Pittsburgh vs Buffalo Football Preview

It’s true that the Pittsburgh Panthers didn’t have the worst offseason in college football over the past eight months. The University of Miami captured that distinction, with Ohio State in second place and North Carolina third. Oregon and LSU took their share of hits, and Oklahoma had to deal with the death of linebacker Austin Box. Yet, with all of that having been said, Pittsburgh’s offseason was still decidedly unpleasant and unproductive.

In 2010, Pittsburgh was the clear favorite in the Big East. Moreover, no team in the conference set the world on fire, and that’s being charitable: No team lost fewer than four games all season long. This should have been the time when the Panthers – nipped by Cincinnati in a truly first-class race in 2009 – should have punched their ticket to a BCS bowl for the first time in the Wannstedt era. Instead, they fell short, and as a result, university brass sent Wannstedt packing. A tumultuous coaching search brought Mike Haywood from Miami ( Ohio), but any positive vibes from that quietly encouraging hire evaporated very quickly. Haywood descended into a nasty domestic dispute with his wife and was arrested. The news of his downward spiral hit the airwaves on New Year’s Day, during the Rose Bowl game. Haywood had to be – and was – fired without delay, causing Pitt to search for yet another head coach within a week. Pitt ultimately tabbed Tulsa head coach Todd Graham to be its head coach, but the late hire combined with the damage done to the school’s image, not to mention its recruiting class, was considerable.

Graham brings with him a base 3-3-5 defense and more importantly, a wide open, no-huddle offense that represents a substantial departure from Wannstedt’s style of offense. Pitt has an appreciable amount of talent, but everyone in the Big East is wondering if Graham can get this team to readjust in a short time frame; this roster was recruited to play one way, but Graham operates in a manner different from Haywood and, for that matter, Wannstedt. This season is not likely to be a smooth one for the Panthers; this opening game against the Buffalo Bulls will try to reduce the amount of bumps in the road.

Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri threw for 2,372 yards and completed 65 percent of his passes last season. Sunseri will be asked to do a lot in Graham’s offense, but he looked capable of handling the change in the Panthers’ approach. Having plenty of weapons at his disposal will help Sunseri to cope with a new offensive system. After splitting carries with Dion Lewis in 2010, Ray Graham has the running back job all to himself now. Graham is a bigger and more physical back than Lewis was, and while Graham’s offense certainly loves to hurry the pace and throw the ball, it will not neglect a good running game. On the edges, wide receiver Jon Baldwin is now gone to the NFL, but the trio of Mike Shanahan, Cameron Saddler, and Devin Street is better than any of the receivers Graham has worked with in his previous coaching stops. It’s up to the offensive line to give Sunseri the protection he needs. If Pittsburgh can be resilient in the trenches, the Panthers might be able to display more consistency than in years past.

The Panthers’ defense will undergo every bit the change that the offense is undergoing. The Panthers will use three defensive linemen instead of four. The Panthers return Brandon Lindsey, who was an all-Big East selection as a junior filling in for the injured Greg Romeus at defensive end. Khaynin Mosley-Smith, a highly-rated recruit, could contribute early along the defensive line. The back seven returns almost entirely intact, but with new responsibilities. Max Grude, Tristan Roberts, and Kevin Adams are all seniors with plenty of experience, albeit in a different system. Still, they’re a quick, athletic bunch that can handle Big East offenses. Safety Jarred Holley returns after an All-Big East season in 2010, along with talented cover man Antwuan Reed.

Pittsburgh owns an assemblage of talented pieces, but will they be able to mesh against Buffalo, a team led by second-year head coach Jeff Quinn? Nine starters return on the Bulls’ offense, led by wide receiver Marcus Rivers. Quarterback Alex Zordich is the pivotal figure in this game. He presided over a not-very-Bullish offense that scored just 14 points per game in 2010, dead last in the 120-member FBS. Moreover, the Bulls scored 10 points or fewer in five games last season. If Pittsburgh’s 3-3-5 is ripe for the taking, it’s now. Buffalo, though, needs an impressive showing from Zordich if it wants to take advantage of the Panthers’ transition to a new modus operandi. We’ll see not only how ready Pitt is for future challenges in this game; we’ll see if Buffalo can offer a legitimate test in the first place.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer