Two basketball posts in one day right in the middle of a football week — get over it. The full 31 game schedule was released today, including that headliner against Duke at MSG.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 PITT-JOHNSTOWN (Exh.)
Sunday, Nov. 4 INDIANA (PA.) (Exh.)
Friday, Nov. 9 HOUSTON BAPTIST
Saturday, Nov. 10 NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Sunday, Nov. 11 SAINT LOUIS
Thursday, Nov. 15 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Friday, Nov. 23, BUFFALO
Tuesday, Nov. 27, BOSTON U.
Saturday, Dec. 1 TOLEDO
Wednesday, Dec. 5 at Duquesne (ESPN-U)
Saturday, Dec. 8 at Washington (FSN)
Saturday, Dec. 15 OKLAHOMA STATE (ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 20 vs. Duke (ESPN) Madison Square Garden
Saturday, Dec. 29: at Dayton (ESPN2)
Wednesday, Jan. 2: LAFAYETTE (ESPN-U)
Sunday, Jan. 6: at Villanova
Wednesday, Jan. 9: at South Florida (ESPN2)
Saturday, Jan. 12: SETON HALL
Monday, Jan. 14: GEORGETOWN (ESPN)
Saturday, Jan. 19: at Cincinnati
Wednesday, Jan. 23: at St. John’s
Saturday, Jan. 26: RUTGERS
Wednesday, Jan. 30: VILLANOVA (ESPN2)
Saturday, Feb. 2: at Connecticut (CBS)
Thursday, Feb. 7: WEST VIRGINIA (ESPN2)
Tuesday, Feb. 12: PROVIDENCE
Friday, Feb. 15: at Marquette (ESPN)
Thursday, Feb. 21: at Notre Dame
Sunday, Feb. 24: LOUISVILLE
Wednesday, Feb. 27: CINCINNATI
Saturday, March 1: at Syracuse (ESPN)
Monday, March 3: at West Virginia (ESPN)
Sunday, March 9: DePAUL (WTAE)

When there’s not much depth on the O-line going into training camp, it shouldn’t be that great a surprise to see them struggle. Mike McGlynn might/probably be back for the Saturday game, but who knows how effective he will really be? All we can hope is that he isn’t any worse than whoever he knocks off the starting group. In camp, Pitt lost Jacobson and Matha for the season. Further depleting depth.

That said, the O-line is a problem. I could almost accept the “it’s only one game” argument except for three things: 1) it’s been the same story for the last 4-5 years and it gets tiresome; 2) with the exception of McGlynn’s absence, this line was the expected starting O-line and that says that those behind them haven’t exactly impressed enough to take jobs; and 3) it isn’t “just one game” since these were the same problems that we read about from observations all the way through training camp.

I suppose Wannstedt can posture and say that the entire O-line has their jobs in danger.

While Wannstedt didn’t announce which position McGlynn will play, he’ll likely replace sophomore Joe Thomas at right guard. Wannstedt also issued a warning to the rest of the starters on the line: One of them will be benched come game time if they don’t improve in a hurry.

“We’re going to work him at center and guard this week,” Wannstedt said about Mc- Glynn yesterday. “He is the most experienced and knowledgeable offensive linemen that we have and he’s capable of playing any of the three positions for us. I want to see a few of these offensive linemen practice this week. I’m not too pleased with how we played last week and we need to get back to work.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, so I am not going to make any concrete decision until I see how they respond and how they work and how they prepare.”

Wannstedt was then asked if that meant all of the starting offensive linemen were in danger of being demoted if they don’t practice well.

“Yes, yes they are,” he said. “I think if you ask the entire group, man to man, everyone would say ‘I can and I need to play better,’ and I think the way you gain confidence is at practice. We have to make sure we don’t give anybody the impression that we’re OK or that anybody has a job locked up.”

The problem is, that still presumes someone behind them will step up to the challenge and opportunity. The starters even if they don’t practice or perform “well,” may still be doing it better than the guy behind them.

Is it any wonder, that ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. puts 2 O-line positions in their 3 needs for Pitt (insider subs).

