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SMU beat Pitt 28-6 in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday. Here is an instant analysis.

How the game was won: Pitt looked uninspired from the outset, and was totally outplayed in every aspect of the game. After SMU jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, you had to figure the game was just about over because the Panthers' anemic offense is simply not equipped to come from behind. The Pitt offensive line struggled once again, particularly left tackle Greg Gaskins, and so did quarterback Tino Sunseri -- who had two turnovers. Though Pitt was able to get pressure on SMU quarterback J.J. McDermott, he was able to avoid major sacks and find holes in the man-to-man defense to find wide open receivers.

Turning point: First quarter. This is all you need to know about how the first quarter went. Total yards: SMU 159, Pitt minus-5; First downs: SMU 7, Pitt 0; Time of possession: SMU 10:56, Pitt 3:49.

Stat of the game: 7. Total rushing yards for Pitt in the game.

Player of the game: SMU DE Margus Hunt. Pitt has now given up over 60 sacks on the season after the Mustangs got seven in the game. Hunt had four as he simply overpowered Gaskins all game long.

Second guessing: Pitt was terrible inside the SMU 25 today. In four opportunities, the Panthers came away with two field goals, a missed field goal and an interception. The interception was a fluke, as it bounced off Isaac Bennett's hands, then off a helmet and into the arms of Stephon Sanders. On several of the other possessions, Sunseri took sacks at the worst possible time. Sums up the story of the season. Pitt also had two opportunities on special teams taken away -- one was a recovered onside kick negated by an inadvertent whistle; another was a fake punt for a first down negated because of a false start. SMU also blocked one Pitt punt.

Well wishes: SMU running back Jared Williams broke his left leg on a scary hit with Pitt safety Andrew Taglianetti. Williams was carted off the field on a stretcher with an air cast on his leg, and Taglianetti was visibly distraught over the hit.

What Pitt learned: There is plenty of work for new coach Paul Chryst to do. As has been the case in 2011, quarterback and offensive line play are two of the biggest issues that have to be fixed. Good thing Chryst and incoming offensive coordinator Bob Bostad have the experience needed to make these two areas better. Pitt is going to be a more traditional offense in the future, and to be able to do that, the offensive line has got to be better. One thing has to be said about the coaching in this game -- the Panthers only had five full-time coaches on the sideline, and interim coach Keith Patterson was put in an extremely difficult position to lead this team.

What SMU learned: When the Mustangs are able to hold onto the football and make plays in the pass game, they win. SMU went into the game with the worst turnover margin in the nation (minus-17) but was plus-2 in this game. McDermott hit Darius Johnson for a 50-yard touchdown early in the game, and was able to pick apart a Pitt defense that at times had linebackers on the Mustangs' fastest receivers. Johnson ended up with seven catches for 121 yards -- and he returns next season along with injured running back Zach Line, Hunt and many other standouts on offense and defense.

Last week, we took a look at the up-and-coming freshmen in the Big East. Now it is time to take a look at all of the departing senior talent. There is a ton across every team in this league. Sixteen of the 29 players honored on the All-Big East first team are seniors. There are still five bowl games left to be played, but it is worth taking a look at how many seniors are departing.

I will take a closer look at some of these "super seniors" in a future post.

Cincinnati

• Seniors: 21
• Starters: 12
• Key losses: Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Randy Martinez, D.J. Woods, Evan Davis, John Hughes, Wes Richardson, Alex Hoffman, JK Schaffer, Adrien Robinson, Tom DeTemple, Derek Wolfe.

UConn

• Seniors: 13
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Mike Ryan, Moe Petrus, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore, Dave Teggart, Twyon Martin, Kendall Reyes.

Louisville

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Victor Anderson, Josh Bellamy, Josh Chichester, Ryan Kessling, Dexter Heyman, William Savoy, Greg Scruggs, Chris Philpott.

Pitt

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Lucas Nix, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs, Antwuan Reed, Max Gruder, Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey, Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein.

Rutgers

• Seniors: 16
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Art Forst, Joe Martinek, Justin Francis, Manny Abreu, David Rowe, San San Te.

USF

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 6
• Key losses: Jeremiah Warren, Chaz Hine, Quenton Washington, Jerrell Young, Patrick Hampton, Keith McCaskill.

Syracuse

• Seniors: 18
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Van Chew, Andrew Tiller, Michael Hay, Antwon Bailey, Kevyn Scott, Mikhail Marinovich, Nick Provo.

West Virginia

• Seniors: 22
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Don Barclay, Julian Miller, Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Eain Smith.

See ya, high octane.

Welcome back, grind-it-out football.

If the Panthers' 21-14 win against Louisville this past weekend had a familiar look to it, that was not an accident. Coach Todd Graham has decided to slow down the offensive pace. No more rushing to snap the ball. No more rushing to get set. No more rushing players onto the field.

Pitt was effective at going at a slower tempo against the Cardinals, racking up 200 yards on the ground. They had no penalties, and Tino Sunseri looked more comfortable. Plenty of misdirection plays worked, and the offensive line had perhaps its best performance in a long time. They are going to have to repeat that performance in their final two games against West Virginia and Syracuse to not only get back to a bowl game, but keep their Big East hopes alive.

Graham singled out his line in particular for its play against the Cardinals. The Panthers used their seventh different starting lineup, as guard Lucas Nix was still unavailable. Pitt went with the combination of Greg Gaskins at left tackle, Ryan Schlieper at left guard; Ryan Turnley at center; Cory King at right guard and Jordan Gibbs at right tackle. Turnley is the only player who has started all 10 games at the same position.

"I'm just really proud of them," Graham said. "Greg Gaskins just sticks out to me up front, him and Turnley. We've now had a few weeks with just the same group of guys and they really responded. I thought we run-blocked really well, came off the football. We were able to be balanced in what we were doing. It's just repetition and having the same guys in the lineup helped. It's just reps and those guys being disciplined."

Pitt lost its two best players on the offensive line in Nix (hurt against USF) and Chris Jacobson (out for the season). Guys like Gaskins, King and Schlieper only have a handful of starts and were thrown into the mix to plug holes. As a result of that and an inability to pick up the hurry-up, Pitt has given up 42 sacks this season.

The injuries on offense and all the young players have played a big role in why Graham is scaling back the attack.

But if he gets another performance like the one against Louisville, it will hardly matter.

"The nature of football -- you're going to have injuries," he said. "We're not going to make excuses and whine about that stuff. But what you have to have is guys that have been in backup roles or some of our guys who've been third team. They can't play as replacements. They have to go out there like they're 9 feet tall and compete like they're the best offensive linemen in the country. To get that confidence takes repetition. Having a knowledge of what you're doing allows you to play fast and aggressive. It's been a process, obviously been a challenge with the injuries, but [I'm] really proud of how they responded. It's not how you start, but how you finish."

Nearly every Big East team has broken fall camp. So what are the unanswered questions remaining with less than two weeks before the season begins? Next up in my team-by-team look is Pitt.

1. Offensive line shuffling. The Panthers had quite a bit of movement on their offensive line throughout fall camp as they try to replace center Alex Karabin and left tackle Jason Pinkston. Chris Jacobson had been practicing at center in the spring, but now it appears he is moving back to left guard and Ryan Turnley will be at center. Left tackle will be Juantez Hollins, a redshirt sophomore who has never played in a game. Jordan Gibbs has moved to right tackle and Lucas Nix to right guard. Tackle Greg Gaskins and guard Cory King will still be very much in the mix. But given how much this line was moved around during camp, there could be more tinkering ahead.

2. Inside linebacker up for grabs. Coach Todd Graham maintains that Shane Gordon, Tristan Roberts and Max Gruder are all starters. But only two will be in the lineup each week. It appears Gordon and Roberts may be interchangeable, depending on who the Panthers play. Redshirt freshman Todd Thomas will start at spur linebacker and has impressed the coaches with the way he practiced during fall camp.

