You know, these are the sort of things that convince me that the lack of depth on the lines for Pitt are partially the fault of the whole frickin’ coaching staff, not just blaming it all on Walt Harris.

Wannstedt confirmed that redshirt sophomore Craig Bokor has returned to defensive tackle now that Gus Mustakas is lost for the season with a torn ACL.

Bokor started the season on defense but switched to offensive guard when freshman Chris Jacobson was lost to a knee injury.

This drives me insane.  Bokor is simply an extreme example of it. Craig Bokor is a redshirt sophomore, and they have yet to keep him from one side of the ball or the other. Forget about simply learning positions along the O-line or D-line, they keep moving him back and forth. From Wannstedt down, the Pitt coaches stress the importance of learning the system of getting experience and being ready. I want to know how Bokor can ever be ready when he has to keep changing sides of the ball in his 3d year at Pitt?
At the start of training camp, they said, this time for sure he’s staying at DT on the D-line. In less than a week, after Jacobson went down, back to the O-line. Now, a month later, back to the D-line. His entire Pitt career this has been happening. Exactly how can depth be developed if the coaches aren’t willing to keep players at a position to learn it?
Part of developing players. Especially linemen and just about any “diamond in the rough” type player is keeping them in one position so they can learn, get experience and step in.

Coach Jamie Dixon is in Ft. Worth, Texas today, to be formally inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame.

The group will be inducted tonight during a ceremony at the Kelly Alumni Center. Dixon will be accompanied by his wife and two children, who will be visiting Fort Worth for the first time.

They’ll catch their first glimpse of the place where Dixon’s life in college basketball started.

“I was very excited when I got the phone call from Donny Ray,” Dixon said Tuesday from his office in Pittsburgh. “I was excited and honored, and it also made me think back to the days way back when.”

Dixon’s old head coach at TCU passed away this past year. Dixon will also be honored at halftime of the SMU-TCU game on Saturday. Mildly surprising that he has never taken his family to see his alma mater.

Back in June, I ranked UConn as having the second lamest non-con in the Big East. Rutgers edged them out because Rutgers is a better team and some of the utter badness scheduled (plus I dinged UConn for also including a non-con road game to Virginia thinking the Cavs would be better than they’ve shown) — but man those Rutgers fans sure are touchy. The team and their coaches know that no one thinks much of the Huskies based on their early schedule. So that makes the Pitt game a big deal for them.

But three weeks into the season, all we really know about UConn is the negative perception of last week’s game against Temple. Upon what else do we have to base our opinion of the Huskies?

There’s not much to be gleaned from wins over Duke and Maine, but it’s impossible to shake the fact that UConn’s win over Temple ended with the following words: “inconclusive evidence.” If the court of public opinion had a say as to whether Temple wide receiver Bruce Francis got his foot down in bounds for the winning touchdown, Temple walks away with a stunning upset victory.

While it doesn’t work that way, the perception stands.

…

So they play the schedule that’s in front of them, because that’s all they can do. But make no mistake, respect won’t come to UConn by beating the bottom feeders of college football. A 3-0 record doesn’t fool the naked eye, and that puts more of a premium than ever on Saturday’s game at Heinz Field.

Not that UConn isn’t the only one looking to make a statement. Or is it just excuses still for last year.

Rhoads said Hernandez, who was benched for poor play several times last season and then was moved to wide receiver in the offseason, had a career day and deserves credit. But he knows his defense didn’t put its best foot forward that day.

“That was a game, if [Hernandez] would have scripted for himself, I don’t think he could play any better,” Rhoads said. “But we’ve obviously got to tackle a lot better. The fact that we gave up so many big plays, we just have to eliminate it like we have so far.”

The Huskies’ quarterback this season is Tyler Lorenzen (6-5, 226). He isn’t quite as mobile as Hernandez but still poses a threat to run.

“He is big and strong and fast and he is an extremely accurate passer,” Rhoads said. “Hopefully, we won’t see the scrambling display we saw last year, but he will tuck the ball and go.”

“Hopefully.” Ugh.

Finally, a piece on the film study of the UConn D-backs. Nothing given away about this week. Call it a hunch, though, but I think it will involve stuffing the box against the run.

When everyone’s been ragging on the kind of 3-0 you are, you tend to get a little sensitive.

UConn has yet to lose a game, but it may have lost a modicum of respect after sneaking by lowly Temple 22-17 last week on a disputed touchdown.

“We put the game in the ref’s hands,” wide receiver D.J. Hernandez said. “We got the call but we don’t want that to happen ever again.”

As they head into Saturday’s tilt at Heinz Field, the Huskies are more concerned with producing a better effort than where they stand in the national picture.

“I’m sure people look at it and say ‘Oh, they’re 3-0 but who have they beat?'” said UConn coach Randy Edsall, whose team has also knocked off Duke and Maine. “I’m sure if we win, people might take a bit of a different look at us, but that’s far from my concerns.”

They may not be concerned about outside opinions, but the Huskies’ opinion of themselves took a little hit last week, too. The team may have been looking past Temple, which had lost 25 of its last 26 games, especially after taking a rather easy 10-0 lead.

Yes, that’s right. UConn was looking past a game. To look towards Pitt.

Said defensive tackle Dan Davis: “We got a little bit ahead of ourselves. That’s something we try not to do around here.”

It would be difficult for the Huskies to do that again this week.

Pittsburgh (2-1) poses a much bigger challenge and can hardly be overlooked.

“It’s a big step up,” Edsall said. “It’s a Big East opponent that has tremendous history and tradition, and has outstanding players. We’re going to have to step up our game.”

UConn Coach Edsall is apparently just chalking up the Temple performance to the one unfocused game that his old boss Dick McPherson always expected. (I guess that’s why Syracuse never had a perfect season despite all McPhereson’s success — 1987 saw them tie in the Sugar Bowl with Auburn 16-16.)

Go figure, even UConn is aware that they have to stop the run first against Pitt. Wonder what tipped them off?

UConn, by the way, is only 1-9 in Big East road games since becoming a football member in 2004.

Even Zeise is cautioning against getting too excited about Pitt’s defense after only one meaningful game.

Wildcat, Wildcat, Wildcat. Everyone still wants to write about the Wildcat formation.