Pitt’s annual Blue-Gold game, the end spring football practice scrimmage, is going to take in a little more than an hour. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t be writing this post. I’d be in the parking lot outside of Heinz Field, tailgating with the other members of PSB and congratulating John in person on the news that he and his wife are expecting their second child. Instead, only a couple of the guys might have made it to the game, and I am here in Cleveland trying to put off some house and yard work — but I digress.
There are a lot of questions and a fair amount of curiosity surrounding this game. More than I’ve seen (or merely I’m just paying closer attention than before) in the last 5 years. Mostly, it is because of the burning question of which QB will succeed Rod Rutherford — Palko or Getsy. But there are a lot of questions about who will be the starters for many positions.
Pitt has at least eight vacant starting spots on offense and between four and six on defense. There also will be competition for the place-kicking duties and a new punter. Beyond that, coach Walt Harris’ major rebuilding project also will feature countless freshman and sophomores vying for key backup spots.
But almost no positions have been won and few, if any, major advantages were gained this spring.
Take for instance the quarterback derby between sophomores Luke Getsy and Tyler Palko.
They have been engaged in an intense battle for the starting job vacated by Rod Rutherford. Coaches have had a chance to watch them perform, but both have spent most of their time running for their lives behind a patchwork and painfully inadequate offensive line.
Harris has said he’d like to decide the starter by the end of spring practice. But you have to wonder how he can. Neither has truly distinguished himself. Additionally, injuries to several of the presumed starting wide receivers has made it difficult to determine which QB has a better connection with the WRs.
Mike Pirusta has a very good column on what Pitt really needs to do between now and the opening game. Get tougher.
The Panthers weren’t physical enough on either side of the ball a season ago.
They didn’t block.
They didn’t tackle.
They didn’t dictate tempo to or inflict their will upon opponents.
That has to change before any real progress can be made.
If it doesn’t, it won’t matter if Palko quickly makes everyone forget Rutherford, if Jawan Walker picks up where Miree left off, if Kris Wilson’s production can somehow be duplicated elsewhere, or if a Princell Brockenbrough or Greg Lee can ease the pain of Fitzgerald’s absence.
Pitt found out the hard way against the likes of Notre Dame, West Virginia and Miami, Fla., that skill people can only do so much against a team that hits much harder much more often.
It takes painstaking sacrifice and preparation to play that type of game, in the weight room as well as the film room.
It takes a mindset, an attitude that Pitt lost somewhere along the way a season ago and never recovered.
If that happens again it won’t matter who’s throwing passes or catching them.
Dead on.
