Yesterday, SI.com listed Pitt at 60 out of 119 Div. 1-A schools. Behind Rutgers and USF in the Big East. Today they have their snippet BE Preview. Basically they put Pitt at 6-6 (3-4 in conference), and tied for 5th in the conference with UConn. I realize there are diminshed expectations, and I’m trying not to be all fan-boy, but this sort of thing ticks me off. I guess, in large part because there is no explanation for anything. Just their predicted final records. Not even a capsule exlpanation (I know, you have to buy the magazine). Here’s how they rank some of Pitt’s non-con foes this seasn

Virginia — 44
Michigan St. — 33
UCF — 46
Toledo — 61

The rankings for Virginia, UCF and Toledo have me flummoxed. And I am just not seeing USF (50, 4th in the BE) as that good with the loss of Andre Hall at RB. Their top WR gone, the same QB because the other had to leave because of grades and a dope bust, and a third of their recruiting class learning to read or fighting legal issues.

As for the best players in the BE. SI.com has H.B. Blades at #4, and that’s it. I mean, sure they have Darrelle Revis listed as an All-American CB, but he isn’t one of the top-10 players in the Big East. That about sums up the preview.

CBS Sporsline has its Big East preview posted. You have to get through the puff piece on WVU first — in fact it’s the majority of story — but it is essentially the same thing they had in their print preview mag (hmm, I still have a couple more of those to do). The big difference is that Pitt is now listed ahead of Rutgers in order of finish (3d instead of 4th).

Both previews single out H.B. Blades as the team’s star and big performer for the year.

H.B. Blades gets a story in the Altoona paper.

“It hit me this year right before camp that this is my last football camp at Pitt so I’m giving my all on every play and am not wasting even one rep,” Blades said. “I’m going to play this season with the same attitude because I will never have another chance to play college football and help Pitt have a successful season.”

Blades is one of the best trash talkers in the Big East and not shy about being vocal. The best part is he backs it up on the field and in practice.

To follow up a little more on Dickerson in the backfield, this piece from Ivan Maisel is a must read about the change in the way offenses work in college. Especially at the tailback.

It was an throwaway comment made by Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino during the Big East Conference preview last month, yet it said volumes about the state of the running game in college football.

Petrino spoke of his senior tailback Michael Bush, a 6-foot-3, 247-pound tailback who delivers punishment and first downs in equal doses. Bush rushed for 1,143 yards and 23 touchdowns last season despite missing four starts because of injuries. He is the kind of tailback that every college coach wants.

And here is what Petrino said.

“We have got to get the ball in his hands 25, 30 times a game.”

It’s a sentiment that any coach with a back as talented as Bush would voice. But look again. Petrino didn’t say that he wanted Bush to run the ball 25, 30 times a game. He wanted the ball in Bush’s hands that many times. Bush may run, but Bush will also catch passes.

As coaches strive for more balance, as they try to find that second dimension that will tamp down aggressive defenses, the coaches have created the era of the Incredible Shrinking Tailback. There just aren’t as many carries out there as there used to be.

…

Last year, for the first time, the average number of rushing attempts per game dipped below 39 (38.6). Also for the first time, the average number of passing attempts reached 32 (32.0). More important, for the third consecutive year, I-A schools set a record in average completion percentage (.579).

Bush like Dickerson was also a QB in high school.

Former Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill is in town for the football alumni weekend (complete with a golf outing at the Montour Country Club) and paid a visit to practice yesterday.

The Panthers watched the telecast of the 1982 Sugar Bowl, when Dan Marino threw a scoring pass to John Brown in the final seconds of the 24-20 victory over Georgia.

“It was pretty amazing,” Sherrill said. “I never watched the game on TV. They had us written off because they were scrawling all the credits and saying how good Georgia was. All of a sudden, they had to change the story real quick.”

Back when ESPN Classic actually showed classic games in full, this game often was shown. Not as often as the BC-Miami Flutie hail mary game, but good frequency.

Freshman Aaron Smith’s separated shoulder does require surgery. He’s likely headed for a redshirt. Back-up QB Bill Stull had the pins removed from his finger a couple days early and was actually able to take some snaps under center. Darrelle Revis’ hamstring kept him out of practice for a second straight day. Hopefully it is just the team being extra cautious with the All-American CB.

