Previewing Miami

I don't know why...don't ask. But I've had a real problem getting up for this game. Maybe it's because my expectations are lowered since the Utah game. The more and more I think about this game, the more I can't help looking ahead to Pitt's real season - the Big East schedule. If Pitt were undefeated and in the top ten, I'd feel much differently.

But any way you look at it, it's still a game of significance.

For starters, the game will have pre- and post-game shows on the new Pitt network.

Okay, so these schools do have some history including the epic 1997 game:

The Panthers and Hurricanes, of course, used to be Big East brothers before Miami bolted for the ACC. Pitt only beat the the Hurricanes once during their Big East days, also on a Thursday night in 1997.

I was at that game as a student and remember it being a pretty big deal around campus. Because the game was on a Thursday, I think total attendance in classes that Friday campus-wide was somewhere in the dozens. Even though Miami wasn't the Miami of old, they were still ranked somewhere around #17 or #18 and it was considered a big win.

Then of course, there's the history between the two coaches:

Even deeper than that, though, is the connection between the two head coaches. Pittsburgh's Dave Wannstedt helped recruit Miami coach Randy Shannon out of high school when he was the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator under Jimmy Johnson. Wannstedt then went on to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, which drafted Shannon in the final round.

Later, when he became coach of the Miami Dolphins, Wannstedt promoted Shannon on his staff. He also helped him land the defensive coordinator job with the Hurricanes from there.

Here's a little more on the coaches.

And then there's Pitt linebackers coach Bernard Clark, who played at the U - he'd like to see his linebackers step up:

His main concern is production and big plays. The linebackers have yet to produce a sack or a tackle for loss.

"I've been their worst critic, probably harder on them than they are on themselves," Clark said. "We have a lot more to go, they've played good, I'll say, but not to the level we think they should play at but each week they are getting better. I thought from the Utah game to the New Hampshire game, they got better."

So Pitt and Miami are familiar with each other. What else?

Well, speaking of linebackers, Coach Wannstedt says Dan Mason may not play. At all:

Sophomore middle linebacker Dan Mason, demoted to second team last week, may not play against Miami, according to coach Dave Wannstedt. Max Gruder is starting at middle linebacker, and Tristan Roberts will make his first career start at weak-side linebacker. Greg Williams will move to strong-side linebacker. When asked how the Panthers will use Mason, who was in Jason Douglas' car during a recent arrest, Wannstedt said, barring an injury or some other factor, "I don't know if we will. As of right now he is not on the depth chart as a starter, and he's not starting on any special teams," Wannstedt said.

Personally, because of his role in the Jason Douglas/DUI incident, I'm not sure he should be playing. But since he's not suspended, I'd be surprised if he didn't play at all. I think he sees some time, even if it's only limited.

Dave Wannstedt also covered a lot of ground in his press conference. Out of everything, this is what may have stuck out the most to me:

“He’s got it all. The second play of the game, if he’s forced to play, he’s capable of doing that. We don’t have anything different for Dion (Lewis) than we do for Ray. They’re both interchangeable.”

Um, interchangeable? Really? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Funny what a difference two games can make. Lewis was a Heisman trophy candidate and two games into the season and we're ready to call it a wash between he and Graham. Wow...not sure I'm buying that just yet. In looking at the entire context of the quote, I don't know if he really meant to use that specific word or that he's saying Graham is as good as Lewis. But just the fact that we're talking about them being interchangeable parts shows just how true 'What have you done for me lately' really is.

Meanwhile, on the Miami side of the ball, it's hard to get a handle on just how good Miami may be. Like Pitt, they're 1-1 and  lost their one challenge of the year and handily won against a weaker opponent.

One thing we know is that they have a somewhat dangerous quarterback, but one prone to mistakes:

Miami quarterback Jacory Harris has thrown for four touchdowns and four interceptions through two games this season, and in 2009 he hit on 24 scores but also threw 17 picks.

That may be true, but we'll have to see how Pitt's secondary responds. They haven't exactly been world beaters. Some good news is that the secondary may get Dom DeCicco and Andrew Taglianetti back.

Also on an anciliary note, Pitt will be bringing back several hundred players, enough to rival the approximate 500 that helped close Pitt stadium:

Some of the players that are already confirmed include Tony Dorsett, Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Ruben Brown, Al Romano, Randy Holloway, Jim Sweeney and former Pitt head coach John Majors.

“It was my job to get in touch with these guys, which we have over 330 guys (coming in),” Clancy said. “We had guys call in (Thursday). I talked to Ruben Brown, he’ll be in. We’re going to get close to 375 guys, 300 to 400 guys. There’s going to be some guys who call up, last couple of days like they always do. I’m surprised we have this many, this early.”

Should be a fun night.  Well, if the Panthers win, anyway.

Greg Romeus Back Sooner Than Expected?

Dave Wannstedt sounded rather optimistic about the possibility of Greg Romeus' return:

Wannstedt said he coached a pair of NFL players who underwent similar surgery and they were back in the lineup in "four to six weeks."

Asked whether he expects Romeus back in time for the regular season or a bowl game, the Pitt coach said, "Regular season."

"I have been involved with players, in fact all defensive linemen, who have had surgery and have gotten back and finished out the season," he said. "They were (out) four to six weeks."

Added Wannstedt, "The plan is it's not a season-ending surgery. How many games he will get back for, we will just have to take that week to week. But I am very confident when Greg gets back, he will be playing at a high level and finish up a great senior year."

That's really good news not only for Pitt, but also for Greg. It will allow him to hopefully get back to the point so that NFL scouts feel secure enough to still risk a high-round pick on him. Of course, there's always the chance that Wannstedt isn't being completely honest in his assessment. But that seems unlikely for the reason that the sooner Pitt gets to the six-week point, that he'd merely have to answer questions about why Romeus is improving so slowly.

