In the eyes of Miami fans, Pitt was viewed as a much bigger game then how some see it today. Dion Lewis their standout running back with over 1,700 yards rushing last year has only posted over 100 yards in the first 2 games. Experts thought he would be a potential Heisman this year, but is showing far less then people thought. The loss to Utah in overtime in the opening week also makes Pitt look a little less scary then most thought this game was going to be a month ago. Fans might be overlooking this game to already chalking up not just a win but a big win. However, don't expect the players to lose focus because they know Pitt is still a good team with a great running back that can hurt you, and after the loss last week the Canes are hungry.
This is the first time the former Big East rivals are going to meet in 7 years and the Canes have won the last 5 meetings. This will also be the first meeting being on opposite sides of the field for Randy Shannon and Dave Wannstedt.
Thanks to Bryan, the Pitt Script Blog writer, we are able to see how the Pitt faithful view the upcoming Thursday night match up between the Canes and Pitt. Below Bryan answered some questions I had about Pitt.
1. Will Tailback Dion Lewis be able to breakout this week after not doing much on the ground in his first 2 games, against the Miami defense that was good against the run vs. Ohio State?
I'm not optimistic. After being hyped as a legitimate Heisman candidate all summer, Lewis has been bottled up to the tune of 102 yard total in two games. This is after rushing for 1,799 yards as a 5'8" freshmen. But don't blame Lewis - the offensive line has deteriorated from a question mark to a mess. The tackle position ranks somewhere between "good" and "very good," but the interior replaced three solid, hard-nosed veterans with three guys who either aren't tough enough or just don't possess the talent necessary to play at the BCS level. Most notably center Alex Karabin (a walk on) and guard Greg Gaskins have been utterly pushed around in the trenches. Dion Lewis is an elite talent, but the past two games he's been completely ineffective. With Miami's purported strength being their front seven, I see no reason to expect him to get back on track Thursday.
2. Miami has run the ball much better with 17 touchdowns compared to Pitt's 3 touchdowns in their last 5 meetings. What are Pitt's strengths and weaknesses on this years Pitt defense?
I hate to say it, but the weakness of a Dave Wannstedt team is now the lines. Aside from the offensive line woes above, Pitt lost big-time players along the defensive line at the tackle position in co-Big East Defensive POY Mick Williams and a very good Gus Mustakis. Additionally, the co-POY, Coral Gables native Greg Romeus is out due to back surgery. I'd feel much better about this game if Romeus were available to play the contain on Harris. As for a positive, this season's secondary is looking pretty solid, despite the usual slew injuries. Safety Dom DeCicco should return from injury, while Jason Hendericks, Jarred Holley and Antwuan Reed have looked pretty solid so far despite lacking the elite pass-rush of last season. I'm waiting to see some consistency out of them before I anoint anyone, but I'm cautiously optimistic at this point.
3. Will Pitt be able to break Miami's 5 game winning streak against them and what will Pitt need to do to win this game?
I'm not too confident in the Pitt offense I've seen the past two games, but if Pitt is able to move the ball through the air early, it should open up room for Lewis to go to work. We've seen some promise out of new quarterback Tino Sunseri, and for some reason I think he'll have a nice game. Jon Baldwin is still one of the best offensive weapons in the country and should figure to play a big role if Pitt struggles on the ground. I'm expecting to see Pitt attempt to throw in order to move the safeties out of the box and hopefully create some room for Lewis and Ray Graham. Defensively, running the contain on Harris needs to be priority number 1. That becomes tougher without Greg Romeus, but possible with Florida native Jabaal Sheard on the opposite side of the line. Pitt will need to generate pressure - again tougher without the presence of Romeus. I'm hoping to see some linebacker or even corner blitzes to keep Harris uncomfortable and hopefully force him to match his four turnovers that he had in Columbus.
