NEXT PANTHERS GAMEDAY:Signing DayFebruary 3rd 2010 Buy Pitt Tickets  
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 Posted on September 21st, 2009 by AdminBy David Whipkey | Pitt Panthers Gameday Correspondent This is the defense many imagined Pitt would possess this season. The Panthers defense, most notably the front seven, controlled Navy’s potent option attack during Saturday’s 27-14 win before more than 55,000 fans. “I was pleased with our defense,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt following the game. Pitt held the Midshipmen to 129 yards rushing, more than 100 yards below their 238 yards per game rushing average. Both the Pitt players and coaches knew they had advantages in physical ability and talent along the line. But staying focused and playing solid assignment football would be key to winning this game. “It’s a big step for us,” said defensive end Greg Romeus. “We know today was a better performance, but we’re still not where we want to be. We’d like to have teams not score at all. It’s something that we are happy about, but we’re not satisfied at all.” Filling in for an injured Adam Gunn, freshman Dan Mason made his first career start at middle linebacker. The highly-regarded Mason made good with the opportunity and finished with a game-high 11 tackles and two sacks. For his performance, Mason was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week. “I thought Dan Mason played better than I thought he could,” said Wannstedt. “As a freshman with his first start, I thought Dan was outstanding.” Pitt’s defensive front performers, which included Mason, Romeus, tackles Gus Mustakas, Mick Williams and Myles Carragein along with defensive end Jabaal Sheard combined for 45 tackles and four sacks. The defense as a whole collected six sacks, giving the Panthers 15 total in three games. Pitt led the conference last year with 33 sacks. Saturday’s performance may have calmed some nerves regarding the status of the defense following last week’s 54-27 shootout win at Buffalo in which the Bulls racked up more than 500 yards of offense. But coordinator Phil Bennett and his charges were committed to not allowing another such offensive outburst before the home crowd. “Our defensive front played well and came up big,” said safety Elijah Fields, who made his first start. “That helped us out a lot. This week, we went over our assignments over and over again so we were comfortable out there tonight.” The Panthers (3-0) will travel this Saturday to Raleigh, N.C. for a date with the North Carolina Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. Pitt’s last meeting against the Wolfpack was a 34-19 win in the 2001 Tangerine Bowl. Posted on September 20th, 2009 by AdminPitt Panthers – Navy Midshipmen HighlightsSeptember 19, 2009 Posted on September 20th, 2009 by AdminBy David Whipkey | Pitt Panthers Gameday Correspondent Pitt used an efficient offense and disciplined defense to upend Navy 27-14 Saturday night before 55,064 at Heinz Field. Silencing some of his critics, fifth-year senior quarterback Bill Stull enjoyed a solid performance. The Seton LaSalle product finished with 17 completions in 24 attempts for 245 yards and one score. Stull directed an 89-yard touchdown drive on the Panthers (3-0) initial offensive possession. His six-yard scoring toss to senior receiver Oderick Turner capped the march. The maligned signal-caller found eight different receivers on the evening. Sophomore sensation Jonathan Baldwin led all pass catchers with six receptions for 111 yards. “We came in with a plan to throw the ball and I thought that we did that effectively, said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. “ I was very pleased. I thought Bill made good decisions and got the ball out quickly.” Pitt’s aerial attack was needed on a night when the Panthers ground game was controlled by a tough Midshipmen defense. Panthers running back Dion Lewis entered Saturday night’s contest as the nation’s third leading rusher with 159.5 yards rushing per game. He was held to 79 yards on 23 carries. But the true freshman from Albany, N.Y. scored from six yards out late in the first half to give Pitt a 21-7 lead. “Things were rolling today,” said Stull. “I was screaming a little bit on the sidelines to get the defense pumped up. The only thing that can stop us is ourselves.” For the second year in a row, Pitt’s defense contained Navy’s potent option offense. The Panthers limited Navy to 218 total yards of offense; only 129 came on the ground. Navy entered the contest averaging 238 yards rushing per game. The Midshipmen gobbled up 331 yards on the ground in a 48-45 win over Pitt at Heinz Field in 2007. “This is a