a record that would be envied by most teams in both what will soon be our former conference and our future one. There are not going to be many double-digit victory totals coming out of either the BE or ACC this year.

There is plenty left to play for, including retention of the Commonwealth Cup and the chance to take another jaunt down I-95 and spend another New Year�s Eve strolling the Jacksonville Landing, an activity I find more appealing than any of the delights offered by Charlotte. I would also find it highly satisfying and amusing if in this final BE season for both of us, Miami wins out and captures the league�s BCS bid, while Tech seizes the Gator. The ability of the L�il E to hold on to either down the road is not particularly bright, especially if the rampant rumors are true and Walt Harris will be the first coach to escape the uncertain future currently offered by what will no longer be the really Big East.

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