There’s so many tabs I expected to get to the last couple days and then the offense went splat in the final scrimmage and that kind of overwhelmed everything.

The one thing I didn’t read that much about was how much was it the offensive line being overwhelmed and how much was it the QB play stunk. A lot seemed to fall on the QB, but clearly there are still concerns.

The starting offensive line is going to be Jason Pinkston, Lucas Nix, Alex Karabin, Greg Gaskins and Chris Jacobson. I know we’ve been told there is an open competition at some of the spots but Gaskins has taken pretty much every snap with the first team and Karabin’s primary “competition” at center was from Jack Lippert, who coaches are talking about moving to guard. The good news is this unit of five has played together all camp, so they should have some chemistry by the time the Utah game comes around. But as yesterday showed, the unit still has some work to do in order to prove it can be the kind of unit which can dominate defenses.

Let me see if I have this straight. The walk-on senior is going to be the starting center. Fine. Sounds good. Reasonable, all things considered when you have converted a D-lineman that is a redshirt freshman as his back-up. Let him spend the year really learning the position and being ready to take over next season, getting ready to play this year.

Wait, what?

(more…)

The one area where there just doesn’t seem to be any angst over the position — now or into the future — is in the receiving corp.

It starts with Jonathan Baldwin, as the star of the crew. Realistically he is gone after this season barring some catastrophic injury, but there is such depth there.

Mike Shanahan has a lot of us excited because he is just as tall and opposite Baldwin. Both were basketball stars with offers from BCS programs. That size and athleticism is one of the reasons why there is a touch less worry about the passing game with a new QB behind a line that will likely be weak up the middle.

(more…)

Stories in the dailies today focus on some of the new guys on offense. First up, the soon to be highly scrutinized Tino Sunseri at QB.

“I’ve been prepared for this opportunity right now,” he said. “I think, the way spring ball has been going, it has been a learning experience for me every day. Whenever you are the No. 2, like I was last year, you aren’t really getting the reps and you don’t see things like a Greg Romeus rushing from the outside and different coverages.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way just even in this spring.”

Coaches haven’t officially installed Sunseri as the starter yet and aren’t likely to until closer to training camp, but they have referred to him as their current No. 1 and they have made it clear by the way Sunseri and Bostick have been used.

Although Sunseri can throw all the passes, has a strong arm, quick release and all the intangibles to be an excellent quarterback, the one question that seems to follow him is his height.

He is listed at 6 feet 2, but that seems to be a little bit of a stretch as he looks smaller when he is in the pocket.

“A bit.” Naturally any vertically challenged QB will bring up Drew Brees for comparison. That’s all fine. The issue will be Sunseri making good decisions and finding the seams to throw the ball. That and presumably the offense will be tweaked enough to allow him to roll out and move around a lot more to find openings to pass the ball.

I have faith that OC Cignetti is planning to operate that way, but that still depends on the offensive line being able to block in a slightly different way.

Next, the tight end spot, and replacing Dorin Dickerson.

“You can replace his position, but you can’t replace Dorin,” Cignetti said.

It’s a huge challenge for Dickerson’s successor to fashion a stat sheet that reads: 49 catches, 529 yards and 10 touchdowns.

More important, can the new starting tight end draw the attention of outside linebackers and strong safeties to force man coverage on flanker Jon Baldwin, who amassed 57 receptions for 1,111 yards and eight scores?

Mike Cruz, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound redshirt sophomore from Bishop McCort in Johnstown, is the most likely to earn the job.

…

“There’s a lot of pressure, but you can’t let that show on the field,” Cruz said. “I just have to try to duplicate what they did on the field. I need to take something from Dorin and Nate and try to be a leader in the tight end room.

“I have to know my assignments. I just have to concentrate on playing ball.”

So far, Cruz has been pushed some in practice by Andrew Devlin and Brock DeCicco.

Devlin, a Mt. Lebanon product, is a transfer from Virginia. DeCicco, the brother of safety Dom DeCicco, redshirted last season.

“The tight end group is kind of like the interior of our offensive line,” Wannstedt said. “It’s a work in progress.”

All three: Cruz, Devlin and DeCicco were highly sought after TEs coming out of high school. It is not that they are lacking in talent and potential. They just aren’t athletic freaks. They are more along the lines of Nate Byham — who did rather well in the spot the year prior. I am not terribly worried about the TE spot in terms of performance or depth.

Looking for more creativity there, is not going to happen. That is why there is talk of using Ray Graham to catch some short passes and get in space. Find other ways to use the talent.

It’s a practice this morning, so hopefully there will be something interesting to read tomorrow. In the meantime a couple of the stories focus on players who now have their chance to grab the starting jobs.

Mike Cruz has been stuck behind Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson at TE. He has the early chance to be the starting TE this season.

“It was a huge loss losing two of the best tight ends in the country, and you really have some shoes to fill,” Cruz said. “I feel like I need to step in and be a leader for the whole tight end group and for the offense. It’s a huge, huge loss, but you can’t dwell on who you lost. You just gotta step up and do your best.”

Cruz now leads a Pitt tight end group with several new faces, including redshirt junior Andrew Devlin, who sat out last season after transferring from Virginia, and redshirt freshman Brock DeCicco.

“I definitely learned a lot watching Nate and all the older guys,” DeCicco said. “Now, I’m just coming out, learning from Cruz and trying to learn and compete. It’s making us all better right now.”

Brock DeCicco was a big TE recruit, but Cruz was no small recruit either. He had waffled between Pitt and Alabama.  While none of the TEs on the depth chart are athletic freaks like Dickerson, that doesn’t mean they can’t get a lot of chances to catch the ball. Byham — prior to getting hurt and Dickerson emerging — had lots of chances.

Then there is redshirt junior Chris Jacobson. He has had to take a medical redshirt early and ended up behind other O-linemen who developed. That and, of course, he made mistakes in practice. Something that Coach Wannstedt never wants to see.

