Notebook: Bye week vital in preparing for Cincinnati

This late in the football season, many may question the beneficial aspects of having a bye week…. This late in the football season, many may question the beneficial aspects of having a bye week. While there’s a chance that Pitt has lost its momentum, coach Dave Wannstedt saw the week off as an opportunity to address issues and situations that needed improvement. ‘I thought our bye week last week went well,’ said Wannstedt at his weekly press conference. ‘I think with as many young players as we have playing, we were able to utilize it in a very positive way.’ Wannstedt’s theory and improvement tactics will be up for review this weekend when the Panthers take on the No. 19-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats. Coming off wins over both West Virginia and Louisville, Cincinnati has undoubtedly built up momentum. A victory over the Panthers will be exactly what the Bearcats need to dominate the Big East. Luckily for Pitt, it’s an away game. With an away record of 4-0, in addition to a week of relaxation, Pitt will pose a challenge for the fearless Bearcats. Improving the secondary Pitt has struggled in the secondary this year. Holding Louisville to seven points two weeks ago was an accomplishment for the Panthers, but let’s not forget the 54-34 loss to Rutgers Oct. 25, in which Mike Teel threw six touchdown passes. The Panthers have given up a total of 93 points in their last three games. During the bye week, Wannstedt said the emphasis was on enhancing the secondary. While it’s nearly inevitable that the opponent will connect a few good passes, Wannstedt’s focus over the past week was on the psychological aspect. ‘If you watch our first touchdown to Oderick Turner against Louisville, they had him covered,’ said Wannstedt, using his own offense as an example. ‘Jonathan Baldwin will make two catches a game when the other team has him covered. The things that are inexcusable are the mental mistakes when someone’s turned loose. I think we’ve done a nice job this past week of addressing those things and hopefully cleaning those things up.’ Incentives to win Besides confirming conference domination, a win for either team will have greater effects. Both teams are fighting for a better ranking in the national polls. In the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, the Panthers are ranked 19th and the Bearcats 20th, while the rankings are reversed in the AP. Pitt leads the overall series 7-0, so a Cincinnati win will break the historic losing streak for the Bearcats. In addition to already securing a bowl game, defeating Cincinnati, and possibly going on to win the Big East, will mark a noteworthy turn in the Dave Wannstedt era at Pitt. Working with Wannstedt Prior to Wannstedt’s arrival, the Panthers were the Big East champions. Since then, many reservations have been made about the effectiveness of Wannstedt as a coach. With only his recruiting classes now on the team, Wannstedt is in a perfect position to display his coaching abilities. ‘I told our players that the two things I really thought about when I took this job was, No. 1, winning a championship,’ said Wannstedt. ‘No. 2, I wanted to get this program to a point where when we’re playing a national team, our kids have enough talent from top to bottom to legitimately say that if we play good we can win.’ With a record of 7-2, this is by far Wannstedt’s best season at Pitt. It may have taken a few years, but it’s possible that the fans are finally seeing what he envisioned back in 2005. ‘I’d like to think we’ve done a nice job,’ said Wannstedt. ‘We still have some work to do, but I’d like to think we’ve closed the gap.’