ESPN College Football

At this point, perhaps this blog should just become the hourly Pittsburgh bad news report.

In addition to all the crazy coaching news, the Panthers will be without Big East Defensive Player of the Year Jabaal Sheard for the BBVA Compass Bowl, Dave Wannstedt said Monday.

The senior defensive end had surgery on his elbow that Wannstedt called "nearly elective." Let the conspiracy theorists debate whether Wannstedt advised the pro prospect not to risk his status in a meaningless bowl game overshadowed by the coaching fiasco. If Jon Baldwin comes up with a phantom hamstring injury before kickoff, then we'll talk.

Sheard had 14.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks this season. His absence puts more pressure on Brandon Lindsey to perform, and Pitt will have to rely on other players such as Justin Hargrove, Nate Nix and T.J. Clemmings to pick up the slack at end.

Meanwhile, Kentucky just became a bigger favorite for Saturday's game.

Brandon Lindsey knows he's a marked man.

The Pittsburgh defensive end figures Miami will test him early and often in Thursday night's game at Heinz Field (ESPN, 7:30 ET). After all, Lindsey just made his first start two weeks ago against New Hampshire while replacing star Greg Romeus.

"I definitely feel like they'll try me," Lindsey said. "They know what they're getting in Jabaal [Sheard] and they don't really have a lot of tape on me. Plus, I'm smaller, so they'll probably try to run at me a little bit to begin the game."

Miami will likely attempt to see what the Panthers have in Lindsey. Pitt will learn a lot as well.

Lindsey's spot was supposed to be home to Romeus, last year's Big East co-defensive player of the year and potential high-round NFL draft pick. But Romeus suffered from a back problem in training camp and underwent surgery to repair a bulging disc last week. He is expected to miss at least six weeks.

So in steps Lindsey, a junior who moved down from linebacker last preseason. He had a pair of sacks in his starting debut against New Hampshire, but the competition level is about to go way up.

"You don't really replace Greg Romeus and some of the intangibles he brings," Pittsburgh defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said. "There's not a lot of 6-foot-6, 275-pound guys like him around. Brandon is a different kind of player, a speed guy. And surprisingly, he's among our top three to four defensive linemen in terms of strength. He's a very strong kid, even though he doesn't look the part."

The 6-2, 250-pound Lindsey says he's faster off the ball and quicker than Romeus but doesn't have Romeus's ability to just knock people over.

"I have to use my quickness and my leverage a little better," he said. "I'm getting better at that."

The loss of Romeus will also mean more time for the backups. Junior Justin Hargrove and senior Nate Nix will figure more prominently into the rotation, and true freshman T.J. Clemmings -- who at 6-6, 280 is the most physically similar to Romeus -- will forgo a redshirt campaign. Gattuso says he will mix and match liberally.

"When you've got guys on kind of that superstar level, you fall into the trap of playing them too much," he said. "Brandon's development might have been hindered by not playing enough. Greg and Jabaal have been getting 80-to-85 percent of the snaps, which is too high a percentage. We'll get back to our true style of play, which is rolling seven or eight guys in, and I think that will help everybody involved."

Defensive end isn't the only position where players must assume bigger roles. Junior Tristan Roberts will make his first start at weakside linebacker in the wake of Dan Mason's demotion. Roberts missed all of last season with a shoulder injury but played well enough in the spring that he almost unseated returning two-year starter Greg Williams.

"The shoulder surgery gave me a little extra motivation," Roberts said. "Watching the team win 10 games and not being a part of it had me a little fired up for the spring."

The linebackers have struggled to make big plays and were burned at times in pass coverage against Utah. Max Gruder has moved inside, while Williams has flipped over to strong side. They will all be challenged by a Miami offense bursting with speed.

"If we have one missed tackle, they're probably going 80 yards down the sideline," Roberts said. "But I'm prepared. I feel like if they decide to try to pick on me because it's my first start I'll be able to handle it."

Pitt will learn plenty about its defense this week. It just hopes that lesson isn't learned the hard way.

"We definitely have enough to get it done," Lindsey said. "We just have to be confident when we get out there."

One thing about springs games is, you don't really want one side of the ball to dominate. Because then you worry more about the side that got pushed around than you praise the side that controlled the action.

That was the case Saturday at Pitt, where the defense won 62-24 in a modified scoring system. The offense scored only one touchdown, a 9-yard run by quarterback Tino Sunseri. Dion Lewis had a 52-yard run, but he totaled just 74 yards on five carries. As a team, the Panthers managed just 119 yards on 38 carries.

Pitt's players said they kept things very basic because the game was broadcast on the NFL Network and they didn't want to give opponents a lot of scouting material. Still, the lack of a strong running game raises questions about the offensive line, which needs to find answers at center and right guard before the season begins.

Then again, perhaps it's just time to credit the defense.

"Defensively, it was a solid performance," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "The defensive linemen -- [Tyler] Tkach, Nate Nix and Shayne Hale -- all fulfilled the backup roles that they needed to. They really came through and showed up today. The linebackers played really well."

Wannstedt also announced winners of the Ed Conway Award, which is annually given to the most improved players in the spring from each side of the ball. This year's winners were senior receiver Greg Cross, a former quarterback, and junior cornerback Antwuan Reed, who has put himself in position to be a starter this season.

PITTSBURGH -- Quick review of the first half at Heinz Field, where No. 15 Pittsburgh leads No. 5 Cincinnati 31-17:

Best player in the half: Pitt's Dion Lewis has cemented his status as the Big East offensive player of the year. The Panthers gave Cincinnati a heavy dose of the running back in the first half, as Lewis carried 29 times for 108 yards and added three catches for 23 yards. Lewis has plenty of room to run behind his offensive line, which has overpowered the Bearcats' defense.

Turning point: Two big mistakes -- which Cincinnati has avoided all year -- turned into 10 points for Pittsburgh. Tony Pike threw a second-quarter interception, just his fourth of the year -- which led to a Dan Hutchins field goal. On the Bearcats' next possession, Nate Nix blocked a punt that ended up inside the Cincinnati 5. Bill Stull ran it in for a touchdown, making it 31-10 late in the half.

What Pitt needs to do: More of the same. The Panthers are dominating on both sides of the ball and would be up by 21 points if not for Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard touchdown return. Pitt needs to stay aggressive and not sit on the lead, because the Bearcats' offense is too explosive.

What Cincinnati needs to do: Reboot. The defensive game plan is not working at all. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco needs to find something to counter the running of Lewis, and the Cincinnati offensive line has to do a better job of protecting Pike. The Bearcats have not trailed in the second half all season, so we'll see what they're made of today.