Pitt football back with new agenda

To ensure that his team’s season doesn’t turn out like it did last year, Pitt head coach… To ensure that his team’s season doesn’t turn out like it did last year, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt wants to address a line — the offensive line, to be specific.

“I thought this spring the offensive line took some steps forward, and the key is to start where we left off [and] not go back to square one,” Wannstedt said at Pitt’s media day, a day before training camp opened. “I do think we’ll be better. It’s just going to be a matter of depth.”

As far as the whole team goes, the second-year coach has a lot more to work with this year rather than last. A small but tight group of seniors led by quarterback Tyler Palko and linebacker H.B. Blades paired with Pitt’s best recruiting class in more than a decade anchor a Panther squad that’s seething from a disappointing 5-6 2005 season.

But, what will Wannstedt and the Pitt coaching staff need to do to make sure last year’s hiccup of an opener against Notre Dame doesn’t happen again?

They’re going to have to examine their team, position by position, and let the players answer their questions before the team’s opening game at Heinz Field against Virginia on Sept. 2.

Quarterback

No question marks here. Palko, the face of the Panthers, enters his last season with his hometown team. The West Allegheny native is Pitt’s leader both on and off the field and, barring injury, will start every game for it and Wannstedt.

In 2004, his first year as a starter, Palko displayed a knack for making tough plays with both his arm and feet. That playmaking ability disappeared in a lackluster junior season, but has since resurfaced in spring workouts and training camp.

Behind Palko, sophomore Bill Stull, a talented pocket passer with a cannon arm will wait in the wings and get limited playing time. Stull is largely unproven in game situations, but did showcase his promising tools in the spring’s Blue-Gold scrimmage.

Freshmen Kevan Smith and Dexter Davidson complete the QB picture. Both are question marks at this time and both are built like linebackers, so it is not out of the question to see one of the pair, most likely Smith, move to defense at some point.

Running Back

Wannstedt stated before training camp started that he didn’t want a committee at the position, which is exactly what he has. The off-season departure of last year’s leading rusher Rashad Jennings, who transferred to Liberty College in Virginia to be closer to his family, didn’t help the second-year coach either.

After spring workouts and heading into camp, sophomore speedster LaRod Stephens-Howling owned the number one spot, but will be pushed by redshirt freshman Shane Brooks who is a stronger, more punishing runner. Don’t rule out sophomore Brandon Mason, who has size over both Brooks and the tiny Stephens-Howling.

But, the Pitt coaching staff has its eyes fixated on true-freshman Kevin Collier at the position. A standout tailback at Churchville-Chili High School in Churchville, N.Y., Collier is possibly the most talented of the bunch, and if he can show that he is ready to play come Sept. 2, he will.

Sophomore Conredge Collins will take care of the fullback duties, and even get some carries in the process. Collins has decent speed and hands and can provide a pass-catching threat in the backfield and in the flat. No real battle here.

Wide Receiver

This is the most talent-rich position the Panthers have and the front-runners could change almost daily. While junior and returning starter Derek Kinder has a relatively tight grip on one of the starting spots, the other is wide open.

Redshirt freshmen Cedric McGee and Oderick Turner along with sophomore Marcel Pestano showed promise in spring drills, but inconsistency. Throughout camp, any of the ultra-talented freshmen like top-recruits Dorin Dickerson or T.J. Porter could get the nod against Virginia. Dickerson, a top-100 recruit, will most likely see significant playing time at the position throughout the year and the same can be said about Porter. Also in the picture is junior college transfer Lowell Robinson, a converted safety with unlimited athletic potential.

With so much talent, it could be easy for senior Joe DelSardo to get lost in the shuffle. But, Wannstedt has made it apparent that the sure-handed upperclassman will definitely see minutes this year.

Tight End

Senior Steve Buches is the undisputed starter until junior Darrel Strong wants to dethrone him. However, both will play significantly either opposite each other in two-tight end sets or through rotation.

The graduation of Eric Gill last year paired with sophomore John Pelusi’s ACL tear in the off-season leaves the Panthers without a real solid blocking tight end, but offensive line coach Paul Dunn can remedy that with Buches and Strong like he did with Gill.

Pelusi’s injury also opens the door for talented freshman Nate Byham. A top-100 recruit, Byham has excellent hands and can stretch the field down the middle. Byham will definitely see time at tight end and possibly as an H-back or in five-wide sets.

Offensive Line

The position supposedly responsible for Pitt’s 2005 woes has been the one that Wannstedt has monitored the closest. So far, there has been significant improvement along the entire offensive line.

The good news — the unit returns four starters. Senior center Joe Villani is experienced at the position and will provide needed stability. Junior right tackle Mike McGlynn has increased his bench press by 45 pounds in the off-season. Senior right guard John Simonitis is a three-year starter, and sophomore left guard C.J. Davis is undoubtedly the team’s most talented offensive lineman.

