It’s nice that a “source” says Lance Stephenson has an interest in Pitt. I mean, if a blue-chip, 5-star, presumed 1-and-done player wants to come to Pitt it’s hard to say no.  I just don’t see it happening unless DeJuan Blair leaves after this year. There’s the lack of the scholarship to actually give him at the moment. There’s also a sense that this is just a little passing fancy thing. Pitt has made attempts to recruit him, now Pitt is #1, so there is a little reconsideration.

It’s worth watching, but I’m not going to expect anything. Hmm. Apparently that is also what Dokish is saying (and lots of other recruiting stuff).

Plus, Pitt is pursuing a top player out of Ohio. Adreian Payne is a big man, that Pitt had identified previously and now pushing harder.

Of other interest is whether Travon Woodall is going to redshirt or apply for a redshirt. Apparently they feel he’s had enough little injuries to make a case for a redshirt.

Or at least good to play.

Pitt sophomore center DeJuan Blair practiced with the team today and is expected to play Friday night against Texas Tech.

Blair sat out yesterday’s 74-60 victory against Belmont University because of some swelling in his right knee. Blair had an X-ray yesterday that concurred with a previous MRI that there was no damage to the knee.

Phew.

A couple stories today covering the adjustments to injuries and players that have made it up the depth chart.

While C.J. Davis has long been a starter on the O-line, it was moving over to center (and I believe Paul Zeise has pointed out in the past that center would be where he projects in the NFL) and how well the O-line still played — albeit with a slow start against ND before getting better as the game went on.

“I was very pleased with C.J.,” Cavanaugh said. “I know he is a four-year starter, but to make that swap from guard to center and handle a lot of shotgun snaps, it was very impressive, and he blocked very well. … We were hoping forthat, and it was nice to see. He did a wonderful job. And I think Dom, it has been awhile since he’s been in the lineup and there are some things he has to clean up. But he came in and competed very well and he got some people blocked most times and missed a couple of things, but I think the more action he gets, the more comfortable he is going to be in there.”

The Panthers were able to run the ball as LeSean McCoy rushed for 169 yards against the Irish. Pitt also used two quarterbacks in the game, Bostick and Kevan Smith, and its Wildcat package, which is a direct snap to McCoy. Despite all that, Davis didn’t miss one snap or make one errant shotgun snap.

The current alignment with Davis at center and Williams at left guard likely will remain intact for the remainder of the season, Cavanaugh said, adding that he is looking for more consistent play out of Williams the rest of the way.

The other spot on the line was having Dom Williams inserted as the starting left guard. Williams barely has seen the field since being dropped down the depth chart back in 2005. That he came in and played so well, was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully he can keep it up.

On the other side of the ball, Elijah Fields got to see more action against ND. I guess getting out of the coaches doghouse. And of course, made plays. The biggest mover this season, though, has been Andrew Taglianetti.

To say he was lightly recruited is being polite. He wasn’t even supposed to be on the team this year. Expected to be a grayshirt that wouldn’t even play this year, but with an open scholarship he got to join the team on time. He quickly became a staple on special teams, where he has been a big boost. He’s blocked two punts and has even worked his way into some defensive packages against Notre Dame.

“I just like being out there,” Fields said. “Every opportunity I get to get on the field, I’m happy with it.”

Taglianetti, a season-long factor on special teams, took some rare snaps in the “dime” defense (six defensive backs) against Notre Dame.

“I think coach (defensive coordinator Phil) Bennett has a lot of faith in both of us,” Taglianetti said.

During a seven-play span of the third quarter, the two former WPIAL stars made the most of their playing time. With Notre Dame leading 17-10, Taglianetti shot in for a third-down tackle on a screen pass and, on the next play, Fields alertly jumped on T.J. Porter’s muffed punt return. After a Pat Bostick interception, Fields cut down Malcolm Floyd after a fourth-and-7 catch.

Fields was on the field for roughly 75 percent of the defensive plays against Notre Dame, one of his busiest afternoons of the season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Fields is showing the promise he brought to Pitt as a star recruit from Duquesne High School.

