With the ‘Cuse coming to town, the O-line will once more be tested.

The Orange features one of the best combination of defensive ends in the Big East Conference, but Wannstedt said he expects the pressure on Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko to come from more than just the defensive line because the Orange desperately need a win.

“Our offensive coaches are preparing for an all-out blitz-a-thon,” Wannstedt said. “If I was a betting man, I’d think they will come in here and bring heat on every play.”

For the most part, that should be the game plan of every opposing defense playing Pitt.

Actually, the Syracuse defense has only 13 sacks in 6 games. Only Cinci has less in the Big East. Not that they still won’t be bringing the rush. They are strong against the pass. They have the 15th best pass defense in the country and lead the Big East with 10 Interceptions, 4 by Anthony Smith.

Shockingly, Syracuse is worse against the run (168.2 yds/gm, #85) then Pitt (158.6 yds/gm, #77).

Syracuse’s biggest problem is on offense. They are the worst in the Big East and among the very worst of all of Div. 1-A at #112. They are only ahead of Utah St., Buffalo, Temple, Duke and North Texas.

The anemic offense has led to pressure on Syracuse Coach Robinson to explain.

Robinson said Sunday it was all of the above in explaining the team’s poor offensive performance, which has struggled in five of six games.

“People want it to work,” Robinson said of the offense. “I understand that and I understand the frustration of our fans. I understand the frustration of our coaches. I understand the frustration of our players. But I want it to work.

“Everybody is kind of just, kind of take their shot in the dark and maybe it’s this or maybe it’s that. But really, it’s a little bit of everything. We know that. Really what it is. People have to vent and get the thing out. That’s how I see it. Perceptions are created, but, boy, I try like heck to keep that to a minimum, because that’s when things can get goofy and get out of whack.”

Robinson said coaching failures in preaching and teaching ball security led to the Orange fumbling nine times against Rutgers. The Orange lost five, though only one led to Rutgers points. On the flip side, the Orange had three defensive takeaways. Robinson said his team should or could have had as many as eight takeaways against the Scarlet Knights.

As part of the turnover problem, Robinson acknowledged there are offensive coaching issues, a theme which seems to be gathering storm clouds in the community. But he also went through a long replay through parts of the game in which he pointed out the failure of receivers to catch passes, the failure of quarterbacks to deliver accurate passes or hit open receivers, the failure of running backs to secure the football and not fumble.

“When I referred yesterday to turnovers, I do believe it’s coaching,” Robinson said. “Just like after the first three weeks of the season, and we’re the No. 1 ranked team in America in turnover ratio, I think that’s damn good coaching. I do. Because I know how hard we stressed it. In the last three weeks, we’re minus seven. If I’m going to take credit for being the No. 1 team in the country, the last three weeks, the ball security has been a major issue, I take personal responsibility for that.

Hopefully Coach Robinson is at least recruiting well. It appears to be decent for now (Rivals.com has Pitt being passed and now at #11).

The Syracuse paper does a puff piece about Coach Wannstedt’s return to Pitt, and for their angle compare it with Coach Robinson, and include Wannstedt’s memories of the old days of playing ‘Cuse.

Dave Wannstedt and Greg Robinson followed similar paths to jobs as Division I-A head football coaches.

Each spent roughly three decades in the profession before becoming a head college coach. Each won a Super Bowl ring as a defensive coordinator, Wannstedt with the Dallas Cowboys and Robinson with the Denver Broncos. Each was a DC for a national college powerhouse, Wannstedt with the Miami Hurricanes and Robinson with the Texas Longhorns.
…
“Oh God,” Wannstedt said. “Archbold Stadium was one of the classics. I remember standing at the bottom of that old spiral set of stairs where the showers were upstairs and the locker room was downstairs. I remember going up there and playing and coaching when we walked out onto the field and we swore that there must have been a thunderstorm that just rained over Archbold Stadium, because the grass and the ground was mucky and wet, and there was blue skies and the sun was out.

“(Laughing). Any quickness that we did have, and we didn’t have much at that time, was nullified, and you knew you were going to be forced to line up shoe to shoe and it was going to be a physical football game. Syracuse … the first thought in my mind is always tough, physical games.”

That actually makes the Carrier Dome sound good.