The bad news — there are no other proven linemen on the team. With former left tackles Rob Petitti and Charles Spencer now in the NFL, the position is a toss-up. Sophomore John Bachman is the starter by default, but junior college transfer Jeff Otah has been talked about like he will win the position.

To provide more depth on the line, Wannstedt has moved defensive lineman and redshirt freshman Craig Bokor to the other side of the ball, and has allowed freshman Joe Thomas to participate in the veteran practice, rather than with the younger players.

Defensive Line

In contrast to its offensive counterpart, the defensive line could have the most depth of any position for Pitt. Although the Panthers lost both of their tackles to graduation last year, Wannstedt has young talent waiting in the wings.

Sophomore Rashaad Duncan is looking like the top performer at defensive tackle, and will most likely earn the starting role. Duncan played in all 11 games last season, including two starts. Behind Duncan is sophomore Gus Mustakas who also played in the latter half of 2005. But both Duncan and Mustakas could be overtaken by redshirt freshman Ernest “Mick” Williams, whom Wannstedt is very impressed with.

Nose tackle is a little more of a mystery. Sophomore Corey Davis had the job going into camp, but senior Vernon Botts is right behind him, despite switching to the position from defensive end last year. Three freshmen that could apply pressure to both tackle positions are John Malecki and Jason Pinkston, both high-end recruits from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League, and Floridian Jared Martin.

The Panthers return both of their starting defensive ends from last year in senior Charles Sallet and junior Chris McKillop. McKillop led the Panthers in both sacks and tackles for losses last year, and Sallet has looked impressive in spring drills. Pitt also has two serviceable but inexperienced backups in junior Joe Clermond and redshirt freshman Doug Fulmer.

Wannstedt also stocked this position with talented freshmen like McKenzie Matthews from New York and Greg Romeus from Florida. Matthews could have seen significant minutes this year, but was dismissed from camp early due to personal reasons, and his return is uncertain. Romeus is a physical specimen with a huge upside, but needs a few years to develop.

Linebackers

Senior H.B. Blades is the undisputed leader of this unit, not to mention the entire defense. Blades is an All-American candidate at middle linebacker who led the Big East in tackles last year. He will anchor the middle of the defense.

To one side of Blades, returning starter Clint Session will claim the Sam linebacker position. Session battled a slew of injuries last year, but is fast and supports the run and pass equally well.

Both injuries and speed play a major role in who gets the nod at the Will linebacker spot. Senior Brian Bennett would have started all last year had it not been for a knee injury, which kept him out of spring drills as well. During that span, the coaching staff moved safety Tommie Campbell to the position, whose development they have been very pleased with. Campbell is quite possibly the fastest player on the team and has shown a natural athletic ability for making plays and tracking down sweeps. Bennett will most likely start, but Campbell will definitely see playing time.

Defensive Backs

Junior Darelle Revis could be one of the best cornerbacks in the country, so it’s not likely any of Pitt’s opponents will be throwing his way very often. That puts a lot more pressure on his teammates.

Josh Lay manned the other cornerback position last year, but is now in the NFL. So, that leaves a competition between senior Reggie Carter and junior Kennard Cox. Though neither are as good as Lay was, they are both two-year lettermen. If neither Cox nor Carter is sufficient, freshmen Ricky Gary, an All-Florida cornerback, and Aaron Berry, an All-Pennsylvania cornerback, could step up and make an early splash.

When strong safety Mike Phillips suffered a gruesome ankle injury against Nebraska last season, the Panthers suffered a huge domino effect through the secondary with the loss. Phillips missed all of spring while rehabbing, but is back healthy and will move to free safety. Phillips is talented, and figures to be a lock to start. However, highly touted freshman Elijah Fields could push for early playing time.

Senior Sam Bryant returns as the starting strong safety. Bryant is reliable to make a tackle, but doesn’t quite have the speed that the coaching staff covets. Fields could also conceivably factor in here.

Special Teams

Senior Adam Graessle will handle the punting and kickoff duties again this year. Graessle has a booming leg and has proved very reliable at both positions. He will be tough to replace next year.

The place-kicker position battle is a bit more worrisome. Senior David Abdul will not be able to play early and is still recovering from having open-heart surgery. So, sophomore Connor Lee becomes the starter by default, which is never good. Lee has good tools and a strong and accurate leg, but virtually no game experience.

Revis will more than likely return punts again because Wannstedt would like to have him on the field as much as possible. He won’t return kicks, however, which will be left to any of Stephens-Howling, Pestano, Robinson, Dickerson, Fields, Collier, Berry or Porter — a lot to choose from.