Defensive Tackle Myles Caregein, a redshirt freshman, has been seeing more action with Tommie Duhart out with an ankle injury. Coach Wannstedt has been happy with his performance.

Oh, the Sam Young playing small forward takes on greater importance with this news.

Sophomore forward Gilbert Brown, who played in all 37 games last season with 15 starts, has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot and will be out 10-14 days. That means Brown likely will miss the season opener Nov. 14 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Brown did not mention the injury after Sunday night’s exhibition game against Seton Hill, but he had been experiencing some discomfort in the foot the past few weeks. Dixon said that the foot does not bother Brown when he plays, but he has pain the following day.

This is frustrating for all. Brown is only beginning to come into his own. He has shown glimpses, but has also struggled to stay injury free.

The hope was that this season, he would be a key player. Attacking from the wing on offense and being a shutdown defender on the perimeter. Well, Sam Young can probably give him some advice about dealing with the frustration of the body holding you back longer than everyone including yourself expects.

In some good news, Levance Fields’ latest MRI was good.

Fields is cleared for all-out practice, Dixon said. The senior point guard is expected to practice two days and take one day off.

It’s undecided if Fields will be in uniform when the Panthers play host to La Roche on Sunday in their final exhibition.

Keep him coming back slow. Let the kids get some more work and just play it safe with Fields’ health until December.

Chas is probably not anywhere near a computer, and he never deleted my account so…

Today was, um, ugly. Thankfully, Bill Stull is not seriously injured:

Stull was talking and moving his arms while leaving Heinz Field, and preliminary tests revealed no serious injuries. For precautionary reasons, Stull planned to spend the night at an on-campus hospital, UPMC Presbyterian.

“It looks like he’s going to be fine,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. [ESPN]

It was scary to see him down for so long, mostly motionless, and carted off on a stretcher. I knew in the back of my mind that it could be entirely precautionary, and it was great to see him give the fist pump as we left the field. The AP report mentions it happened after he “struck” LeSean McCoy. I didn’t see it clearly enough and I don’t really understend what happened…anyone?

Keep venting, we deserve to do it. Today was just so damn frustrating.

Shane Murray, as you’ve probably heard or read — heck I even saw it on the ESPN Crawl this evening — is out for the year with a torn ACL in his right knee. It wasn’t caught until a second MRI. It isn’t clear whether it was torn from when he got injured just before the end of camp or subsequently when he came back versus Syracuse.

One of the area where there isn’t depth, yet.

Okay, about South Florida. Pitt Panther Prowl exchanged Q&A with The Bull Gator, and vice versa. Good stuff.

Simply awesome — Dave Wannstedt goes Twitter.

Nice piece on LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt awarded Stephens-Howling a game ball after that performance, not just because of his rushing but also for the three special teams tackles he made. He’s playing on punt and kickoff coverage teams for the first time this year. Wannstedt gushingly calls him “the most underrated player in the Big East.”

“I cannot say enough good things about LaRod,” Wannstedt said. “If there’s ever been an example of a team player, a guy willing to do whatever and just wanting the team to win without getting caught up in personal accolades, it’s LaRod.”

Wannstedt toyed with putting McCoy and Stephens-Howling in the backfield together during training camp, but it’s yet to happen in a game. Right now, they offer different looks to a defense and will give South Florida something to think about for Thursday’s night’s game in Tampa.

There are supposed to be 13 NFL scouts at the Pitt-USF game tomorrow. I guess that’s why I find it hard to believe that DE George Selvie will miss this game.

Selvie and McClain were limited at Tuesday’s practice, but their workload increased from Monday, USF coach Jim Leavitt said.

“Well, we definitely wouldn’t go less,” Leavitt said. “We got a game Thursday. We want to definitely do more. So they’re doing more.

“We’ll see on game day if they can play. I’m assuming they’re going to try to play if they can.”

If Selvie is out along with DT Terrell McLain, then you add that to CB Theo Wilson who has a sprained left knee and WLB Brouce Mompremier who is recovering from a scary neck injury. Well, wow. Four starters out. That’s a lot of injuries on the defense. If Pitt can’t get the offense going against a really banged up defense, then either Pitt has some real problems or USF really can coach-up their players. I’m not saying Pitt wins, but they better be able to score.

