Stale start signals time for change in philosophy

I went to last week’s game against UConn as a regular fan – first time in two years.

The… I went to last week’s game against UConn as a regular fan – first time in two years.

The tailgating, the smell of the grill – I’d forgotten how fun it all was.

But when I left the game at the end of the third quarter with Pitt 15 minutes away from losing to a team that beat Temple the week before by only five points – five points – any notion of my fandom had been fumbled away with each three and out.

It reminded me of the time Pitt lost to Temple in 1998 en route to a 2-9 season. Kevan Smith looked worse than Matt Lytle at quarterback – those that remember Lytle know just how bad that is – and the Panthers appeared to be coached as poorly as they ever were under Walt Harris.

Two weeks ago at Michigan State, Pitt plagued itself with penalties and turnovers in a game it could have won. The offense couldn’t move the ball, and the only reason Pitt was in it at the end was the defense. Still, the Panthers showed promise.

There was no promise last week save that Pat Bostick is finally the starting quarterback. The offense remained stagnant, and the defense sagged. A performance like that makes you wonder if this Pitt team could go 2-9.

None of that bodes well for Dave Wannstedt. He said he’d take full responsibility for the UConn loss last week, and he should. It’s on him and his coaching staff to repair this team, which, after last week, seemed like it would be easier to total than to restore. You can blame it on the injuries, but every team faces adversity. The good ones respond. Pitt hasn’t. And, thus far, it’s Wannstedt who is to blame.

The talent is there. LeSean McCoy is a Larry Fitzgerald-like star but only got 11 carries last week. The Pitt receivers are supposed to be great, but how can anybody tell when they’re catching two-yard screen passes in the middle of the opponent’s defense?

Something has to change. If McCoy doesn’t carry the ball 25 times at Virginia and Bostick doesn’t throw the majority of his passes downfield, this team is doomed.

The plays Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh have been calling aren’t producing. If they didn’t produce against Connecticut – a team that was Division I-AA seven years ago -they’re not going to produce against Virginia or Cincinnati or Rutgers.

If Dave Wannstedt is going to prove he’s taking this program in the right direction, he needs to change. Or he needs to go.