If Pitt is legit, “Cuse should be crushed

The Pitt Panthers are looking good – for now.

The question is, though, how will they look… The Pitt Panthers are looking good – for now.

The question is, though, how will they look when they play another challenging opponent?

One thing’s for sure – we won’t know this week.

Pitt travels to Syracuse Saturday to take on an Orange team it should beat – a recurring trend for the Panthers this time of year. Sure, Syracuse is better than it was last year, but if Pitt is as good as it hopes to be, it should roll.

Pitt is in the midst of the soft part of its schedule where, if the team is smart, it can accumulate a stockpile of victories before things start to toughen up toward the end of the season.

Another demolition of another cupcake, Toledo last Saturday, proves the Panthers can indeed whoop on teams it should. Quarterback Tyler Palko increased his nation-leading efficiency rating to 191.32, long-hyped freshman Dorin Dickerson showed his stuff and the Pitt defense snuffed the Rocket offense before it could even hope to ignite.

But, it was Toledo. The week before, it was The Citadel. The combined record of the teams Pitt has beaten so far this year is 7-12 – less than mediocre at best.

Heading into the thick of Big East play, the Panthers don’t have a game against a top-25 opponent until they take on Rutgers at home. Before then, Pitt should snatch up two wins at Syracuse and at Central Florida next week.

Then, things get interesting.

Q: Will Dorin Dickerson see more playing time now?

A: Though obviously talented, Dickerson is playing at positions where the Panthers are already stacked. The coaching staff moved him to wide receiver in training camp, and then Derek Kinder, Oderick Turner and now Marcel Pestano have risen. Next, they tried him at running back, but fellow freshman Kevin Collier has shown drastic improvement and is now LaRod Stephens-Howling’s backup.

So Dickerson, in essence, has a full tank of gas with nowhere to drive. The overloaded of talent at skill positions that Pitt has is a good problem for the Panthers, but will force the coaching staff to utilize Dickerson in situations like it did last week.

A lot of other freshmen will see increased playing time in the coming weeks, but primarily because they’re at shallow positions.

Q: With such a great passing game, why hasn’t the running game come around?

A: I’ve said before that the running game’s struggles came from Pitt not having one prominent running back. Now, I’m not so sure that’s the problem.

I’m not going to bash LaRod Stephens-Howling. He’s a great back with tremendous talent. However, the speed and agility that Stephens-Howling has to rely on because of his size isn’t what Pitt needs. The Panthers need a power runner.

Consider this: Penn State running backs Austin Scott and Tony Hunt came in with the same recruiting class. Scott had the speed and the hype, but Hunt had the power. After dabbling with Scott for a year or so, Penn State decided to go with Hunt and now he’s one of the best power running backs in the country. Week in and week out, Hunt plays the entire game and leaves with 100 yards.

Pitt has such a back – fullback Conredge Collins. I firmly believe that Collins is the type of runner, like Hunt, that the Panthers need to establish a viable running game. Put Collins in a one-back set or behind backup fullback Mark Yezovich and see what he does. What does Pitt have to lose?

Q: What does Michigan State’s loss to Illinois say about Pitt?

A: Well, Michigan State lost to Illinois after collapsing and losing a heartbreaker to Notre Dame on national television the week before. That couldn’t have helped the Spartans’ mindset.

Nevertheless, the loss is intriguing in that Michigan State ran all over Pitt, but now doesn’t appear like the powerhouse it did after the first half against the Irish.

One thing that may worry some is that Pitt would have trouble stopping a team with a good running game. Now with defensive end Doug Fulmer out for the year, Pitt will have to turn to youth on the defensive line. This could prove costly, because Rutgers’ Ray Rice is second in the country in rushing yards, and West Virginia’s Steve Slaton’s reputation precedes him. Quarterback Pat White can also run for the Mountaineers, as can Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard.

Pitt will find out if it can contain good rushing soon enough.