If you want a good omen, Beano Cook predicts a USF-Penn State BCS Chamipionship game. Can’t believe he left out Notre Dame.

The Tampa Bay Rays play the White Sox at 2:30 the same day. A big sports day in the Tampa-St. Pete area. At least it isn’t in direct conflict.

From a chat with one of the USF beat writers.

Q: Greg, Pitt uses running to control the clock, how does USF plan to stop the run especially McCoy. — Jim

G.A.: A big question this week. USF’s been very consistent in praising not only LeSean McCoy, but also LaRod Stephens-Howling, who had two fourth-quarter touchdowns in their win against Syracuse. Both have been very effective. USF’s first five opponents haven’t really presented a running threat — none have rushed for so much as 100 yards as a team — but that changes this week. Instead of the nickel package USF has made its base defense thus far, the Bulls will be back in a standard 4-3 defense, with defensive end Chris Robinson likely sliding back to strongside linebacker, alongside Tyrone McKenzie and Kion Wilson.The run defense has been stout, but it hasn’t been challenged like it will be Thursday night. Remember, McCoy had a big game last year against the Bulls, but USF scored 48 points — I don’t think the Bulls will be happy if they give up 37 points on Thursday …

Q: Greg, our secondary got burned for some big plays on Sat. Are there any adjustments being made to address this or do you not see it as a problem against such a run-based offense? — Brendan

G.A.: Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said he was “embarrassed” by his defense giving up five pass plays of 35 yards or more in Saturday’s 41-10 win against N.C. State. All but one came with USF ahead by at least three touchdowns, and three of the five didn’t result in points, but Burnham said it’s something that has to be fixed or it’ll be more costly next time. Defensive backs coach Troy Douglas said it isn’t tackling — he claimed USF’s defensive backs have missed only one tackle in the last two games — but said it’s more about positioning and being in the right place. Pitt quarterback Bill Stull hasn’t had great numbers, with just two touchdowns so far, but it’s an area that will be a focus in practice for certain.

The Bulls, of course, say they are focused on this game as the first step towards winning the Big East — it is their conference opener.

So is it any surprise that Pitt’s defense is putting most of their emphasis on QB Matt Grothe?

“Their quarterback is a special player,” Pitt middle linebacker Scott McKillop said. “They want the ball in his hands. He makes a lot of people look silly. Sometimes, you think, ‘Oh, there’s three people around him. He’s trapped. He’s swarmed.’ And, somehow, he manages to get out.”

Grothe is at his best in big games. He completed 23 of 40 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 overtime victory over Central Florida on Sept. 6. The following Friday, he completed 32 of 45 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns in rallying the Bulls from an 18-point deficit with a 31-point outburst in a 37-34 victory over Kansas.

“Grothe is able to pick you apart if you stay back on him, but once he gets out of the pocket the play’s not over yet,” Pitt weak-side linebacker Shane Murray said. “He’s very good at rolling out, too, and he’ll find guys downfield. He has the ability to see the whole field. So, he can hold the ball and kill a defense with his legs and his arms.

“And that’s what hurts other teams.”

Grothe is completing passes at a 66% clip this season. He’s got 8 TD passes and only 2 INT. 1175 total passing yards. He’s also got 1 rushing TD. Oh, and he’s the leading rusher on the Bulls with 219 yards.

Pitt also hasn’t forgotten how the Bulls humiliated them on 2 fake punts in the same game last year. Given the play of the special teams last week, it has to be a point of emphasis.

This is a coaching clinic for the right reasons. Not to get on the side of a high school or AAU coach with influence over top players. This is to help.

A group of coaches — including Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Xavier’s Sean Miller — will host a coaching clinic Oct. 16 at La Roche College in Pittsburgh. It’s a rare midweek clinic on the Thursday night before colleges start practice, and all proceeds from the event will go towards the Dave Manzer Heart Fund.

Who is Dave Manzer?

