September 8, 2009       

Buffalo Week

Opening Statement:

"Reflecting back on the Buffalo game last year, it was such an important game for us in order get back on track. When we looked at the game, in the fourth quarter with about ten minutes left, we were only up by a point. We know that we're in for a 60-minute ball game. Buffalo is playing with a lot of confidence right now. They've just come off a huge road win at UTEP. They were MAC champions last year and by starting their season off on the good note, we know this is a huge game for them. We've talked about that as a team and we need to make sure that we address and correct the mistakes we've made against Youngstown State. We have to be totally focused on the road and we have to make sure that we perform at a higher level than what we did last week. That's the message when we start practice today. Buffalo is a little bit different. They're more experienced on defense than they were a year ago. They've switched to a more athletic quarterback. Zach Maynard is more of a pass and run quarterback rather than a drop back passer. They live and die by the run. They've got some great running backs. Buffalo understands the importance of running the football and playing defense. We need to make sure we have a good week of both mental and physical preparation for this game."

On mistakes against Youngstown State:

"We missed some tackles. The most obvious was that third down and long and two guys missed their tackles. We missed a couple tackles on special teams as well. On offense there were too many mental mistakes. Also, we had six penalties in the game, four were on defense and three of those four were offside calls. That's just a lack of focus. If I know my players, I should expect to see improvement from week one to week two."

On going on the road three of the next four games:

"We were a pretty good road team last year. If we're going to be a good football team, we're going to have to deal with the variables of traveling and playing on the road. We have to be sure that we're focused and that we don't get distracted. It's all a part of the schedule."

On Buffalo's standout wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt:

"He'll be one of the most talented receivers we'll face all year. He's on the Biletnikoff watch list, for the nation's top receiver. He's not a secret. They've got good receivers despite their quarterback change."

On Pitt's defense against Youngstown State:

"I was pleased. We kept it pretty simple last week. We didn't blitz once. We're prepared to blitz this week if we have to.  There we're many mental mistakes made, but we missed some tackles. For the most part, I thought it was a solid performance."

On playing at Buffalo:

"Our guys need to be aware of the environment they're going to be playing in. We went on the road last year and played in front of some hostile crowds and we've handled it very well. They know that they're going against a good team. The guys that were here last year know that the game wasn't won until the fourth quarter."

On running back and quarterback positions:

"We found our two top running backs in Dion Lewis and Ray Graham. Ray didn't get a lot of opportunities last week. Shariff Harris will be back this week, so he'll be in the mix. For our quarterbacks, Bill Stull will start and Tino Sunseri will be ready to go and he'll get work. Just like last week, we don't have a set plan as to when Tino will go into the game."

On special teams:

"That was an area that we've had the most change and it's talked about the least. Our long-snapper, John Fieger did well, our punts were good, and we kicked all our extra-points and made a field goal. Our kickoffs were great, we made good decisions. It was the first time on the field for most of those players, they had to make decisions on their own and I thought it was a good start. This will be the next step."

On standout performances vs. YSU:

"Adam Gunn was our (coaching staff) defensive player of the game. He had eight tackles, two of them being sacks. Dion Lewis was our offensive player of the game, and Dan Hutchins was our special teams player. He had two punts inside the 20-yard line, one inside the 10, and he made all his extra-points. It was his first time out there, too."

On the offensive line:

"We have to work on a few physical things, but we had too many mental mistakes. We turned too many of their players loose. Their effort and toughness was good. Joe Thomas played well and Lucas Nix, for his first start, I thought played well. Jason Pinkston and John Malecki played solid. That's a position that you'll see get better every week. As we get down the road, it will be our strong suit."

On Bill Stull:

"He managed the game well. He got guys in and out of the huddle. There weren't any delays, or miscues on snap count. The turnover he had was both a quarterback and receiver miscommunication. I was pleased with Bill's performance. He didn't make any major mistakes. It was a good start for him. He's worked extremely hard in the summer and through camp. He's doing the best he can do and that's all you can ask for from my point of view. He's doing all he can in order to prepare and he's got to go out there and perform."

On Pitt's offense:

"I feel as if we have some big play wide receivers and tight ends. We want to be balanced. My biggest concern for our first game was the ability of our young running backs to make plays in order for us to have a balanced attack. We want to be capable of doing both."

On Jason Pinkston:

"Being his first year starting last year, I thought he played well. What's hurt Jason is that after we moved him to offense, he's yet to participate in spring training because of injuries, two years in a row. That's when guys make strides in their fundamentals and he's missed that. The competition is going to be tougher than last week and we'll see if he steps his game up."

On the tight end position:

"Nate Byham had a concussion in training camp and we weren't sure if he was going to be able to play, but he did. Nate's one of the best players on the team, he a leader, he's an All-Big East player and he's a major part of what we're doing. He's healthy now. He only practiced one day full-speed last week before we played on Saturday. On the other side, Dorin Dickerson can make plays. We need to find ways to get him the ball."

On Henry Hynoski:

"Henry got the block award (block of the game vs. YSU). We give out a block award for each game for the guy who has the most physical block, and for Henry's first start, he got it against Youngstown State."

On evaluating individual performances in the first game:

"For Max Gruder's first start, I thought he showed up. Greg Williams is one of the better tacklers we have, but he missed a couple of tackles in the backfield and jumped offside. He'll play better this week."

"Jarred Holley jumped out at me, he played on special teams, and he's going to be a player. When Dan Mason got in there he made some plays. Chas Alecxih, the big defensive tackle, made plays. On the offensive side, Cameron Saddler had a big game. He was able to get back in there and make some plays. At the end of the game Chris Jacobson blocked one of their players all the way over to our bench and took him down right in front of (offensive line) Coach Wise. He's trying to make his case that he needs more playing time."

On Dan Mason's playing time:

"He's at a position where you can't rotate. It's tough to rotate your middle linebacker, who's the signal caller. We'll try to get him as much work as we can. He's on special teams but it's a week-to-week thing."