09/02/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 With a new starting quarterback in Tino Sunseri, who threw just 17 passes last season, new tight ends and a new set of interior linemen, Lewis and his teammates could face challenges with their running game. Lewis says he wants to be a more effective blocker for Sunseri and fellow running back Ray Graham. He talks about a dropped pass against Connecticut last season and says he wants to be a better receiver. Pound for pound, Lewis remains one of Pitt's strongest players, Wannstedt says, evident in his 365-pound bench press. "He makes a large amount of his yardage after he's been hit," Wannstedt says. "He has the ability to break tackles, run through tackles and make extra yards." Says Lewis of the hits he takes: "It's not as bad as it looks." If this season is anything like his last, he will hear an earful on the field. In the loss against Cincinnati, in which he scored three touchdowns, Lewis says a towering defender tried to intimidate him. " 'You're a little boy; I'm a grown man,' " Lewis recalls being told. Lewis says he laughed off the trash-talk and still does. "I was laughing because (size) has nothing to do with football. "I'm not little. I just wasn't as tall as he was." - Marlen Garcia, USA TODAY
09/01/10 - (DE) - Greg Romeus, rSr, 6-5, 268 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Pitt at Utah, Sept. 2 - This is the first opener on the road for Pitt featuring two Top 25 teams since its national title year of 1976, when No. 9 Pitt won at No. 11 Notre Dame, 31-10. The only other time the two teams met was in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, and Utah won easily, 35-7, in what was the last game for both head coaches, Walt Harris at Pitt and Urban Meyer at Utah. The game completed a 12-0 season for Utah. Pitt's punishing running game will test Utah's rebuilt defense, while the Pitt defense, led by a pair of vicious defense ends in Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard, will try to apply pressure against the Utah passing game. Romeus was bothered by back spasms during camp and was being listed as day-to-day but had returned to practice for the final week before the opener.
09/01/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Dion Lewis - You can say he's a player to watch in every game. Defeneses across America tried to stop him as a freshman last year, and he still gained 1,799 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, but that was with an experienced quarterback. Now he's going to be asked to do even more against defenses designed solely to stop him. QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm still the same guy that nobody wanted to play for their team." - Pitt's still modest Heisman Trophy candidate RB Dion Lewis, who led the nation in rushing last year despite getting only two other scholarship offers, from Miami (Ohio) and Tulane, to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
09/01/10 - (QB) - Tino Sunseri, rSo, 6-2, 210 PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Tino Sunseri - In many ways Sunseri is the most important player, even more so than star RB Dion Lewis, for he is an unknown making his first start. Confident that he can succeed, Sunseri figures to be babied along as the Panthers rely on their punishing running game.
09/01/10 - (WR) - Jon Baldwin, Jr, 6-5, 225 PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Jon Baldwin is a big-play receiver who can break open a game. He caught 57 passes for 1,111 yards last year, averaging 19.5 a catch, and scored eight touchdowns. If Pitt can bring the safeties up, they have a man who can get behind them.
09/01/10 - (RB) - Ray Graham, So, 5-09, 185 Backup tailback Ray Graham, who did a strong job behind Dion Lewis last year, went into the final week before the Utah game suffering from a sprained knee. Graham averaged 5.7 yards a game last year in 69 carries. RBs Chris Burns and Jason Douglas would move up if Graham is out.
09/01/10 - (OG) - Chris Jacobson, rJr, 6-3, 290 KEYS TO THE GAME: Pitt's strength is in its running game, with RB Dion Lewis considered a prime contender for the Heisman Trophy. QB Tino Sunseri is making his first start, and you know that coach Dave Wannstedt will want to take as much pressure off him as possible by running the ball. Pitt's remade interior offensive line gets its first test, and it's a tough one for OGs Chris Jacobson and Greg Gaskin and C Alex Karabin. Playing on the road with an inexperienced quarterback, Pitt must protect the ball and the defense needs to allow the Panthers to play on a short field to help Sunseri.
09/01/10 - (ILB) - Dan Mason, So, 6-0, 225 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: This a deep, talented defense led by pass rushing defensive end Greg Romeus, who helped Pitt lead the nation in sacks last year. The Panthers, who play a pro-style defense and are known for their aggressiveness, were a top 20 team in scoring defense and rushing defense and No. 23 in total defense. The defense received a big boost when left defensive end Jabaal Sheard was reinstated after being suspended for an altercation during the off-season. Key will be the play of Dan Mason in the middle. The sophomore played well when forced to play due to injury last year.
