Hope abounds for Pitt football

By now it’s old news.

Everyone knows about Pitt football’s 13-9 win at West Virginia last… By now it’s old news.

Everyone knows about Pitt football’s 13-9 win at West Virginia last season. And most know that the defense spearheaded the charge in that game.

Returning is nearly the entire Pitt defense, which was ranked among the best in the country throughout almost all of last season.

Leading that defense is linebacker Scott McKillop, a preseason All-American selection.

With such a strong defense returning, it’s going to be up to the offense to get the team moving forward.

And while opening day may be a few months away, the season never seems to end in Pittsburgh. Here’s a look at how the Panthers’ offense will look when the lights turn on.

Quarterbacks

The main reason for last year’s struggle was the lack of production in the Pitt passing game. Bill Stull, the Panthers’ starting quarterback last year, injured his thumb on opening day.

Now healthy, Stull emerged this spring as the starter once again.

On several occasions, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt spoke about how impressed he was with Stull in the spring.

Pushing Stull are sophomores Pat Bostick and Kevan Smith. Smith took over for Stull last season but was later replaced by Bostick. Neither managed to develop much of a passing game, which led to defenses creeping up to load the box.

With added experience behind Stull, Wannstedt said he looks for the passing game to have some success. And with junior college transfer Greg Cross available for a spark of athleticism and a change of pace, he might be right.

Running backs

There’s a lot of pressure on this team’s tailbacks after such a productive season last year.

Pitt returns sophomore LeSean McCoy, one of the nation’s top rushers a year ago. Writers all over the country have placed McCoy on their Heisman Trophy watch lists, and it’s for good reason.

McCoy’s versatility to run inside and outside gives Pitt a huge advantage in the backfield. He showed an improved ability to catch the ball out of the backfield this spring and will have more room to run with the increased productivity in the passing game.

Behind McCoy is proven-veteran LaRod Stephens-Howling, whom Wannstedt said could be a starter at many schools in the country. Stephens-Howling, a senior, is on the smaller side but runs hard and isn’t afraid to take a hit. Even with McCoy taking the majority of the carries, Stephens-Howling will get his touches.

Also expect to see Shariff Harris in the mix every once in a while. Harris had a strong spring and might have jumped Kevin Collier on the depth chart.

Wide receivers

Talk about depth.

Pitt returns All-Big East performer Derek Kinder from injury and all of last year’s top receivers as well.

Cedric McGee, who received the Ed Conway Award in the spring as one of the team’s most improved players, is physical enough to take a pounding. Maurice Williams and T.J. Porter also had great springs, and both will be big-time targets when the season rolls around.

Oderick Turner also returns. Turner was Pitt’s leading receiver last year with Kinder out, and he showed an increased ability to catch the ball in traffic this spring.

Setting up next to the line will be tight ends Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham. Both possess great versatility and can make plays with the ball or down in the trenches.

Offensive Line

The offensive line’s inexperience and lack of depth has been one of Wannstedt’s biggest worries throughout the year.

Junior-college transfer Robb Houser looks to have nailed down the starting center position, while tackle Joe Thomas handled his transition from guard to tackle better as the spring progressed.

Still, there’s no doubt the offensive line has the most question marks lurking over it. Only time and health will tell what’s to happen. But if the line holds up, it could be the X-factor and lead the Panthers to some wins.

Projected starting lineup

Offense

QB: Bill Stull

RB: LeSean McCoy

FB: Conredge Collins

WR: Derek Kinder

WR: Oderick Turner

TE: Dorin Dickerson

LOT: Jason Pinkston

ROT: Joe Thomas

ROG: Chris Jacobson

LOG: C.J. Davis

C: Robb Houser

-We might see some different sets and a lot of rotation between the receivers. Look for the Wildcat formation, which will feature Cross as the quarterback and McCoy as the tailback.

Defense

DE: Greg Romeus

DE: Doug Fulmer

DT: Mick Williams

DT: Rashaad Duncan

MLB: Scott McKillop

OLB: Shane Murray

OLB: Adam Gunn

CB: Aaron Berry

CB: Jovani Chappel

S: Elijah Fields

S: Eric Thatcher

-The defensive line and linebacker positions are the strongest. The safety spot is also up for grabs.

Elijah Fields and Dom DeCicco might be fighting for the spot throughout the fall season.