Assume he misses six weeks from now - that places him on target for the Oct. 30 Louisville game a few days later. If he stays on that schedule, you'd assume he'd miss that game since Pitt has a bye the following week and can rest him before the road game at UCONN on Nov. 11.

 

If that is indeed the scenario, it's a good one for Pitt as he would be back for the meat of the Big East schedule - road games at UCONN, Cincinnati, and South Florida as well as the home game against West Virginia.

Dan Mason Moved To 2nd Team

The first shot was fired as coach Wannstedt bumped Dan Mason from his starting spot, moving him to the second team. I'm not sure if this means he won't miss any games at all, but the move is apparently indefinite and he won't get his starting spot back until Wannstedt believes he's earned it.

There will be some shuffling around, but essentially Max Gruder will move over to MLB and when it's all said and done, Tristan Roberts will now start.

As expected, he also said Douglas remaining at Pitt is obviously no guarantee:

"Jason has been suspended indefinitely," Wannstedt said. "He has a hearing [Thursday] but the likelihood of him returning to this team is seriously in jeopardy."

Personally, I don't expect him to be back.

Greg Romeus To Have Back Surgery

Looks like the rumors and speculation was true - Greg Romeus will have back surgery, as reported by the Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review today.

The surgery will rob him of the majority of the season and while Dave Wannstedt says he will be back for the "conclusion of the season," it's pretty obvious that he'll miss most if not the rest of Pitt's games.

Wannstedt read a prepared statement today:

"Our top priority is doing what is best for Greg," Wannstedt said in a prepared statement. "After consulting with him, his family and our medical staff, it was determined that immediate surgery is the best option for Greg both personally and athletically."

Romeus has already used up his redshirt and his Pitt career may end after this season. He could try to get a sixth year of eligibility as Adam Gunn did (Gunn also played in one game the season he was injured and had previously used a redshirt), but since he's projected as a high NFL Draft pick, I don't know that he'd want to risk coming back to school anyway.

The good news, if there is any, is that Brandon Lindsey appears to be ready to step in and play. I've heard a lot of talk about how well he played last week, but that was against an FCS-School offensive line. I think he'll be fine, but definitely a downgrade from a fully healthy Romeus.

Greg Romeus Still A Question Mark

Another day and more questions about Greg Romeus. The questions have been going on since training camp and haven't really stopped.

For starters, Paul Zeise said he looked like he had a hard time staying loose against Utah.

And then there was this week, when he was absent entirely. Pitt and Dave Wannstedt didn't really clarify if it was injury or something else that caused him to miss the game.

Coach Dave Wannstedt said Romeus, the 2009 Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year, was excused "to go home for personal reasons."

It seems pretty clear that this is injury-related and he's not completely healthy. No news there. At some point, just come clean about the injury.  I don't see why it's such a huge deal.

This is, of course, leading to mass speculation.

And Jabaal Sheard, after the New Hampshire game, made it sound like we can expect to see Romeus away for a while...and tried to paint a rosy picture at the same time:

"We know we have to step it up without Greg," Sheard said. "We are definitely going to miss Greg, we will definitely miss him because he is a leader, he pushes all of us and he's a great player. But guys like Brandon and Nate Nix stepped up and made a lot of plays.

"I know Greg is happy at home watching this game but we'll be fine without him until he gets back. Brandon is a great pass rusher, he is actually probably faster than Greg, and we saw that last year against Syracuse and I hope that he continues to play at a high level."

It's hard to get a good handle on this and there's no way to determine (at least on the outside looking in) if he'll be ready to play against Miami. From the sound of things, I wouldn't count on it.

Pitt Back On Track

Pitt, as expected, won today's game against New Hampshire.  The game finished fairly close to what I predicted over at SB Nation Pittsburgh (actual score was 38-16 and my prediction was 30-13).  I expected Pitt to have little trouble with this matchup and that's basically how it played out.

Tino Sunseri came out and posted better numbers than his first start. Obviously, playing an FCS school at home should help with that. All in all, I think he looked fairly good again.  He seemed to be a little more comfortable and his final stats (24-34 for 275 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT) were solid.  In actuality, he very well could have ended up with two interceptions as one of his passes was thrown right to a defender who dropped it.  There were also a few instances of him simply making poor throws that should have resulted in completions.  But again, for only his second start, I think he's progressing nicely.

Pitt's defense played fairly well despite the absence of starters Greg Romeus and Dom DeCicco. I honestly don't know what to make of the whole Greg Romeus thing.  He sat out all of camp, even with Dave Wannstedt appearing as if the injury was nothing more than stiffness/soreness. Then he played in the first game last week, but clearly wasn't himself.  So he sits out again today, presumably to try to get him healthy for the Miami game.  Sitting him for this game was obviously the right move as Pitt didn't need him, but it'd be nice to know what his status really is...especially in light of the fact that Pitt has apparently decided it will not be complying with that whole Big East injury report thing.  This has been going on since the beginning of camp and at this point, it's easy to wonder if this is going to be a season-long thing.

At any rate, New Hampshire's star running back, Dontra Peters, who rushed for nearly 200 yards the week before had a long day, going for only 15 yards on 11 carries.

And speaking of star running backs not having great days, that takes us to the story of the day - Dion Lewis.  Lewis again struggled to find rushing room, finishing for a career-worst 27 yards on only ten carries. To his credit and something I didn't hear mentioned on the post-game radio show during my drive home (not to say it wasn't...just not while I was listening), he did have five receptions out of the backfield for 52 yards. 

I'm not ready to panic on Lewis yet.  While I expected him to have a big day, I also didn't expect the coaches only to give him ten rushing attempts.  I think Wannstedt wanted to get Ray Graham some work after missing last week's game and some time at camp.  I expect that he believes he might need both backs against Miami and really needed to try to get Graham up to speed.

So no, I'm not jumping on the 'running back controversy' thing, which is surely to get rolling next week.  Lewis struggled a bit, Wannstedt needed a spark and also to get Graham some time.  And once Graham got going, why would you take him out?  I had no problem with Wannstedt's use of Graham today because, well, you know, it worked.

But one thing I will say is that without a miraculous comeback, the Dion Lewis for Heisman talk is officially dead.  He was going to have a tough time as it was convincing voters that he's the man for the award.  Now, after two subpar games, including one against an FCS foe, he's got no shot.  Want me to put it in perspective? Even if he averages 150 yards per game over ten more regular season games and a bowl game, he still will finish short of his 2009 total of 1,799 yards...a total, by the way, that garnered him virtually no Heisman consideration at all.  So, yeah, I'd say it's safe to call it a wrap.

That doesn't mean he can't have a productive season and I still expect that to happen.  But any chance of repeating his incredible freshman season seems lost.

Pitt now gets a bye week to prepare for a home game against Miami on the following Thursday night.  I would have gladly taken 2-1 after the first three games and if Pitt is able to do that with this schedule, I'd qualify that as a very good start to the season.

Pitt Vs. Upside-Down Vermont

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

So how does this weekend's matchup shape up for Pitt?  Well, put it this way - New Hampshire is actually one of the better I-AA FCS schools out there.  They laid a 30-point beatdown on fellow FCS school Central Connecticut State this past weekend.  For their efforts, they were rewarded by moving up five spots in the coaches poll to #5 in the country.

Four of the Big East's schools have scheduled FCS foes this weekend and ESPN.com's Brian Bennett says Pitt will have the stiffest challenge.

And New Hampshire knows all about not only playing I-A teams, but beating them:

Dating back to 2004, the Wildcats have won FBS games at Rutgers in front of 31,000 people, at Northwestern in front of 20,000, at Marshall in front of 27,000, at Army's historic Michie Stadium in front of the Corps of Cadets, and last year in front of 12,000 under the lights at Ball State's Scheumann Stadium. But this is the first NFL stadium they've visited since 1999, when they lost 42-41 in OT to South Florida at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 So what makes New Hampshire so good?

It all starts with the running game.  Dontra Peters rushed for nearly 200 yards, two touchdowns, and averaged more than 10 yards per carry in the opener.  Part of that is that the team runs the 'oh-so-fun' triple option.  The good news for Pitt is that they stop the run a lot better than the pass.

On the other side, Dion Lewis thinks Peters won't be the only running back being keyed on this Saturday:

Pitt sophomore running back Dion Lewis knows what to expect from New Hampshire's defense at Heinz Field.

"Eight in the box," he said. "Nine in the box."

Welcome to stardom, Dion.

This weekend won't be the one in which to judge Lewis. I fully expect him to get off in this game, even if New Hampshire puts 11 in the box. The better week to judge if he's fully recovered from that Utah debacle is against Miami when he'll face another good defense. One thing we've all likely been a little spoiled by was the 150-yard performances he regularly put up last year.  To expect that on a routine basis this season is foolish.  Pitt is starting a new quarterback and defenses know that the passing game will struggle at times. Everyone is focused on stopping Lewis.

But back to stopping the pass, injured safety Dom DeCicco is making progress, but Dave Wannstedt is pretty tight-lipped about his condition:

DeCicco is now officially listed as day-to-day but when asked him today Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said simply "he's doing fine" and then added "I'm not going to get into day-to-day injury things. He is doing fine. He is doing better, I should say."

This sounds like Greg Romeus part deux.  And about Romeus - don't forget he's still just now getting into game shape with all the time he missed in camp.

And on somewhat of a minor note, this was one thing that caught my eye about New Hampshire's game last weekend:

UNH missed two extra-point attempts (one blocked) and a chip-shot field goal.

Pitt loves getting after punts and kicks so look for the special teams to be aggressive.

Bottom line is that Pitt needs to, and should, win this game.  If they don't, look out.

Dave Wannstedt Talks About...The Call

Dave Wannstedt opened his press conference with a brief mention of the Utah game before, obviously, turning his attention to New Hampshire. Sure he talked about Ray Graham, Dom DeCicco, etc., but I think what we were all waiting for was the explanation of running on third and long late in regulation instead of taking a shot at the end zone. Of course the media wouldn't let him get away that easily and the question came up about Pitt's offense on that final drive in regulation:

“We discussed that (to run or pass on third down). Obviously every call stops with me — offense, defense or special teams. Where we were at with the third down-and-ten, the one thing you don’t want to do in the red zone, which we obviously did in overtime, was to turn the ball over and you don’t want to knock yourself out of field goal range.

“On the third-and-ten they were bringing a lot of pressure. If it’s third-and-three, third-and- four or third-and-five it’s obviously a whole different call. All you have to do is look up the percentages in the third-and-ten situations when you’re thinking in the back of your mind that you have a young quarterback and he can’t hear himself talk, you want to make sure that you’re making the right call. Plus, we thought if we went into overtime that we would win the game.

“On top of it all, you’re handing the ball to a great player. We did the same thing last year against South Florida when Dion Lewis went for 50 yards. Two years ago, if you remember the last play before the half against Navy down there, we handed the ball to LaSean McCoy on the draw and he went 50 or 60 yards. I think they’re anticipating the pass, but you’re also giving the ball to your best offensive player.”

I think I've made it pretty clear that I've switched over to the side of Wannstedt. I was always a bit in between on him, but I think he's really got Pitt going in the right direction.

That said, I still disagree with him on playcalling from time to time, and especially so in this case. Pitt was on the road and really needed to try to avoid overtime at all costs.  I understand not wanting to make a mistake, I really do. But there would have been nothing wrong with asking Tino Sunseri to throw towards the sidelines and let Jon Baldwin try to make a play. Sunseri had shown signs of heating up as the game went on and he became more accurate. I think you've got to go to the end zone in that case. And while it's true that Dion Lewis is your best offensive weapon, to pretend like you have a realistic chance of getting ten yards on that play when Lewis had been held in check all night (and perhaps the most of his career) is unrealistic.

Wannstedt referred to the pass rush and I think he was more concerned about taking the sack. Tino had been sacked twice (I think) and while I understand there was the threat of it happening again, I think if you pound it into his skull that under no circumstances can he take a sack, you'd be okay.

Further, as Dan Hutchins proved after that when he missed the second attempt after Utah called a timeout immediately before it, that the field goal they had was no chip shot. Why not take a shot at paydirt?

The play shouldn't have caught anyone by surprise. Wannstedt is conservative by nature and it definitely showed there. Still, I think he made a mistake in not passing in that situation.

The Aftermath

The morning after isn't any easier, even right before a three-day weekend. Okay, so maybe the long weekend makes it a little better. Still, plenty to complain about.

For starters, as I noted before, Pitt has nothing to gain by scheduling these types of 1-1 series with a team like Utah. As Chas at Pitt Blather correctly points out, college football is a different animal entirely from the NFL. I'll take it a step further and also throw college basketball in the discussion. You have playoffs in those two leagues where as college football is essentially one and done - at least for teams in leagues like the Big East where respect is already an issue.

I've been on the record as saying it was a bad move to play Utah. If the goal is a national championship, it just makes little sense from Pitt's end. The schedule this season is already difficult enough with road games at Notre Dame and UCONN and home games again Miami and WVU. Pitt still probably wouldn't run the table even without the Utah game, but that isn't the point. The point is that you want to give yourself the best chance of winning a championship and scheduling games like these, while nice for the fans to see, is akin to chopping off your right leg before attempting to run a marathon.

There's a reason that Ohio State opened up with Marshall. There's a reason Miami opened up with FAMU.

I know, I know, it's easy to kick and scream about this after a loss. But the fact is I've been beating this drum for a while (most recently briefly questioning it in my look ahead to 2010 after last year's season ended).

Bob Smizik of the PG, while not agreeing completely, discusses the fact that playing Utah in an opener is less than ideal. But it's after the fact, so let's move on.

Dave Wannstedt hit the nail on the head with this quote:

"We didn't play good enough to win. We really didn't," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Down the stretch Utah made less mistakes than we did."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Pitt played alright, but as I said last night didn't make enough big plays and gave up too many.

And the more I think about it, the more I can't praise Tino Sunseri enough. He got better as the game went along:

And Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri, who grew up a little bit as the game wore on, had a chance to etch his name in Panthers history by leading a dramatic come-from-behind victory after they trailed most of the game and had not looked very good for a lot of it, either.

Sunseri calmly led the Panthers to two first downs and then hit Mike Shanahan with a 20-yard pass to the Utes' 14 to set the Panthers up with a first down-and-10 with 40 seconds to play.

I think his play was the biggest unknown heading into the game. We knew the offensive line and secondary were going to struggle at least a little bit (it turned out to be a lot on both fronts), but really had no idea what to expect from Sunseri. He wasn't great, but there were signs of a good QB in the making. Playing in that environment off the bat should, if nothing else, make the rest of the games much easier. Sure, there was the costly interception, and Sunseri just didn't make the throw he needed to:

"Shanahan was open," Sunseri said. "I missed it inside. It was my fault. I take the blame. Everyone put us in position to win and I've just got to finish."

No one can (and I haven't heard this) blame Sunseri for this loss. He played about as well as he could given the circumstances and I was pleased with what he gave the team. Before his long TD reception, Jon Baldwin couldn't do a good enough job of getting open and on the balls thrown his way, he couldn't make the big play. One in particular stood out to me where he completely mistimed his jump and despite having a shorter man covering him, couldn't get the jump ball. On the one big play he did make on that TD, it was due to a complete defensive breakdown - not so much from anything he did. And the team will need to get more from Dion Lewis who could average no more than three yards a carry. Look, both will be fine. But on this night, neither played particularly well.

And then there was the fact that Pitt's vaunted defense, even with an offensive lineman built more like a large safety, couldn't get a single sack on the night.

Oh yeah, by the way, let's not forget that Utah didn't play particularly well either. That's got to make the loss a little more troubling. In a year Pitt is supposed to take that next step, they couldn't pull out a win despite a Utah team that, at times, couldn't get out of it's own way.

To me, it wasn't so much the fact that they lost, but how they couldn't capitalize on Utah's many mistakes:

"I'm very proud of the way our guys hung in there," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose squad overcame three turnovers, a blocked punt and 11 penalties.

The miscues, he added, were all things that can be improved upon before the Utes open their final Mountain West Conference campaign Sept. 11 at home against UNLV.

"We made enough mistakes tonight so we'll have plenty to work on," Whittingham said. "We had unintelligent penalties at inopportune times. But the good thing is that all of these mistakes are correctable issues. It's always better to work through these issues after a win."

That was the key. As Wanny said, the team played well enough, just not well enough to win. For the Utes, they got the 1-0 start coveted by every team in the country. For Pitt, it's back to the drawing board.

Well, That Thoroughly Sucked

Not much more to add to the title, but I'm sure this post will go on for quite a while.

So Pitt lost tonight against Utah. Unfortunately, I predicted this dead on in my Q&A with Block U earlier this week. I don't know, I figured Pitt would play well but I thought there would be something that kept this team from winning.

Had you told me that Tino Sunseri would play pretty well and Pitt would win the turnover battle, I would have expected a win. During the game, they mentioned that Pitt wins 89% of its games where they win the turnover battle. I would have figured the team would hold serve.

Problem is, the team just gave up too many big plays and didn't make enough of their own. For starters, I'm not entirely sure who kidnapped Frank Cignetti and replaced him with Matt Cavanaugh in the first half, but Pitt's offense played about as unimaginative as they possibly could. I understand the need to simplify things for Tino Sunseri's first start. And frankly, I would have done the same thing. But I expected the team to throw a few more passes that were, you know, longer than five yards. Part of the problem was that even though the offensive line started off okay, they got progressively worse and Sunseri had less time to throw. But Pitt was stuck in some sort of time-warp, Johnny Majors 1990s playcalling funk. I saw very little creativity and it seemed the offense was dumbed down too much.

