Expect to see the defense shuttle more people in and out of the line-up to try and find players on the D-line.
Additional personnel could be used. Rhoads, like Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt earlier this week, noted that freshmen Mick Williams and Gus Mustakis earned more playing time on the defensive line against Ohio.
Freshman Tommie Campbell, Aliquippa High School graduate, played on special teams against Notre Dame and also earned additional time this week, Rhoads said. But freshman Craig Bokor, a Hopewell graduate who enrolled early and practiced with the Panthers in the spring, has contributed primarily on the scout team.
“He’s probably behind some of those other guys right now, but he’s given us a great look in our preparation,” Rhoads said. “But he’s probably not yet pushing for playing time (at defensive tackle).”
After the ND game, an opponent like Ohio will probably afford the opportunity to see what some of the other kids on further down on the depth chart look like. It also gives the coaches a chance to get the younger players an actual taste of the game and playing.
The Ohio U paper has a brief piece on Coach Wannstedt with some comparisons to the situation with Frank Solich.
Consider these comments from a top University official.
“If we are concerned with our public image, and indeed, we are,” he said during that interview in August 2004, “we have to pay attention to our athletics. … (They are) as important as any other aspect of the university, because when people learn about a university, often they learn about it through athletics. They are looking at TV, they listen to the radio, they read the newspaper.”
No, that didn’t come from Chancellor Nordenberg or anyone from Pitt. It came from Ohio University President Roderick McDavis. It’s a column exhorting Bobcat fans to pack Peden Stadium on Friday. A chance to show off the school, the fans and the team.
Students, faculty and Athens residents alike need to pack Peden.
This game is essentially a three-hour commercial for OU. Everything the cameras pick up -and that includes far more than just the team and its performance -will reflect back on the school. The signs and the tailgaters will be important. So will the stadium’s atmosphere and the number of bodies in its seats.
It’s the first time Ohio U football has been on any ESPN channel and the first time they have been shown beyond local community cable access since 1969.
What they needed to do was get one of their famous alum in for the game. They needed Peter King.
