Football: Bulls explosive all over the field

Panther fans hope to make South Florida feel a little blue when No. 20 Pitt (6-1, 3-0 Big East) takes on the Bulls (5-1, 1-1 Big East) Saturday at noon at Heinz Field.

As part of Turn It Blue, a student-created promotion meant to boost fan unity and participation, Pitt students will receive blue T-shirts before the game, and all fans in attendance are encouraged to wear navy to create a sea of blue at Heinz Field.

“In any big-time football program not in the Big East, it’s not a question of ‘What color are our students going to wear to the game?’” Blue and Gold Society president Max Greenwald said. “For Texas, they wear that Texas orange. For Oklahoma, they wear that maroon.

Hopefully this will be a start to get people to realize [blue] is our color, and we should wear that all the time.”

Pitt drumline member Griffin Butt is looking forward to the Turn It Blue promotion.

“Our colors are blue and gold, yet I see people at every home game wearing all sorts of colors,” Butt said. “I hope this Turn It Blue promotion inspires all Pitt fans to stop wearing red, green and pink to games. Pitt is blue and gold, so let’s start wearing blue to the games.”

Pitt running back Dion Lewis looked good in Pitt blue and gold last week, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdownsagainst Rutgers. Lewis now sits second in the nation in rushing behind Fresno State’s Ryan Mathews.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt traces Lewis’ tremendous freshman season back to his work ethic.

“I walked down to the training room about 7:30 [Monday] morning, and there was one guy in there getting some treatment and doing a little rehab,” Wannstedt said. “It’s Dion Lewis.”

While Lewis has run rampant this season, Wannstedt noted that South Florida has its own explosive freshman on offense — quarterback B.J. Daniels.

Daniels has seven passing touchdowns this year and four more on the ground.

“He had a lot of schools recruiting him as a receiver/defensive back,” Wannstedt said of Daniels. “He didn’t have a ton of schools recruiting him as a quarterback, for whatever reason.”

Wannstedt’s praise for the Bulls extended beyond Daniels.

“They are explosive, not just at the quarterback position or receiver,” Wannstedt said. “They are explosive at the defensive line. They are explosive at the running back position. They’ve probably got as good of talent man-for-man across the board as anyone in our conference.”

The Bulls’ running back, Moise Plancher, has four rushing touchdowns from the backfield this season and averages 4.8 yards per carry, though Daniels leads the Bulls in rushing.

On Pitt’s side, injured Panthers are nearing return.

Kick returner Cameron Saddler (ankle), cornerback Aaron Berry (shoulder), safety Elijah Fields (ankle) and wide receiver Oderick Turner (ankle) all practiced this week, though Wannstedt said their conditions are all “day-to-day.”

As Pitt’s defense regains its health, South Florida’s defense leads the Big East in points allowed. The Bulls hold opponents to 13.5 points per game.

“They put on a lot of pressure, so you aren’t going to hold the ball long,” Wannstedt said. “You’ve got to be precise in your routes, you’ve got to have protection and the quarterback needs to make good throws.”

Should Pitt do those things, the team has a good shot at winning and moving up in the national rankings, where the Panthers made their season debut at No. 20 last week.

“It’s great to be recognized when you win some games,” Wannstedt said. “But trust me, that will not be a discussion in this locker room and with our players. Our guys could care less.”

Fellow Big East schools Cincinnati and West Virginia rank at No. 5 and No. 22, respectively, and Wannstedt heralded the level of competition in the conference.

“I think it’s great for the Big East,” he said. “People now are looking, and they know the quality of football that we play.”