The Panthers are having problems on offense. Their preseason starter, Bill Stull, is out for the time being with a thumb injury, and Pittsburgh is having trouble replacing him. Last week against Connecticut, coach Dave Wannstedt started Kevan Smith – he was booed by the student section from the time he walked on the field until the time that he was pulled from the game. It was obvious that the ferocious fans had an effect on the young Smith; he was extremely gun shy, and did turn the ball over. Eventually Smith was replaced by the obvious fan favorite Pat Bostick, who was also not extremely impressive against UConn.

Regardless of who plays, the passing game should not be the biggest concern for the Orange and Blue this week. The Panthers have a pair of very solid running backs. LaRod Stephens-Howling and LeSean “Shady” McCoy are both solid backs. Stephens-Howling is a small athletic back, while McCoy is the real playmaker on the Panthers’ offense. He did not start against UConn, but he is a fan favorite as a true freshman and he is very talented. He is also athletic and has great vision. McCoy was very rarely trapped in the backfield against Connecticut – he managed to evade all defenders and turn even the most hopeless runs into positive gains.

Wannstedt also uses his running backs in the passing game. The screen play was a common call with both backs in the game against UConn. The screens were not very successful because of bad throws by the quarterbacks, but they were not abandoned – the Virginia defense needs to look out for the backs out of the backfield.

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