Pitt could clinch bowl berth with win

In this ever-changing up-and-down season for the Pitt football team, the Panthers seem to be… In this ever-changing up-and-down season for the Pitt football team, the Panthers seem to be back on the upswing again. Coming off a thrilling, four-overtime win at Notre Dame, the team appears to be back on track. Pitt re-entered the top 25 in the Associated Press poll this week, as it gets back to Big East play this weekend against Louisville. The Panthers (6-2, 2-1 Big East) host the Cardinals (5-3, 1-2 Big East) at noon tomorrow at Heinz Field. Pitt hopes to gain some consistency, something it has been lacking for most of this season, as evidenced by its big road wins and embarrassing home losses.’ The potential return of quarterback Bill Stull to the starting lineup will provide more consistency. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believes that Louisville poses a similar matchup to last week against the Fighting Irish. ‘Louisville does some things on offense and defense that are similar to what Notre Dame did,’ said Wannstedt at his weekly press conference. ‘We needed a little bit of a carryover, as opposed to preparing for a triple-option at Navy to a pro-attack at Rutgers.’ Part of the Panthers’ inconsistency can be attributed to the number of young players getting their feet wet with increased minutes in the lineup. However, some of these young players, such as freshmen Andrew Taglianetti and Myles Caragein, are starting to improve. Their improvement has not gone unnoticed by Wannstedt. ‘Myles deserves to play,’ said Wannstedt. ‘His play-ratio is as high as any defensive lineman. With Tommie Duhart being out, I think he played about 15 snaps and he made some plays and did a nice job. Taglianetti did a great job. He blocked the punt and made a tackle [against Notre Dame].’ However, the most-improved freshman of late might be Jonathan Baldwin. He had two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame. Yet, as Wannstedt noted, it’s not just Baldwin’s statistics, but his mere presence on the field that makes him so valuable. ‘He’s getting more and more playing time every week,’ said Wannstedt of Baldwin. ‘Sometimes, he’s drawing three guys towards him, which is nice because now you put him on the field and it gives us an opportunity to exploit some other options. You wouldn’t think that three or four games into your freshman year you’d be drawing that kind of attention, but he is.’ The Panthers hope to maintain their level of improvement this week as a dangerous Louisville team comes to town. Although the Cardinals are coming off a bad 28-21 loss to Big East doormat Syracuse, Wannstedt knows they pose a serious threat. ‘They have a lot of skill and speed on their football team,’ said Wannstedt. ‘They have good athletes at every position. This will be a big challenge for us.’ Maybe the best of all these athletes is freshman halfback Victor Anderson. Anderson, a Lousiville native, ran 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss. ‘[Anderson] makes a lot of guys miss,’ said Wannstedt. ‘He’s got exceptional speed, and he’s a lot stronger than what you might first anticipate. He’s a very good back. He can play for anybody in our conference ‘mdash; there’s no question about that.’ When the Cardinals aren’t running the ball, they turn to senior quarterback Hunter Cantwell to make plays through the air. Cantwell passed for 214 yards with two touchdowns and an interception last week against Syracuse. On the defensive side of the ball, Wannstedt said he believes that Louisville’s most improved position is its defensive line. Senior defensive tackles Earl Heyman and Adrian Grady lead that line. Heyman has accumulated 29 tackles with five sacks, while Grady has 26 total tackles and two sacks. Both have 6.5 tackles for a loss in 2008. This game is the first in a critical four-game stretch to end the regular season for Pitt. It plays four other teams who are in contention to win the Big East. Wannstedt is excited with this opportunity but knows his team must be ready every week. ‘We’re sitting right there, and I think it’s pretty clear to everybody that the whole conference is up for grabs,’ said Wannstedt. ‘However we play in this last month will obviously be a determining factor. I looked at the schedule, and everybody is playing conference games now, and every week is a big week. They don’t get any easier.’ However, Wannstedt knows that if the Panthers win the next four games, they will win the Big East and gain a BCS bowl berth.