Midterms may be over, but that doesn’t mean everybody is off the hook.

Pitt football is on… Midterms may be over, but that doesn’t mean everybody is off the hook.

Pitt football is on the rise, climbing back to the .500 with three-straight wins after a dismal 1-4 start. Most units have picked up the slack and are starting to develop under first-year head coach Dave Wannstedt, as Pitt vies to defend its 2004 Big East title.

But which units are doing their homework? Which are working hard to bring up their grades? Or which ones haven’t been showing up on time, hitting the snooze as the Panthers sleepwalked to an early three-game losing streak? Here’s who made the grade and who needs to stay after for extra help.

Offensive Line – C-

Pitt has had its share of standout offensive linemen with players such as “Jimbo” Covert, Russ Grimm, Mark May, Bill Fralic and Jeff Christy all having successful NFL careers. It seems for the time being, however, Pitt may have to wait a little while for its next “trench-warrior.”

The Panthers’ offensive line is young and inexperienced, and as a result, they have taken their fair share of lumps this season. What’s more, the unit lost its top player in Rob Petitti, who currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

The line has greatly struggled to protect quarterback Tyler Palko and has failed to create many holes for the running game. With the Ohio University game and other sub-par performances behind them, the line has shown signs in recent weeks that it may finally be comfortable as a unit. The timing couldn’t be better, considering Pitt still has yet to play Big East powers West Virginia and Louisville.

Over the last 10 seasons, the Panthers have failed to develop much in the way of NFL quality lineman, and the current line reflects this. The future looks brighter, though, as a result of Wannstedt’s hiring of former Panther lineman Paul Dunn in the off-season to help develop his young linemen.

Quarterbacks – B+

Before we begin, ask yourself one question – where would Pitt be without Tyler Palko?

Pitt’s shifty southpaw has come on as of late, throwing 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions in his last five games. It resembles his surge of least year that garnered national attention while leading Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl.

He does this in only his second year of being a starting quarterback, and while learning his second offense in as many seasons. Plus, he’s been sacked 25 times already this season, so he’s always on the run.

One thing holding this position back from an A is the lack of time given to Bill Stull. It’d be nice to know what we have in a small sample of our backup in case Palko ever goes down on one of those sacks. That and the Ohio outing (three interceptions), which would preclude almost any quarterback from getting an A.

Receiving Corps – C+

Pitt’s wide receivers have been somewhat of a mystery throughout the season’s first eight weeks.

Junior Greg Lee is the undisputed No. 1, despite showing obvious lack of effort at times. It may not show on the stat sheet, seeing that Lee averages 21 yards per reception with five touchdowns, but his inconsistency with both his hands and speed have hindered Pitt’s passing game.

What is worse is that the Panthers cannot really find another substantial threat to aid Lee. Pitt has tried a number of receivers at the flanker position to replace the smaller Joe DelSardo. Derek Kinder seems to be the solution for now, having caught eight balls for 81 yards and a score against Syracuse. However, Wannstedt has also plugged in tight end Darrell Strong and freshman Marcel Pestano to experiment. The Panthers have to solve this puzzle in order to be considered a contender.

Lumping the tight ends in with the wide receivers salvages this unit. Erik Gill and Steve Buches are both solid tight ends and Strong is one of the most versatile players in recent memory. Should Lee and company pick up the slack, this grade could rise.

Running backs – B+

In the midst of juggling three starting tailbacks in a slow-awakening offense, Pitt ranks 60th in the nation in total rushing yards and 75th in yards per game. Senior Raymond Kirkley, who led the Panthers in rushing last season, hasn’t been healthy and did not play last week against Syracuse.

Pitt’s running game has a bright future with the combination of freshmen Rashad Jennings and LaRod Stephens-Howling. Howling rushed for 101 yards in his first start last week and leads the team with a total of 350 ground yards, while Jennings notched his first career 100-yard outing against Cincinnati three weeks ago.

As of now, though, reaching the end zone only three times (Palko has five rushing touchdowns) is not something to brag about for the running backs, but the unit is young and the offensive line still has work to do. Expect big things in the coming years, as this unit is coming alive with freshmen running the ball.

