DALE GRDNIC
For The Tribune-Democrat
PITTSBURGH —
Some might believe that the Pitt football team won’t be focused after losing a tough opener and facing New Hampshire in a home game Saturday at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field, but the Panthers quickly got back on track during practice this week.
Sophomore tailback Dion Lewis believed Pitt should have no problem moving forward against the Wildcats, ranked sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Panthers are 8-0 against FCS teams.
“Everybody got a chance to watch the film, and we saw that the little mistakes that we made really cost us the game,” Lewis said. “So, everybody came to practice focused and ready to work. Now, we’re ready to get our first win.
“(And) since we didn’t win a game yet, it doesn’t matter who we play this week. We’re going to go out there and play as hard as we can to get that first win. Everybody’s going to be focused, so it’s going to be a big game for us.”
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believed the Panthers would have no problem getting ready for New Hampshire after watching tape on the Wildcats and noting how many Division I schools they have knocked off recently. New Hampshire beat Ball State last season.
“We’re focused, and we better be,” Wannstedt said. “Right now, we have to get a win. We have to correct the things that we did not do well enough to win last week. All we need to do is watch the film and look at the history of New Hampshire. They have several players that are from the area and that we’ve had in our camps that are playing for them.
“Their quarterback, when you see a guy make throws like that all over the field, it gets your attention. We need to be ready to play at the highest level we can play. They’re going to run the ball. They had a back last week that ran for about
190 yards or so. They’re a little more spread option quarterback-type team than what Utah was. They’ll run a triple-type option like Navy.”
One area where Pitt improved as the opening game progressed was at quarterback, as redshirt sophomore Tino Sunseri turned a rocky beginning into an impressive first game as a starter. Sunseri was 16-for-28 (57.1 percent) for 184 yards and one touchdown with one interception.
“I thought that in the first series or two, we were a little bit slow with the whole process of getting the play in, him getting it, getting in the huddle,” Wannstedt said. “We had two delay of games, and we were close to getting one or two more. I thought as that whole process picked up, so did his confidence in being in control in the huddle.
“Talking to a lot of the offense players, they also thought that as the game went on, he was more confident, and that’s expected. We went out on Sunday night, and he had a really good practice. He’s excited. That was obviously a big game for him. I don’t think he saw one thing on tape that he thought he couldn’t improve upon.”
It didn’t help Sunseri that Lewis struggled running the ball against a stacked defense poised to stop him with eight and even nine players at the line. Lewis finished with just 75 yards on 25 carries for a paltry three yards per run.
“Their defense brought a lot of different stuff, so when you consider all that, I think our O-line did a pretty decent job,” Lewis said. “It was pretty tough to find room, though, because they brought a lot of guys into the box. They pretty much tried to stop the run the whole time.
“But, for the most part, I think I did all right just trying to get everything I could get. We tried to complete some passes early in the game, but since it was the first game, we had to get Tino comfortable. So, we couldn’t come out throwing with a (noisy) crowd like that at the start of the game.
“So, we had to wait a little while before we started throwing,” Lewis added. “(And) as the game went on, (Tino) got a lot more confident. ... We had a couple little penalties in the first quarter, but he settled in after that and got more control in the huddle.”
Lewis expects more of the same from New Hampshire’s defense.
“I expect eight in the box, nine in the box,” Lewis said. “They play a 4-4 defense and bring the safety down low for run support. As soon as he sees the tight end blocking, he gets down in there. So, it should be an interesting game.”
Senior strong safety Dom DeCicco was the lone player injured against Utah, but his hamstring problem is improving daily, Wannstedt said. Also, sophomore tailback Ray Graham (knee) and redshirt sophomore safety Andrew Taglianetti (knee) could be ready this week. Graham was cleared to play, but held out against Utah for precautionary reasons.
