Panthers aren't counting on deja vu
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star
He pointed out issues with the offensive line not supplying enough pass protection.
Some receivers need to get their route running in better order.
And, yes, his decision-making could be a lot better.
That’s what came to mind when Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko was rummaging through reasons why the Panthers had stumbled from the Top 25 to an 0-2 start.
“You can’t finger-point one thing, he said.
Well …
“I guess you can,” Palko suddenly realized. “We’re not playing well right now. That’s as easy as you can say it.”
Pitt’s first two performances of the season are eerily similar to a year ago, when the Panthers struggled on offense during a shaky season-opening win against Ohio and a loss to Nebraska. At that point, Palko, then a new starter, had thrown just two touchdowns and been intercepted twice. But he pushed on and, over the final 10 games, zipped the ball into the end zone 22 times and threw only three picks while leading Pittsburgh to the Big East Conference title and a Fiesta Bowl berth.
With nine offensive starters returning, Pitt fans had good reason to believe the Panthers and new coach Dave Wannstedt would carry their momentum into 2005. Instead, they’ve watched them get manhandled by Notre Dame 42-21 and then drop a 16-10 overtime decision at Ohio, a game in which the Bobcats got two TDs, including the game winner, off interceptions.
Although Palko has completed 55 percent of his throws for 340 yards, he’s been intercepted four times and, while throwing a lone TD, has generated only one pass play of more than 20 yards.
If that didn’t give Pitt enough of a challenge, preseason All-American Greg Lee, the only wideout with a reception against Ohio, has gotten off to a slower-than-expected start. A year ago, Lee ranked sixth nationally by averaging 108.1 yards receiving per game. His average this season is about half that total (53.5).
“We had a pretty good spring and were clicking, and came into fall camp and everything seemed to be working out,” Lee said. “But once you apply all that stuff to real game speed, a lot of people’s persona changes.”
Persona?
“It’s frustrating,” Palko added, “but football’s a hard game. I can’t sit there and sulk over what happened.”
Wannstedt — who has concerns with an injury-riddled offensive line and is making a switch at Pitt’s inside receiver position — maintains full support in his junior quarterback.
“Tyler Palko is our leader. He has won a lot of games around here, and he will continue to win a lot of games,” Wannstedt said. “I believe in him, and he’ll bounce back this week. We don’t know what leads up to interceptions. If you’re under pressure, receivers aren’t beating their defenders, then you become hesitant and it adds to the cause of an interception.”
Palko makes no excuses for his play and plays down the fact Pitt is learning a more-balanced, pro-style offense as a possible reason for the struggles.
He’s hopeful the Panthers can get it going at the same point things got turned around last year. He’ll also remind anyone who will listen not to count on that being a given.
“A lot of people are going to compare this year to last year, as far as struggling at the beginning. But it’s not like we’re just going to close our eyes and practice and just go through the motions and it’s going to happen the way it happened last year,” Palko said. “We have to find what it is we do well and click and gel.
“We have to make our adjustments and do what we need to do to take care of business and win football games. It’s not going to just happen by osmosis or snapping our fingers. We need to go out and play well — that’s the bottom line.”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news