To say the 2012 football season is a transition period for the Pitt Panthers would be a huge understatement.
Paul Chryst comes in from Wisconsin to become the fourth Pitt head coach in a two-year span. Chryst also brings with him a pro-style offense, which could be good for senior quarterback Tino Sunseri, who’s under his fourth different offense since enrolling at Pitt.
While there’s a ton of excitement surrounding the arrival of Chryst and what the future holds for a Pitt program that’s set to play their final season in the Big East Conference before beginning play in the ACC season, the reality is that Chryst has a ton of work to do to turn around a team that went only 6-7 a season ago.
There are questions all around the field for the Panthers, but if most of those questions get answered in a positive way then Pitt will have a chance to capture its first outright Big East championship in history.
With that being said, here’s a look at how the Panthers will shape up for the 2012 season.
Offense:
Unfortunately for Pitt fans, it’s another season of Sunseri under center and ultimately he could be the key between the Panthers having a successful campaign or the 2012 season becoming just another mediocre one.
Sunseri won’t be asked to do as much as he was in Todd Graham’s low-octane offense and the Panthers can win with him if he plays smart football and cuts down on the mental mistakes. That’s a big if, but Sunseri has a lot to prove and also a lot of pressure on his shoulders. With his first mistake, the Pitt faithful will be calling for true freshman Chad Voytik, who has looked good in camp.
The fact that Pitt could use more production from Sunseri goes without saying. After a solid 2010 (16 TDs, 9 INTs, 2,572 yards), he took a huge step backwards in 2011 (10 TDs, 11 INTs, 2,616 yards). If Sunseri’s decision making doesn’t improve, Pitt will be in trouble.
Of course Sunseri will be helped by the return of running back Ray Graham, who could be a candidate for Big East Offensive Player of the Year if he returns to form from a torn ACL.
Pairing Graham with sophomore Isaac Bennett should give the Panthers an outstanding ground game and should be Pitt’s bread and butter this season.
It all depends on if Graham is healthy though.
If he is then Pitt has a great 1-2 punch. If he’s not then the running back position becomes another question mark on this team.
Speaking of question marks, that brings me to both the offensive line and wide receiver positions.
Pitt is very thin up front and lost both Juantez Hollins (suspended for the year) and Penn State transfer Tom Ricketts (injury). The Panthers allowed the most sacks in the NCAA a season ago and will have a very inexperienced line trying to protect Sunseri this season.
Sunseri takes a ton of heat due to his struggles a season ago, but the offensive line and wide receivers played a role in that as well.
Pitt’s top two wide receivers- Mike Shanahan and Devin Street- combined for less than 1,250 yards last season and there were plenty of dropped balls and poorly ran routes along the way. However Shanahan has proved to be a reliable veteran and Street has looked great in camp.
If the receivers don’t emerge to weapons for Sunseri, he has a pair of quality tight ends in Hubie Graham and true freshman J.P. Holtz.
Pitt can’t run it all of the time, so someone is going to have to step and become weapons for Sunseri.
Defense:
The Pitt defense came together nicely a season ago after a very slow start and has some talent, but returns only four starters from the 2011 team.
Aaron Donald (11 sacks in 2011), a candidate for Big East Defensive Player of the Year will anchor a defensive line that is inexperienced, but talented. Guys who should see a lot of playing time include: KK Mosley-Smith, Tyrone Ezell, five-star recruit T.J. Clemmings, Shayne Hale and Bryan Murphy.
While the defensive line has some potential, the linebacking core is the biggest question mark on this team.
Dan Mason is trying to make a triumphant return to game action and Todd Thomas is also still recovering from an injury. Shane Gordon and Manny Williams should man two of the three spots and the third will be Thomas’ when he’s healthy. However also keep your eye on Eric Williams, Jason Frimpong and Joe Trebitz, along with freshman Deaysean Rippy and Bam Bradley. Chryst is waiting for some of these guys to step up and until they do, everything is still up in the air.
The secondary goes from one of the defense’s weaknesses in previous years to its strength this year.
Cornerback K’Waun Williams and safety Jarred Holley are locked in as starters. The other corner spot should be Lafayette Pitts’ but Cullen Christian could still get the nod.
The other safety spot is a battle between veteran Andrew Taglianetti, transfer Ray Vinopal and Jahmahl Pardner. I would expect all of the talented secondary players to get a look early on as this battle will carry on throughout the early regular season.
Overview:
Pitt opens up with Youngstown State at Heinz Field, Saturday, September 1. Chryst needs to get off to a better start than Graham did a season ago against Buffalo and Maine.
The success Pitt will or won’t have will mostly be on Sunseri’s shoulders, but Chryst will do his best to put his senior quarterback in positions to have success. If he does so early on, I would expect his confidence to grow and with potential stars like Graham and Donald on each side of the ball, Pitt should be able to compete for the Big East championship.
However Pitt fans Sunseri enough not to trust him in big moments, so he ultimately could be the guy that still holds this team back.
The Panthers will have to travel to Cincinnati the second week of the season, which will prove to be a pivotal early season game. They will get Louisville and Rutgers at home though, which could prove to be big as the season goes on.
However a year ago, this team finished 77th in the nation in passing, 73rd in rushing and 83rd in scoring. Asking for a quick turnaround from those numbers could be asking for too much. Pitt will be better this season, but things aren’t likely to turn around in Chryst’s first season.
- Prediction: 8-4, 5-2- tied for second in Big East
- 2011 Record: (6-7, 4-3)
- Coach: Paul Chryst
Returning Leaders:
- Rushing: Ray Graham, RB, 958 yards
- Passing: Tino Sunseri, QB, 2,616 yards
- Receiving: Devin Street, WR, 754 yards
- Interceptions: K’Waun Williams and four others, DB, 1
- Sacks: Aaron Donald, DL, 11
- Tackles: Jarred Holley, S, 67
2011 Team Stats:
- Rushing Offense: 140.3 yards per game
- Passing Offense: 209.8 yards per game
- Total Offense: 350.1 yards per game
- Scoring Offense: 24.2 points per game
- Rushing Defense: 116.9 yards per game
- Pass Defense: 233.7 yards per game
- Total Defense: 350.6 yards per game
- Scoring Defense: 22.8 points per game