difficult scheme to prepare for and I thought our defensive coaches and our players really bought into what we were trying to do this week,” said Wannstedt. Navy was able to move the ball at times Saturday night. Midshipmen quarterback Ricky Dobbs capped a 52-yard march by plunging in from the 1 late in the first period. Navy found the end zone again in the fourth when slot back Marcus Curry scored from four yards out to slice Pitt’s lead to 24-14. But the Pitt ground game help seal the deal with a 79-yard drive that was climaxed by an 18-yard Dan Hutchins field goal that pushed the Panthers lead to 13 points with 5:02 remaining in regulation. Navy never threatened to score again thanks to a Panthers defense that owned the line of scrimmage and pressured Dobbs into 15 incompletions in 21 attempts. The Pitt defense was paced by freshman Dan Mason, who was making his first career start at linebacker. Mason finished with 11 tackles and two sacks. Panthers defensive tackle Gus Mustakas added 10 stops and helped corral Navy’s offense throughout the evening. “It’s like we’ve been saying all week, the big thing about this game was responsibility,” said Mustakas. “And everyone has to do their assignment. You can’t be heroes when you face this offense. We did a great job with responsibilities.” Posted on September 17th, 2009 by AdminBy David Whipkey | Pitt Panthers Gameday Correspondent No doubt Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt remembers what happened the Navy Midshipmen last played at Heinz Field. Two years ago, the Midshipmen’s option attack rolled up 331 yards on the ground in their 48-45 overtime win. Pitt’s defense seemed clueless all night as Navy’s offense gobbled up large chunks of real estate and controlled the flow of the game. “I don’t think we need to talk a whole lot about Navy,” said Wannstedt. “We know them. We know what a great football program they have, what good players they have, what they bring every time they show up on the field from an effort and attitude standpoint.” Pitt earned a measure of revenge last year at Annapolis with a 42-21 victory over Navy. The Panthers defense atoned for the 2007 contest by limiting the high-powered Midshipmen option running game to 194 yards, nearly 100 yards below their average. “This is a whole different deal this week,” Wannstedt said in reference to prepping for Navy. “On every play, everybody’s responsible. Last year when preparing for Navy, on the first two days, we did not use a football. When preparing for the wishbone, on every single play, someone is responsible for the quarterback, fullback and the pitch. You want to make sure that you are assignment clean.” Navy’s attack has been status quo this year. The Midshipmen (1-1) average 238 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs (four rushing touchdowns) and slot back Marcus Curry (three rushing touchdowns) average more than 68 yards per game each. No one ball carrier can be focused on by the defense, said Wannstedt. “So that will be a big focus, when they change their formations, and change what they do, making sure that all the time we are clean on responsibilities. Who has the quarterback, who has the fullback and who has the pitch.” In the season opener against then No. 6 Ohio State before 105,092 fans in Columbus, Navy accumulated 186 yards rushing and had the Buckeyes on the ropes before falling 31-27. “They’re a mature football team,” Wannstedt said in reference to the Midshipmen. “They’re older guys who have been in the system for a couple years. They’re out there battling and playing this game because they love to play the game.” Wannstedt added Navy was able to match up with the Buckeyes from a physical standpoint. “They got to the ball. Ohio State made one or two big plays on them. It was athletic ability more than it was that guys were out of plays. You really didn’t see Ohio State knocking them off the ball,” added the Pitt coach. Dobbs also adds the threat of throwing the football. In two games, Dobbs has completed 14 of 21 throws for 259 yards, two scores and only one interception. “Their quarterback is as probably as good a passer as what they’ve had in the past several years,” said Wannstedt. “Even though they are a running team and they want to run the ball, they do pose the threat of run-pass.” Posted on September 15th, 2009 by AdminNavy Midshipman (1-1) at Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0)Heinz Field | Pittsburgh, PA Kickoff Time 6:00 p.m. TV: ESPN360.com Announcers: John Sanders (play-by-play) and Drew Haddad (color) Sirius Radio Channel: 91 Point Spread: Pitt -7 Series Record: 21-13-3 Pittsburgh |
 
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