UCONN PREVIEW

Look, let's be honest, Pitt's season is not looking like we all had hoped for coming into the season.  Expectations were lofty coming in and the thought of the offense struggling, did not cross too many people's mind.  I personally thought they had enough speed and smarts to adjust better then other teams that have tried to go from the pro-style offense to the spread.  Unfortunately, they are still trudging along and now sit at 3-4 with a mid-week showdown with the Connecticut Huskies at Heinz Field. UConn comes in with the same 3-4 record, but unlike Pitt, is coming off a 16-10 win against South Florida.

The Huskies are led by former Syracuse coach, Paul Pasqualoni.  The Huskies are struggling as well with learning new systems on offense and defense and much like Pitt, are struggling with offense, and not so much on defense.  The Huskies defense ranks 34th in the nation in sacks with 17, which spells warning for Pitt.  They also are 15th in the country in interceptions. I say again: WARNING...WARNING...WARNING! Against South Florida, freshman cornerback, Byron Jones won the Big East defensive player of the week, thanks to a fumble recovery TD and a strong game overall.  Again, a strong cornerback, does NOT help out matters, as the Panther receivers have not been strong at fighting off good defensive back fields.  That is something that MUST start to get better for Pitt.

There is one bright side for Pitt on both sides of the ball.  First, Lucas Nix is coming back and Matt Rotheram seems to have impressed enough, that he will also get the nod at right guard.  Nix will come in at left tackle. He is clearly the Panther's best lineman and that should help moving him out there.  Jordan Gibbs will stay at right tackle and Ryan Turnley will stay at center.  No truth to the rumor that Gibbs and Turnley were given iron man awards this week for staying in the starting rotation on the line.  The left guard position will be a toss up between Cory King and Ryan Schlieper.  While both have not been dominating, I feel they have done well enough to warrant some positive thinking this coming week.  On the defensive front, Pitt seems to be poised to get back up and coming linebacker Todd Thomas.  It should be interesting to see if this time off with an injury has helped Thomas better understand the defense.  If that can come together, Pitt could get a MUCH needed boost from his return as he was improving greatly before his injury and can be a difference maker.

The offenses seem to mirror each other.  Hmmmm....I think I have seen this before.  UConn comes in ranked 84th in passing and 94th in rushing.  Points for does not get any better, as they come in at 95th in that category.  The offense is led by trick shot master Johnny McEntee.  Unfortunately, that does not lead to big passing yards for McEntee.  He is a walk on Junior and has been sacked 21 times this season.  This is something that the Panther defense will hopefully be able to exploit.  When he does get rid of the ball, he likes to spread it around.  Senior receiver Isiah Moore has 27 catches, while Kashif Moore comes in with 21 catches and 3 TDs.  Tight End, junior, Ryan Griffin is on the Mackey Award mid season list with 20 receptions.  UConn freshman, Lyle McCombs is having a decent season running the ball with 705 yards and 4 TDs.  In addition to Thomas, Pitt will welcome another new starter to the mix in either Andrew Taglianetti or Brandon Ifill.  This is due to an injury to Jason Hendricks, who could be out for a few weeks with a wrist injury.

The recipe will be the same this week as it was for the past two weeks, which did not work out well for Pitt.  Protect Tino, limit the turnovers and create big plays on defense.....oh, and maybe they should give the ball a few more times to Ray Graham...again, just a thought.  The good news is that Pitt will be at home and they may feel like it's a big game due to the stupidity of WVU fans trying to come to the game.  Yes...I'm sure that will help WVU in so many ways.  Maybe they should have tried to occupy the Carrier Dome on Friday.  Pitt and UConn have both had 10 days off to prepare for this week, which will help both teams be more accustomed to their new systems.  Pitt will also get some time to let the new offensive line get in sync with each other.

OK, enough with the song and dance.  I think Pitt creates a few turnovers and pulls off a big play or two on defense to pull out the victory this week.  Final Score: Pitt 24 UConn 13.  And if they lose this weekend, don't expect me to pick the Panthers much more this week.  I started out 5 for 5 this season and then, much like Pitt, have taken a downward spiral.  Let's hope it stops this week.