Football: Defensive line living up to expectations

Eye on the Offense

The Connecticut Huskies (3-1) will march onto Heinz Field on Saturday… Eye on the Offense

The Connecticut Huskies (3-1) will march onto Heinz Field on Saturday boasting the nation’s eighth-ranked rushing defense and 18th-ranked passing defense. Throw in the fact that the Huskies have had an extra week to prepare for Pitt thanks to a bye last week, and the difficulty increases for the Panther offense.

“From an offensive standpoint, this will be by far our biggest offensive challenge of the year,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said.

The Panthers look to quarterback Bill Stull for another productive performance. Stull’s effort against Louisville (16-23, 242 yards and three touchdowns) was enough to earn him the title of Big East Offensive Player of the Week.

Wannstedt noted that Stull is deserving of the acknowledgement but added that the quarterback has no time to celebrate his work.

“I think now, when you have some success, you have to put that behind you and put your focus on the next game,” Wannstedt said. “He should be proud of what he’s accomplished at this point, but I know that in his mind we have not even scratched the surface of what we would like to accomplish this year.”

Stull is currently ranked fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, with the likes of Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen and Florida’s Tim Tebow ahead of him.

After Friday night, Stull has amassed 3,607 passing yards in his career. He only needs 132 more yards to surpass Matt Lytle and rank 10th among Pitt quarterbacks in passing yards.

As a team, the Panthers are averaging 37 points per game, leaving them tied for 13th nationally. However, the Huskies have only allowed an average of 15 points through their first four contests.

Saddler Sidelined

Redshirt freshman receiver Cameron Saddler will not play Saturday against Connecticut, according to Wannstedt.

Saddler suffered an ankle injury during the first half of Friday night’s game at Louisville. He did not return to the game, and on Monday Wannstedt announced Saddler is not expected to play this week.

Since recovering from a torn ACL that sidelined him all of last season, Saddler has been a tremendous asset to the Panthers on special teams. Through five games, Saddler has returned eight kickoffs for an average of 31.5 yards a return. He also has three receptions and a touchdown as a wide receiver.

There was no timetable given for the return of the Monroeville, Pa., native. Redshirt sophomore Aundre Wright is expected to fill Saddler’s kick-return duties during his absence.

Releasing the Hounds

The acclaimed Pitt pass-rush is beginning to live up to the attention it received during the offseason. After collecting six sacks against Louisville, the Pitt defense now leads the nation with a 4.6 sacks-per-game average.

“For the most part, it’s our defensive line [creating pressure],” Wannstedt said. “Last week, we generated some numbers. We have some guys up there that, if we’re playing good defensive and get [offenses] in third-and-long, we have some opportunities [to get sacks].”