After dealing with the confusion of having six head coaches in the past three years, Pittsburgh will look to move forward with head coach Paul Chryst and improve upon last year’s disappointing 6-7 season.
Strong-armed senior quarterback Tom Savage will lead an unproven Panther offense this season. After transferring from Rutgers to Arizona and then to Pittsburgh, the senior will play his first meaningful game since 2010. He will look for help from senior wide receiver Devin Street, who was just 25 yards away from eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in 2012.
Although the Panthers’ offense may lack experience, the defense will look to prove itself as one of the top units in the ACC. Led by senior defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the defense returns eight starters. Donald has garnered a significant amount of attention during his career, entering his senior season ranked No. 10 on ESPN’s ACC Top 25 Player Countdown. Playing behind Donald, senior middle linebacker Shane Gordon and redshirt junior quarterback-turned-linebacker Anthony Gonzalez will benefit from having the top interior lineman in the league and exploit opposing offensive lines that choose to double team Donald.
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