Offensive Tackle
While sophomore Jason Pinkston appears to have a bright future, both starters are seniors and two reserves are juniors. The good news is Pittsburgh started to address this position when it signed Dan Matha out of Erie, Pa., and John Fieger out of Red Hill, Pa. Matha has excellent size and Feiger is athletic, but there are concerns about Matha’s ability to hold up in pass protection and Fieger’s ability to drive defenders off the ball. Keeping all of that in mind, the Panthers need an offensive tackle capable of improving depth and eventually competing for the starting slot opposite Pinkston.
Cornerbacks
There are boundary and field corners in defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes’ scheme. The boundary corners play closer to the sideline when the ball is shaded to either side of the field and need to play physical, so having quality size here is a substantial benefit. With starter Kennard Cox and backup Lowell Robinson both seniors, Pittsburgh needs to add a corner with the toughness to play the run and strength to muscle receivers out of their routes. In addition, the Panthers need to monitor the progress of sophomore Aaron Berry on the opposite side. Berry has the talent to play on Sundays, and a strong year could set the table for him leaving school following the 2008 season.
Guard
Depth is the issue here. Though Pittsburgh signed Chris Jacobson out of Pittsburgh, C.J. Davis is a junior and Dominic Williams is a senior. There isn’t a great deal of size among the reserves either, so the Panthers should be in the market for guards that can drive defenders off the ball and wear them down over the course of the game.

You might want to consider the Center position as well, since someone is going to have to play it next year. Vangas and McGlynn are both gone in 2008. Bachman didn’t work out. If 2008 is the “year” who’s going to be counted on to snap and lead the O-line?

I know Pitt doesn’t do Midnight Madness, but that’s how long until college basketball practices start.

I haven’t confirmed it yet, but apparently some college basketball preview mags have already hit the stands.
Dan Jennings out of Staten Island is a PF/C who, while being listed in the recruiting sites as a 2008 recruit is likely going to be in prep school for another year beyond this, so he is more likely to be a 2009 prospect. Given that Pitt has been looking to bring Jennings to Pitt. He has interest and offers from Memphis, Arizona, Xavier as well. Pitt, however, has the edge at present.

“Pitt at this point is the No. 1 school,” Jennings said by phone on his car ride home.

Jennings is a 6-9 junior big man with the New York Gauchos AAU program who is transferring to Oak Hill (Va.) from Bishop Loughlin. He said he holds offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Pitt, Xavier, Memphis, South Florida and that Arizona had shown interest.

During the visit, he met with Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon as well as Ashton Gibbs, the Seton Hall Prep guard who recently committed to Pitt. Both Gibbs and fellow senior Travon Woodall, the St. Anthony guard from Paterson who also committed to Pitt, are working on Jennings to join them.

Jennings has had an excellent summer on his AAU team — NY Gauchos. At a recent 5-star camp, he was named the top rebounder.

Grambling came out with the offense looking good last week. Taking down Alcorn St. 31-10. Their QB threw for 303 yards, 4 TDs and was named the SWAC offensive player of the week. Meanwhile, their freshman tailback won SWAC Newcomer of the Week for running for 143 yards on 30 carries.

The head coach Ron Broadway, has since downplayed the victory and said the team needs to do better.

Since it will be freshman starting for Pitt — redshirt or true — there was an article about how well freshman QBs have done for Pitt. Matt Lytle was listed, but he sure wasn’t discussed in terms of success in the main article.

This story seems to believe that Smith will be the starter on Saturday.

Freshman Pat Bostick will compete with Smith this week in practice, according to the coaches, but unless Bostick is clearly better, it looks like Smith will get the start. And Bostick will play some as the backup.

“It’ll be a little bit of a challenge, but Kevan got a lot of work in the spring and summer and had a good summer camp last year,” Cavanaugh said. “Bostick is getting caught up after missing some time during summer camp, but he’s been back for a while and is doing much better.

“So, it’s a challenge for all of us, but we’ve got some people around those quarterbacks. And I’ve told them that this is not something that they have to go out and do by themselves. So, we’ve got enough talent around them that they should function very well.”

Wannstedt said that the two would split time with the first team in practice, but several players believed that Smith had the edge.

