How to beat MSU? Don’t give Stanton time

Two weeks into the college football season and Pitt is 2-0 — a big reversal from last year… Two weeks into the college football season and Pitt is 2-0 — a big reversal from last year when it was 0-2.

There has been a lot of two-sided talk amongst the Panther football community on whether or not this team is legitimate. Can it compete with West Virginia and Louisville for the Big East title? Can its success merely be attributed to playing two very lackluster programs to start the season? Are the Panthers for real?

The answers to a lot — OK some — of those questions should be answered on Saturday when Big Ten opponent Michigan State rolls into town. The Spartans have an experienced quarterback and lethal passer in Drew Stanton and a mountain range of an offensive line to protect him. Throw in running back Javon Ringer, who’s averaging 6.5 yards per carry this year, and the Panthers have quite a sizeable matchup on their hands.

Heading into Saturday, there are quarries in Panthers fans’ heads, and until Pitt answers them on the field, I’ll try to solve the temporary puzzle.

Q: What’s been the biggest surprise with the Panthers so far?

A: There are a few things Pitt has done that could qualify as pleasantly surprising: Tyler Palko’s consistency, the defense’s newfound speed and ability to create turnovers.

However, nothing quite compares to the emergence of wide receiver Derek Kinder as a big playmaker. In two games, Kinder already has three touchdown catches that each went for more than 70 yards and continues to churn out big play after big play.

Kinder’s performance, coming from a wide receiver group, who nobody really knew anything about before training camp, has rejuvenated the Panther offense — especially Palko.

We all saw how the quarterback performed two years ago when Greg Lee made big plays for him. Then last year, when Lee stalled, so did he. Kinder is Palko’s new go-to guy and has shown the athleticism to fight off any defender and grab a jump ball. Now who does that remind you of?

Q: What will Pitt need to do to beat Michigan State?

A: The answer is simple — pressure Drew Stanton. The Spartans have such a great quarterback-running back combo in Stanton and Ringer that the Panthers really cannot focus on stopping them both on defense. So, they have to make the Spartan offense one-dimensional.

While that’s easy to say, it’s definitely not easy to do. In order to get to the Spartans’ quarterback, the Panther defensive line has to get by Spartan offensive linemen, who are all, on average, more than 300 pounds.

But, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean faster, so the speed of Pitt defensive ends like Chris McKillop and Doug Fulmer as well as the linebacker corps will be essential. The key is to force Stanton into making mistakes — throwing into coverage, making bad reads — so the Panthers can create the turnovers necessary to keep Stanton, who’s completed over 70 percent of his passes, off the field as much as possible.

Q: Why hasn’t Pitt established a solid running game yet?

A: Sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling looked very good against Virginia before he left the game and is expected to play this Saturday. But, what is going on now can be expected to happen for the remainder of Stephens-Howling’s career. While speedy, slippery and a hard runner, he is still small and cannot take the wear and tear of running the ball 20-plus times a game.

That being said, the Panthers have a running back by committee. Last Friday we got a little glimpse of redshirt freshman Shane Brooks. Brooks looked solid — better size, decent speed and a disposition to pound between the tackles. Put both Stephens-Howling and Brooks together and they yield freshmen Kevin Collier and Dorin Dickerson. While inexperienced, Collier and Dickerson have enough talent between the two of them to perform like Jamal Charles and Selvin Young at Texas.

The Panthers will continue to run multiple backs, but will keep an even balance between running and passing. The running game isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be — yet.