And then there's the secondary. Oh, boy.

What a disaster from basically start to finish. Jarred Holley managed to get a key interception in the end zone to keep the game close before the half, but other than that, it was a complete train wreck. All the talk in camp was that the unit should be markedly better than last year's. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't see it. Sophomore QB Jordan Wynn went for nearly 300 yards and 3 TDs. Fellow soph DeVonte Christopher, who had a grand total of two catches last season looked like Randy Moss on steroids. Eight catches for 155 yards? Jerry Rice thinks that's a career day.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Well, self - at least they shut down the main guy instead."

Wrongo.

The defense also gave up five catches and 87 yards to big-play guy, Jereme Brooks. Worse, however, was the number of big passes: 19 yard TD, 24 yards, 32 yards, 46 yards, and then the 61 yard TD bomb.

One thing that stuck out at me in looking at the play-by-play was the progression of those plays. That's the exact order in which they happened. Yes, there were shorter passes in between, but as the game went on, the secondary got worse, giving up progressively bigger plays.

The thing that killed the team more than anything was getting inside the ten-yard on successive possessions in the 3rd and 4th quarters and only getting six points out of it. If Pitt scores a TD on one of those, they possibly win. Who knows how the game plays out, but they would have had a good look at it. You can't, can't, can't, can't, can't, can't, can't, CAN'T get that close and come away with FGs. Period. Heck, on one of the possessions, they had a first and goal from the four. FROM THE FOUR.

Another killer was obviously the penalties. Too many times the team had drives stalled because of penalties. 12-75 was simply too many. But, it's the opener, so you hope it gets better from here.

Moving to the offensive side of the ball, Pitt's stars were really held in check. Dion Lewis had not only a pedestrian night, but a below average one of only 75 yards on 25 carries.  The offensive line really didn't help that and Utah was stacking guys at the line giving him virtually no chance to succeed. He'll be fine. Jon Baldwin was virtually non-existent early on and only made an impact late in the game when secondary coverage broke down, leaving him wide open for the long TD catch.

And I heard the comment about Ray Graham not playing really affecting the team. I don't know. Yes, he's a change of pace back, but if Lewis had that much trouble finding room to run, I think Graham would have fallen into the same problems. Utah just stacked the box and made running extremely difficult.

A bright spot for me was the play of Tino. He struggled a little early, but I don't place any blame on him. A few of his early passes were off, but he was under pressure as the first half went on and the playbook was really limited. He avoided mistakes until the final, extremely-costly, interception and looked like a leader out there. I really think he's going to be good and I think the QB position is in good hands for the next few years. He was an assassin late in the game, and made two great throws to Baldwin on that last TD drive. He came right back and got Pitt within in field goal ranging making another great throw to Mike Shanahan. It was only one game, but he's looking like he can play.

And the good news is that this doesn't severely damage Pitt's season. All of the silly talk about the team going undefeated and winning a national championship can officially stop now.  If this team goes 9-3 and wins the Big East, mission accomplished. The key thing to remember is that things get easier from here. Miami and WVU will be difficult but Pitt will at least have the luxury of playing at home. This is one of Pitt's toughest games on the schedule and the team will get better as the season moves on.

Still, it was a bit of a disappointment to see Pitt lose this one.

Views From The Enemy

So with gametime merely two days away, I thought I'd take a look at what they're saying out in Utah:

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham discusses the game in his press conference on Monday. Overall, he seems really confident and it sounds like the Utes will be ready to play.

The Utes offense features a 1,000 yard rusher in senior Eddie Wide. Wide is a true star and he averaged more than five yards per carry on the ground last year. But the receivers are looking to be featured on Thursday as long as sophomore quarterback Jordan Wynn does his part:

“We are ready to go,” said senior wideout Shaky Smithson. “We came into camp this year with the attitude that no one can contain us on the outside or going across the middle. We will make any defense that lines up against us pay for underestimating us. As long as Jordan (Wynn) can get us the ball, and he will, we will make plays.”

Whittingham also thinks the receivers will be ready:

“Knowing that we can throw the ball down field to capable, athletic players opens up so many doors for any coach preparing a game plan on the offensive side of the football,” Whittingham said. “Our receivers seem to rise to the occasion every year, I don’t see any reason why this year will be any different.”

Meanwhile, it's understandable for Utah to bring up the 2005 Fiesta Bowl debacle. That's likely the last time many of them have watched Pitt play. Still, it doesn't sound like Whittingham is using that game as any kind of point of reference:

"It's a whole new coaching regime, a whole new program," he said. "There are no similarities with this Pittsburgh team as opposed to the one we played in '05. It's a complete transformation."

He also, correctly, pointed out that this year's Pitt team is much better than that 2004-05 team in that press conference audio link above. I don't blame Utah for mentioning the game. It really helped to catapult them to getting into the conversation as seriously belonging in the BCS. And in a lot of ways, it helped open the door for teams like Boise State and TCU to get serious shots at BCS bowls. If Utah loses that game, no telling how much it affects the influence of voters.

But back to this week's game. Dave Wannstedt is being taken to task (somewhat) for his comment about Tino Sunseri winning a high school state championship:

And Utah is putting a lot of emphasis in stopping Pitt's star defensive ends, Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. So much so, that the team is not even allowing a new offensive tackle to speak to the media this week:

Wanted to talk to Utah offensive lineman John Cullen about his debut with the Utes and the challenge he in particular faces Thursday. Unfortunately the Utes have him on media lockdown and won't allow him to do interviews.

I was told Monday he was getting too many requests and the coaches want him to focus on the game. During several years of covering Utah, the Utes have made similar bans before with certain players, usually quarterbacks, but not with linemen. Kind of tells you right there what the Utes think of Pitt's defensive line, doesn't it?