“We’re behind Kevan Smith 100 percent,” senior cornerback Kennard Cox said, “just like we were behind Bill. … Right now, he should be the starter. It’s his time. Bill went down, and it’s a bad time for us. But we have to keep pushing on and keep moving forward. So, we’re behind Kevan or Pat, whoever gets behind center Saturday.”

I expect Smith to start, but Bostick will get at least 25% of the snaps. You know, for such a bad 1-AA game we’ve been mocking since the schedule was announced, this game has suddenly become a lot more interesting and intriguing. Not exactly for the best reasons, but I know I’ll be curious.

I know, I skipped the preseason (week 1) ballot.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	25
2	LSU	24
3	West Virginia	23
4	Louisville	22
5	Oklahoma	21
6	Wisconsin	20
7	California	19
8	Florida	18
9	Georgia	17
10	Texas	16
11	Virginia Tech	15
12	Ohio State	14
13	Rutgers	13
14	UCLA	12
15	Penn State	11
16	Nebraska	10
17	Hawaii	9
18	Auburn	8
19	TCU	7
20	Texas A&M	6
21	Boise State	5
22	Boston College	4
23	Georgia Tech	3
24	Clemson	2
25	South Florida	1

Considered/Keeping in Mind (no particular order): Tennessee, Miami (FL), South Carolina, Missouri, Kent St. (no, not really), Oregon, Arkansas, Oregon St., BYU, Alabama.

The poll is due by 10 am tomorrow. Go ahead and explain with some logic why I’m an idiot (for this) and I still have time to revise. Hopefully in the future, the draft ballot will be up sooner for more debate.

Well folks, it could be worse — we could be Michigan fans. Luckily, the Panthers came out pumped up and ready to win. Although we didn’t have anyone dominate the game, we consistently played better that Eastern Michigan and wore them down for a 27-3 victory. I know, the game almost seemed like it was last month but the weekend and Labor Day went too fast.

Obviously, we’re going to be talking about Stull’s injury in this game longer than any other story to come from it, and it’s really a disappointment. I didn’t expect much from Stull, because I’m a huge Pat Bostick fan. However, as I objectively watched, I was pleased with his play for only his first start and meaningful time, so it’s a shame that he won’t be playing for a few weeks.

With Derek Kinder out, it was assumed that his new biggest targets would be Oderick Turner and Marcel Pestano. It was true, with Pestano catching 4 for 75 yards (leading all players) and Turner pulling in a 21 yard catch for a touchdown. What wasn’t expected was the way the tight ends would factor into the passing game. Out of 17 total receptions, the combination of Byham-Strong-Pelusi caught 10 of those — almost 60%. If the tight ends are going to make this type of impact all year it’s a good thing. If opposing defenses have to concentrate on more weapons, it could lead to more openings for our playmakers.

Speaking of those playmakers, does LeSean McCoy look like he’s going to be a special player or what? I would have liked to have seen more first half playing time for Shady, but as Chas touched on, there’s only so much you can do with a porous offensive line. I loved what Shane Brooks was able to do down near the goal line, and I think he showed the coaches that he can be counted on to put the ball in the end zone.

One thing that I don’t think gets enough attention (but should maybe get more concern) is our inability to put the ball deep on kickoffs. With the kickoffs being moved back 5 yards, a guy with a huge leg is more important than ever. EMU might not make us pay but teams with good return guys can give their team some exceptional field position.

Other Notes:

— Interesting punt formation by EMU, being so spread out and all.

— Very early in the game, one of our defenders (Scott McKillop I believe) picked up a EMU receiver shortly after the ball hit the ground and pretty much body slammed him. I was surprised to see no flag on the play.

— Oderick Turner seems much bigger and stronger this year as exemplified on his only catch of the night; going up with the EMU defender and pulling it down for the touchdown.

— Taking away more credibility from this win, Eastern Michigan made ESPN’s “Bottom Ten” as part of “Direction Michigan”.

I don’t think anyone is surprised that Coach Wannstedt won’t be naming a starting QB until Thursday — at the earliest. Nor will it be a shock to read that he is planning to give both playing time in the Grambling game.

“I would expect both guys to play,” Wannstdt said. “I think that’s the approach we’re going to have to take. I didn’t want to get into that, but you have to do what you have to do. …

“My obligation to this football team is to play the best player that gives us the best chance to win.”

