Can Kevan Smith beat MSU through the air?

LeSean McCoy is good – that much we know.

But can he replicate his three-touchdown… LeSean McCoy is good – that much we know.

But can he replicate his three-touchdown performance against Grambling at Michigan State Saturday?

Grambling State. Michigan State. Big difference.

The Pitt football season is real now, after two weeks of safe and conservative wins against junk opponents. There is no way to measure how good or bad Pitt is by watching it grind out victories against a team that went 1-11 last year and a team from Division I-FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

But saying Michigan State is a real opponent doesn’t indicate the Spartans will be as good as they were when they carved Pitt at home last year. They lost quarterback Drew Stanton, who did most of the carving, and head coach John L. Smith.

Still, the Spartans return running backs Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick, anchoring a rushing attack to ease the transition on first-year starting quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Pitt’s in a similar situation. Redshirt freshman Kevan Smith made his first collegiate start against Grambling last week and looked stable. But again – Grambling State