09/01/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Perhaps all you need to know about the Pitt offense is that sophomore RB Dion Lewis broke the school freshman rushing record with 1,799 yards last year. That sounds impressive, but it is even more so when you understand the record he broke belonged to Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett. Pitt can - and will - run the ball. That is their profile, their DNA, their way. But with some talented receivers, headed by 1,000-yard receiver Jon Baldwin, Pitt will also go down the field. The question that must be answered is whether new starting QB Tony Sunseri can carry the load. The interior offensive line also has been rebuilt and remains a question.
09/01/10 - (QB) - Tino Sunseri, rSo, 6-2, 210 Dave Wannstedt has slowly molded the team he wants at Pittsburgh, built up the team's record and its following to the point that the Panthers come into the 2010 season carrying tremendously high expectations that include a radio commercial where Wannstedt says that it's time to win the Big East. Certainly they have a lot going for them as they travel to Utah for as tough an opening game as they have had in a long, long time. The Panthers will run and run with Heisman Trophy candidate Dion Lewis, will throw to a game-breaking wide receiver in Jon Baldwin, will harass opposing quarterbacks with defensive end Greg Romeus and a rough and tumble supporting cast that believes it is the Big East's best defense. But there are still a lot of what-ifs. The schedule is brutal, starting with the top 25 road matchup and with road matchups at Notre Dame, Connecticut and Cincinnati. If they can't find a way to win some of those games on the road it could be a long, disappointing year. The offense, even with its high profile players, is questionable, and that makes this meeting at Utah crucial. Normally, you'd like to break in a new quarterback like Tino Sunseri against a team he could gain some confidence against, but Utah does not fall into that category. Add a rebuilt interior in the offensive line and you don't know if the blocking will be there to run or pass as the season begins. "When you have three new starters (on the offensive line), inexperience is what you are dealing with," Wannstedt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "(The problem) won't be knowledge. They'll understand what we are trying to do. They'll have the calls down and give the effort. They just need experience."
09/01/10 - (DE) - Jabaal Sheard, Sr, 6-3, 255 DE Jabaal Sheard was reinstated by coach Dave Wannstedt during camp after being suspended for an altercation on the South Side that led to his arrest.
08/31/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 Mark Ingram of Alabama won the Heisman Trophy a year ago, but he's not the leading returning rusher in the nation. Pittsburgh's Dion Lewis is. The same Lewis who, at this time a year ago, was competing to be Pitt's starting tailback. He won the job by running for 129 yards and two touchdowns against Youngstown State in the opener, and he kept on running: 190 yards at Buffalo, 158 against Connecticut, 180 at Rutgers, 152 against Notre Dame, 155 at West Virginia, 194 against Cincinnati, 159 against North Carolina State. In a matter of weeks, Lewis went from being a virtual unknown whose 5-foot-8 size scared away every BCS school except for Pitt to being a modern day version of Tony Dorsett. Dorsett's own assessment of Lewis' 1,799-yard freshman season: "Wow." Only Dorsett ran for more yards in a season at Pitt than Lewis did, and that was during his 1976 Heisman Trophy season in which he gained 2,150 yards. No doubt Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is thankful he watched that highlight reel of Lewis' long runs at Blair Academy in New Jersey that nearly every other Division I coach managed to overlook, despite Lewis' 14.1 yards per carry average during his final season. "Dion, man, he was a steal," Pitt tackle Jason Pinkston said. Now that the 19-year-old Lewis is beginning his second college season, with three new offensive linemen in front of him and a new quarterback, Tino Sunseri, handing him the ball, he keeps being asked what makes him run. Lewis himself offers a hint of an answer, mentioning he's still the same athlete who had only a couple of major college offers. "I knew I was talented, I knew I could play and make things happen," Lewis said. "The type of season I had, I didn't expect that much (yardage) but I knew I could go out there and be productive." - AP Sports