He’s the former head coach at Messiah College who is in a Milwaukee hospital awaiting a heart transplant. Meantime, his wife Kathy and three children — Andrea (20), Erica (16), and Aaron (6) — are left without a husband and father healthy enough to earn a living, meaning though times are tough for much of the country it’s probably fair to assume most of our problems pale in comparison to the ones with which the Manzer family is dealing.

Right before the start of full practices and the midnight madness starts. Coach Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller and other coaches who come from the Pittsburgh areas coming to help.

As previously noted, Levance Fields has had setbacks in coming back after some additional surgery on his foot. It’s slow coming, and he is still expected to be ready for the start of the season. If there’s a silver lining, it’s this.

In Fields’ absence the Panthers have been able to give much-needed minutes at the point to freshmen guards Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs. The Panthers need both of them to be ready to go in October and maybe in November in the event Fields isn’t 100 percent. The Panthers’ staff is also feeling confident about the progress of sophomore guard Brad Wanamaker and JC transfer Jermaine Dixon.

I’m sure the coaches would love to have him healthy and getting conditioned and in sync with the team, but this presents a big opportunity for the guards to make their presence known and get into the rotation. With Fields’ conditioning thrown off, especially early in the season he will need extra spells. Hopefully the other guards will step up to let him.

Well, James Padgett decided to choose Maryland.

“It came down to Pitt and Maryland, and Pitt signed two big men in the Class of 2009 so Maryland was left,” Padgett said.

He made the right call for himself. Well, really the decision was made for him. He did have two top choices but hadn’t made a choice. After a point, Pitt wasn’t waiting and he couldn’t wait to see if something better than Maryland would come along. Or worse, if Maryland wouldn’t wait for him to decide.

It’s an illustrative item on recruiting. Programs and players have to make decisions how long to wait. How long to hold a scholarship. How long to wait and make a decision. Only the elite, blue-chippers can make a team wait and a team will wait. Those that aren’t — no matter what their potential might be — have to balance and measure.

Gary Parrish at CBS Sports applauds Dixon’s extension and that Pitt took the chance with Dixon.

“Everybody thought I was too young because I was only 37 and I’d be the youngest coach in the conference,” Dixon said by phone Thursday. “But I pointed out to the chancellor that the school had once named a 37-year-old the dean of the law school.”

Why was this relevant, you ask? Because that one-time 37-year-old dean of the law school had become the 55-year-old chancellor hiring the basketball coach. “The chancellor likes telling that story,” Dixon said with a laugh. And it’s a story worth retelling now because Nordenberg’s brilliant decision to take a chance on an unproven assistant was highlighted again Thursday when the school announced an extension of Dixon’s contract through the 2015-16 season.

There’s a slight revision, but at least there’s an acknowledgment that the first choice was the late Skip Prosser.

“They offered Skip the job first, and there’s a funny story about that,” Dixon recalled. “When I got the job my first recruiting trip was in Houston, and as soon as I walked in the gym the first person I saw was Skip Prosser and we just started laughing. I said ‘Skip, I owe you. I owe you.'”

Now, I hate to revisit the Mike Cook decision, but in light of Syracuse’s Eric Devendorf getting a medical redshirt some see a little unfairness.

Devendorf tore the ACL in his left knee in the tenth game of the season. Cook tore the ACL in his left knee in the 11th game of the season. Both sat out for the rest of the year.

So how can the Big East give one player an extra year of eligibility and send the other packing?

Well, apparently that one game makes a large difference. Taking into account that the NCAA does not count NCAA tournament games and only counts one conference tournament game, Devendorf played in 10 of his team’s 32 games, which is 31%. And Cook played in 11 of his team’s 32 games, which is 34%. (If we counted all Big East Tournament games, NIT games and NCAA Tournament games, Devendorf would’ve played in 28% of ‘Cuse’s games and Cook would’ve played in 29.7% of Pitt’s games.)

Of course, the way the NCAA counts games is all over the board, so I’m not actually sure. I don’t begrudge the Orange or Devendorf getting the extra year of eligibility. In fact, I’m happy. I like Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn. The Orange are so much easier to hate with Devendorf on the team.

