Pitt’s O-line is sticking with the “we can’t worry about the other team’s stats, we have to do our job” approach when it comes to discussing the fact that the Husker D has 16 or 17 sacks in just 2 games.

As discussed a couple times over the week, Pitt is hoping to open up the passing game a bit more and free-up Greg Lee.

“It might help me out,” Lee said Wednesday, “but I’m not sure if Nebraska will really cater to the guy on the other side, seeing as how they really don’t know that much about him or he hasn’t really done that much here. Maybe it could (help) and maybe it couldn’t. I’m not sure what they’re going to do.”
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“Sometimes when you’re struggling, you like to shake things up a little bit, and I think that’s what coach Wannstedt’s doing,” Palko said. “Joey’s still going to play a lot. He’ll play in our (three receivers) package.”

Nebraska’s blitzing defense could work in Pitt’s favor, if Palko can unload passes before being trapped in the backfield. Lee, mindful of the speedy Kinder’s presence on the field at the same time, thinks he can be there to gather them in.

“Because they blitz a lot and don’t leave so many guys in the secondary, it gives me a better chance of making some catches,” Lee said.

It’s just that niggling issue of Palko still getting enough time to throw.

Nebraska too, is trying to get their offense in gear. Despite being 2-0, and 56 points in the 2 games, half the points came directly from the defense on turnovers taken in for scores. Nebraska has yet to get much of a running game going. Presumably they will try to get that working better, but the receivers know they will be expected to step up against the strength of Pittsburgh’s defense — the secondary.

“They’re going to come up and get in our face,” Gilmore said. “We have to be good at getting off the line of scrimmage and using our hands and not letting them disrupt our timing.

“Our guys know what’s coming; we just have to answer the bell.”

NU receivers need to have a sense of urgency about reducing the number of dropped passes, Gilmore said.

The Huskers were plagued by drops in each of their first two games, both wins. The missed opportunities by receivers are partly to blame for NU’s lackluster pass completion rate of 42 percent.

Here’s a scouting report on Pitt from a Nebraska paper, including some commentary from the Ohio defensive coordinator.