If there’s anything Pitt’s football team can take solace in after last week’s shocking…

Pitt needs to shore up its defense if it’s to have a chance against the Bearcats.

Sheldon Satenstein, Staff Photographer

If there’s anything Pitt’s football team can take solace in after last week’s shocking 31-17 loss to Youngstown State University, it’s that the Panthers can only improve.

With a shortened week because of Thursday’s primetime matchup against the University of Cincinnati (8 p.m. on ESPN), Pitt head coach Paul Chryst and the rest of the team have had little time to dwell on last Saturday’s loss.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed in the outcome of the game. My hat goes off to Youngstown State. They are very well-coached. They’re a good team,” Chryst said in Saturday’s post-game press conference. “Tonight they were the better team. We’ve certainly got to become a better football team, and I think we can.”

But if the Panthers hope to steal a victory from Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium, their defense — particularly the defensive line and linebackers — will have to show tremendous improvement from last weekend.

Pitt allowed 204 yards rushing and 177 yards through the air against Youngstown State, an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision team — a classification reserved for smaller colleges. But more importantly, the Panthers couldn’t prevent Youngstown State from converting third downs.

Pitt senior strong safety Andrew Taglianetti said that the team struggled with open-field tackling against Youngstown State’s rhythm passing attack, and it allowed the Penguins to convert numerous third downs.

“I thought their offensive game plan was pretty good. I mean, they got the ball out of the quarterback’s hands pretty quickly, which hurt our defensive line,” Taglianetti said on Saturday. “It’s definitely frustrating that you work so hard on first and second down, and then third down comes up, and they were converting them.”

Unfortunately, Pitt plays a team in Cincinnati that thrives on a spread offense predicated on placing the ball in the hands of its best athletes in the open field, aiming for a significant number of yards after the catch.

Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legeaux returns this season after passing for 749 yards and five touchdowns in limited action last year. Pitt cannot allow Legeaux time to throw as the team did last week with Youngstown State quarterback Kurt Hess.

“You can always get your pad level down a little bit more. Some of the things that are boring and not exciting to hear about really do make a difference, and those are the things that we get to go back and really hammer on and reinforce,” Chryst said on Monday in his weekly press conference.

But if there’s any positive on-field news from last week’s matchup, it is the performance of redshirt quarterback Tino Sunseri and the return of senior running back Ray Graham.

Before tearing his ACL against Connecticut last year, Graham led the NCAA in rushing with 958 yards. In his return last week, Graham rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries and afterward said his return was “great.”

“It felt great to get back out there, running around with a different opponent, actually live,” Graham said.

For Sunseri, last week’s game against Youngstown State was certainly an improvement after he struggled mightily last season in former Pitt head coach Todd Graham’s offense.

In an offense he clearly wasn’t comfortable operating, Sunseri passed for 2616 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while enduring 61 sacks. But against Youngstown State, Sunseri led the game in passing with 231 yards and a touchdown, and he didn’t take a sack.

Sunseri downplayed the effort, saying he could’ve done more for the team in the tough loss.

“You know, whenever you’re not able to come in and win a football game, there [are] obviously some things you need to do better. I could have done more,” the senior passer said.

Sunseri will need to improve upon his performance from last week for the matchup against the Bearcats. But more importantly, the offensive line will need a solid effort this week after struggling to create space for Graham and backup Isaac Bennett against an undersized Youngstown State defensive line.

Despite last week’s performance, Chryst said the team is prepared and excited for its nationally televised game.

“For us it’s a great opportunity, because it’s our next game, and you look forward to games. You look forward to competing against good teams, so that part certainly gets the juices flowing,” he said.