PITTSBURGH — Pitt had its annual kickoff luncheon Friday, and the keynote speaker was former star running back LeSean McCoy. Pitt will open the season Thursday against old rival West Virginia in a nationally televised edition of the Backyard Brawl.
McCoy was a most appropriate choice for the speaker because this is — at least from what I can tell — the most anticipated Pitt season since 2008. McCoy — and the Backyard Brawl, for that matter — was a huge reason for that optimism because he delivered one of the greatest single-game performances by a Panthers player in team history in the final game of the season before.
That 2007 season was marked with quarterback issues that rendered the Panthers’ offense anemic and made winning games extremely difficult. It was so bad the coaches figured out by the third game of the season against Michigan State their best offense was getting the quarterbacks out of the way and direct snapping the ball to McCoy. He nearly carried them to the upset that day, and a new offensive philosophy was born.
