Wannstedt still optimistic

The Pitt football team is now 2-4 and will face Cincinnati (6-1) on Saturday. The Bearcats… The Pitt football team is now 2-4 and will face Cincinnati (6-1) on Saturday. The Bearcats are nationally ranked at No. 23. It could be a sad day for Pitt’s Homecoming.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt isn’t backing down, though. He said at Monday night’s press conference that he will continue to work on the team’s defense and turnovers, and that the team will try not to make the same mistakes the Panthers have made in the last few games.

“We have a good practice under our belt in preparation for Cincinnati,” Wannstedt said. “I’m encouraged.

“The attitude of our football team is good considering the tough situation that we are in right now. We’re doing the right things.

“We just have to continue to work on them and do them better and the good things are going to happen. Our players are working too hard and our coaches are working too hard for good things not to happen.”

Overt offense

The Bearcats run a spread offense usually using 3 to 5 receivers, one running back and no fullback. Senior quarterback Ben Mauk sees more running action than most in the backfield.

Mauk currently ranks third in the Big East in passing with 226.5 yards per game, fourth in total offensive yards per game with 242.5 and has had 15 touchdown passes.

“For us to beat Cincinnati we need to play lights-out defense,” Wannstedt said. “They are one of the more explosive teams, not only that we will see, but also one of the more explosive teams in the country.

Quarterback quandary

Wannstedt said he was pleased with Pat Bostick’s performance against Navy, even if the freshman quarterback did make a few plays where “he was in a little bit of trouble.”

As for this week, Wannstedt said the team has to “maximize the guys that [it has].”

“With a freshman quarterback who is playing his second game at home as a starter, you have to look at that differently,” Wannstedt said.

“What [offensive coordinator] Matt Cavanaugh and our offensive coaches can do, if Pat Bostick can’t comprehend that and go out and execute it, it means nothing.

“If you have a veteran quarterback, if you have Tyler Palko, maybe you can come out and say, ‘We’re going to throw it 75 times,’ and you’re more willing to get away from the run. We can’t do that.”

The word on Bill Stull’s throwing-hand injury is that he’s healing but still won’t play this week.

“It’s just a matter of being able to grab the football,” Wannstedt said of Stull’s progress. “It’s taking time and it’s not easy.”

Turnovers and team strategy

The Panthers have given up 126 points in their last three games and Wannstedt credits a lot of this to the turnover rate.

“A lot of people, all they are talking about is, ‘We’ve got to score points,'” Wannstedt said.

“Well, if you turn the ball over you’re not going to score points.

“That was the problem as to why we didn’t win the last few games. Field position and turnovers,” he said.

“It is mind boggling to me and to our players that we’ve gone six weeks and haven’t come up with a fumble recovery.”

Three Ds

Wannstedt said he won’t make many position changes on defense, and will continue to rotate the linemen.

He also praised his team’s strengths there.

“Mick Williams and Rashaad Duncan are both back and healthy. Dorin Dickerson and Adam Gunn are pretty much splitting time now.

“Our middle linebacker [Scott McKillop] is leading the conference in tackles, so we’re sure as heck not going to take him out of the game,” Wannstedt said.

Wannstedt answered questions about freshman Dom DeCicco as well as Dickerson’s role and said the two aren’t staying in the lineup just to cause turnovers.

“We’re just … getting them experience because they’re going to be great players for us. That’s all,” he said.

“[DeCicco] could play either [free or strong safety] but we’ll probably keep him at the free.

“We’re going to get [him] a little bit more playing time at safety, that’s something that we’re going to do.”

NOTES – In the last showing against the Bearcats, the Panthers won 33-15 at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Panthers lost to Navy 48-45 in double overtime a week ago, and had some extra time to prepare for Cincinnati because of their Wednesday night game. Cincinnati is coming off its first loss of the season, 28-24 to Louisville, dropping them from a No. 15 ranking.