Jacobson could always do the latter. From a physical standpoint, he was ready to play when he was a true freshman, but not having a full grasp of the mental aspects of the game is what prevented him from earning the starting left guard position this past fall.

Jacobson competed with senior Joe Thomas throughout camp, but the coaches decided to start Thomas because he did not make as many mental errors.

“It was just stupid mistakes that shouldn’t have been made that you want to kick yourself in the butt for,” Jacobson said. “It was never the physical part. It was just some of the mental parts.

“But now the mental part is clicking. Now I look at some of the mistakes I made, and it’s like, ‘That’s so easy. It all falls in like a puzzle.’ “

He was very effective in the Meineke Bowl,when Thomas was hurt. The job is obviously his. Not even to lose. It’s his job barring injury or a complete meltdown.

Good, free information on spring practices seems to be very limited. This is where we really miss the infodumps of Kevin Gorman’s blog. Everything else seems to be behind paywalls and subscriptions.

There’s a post-practice video interview with Jared Holley that lets you know he is happy to be back practicing and stuff.

A little old, but over at Cat Basket they talk a little about the opening of camp. Let’s just say they have their doubts over the actual openness of the QB competition.

Arguably, they are looking right in their predictions as Sunseri has practiced only with the first team — but Coach Wannstedt says not to read anything into that. Why would anyone do that?

Other details is that, yes, the TE spot is Mike Cruz’s to lose. Devlin and DeCicco have not shown Coach Wannstedt much yet.

Shayne Hale knows that he is not only learning to play DE, but that he is behind two of the best in the Big East. Still he is eager and has his cliches down cold.

“He hasn’t even played the position for a year yet, but he has really improved,” said defensive line coach Greg Gattuso. “We need him to be able to play 15 to 20 snaps a game next year and that is if [the two starters] are healthy. If we get an injury, we’ll need more, and if he isn’t playing that many there is something wrong.”

Hale, who is 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds, said he knows his time is now and he’s making sure he takes full advantage of the opportunity.

“I’ve been staying after practice working on things, I want to work with [strength and conditioning coach] Buddy Morris on getting even stronger,” Hale said. “I know I can be a big part of things in the future, but I have to start this year. Just getting on the field and making plays when my number is called, that is all that I can control.”

In controlled scrimmage, the retooled O-line got some work. Coach Wannstedt was upbeat (shocking and stunning) while offensive line coach Tony Wise, playing the part of crusty, curmudgeon coach was less so.

At times, Wannstedt liked what he saw during a 45-minute controlled scrimmage. But offensive line coach Tony Wise wasn’t overly impressed.

When asked if he feels confident about filling the gaps on an offensive line that lost three starters — center Robb Houser, along with guards Joe Thomas and John Malecki — Wise sharply responded, “No.”

Wise is expecting more from his returning starters, All-Big East left tackle Jason Pinkston and right tackle Lucas Nix. And he’s demanding more of the projected first-year starters — guards Chris Jacobson and Greg Gaskins, and center Alex Karabin — in the weeks leading up to the Panthers’ spring game April 17 at Heinz Field.

What is spring practice or training camp without concern over the O-line?

Just some assorted things relating to football that I’ll lump in a short link-dump.

The rest of Coach Wannstedt’s interview with ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett. Kevin Harper will at least take over kick-off duties it seems. Mike Cruz comes in as the #1 tight end with Devlin #2. Mason to no one’s shock will be MLB.

How about the offensive line? You lost three starters but it seems like you’ve been grooming some young guys to take over.

DW: Center will be the biggest position. Left guard will be fine. Chris Jacobson, he started the bowl game and can play. He’s a big, talented kid. Three years ago, he was the most highly recruited offensive lineman in the state of Pennsylvania. So he’ll be fine. There’s competition at right guard and the same thing at center. So we’ve got to fill two spots, but we’ve got some young guys who’ve been waiting for that opportunity. We’ll see. I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out.

Not even a hint as to who will be competing at the center spot. Meanwhile Robb Houser, who did a fine job in his brief time, is gearing up for Pitt’s pro day to show he can play in the NFL.

A major inspiration for him has been former Pittsburgh teammate C.J. Davis, now a guard in the league with the Carolina Panthers. Davis wasn’t drafted last year and like Houser doesn’t have exceptionally imposing size.

Being from the Pittsburgh system evidently provided quite a lift. Dave Wannstedt, with his 22 years worth of professional experience as a former NFL coach and player, runs the program and has been preparing college players well now for the business.

“C.J. couldn’t believe how simple it was when he had to first study the Carolina play schemes,” Houser said. “They’re very complicated at Pitt, it took me a year and a half to get down. I think that some of the coaches and players at Carolina were amazed how C.J. was able to master that system quickly and I’m not surprised because I know how complex the plays we run (at Pittsburgh) are.”

Former players from the school now in the NFL include New York Jets defensive back Darrelle Rivas, Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and Carolina Panthers left tackle Jeff Otah. Those three are considered among the league’s best under 25 years of age and were manufactured by Wannstedt during their college careers.

Needless to say, Houser is hoping to join the tradition…

“Manufactured?”

Nate Byham gets discussed among TE prospects at the Patriots site.

“Smash-mouth football, the kind of guy who’s down in the trenches doing the dirty work,” was how Byham described himself and his game Thursday. “Not too many tight ends are known for getting all gritty and moving d-ends and throwing linebackers. That’s why I take pride in being able to get down there and maybe get out in the pass when people least expect it.”

Byham also pointed out that his head coach at Pitt, Dave Wannstedt (a long-time former NFL assistant and head coach) has been instrumental in molding him into a prototypical NFL blocking tight end. Scouts, he said, have told him that they can see how much more developed he is as a blocker than other college players at his position.

This article on Dickerson raising his stock at the combine also provided unintentional insight as to why Coach Wannstedt struggled with figuring out the right place to play him.

Still, it remains to be seen if he improved his draft stock because, at 6 feet 2, 226 pounds, Dickerson will have to add at least 15 pounds to be a flex tight end or H-back in the National Football League. If so, he thinks he can be a tight end on the order of Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts or Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers.

“They’re smaller type tight ends,” Dickerson said. “That’s what I classify myself as, a smaller receiving-type tight end.

“I think they’re going to look at me as a flex tight end. I’m probably going to put on some weight. I’ll be used in the slot and as a wing, all the H-back stuff. I think that’s how I’ll be used. But some teams might want me as a bigger receiver, I don’t know yet.”

Because of his athleticism and unique skills, Dickerson lined up at a number of different positions at Pitt, including wide receiver, H-back and running back. Nate Byham, who also attended the combine, was more of the natural tight end, primarily because he is a better blocker than Dickerson.

They apparently don’t know where to play him or classify him. It really seems to be an issue in the NFL as to body types and “prototypical” sizes. Coach Wannstedt (and to some degree former OC Matt Cavanaugh) with an NFL background struggled to recognize the potential at the TE spot in college until late.

At SI.com, Andy Staples managed to put together a team of top players who were so missed by the recruiting sites that they had 2-stars or less. Dion Lewis didn’t make the cut because even he got 3-stars. The only Pitt player, Greg Romeus.

Romeus played basketball for most of his life and didn’t take up football until his senior year at Coral Glades High in Coral Springs, Fla. The school was playing its first year of varsity football, so it wasn’t a destination for college recruiters. Romeus was set to sign with Central Florida, but Pitt made a late push and snagged a raw athlete who would grow into a fearsome pass rusher.

Former Big East Commish Mike Tranghese got $30,000 for six months consulting work to Memphis for how they can get into a BCS conference. Tranghese did not have to produce a written report, and his informed, measured advice seemed to boil down to: win more football games.

Not much to go on right now. The stats on offense (PDF) such as they are say that Tino Sunseri was the better passer. Going 6-7 for 60 yards and a TD. Bostick was adequate at 9-14 but with an interception. Sunseri, though, took two sacks for -15 yards while Stull was unscathed.

To the shock of no one, Coach Wannstedt sees no controversy.

On the quarterbacks:

“Bill Stull went with the first group. Then Pat Bostick was next. Then we gave Tino Sunseri a shot with the first team, and he responded. We brought Bill Stull back, and then Pat Bostick with the third group. We’re really at this point in camp trying to work all three of them. I thought that all three did fairly well. I don’t think that any of them jumped off the charts in a great way, or in a bad way. We had some checks at the line, they all handled that well. We signaled things in, they all handled that well. I think that those little things that go without notice sometimes, they all handled that well.”

On the starting quarterback position:

“Bill Stull is the starting quarterback. Obviously we’re in training camp and every day we go on the field to prove ourselves and we have to continue to improve. I don’t think it’s as much as we’ve got to prove something, as much as it is to improve. The decision making, and the throws, that’s what training camp is for.”

I take that back, someone was surprised.

The declaration was surprising, considering that Stull has struggled during camp and appeared to be losing ground in recent days to Sunseri, who has begun to get first-team reps in every practice. Bostick, however, again worked only with the second team, which seems to indicate that he is headed for a role as backup or, perhaps, even a redshirt.

During yesterday’s scrimmage, Stull’s first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by defensive back Jared Holley. Stull completed 9 of 14 passes for 57 yards, but all the completions were short, safe passes, and he led one touchdown drive.

Sunseri was 6 for 7 for 60 yards and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to reserve tight end Jon Tisak. Sunseri appeared to throw a second touchdown pass, a fade to receiver Jonathan Baldwin, but Baldwin dropped it in the corner of the end zone.

Really? Surprised? After everything Wannstedt has said and his history? You can’t be surprised. Even if it isn’t believed, Wannstedt saying it should not be surprising.

What is interesting is that despite Wannstedt’s protestations, everyone else seems to see this as a QB competition.

If Stull is the unquestioned starter, it isn’t being discussed in position meetings with Frank Cignetti Jr., Pitt’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Panthers are treating each practice as if it’s an audition, and Stull’s first pass was intercepted by cornerback Jarred Holley.

“I feel if I don’t play well that I’m not going to play,” said Stull, who also led an eight-play scoring drive. “Obviously, it is a competition. I know how camp is around here. I definitely think it’s a competition. I’m always going to compete and do my best, and I know the guys behind me are going to do the same.”

Stull is being pushed by Sunseri, who’s splitting first-team reps with Stull and appears to have moved ahead of junior Pat Bostick (5-of-10 passing for 18 yards). Sunseri has impressed with his arm strength and mobility, but he admits he’s still learning the nuances of the offense and huddle command.

Nonetheless, he led two scoring drives, settling for a field goal on the first after Jonathan Baldwin dropped a corner fade in the end zone and rolling right to throw a 22-yard touchdown to walk-on tight end Jon Tisak on the second.

“With the way coach Cignetti has done it, it’s open competition,” said Sunseri, son of former Pitt All-America linebacker and assistant coach Sal Sunseri. “In that same aspect, we’re trying to help each other every day. … Whatever we can do to help the team is what we’re going to do, and whoever can do it the best is going to play.”

As for Ray Graham, while it appears he impressed Kevin Gorman with his performance, any Wannstedt watchers know that Graham probably hurt his chances by fumbling the ball on his first two touches (recovering one of them).

I’m guessing Dion Lewis is still the leader for the top of the depth chart at tailback at this point. Graham will be a factor in time, but he has been fumbling too much in practice and now the scrimmage for Coach Wannstedt to trust him right now.

On Ray Graham fumbling and recovering:

“Ray Graham has talent. With those early turnovers, you easily go down 14-0. It was a fumble last year in the Bowling Green game early that turned the game around. So, that’s all part of it. It’s just not a matter of how hard someone is throwing the ball, or how many moves a player has or athletic ability, but are they able to play the whole game and do the little things that are necessary. That’s what we’re working through with the younger guys. There’s no question that Ray Graham has talent, he’s going to be a heck of a player. There’s no question that Tino Sunseri’s got talent, he’s going to be a heck of a player, but it’s just a matter of when and how fast these guys come along.”