Preventing an offensive lineman from speaking to the media? Wow, that's some kind of focus.

Obstacles Await

Here we are, three days away from possibly Pitt's most challenging test of the season. The good news for Pitt is that a defeat will not mean all that much in the grand scope of things.  Pitt wants to (and needs to) win the Big East this year and get to a BCS bowl game. This game will have no bearing on that goal.

That said, no one in their right mind should think it's okay to accept a loss.  The game could set the tone for a hugely successful season and really get things off on the right foot. Depending on how some voters see it, it could also put Pitt on the brink of the top ten in the polls.

There are a lot of things in Pitt's way for this first game.

To start, there are injuries - most notably, Ray Graham. Injury reports aren't out yet, but Dave Wannstedt says Graham will play when he addressed the media today:

"From an injury standpoint, we are probably about as healthy as we could expect coming out of a very physical training camp. Greg Romeus is a big topic, and he's been great the last week. Ray Graham is very close; he practiced in team (drills) yesterday and he will be available to play.

That's big news, obviously. Utah's front four is said to be a strength of the defense and it's good to know that when Lewis needs a breather, Graham will be there to provide it. I expect Pitt to run early and often and Graham gives them another home run threat.

Then there's the altitude. Dave Wannstedt apparently thinks the elevation of over 4,500 feet won't matter:

"Every place I've coached for 16 years, we went out (to Denver) the day before, lined up, and played. That's Dallas, Chicago, and Miami. I think all the studies will tell you that if you wanted to make a total adjustment, you have to be out there three days. It takes 72 hours. So even going that extra day like some of the NFL teams do, it doesn't do anything. You go out, you line up, and you play."

Just don't tell that to the basketball team:

They must contend with the thin air of Rice-Eccles Stadium, elevation 4,657 feet. The coaches and players have downplayed the altitude, but it will have some affect, however small.

When the Pitt men's basketball team played in mile high Denver in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, a number of players admitted breathing was noticeably more difficult.

I don't know how much of a difference it will make, but it's got to be at least a small factor. I understand Wannstedt's motivation for trying to downplay it as much as possible, but I do think it's going to count for something.

There's also the fact that Utah is nearly unbeatable with lots of preparation time:

Combine Utah’s nine-game bowl winning streak with season openers, games after byes and games held on nights other than Saturdays and the Utes have won their past 13 contests when they have more than a week to prepare.

And did I mention this was a road game on a Thursday night no less?

Oh yeah, and don't forget about, you know, the actual game. There's a pretty good team on the other side of the ball - and a unique one:

No. 15 Pitt will try to solve Utah's high-scoring spread offense when the No. 15 Panthers open the season Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utes run four-receiver sets, power formations, the option and the Wildcat -- and that's just the beginning.

"Everything you think you might see in a year," Bennett said, "we are seeing in the first game."

The Panthers know first-hand how potent Utah's offense can be. Then-coach Urban Meyer's Utes routed Pitt, 35-7, in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2004 season. Back then, the spread offense wasn't as prolific. Today, it is the offense of choice for many programs. Pitt's schedule is dotted with teams that use some version of the spread, including West Virginia and Cincinnati.

Ugh, that 2005 bowl game still makes my head spin.  Seriously, though, that last part is the key. Pitt has seen this type of stuff before and while it won't be the easiest thing in the world to do, against a young quarterback, Pitt has the tools to be successful against that type offense. This year's team is leaps and bounds better than the one Utah lined up against nearly six years ago.

Still, lots of obstacles to get over.

Dave Wannstedt Fooling No One

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt wouldn't commit to it, but Phil Bennett confirmed what most of us knew - that Aaron Donald will not redshirt this year:

"He's going to play," Bennett said. "Greg [Gattuso] will tell you that he's right in the mix."

As I mentioned yesterday, I didn't think there was any way Donald wouldn't play after all the praise he received from Wannstedt during training camp. Still, it was good to hear it confirmed and Bennett apparently didn't care that Wannstedt wouldn't confirm it or, less likely, didn't know. Either way, the 'secret' is out.

In other notes from Paul Zeise's awesome PG blog, Greg Romeus is back in a big way, the weakside linebacker spot has not yet been claimed, and more. Excellent read worth the look anytime he has a post.

Freshmen Deliberations

We all know K'Wuan Williams is going to see time on the field. But we all figured Penn Hills star Aaron Donald was going to as well. There were glowing reviews all Fall, including this one:

"I'm going to have to change Mick Williams jersey, because to this point the Mick Williams of this training camp has been Aaron Donald. The guy has been in the backfield more than any player on our defensive line the whole camp. I will be real curious to see if he can keep that up. If he continues to perform and do what he's doing, we'll see if we can mix him in with some of the older guys in live scrimmage. He's off to a fast start."

And this one:

"I'm going to change his number to 95. I told him no more 59; I think I called him Mick (Williams) three times today.

But then there was this nugget out there today:

Of the two, what to do with Donald, a Penn Hills High School graduate, shapes up as a tougher decision.

He has been dominant throughout preseason practices in nearly every situation against nearly anybody who lined up against him.

But Wannstedt is hesitant to commit to Donald because the Panthers have three veteran defensive tackles ready to play and a couple others who have played well enough to show they can be productive.

"Donald is a possibility, Clemmings is a possibility," Wannstedt said. "[Donald] is a playmaker, he is kind of a mini-Mick [Williams, who starred at defensive tackle last season]. We'll see, but [once a freshman plays] there is no turning back. You don't want to waste a year because, once you play a kid, now you are trying to force him into the lineup.

"That decision [on Donald] has not been made yet; he's getting reps, he is getting prepared to play, we'll see how it plays out."

How does one go from the next Mick Williams to merely a possibility for playing time? Welcome to the world of spin.

