Pitt Panthers Football: High Octane Offense on Display in Blue-Gold Game

For months, many have been wondering just how explosive new Pitt head coach Todd Graham's offense would be. The term "high octane" has been thrown around quite a bit since Graham took the Panthers job.

Skeptics would have you believe that with the loss of valuable players on the offensive side of the ball, including running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Jon Baldwin, the Panthers wouldn't have the playmakers off the bat to fit Graham's scheme.

There is also the late start in recruiting that Graham got after the Dave Wannstedt-Michael Haywood fiasco.

Without a doubt, there have been many questions surrounding exactly what Pitt fans will see out of this team this year.

Saturday afternoon, they got their first taste of what this offense will look like during the annual Blue-Gold game, which the Blue squad (made up of first-teamer's on the depth chart) won 48-13.

While the score wasn't important, let's take a look at five things to like from today's game

5. Defense

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 26: Dan Mason #40 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after a 19-17 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game on December 26, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

With all of the talk surrounding the Pitt offense, the defense was in need of a quick fix as well. Teams ran on Pitt at will last season and big plays were few and far between.

Gone is the 4-3 scheme, replaced with a three-down linemen look with several hybrid positions.

Defensive end Brandon Lindsey didn't play today, but should be a big part of what Pitt plans to do defensively.

Though Lindsey wasn't in uniform, several Panthers gave reasons to possibly remember their names in the 2011 season.

Sophomore linebacker Carl Fleming had a scrimmage-high 12 tackles with two sacks, while sophomore outside linebacker Emanuel Rackard had 10 tackles of his own and a 10-yard fumble return for a score.

 Intercepting passes were junior safety Marco Pecora, sophomore cornerback K'Waun Williams and junior safety Jarred Holley.

4. Mike Shanahan

If the Panthers are going to be high octane on offense, they need big plays. More importantly, they have to move the chains consistently.

In order to do that, the Panthers need a go to receiver. There are several candidates on the team, but one that's due for a breakout season is Mike Shanahan.

Shanahan got off to a good start in the spring game with seven receptions for 158 yards and a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

More importantly, he showed great chemistry with quarterback Tino Sunseri. Somebody is going to have to make plays for this team and the veteran Shanahan is a good bet.

3. Buddy Jackson

Jackson is a lightning fast, long corner who Panthers fans have been waiting for for a few years now.

This could be the season where Jackson not only makes an impact for the Panthers, but also could emerge as a future NFL prospect.

Pitt lacked big plays in every aspect of the game last season. It didn't take long for Jackson to show what he can do, returning the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

Jackson was named one of three recipients of the Ed Conway Award, annually presented to the most improved players of the spring. Sophomore defensive tackle Tyrone Ezell and redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Gonzalez were the other Conway honorees.

2. Offense

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 11: The new University of Pittsburgh head football coach Todd Graham speaks to the media during a press conference at the University of Pittsburgh Panthers South Side training facility on January 11, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylv

Graham has preached speed, speed, and more speed since he arrived. He has said the offense will be explosive and you can see why early.

Instead of the predictable Pitt offense of the past, it looks as if this offense will be able to do some exciting things.

The biggest change is the fast pace. Of the first 60 plays the first-team offense ran, only one play was snapped with more than 17 seconds running off the play clock. That alone will make it tough for opposing defenses to communicate and should result in mismatches and big plays.

1. Tino Sunseri

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 04: Tino Sunseri #12 of the Pittsburgh Panthers throws the ball during the Big East Conference game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pittsburgh won 28-10. (Photo by An

The biggest question mark is will Sunseri be able to run the offense effectively. While he underachieved a bit in his first year as a starter, he wasn't the reason Pitt failed as a team.

The running game was a non-factor, the offensive line was below average and the defense underachieved as well.

Coming out of spring practice, coaches raved about how well Gonzalez fared in the quarterback battle.

Sunseri needed to make a statement and he made a big one, completing 35-of-55 for 416 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

He clearly won the early battle of the quarterbacks as Gonzalez went 9-of-26 passing for 82 yards with two picks.

Not only were Sunseri's numbers impressive, his poise and command of the team were noticeable right away.

There's a long way to go before the first game of the season, and a lot of judgement still to be done on Sunseri, but the first look was an impressive one.