Blue-Gold game ends spring

Pitt’s athletic director Steve Pederson continues his mission to expand the football team’s… Pitt’s athletic director Steve Pederson continues his mission to expand the football team’s fan base and increase home attendance with a new addition to the spring.

Saturday marks the first ever Pitt Spring Football Fan Festival. Panther fans who make the trip to Heinz Field can participate in several activities that precede the annual Blue-Gold Game.

Past Panther greats like Darrelle Revis and H.B. Blades will be on hand to sign autographs. Children 12 and younger can participate in a youth football clinic run by current Pitt players. Meanwhile, diehard fans can take part in an interactive ‘chalk talk’ with Dave Wannstedt, Phil Bennett and Frank Cignetti Jr., which begins at 12:30 p.m., and the Blue-Gold intra-squad scrimmage, which starts at 2 p.m.

Speaking of the Blue-Gold game, Saturday’s contest is the first opportunity to see how Pitt hopes to build on last year’s success. Here are a few elements of the game worth focusing on:

Quarterback Carousel: Some fans are clamoring for redshirt freshman Tino Sunseri to get an opportunity to lead the Panther offense. Well, Saturday is Sunseri’s first chance to publicly perform in a Pitt uniform.

Redshirt senior Bill Stull is the incumbent starter and still the leader in the quarterback race. However, Sunseri and junior Pat Bostick have made their cases for playing time in spring camp.

Whichever quarterback has the most impressive scrimmage will seize the momentum going into summer workouts.

Running the Rock: Gone are starters LeSean McCoy and backup LaRod Stephens-Howling. Now, the Panthers have no running backs with any significant game experience.

So far during spring practices, freshman Dion Lewis impressed coaches with his confidence and explosive running style. Expect Lewis to make his claim for the starting tailback position during the scrimmage on Saturday.

However, if Lewis falters, don’t be surprised if redshirt freshman Chris Burns or redshirt sophomore Shariff Harris take the opportunity to rearrange the current pecking order.

Meet Coach Cignetti: There probably won’t be too many notable changes in coaching styles this early in the year, but it might be worth keeping an eye on small characteristics that first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. brings to the table.

One easy thing to monitor is Cignetti’s utilization of the tight end position. Former offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh was criticized for his lack of creativity when using the talent of Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson.

While Byham is sitting out the spring game with an injury, pay attention to how often Dickerson sees the ball thrown his way.

Young Corners: With senior cornerback Aaron Berry suspended for the remainder of spring camp, a golden opportunity has presented itself for Pitt’s young corners.

Wannstedt already mentioned the noteworthy play of sophomore Antwuan Reed. If Reed continues to impress this weekend, he’ll make a convincing argument for playing time in the fall.

Additionally, redshirt sophomore Buddy Jackson and redshirt freshman Jarred Holley get a chance to show their talent. Jackson has all of the physical tools to succeed at cornerback, and Holley was a highly recruited athlete who knows how to make plays.

Kicking it: While the competition at placekicker isn’t going to put many people in the seats, it’s still important to the team’s success.

With Conor Lee gone, it will be difficult to find a replacement that can match his consistency. Redshirt junior Dan Hutchins and redshirt freshman Kevin Harper have the difficult task of filling this void.

It could be interesting to see how each player responds to kicking at Heinz Field while trying to win a starting job. Hutchins has the experience and accuracy, but Harper was one of the most touted kickers in the nation when coming out of high school.

A Grain of Salt: One thing to remember when watching any spring game is how much time there is between now and the regular season. Certainly players can use the spring game as a starting point to a successful year. However, sometimes the best performer in the spring doesn’t make an impact in the fall.

Consider two years ago when safety Elijah Fields wowed fans with his athleticism during the Blue-Gold game only to spend the regular season suspended. Last year, receiver Maurice Williams opened a lot of eyes with his spectacular performance. Unfortunately, Williams wasn’t on the team by the time the ball was kicked off in August because of an academic ineligibility.

‘