This afternoon, Pitt players and coaches will have their first live scrimmage of the preseason – although it’s not like there hasn’t been hitting going on all week:
And no player really epitomises what Wannstedt is looking for in football players better than Henry Hynoski, who I am convinced could line up on the train tracks next to the SouthSide complex and run full speed into a train – and the train would be the one which would take the worst of it. The guy is a football player – he just runs people over.
A couple of us were joking with him the other day that he should be held out of the rest of the camp because he is seriously going to hurt someone. I’ve never seen a guy run so hard and enjoy contact so much.
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Which brings us to today’s practice and the point of all this – there is no practice in the country where there is as much hitting, short yardage situations and inside run drills taking place each day.
Hynoski might be the most beloved “role-player” Pitt has had in a long time. The guy does everything you’d want a fullback to do, including knowing when to blow someone up vs. move them out of the way. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to make his mark this season, as the offensive line remains, er, a work in progress:
“But I don’t think any of us really walked away from the spring and said we are locked in at any one of the three positions, so that is a good thing because it means we will have competition and so we need to get that solidified.”
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Lippert, a redshirt freshman, will battle Alex Karabin for the starting center spot, but he has a long way to go because he was a defensive lineman last year.
Right guard is redshirt junior Gaskins’ to lose, but he will face stiff competition from redshirt sophomore Turnley. The two battled in the spring, but neither distinguished himself. Their competition will be closely monitored.
These worries arise every season, but then again, the expectations haven’t been this high in a long time. I don’t think the center position is going to come together this season, but I’m hoping Turnley steps up at right guard. If center is the only weak link, I think Hynoski’s presence in the backfield should compensate enough to run the ball effectively up the middle.
Of course, the biggest question mark is the man under center in the blue and gold, Tino Sunseri. I’m hoping for a good report on him out of today’s scrimmage, but either way, Zeise thinks he’s the guy:
I will start by saying this: Tino’s ball hasn’t floated thus far in camp. His interceptions have all been a result of bad reads or throws. So he is not floating the ball like he did last year and I think he is doing a great job of finding the throwing lanes and stepping into them to deliver the ball. He is worlds ahead of where he was last year and while he hasn’t been consistent yet, I do expect him to be fine. And, for better or worse, he is the guy — or at least there will be a fairly long hook with him because Myers is a true freshman and has a long way to go and coaches believe Sunseri’s upside is much higher than the upside of Pat Bostick. He would have to really, really struggle in order to be replaced and I just don’t see that happening. The coaches are high on him.
I agree. Mark Myers isn’t playing this year no matter what. And for as great of a guy Bostick is, we’ve been given every indication that the coaching staff doesn’t think he’s the solution at quarterback – now or ever. This is Tino’s team, let’s see what he can do.
Finally, Pitt released a short feature video on the strength and conditioning program run by Buddy Morris. I’m certainly no guru, but whatever Buddy’s doing to these guys, keep it up