Wannstedt said he and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh will base their decision not only by how Smith and Bostick throw the ball in practice but how they handle themselves in the huddle, prepare for the game and make necessary checks in red-zone and two-minute drills.

I have no problem with that. While we all presume Pat Bostick is the future star and is a freshman, Kevan Smith is only a sophomore who has possibilities of his own.

Some feel that it should be Smith’s job to lose, because of what happened at the start of training camp.

Wannstedt should start Smith. It’s an easy decision.

Smith did not leave preseason camp due to undisclosed personal reasons and he definitely has the respect of his teammates, something Bostick has to earn.

“I though I did well and I know the guys have full confidence in me,” Smith said. “I was prepared for this. And if they call on me to start next week, I’ll prepare myself for that.”

Wannstedt will be tempted to start Bostick, the 2006 Gatorade Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year. Bostick and McCoy are Pitt’s future and plans to redshirt the quarterback this year no longer exist.

Given his camp departure, Bostick’s ability to lead should be questioned. And, given Pitt is playing an inferior opponent Saturday, Smith deserves the chance to start. He never left and there’s nothing like some padded numbers to build confidence.

Arguably, any freshman has to earn the respect of the teammates.  Given Pitt’s situation the last couple of years, I’m guessing the “respect” issue is secondary to the guy they have more confidence in, and who they feel will help them win. (Or that could just be the fans.)

Regardless, Pitt will need a running game. That means a functioning O-line.

The problem was a familiar one — Pitt’s offensive line had far too many breakdowns to give the running game a chance to get any momentum.

Wannstedt said that fixing the running game has to be his main focus because the Panthers will line up Saturday with an inexperienced quarterback regardless of who wins the job.

The coaches want to make the run a prominent part of the game plan to take some pressure off a young quarterback, and Wannstedt said Pitt will have to run the ball much better to be successful this season.

“That was the one main disappointment for us from Saturday, the way we ran the ball,” Wannstedt said. “I was really excited about unleashing our running game, but it is evident that we have a lot of work to do in that area. I promise you we are going to be working our tails off to get this corrected.

“We didn’t block well, and it wasn’t just the linemen, though that’s where it begins. Sometimes, it was the tight ends missing a block or the fullbacks, but the bottom line is we just didn’t get it done up front.”

Wannstedt’s frustration with the running game was clearly directed at the blockers, not the running backs. He said he was happy with the performance of freshman LeSean McCoy, who ran 10 times for 68 yards and said starter LaRod Stephens-Howling (16 for 67) played well considering he did not get much help.

The run offense was ineffective in the first half when there was absolutely no blocking. In the second half both had the bulk of their yardage — Stephens-Howling 11-63 and McCoy 6-60. The one extra dimension that LSH has that McCoy still needs to develop — catching the ball. McCoy also had 2 catches for 24 yards (one was a 19-yard gain). Whether on design or as a safety valve, a RB who can catch as well is vital for Cavanaugh’s West Coast offense.

It didn’t get a lot of attention immediately after the game, but Punter Dave Brytus did a fine job. He had been disturbingly inconsistent in training camp. His kicks were erratic and often short. It started coming together near the end of camp.

Brytus kicked well in the game and earned Big East Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Brytus had five punts in the game averaging 45.6 yds/punt.

It was the first POW of any Pitt football player since Palko got Offensive POW after the Citadel game. Session got Defensive POW after the season opener against Virginia. The last time a Pitt player was named Special Teams POW was Josh Lay in November 2005.

I hate trying to read too much into the season opener, especially when going against Eastern Michigan.

As we all know, QB Bill Stull went down in the third quarter with ligament damage to his right thumb. He had the surgery today. Last year Louisville QB Brian Brohm had a similar injury and was out for 2 games over a 3 week period. As I recall his first performance was rather shaky. Right now, I’m assuming Stull is out for at least 4 weeks. That means, it’s unlikely to see him until the Navy game (October 10). Maybe the Virginia game (September 29), but I doubt it.
It was so odd when he got hurt. From the vantage point I had, he came out from under center and staggered backwards, the ball tumbling behind him. The initial thought was that he had tripped over his own feet, but he immediately gripped his hand with the other.

