A Real Good Win.

                 Paul Chryst got his first of hopefully many wins as the Pitt head coach. Pitt played a fantastic game on both sides of the ball and were able to beat the 13th ranked team in the country. The offense has a purpose, and the defense made the big plays. This team looked nothing like the team we saw in the first two weeks of the season, and there now becomes hope for the remainder of the 2012 season.

              Pitt played a fantastic game on offense, and I think that starts with the offensive line. They finally looked like a solid unit collectively. The inside men, Chris Jacobsen,Ryan Turnley, and Ryan Schlieper had great games. The tackles are a work in progress, but they still played much better. The offense was without Hubie Graham at Tight End, but JP Holtz and Drew Carswell played well. Holtz is a very physically gifted freshmen and aided in that run blocking that was so good. The line did great, but the stars of the show were the running backs. Rushel Shell and Ray Graham form one of the best backfield duos in the country, and I mean that. Rushel Shell looks like he could play in the NFL from a physical standpoint. He is a man-child, and ran over a vaunted Bud Foster defense like it was nothing. Shell finishes all of his runs with stiff arms or lowering of the shoulder, and about five separate times a Va Tech defender was on the ground trying to tackle him. Ray Graham is still not 100%, and it is obvious. He does not have that breakaway speed, but if that is him at 80%...that is scary to think about. Graham ran very well and accounted for three of the Pitt touchdowns. The other surprise is Tino Sunseri. He did not take careless sacks or force throws. He made good throws and reads and outplayed a future NFL quarterback in doing so.He came up limping in the 4th quarter, but gutted it out and hung in there. Pitt fans have been harsh on this guy, but they have to appreciate the effort he put forth on Saturday.

             The Defense also looked like a completely different unit. They went from having 0 turnovers in two games to 4 on Saturday. Logan Thomas made some errant throws, but Pitt was able to take advantage of that.  Va Tech scored a touchdown on special teams, so the defense only allowed ten points. The lone touchdown came on a missed tackle that Lafayette Pitts should have had. Pitt was able to get off the field for the most part Saturday, and limited the Hokies to just 59 rushing yards. Aaron Donald was an absolute beast in pressure. TJ Clemmings and Devin Cook played great games at Defensive End. Shane Gordon and the linebackers did a nice job. Gordon looks like he is becoming a star. He made two huge plays on 3rd and 4th down in the second half stuffing Va Tech not allowing them to get a yard. The corners played spotty, but stood tall in key plays. Jason Hendricks and Jarred Holley each came up with interceptions and looked very good. They played a great game, and after being manhandled by Youngstown State they returned the favor and manhandled the Hokies.

           Pitt has nine games remaining, and it is still an uphill battle. They need to take care of Gardner Webb on Saturday and get ready for the Big East. The Big East always is a shot in the dark at who could win the league. Pitt gets Rutgers and Louisville at home this season, and will be huge game for the Panthers.  Pitt still is far from becoming a good football team, but they looked like one on Saturday. They took a major step in the right direction, and at least give the fan base some hope and excitement.