Back to QBing, and Gene Collier apparently attended the scrimmage. He sees Sunseri as the best option, and not just because of the unwashed masses.

Bostick went next and launched one of the very few deep balls attempted, overthrowing sophomore wideout Aaron Smith quite comfortably. Sunseri followed, but it wasn’t possible to determine if he was drawing any momentum from Panther-centric portions of the blogosphere and the related message boards, where it is widely advanced that in the current history of Pitt football, it is “Tino Time.”

Let the record show that I have not, nor do I intend to use that phrase. Otherwise, good to know another reader.

The redshirt freshman out of Central Catholic might not be any better than the others at checking down at the line or in any of his required recognitions, but again yesterday the best balls thrown came out of his right hand. Sunseri was anything but error-free, but his 16-yard slant to Oderick Turner was maybe the crispest completion of the scrimmage, and his fade pass to Jonathan Baldwin was just the prettiest thing, even if it was disallowed by a boundary call. When Sunseri rolled right later in practice and found freshman tight end John Tisak behind Todd Gilchrist, nothing Bostick or Stull could arrange between then and the end of hostilities could alter the impression that Sunseri looks like Wannstedt’s best pitcher.

There is no escaping the undercurrent that to most observers Sunseri looks best and Stull is just not looking like he has earned the starting gig.

On the defensive side, the stats here (PDF) show the safeties led in tackling. Looks like most of the defense got work and collected tackles. No shock since the defense has been and continues to be dominate.

On the kicking matters:

Both Pitt kickers converted field goals yesterday — Dan Hutchins a 30-yarder, and Kevin Harper a 36-yarder, as well as an extra point. Hutchins also punted twice for an average of 39 yards, and walk-on Matt Yoklic punted once for 51 yards.

I’m going to guess that as long as Harper shows accuracy he will be the kicker and Hutchins will land the punting duties. I just don’t see the coaches going with Hutchins to handle both. Kickoff duties is anyone’s guess.

Looking over the list of players who did not play, I’m mildly concerned that Nate Byham has missed several practices with a “headache” after taking a hit. Aren’t they called concussions these days?

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said redshirt junior defensive tackle Ty Tkach had surgery on his left foot this week and is expected to miss about three weeks. Fourteen other Panthers didn’t participate in the scrimmage: safeties Irv Brown (calf) and Elijah Fields (foot), tight ends Nate Byham (headache), Andrew Devlin (knee) and Dorin Dickerson (hamstring), linebacker Carl Fleming (headache), quarterback Kolby Gray (shoulder), tailback Shariff Harris (hamstring), cornerback Buddy Jackson (jaw), center Wayne Jones (knee), wide receivers Cedric McGee (hamstring) and Mike Shanahan (hand), right tackle Lucas Nix (infection) and safety Marco Pecora (ankle).

The running back battle also may have thinned out for a while as Jason Douglas was hurt in practice. Status unknown.

Mike Shanahan has to be very frustrated to have missed the scrimmage. He was looking great.

Q: You mentioned that Jonathan Baldwin and Aundre Wright are having great camps at wide receiver. How are the rest of the wide receivers doing? How do the third and fourth receiver spots look?

ZEISE: I think the receivers as a whole have played extremely well this camp. I really do. I think Mike Shanahan, before he got hurt, was making a push to really get into that top four group. He was having a great camp and he might have the best hands at camp as I don’t recall one ball he dropped. But right now the top three are Baldwin, Cedric McGee and Oderick Turner. Aundre Wright has probably the edge over the other players because he’s been the most consistent and he has some experience. There have been flashes from players like Greg Cross, Cameron Saddler and Ed Tinker but I don’t think any has made enough of a push to get into the top four yet.

TE Mike Cruz did return to practice after missing a few days for the nebulous “personal reasons.”

Of course, it could always be worse at QB. Here’s the ‘Cuse: Joe Fields to Perry Patterson to Andrew Robinson to Greg Paulus. I almost feel better about Pitt’s situation. Almost.

The scrimmage won’t change things at Tight End, but it will be curious to see who plays as the TEs have been nursing minor injuries and other things.

Pitt is suddenly short on tight ends, as redshirt freshman Mike Cruz was excused for a second consecutive day for what coach Dave Wannstedt called “personal reasons”, and seniors Nate Byham (headache) and Dorin Dickerson (hamstring) were held out of Sunday’s afternoon session.

Only redshirt freshman Justin Virbitsky and true freshmen Brock DeCicco and Jon Tisak, a walk-on, were available for practice.

It has remained that way, as Cruz has still been excused for the dreaded “personal reasons.” The importance of Cruz is not at the TE spot this year, but because he was expected to be the long-snapper on special teams. Considering that kicker and punter are up in the air spots, his presence or absence will impact.

Obviously the scrimmage may help start to form a depth chart for tailback. I honestly have no sense of it right now. All the backs — except perhaps for Shariff Harris — have appeared to have good days where they did things that drew attention and suggested they could take the job.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt admitted he was happy with the way Graham and the rest of the running backs ran yesterday but said it was too early to tell who will emerge from the pack.

“Ray Graham made a few people miss, but it is early yet,” Wannstedt said. “But [all of the running backs] held onto the ball. The guys who have been here showed their experience but I don’t think anyone out here did anything that we’re going to be handing out [LeSean McCoy‘s] jersey anytime soon or even [LaRod Stephens-Howling‘s] for that matter.”

Players have missed practices with minor injuries or such, but so far no season enders.

“It has just been bumps and bruises, nothing a situation where [we are concerned],” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “As long as there is nothing major. If there were any ACL injuries or shoulder [surgeries] then we’d talk about it, but this type of stuff is going to be there every day and it is all a part of camp.”

