Talking a little defense: Pitt line needs to pick it up this weekend

Late last week, Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said his play-calling in the first… Late last week, Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said his play-calling in the first week of the season was ‘crummy.’ Although he agreed that it improved in Pitt’s second game against Buffalo, it will need to improve even more if Pitt wants to get past a tough Iowa team. But while Cavanaugh’s play-calling will be huge, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett’s calls could make the biggest difference. Last season, the Iowa offense scored more points per game than only Syracuse, Duke, Baylor and Iowa State. That’s bad.’ But this is a new season and a much different Iowa team. Through three games, Iowa has been strong ‘- even if faced against lower-end competition. The Hawkeyes won games by the scores of 46-3, 42-0 and 17-5, meaning opponents scored just eight total points against them. That’s not the best news for a Pitt team still struggling to find its identity on offense and trying to get healthy on defense. The Big Ten’s reputation for big, powerful running backs continues to hold true with this Hawkeyes team. And the Iowa running game, which is one of the most impressive but inexperienced aspects of its offense this year, is turning out to look loaded. Tailback Shonn Greene, a 23-year-old junior, is a bruiser. At 5 feet 11 inches and more than 230 pounds, Greene isn’t afraid to put his head down and challenge a defender. He’s rushed for 359 yards on 55 carries, an average of 6.5 yards per carry. But it’s not just Greene. Freshman Jewel Hampton can play as well, and he has rushed for 122 yards with an average of 6.4 yards per carry. You can bet Iowa will run the ball, and run the ball often. That means the Pitt defensive line will need to play a great game and force third-and-long situations that the defense can capitalize on. When Iowa does drop back to pass, it’ll be on the corners to really step up because there will be a lot of one-on-one coverage on the outside. When this happens, the defensive line really wants to put pressure on the quarterback to pass errant throws. The good news for Pitt is that Iowa opponents sacked quarterback Jake Christensen 46 times last year. The bad news? Christensen lost his job to sophomore Ricky Stanzi, and the line that started late last year returns. The Pitt defensive line, regarded as one of the top lines in the league heading into this season, struggled to make too much of an impact so far this season. There are a few guys who are banged up, but with Mick Williams and Greg Romeus, Pitt should be able to start controlling the line of scrimmage. If not, it could be a long day for the Panther defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Pitt is still learning what it is capable of doing. Quarterback Bill Stull has very little starting experience, meaning he should improve each game. Tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling is averaging 6.6 yards per carry but only rushed the ball 14 times. LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, has touched the ball 43 times out of the backfield and gained just 164 yards, an average of 3.8 per carry. This means a headache for Cavanaugh and the coaching staff. There’s nothing wrong with Stephens-Howling getting fewer carries than McCoy, because McCoy, being the more talented back, deserves more carries. He’s a more explosive back and has the chance to break the game open every time he gets the ball. But when Stephens-Howling is having success, he can be a huge asset for the team. And he’s a great change of pace who can break the play wide open, just like McCoy can. Cavanaugh needs to figure out a way to get both of these guys involved in the game plan. The Panthers can also use fullback Conredge Collins, who’s ranked by espn.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the best senior fullback in the country. Collins has just one rush for seven yards this season. For a guy as talented as Collins, that’s not enough. He needs to get the ball more. As far as the other skilled positions go, Cavanaugh said last week that he and the coaching staff plan on getting freshman receiver Jonathan Baldwin involved in more plays, along with junior Greg Cross, a transfer from junior college who can run the option. Look for Cross to appear if Pitt is somewhere between the 35-yard lines and in need of a change of pace, where the pressure won’t be too bad. It’s hard to say what this weekend will bring for Pitt. The Panthers have yet to see a team as talented as Iowa. But the same goes for the Hawkeyes. This is a huge game for the Panthers. And with the schedule getting tougher, this game could be big when deciding bowl-eligibility at the end of the year.