Is there a way to salvage a season?

Beginning with the first day of practice, it was a season overflowing with struggles for the… Beginning with the first day of practice, it was a season overflowing with struggles for the Pitt football team.

Still, it couldn’t have ended in a better way.

Pitt’s BCS-shattering win over then-No. 2-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers was one for the ages. But a long list of injuries, tough breaks and inexperience forced Pitt to have trouble dealing with a mediocre Big East schedule, ending the season 5-7 and missing a bowl game for the third consecutive year.

Still, the Backyard Brawl win continues to reverberate. Local standout high school prospect Cameron Saddler from Gateway High School in Monroeville committed to Pitt on Wednesday, and Pitt is now in the mix to land his talented teammate Shayne Hale.

But right from the start, it was bad for the Panthers.

Derek Kinder, a first-team All-Big East selection last season at wide receiver, tore his ACL during Pitt’s first day of full team workouts.

Next it was quarterback Bill Stull, the only Panther with experience behind center coming into the season. Stull injured his right thumb in Pitt’s opening game against Eastern Michigan and was forced to have surgery. He was hopeful about a return, but it never happened.

When Stull dropped, redshirt freshman Kevan Smith took over, but couldn’t get comfortable and was benched in the midst of a 34-14 loss against Connecticut.

True freshman Pat Bostick took control from there, but also had trouble adapting to the speed of the college game. Nevertheless, Bostick started each of Pitt’s last eight games, winning matchups against Cincinnati, Syracuse and West Virginia.

Bostick ended his first collegiate season with a completion percentage of 61.5, throwing for eight touchdowns and 13 picks. The coaches were careful with him all year, relying mostly on short passes and screen plays to guide the passing game.

The Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year as a high school senior, Bostick likely had his best game of his young career against Navy.

In the upsetting 48-45 double-overtime loss, Bostick went 20 for 28 for 191 yards and a touchdown, tacking on a rushing touchdown as well.

The quarterback situation will be an interesting one next year, with Stull, Bostick and Smith all returning to compete for the starting job.

The QB quandary could get thicker if Pitt gets a commitment from Greg Cross, a junior-college quarterback with perhaps the most athleticism of the bunch.

But while there may be a quarterback controversy to come, there’s no question about who’s going to get the ball out of the backfield – freshman sensation LeSean McCoy.

The Pitt offense clung to the back of McCoy all year, and the highly touted running back out of Harrisburg, Pa., averaged 4.8 yards per carry and more than 110 yards per game.

McCoy earned national attention on several occasions, but none compared to his masterful performance against West Virginia last week in which he ran for 148 yards on a blistering 38 carries to stun the Mountaineers and the rest of the nation in Pitt’s 13-9 win.

But McCoy did more than just rip through opposing defenses – he tore through the record books as well.

“Shady” rushed for 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns, breaking Panthers legend Tony Dorsett’s freshman record of 13 scores, and also snapping the Big East freshman record for rushing yards in a season. On Wednesday, McCoy was named the Big East’s “Rookie of the Year.”

Although McCoy was sharp all year, the team’s strongest point was the defense.

Headed by junior linebacker Scott McKillop, a first-team All-Big East selection, the Pitt defense finished the year ranked seventh nationally in total defense, giving up just more than 297 yards per game.

McKillop was the country’s leading tackler (12.58 per game), and also ranked second in solo tackles (8.17 per game). He was also just named a Scout.com first-team All-American.

In Pitt’s win last Saturday, the Panther defense came through in a huge way, limiting the explosive Mountaineer attack to just 183 yards and one touchdown.

Riding high off what is arguably Pitt’s biggest upset win ever, Panthers fans already have high hopes for next season.

On offense, Pitt will return some firepower. McCoy will again carry the load in the running game, with LaRod Stephens-Howling taking the carries in-between.

The Panthers also bring back the core of their defense. Gus Mustakas returns after a knee injury kept him sidelined this season, and redshirt freshman Greg Romeus has proven to be a more-than-capable presence at the defensive end position.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done, and Pitt does lose some talent.

Jeff Otah, a senior offensive tackle and first-team Big East selection, graduates and is expected to be an NFL Draft pick.

On defense, the losses of ends Chris McKillop and Joe Clermond will be felt, along with the absence of safety Mike Phillips.