Wannstedt seemed to back off of hyping Donald up too much, but I don't see how they keep him off the field based on the earlier assessments. The other side of the argument is that Wannstedt took a great deal of credit when he burned through Bostick's redshirt during his second season in 2008. That turned out to be a non-factor as he redshirted last year instead, but the move perhaps made him think twice about playing kids who might not see a lot of action. Wannstedt obviously wants to get a lot of usage out of Donald if he decides to play him this season as there'd really be no going back as was in the case of Bostick.

My prediction? He goes ahead and plays him this year. In the end, no way Wanny heaps that much praise on the kid and then doesn't even play him. I think he's committed to putting the best team out there and while most freshmen won't see the field this year, it will be a good thing for recruits to see a handful of guys be able to come in and play right away. It would also be frustrating for certain guys to see someone perform extremely well in camp, exceed expectations, and still not get on the field. I expect to see him suit up this season and play.

Then there's five-star recruit, T.J. Clemmings. Clemmings wasn't heard from as much as most probably expected this Fall. And when Bryan Murphy stepped up, we heard his name even less. It was pretty much assured that Murphy was going to see time this season until his injury. Clemmings wasn't mentioned as much of a possibility to factor in for playing time, but with the injury to Murphy, he could see the field this season. My guess is that it's not as much of a slam dunk as I think it is for Donald. Bottom line? I think if he deserves to, he'll play. I don't think Wannstedt is bent on redshirting him.

Lastly, you've got Todd Thomas. I already briefly mentioned the Curious Case of Todd Thomas earlier this week. Highly touted recruit that figured to factor in the discussion for playing time. The emergency of Devin Street and position change of Greg Cross changed all that. Thomas could play some this season, but I think it's unlikely. Behind starters Jonathan Baldwin and Mike Shanahan, you've got Street, Cross, and Cam Saddler all ahead of him.  I don't see the logic in burning his redshirt to serve as a fifth or sixth receiver.  I think Pitt sits him this year then waits for Baldwin and Cross to leave the program next year.  Thomas could then come in and compete for Baldwin's spot if Street can't hang onto it or serve as a third receiver if he can leapfrog Sadder.

Camp Broken

Well, Pitt's training camp is officially coming to a close. Camp actually has officially broken, even though there will be one more practice on Monday. After an off-day Tuesday, Pitt will get back to work on Wednesday and begin preparations for the huge opener vs. Utah.

Here are my top five developments from training camp:

1. Greg Romeus Injury - I'm not sure how big of a concern this should be, but Romeus only managed one full day of practice in pads throughout camp. All during camp, Dave Wannstedt has insisted his injury isn't all that serious. Still, Romeus was virtually absent from on-field action and with camp over, it will be interesting to see how much he actually participates this week. Pitt still has a few days of practice the following week, but Romeus will need more than that. For the record, Wannstedt still expects him to play in the opener:

“There’s nothing really new to report on Ray Graham and Greg Romeus except to say that they’re making great improvement, and day-to-day, they’re getting closer and closer. I expect Greg to be fine for opening day.

Pitt cannot afford to get into a shootout with Utah and to avoid that, will need to keep pressure on the QB. Romeus will be a big part of that and will be sorely missed if he's unable to suit up.

2. Offensive Line Finalized - Even though this hasn't been officially confirmed, Greg Gaskins has been practicing heavily with the first-team at RG. But the line appears to be set with Alex Karabin (C), Jason Pinkston (OT), Lucas Nix (OT), and Chris Jacobson (LG). No matter how good the line may have looked in camp, it's still going to be a work in progress when it comes to actual game action. Pitt has extraordinary talent on offense with Dion Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, and Ray Graham, but unless the line can block, it might not matter.

3. QB Progress Relatively Unknown - QB Tino Sunseri appeared to struggle a bit in camp, but really, I didn't get much indication of how he performed one way or the other. We all know he didn't fare well in either scrimmage, but other than that, we might be turning on the Utah game without having much of a clue as to how he'll perform. I expect that first game to include a heavy dose of running and shorter passes, but I'm really at a loss as to what to think he'll look like. I could see him throwing for three TDs or three INTs.

4. Devin Street Steps Up - Street had a good camp and he appears to have secured the spot as the fourth receiver:

"Devin Street has kind of emerged as the fourth guy," Wannstedt said. "He can play [flanker or split end]. He gives us the flexibility of playing with size with Baldwin or Shanahan. After that, it's been Greg Cross and Tinker. We've been very inconsistent. Other than the top four guys I couldn't tell you who is next in line."

On the flip side of that, I guess it's a surprise that Todd Thomas hasn't figured into the rotation. It almost makes you wonder if he'll redshirt if all those guys can stay healthy. After all, how many receivers does Pitt need to play? Wannstedt might be better served to go with Baldwin, Shanahan, Saddler, Street, Cross, and Tinker and hold onto an extra year of eligibility for Thomas.

5. (tie) Bryan Murphy Likely To Redshirt - Murphy was an absolute machine in camp and appeared headed for playing time this season. But his broken foot likely wiped out any hopes of getting on the field and barring any injuries to other key players ahead of him, should be redshirting.

5. (tie) Ray Graham Injured - Graham's injury doesn't appear to be too serious.  Still, he hasn't practiced recently and while Wannstedt indicated he expected Greg Romeus to be ready for the opener, he made no such claim about Graham:

Ray is running straight ahead right now, tomorrow will be the first day that he’ll start making cuts so we’ll see where he’s at there. He’s coming along, we just don’t want to do anything faster than what we need to.”

If Graham isn't ready for the opener, Jason Douglas will likely be thrown into backup running back duty. And it will become even more important for Dion Lewis to stay healthy.

Another Four-Star? Score.

Pitt got another big verbal commitment in CB Kyshoen Jarrett today. Jarrett is a consensus four-star recruit by both Rivals and Scout.

Pitt had to reach east to get Jarrett who is also a RB:

As a junior in 2009, Jarrett averaged 11.2 yards per carry on 53 rushing attempts and 17.3 yards per catch on 15 receptions. Pitt is recruiting him as a cornerback, and he has recorded five interceptions over the past two seasons.