Pitt will take a shot and try to get Redshirt Senior Linebacker Adam Gunn a 6th year of eligibility. It’s an admitted longshot, but it can’t hurt to ask. Especially if they look at the tape of the injury.

Wannstedt said watching Gunn’s injury on tape was “very frightening,” especially after learning that McKillop cracked his helmet and bent his facemask on the play. “In 30-some years of coaching, I’ve had very few helmets that have been broken on the field,” Wannstedt said. “That’s an indication of the type of impact they had. I think Scott’s very lucky that he’s not hurt, too. You have to look at it from the positive side, that Adam will be fine. Right now, it’s just a setback and a disappointment. He’ll be fine once it heals.”

Yeep. Didn’t know about the cracked helmet.

That means the linebacker depth chart gets a shake-up and youth must be served. Of course DC Phil Bennett seems more concerned that Pitt failed to actually get turnovers — especially since there were opportunities.

One of the most frustrating parts for Bennett was that the defense misplayed four possible turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles — because he had emphasized that area all summer. One critical play was a dropped interception by safety Eric Thatcher in the end zone; the Falcons scored on the next play.

He defended the play of Safety Dom DeCicco, which you do have to expect. Even if it causes some eyerolling.

QB Bill Stull gets a friendly piece in the Youngstown paper. Why? His folks are from Newton Falls (got a speeding ticket there) and Stull lived in the suburbs of Youngstown through most of elementary school.

Okay, I guess some of the freshmen guards will get a lot more work in practice early.

Pitt point guard Levance Fields is recovering from bone graft surgery on the foot he injured last season, and is expected to recover in time for the team’s season opener in mid-November.

Fields missed nearly seven weeks after breaking a bone in his left foot Dec. 29 during a game at Dayton.

A spokesman says Fields had the surgery last weekend and now faces about eight weeks of rehab.

Organized practice starts on October 17.

What makes me nervous was the need to get additional surgery, months later. The possibility that this injury lingers and slows him down seems possible.

I think we need a hostage counter or something.

When even guys who don’t really care about college basketball are taking notice and complaining, it’s getting ridiculous.

Some may call it a double-standard, or some sort of unfair treatment. Really, it just makes sense even if Coach Wannstedt won’t admit directly that he is trying to protect the first teamers from too much wear and risk of injury.

Although Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was steadfast in saying he won’t lighten up their camp to prevent injuries, the Panthers are taking preventive measures to protect some players. LaRod Stephens-Howling, for example, has ceded second-team reps to Shariff Harris and Chris Burns some days.

After banging their shoulders Wednesday, tight end Nate Byham and weak-side linebacker Shane Murray returned to practice this morning.

Receiver Cedric McGee, however, injured his left ankle in practice and had to be carted off. McGee made a nice one-handed catch during drills.

A half-dozen others spent time on the stationary bikes or pulling a weighted sled, including tailback Kevin Collier, safety Irv Brown, tackle Ryan Turnley, cornerback Buddy Jackson and tight end John Pelusi.

You know guys like Collier, Jackson and Pelusi definitely don’t want to be unable to practice. They are falling further on the depth chart when they can’t show how they match up talent-wise. More importantly for Pitt’s coaching staff, the injured players can’t show or get the reps in the system so that they won’t make mistakes.

The guys who are starters and/or know the system, however, are in a different place. Middle Linebacker Scott McKillop doesn’t see much action in camp. Which is good since he rarely misses much of it in the actual games.

“I only got to play like 12 plays,” McKillop said, shaking his head. “And, on one, I missed that tackle, it bothers me because I should have made it.”

McKillop, the Panthers’ All-American middle linebacker, isn’t perfect, but that little post-scrimmage exchange offers a good indication that perfection is what the fifth-year senior strives to achieve. That drive is a major reason he went from a little-known reserve to one of the nation’s best defenders in one season.

“There is a right way to do things and a wrong way,” McKillop said. “I have just always believed that, no matter what I have done — you do things the right way, you do them the way they’re supposed to be done and you work hard until they are perfect. And in sports there is no such thing as perfect, you can always be better, you can always improve and you can always learn something, every single day.