Kevan Smith came in and was better than I expected — considering the way he was killed in training camp reports he would have had to work to play down to that. He did have a fumbled snap, and fumbled another when he was blindsided as he was trying to set himself. Can’t totally kill him for the latter. Still, he would be well-served to figure out the basics of taking a snap real soon.
The O-line looked horrible. I mean, I was rooting for Chris Vangas to win the center spot, but it now looks that as soon as Mike McGlynn is fully healthy — not just going in for a play to keep his games played streak alive — he will be taking that position unless Vangas can somehow improve quickly. The middle of the O-line was just a sieve. No way for any of the backs to run straight ahead, and pass protection was shaky.

Both McCoy and Stephens-Howling got nothing that way. McCoy has great lateral speed that he could get outside better to make some plays. Stephens-Howling was successful if they started him running to one of the sidelines. Then he could give a burst at an opening.

I can’t buy into the O-line was looking better as the game wore on, because what it looked like to me was that the EMU D-line was worn down. Pitt’s line was better conditioned. Not a tremendous surprise. The O-line rightfully is unnerving.

“We were inconsistent in our running game on offense,” is the way the head coach put it, which is the more palatable synonym for “stunk.”

Aside from Shane Brooks’ 1-yard plunge that overturned a 3-0 Eastern Michigan lead with barely two minutes left in the first quarter, Pitt tried 10 running plays in the first half. Three went backwards a total of 7 yards, five others went forward at an average of 5 feet, and two — wait a minute — two actually worked, gaining 6 yards apiece.

Stull played well enough without much time to throw and until someone yanked his thumb, but offensive conclusions were simply not to be drawn due to an overall lack of evidence.

Coach Wannstedt appears to be leaving the possibility of Bostick starting a very real possibility. Some are calling for it.

It has to be Bostick, doesn’t it?

Wannstedt confirmed his plan for this season was to redshirt Bostick, the Gatorade Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year last season and Pitt’s long-term hope at quarterback. That was especially true after Bostick left the team in August and missed the first week of training camp, returning home to Lancaster to deal with personal issues.

“That redshirt is out the window now,” Wannstedt said.

Wannstedt needs to learn from Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s mistake with his hotshot quarterback, Anthony Morelli, now the senior leader of a Nittany Lions team that should contend for the Big Ten Conference championship. Paterno didn’t redshirt Morelli in ’04 but hardly played him, wasting a year of his eligibility. That extra year would look pretty good next season, wouldn’t it? Or, look at it the other way: Wouldn’t Morelli be even better now if he had received significant playing experience in ’04?

If Bostick is going to use a year of eligibility this season, he has to get the most out of it by playing extensively. Starting him at home against Grambling Saturday is the right call. Wannstedt couldn’t pick a better opponent. Pitt should win easily and Bostick could ease into the lineup without having the pressure of carrying the team. That pressure will come soon enough; Pitt plays at Michigan State the following Saturday. Bostick needs the Grambling game under his belt to have a fighting chance against Michigan State.

I’m torn. I don’t think Bostick should start, but the issue of preserving his redshirt seems extremely unlikely unless they move Maurice Williams from WR to QB as a stopgap.

Really, given the state of the O-line the last few years it’s actually a bit stunning that this is the first time a Pitt QB got hurt in some time.

I want to see what Kevan Smith can do. He has an arm, but accuracy is an issue. He also has speed and can run. Given the O-line, that seems more like what Pitt needs. Of course, if he can’t hold onto a snap, then he won’t be playing.

So really, the offense was already an unknown and it remains one with a change in QB.

As for the defense. Well, clearly it looked good, but again, no conclusions based on the foe faced. No fumbles forced but then again, only 39 yards rushing.

It’s been nearly 48 hours since I logged on, what’d I miss?

The 5-year old gave the wife an extremely difficult time while I was in Pittsburgh. That meant spending all of Sunday doing my best to make it up to her by taking care of the kids and generally providing her with downtime. She’s already glaring at me when I mentioned next week’s game so I might be taking my daughter to her first Pitt game about a year earlier than I thought.