Jarrett had more than a dozen offers. The Panthers beat out Penn State, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Stanford among others for his services. He talked about Pitt being the first to reach out to him:

“Pitt was the first to contact me and the first to offer me, but they never rushed me,” Jarrett said. “Even when they had 13 scholarships taken and onlyone or two more, they just said make the best choice for you. Things opened up, I prayed on it, and this is my decision.”

He made sure to do the annoying hat thing, but I guess it's a lot less annoying when he commits to your school:

Jarrett chose Pitt from a list of 17 schools that offered him scholarships. During his announcement at the school district's administration center, Jarrett selected a Pitt hat from a group of four finalists that included Virginia Tech, Michigan and Penn State.

Jarrett comes in with fellow secondary recruits Lafayette Pitts and fellow four-star commit Terrell Chestnut. I've got to admit I was a bit skeptical when Dave Wannstedt wanted to play Todd Thomas at wide receiver, but with two four-star secondary recruits coming in next year, looks like that was a wise move.

Chas over at Pitt Blather also has some more on him.

Injury Updates From Training Camp

To start, Greg Romeus, while not all the way back, appears to be doing a little more:

"It was good to get Greg Romeus back today, and to see him working. He didn't do everything, but he came out in pads and worked. He got back in the middle of things, which was good. We expect to do more with him every day, getting him ready to go.

Andrew Taglianetti appears to be in the same type of situation.

Meanwhile, it sounds like we can all exhale with Ray Graham's injury being nothing more than a sprained ankle:

Ray Graham didn't practice today. He sprained his knee, so we held him.

At first glance, it didn't seem like his was a long-term injury. He tried to get back into the scrimmage yesterday, but was held out and carted off. Hopefully it's just a sprain as is being reported.

And imagine my mind when I saw this headline today:

PITT DEFENSIVE END OUT WITH BROKEN FOOT

I'd be lying if I said my thoughts didn't go immediately to Romeus and his lingering injury.  But it was freshman Bryan Murphy whose foot was stepped on in camp and subsequently broken. He'll be out for 6-8 weeks. Dave Wannstedt's decision-making on defense has probably gotten a lot easier - though I'm sure he wouldn't have preferred it that way. Even a timetable of six weeks would still cause him to miss the rest of camp and the first three games. Not to mention that it will probably take him a few weeks to get up to speed. Getting that far behind will likely derail his chances of getting playing time this season.

Fortunately, Pitt has some depth there this season.

Greg Romeus Still Out

Yesterday, Dave Wannstedt said he expected Greg Romeus to be back in practice today. However, Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette points out that wasn't the case.

I still am not so sure this is serious, but Zeise elaborates in his blog and raises some questions:

Greg Romeus missed practice again with the always mysterious "soreness and stiffness" which is code for who knows what. Obviously if he was just sore or stiff he'd be out there and while I know he's had some back issues in the past and coaches are going to be very cautious with him, I'm not sure that this isn't something lingering. I remember last year Jabaal Sheard was out with a knee injury that was supposed to be minor and day-to-day and he ended up missing more than half of camp. I'm not saying that is going on with Romeus but it does seem awful strange to me that your All-American defensive end is missing two practices in a row.

I don't know. Zeise knows far better than I would, but it's still really early in camp. With a big game right off the bat, I would expect that Pitt be overly cautious with him. Maybe it is a bigger deal than Wannstedt is letting on, but I'm not convinced that it's a huge deal just yet.

Training Camp Starts...Now

The time we've all been waiting for has arrived - Training Camp 2010 is here, folks. I'll be updating the Training Camp stream over at SB Nation Pittsburgh and will hit on some of the bigger stuff here.

In the meantime, we've already got an injury to report - albeit a minor one.  All-World DE Greg Romeus left practice on Sunday and did not return. Coach Wannstedt didn't think it is all that serious, though:

"He's fine," head coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He was just stiff, nothing serious. We're going to have some of that stuff. If we have any serious injuries, we'll talk about it but not bumps and bruises of camp."

Paul Zeise of the PG saw it and didn't think there's anything to worry about, either:

...in this case, seeing how it went down and given the fact that Romeus did walk off under his own power - I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that yeah, he is probably going to be back tomorrow.

Doesn't sound too serious.

Pitt Named Preseason Big East Football Favorite

Pitt came in first in the media poll at the Big East's Media Day, receiving 22 of 24 first-place votes. WVU and Cincinnati tied for second.

For more on this and continuous updates on the activities of Big East Media Day, catch our stream over at SB Nation Pittsburgh.

UPDATES:

Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant squashes the pretty ridiculous rumor about Memphis joining the conference today.

Dave Wannstedt plays down the expectations.

Noel Devine missed the media day due to food poisoning.

Dom DeCicco talks to ESPN.com's Brian Bennett.

This year, the Big East will issue weekly injury reports.

In case you missed it, the Big East is not expanding.  John Marinatto feels the need to continue issuing ridiculous statements:

"The Big East is stronger today in every way than it has ever been," commissioner John Marinatto said during Big East media day Tuesday in a seaside resort town not far from the league office in Providence.

It's statements like these that make me fear for the future of the conference. Instead of being proactive, it seems the status quo is fine with everyone. The Big East needs to face the hard fact that if it loses three teams, the conference has a strong chance to be kaput.  Saying foolish things about the conference being in a position of strength borders on lunacy.

Marinatto is a tough guy to figure out.  One minute he's talking big about utilizing the New York market for all sorts of things and the next, he seems perfectly willing to sit back and do nothing...unless this is all some sort of smokescreen.  I hope it's the latter.

By the way, he's still talking Big East network:

“We may create a television network of our own or maybe a hybrid of the two,” Marinatto said. “Everything is on the table.”

Meanwhile, the schools are happy to survive.

Finally, Paul Zeise of the PG is up at Big East Media Day and has a good column with some news and notes.