08/31/10 - (QB) - Tino Sunseri, rSo, 6-2, 210 Sunseri, a redshirt sophomore, has thrown only 17 passes in the regular season, but his teammates said they're comfortable with Sunseri running Wannstedt's pro-style offense. Bill Stull had to beat out Sunseri a year ago to keep his starting job, and Stull went on to become the all-Big East quarterback. "He brings an air of confidence to the huddle, and we respond positively off his attitude. It was the same with Bill last year, and he had a great year. We expect Tino to have the same," fullback Henry Hynoski said. "He brings big-play capability to our offense, because of his arm strength, so that's another factor for us." To guard against Sunseri getting too worked up for his first regular season start, Wannstedt sat him down a few days ago and reminded him what's expected of him. "I gave him a few stories of other quarterbacks, both on this level and the NFL, that were starting off their careers for the first time," said Wannstedt, the former Bears and Dolphins coach. "I really wanted to make the point to him that he's one of 11 players on offense. We're not the type of offense where Tino's the only one who needs to make plays... I want him to have the mindset of being confident, but also going into this game feeling that there's no more of a burden on his shoulder to carry than any other player on offense." - AP Sports
08/30/10 - (OT) - Jason Pinkston, rSr, 6-4, 308 2010 ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD FALL WATCH LIST: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh, has been selected to the Official Watch List for the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award. Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. The candidates earned a place on the official watch list by earning All-America honors, by being named to their respective all-conference first teams as selected by the conference's head coaches or by nomination sent to and reviewed by the nominations committee. - Rotary Lombardi Award
08/30/10 - (DE) - Greg Romeus, rSr, 6-5, 268 2010 ROTARY LOMBARDI AWARD FALL WATCH LIST: Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh, has been selected to the Official Watch List for the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award. Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. The candidates earned a place on the official watch list by earning All-America honors, by being named to their respective all-conference first teams as selected by the conference's head coaches or by nomination sent to and reviewed by the nominations committee. - Rotary Lombardi Award
08/28/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 2010 DOAK WALKER AWARD WATCH LIST: Dion Lewis (So.), Pittsburgh, has been selected one of 49 running backs nationally to be named a preseason candidate for the 2010 Doak Walker Award. The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the 10 semifinalists on Nov. 10, while the three finalists will be announced on Nov. 22. The 2010 Doak Walker Award winner will be announced live on ESPN during the ESPNU College Football Awards show on Thursday, Dec. 9. The award, which is presented annually to the nation's top college running back, is in its 21st year and is named after SMU's three-time All-American running back Doak Walker. - Doak Walker Award
08/28/10 - (FB) - Henry Hynoski, rJr, 6-2, 260 Pitt fullback Henry Hynoski wants to give defensive coordinators more to worry about than just the physical well-being of their linebackers. Hynoski, the 6-foot-2, 265-pound lead blocker for Heisman Trophy candidate Dion Lewis, is poised to do more this season than level defenders. "There's nothing like blowing up a linebacker," Hynoski said. "That's the best feeling ever. But I'm a guy that can do multiple things: run, block and catch. That's what a good fullback has to do. I want to put the whole game together." After touching the ball only 39 times last season, Hynoski will be expected to increase his role in the Panthers' offense. The redshirt junior carried 24 times for 107 yards and one touchdown last year. He proved he could catch the ball out of the backfield, with 15 receptions -- the same number as wideout Mike Shanahan -- for 109 yards. "He's a better athlete than anyone would probably realize," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Because of his size and the position he plays, you tend to say 'He's a fullback. He's just a blocker.' But ... we are going to need him to be more than blocker for us." - John Grupp, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
08/27/10 - (QB) - Tino Sunseri, rSo, 6-2, 210 Nobody at Pitt seems to think it's a big deal. The No. 15 Panthers begin one of the nation's toughest nonconference schedules Thursday at Utah, in a stadium where the home team hasn't lost in three years. They'll go there with a quarterback who's never started a major college game. Tino Sunseri, a redshirt sophomore, has thrown all of 17 college passes. He's never stepped into a stadium knowing that his team's success that day rested largely on his play. He's never thrown a touchdown pass that's won a college game, or thrown an interception that's lost it. Still, the Panthers don't seem to be the least bit worried that Sunseri's inexperience is a glaring negative going into one of the toughest road openers in school history. "Everybody has to start somewhere," Sunseri said. "Look at all the great quarterbacks who come out, Colt McCoy, all those other guys. They had to start and play some teams. I'd rather play one of the teams that's good rather than a bad one." Sunseri's confidence and calmness were praised by teammates even when he struggled at times during preseason camp; in one scrimmage, the Pitt offense ran 100 plays and scored only once. Maybe it's his upbringing as the son of Sal Sunseri, a former star linebacker at Pitt who's now the assistant head coach and linebackers coach at No. 1-ranked Alabama. Or maybe it's the athleticism he inherited from mom Roxann, a former all-Big East gymnast at Pitt. Or the ability to handle pressure that he showed while leading Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Dan Marino's alma mater, to an unbeaten season and Pennsylvania state championship in 2007. - AP Sports
