Football: Sunseri steps up for Pitt’s offense

It might have taken until the eighth game of the season, but Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri seems… It might have taken until the eighth game of the season, but Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri seems to have found his groove. He passed for a career-high  419 yards against Connecticut Wednesday night.

After star running back Ray Graham went down with a knee injury, which will require surgery and keep Graham out for the rest of the season, Sunseri adapted quickly and led the Panthers to a 35-20 victory at Heinz Field.

“I was really pleased with Tino and how he managed the game — 419 yards passing,” head coach Todd Graham said after the game. “That’s a good night.”

Sunseri’s 419 yards set a Heinz Field record for a collegiate quarterback and tied for fourth in Pitt history. Former Panther Rod Rutherford threw for 419 yards at West Virginia in 2003.

Sunseri’s previous career high was 307 yards passing against Rutgers on Oct. 23, 2010. But Sunseri didn’t realize he was putting together a historic night when playing on Wednesday.

“As a quarterback, you’re just trying to make sure you’re moving the ball down the field,” Sunseri said. “You can’t worry about anything else.”

Ray Graham’s season-ending injury is a brutal blow to Pitt’s offensive attack. Tailback Zach Brown — more of a power runner than Graham — must step up in his absence, but, perhaps most importantly, Sunseri needs to continue to play as well as he did Wednesday night.

The passing attack just became infinitely more important to the Panthers’ chances for a Big East Championship. The offensive line took a hit as well, as Matt Rotheram fractured his ankle against the Huskies. The injury requires surgery, and he’s out for the year.

For the remainder of the season, the injury-plagued offensive line must find a way to provide Sunseri enough time to make decisions, and Sunseri must get rid of the ball quickly and effectively like he did against the Huskies.

This strong performance comes after weeks of irregular play that caused some to doubt Sunseri’s ability to play the position as Graham switched between Sunseri and backup quarterback Trey Anderson against Utah. During the bye week between the loss to Utah and Wednesday night’s game against Connecticut, the coaching staff announced that there would be no more quarterback musical chairs. Graham said the Panthers would stick with Sunseri because he gave them the best chance to win.

Sunseri stepped up and delivered.

The coaches’ plan to simplify the offensive scheme for the quarterbacks worked, as Sunseri went from combining with Anderson for just 50 passing yards against Utah to putting up 419 yards against Connecticut.

“I think we were trying to do too much stuff [before], and that caused the problem,” Graham said. “We simplified things.”

Entering the season, fans expected impressive offensive outings from the Panthers. After the win over the Huskies, Graham said Pitt’s performance exemplified the kind of offensive attack he’s used to seeing.

“I was surprised that [419 yards] was a record,” Graham said. “We went back to the drawing board, and some things I thought really helped him. The rhythm was really important, and I think we kept them off balance.”

The simplified passing attack let Sunseri spread the ball around more than ever, and as a result, seven Panthers finished with more than 35 yards receiving. By using a good mixture of screen passes and crossing routes underneath, Sunseri set up his wide receivers in space and let them make plays with their feet. And by checking down consistently, he avoided the majority of the sacks he took in previous games and played smarter, simpler football.

The way Sunseri played didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.

“[Sunseri] played really well,” wide receiver Mike Shanahan, who caught both of Sunseri’s touchdown passes, said. “He gave us chances. You really can’t say enough about him.”

Sunseri not only controlled the game in the air; he also made an impact on the ground. He led the team with 40 rushing yards, as he was able to scramble out of the pocket and make defenders miss with an array of pump fakes — fakes Connecticut had to take seriously since he was throwing the ball so well.

Sunseri also had an 8-yard touchdown run on the Panthers’ first drive of the game.

Because he responded to his dismal performance against Utah and Graham’s injury with the best game of his career, Sunseri showed that the Panthers could still have a chance in the ever-changing Big East race.

And now that Graham’s out for the season, it’ll be on Sunseri to make sure the offense puts up the points it needs to keep winning.