Backup quarterbacks face challenges

Under center was Bill Stull. LaRod Stephens-Howling was the single back. It was a… Under center was Bill Stull. LaRod Stephens-Howling was the single back. It was a misdirection pitch left. The ball hit the grass and so did Stull.

He dropped in a heap, clutching his right hand.

Pitt fans gasped as their new starting quarterback immediately went to the locker room holding his right thumb.

Before Stull’s injury in the third quarter of Saturday’s 27-3 victory over Eastern Michigan, Pitt fans witnessed what looked like a solid offense for the rest of the season.

Granted it was Eastern Michigan, but Stull’s solid strides in his three quarters of play were still impressive.

Not only did he start the game 7 for 7 – he made sound decisions when reading the defense.

The only area of concern was Stull’s deep ball. On a few occasions during the game, he under-threw to a wide-open Marcel Pestano. These mistakes can be overlooked, though.

Stull will work them out as the season progresses.

But can the season progress without team leader and quarterback Stull?

Regardless of how long Stull is injured, the Panthers’ offense should manage. It has either the strong-armed Kevan Smith or the highly touted freshman from Manheim Township, Pat Bostick, as solid back-up options.

Bostick brings an immense amount of raw talent to the table, but playing this early could have different results.

Rushing a quarterback into games too early, which was the case for Anthony Morelli of Penn State, can hurt a guy.

But it could also help him.

Brady Quinn, a four-year starter at Notre Dame and current Cleveland Brown, produced results right away despite hot lights shining on him at one of the nation’s top football schools.

Smith is a different case. As a redshirt freshman, he brings a year of experience on the scout team, which is a plus. But he’s had problems with handling the quarterback-center exchange.

He fumbled one snap Saturday, which Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt described as inexcusable.

Smith’s rocket arm helped him fill in for Stull, while he completed 2 of 4 passes for 18 yards.

But one attribute that both Bostick and Smith have is the talent and depth at the tight end position. Not only can Darrell Strong, Nate Byham and John Pelusi catch the ball, but they are all excellent blockers, too.

Each caught three passes Saturday night and made significant gains after the catch.

Byham and Pelusi plowed through defenders, while Strong made plays when he had the opportunity.

An area of concern for the quarterbacks might come in the form of the receivers. There were numerous dropped balls by different receivers all night Saturday. But there were some positives for the Panthers’ pass catchers.

While the ball was in the air, both Pestano and Oderick Turner were able to make adjustments mid-air to bring down the catch.

Turner out-muscled Eastern Michigan safety Chris May on a jump ball and coasted into the end zone for Pitt’s second touchdown.

With the loss of Derek Kinder, the downfield blocking was supposed to drop off. But last night, it was surprisingly good.

Pitt had numerous long runs in which the receivers threw big blocks.

No matter who starts, neither of the backup quarterbacks will be asked to throw 35 passes a game because the team will rely on its running game.

Pitt coaches showed us Saturday that they can use both LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling effectively throughout the same game.

While McCoy showed blazing speed and made cuts that Barry Sanders himself would applaud, Stephens-Howling was able to break a 30-yard run which helped kill the clock during a five-minute drive.

McCoy finished the game with 68 yards on 10 carries, five of which came in the fourth quarter to help run the clock. Stephens-Howling, on the other hand, ran for 67 yard on 16 touches.

Backup fullback Shane Brooks also ran well. He had three rushes for 14 yards and two touchdowns.

In order for Pitt to succeed this year despite Stull’s injury, it will need to give the running backs more touches. If that happens, Pitt fans need not worry, because the running game should be able to handle the brunt of the workload.