Yesterday the Panthers were without offensive tackle Lucas Nix (leg infection), safeties Elijah Fields (foot contusion) and Irvan Brown (calf), wide receiver Mike Shanahan (hand), tight ends Nate Byham (headache) and Dorin Dickerson (hamstring), and defensive tackles Myles Caragein (ankle) and Tyler Tkach (foot).

The danger of missing scrimmages, especially, for players like Shanahan and Caragein are in their battles on the depth chart. Byham, Nix and maybe Fields are still solid to be starters.

Fields, though, may not be the lock he seemed.

The defensive lineup is practically set. The only real position battle is at safety, where Taglianetti has surpassed Fields. The coaching staff probably would prefer to have Fields playing deep, only if for his size advantage but there is a trust factor with Taglianetti that gives him the edge.

This, of course, may simply be another tactic in keeping Fields hungry and not getting complacent.

Dan Mason may shock everyone at the way things are going. He is spectacular in camp and may actually push for the starting MLB spot.

Mason already has passed fifth-year senior Steve Dell for second-team reps, and Mason’s development could determine whether Gunn remains in the middle or returns to the outside, where he might be better suited.

“Dan Mason continues to show us that he’s going to be an outstanding player here at the University of Pittsburgh,” Wannstedt said. “Mason is where we were hoping he’d be. The one thing with him is, physically, he’s ready to play but as the offense adds plays and situations, every day is a new learning experience for him. I’ll be curious to see where he’s at two weeks from now or the third week of the season.”

“I could see him getting playing time, and I think he will.”

Of course, Mason is a freshman, this is Coach Wannstedt it is the MLB spot, and he has had a junior or senior man his entire time coaching Pitt. Could Wannstedt really go outside the comfort zone without an injury to force the move?

There is also the battle between Joe Thomas and Chris Jacobson for the left guard spot on the O-line. Thomas has apparently done well in camp. His issue has always been consistency when it comes to the game. Jacobson still appears to be grasping the mental stuff. Edge clearly favors Thomas at this point.

I had to go back and check about the name. Andrew Devlin — once a local top TE recruit Pitt wanted but chose Virgina — is apparently desirous of transferring to Pitt (behind subs. paywall).

Devlin would be a redshirt sophomore at Virginia. While he played in all 12 games last year, he had a total of only 3 catches. Ultimately, UVa moved him to defensive end.

If he is actually transferring to Pitt, I’m assuming it will be to play TE. Pitt seems rather set at DE, plus he doesn’t strike me as the kind of athlete Coach Wannstedt wants at that spot. At TE, there would be opportunities after sitting out as a transfer. With Dickerson and Byham graduating, the main competition would be Mike Cruz and Brock DeCicco.

Time has been a lacking for the past couple weeks. I’m feeling a bit like Coach Wannstedt trying to juggle actually having practices and game planning in December with recruiting.

Let’s start with the seniors. That’s where Coach Wannstedt has a lot of love for the seniors who bought into what he was selling when he took over in January.

Now, he’s doing as much as he can to get them the opportunities to show they can play at the next level. While C.J. Davis and Conredge Collins will return to El Paso in exactly a month for the “Texas vs. the Nation” game; and Scott McKillop and long snapper Mark Estermyer will play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile. There are still other players to get in some showcase games.

“We’re working like crazy on (nose tackle) Rashaad Duncan and (receiver) Derek Kinder and (safety) Eric Thatcher and (kicker) Conor Lee,” Wannstedt said, “but the problem is there’s only three all-star games. There used to be five. Now, it’s down to three. Those things have gotten more competitive, but I’ve called the people in charge of all three of them and I do everything I can to push our guys and get our guys on them.”

Not to mention punter Dave Brytus, who as has been noted put on a show earlier in the week to the fascination of Oregon State beat writers.

He has his pro debut coming up on Feb.21 in Washington, D.C. Mixed martial arts is a career option if he doesn’t kick his way onto an NFL roster, which he has a real chance to do.

Another beat writer dug up a YouTube of a Brytus fight. Yes, I’m sure CBS will run with the Brytus-MMA stuff during the telecast.

Senior LaRod Stephens-Howling gets some more love from his hometown paper and helping to start a line to Pitt.

The four years certainly weren’t wasted for people like Scott Corson, Wayne Jones, Antwuan Reed, Mike Cruz or Marco Pecora. Those are the Johnstown-area players that are now on the Pitt roster, and Stephens-Howling takes great pride in helping to draw some attention to Flood City players.

“I think it’s just about getting the recruiters to our area,” he said. “I’m proud I can say I was one of the first guys to get them back to our area. Now they’re giving us a chance, and I’m glad, because there’s a lot of talent in our area.”

Plus another story on LSH trying to get to the NFL. Just a blitz from the Johnstown paper with stories on Marco Pecora and Antwuan Reed.

It looks like Coach Wannstedt is just having fun with reality.

He joked Tuesday during a Sun Bowl news conference that his previous two stints – as head coach of the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins – started well, but ended with him being fired or resigning.

“We would have liked it to have happened quicker,” he said of Pitt’s first bowl game under him. “Maybe this is a good omen. When I was in Chicago, the second year we went to the second round of the playoffs and (won) coach of the year. Everything was hee-hee, ha-ha. Five years, later, it was not hee-hee, ha-ha.”

…

“I think this might be a good omen that we started off slower in Pittsburgh, and then we kind of got it going now,” he said.

Sure. Why not.

According to the Zeise chat today, there are more Pitt fans than Oregon State fans in El Paso. I guess we’ll see how it looks on TV.

They’re just starting to clog my tabs. Time to clear them out. The profiles, the puff pieces and press releases.

Dorin Dickerson continues to get attention at tight end.

Dickerson and Wannstedt sat down in the offseason and decided that the best place to get him on the field, and utilize his enormous potential, was tight end.

Dickerson said the fact Wannstedt never lost faith in him helped make the transition to another position much easier. And he said that playing the tight end position the way he is being asked — he’ll also line up sometimes as an H-back or even a fullback — means he’ll have plenty of opportunities to make plays.

