Football notebook: Panthers struggling with penalties

Penalty Problems

In 2008, the Pitt football team won a number of games by close margins. A… Penalty Problems

In 2008, the Pitt football team won a number of games by close margins. A lot of that success can be attributed to Pitt’s ability to limit mental mistakes in crucial situations.

After Pitt’s 38-31 defeat to North Carolina State on Saturday, it’s apparent that the Panthers aren’t playing with the same type of discipline. Several times, the Wolfpack benefited from critical penalties that either prolonged their scoring efforts or stymied a Pitt drive.

In four games, Pitt has accumulated 31 penalties, an average of 7.75 penalties per game. That mark ranks 94th in the nation and sixth in the Big East. Last year, Pitt led the Big East and was 12th in the country for fewest penalties committed.

The difference isn’t anything the coaching staff expected.

“We bring officials to practice. I promise you we’re not working on it any less than we did last year,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Last year, we led the Big East by a long shot in least amount of penalties. We were top 10 in the country in least amount of penalties. This year, we’re the worst.”

Perhaps more disturbing than the number of penalties is their magnitude. They haven’t been small infractions of little consequence. Pitt’s 31 penalties have resulted in 338 penalty yards allowed. Nationally, only five teams average more penalty yards per game than the Panthers.

Wannstedt indicated during his Monday press conference that the multitude of penalties might be an indicator of his players’ lack of confidence..

“I think when you get penalties in some situations a lot of it has to do with just a little bit of lack of confidence — a little bit of insecurity — at being able to execute your assignment,” he said.

If the problem persists for the Panthers, Wannstedt said that he will make personnel changes.

“The solution, obviously, is you emphasize [not committing penalties], and if it continues, the guy can’t play,” Wannstedt said. “You’ve got to make a change.”

Gunn’s Return

One thing that might give stability to the Pitt defense, which was trampled by North Carolina State for more than 500 yards of total offense, is the return of sixth-year senior Adam Gunn.

Gunn missed the last two games with a sprained right ankle and was replaced in the starting lineup by true freshman Dan Mason.

Against Youngstown State and Buffalo, Gunn accounted for 13 tackles and five sacks.

His absence was apparent as the Panthers tried to contain North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson. Prior to Saturday’s game, Wilson had been sacked 11 times. Against Pitt, he was tackled behind the line of scrimmage only once.

“He told me this morning that he feels the best he’s felt in a while,” Wannstedt said about Gunn’s return. “So, we’re optimistic that he’ll be back.”

Fresh Yardage

Despite a disappointing second half against North Carolina State, freshman running back Dion Lewis is still making noise on the national scene and in Pitt’s record books.

In four games, Lewis has seven rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, making a total of 48 points. This puts him on pace to shatter LeSean McCoy’s freshman scoring mark of 90 points set in 2007.

Lewis remains the top freshman rusher in the nation, averaging 123.25 yards per game. When taking upperclassmen into account, only four backs average more yards than Lewis, and none have more than five rushing touchdowns.