Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has tried to be patient, but his team's problems with snapping the ball caused him to make some snap decisions yesterday.

The Panthers have had trouble getting the ball from the center to the quarterback smoothly throughout camp.

It happened several times yesterday, causing Wannstedt to substitute players after every miscue.

"There were some things I saw today that took us back to square one," Wannstedt said. "I know we have some new kids. The center thing is somewhat new to John Bachman and Greg Gaskins, but after this many practices [we] cannot put the ball on the ground. It is something we have to correct. We have to make sure we get that right."

Kinder injured

Starting receiver Derek Kinder went down early in practice with a knee injury and had to be helped from the field.

"It was a non-contact injury," Wannstedt said. "We don't know to what degree it is, but he is getting X-rays as we speak and we'll know a lot more by tomorrow."

Competitive situation

One of the best competitions in camp is for the backup tailback spot, where three players -- Kevin Collier, LeSean McCoy and Shariff Harris are locked in an intense battle.

All three have had their moments.

"For the first time it looks like we have a few guys who can get the job done and that's good because we're going to have to run the ball," Wannstedt said.

A Strong day

Senior tight end Darrell Strong has fallen behind sophomore Nate Byham on the depth chart, but he continues to make a case for more playing time. He had another excellent practice catching the football, a fact that Wannstedt didn't miss.

"Darrell Strong really did a good job today," Wannstedt said. "Tight end should be a position of strength for us and with Darrell Strong. We'll just wait and see. It is up to him. We've given him opportunities. Now it has to happen for him because his clock is ticking. He has three months left as a Panther and he has to decide what he wants to do."

Quick hits

Quarterback Bill Stull was limited in what he was able to do yesterday because of stitches in the thumb of his throwing hand. Stull wore a glove on his right hand and was able to take snaps during some of the passing drills but did not participate in the team drills or the 7-on-7 drills. "If it was up to Billy, he'd have gone today but we didn't see the sense in risking it," Wannstedt said. ....Wide receiver Maurice Williams again worked out with the quarterbacks early in practice. ... Defensive end Greg Romeus played with the first team for the first time, but that's mostly because Chris McKillop has been slowed by a hamstring injury. ... Dorin Dickerson had an interception and ran it back for a touchdown yesterday. ... Wannstedt said he has no update on the status of Pat Bostick. According to his father, Bostick is expected to return to camp early this week.