“Coach stuck with me, he didn’t forget about me, that means a lot to me,” Dickerson said. “Some people say they’ll believe in you and they don’t mean it, but coach proved when he says something he means it and so I knew he was being genuine when he said he wanted to help me get on the field.

“The more I have learned about this position, the more fun it has become. People ask me what I am, I proudly say now ‘I am a tight end.'”

There’s bit about wondering why some tagged him as not a physical player. His injury just before starting at Pitt slowed him down and cost him the 2006 season. In 2007 he was learning a new position on the other side of the ball, and despite training camp predictions of him cracking the rotation never got too high on the linebacker depth chart.

With his talent and the accomplishments coming out of high school, questions will arise when the expectations did not appear to be met. As legitimate as the reasons for the first two years are, they can be perceived as excuse-making. Whether Dickerson was actually tough enough for D-1A or injury prone. Whether he was just a player without a position. Not quite fast enough to be a receiver and not durable enough as a running back. An athlete stuck somewhere.

A player who has all the physical tools and there was never any question about his position, just his head, is Elijah Fields. He’s finally on the verge of putting it all together.

He sat out last season while serving a suspension for disciplinary reasons.

“It was real frustrating, but the decisions I made were my fault,” Fields said. “I’m not going to blame it on anybody else. I want to put that behind me and move forward and play this year and help my team out.

“I’ve matured a lot, sitting out and looking back on things and the decisions I could have made.”

Fields credited secondary coach Jeff Hafley for helping guide him through the tough times. Hafley, in turn, said Fields has shown better maturity by owning up to his mistakes and correcting them.

“He learned how important football was to him by sitting out last year,” Hafley said. “He now understands how his teammates and his coaches are counting on him. He wants to contribute — not just for himself but for the team, as well.”

The article also noted the struggles he had early at learning to play defense versus doing what he wanted because he was a superior athlete in high school. You just hope that the light has truly gone on for Fields and that it isn’t just something to say that sounds good.

The safety, who many are eager to see moved down the two-deep behind Fields and DeCicco, Eric Thatcher has his own story.

Thatcher is unheralded, but his role cannot be underestimated. As the free safety and most-experienced defensive back, Thatcher is responsible for aligning the defense on every play.

“You talk about him being under the radar,” Hafley said. “He’s under the radar until there’s a deep crossing route and he makes a big hit. People who play us know who Eric Thatcher is. I know [the media] likes to talk about some of our other guys, but he’s a leader back there.

“At that position, there is so much that goes into it from a mental standpoint. He’s the quarterback of the defense. He makes the calls, get us lined up. We need a guy like that back there, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”

Being the quarterback of the defense is especially important in a year when experience at the other secondary positions is almost non-existent. The only other returning starter is junior Aaron Berry at cornerback. The two players battling for playing time beside Thatcher at strong safety are Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields, neither of whom has made a college start.

“It’s a position where you don’t always get the accolades because you’re not going to have 120 tackles or 15 sacks,” Hafley said. “You’re going to be the guy who lines us up and gets us in the right position. Because of that, we make the right play. Someone else might get the tackle or get the pick. But it wouldn’t happen without him.”

We’ve seen in Wannstedt’s first three years that he places a high value on players who know the schemes.

Derek Kinder has been recovering from his torn ACL, and while he has been a slowed getting on the field he has taken care of the other things.

Kinder is a recent graduate with a degree in economics, one of eight members of the 2008 Panthers to have already earned an undergraduate diploma. He’ll be attending fall semester classes with his eye on another degree, perhaps in communications. Regardless, he enters his final season of collegiate football with a better appreciation for his talent and the opportunity it’s given him.

“Before, I probably did take my health a little bit for granted,” he admits. “I’m a lot more determined now to do all the little things that the coaches are always emphasizing. The need to warm up properly, because that helps prevent injuries. I definitely take that to heart, and get my full stretching in.”

On the field, he seems to be getting more confidence in his knee and moving better.

Most years, seeing articles on a walk-on and a near greyshirt looking like they will be earning playing time for the season would suggest that the talent is thin or there were a lot of injuries. Obviously, an injury played a role in one of them, but both actually have some talent. They just had choices and really wanted to come to Pitt.

But Peter Charles Alecxih III is not your average walk-on, and the redshirt freshman from Lancaster known as “Chas” is in the thick of the competition.

“Keep an eye on him,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said Tuesday after Pitt’s first scrimmage of training camp. “He’s probably had as good a camp as any of the backup defensive linemen. … We’ve got probably four guys competing but if I was honest … and said who’s probably made the most plays, it’s probably been Chas.”

Alecxih is among the contenders for a backup spot behind starters Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard, a list that includes redshirt sophomore Ty Tkach and redshirt freshmen Justin Hargrove and Tony Tucker. At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Alecxih is 65 pounds above his playing weight at Penn Manor High School, where he was a teammate of offensive tackle Jordan Gibbs and turned down a scholarship offer from Connecticut to play for the Panthers.

“Coming in as a walk-on, the other guys were awesome but you felt like you had something to prove,” said Alecxih, whose father owns a company that builds luxury homes in Lancaster County and occasionally flies here in a twin-engine turbo Cessna airplane. “Most people look at walk-ons as if they’re not on (the same) caliber, so that was definitely motivation to come in and prove myself and say, ‘Hey, I can play on this level.’ I want to get a scholarship. It’s a respect thing, but until they’re able to, I don’t need one.

“Give it to someone who needs it.”

Finding the open scholarship a little early was how Andrew Taglieanetti was in Pitt training camp this year, rather than enrolling in January. He is poised to be a special teams player right away.

“He’s about as quick as any player we have on the team, and he uses it in the right ways,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Right now, I’ve got him starting on possibly two special teams on opening day.

“From a special teams standpoint, he’s been the most exciting guy of the freshmen. He just wants to play.”

His twin brother Jon is also on Pitt’s team as a preferred walk-on at linebacker.