Words you don’t like to see in the same sentence: Safety Mike Phillips, ankle, hurt. Phillips turned his left ankle during practice and was held out for the rest of the session.

More than a couple hits in practice sent helmets flying, literally.

Freshman defensive tackle John Malecki knocked the helmet off sophomore guard Dom Williams on a Shane Murray interception return. On the next play, redshirt freshman John Brown replaced Williams and knocked the helmet off freshman corner Jovani Chappel.

I hate reading that sort of thing. The risk of concussion is scary.

Silly me, I thought the bigger story was Tommie Campbell being moved to starter on the Linebacker depth chart and the challenges issued to Bennett and Thomas about playing.

Dorin Dickerson being moved to tailback didn’t seem too stunning since as Coach Wannstedt put it, “He was either going to be a receiver that we put in the backfield some, or a running back that we threw the ball to some.” By moving him to tailback is similar to the way Michael Bush at Louisville is used and Reggie Bush of USC was used. Naturally, then the move of Dickerson to practicing with the tailbacks was the lead story.

While the thought of moving freshman Dorin Dickerson to tailback was tempting Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, Dickerson was daydreaming about returning to his natural position.

“I’d sit there whenever I was getting a break and look at the running backs and say, ‘I miss running back,’ ” Dickerson said. “I missed getting handoffs and taking those licks. Hopefully, good things will come out of it.”

…

“We’ll know if that’s going to be his career move in a couple days,” Walker said. “Right now, he’s learning that position, and we’ll see if we can’t get him to do some work there tomorrow based on how his ankle is.”

Dickerson adds a new dimension to a backfield that features sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling and freshmen Shane Brooks and Kevin Collier at tailback. For Walker, the question is not whether Dickerson can play the position, but whether his impact can be immediate.

“He’s good enough,” Walker said. “That’s a non-issue. He’s plenty good enough. If I can go out and recruit another Dorin Dickerson, sign another Dorin Dickerson to play running back, I’m going to do that gladly.”

Yes, Running Backs Coach David Walker is quite thrilled to have Dickerson in his area of expertise.

Pitt running backs coach David Walker is responsible for recruiting in New York, but he may have pulled off his greatest recruiting victory yesterday without leaving Pitt’s South Side practice facility.

That’s because heralded freshman Dorin Dickerson officially was moved from wide receiver to running back.

Walker hardly could contain his excitement when talking about it. Dickerson had worked with the receivers during the first week of camp, when he was slowed by an ankle injury.

…

“We will know in a few days if this is his career position,” Walker said. “But I watched his film, too, and [receivers coach Aubrey Hill and I] were fighting for him. We were fighting for him during recruiting. We’d obviously love to have him as part of our group, and coach Hill would love to have him as a receiver.

“In high school, he showed he can run with power and niftiness and catch the ball out of the backfield, so, for him, it will be like riding a bike. It will take him a couple of weeks, and he’ll be back up on it.”

Dickerson was slowed in camp by lingering injuries sustained while practicing for the Big 33 HS all-star game. The extent to which seemed to be somewhat glossed over. He had sustained a partial tear in the ACL of his right knee and a fractured  right ankle. Neither of which were serious (apparently) to need surgery. Just rehab and time. So while Dickerson is a little out of shape at this point, he is sharp on his cliches.

“I’ll play anywhere as long as we win, that’s all I care about,” Dickerson said. “As of right now, I’m a running back. I’m cool with any way I can get on the field and help the team produce and win games. I’ll play defense, I’ll play offense.”

Cliches are an athlete’s friend. Know them. Use them.

The articles do suggest that Pitt coaches are happy with the development of depth at the WR position.  I’m a little nervous since Aaron Smith has been injured, Elijah Fields is playing safety and now Dickerson will be in the backfield a lot. T.J. Porter has garnered a lot of praise — sandwiched around his moment of homesickness — but essentially it is the same group of receivers that had me nervous after spring practice.
Apparently the move of Dickerson to tailback is part of the reason Brandon Mason left camp for his home and family in New Jersey. Mason was the “big back” similar in size to Dickerson, but has never been able to climb the depth chart be it because of youth, injuries and/or the talent in front of him. From the accounts I’ve been reading, he’s had a good training camp. It’s just that he still can’t climb the depth chart and is at risk of slipping further behind with Kevin Collier and now Dickerson in the mix.