We had the opportunity over the last year or two to move closer to the 50-yard line in our seats because of our accumulated points in season tickets. We steadfastly refused because our present seats had us right next to the student section. A pleasant distraction and usually a good source of humor when a student was too drunk to barely stand. So, this year they moved the student section by a whole section. The band was apparently relocated to the other end to accomplish this. Frustrating.

At the game, Carl Krauser.

Krauser was very cool about people who started coming up to him and ask to take a picture with him. It’s always a good thing when alum, who don’t live in the ‘Burgh any longer will still come by when getting a chance (not too sure about the track suit, but that’s just me). That’s also a good reflection on the athletic department to make sure they keep connecting with the past players.

Eventually he had to leave his seat when people essentially started began lining up to pose with him, like some Vegas greeter. Still, he kept smiling and was gracious and engaging to all comers, even as he started inching up the aisle. I know he polarizes people to this day with his game and play at Pitt. As a person and alum, he is what you want from Pitt players.

Lots of high school recruits and their families at the game. Apparently they had seats somewhere near us, but much lower. Saw a steady stream of kids (and some parents) with name tags going up and down the aisle past us. Some names were familiar — Lucas Nix, Zeke DeCicco and Chris Hayden-Martin. Others included James Harvey, Jim Sabia, Nick Sizemore, and a few others.

Finally, there’s a new Pitt blog out there called The Cat Basket. I don’t know if these are the students, or if it’s just a coincidence. I’m assuming a connection. Not too sure I agree with their take on the video intro. And definitely not the whole need for AC/DC.

More to come in a bit about the actual game and media

Just got back from Heinz Field; glad we picked up the win and I’m sure Chas and I will talk about it much more in depth over the next few days. One of the more important story lines to come from this game was QB Bill Stull’s injury.

In the third quarter, when Kevan Smith came in for Stull, I just assumed that we were going to give Smith (and possibly Bostick) a chance to show what they can do. Stull then walked to the tunnel and apparently was given quick x-rays and even though he came back on the sidelines, he never went back into the game. He was definitely trying to keep movement of his lower right arm to a minimum.

Dave Wannstedt on the radio postgame show said that after a play, an EMU player actually grabbed Stull’s thumb and pulled or bent it backwards. He also said a few more tests will be done tomorrow to determine the future.

The radio guys also mentioned that TE John Pelusi might have been injured but he should be fine for next week. I was really impressed with how he played tonight, both blocking and catching passes.

UPDATE: Damn…

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull is out indefinitely after requiring surgery today to repair torn ligaments in the thumb on his right (throwing) hand.

“We feel very disappointed for Billy,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He worked incredibly hard during the off-season to earn the starting job and those efforts showed in his strong play last night. Knowing Billy, he will be very diligent in his rehabilitation and be back as soon as possible.”

Have to leave soon enough today to get to the ‘Burgh and start some early tailgating. Time to whip through the stories today.

We used to be in Lot 22 before there was construction a few years back and it reduced the parking spaces available. We got shunted to Lot 23, and decided to stay since it was a bit cheaper and they actually have more port-a-johns. Still, we used to always end up parked near the SHAT. They get a nice write-up today. Congrats on 10 years, guys.

There’s that damn knot in my stomach again. Spread offense and DC Paul Rhoads.

Rhoads admitted he is a little nervous about how his defense will respond tonight, not just because the read-option offense can be so tricky, but because he is asking a group of first-year starters at linebacker to play disciplined, assignment-oriented football. Both starting outside linebackers, Shane Murray and Adam Gunn, are converted safeties who have little experience at linebacker.

“I should be nervous,” Rhoads said. “But based on camp, I have a lot of confidence that they’ll be ready to go. I know they’ll have some butterflies and be jittery, early, just like me. But I think they’ll settle down quickly. They are a disciplined group, they are a smart group, and I think the non-experience will become less and less of a factor as the game moves on.”

Yes, because Rhoads coached defenses did so well against spread and read-option with experienced players. Ugh. Pass the Maalox.

Of course, Coach Wannstedt isn’t worried about the youth and inexperience from his team.

The, uh, good news. Eastern Michigan has struggled mightily at time running its own offense. To that end, they have added some 2-TE sets and pro-style formations. Something that Pitt can handle.

Nine hours to game time.