“That’s why I was so frustrated the other day after that scrimmage. I understand why I am playing limited plays. Coaches talked to me about it, and they are right — we don’t need me to get injured in camp. But, at the same time, it goes against my nature to sit out, and I don’t like it. I feel like every play, every rep in drills, is an opportunity to get better and I’m missing out on those chances to improve myself.”

Love the work ethic. Stay on the sidelines. Stay healthy.

Of course another good reason for McKillop to get less work, is so the guys behind him can learn.

In fact, none of the six players battling for the three backup spots — redshirt freshmen Greg Williams, Max Gruder, Tristan Roberts and Brandon Lindsey, redshirt sophomore Nate Nix and redshirt junior Steve Dell — has started a game. That group has logged a total of 26 games — and 17 of those appearances have been by Dell, mostly in special-teams roles.

And that doesn’t even include the two true freshmen — Gateway graduate Shayne Hale and Clairton graduate Manny Williams — who are more than likely headed for redshirts but could work their way onto the two-deep spot at some point this season.

Pitt linebacker’s coach Joe Tumpkin has his work cut out in trying to sort out the depth chart as well as trying to get enough of the reserves ready to play so that the starters — seniors Adam Gunn and Scott McKillop and redshirt junior Shane Murray — are able to get some rest in games.

Nate Byham may be being pushed at TE by Dickerson more than we realize if he was back out there on Thursday.

After recovering from a left knee injury he suffered last season, the Franklin native dislocated his right shoulder during practice Wednesday.

“It will be all right,” Byham said during a phone interview.

A John Mackey Award preseason candidate for the nation’s best tight end, Byham said he was injured while pass-blocking in practice.

“I was taking on a bull rush and when I punched out, it kind of popped out to the side a little bit,” Byham said. “It went right back in. It’s all right now.”

You know. Rub some dirt on it. Walk it off. It’ll be fine.

Other than blocking schemes, I’m not sure how much time Pelusi will see this year. Dickerson seems to be thriving at the TE spot.

Q: I’ve not read much on Dorin Dickerson lately. Does he look to have a solid future at TE? Any regrets on his part for coming to Pitt. I think they’ve misused him to a certain degree.

ZEISE: Dorin is doing very well. I think he’s found a home at tight end. He is obviously very good at catching passes and running after the catch. It has taken him a little longer than a lot of people thought it should take, but a lot of that wasn’t fair. He got hurt his first year and last year was learning a totally new position. He seems to be very happy at Pitt and he also seems to be happy in his new role. It won’t shock me if he leads the tight ends in receptions.

In Gorman’s blog/practice notes from yesterday’s afternoon session, this was the bit I really liked reading.

Speaking of Kinder, he’s starting to look like himself again.

Kinder has shown some speed in camp this week, and it looks like it just might be a matter of him trusting his knee.

“I don’t know if he got more work, but he got more balls thrown to him today,” Wannstedt said. “So far, so good. He’s coming on. Saturday will be another stepping stone for him, and we’ll keep progressing until opening day.”

It also seems that the coaches are tinkering with the O-line regarding the depth chart. It may be just to give reps in different combos or it could be that some players have made more progress.

Left guard C.J. Davis missed the afternoon session, and was replaced on the first-team offense by fifth-year senior Dom Williams. Redshirt freshman John Fieger moved to the second-team offense at left guard.

It’s possible that Williams is ahead of redshirt freshman Chris Jacobson for the job as the “swing” guard, or first guard off the bench. Or it could be a troubling sign for redshirt junior John Bachman, who started three games at right guard last season but has been running with the third-team, behind starter John Malecki and Jacobson.

Then again, maybe Pitt is feeling like it has enough depth to elevate the backups at each position in case of an injury. If that’s the case, Williams would step in for Davis and Jacobson for Malecki, but Bachman would be buried on the depth chart.

Unfortunately for Bachman, I think he is getting passed on the depth chart.

Finally, with a couple ACL tears this week, there’s the usual concern and questions regarding why. The sad thing is, this is no longer an uncommon thing in college football training camp. It seems rare that any training camp goes by without at least one player having an ACL tear. Whether it is the non-stop conditioning of players in the modern era and the improved equipment — such as cleats that hold to the turf better rather then giving a bit on a hard plant and pivot. They just happen.