Defensive Line – B-

The Panthers returned only Thomas Smith from last year’s starting defensive line, and he moved from end to tackle. So, it’s no surprise that the new line – which wasn’t even set until the very end of pre-season – is still gelling.

The Panthers’ inexperienced front line has gotten pushed around for most of the season, and the team ranks 73rd in the nation in rush defense, behind teams like Troy and Utah State. Only a good linebacker corps has kept the 152.9 yards per game Pitt gives up on the ground from being even higher.

Notre Dame embarrassed them on opening night, and they blitzed all night against Rutgers and barely touched the Scarlet Knights’ quarterbacks. Only a solid effort against Nebraska – in the face of scathing remarks from one of Cornhuskers’ coaches – and a shutdown of Syracuse’s Damien Rhodes keeps this grade above a C.

Secondary – A-

At the beginning of the season, head coach Dave Wannstedt dared opponents to pass against his Panther defense. The performance of Pitt’s secondary so far this season, aside from an abysmal outing against a strong Notre Dame team has held up to Wannstedt’s dare.

The three main reasons for this grade have been Tez Morris, Darrelle Revis and Josh Lay. Morris and Lay are senior defensive backs, while Revis is only a sophomore.

Pitt’s defense, as a unit, has held opponents to 1,237 total passing yards, or an average of 5.6 yards per pass. Morris is among the team leaders in tackles with 61, while Revis has snagged four interceptions so far this season, the most by any Panther. He also has recovered two fumbles. Stepping in to break up the passes of opposing quarterbacks has been Lay, something he has done 11 times this season.

A shaky outing against the Irish hasn’t been completely forgotten, but the unit’s performance since merits a grade that reflects the unit’s improvement.

Linebackers – A

By far, this unit has been the anchor of the 2005 Panthers and is worthy of the best grade in the entire class.

H.B. Blades, who was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Syracuse (11 tackles, 38-yard interception return for a score and a fumble recovery), is the conference’s leading tackler at 11 stops a game. A Big East first-teamer last season, Blades’ 88 tackles nearly put him in the top 10 nationally for tackles per game, a list on which he currently sits 13th.

Along with Blades, this entire unit has anchored a Pitt defense that has helped the secondary hold opponents to less than 155 yards per game. They have the conference’s best redzone defense, and have only allowed opponents to convert on 28 percent of third downs.

Special Teams – D+

This unit was up for so long, now it is as down as can be.

The unit’s troubles seem to have started in the Nebraska game. From Mike McGlynn’s bad snap being deflected off holder Adam Graessle’s helmet, to not only one but two Pitt field goal attempts being blocked, it seems the Panthers just couldn’t do anything right. Nebraska won 7-6, and the special teams unit’s mistakes cost Pitt the game.

Against Rutgers, special teams gave up a touchdown when Willie Foster scored on a 71-yard punt return. Also, even during Pitt’s current three-game winning streak, the Panthers have had punts blocked in each contest.

Now, you may be wondering why we didn’t flat out flunk special teams. This is because of Stephens-Howling returning the opening kickoff in the Ohio game 95-yards for a touchdown and Adam Gunn blocking a Cincinnati punt, which lead to a Panther touchdown against the Bearcats.

How did Special Teams earn the “plus” in the “D+?” That is thanks to Revis’ impressive 79-yard punt return for a touchdown against Cincinnati, which so many saw coming after he nearly broke one off every game leading up to that Saturday.

Coaching – C

You can’t get any more average than 4-4.

Many will argue that this grade should be lower, and there is some legitimacy to those arguments. Losses to Ohio and Rutgers don’t exactly scream pre-season No. 23 in most polls, but a win over South Florida helps, and the losses to Rutgers and Notre Dame are at least to quality opponents.

We stress, however, that this grade is a reflection of what he has done with what he has. We aren’t grading his effectiveness in changing the program. That’s an assignment for another day, years down the road.

His adjustments can be questioned, most notably the shuffling of running backs, but he is trying to dramatically change this team. His team has bounced back nicely from a disappointing start, and he hasn’t shrugged off the criticism, but has taken responsibility for the problems.