Pittsburgh Panthers @ Iowa Hawkeyes Football Preview

Given his track record of offensive success in previous stops as head coach at Rice and Tulsa, fans can’t help but be a little bit disappointed by the offensive showing of the Pittsburgh Panthers through two games. The offense is certainly different than under the vanilla regime of Dave Wannstedt, but the expected fireworks are yet to materialize. Conversely, no one in Iowa City expected fireworks, but are disappointed to not even have a little flash here and there. After sleepwalking through the season opener against Tennessee Tech and then losing a heartbreaker to rival Iowa State, some Hawkeyes fans are grousing at the conservative nature of the team’s play. This Saturday, both teams will try to generate some fan goodwill and positive momentum heading into their respective conference play.

The Hawkeyes knew the early portion of the schedule would be tough as a number of new faces, especially on offense, would need time to gel. The patience for transition might have worn out after losing on the road to Iowa State. James Vandenberg has been adequate taking over at quarterback for the departed Ricky Stanzi, but the running game has been steady. In Saturday’s loss, Coker rushed for 140 yards on 35 carries including an 18 yard touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes the lead late in the fourth quarter. Defensively, Iowa has been forced to be much more aggressive than in previous years with the loss of several defensive linemen to graduation.

Pittsburgh ’s offense is averaging more yards and points per game than it did at any time under Dave Wannstedt, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the dissatisfaction of the fans, or head coach Todd Graham. Tino Sunseri has been erratic and appears to be struggling with the transition to a shotgun oriented no-huddle offense. He’s drawn criticism for holding the ball for too long and being indecisive with his throws. At least the Panthers have Ray Graham, quietly one of the nation’s best running backs. Graham has already rushed for 322 yards and six touchdowns in the first two games.  The coaching staff has been creative in moving defensive end/linebacker Brandon Lindsey around and will continue to do so while other players are growing into their own roles in Graham’s new defensive scheme.

The matchup features two teams with sputtering offenses that need something good to happen. Given the home field advantage, look for Iowa to come away with a close win against a Pitt team still uncomfortable with its new roles in new schemes. If Sunseri does get hot, however, it would be hard for Iowa’s conservative offense to keep up.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer