Notebook: Team not getting cocky

A significant amount of hype and high expectations surrounded Pitt’s entrance into the 2008… A significant amount of hype and high expectations surrounded Pitt’s entrance into the 2008 football season. A loss to Bowling Green subdued those notions of success. Now, after an upset victory against No. 10 South Florida, the Panthers are aware that overconfidence might lead to a defeat similar to their Bowling Green debacle. Sophomore defensive end Jabaal Sheard credited Pitt’s only loss of the season to its attitude entering the game. ‘Bowling Green was like a wakeup call,’ said Sheard. ‘We were too cocky.’ Sheard continued by saying that the South Florida game might lead to the same attitude if the Panthers don’t stay modest. Pitt will have an extended period of time to consider its first place position in the Big East and its return to the Associated Press Top 25 (at No. 24). The Panthers won’t travel to Navy until Oct. 18. Quarterback Bill Stull said that his team needs to use the time to focus on improving and continuing to eat ‘humble-pie.’ Coach Dave Wannstedt echoed that sentiment and stated that Pitt still has a lot of room to make progress. ‘We have to keep our feet on the ground and not get caught up in anything,’ said Wannstedt. ‘[We can’t] let our mindset, our hunger, or our attitude change.’ Something you don’t see everyday According to Wannstedt, this week’s bye allows the Panthers to prepare more adequately for Navy’s triple-option attack. Otherwise, Wannstedt said he would have liked to keep the momentum from the South Florida victory rolling. ‘[Navy’s offense] is so different than anything we have seen or will see,’ said Wannstedt. ‘We need the extra time, so we’ll take advantage of it.’ He also added that Pitt will focus on improving its fundamentals throughout the upcoming week of practice. It needs to concentrate on bringing down the ball carrier and stuffing Navy’s dominating running game. Navy (4-2) has rushed for an average of 313 yards through its first six games. Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who led his team to 48 points in an overtime victory against Pitt last year at Heinz Field, leads the Midshipmen attack. He sat out against Air Force last week with a hamstring injury but should use Navy’s current bye week to get healthy. Panther defensive end Greg Romeus shared Wannstedt’s prioritizing of fundamentals. ‘We’re going to work a lot on tackling drills,’ said Romeus. ‘We’ll need to get after the quarterback to be successful.’ McKillop makes a splash on the national scene Fifth-year senior linebacker Scott McKillop picked up his third Big East Defensive Player of the Week award this season for his major contributions in stymieing South Florida’s prolific offense last Thursday. He has also received an abundant amount of national recognition for his efforts during the primetime contest. McKillop received the Walte Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week award, the Lott Trophy ‘IMPACT Player of the Week,’ and the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. These national honors firmly put McKillop in the discussion for defensive player of the year accolades awarded at the end of the season. Against South Florida, McKillop recorded 12 solo tackles, two sacks and three total tackles for a loss. His performance helped contain one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, Matt Grothe. Pitt tailback LeSean McCoy was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 142 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulls. It was McCoy’s second straight game with over 100 yards on the ground, and it came against a South Florida defense that had only allowed 58.8 rushing yards per game prior to last Thursday’s affair. Fourth Quarter Finishers Pitt’s victory against South Florida marked the third game in a row where it needed to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit to win the game. Wannstedt attributed his team’s success down the stretch to the Panthers’ physical fitness and character as much as their talent. ‘Our guys are in good shape ‘mdash; they believe they’re in good shape,’ said Wannstedt. ‘We have strong-minded kids and kids that have a no-quit types of attitude, who believe that somehow we’re going to win.