Football: Offense, defense improving in spring practice

After a slow start for the offense at this spring’s football camp, the Pitt football team is… After a slow start for the offense at this spring’s football camp, the Pitt football team is finally starting to show serious signs of improvement on new head coach Todd Graham’s new “high octane”offense.

The offense showed its first tangible signs of improvement during last Saturday’s scrimmage against the defense. It was a welcome sign after that same defense dominated the offensive squad in a previous scrimmage.

It seems that the team has adjusted better acclimated to Graham’s new up-tempo style, but Graham said there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

“We’ve got enough of our system in. They understand what we’re doing, and they’ve gotten better,” Graham said. “I think that’s the way it should be — it should go back and forth. That tells you that you have a good team out there.”

In the scrimmage over the weekend, quarterback Tino Sunseri found receiver Mike Shanahan on a 20-yard play action pass in the early going before Sunseri handed the ball off to running back Ray Graham for a 20-plus yard gain to give the starting offense momentum on its first drive.

The coaching staff has been switching the offensive line around frequently at camp, looking for the right five-man combination. And now the coaches believe they might have found  senior Alex Karabin’s replacement at center with Chris Jacobson.

“I think we are fine with where we are, but it is something that will take repetition,” Graham said. I think Jacobson will be the center in the end, but he still needs to get a year’s worth of snapping between now and August.”

While the offensive line is somewhat in limbo, the receiving corps have been one of the brightest spots for the Panthers’ offense at this early stage in the new system.

The receivers are going to be counted on in the offense to run more deep routes than usual to stretch out opposing defenses as opposed to previous and more conservative offenses under former head coach Dave Wannstedt.

“We’re going to take shots down the field,” Pitt wide receivers coach Mike Norvell said. “One of the things I’m really encouraged about over the last three or four practices, is the number of vertical shots that we’re completing. Now I’m seeing receivers going up to compete when the ball is in the air.”

Norvell has seen junior Mike Shanahan beginning to shine for the Panthers at receiver after finishing second on the team in both receptions with 43 and yards, 589.

“He has separated himself as a guy who’s going to be a great leader on this football team,” Norvell said. “He is going to be a guy we can count on for big play capability.”

Meanwhile, fellow receiver Devin Street has been improving his game during the off-season and is developing into a good passing option for quarterback Tino Sunseri.

“Devin Street is continuing to buy in[to the offense] and become a better route runner,” Norvell said. “He’s working on the little things. He is a very explosive player.”

Norvell’s unit has experienced some injuries, but the receivers are finally starting to get on the field to work together.

“Cam Saddler has been a little nicked through spring ball,” Norvell said Tuesday of his injured junior receiver. “There was a time today you see him get the ball on the perimeter and the explosiveness and quickness is something that is exciting to see.”

Though the Pitt defense took a licking from the offense in the last scrimmage, it has also looked strong this spring while also undergoing a schematic adjustment with employs three defensive linemen instead of four last season.

“My excitement naturally is because of the potential I’ve seen from day one until now in the defensive linemen,” defensive line coach Paul Randolph said.

Seniors Chas Alecxih and Myles Caragein are continuing Pitt’s recent tradition of maintaining one of the top defensive lines in the Big East.

Alecxih is now playing defensive end in the new defense after working as a defensive tackle the past two seasons and recorded a career high 7.5 sacks last season in his first year as a starter.

“Chas Alecxih is highly explosive and has had a great spring so far. He’s been making plays in the backfield and is working hard at individual technique,” Randolph said. “Myles Caragein, my senior nose guard, has done a really good job progressing back from his injury last fall and is doing a great job this spring.”

Randolph’s two seniors will assume leadership roles with the graduation of star defensive ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard.

“Those are my two leaders,” Randolph said of Alecxih and Caragein.

Pitt’s defensive line is also very solid, with freshman and sophomore defensive tackles like Aaron Donald, Tyrone Ezell and Khaynin Mosley-Smith, in addition to junior Justin Hargrove and freshman T.J. Clemmings more depth at defensive end.

Randolph spoke highly of his underclass defensive linemen, using encouraging football terms like “mean and nasty” to describe Donald, “most improved player from the first day” to characterize Ezell and “giant among men” to label Clemmings.

The Panthers only have three spring practices left, but Graham said they have made large strides in learning the new systems for offense and defense as the team steadily increases the pace of its practice regimen.

“We have a long way to go still, and we’re two-thirds of the way done with spring practice,” Graham said. “There is a lot of work left to be accomplished.”