CollegeFootballNews.com has been looking ahead to spring drills and the schedules. This week, it’s been the Big East.
Pitt — Spring practice starts March 19, Spring Game April 15
The big spring question is … How much improvement will there be from year one to year two under Dave Wannstedt? 2005 wasn’t a total flop, but 5-6 isn’t exactly what Panther fans had in mind. Will the offense produce more after only averaging 336 yards and 24 points per game last year? Is the defense going to be any faster? This is a big spring for a lot of players before all the top new recruits come in this summer.
The most important position to watch is … Defensive tackle. The run defense might have been lousy last year, but it’s still not a plus to lose two veteran 300-pounders on the inside. Thomas Smith and Phil Tillman not only provided the beef at tackle, they provided some needed experience for the defense. The Panther linebackers need all the help they can get meaning Rashaad Duncan, Corey Davis, Nick Williams and Ron Idoko have to play well this spring.
Spring attitude… Don’t just assume that a Big East title is out of reach. With West Virginia and Louisville each coming to Heinz Field to close out the regular season, and the conference road games against Cincinnati and Syracuse, there’s no reason the Panthers can’t progress enough as the season goes on to be in a position to win the championship. However, every practice is important to tighten things up and become more explosive on offense and tighter on defense.
As for Pitt’s schedule, they don’t assume any sure losses on it, but it is considered the second hardest overall schedule in the Big East.
Realistic best case record with this schedule: 9-2
Barring total disaster worst case record: 5-7
Realistic record: 7-5
There’s no excuse for Pitt not to have a big bounceback season, as Dave Wannstedt and his team must take advantage of the favorable schedule and make a run at the Big East title. Yes, there are several tough games with Virginia, Michigan State, Toledo, Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville to deal with, but all have to come to Heinz Field. When your toughest road game is at South Florida, you know your schedule isn’t all that bad.
Cinci was considered to have the toughest schedule — road games at Ohio St., VA Tech, WVU and Louisville. Syracuse has a brutal conference stretch with games against Pitt, @ WVU, and Louisville on 3 consecutive weekends in October.
I think they really weren’t sure what “storylines” to ask considering they spend a good chunk considering then dismissing any way the BE could get Notre Dame to join in football. No s**t.
As I noted before, there are going to be questions for Pitt at WR, and they note Lee’s leaving in the list of impact early entries.
Impact: Major. Lee had an off year in 2005, but it wasn’t all his fault. When the line protected Tyler Palko, Lee was one of the more prolific deep threats in the country.
Successor: If Palko is going to have a rebound year in 2006, he’ll need one or more of his receivers to step up and replace Lee. Derek Kinder has the tools and experience to be one of those players next fall.
Yes, I know Lee had a major case of dropsies last season, but he was still the guy to who could get free and be in the position to make the play.
Last year, there was a lot expected from Coach Wannstedt in his first year. He was expected to at least keep this team going to a bowl game, but the team didn’t meet expectations. Yet they ranked him around the middle of the pack in how first year coaches did.
12. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh (5-6) — Plain and simple, Wannstedt’s team underachieved in 2005. And the entire coaching staff shares the responsibility with the players. Talk of eight wins and a Top 25 finish was quickly erased by a listless 0-3 start that included a loss to Ohio in front of a national television audience. To Wannstedt’s credit, the Panthers didn’t tank the season, finishing 5-3, and nearly qualifying for the school’s sixth consecutive bowl game. The former Panther player certainly has equity in Pittsburgh, but not so much that he can afford a replay of last season again in 2006. First and foremost, Wannstedt needs to bolster both lines through recruiting and locate speed to keep pace with superior Big East foes, such as West Virginia and Louisville.
On the recruiting front, there seems little doubt about the speed. The lines will take time, simply because that many freshmen just can’t be ready to go that soon. And if they do, that is a really, really bad sign.