Finally, Johnstown loves the local connections.

Senior LaRod Stephens-Howling, redshirt sophomore Scott Corson and redshirt freshman Wayne Jones can provide some comfort and stability for Bishop McCort graduate Mike Cruz, Greater Johnstown alumnus Antwuan Reed and Richland grad Marco Pecora as each goes through his first season with the Panthers, who are ranked 25th in The Associated Press preseason poll released Saturday.

“It’s definitely fun to have someone you know here,” said Jones, who is in his first season as a mentor. “I was excited to hear that they were all coming down to Pitt. We’re all working hard toward the same goal.”

That would be getting the Panthers back on track – none of the local players has experienced a winning season at Pitt – and developing individually.

“When you come in, you have a lot of questions about camp and school,” said Jones, who is going through a transition of his own, switching to center this season.

Corson is in a similar situation, as he is playing defense for the first time at the collegiate level, but he still has time to help the newest members of the program learn the ropes.

“That’s exciting,” he said of having three more local players on the roster. “More guys keep coming. (I try to help out) with all of them. When I got myself ineligible, that’s a hard hole to get out of. I got my grades together and I’m trying to show them the importance of that.”

Every news outlet loves to cite the local connections.

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.

Content loves media day.

I count no fewer than a dozen tabs open in my browser windows from stories out of Pitt’s Media Day. Time to start winnowing things down.

Let’s start with some actual content regarding practices. And everyone’s favorite obsession, the offensive line.

Once again, Pitt’s coaching staff will have split practices to get all the players as much work as possible early on. This plan was instituted after the first year. It is double duty for the coaches, with a morning session for half and an afternoon session for the rest. As a depth chart starts to be more cohesive and scrimmages loom, things revert to more standardized practices with everyone.

Kevin Gorman provides the list of how the squads are broken up.

Group 1 offense – Quarterbacks Bill Stull, Greg Cross, Tino Sunseri; tailbacks LeSean McCoy, Kevin Collier and Chris Burns; fullback Conredge Collins; split ends Cedric McGee and Oderick Turner; flankers Derek Kinder, T.J. Porter and Austin Ransom; tight ends Nate Byham and John Pelusi; left tackles Jordan Gibbs and Chase Clowser; left guards C.J. Davis and Lucas Nix; centers Robb Houser and Jared Martin; right guards John Malecki and Jacobson; and right tackles Joe Thomas and Frank Kochin.

Group 1 defense – Left ends Doug Fulmer and Jabaal Sheard; nose tackles Gus Mustakas and Mick Williams; defensive tackles Rashaad Duncan and Tommie Duhart and right end Greg Romeus; strong-side linebackers Adam Gunn, Greg Williams and Brian Kaiser; middle linebackers Scott McKillop and Steve Dell; weak-side linebackers Shane Murray and Nate Nix; boundary cornerbacks Jovani Chappel and Ronald Hobby; field cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Holley; strong safeties Dom DeCicco and Mike Toerper; and free safeties Eric Thatcher and Andrew Taglianetti.

Group 2 offense – Quarterbacks Pat Bostick, Kevan Smith and Andrew Janocko; tailbacks LaRod Stephens-Howling and Shariff Harris; fullbacks Henry Hynoski and Chris Bova; split ends Aundre Wright, Baldwin and Caleb Wilson; flankers Aaron Smith, Mike Shanahan and Cameron Saddler; tight ends Dorin Dickerson, Mike Cruz and Justin Virbitsky; left tackles Greg Gaskins and Ryan Turnley; left guards Dom Williams and Josh Novotny; centers Alex Karabin and Wayne Jones; right guards John Bachman and John Fieger; and right tackles Jason Pinkston and Dan Matha.

Group 2 defense – Left ends Tony Tucker and Justin Hargrove; nose tackles Myles Caragein and Keith Coleman; defensive tackles Craig Bokor and Chas Alexcih; right ends Tyler Tkach and Scott Corson; strong-side linebackers Brandon Lindsey, Joe Trebitz and Jon Taglianetti; middle linebackers Max Gruder and Shayne Hale; weak-side linebackers Tristan Roberts and Manny Williams; boundary corners Buddy Jackson and Danny Cafaro; field corner Ricky Gary; strong safeties Elijah Fields, Antwuan Reed and Justin Edwards and free safeties Irvan Brown, Scott Shrake and Marco Pecora.

This, of course, is all subject to change on a daily basis.

But those groupings generate some interesting thoughts. For one, a message is being sent to Jason Pinkston that nothing is going to be handed to him.

Another is that Pitt coaches placed players in direct competition for a position in the same groupings, with a few exceptions: Pinkston and Thomas at right tackle, Chappel and Jackson at boundary corner and DeCicco and Fields at strong safety. That Pinkston is competing for the starting job at right tackle (instead of the left side) and working in the afternoon session is either a sign of the coaching staff’s dissatisfaction with his work ethic or that it really likes Gibbs.

Maybe both.

Pinkston was rumored to be involved in an incident over the summer. There was never anything more reported. Not sure if that played into the way Pinkston is being placed in the competition. As an additional message.

The direct competition for several positions is not a surprise. That was a key thing to watch heading into training camp.
The biggest positional battles as just about everyone who follows Pitt football knows will be on the O-line. I mean, outside of Robb Houser at Center, I’m just not sure who will start and where. I’m not the only one as Paul Zeise observes in his intro to this year’s set of daily Q&A’s.

Simple, because the first rule of football is you are only as good as your offensive line and there are so many questions about this offensive line that it makes no sense right now to try and get into the predictions business. The line could be anywhere from great to very mediocre — and not surprisingly when people ask me for my predictions about the team I say the same thing — I could make a case for 5-7 just as easily as 10-2.

That’s why the position battles that matter most — and that you’ll read about most — are all on the offensive line — and mostly at tackle. I think that by the time the season starts, the two starting tackles will be Jason Pinkston and Joe Thomas but Pinkston is clearly going to have earn it as he has started second team on the depth chart behind Jordan Gibbs and Thomas.

