Matt Cavanaugh had his meet the press day yesterday. As the offense struggles, the attention goes to the Offensive Coordinator.

Entertaining questions from the media probably ranks pretty low on Matt Cavanaugh’s list of favorite things to do, but the Pitt offensive coordinator was willing Tuesday to discuss everything from play-calling to the quarterbacks.

What has to be disconcerting for Cavanaugh is that when the Panthers were averaging 31.8 points per game last season, the defense couldn’t stop anyone. Now, when Pitt is holding opponents to 16 points per game, the Panthers have become turnover-prone and struggled to score.

The blame has been pointed at the play of freshmen quarterbacks Kevan Smith and Pat Bostick. By extension, that is a direct reflection on Cavanaugh, and as Pitt’s quarterback coach, he’s willing to acknowledge as much.

“In my opinion, we have not been very successful or very productive offensively because our quarterback play has been poor,” Cavanaugh said. “That’s got to change. We’ve got to game-plan the right way. We can’t put the quarterback in a position where he feels like he’s got to go win the game for us. He’s got to understand ball control, protecting the ball, getting it to the people who make plays for him.”

Cavanaugh, though, also sees the execution as a big problem on the offense.

“Believe it or not, as a coordinator, you always try to put a game plan together that you think is best to win that week,” Cavanaugh said. “I really don’t care what we’re doing, as long as we’re executing better. That’s what killing us.”

Having an O-line that can’t provide any protection or open up any running lanes doesn’t help much. Interestingly, Cavanaugh never mentioned the O-line issues except as part of the whole offense struggling.  This despite the fact that the offensive line has been part of the issue in making the offense such a frightful sight.

Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh understands the frustration with his unit’s lack of production because he is feeling the same way. He said the most frustrating aspect is that the 2-2 Panthers have plenty of playmakers who have not been utilized because of poor quarterback play.

But he also said it goes beyond just quarterback, where Bill Stull has been lost to the Panthers since an injury in the opening game.

In a Matt Cavanaugh offense, to see the TEs get so little work, that’s a reflection of an O-line that can’t protect. That means making the tight ends blockers rather than offensive weapons.

Of course, with now a true freshman starting, that means the playbook has to be further stripped down. From a playcalling standpoint, I do sympathize with Cavanaugh, because there isn’t a lot available for him to use. He has a bad O-line and a green QB. Other than direct snaps to McCoy or one of the receivers, it’s not that easy to get the ball in their hands if the QB has no time to throw, and is nervous; or if the defensive line is already in the backfield on a hand-off.

That said, this again goes back to the other part of his job. Coaching, teaching and development. The QBs have been very slow to get the hang of what Cavanaugh wants. It took Palko a while. Stull had the benefit of watching, learning and practicing for a few years. Smith, well, it didn’t click. Bostick is a true freshman. I don’t know, maybe Cavanaugh needs to focus more on the basics rather than the nuances right now at the QB spot.

Offensive line coach Paul Dunn, should be next in line for the “what the hell are you doing?” as a coach line of questioning.