3. Is Kevin Harper the real deal? Pitt has to replace Dan Hutchins, who was an All-Big East selection in 2009 before slipping a little in 2010. Harper was one of the top kicking prospects in the country in the class of 2008 -- he made a 61-yard field goal in high school to set a state record. He has handled kickoff duties for the Panthers but has been erratic with his field goal kicking. He had a nice fall camp, and now it is his turn to show that he can be the kicker everyone thought he could be when he signed with Pitt.

PITTSBURGH -- Chris Jacobson knows he is way behind.

The Pitt senior was moved from guard to center less than two weeks ago and is trying to figure out the position as he plays it for the first time in his life. That's why he takes a ball home each night and simulates snapping it against his leg.

"Coach [Todd] Graham told me I have to get a year's worth of snaps in before August, and he's right," Jacobson said. "I want to be the best at it, and I know what I have to do. I'm all in on this move."

Jacobson started all last season at left guard and was a reliable player there. But the Panthers haven't had much depth at center and were forced to start former walk-on Alex Karabin there last season. They tried a couple of different guys there this spring, like Brandon Sacco and Greg Gaskins, before deciding to move Jacobson over one spot.

"We think he's got a chance to be special there," Graham said.

First, he has to get comfortable. Jacobson said he had performed a few exchanges when the quarterback was under center over the years. But he had never practiced snapping in the shotgun, which is what Pitt will use about 85 percent of the time in Graham's new offense. In a fast-paced offense, the snap has to be delivered with precision so the quarterback can simply grab the ball and make the play. If he's grabbing or reaching for the ball, it can throw the entire rhythm off.

Jacobson is still getting used to that. In a practice last week, he made a couple of errant snaps to Tino Sunseri. Those are going to happen now. They can't happen in the fall.

"When I do have bad snaps in practice, I have to forget about them," he said. "It has to become like second nature."

Sunseri said that after Jacobson's first couple of days at center, he stayed after practice to work on about 300 extra snaps.

"He's a guy who doesn't like not doing it right the first time," Sunseri said. "He'll make sure he gets it down."

Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee has seen players in the past get spooked by some bad snaps early on in their career, coming down with the football version of Steve Blass Disease. But he doesn't think Jacobson is a candidate for such treatment.

"If anybody has the work ethic it takes to do this, he has it," Magee said. "So I'm not real concerned with that."

Learning how to snap the ball isn't all that's facing Jacobson. He's also in command of an offensive line that will be sprinting to line up after each play. He won't have much time to gain his bearings.

"People don't realize how hard it is," he says. "Because with this fast offense, you have to come up to the line, identify the defense, point out the linebackers, make the call for the whole offensive line and see and hear what's going on. And then if there's a guy like Myles Caragein or Aaron Donald lined up right off the ball, sometimes you're like 'Oh, man.' You have to get all of that down in 15 seconds, and sometimes your head is spinning."

Jacobson continues to work to have it all make sense. Come August, he hopes no one notices that there's a new guy snapping the ball.

PITTSBURGH -- A few quick thoughts and observations from what I got to see of Pitt's spring practice on Tuesday:

• I was looking forward to seeing just how high-octane this offense was, to use Todd Graham's description. While the usual drills and other periods were held at the same tempo as a lot of practices I've seen, when Pitt went to an 11-on-11 drill it was pedal to the metal. The offense was sprinting to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball in under 10 seconds. That doesn't mean it was effective. There was a bad shotgun snap from Chris Jacobson and another one mishandled by backup quarterback Anthony Gonzalez. Throw in an incomplete deep ball, and the short team period looked a little disjointed. But fast.
• In the past couple of years, Pitt was always what Dick Vitale would call an "All-Airport" team. That is, they looked awfully good in their uniforms. The Panthers don't look quite as physically imposing this spring, but perhaps that's just because guys like Jon Baldwin, Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard are not longer around. This team still has plenty of talent, though depth looks like it could be an issue.
• Tino Sunseri has pretty clearly established his hold on the starting quarterback job as the incumbent. He had a little trouble hooking up with receivers on deep balls while I was watching, but the coaching staff loves his poise and experience. Remember that Graham has won with quarterbacks who weren't necessarily physical specimens but who were really smart. Sunseri, as a coach's kid and with a year under his belt, fits that bill.
• Gonzalez got the first backup QB snaps on Tuesday, though he didn't throw as much as Mark Myers in some other drills. It's hard not to like Myers' skills; he's tall and throws a very tight spiral. Is he the right quarterback for this system? That's a good question, considering he looks like a prototypical pro-style signalcaller, which is one reason why he signed with Pitt.
• Receiver Cam Saddler was back on the field after missing some time with a leg injury. The 5-foot-7 speedster has got to love this offensive system after not really getting used much by Dave Wannstedt. He's the kind of waterbug Graham found success with at Tulsa. Devin Street and Mike Shanahan look terrific as the top two wideouts. Pitt just has to find more guys behind them.
• The first-string offensive line, for what it's worth, saw Lucas Nix and Jordan Gibbs at tackle, Greg Gaskins and Cory King at guard and Jacobson at center. Gaskins struggled last year when he was first given a chance to start but now he's a senior. After Gaskins made a nice block in a lineman drill, offensive line coach Spencer Leftwich yelled, "If you do that, you can play here."
• As usual in these settings, it's hard to tell a whole lot about the defense when there's not much hitting. But Graham raves about his defensive line, saying tackle Chas Alecxih in particular has had a huge spring. He also says cornerback K'Waun Williams "can be special." Some currently injured players like Brandon Lindsey, Antwuan Reed and Todd Thomas will help when they're healthy.

Here is the second part of my interview with Pittsburgh head coach Todd Graham. You can read Part I here.

How likely are position changes and a lot of depth-chart juggling once you see the guys on the field for the first time?


Todd Graham: We've been seeing guys on film and watching them in a different system. Luckily [former defensive coordinator] Phil Bennett and I are very close friends, so I've been able to visit with him and talk to him about stuff and evaluate on film. Especially at Panther linebacker, outside linebacker, we definitely don't have things in stone at all. We feel we've got a pretty good idea what guys can do out in space. Speed at linebacker is an issue for us, as is not giving up big plays in the back end. We feel really good about [safety] Jason Hendricks. We think he's a young guy who's got a great chance to come in and be really good in this system at our bandit safety position.

What about cornerback, a position that struggled at times last year?

TG: K'Waun Williams has impressed me. As a freshman last year, he had a good bowl game and he is a guy who's extremely fast and extremely quick. The way we play corner, we like to press up and put our hands on guys and stuff like that. Antwuan Reed is recuperating from a concussion, but he started all last year so we feel good there. Buddy Jackson is a senior and a tremendous athlete -- he's just got to buy into our way of doing it.

Then we've got some young guys. Lafayette Pitts is a kid who's coming in, and I think that's where we helped ourselves in recruiting, at the corner spot. Brandon Ifill is another guy we feel really good about at safety or corner.

How much of a concern is depth?


TG: No question, I think depth at safety is an issue. Our linebackers, we've got to get faster there because we want to attack a lot more. That's something we've been focusing on in training, and I think it's something you can develop, and we're also going to recruit it. We'll know a lot more in the spring, but Max Gruder, Tristan Roberts and Shane Gordon are all guys on film I'm impressed with. Kevin Adams is a guy who could be an outside linebacker, away from the Panther.

We've got some guys that are athletic. The main thing at many positions is, depth is a major issue. At defensive back, the tailback position and then the receiver psoition. We want 11 or 12 guys on scholarship [at receiver] and we've got seven. We've got three receivers coming in this fall, so that will give us 10, but we'll still be one or two shy. It's hard to make up the numbers that fast.

And then some of the big changes will be in how we use the fullback/tight end/three-back type position. I've been impressed with Mike Cruz and Hubie Graham, a transfer at that position. All this stuff is based on what I've seen off film. I've naturally done a lot of research, but seeing them in person and seeing how they react to our system is going to be critical. I'm very pleased what I've seen so far and think we can make a smooth transition.

Who's playing center for you?

TG: Brandon Sacco is there. Greg Gaskins is another guy. Both those guys will be getting a look going into spring. We've got Jordan Gibbs and Chris Jacobson and Lucas Nix returning, and those are guys I feel really good about. Those guys are big and physical. They've got some mean, nasty in them, and they're tough. The biggest thing for them is getting them to understand how fast we're going to go and get them in shape to handle it.

Is Gibbs moving to left tackle to take over for Jason Pinkston?


TG: He has played left tackle. It depends on how things work out. But I think he is a very good tackle and we'll start him off at left. He's a big, tough kid.

In your previous experience, how long did it take the players to grasp the system and pace you want to play?

TG: When I took the job at Rice, we had a very young offensive staff. Major Applewhite had been coaching one year, and we put this offense in. They were running a wishbone, so we were going from a wishbone to a spread no-huddle. It was ugly in the spring. The spring game was kind of ugly. But then they caught on. Early in the season we struggled, but we played UCLA, Florida State and Texas back-to-back-to-back. We ended up winning seven football games and going to our first bowl game since [1961]. So they caught on really quickly.

Then going to Tulsa, they ran more of the style of offense that Pitt ran last year. They were a little bit deficient at wide receiver, so we played a lot of young receivers. We had a good tailback, some returning offensive linemen and a fifth-year senior quarterback. And we won 10 football games. And then 11 the next year.

I feel like the transition can be smooth. The key for us is what we focus on every day. I tell them, don't try to go from A to Z. Let's go from A to G, or A to M. Let's adapt what we're doing to the skills and talents of the players we have. At Tulsa, what we looked like offensively in '07 was very different than what we looked like in 2010. Both were very productive, just different. Our personnel last year was pretty darn good. We got faster every year. Once you recruit to the system, it does change.

The key to the system, like any other system, is having a quarterback that can manage the game and disperse that football. It does require above-average speed, and we feel like we have a good group of guys to work with there. We want to be able to run the football and run about 84 snaps on offense, and under 70 snaps defensively. If you start throwing the ball every down in a no-huddle and not making first downs, the clock stops. If you're playing 75-plus plays on defense, then good luck. You're not going to play very good defense.

How anxious are you to get started?


TG: I can't wait. I know coach [Mike] Norvell and coach [Calvin] Magee are so excited to see how the guys respond and how they move. This spring and this summer's training regiment will be very, very critical.

Some losses stick with you a little longer than others. For Pittsburgh, last Thursday's 31-3 home blowout loss to Miami was covered in molasses and stick 'em.

The Panthers were embarrassed on national TV in a game in which they were barely competitive. For a team picked to win the Big East and do big things this year, it was a major wake up call.

"I think that one will be hanging around until we get everything rolling like we want it to be rolling around here," offensive lineman Lucas Nix said.

The question is whether Pitt (1-2) will ever get it rolling this season. The Panthers go into Saturday's game against dangerous Florida International needing to win or facing a real implosion of their season.

Dave Wannstedt has shuffled the underperforming offensive line, moving Nix from right tackle to right guard in place of Greg Gaskins. Jordan Gibbs inherits Nix's old spot at tackle. Adjusting on the fly with an offensive line is never easy; Nix has never played inside and Gibbs hasn't seen much action at all in his career.

"We'll need some time to work it out," Nix said. "I've got to work on some of the pulls and figuring out my angles on that type of stuff. We've got to get back to running the ball here."

The running game has suffered, and the passing game isn't much better. Quarterback Tino Sunseri didn't play well against Miami and finds himself on a shorter leash this week. If he doesn't improve, veteran backup Pat Bostick might supplant him.

"Until we start becoming more consistent in the passing game, they’re going to overplay the run," Wannstedt said. "I think that as we become more consistent in the passing game, that will force people to back out of there a little bit."

No doubt that Pitt's confidence was rattled in the Miami loss. Seniors like defensive end Jabaal Sheard are trying to rally the team together.