Also, Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson will both try to work their way onto the two-deep at guard, which should be fun to watch given how highly both were regarded as prospects.

An underrated storyline on the O-line depth chart, but one I’ll be banging the drum over, is who will end up being second on the depth chart at center. That just looms as a terrifying issue.

One of Pitt’s incoming freshmen, taiback Chris Burns didn’t play in the Big 33 game, but will be playing in the PFSCA East-West All-Star game this Saturday.

Going from Class AA football to big-time Division I is quite a leap, though. New Wilmington might be just an hour from Pittsburgh, but, for most high school athletes, it might as well be a world away.

‘‘It’s probably going to be quite a change for me. All the guys are just as fast, just as strong,’’ Burns said. ‘‘I’m just going to work on the little things, do what got me here and ask questions, keep working hard and ask God for strength in the hard times.

‘‘I think if you can play football, you can play football. It doesn’t matter what class you come from.’’

Burns will have to play behind LeSean McCoy at Pitt. Burns grew up an Ohio State fan, but neither that, nor having to wait his turn to carry the ball, could keep him from joining the Panthers.

‘‘I picked them is because they’re an up-and-coming program. I think they’re on the rise to being one of the big contenders in college football in years to come. We’ve had great recruiting classes these past few years, and the coaches really know what they’re doing,’’ Burns said. ‘‘Things kind of fell into place there.’’

One of Burns’ future teammates at Pitt is Bishop McCort tight end and current West player Mike Cruz. The pair went head to head in the PIAA playoffs this year; Burns ran for 233 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-24 Greyhound win.

Gateway (and the West) Coach Terry Smith believes Burns will be fine in the transition to D-1. It’s not a rush. He is a virtual lock to redshirt this season. A depth chart with McCoy, Stephens-Howling and then Harris and Collier jockeying for the 3d and 4th spot.

This same weekend, some of the incoming freshmen will be moving into their dorms.

Big 33 teammate and Central Catholic graduate Andrew Taglianetti was to move into his dorm at Pitt this weekend. Certainly a standout on offense and defense throughout his high school career, perhaps the most special part of the Post-Gazette’s WPIAL Class AAAA player of the year is special teams.

“I have yet to see a kid dominate three sides of the football in high school as much as he did,” Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said.

Name the special teams unit — kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt return coverage, field goal blocking … Taglianetti was on it for Central Catholic. And he found ways to standout amongst standouts on special teams for the Pennsylvania team at the Big 33.

Taglianetti blocked a first-quarter Ohio field goal attempt.

“I take a lot of pride in special teams,” Taglianetti said. “I think it’s a huge asset that can change the game. It’s something I can consistently do well in. The coaches put me in the position to make plays, use my speed and athleticism. I just do whatever I can to come through for the team.”

So anyways, family was in town over the weekend to keep me away from the computer.

Pitt has a new Linebackers Coach and I’m guessing the guy who will be doing recruiting in Florida: Joe Tumpkin.

Tumpkin also coached the linebackers while with the Mustangs (2005-07), serving under then-SMU head coach Phil Bennett, who is now Pitt’s defensive coordinator.

“The addition of Joe to our coaching staff fills three important needs for us,” Wannstedt said. “Number one, Joe is a seasoned linebacker coach. Secondly, he has worked extensively with special teams. Finally, as a Miami native, he is very familiar with the state of Florida and has recruited there the last several years. We’re excited about him joining us.”

Tumpkin, like the now departed, Aubrey Hill, also received a minority NFL fellowship. Tumpkin spent his last summer with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Apparently Rivals.com — despite putting Pitt at #28 in the national recruiting rankings, which is actually a place higher than right after signing day — likes Pitt’s recruiters. Greg Gattuso was named Big East recruiter of the year and Matt Cavanaugh made the list of top Big East recruiters.

Rivals.com highlighted an assistant coach for their recruiting prowess from seven conferences, including each of the six BCS leagues. Gattuso was lauded by the website for “(pulling) off a huge upset when he reeled in cousins Cameron Saddler and Shayne Hale from Gateway.”

Gattuso “was a huge part of Pitt’s success in Western Pennsylvania,” Rivals added, also mentioning his role in helping to recruit quarterback Tino Sunseri (Central Catholic), linebacker Manny Williams (Clairton), defensive back Antwuan Reed (Greater Johnstown) and tight end Mike Cruz (Bishop McCort).

…

Rivals also lauded Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh on its Big East Top 10 Recruiters list, crediting him with helping the Panthers attract standout wide receivers Jonathan Baldwin (Aliquippa) and Mike Shanahan (Norwin) as well as running back Chris Burns (Wilmington Area).

Rivals.com also produced a Big East signing day dream team (only HS players). Pitt had the most players on the roster with 5: Jared Holley, Shayne Hale, Lucas Nix, Jonathan Baldwin and Cameron Saddler. Louisville and ‘Cuse placed 4 each, WVU and Rutgers with 3 a piece, Cinci and UConn 2 each and USF with 1.

Marcel Pestano — who it was already known that he was leaving Pitt — and Greg Webster have transferred to D-II California (PA) University.

Phil Bennett made SI.com’s Stuart Mandel’s list of impact coordinators hired.

The recently deposed SMU coach made a name for himself under Bill Snyder at Kansas State, where his defenses ranked in the top five nationally all three seasons (1999-2001). At Pittsburgh, he inherits another that ranked fifth in the country last season, trailing only Ohio State, USC, LSU and Virginia Tech.

Led by star LB Scott McKillop, the Panthers return 18 of 22 players on the defensive two-deep that bottled up West Virginia in their memorable season-ending upset. That defense is a major reason many prognosticators (myself included) expect Pitt to make the leap from 5-7 to top-25 contender next season, but it will require a successful transition from Paul Rhoads (now at Auburn) to Bennett.

He, who I would rather not mention, was not on the list.