Coach Wannstedt wants you to know that the team’s overall physical condition is excellent.

On the condition of his team halfway through camp:

“To run as much as we did after two practices today at this point, I think that’s an indication they’re in great shape. I think everyone knows the great job that Buddy Morris and James Smith do, it makes a difference. I think a lot of teams come to camp to get in shape for the season; we come to camp to get ready for the season — not to get in shape — but to get ready. We’re one step beyond that.”

Honestly, no 1-A BCS program comes to camp to get in shape anymore. Not a one. Well… maybe Duke.

Damn.

Cameron Saddler didn’t just twist his knee in practice the other day. It’s an ACL tear in the left knee. It was a non-contact injury.

Saddler, was expected to be assuming punt and/or kick return duties in his freshman season. Instead it will be a redshirt and lots of rehab.

The charismatic and talkative Saddler was (cripes, I’m writing like he’s dead or something) one of the big December commits following Pitt’s win over WVU. Not only that, he may have been the most vital since he became a one-man recruiting force for Pitt.

Here’s hoping for a full and rapid recovery.

You think Coach Wannstedt felt beleagured offensive tackle Joe Thomas needed some encouragement? His play has been considered weak, and there’s a lot of suspicion he’ll be losing any starting job within the first few weeks of the season to a freshman. On top of that, he helped get the starting QB a bunch of bruised ribs. So, it’s time to throw a little positive reinforcement his way.

On the offense line progress:

“The biggest issue is still bringing the offensive line together. I will recognize (Jason) Pinkston and (Joe) Thomas — both played well in the scrimmage. Offensive line is an area where we have to be good to have success on offense.”

Injuries don’t seem to be piling up the same way as last year. And certainly it isn’t as bad as what Florida is facing at the moment. Still, there are a number of injuries that have an effect on who is practicing.

What the Panthers appear to need most is to avoid injuries. Tight end John Pelusi has missed two days of practice with a sore shoulder, and weak-side linebacker Shane Murray and tight ends Nate Byham and John Pelusi both left practice yesterday wearing ice wraps around their shoulders.

While the injuries have yet to test Wannstedt’s patience, they are challenging the Panthers’ depth. Dorin Dickerson, who played outside linebacker last season, was suddenly taking first-team reps at tight end with only a pair of freshmen, Mike Cruz and Justin Virbitsky, behind him.

That doesn’t even count Saddler, who was competing for a job on kick and punt returns before twisting his knee in a special teams drill prior to the scrimmage.

Saddler is having an MRI and was on crutches yesterday. Not good signs.

Ultimately the depth chart gets affected.

Kevin Collier also left practice during individual drills with an unknown injury, and is in jeopardy of being bypassed on the depth chart by not only redshirt freshman Shariff Harris but [Chris] Burns.

The same could be said for redshirt freshman cornerback Buddy Jackson, who has been out with groin/hamstring troubles. Expected to compete with Jovani Chappel for the starting boundary corner job, Jackson instead has lost out to Ricky Gary as the third corner and could be losing ground to freshmen Ronald Hobby, Jarred Holley and Antwuan Reed, who are splitting second- and third-team reps.

Andrew Taglienetti is seeing more action behind Eric Thatcher at free safety as Irv Brown has been out with an injury. Collier has been struggling to crack the depth chart the last couple years and the injuries sure have not helped.

Coach Wannstedt is stuck in that area of trying to figure out which players are legitimately not able to or just should not be pushing through the pain and those who he thinks may need to be prodded.

On the mental aspect of the game being just as tough as the physical part:

“Everyone is hurt and beat up right now. If you let your mind control your body you have a tendency to be soft and think that you can’t go on and when you have that mind frame you can’t get better. As coaches this is when you build that mental toughness and you push them to develop that chemistry of a football team.”

That or break their spirits, leaving them disheartened shells of their former selves with the disturbing self-awareness that they are weak-hearted. Shambling through the rest of their miserable lives just trying to find moments of happiness or perhaps just oblivion from the aching pain in their soul.