08/27/10 - (K) - Dan Hutchins, rSr, 5-11, 190 2010 PRESEASON LOU GROZA AWARD WATCH LIST: Daniel Hutchins, Pittsburgh, Sr., played a prominent role in the Panthers '09 season, earning All-Big East as a kicker and leading the conference in scoring, field goals, and field goal percentage. Hutchins' 115 points broke the 33 year old school record previously held by Carson Long. He set the Meinecke Car Care Bowl record with 4 field goals including the game winner with 52 seconds left on the clock. - Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
08/18/10 - (WR) - Jon Baldwin, Jr, 6-5, 225 BREAKOUT STAR: WR Jonathan Baldwin - There are those who would say that Baldwin had his breakout season last year when he became a 1,000-yard receiver and made All-Big East, but the word is that he's capable of far more as he steamrolls toward the NFL. He could well become the nation's top receiver, making some catches that Sports Information Director E.J. Borghetti calls "Fitzgerald-esque," referring to former Pitt and now NFL star Larry Fitzgerald.
08/18/10 - (QB) - Tino Sunseri, rSo, 6-2, 210 KEYS TO SUCCESS: While a lot will be made of rebuilding the offensive and defensive lines, which were hit the hardest by graduation, the key to Pitt's success will rest with QB Tino Sunseri, who inherits the job from Bill Stull. When Stull was efficient last year, so was the Panthers' offense and it will be the same this year with Sunseri. If he can protect the ball and complete third-down passes, he can take the heat off RB Dion Lewis.
08/18/10 - (RB) - Dion Lewis, So, 5-08, 195 MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: RB Dion Lewis - Coach Dave Wannstedt likes to beat you with a pounding ground game and a strong defense, and Lewis represents the ground game. He came out of nowhere as a true freshman last year to become one of the nation's top running backs. He rushed for 1,799 yards, which was second in Pitt history to Tony Dorsett's 2,150 yards in 1976 when he won the Heisman Trophy and led Pitt to a 12-0 season. Lewis can go inside or out and blends speed, power and elusiveness. QUOTE TO NOTE: "He has what I call the 'Wow!' effect. When he comes through those big defensive linemen and he's still running, it's like, 'Wow!" - Pitt's former Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, after watching RB Dion Lewis rush for 194 yards against Cincinnati last year.
08/18/10 - (DE) - Greg Romeus, rSr, 6-5, 268 DE Greg Romeus was named to the preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list and the preseason Lombardi Award list. Romeus was the 2009 Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year, an award he shared with teammate Mick Williams, who has graduated. He had 43 tackles, including 11.5 for losses and a team-high eight sacks last year. He also forced three fumbles, had an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked PAT. Pitt once again will rely on a savage pass rush to keep teams off balance. Last year the Panthers led the nation with 47 sacks.
08/18/10 - (DE) - T.J. Clemmings, Fr, 6-6, 265 NEWCOMER TO WATCH: DL T.J. Clemmings - He was considered by many the No. 1 prospect in New Jersey and one of the country's top defensive linemen. Given some of the front four's retooling this year, this incredibly gifted physical specimen could find a role. Coaches see him as another Greg Romeus, who stood 6-6 and weighed 280 and shared last year's Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors.
08/18/10 - (OG) - Chris Jacobson, rJr, 6-3, 290 AREAS OF CONCERN: The biggest concern for Pitt, a team that likes to run the football and will build its offense around the talents of TB Dion Lewis, is that it must rebuild the center of the offensive line. Gone from last year are both starting offensive guards and center. Senior walk-on Alex Karabin has a pair of letters on special teams as he moves in at center. Chris Jacobson is ready to start at left guard after earning a surprise start in the Meineke Car Care Bowl last December. The other guard spot is up for grabs between junior Greg Gaskins and sophomore Ryan Turnley. On defense, the Panthers lost both defensive tackles, including co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year Mick Williams, but backups Chas Alecxih and Myles Caragein were productive last season.
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