It was a bad and frustrating loss, but it doesn’t kill the season. It was a non-conference loss, and how they rebound will say a lot. They have a big game against Texas A&M who also lost. A&M played on Thursday night, so they got a couple days head start on preparing for Pitt. The players say they are still looking at the big picture, and I hope they are. The big picture starts with this game. They have to run the table for a real BCS bid. The woulda, coulda, shouldas of Pitt being 3-0 going into this game are history.

Quick offensive keys for Pitt:

Running game. Miree was lousy against Toledo. 62 yards on 20 carries. The O-line needs to be better, and so does Miree.

Spread the wealth when passing. Fitzgerald had 12 receptions for 201 yards (out of 315 total passing yards). The RB, Miree, was second on number of receptions with 6. The supposed number 2 receiver for Pitt — Brockenbrough caught only 3 passes. Sooner or later, Fitzgerald will be shut down or some team will take a cheap shot to get him out of the game.

Use the Tight End. Kris Wilson is a stud TE, who will be a solid pro one day. Unfortunately, no one knows it, because he rarely seems to see the ball. He does a lot of blocking and running over the middle as a decoy. He’s being wasted.

Quick Defensive keys:

Kill. Kill. Kill. The defense has not pressured the QB in 3 games this season. Herriot has only one sack. More is needed up front.