With the exception of the Iowa game, the Pitt defense has really done a great job this year. They’ve kept Pitt in games. They changed defensive systems, and have had to play a lot more minutes than they did last year given the change (and struggles) of Pitt’s offense.

There have been no indications that the defense is outwardly frustrated with the offense, or even rumblings of such. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson has done a very good job as the season progressed of getting the defense to make more stops. Though, he isn’t satisfied.

“What I tell our guys, you can go all the way back to the Iowa game, we’ve just played good but we haven’t played great yet because there isn’t an opponent we have played yet that we couldn’t have held to 15 points or less — not one — so that is what we are striving for.”

Patterson said he wants to “shoot for perfection and shut people out.” That will come down to paying attention to details and maintaining a focus throughout the entire game.

He cited examples of what he was talking about from each of the past three losses (Notre Dame, Rutgers, Utah), instances when the defense lost focus for one or two plays, and it cost them.

That’s part of where the terror comes into play. During the games themselves, I get frustrated with the defense. I literally find myself squirming when the defense is out there. As if twisting and contorting while watching will improve on the angles the defensive players are taking to the ball.Failing to get off the field a lot of times. Giving up big chunks of yardage, and letting the field position be shifted against the offense. As close as they seem to be to making the big play, they are just as close to giving up the big play.

The lack of generating turnovers probably skews perception (and field position). The defense is supposed to force them. Lord knows how many opportunities have been there on interceptions dropped or flat missed. My completely unscientific, biased opinion is that Pitt’s defense has had more opportunities to make big plays on defense than opportunities allowed by opposing offenses to make big plays. The problem is that Pitt hasn’t finished on the opportunities. They’ve droppeed the interceptions. They haven’t quite reached the QB. They didn’t make the initial tackle.

Plenty of reasons to be optimistic each game that it could finally flip, and even more optimism for the future. But lots more frustration in each game.

And of course, another reason of madness with the defense is the constant burning of timeouts when the defense is on the field. There was a mock cheer in the last liveblog when Pitt made it through most of the first half without burning a timeout. I’ve likened the way Coach Graham blows through timeouts to the way Ben Howland does in basketball. And the rationale by both seems similar. They see mistakes or something they don’t like, and just decide they need to talk about it right then and there.

Part of that reduction in timeouts called in the UConn game seems to be from — like the offense — simplifying things. That simplification of the number of schemes. Of shuffling players in and out, also means some lesser playing time for some.

We asked defensive coordinator Keith Patterson about the disappearing acts of players like EJuan Price and Shane Gordon in recent weeks and he said it is all a part of simplifying the defense. He said the coaches realized they were trying to do too much, with too many different formations and too many different players and moving parts. So they’ve simplified some things but in doing that it has meant using less players – or at least settling in on a core group of guys – and the result has been less confusion. That by no means signals that coaches have lost faith in those younger guys, it is just that they have gotten good production from the older guys and frankly it is hard to argue with results.

There’s no question that Price is a future star for Pitt. Not really worried there.

Cinci is the best offense Pitt has faced to this point. They have a good O-line. Really good skill players all over. Guess we will find out if the defense can still deliver.