"We lost to two good teams we could have beaten," Sheard said. "If we avoid things like penalties, missed blocks and missed tackles, we can be unstoppable. When we see the teams we lost to continue winning, it shows we can still do it.

"We have to stay positive, and we still have the Big East to look forward to. I want a ring before I leave Pitt."

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt is trying to do something about the team's offensive line problems.

Wannstedt announced some changes to the lineup on Monday. Starting right tackle Lucas Nix will move inside to right guard, replacing the struggling Greg Gaskins. Jordan Gibbs, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound junior, will move into Nix's spot in the starting lineup.

The Panthers' line, which replaced all three starters on the interior, was a major concern coming into the season and has lived down to expectations. The line has had trouble preventing penetration up the middle and opening holes for the running game.

Pitt does not have a lot of talented options on the bench. Reserves Ryan Turnley and Jack Lippert may see more snaps if the new mix isn't effective. It's also not easy to build chemistry with a new group in the middle of the season, but Wannstedt knows the line has to improve before the Panthers enter Big East play.

Wannstedt also said safety Dom DeCicco could drop down to linebacker in some passing packages. The linebacker spot took a hit when Dan Mason was lost for the season to a knee injury in the Miami game. DeCicco has had his own health problems, as a hamstring injury has bothered him all year and sidelined him after an early interception last week against the Hurricanes.

Hey, what do you know. It's Friday and we have actual games to talk about, along with other things. Let's do this:

Kevin from Pittsburgh writes: Maybe I'm just an optimistic Pitt fan, but I found a lot of good things from tonights game and would love to hear your opinion. First, I am glad that Pitt doesn't play anyone else this season with that style of offense, because it clearly gave Pitt problems. Second, I thought that Phil Bennett and Dave Wannstedt learned a little about their defense, specifically, blitzing isn't always bad. On offense, I wish that Frank Cignetti would have opened up the playbook earlier than he did.

But, finally, and probably the most important thing I got from the game was that there in not one team in the Big East that scares me right now. Even with as poor as Pitt played and maybe a better term, executed tonight, I saw enough positive that outweigh the negatives. What are your thoughts?

Brian Bennett: I'm not sure I would say there were more positives than negatives. Look, the bottom line is that Pitt lost by three in overtime on the road in an extremely hostile environment against a good team. There's no shame in that. The Panthers will get better, and I fully expect them to be right in the thick of the Big East race.

Still, there are issues that need to be addressed, primarily with the defensive pass coverage. While Pitt may not play a team quite like Utah, it will face Miami in the third game, and Jacory Harris looks improved. And then there's Notre Dame and the Brian Kelly spread. So there are problems that need to be fixed to keep this from being a 7-5, 8-4 kind of year.

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Adam from Philadelphia writes: After watching Pitt's offensive line against Utah, do you give Pitt a chance to get to 8 wins this season?

Brian Bennett: Sure, there's still a good chance of that. But that offensive line, which we knew could be a problem, has to get a lot better. Greg Gaskins in particular needs to improve at guard. Pitt doesn't really have a lot of other options behind the starters, so it mostly will have to go with what it has. If the Panthers have to keep a fullback and two tight ends in all the time just to run the ball, that will handcuff Cignetti's playcalling.

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D.L. Martin from Chicago writes: You and all other sports media kill me. Every single year you guys yap about how good Pitt is or will be for the coming year. All I hear is "Oh they will win the Big East and go to a BCS bowl, they're that good." Then what happens? They go and lose a game that they should have won, every single year. For the life of me, how Dave Wannstedt has kept his job this long I will never know. He is a below average coach at best, where has he ever won before?

Brian Bennett: Hmm, where to start here? First, I've got to take issue with your contention that this was a game that Pitt "should have won." Playing Utah on the road is extremely difficult, and the Utes have been one of the best programs in college football the past decade (nine straight bowl wins, two BCS victories). As for Wannstedt never winning, well, he won a Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator and was 41-23 with the Miami Dolphins with two playoff appearances before Ricky Williams walked out and wrecked his final season there. And he won 19 games the previous two years at Pitt.

Has Pitt underachieved at times under Wannstedt? Sure, that's fair. Does the Utah loss mean the Panthers are a fraud? No, not at all.

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Zeeshan from NYC writes: BB, you're 2-0, what are you gonna do now? Rutgers shut out Norfolk State but in my opinion they did it in a very poor fashion. From what youve seen of this offense, do you think we stand a chance against any properly good teams?

Brian Bennett: We're going to keep this train rolling. Almost hit the exact scores for the first two games. Yeah, the Rutgers offense did not look good at all, especially in the first half, against Norfolk State. It did better in the second half, but that's typically when a BCS team wears down the thin FCS rosters. That wasn't too big of a surprise, given the questions on the offensive line and at receiver. The Scarlet Knights should improve with time, but I'm not sure this will ever be a high-powered offense. Defense will probably have to carry the day.

The good news is, with FIU next, followed by a potentially suspension-ridden North Carolina and then Tulane, Rutgers could still start out 4-0 while it works out the kinks.

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Trevor from Morgantown writes: Assuming WVU goes up big as expected against Coastal Carolina, how long do you keep Geno Smith in the game? He needs more game experience, but at the same time so do our true freshmen. Also, do you play both freshmen or only one and redshirt the other?

Brian Bennett: If things go to script, Smith should be lifted some time in the third quarter. If it were up to me, I'd play one freshman and have the other redshirt or switch positions. No sense in having three quarterbacks who are so close together in class.

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Marc from Charleston, W. Va., writes: BB, First of all -- you're awesome. Having said that, I have a question: Shouldn't Big East teams be burning up the phone lines to Provo to get BYU on their future schedules? It would be a major coup for BYU, as having a schedule with Big East teams (say, 3 or 4 a year) would be a lot more attractive than WAC teams, and would fill out at least a few of the 12 games they will need each year. And for the Big East, it would allow us to fill one of the 5 out of conference games with a quality opponent, rather than Stony Brook, Coastal Carolina, and Norfolk St. And travel in and out of Salt Lake City would not be bad.

Brian Bennett: Now that's the way to start a question. Marc, you bring up a really good point. Any teams who say they're having trouble finding good nonconference opponents (cough, Rutgers, cough) should have plenty of opportunity with BYU. The one caveat is that of course teams want as many home games as they can get. And as we saw Thursday night, traveling out to Utah to play a game doesn't always end well.

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Matt from NYC writes: Have to take issue with your comment that Randy Edsall's UConn team "never beats itself." I think those 5 losses from '09 by a total of 15 points will provide a lot of evidence to the contrary, specifically the Rutgers game. As fundamentally sound as they may be, they just couldn't close a lot of games they should have won, which is how I define "beating yourself." Care to reconsider?

Brian Bennett: That's the danger of hyperbole. I wrote that as a compliment to how well UConn is coached. But, yes, when Zach Frazer was throwing interceptions around the field, that can be counted as beating yourself. And the North Carolina game last year was a good example of that. In general, though, the Huskies are fundamentally sound and mistake-averse.

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Newman from Clifton writes: Hey, Brian, how about a link to the Capitol One Bowl mascot challenge to help the Bearcats defend their title?

Brian Bennett: Hello, Newman. You got it. Here's the link. Do they hang banners for mascot titles?

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Erik W. from Las Vegas writes: I am writing this on Sept. 2 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Please include this in the Friday 9/3 mailbag. By the time this is posted you will have witnessed the Pitt Panthers solid win over Utah. So a few questions in light of the Panther bictory ... Is Utah overrated or is Pitt that good? Will you ever underestimate Cignetti, Tino Sunseri or the 'Stache ever again?

Brian Bennett: You may recognize Eric as the esteemed author of "Thomas Dewey: America's Finest President."

Pittsburgh is replacing three starting offensive linemen this season, overhauling its entire interior from 2009. There is much hand-wringing about the state of center and right guard for the preseason Big East favorites.

Left guard, however, appears to be in solid hands.

