By TONY FERRAIOLO
PITTSBURGH — Pitt will look for a big game on the ground when it plays on the road and indoors for the first time this year, as it opens conference play today at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Seeing the Orange is good news for the Panthers and their running game. Pitt (2-1) has enjoyed recent success against Syracuse. The Panthers have beaten Syracuse (1-3) in five of the past six meetings, including a 20-17 win last year at Heinz Field. However, playing at Syracuse has given Pitt problems in the past. The Panthers are just 4-9-1 at the Carrier Dome since 1980.
Head coach Dave Wannstedt is aware that Syracuse can be a difficult place to play, especially when Pitt has an important game at South Florida coming up on Thursday. To combat any chance of the Panthers overlooking Syracuse, Wannstedt set up mousetraps around Pitt’s South Side practice facility this week.
“Our motto for the week is don’t get trapped,” quarterback Bill Stull said Wednesday. “We have a bunch of mousetraps laying around here, seriously. Just a little reminder that we don’t want to get trapped.”
“We know we have South Florida coming up quick on Thursday,” senior running back LaRod Stephens-Howling said of the mousetraps. “Everybody can easily look past Syracuse, but that’s definitely not going to happen. We have to make sure we don’t get trapped looking forward to the South Florida game.”
Perhaps it is Syracuse that should set up traps in Pitt’s backfield. Pitt has gashed the Orange on the ground in recent years.
Last year, on the path to his record-breaking freshman season, LeSean McCoy rushed for 140 yards against Syracuse. Two years ago at the Carrier Dome, Stephens-Howling rushed for 221 yards and a touchdown.
“It was definitely my best game on the ground,” Stephens-Howling said. “It was a time our offense was really rolling.”
In that game, Stephens-Howling had a 39-yard carry, and broke a 70-yard touchdown run to carry the Panthers to a 21-11 win. It’s those types of runs that Pitt’s offense has been lacking so far this year. Pitt has struggled to consistently establish the run. Offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh knows that the running game needs to hit some big plays for Pitt’s offense to progress.
“You have to get some of those chunk runs,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to go out there and average 5 yards per carry on 40 carries, (but) at some point you’re going to break one. We’ve got guys that can go the distance.”
Through three games Pitt is averaging 3.6 yards per rush.
“We’re all disappointed that the numbers aren’t where they’re supposed to be,” Cavanaugh said. “Nobody wants to discount winning a couple games, we just feel to complement our offense we need to run the ball for more yards than we’re getting, and we’re close.
“I’m hoping we can get both LeSean and LaRod on track here pretty quick, and start being a little more efficient running the football.”
Facing a Syracuse defense that is allowing 198.3 rushing yards per game might be just what Pitt needs.
Two weeks ago, Syracuse surrendered 218 rushing yards against Akron.
“I feel we can go out and dominate and set the tone (with the running game),” McCoy said. “I think that if we go out there and we play ball, we should be successful, get us going in the right direction, start conference play off right.”
According to Wannstedt, the proper path for Pitt’s running game can’t be too far away. He knows that McCoy and Stephens-Howling have big-play potential, and that McCoy could break out at any moment.
“He’s close. He has to be … he’s too good of a player,” Wannstedt said. “Him and LaRod are too good of players, and they work too hard not to. LaRod’s been playing well, so we’ve been giving him the ball as well. We’re trying all kinds of different things to allow for a big play. Sometimes I think it might be too much, but we’re working on that.”
