Running quickly through the stories after the loss.

The interception that Michigan State ran back for a TD, the defender doesn’t even remember it.

Safety Travis Key picked off a pass that glanced off the hands of Pitt receiver Oderick Turner and took it back 31 yards to put the Spartans up 14-7 early in the second quarter.

“I just caught the ball and ran with it,” Key said. “I can’t even remember the play to tell you the truth. I just saw the ball, grabbed it and ran it in.”

Late in the game, Michigan State’s pornstar named linebacker kept coming up big. They may call him the “Sack Man,” but when your last name is Saint-Dic there has to be a better name.

It’s not like anyone thought Michigan State was that impressive. Just that Pitt screwed up more than the Spartans.

Three turnovers by Pitt, which hosts Connecticut next Saturday, led to all of the Spartans’ scoring. Caulcrick’s TD was set up by an interception, while Travis Key ran back another pick for a score. A fumble recovery led to a field goal by Brett Swenson.

Michigan State (3-0) shut down the Panthers (2-1) on all 12 of their third-down conversion attempts, often just as Pitt appeared poised to take the lead in the hard-fought game.

“The key to the game obviously was the turnovers, and our play on third downs was pretty good — actually, great,” said Mark Dantonio, the Spartans’ head coach.

Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt said turnovers cost his team the game.

No kidding.

With a national game on ESPN, many college football fans saw it. Sunday Morning Quarterback had some good observations about the game.

As mentioned, Pitt has serious quarterback issues, so much so that, when it got the ball back on its own 31, down 17-13 with 2:54 remaining and no timeouts, I wrote: “Can’t throw well enough to move for a TD.” As it turned out, I was wrong: Smith completed a well-conceived 19-yard pass Darrell Strong and then, improbably, a 26-yard completion to Marcel Pestano on fourth-and-17 as he was falling over two MSU linemen at his feet. Instead, the Panthers couldn’t block – Smith was in 4th-and-17 because Jonal Saint-Dic had abused Pitt’s right tackle on consecutive plays, causing a fumble on second down and forcing Smith into another loss on third.

He also notes that the Pitt pass rushing was much more impressive. He has some questions about the run defense, though (while admitting the numbers disagree with his doubts), because while the rushing total reads 144 that includes QB Hoyer’s 6 sacks for -40 yards.

Former Michigan State HC and Steeler assistant in the 70s, George Perles considers Dave Wannstedt a friend.

MSU Coach Dantonio was bothered by the number of penalties by his team, but he’s not complaining about the win. MSU QB Bobby Hoyer must not be thinking about the two drops by Pitt defenders on his throws when he spoke of how he was more willing to take six sacks than throw an interception.

In the “half-full” view, Pitt went on the road for the first time since the UConn game last year without an experienced QB, no #1 WR, the starting DT out for the season, and playing a team that has traditionally played well in September before fading at some point in October; and still nearly pulled it off despite all of that and going -3 in the turnover battle that led to all of MSU’s points. Of course, you really have to want to see it.

No one is pretending Kevan Smith had anything other than a horrible game. The one good thing to say is that he didn’t hide from it or the media after the game.

“The turnovers did kill us,” Smith said. “In my eyes, I’m seeing that I gave them 14 points.”

Senior Safety Eric Thatcher spoke the obvious.

“We’ve got to start winning some of these games,” Pitt safety Eric Thatcher said. “We’ve got to step up and make the plays at the end to get the Ws.”

Yep.

A little more about Pitt’s “wildcat” set.

I hate using injuries as an excuse for a loss, but Kevin Gorman depresses the hell out of me with the O-line.

Now that McCoy has proven to be the big-time back Wannstedt has wanted, Pitt’s offensive success, or lack thereof, will be determined by the play of its offensive line.

“We’ve got to bring that group along a little bit,” Wannstedt said. “They’re getting better, they are. I don’t know what the numbers were but I thought our offensive line has improved week after week – not to the point where we’re happy about it and getting excited. That’s, unfortunately, the last group to get together.”

…

Pinkston appears to have a separated shoulder and was replaced for a few plays by redshirt sophomore John Bachman, but later returned to play the final series.

“Jason Pinkston, his shoulder slipped out of the socket,” Wannstedt said. “He goes back in and tries to play with one arm at the end. They’ve got a couple guys that are good players. We got into some mismatch problems. They pressured us a lot and we got into some pressure problems, which we anticipated.”

Now, Pitt has to determine what to do about its line. It could leave Vangas at center, but he was overmatched against Michigan State and could have trouble handling Big East play. It could move McGlynn to center and return Joe Thomas to the starting lineup at right guard, but McGlynn might have to play right tackle if Pinkston is unable to play. The other options are Bachman and Chase Clowser.

It gets scarier when you read more about the injuries on the D-line.

Gene Collier, seemed to think part of the problem for Kevan Smith was that the O-line was still part of the problem.

In a star-crossed football season in which Pitt has already lost three starters to injury, the much-anticipated arrival of the freshman from Harrisburg would be a majestic highlight were it not timed concurrently with the fitful progress, a term used advisedly, of the Panthers’ offensive line. Coach Dave Wannstedt finally has the kind of running back around which a coherent ground-based offense can be built, but he doesn’t have the road-pavers.

“We have to bring that group along a little bit,” Wannstedt said. “They are getting better. Our offensive line has improved week by week, but not to the point that we are happy or excited about it.”

The coach pointed out that Jason Pinkston had his shoulder yanked out and was playing with one arm, and that part of the reason Michigan State sacked freshman quarterback Kevan Smith six times was breakdowns by the fullback and tight ends, but Pitt’s primary blockers are the reason this team will remain less than the sum of its parts for awhile.

Joe Starkey is all but begging Pitt to explore some variation of the spread-option offense.

Wannstedt said the offense could be expanded in future weeks. Question is, could it be used full-time, or close to it?

“Well, no,” he said, “because we have to throw the ball at some point.”

OK, but less is better. And if shifty tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling, who missed yesterday’s game with a rib injury, is ready this week, Pitt should think hard about matching him with McCoy and even speedster Maurice Williams — a former high school quarterback — in a spread-option package. Any one of them could take direct snaps.

Pitt has athletes. They might as well use them. Speedy receiver T.J. Porter took some inside handoffs from McCoy — the kind West Virginia’s Pat White often gives to Steve Slaton — and gained 36 yards on three attempts (he also had a costly fourth-quarter fumble).

McCoy likes the possibilities of a run-and-Shady offense.

“We have an offense where me and (Stephens-Howling) are in there together,” he said. “I don’t want to give up too much information, but it’s most likely we’d both be in the offense, with the spread, and the running back at the quarterback position.”

These kinds of packages usually are best-utilized as a change of pace, but Pitt is plain desperate. Plus, McCoy insists he and Stephens-Howling are capable of throwing a decent pass.

I don’t think that Wannstedt and Cavanaugh are wired to go that way. I think their brain pans would go “sproing.”