Fourth-year junior Chris Jacobson has only one career start, but it was an impressive one. Filling in for an ailing Joe Thomas at the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Jacobson was part of the line that pushed North Carolina's star-studded defensive front around so Dion Lewis could rush for 159 yards in the Panthers' win. If Jacobson could handle the bevy of potential NFL draft picks on the Tar Heels, he should be fine for whatever comes this season.

"I got to experience what it's like to play in a big game, or just a college game in general," he said. "That definitely helps me confidence wise for this year."

Big things were expected of Jacobson when he arrived at Pitt. He was a U.S. Army All-American and the No. 7 guard in his class, according to ESPN's Scouts Inc. But after redshirting, he hurt his knee and was limited in the 2008 season. Last year, he said, he struggled with the mental part and preparation aspects of the game.

Now he thinks he's ready to fulfill his high school acclaim.

"I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life right now," he said. "I'm ready to go and I feel great. The mental preparation, it's all there now."

The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder looks the part and has the physical tools. He could help make Pitt's left side the dominant run side with Jason Pinkston.

"When he comes off that ball, he comes off low and hard," said defensive tackle Myles Caragein, who was Jacobson's high school teammate. "When you line up against him, it's not a walk in the park. It's a brawl every time."

As for the rest of the line, Jacobson said he feels confident in center Alex Karabin and right guard Greg Gaskins. The three new starters, he said, "are going out there every day and proving ourselves."

Jacobson started that process in December. And that's allowing Pitt to feel confident in at least one of its three new starting interior linemen.

PITTSBURGH -- I'll have plenty of coverage from my two-part visit to Pittsburgh, but here are some early thoughts and tidbits:

• As usual, this is what Dick Vitale would call an All-Airport Team. Meaning, the Panthers sure look good in person, like a football team ought to look. I've been to several spring camps now, and there just aren't many physical specimens like Greg Romeus and Jonathan Baldwin to be found anywhere in the Big East -- or many other places, for that matter.

• This is a team that has a lot of answers. But the No. 1 pressing concern is the interior of the offensive line, which is all new. Chris Jacobson was a big-time recruit and should be fine at left guard. Questions remain about center Alex Karabin and right guard Greg Gaskins. The tackle spots are in good shape, but you don't want to be weak up the middle, especially a team that likes to run as much as Pitt."It's going to be probably an ongoing process throughout training camp and throughout the season," Dave Wannstedt said. "Those guys will probably be playing their best football in December. It's one of those positions where it will take some time to bring those guys along."

• Wannstedt had glowing words for linebacker Tristan Roberts, who missed all of last year with an injury. Roberts is pushing two-year starter Greg Williams for that outside linebacker job and may win it."He looks like a different player than before he got hurt," Wannstedt said. "He's more physical, smart and he's moving around confidently."

• Dion Lewis and Ray Graham? Unfair. Graham caused oohs and aahs at practice with some of his moves Tuesday. I spent some time with Graham and he's an engaging guy. Look for that story soon.

• I'll have a story later today on the secondary, which is working in a lot of new pieces, especially at safety. That group will look a lot different in the fall when healthy, but the DBs played pretty well against Pitt's talented receiving group on Tuesday.

• Mike Cruz looks like he can be a solid tight end, but the Panthers will really miss Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson as playmakers at that spot.

• Tino Sunseri throws a great-looking ball. It's got zip and a tight spiral. I'll be stunned if he's not the starting quarterback, and I think he could have a really good year. Wannstedt praised him for not turning the ball over this spring, which of course is one of Wannstedt's cardinal rules for his quarterbacks.

• Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas are gone, but Pitt just plugs in new defensive linemen. Keep an eye on Tyrone Ezell. Dude looks like a beast.

• Favorite line of the day: Kicker Dan Hutchins walked by me on the sidelines and said, "Hey, I know you. You used to play here." Yep. Though I've changed a bit since then.

• I still need to see West Virginia, and there's a whole summer to deal with. But you'd have to really talk me out of making Pitt the Big East favorite at this point.