Freshman quarterback Pat Bostick arrived at Pitt's South Side training facility a little after noon yesterday, then watched the team scrimmage during the afternoon practice.

He took a few snaps and made a few throws during drills while the team was warming up.

Bostick's return -- he left camp Aug. 6 for undisclosed personal reasons -- was welcomed by Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, who said he expects the freshman to begin practicing at full speed today.

He also didn't rule out the possibility that Bostick could work his way back into the competition for the starting job, but he added that such speculation would be premature.

"We'll just take it one day at a time with Pat and see how things go and get him back into the mix," Wannstedt said. "He'll be back tomorrow and, like I said, we will just see where he is at.

"If he has a good week, I'd expect him to scrimmage, and then we'll just see where he stacks up [compared to the other QBs] and where he is at."

Wannstedt was asked if his opinion of Bostick has changed as a result of the episode, and he answered emphatically "no."

"Pat is a freshman," Wannstedt said. "He is still only 18 years old, so we are just going to support him and get him back on his feet and get him going."

Dominant 'D'

Two things were very clear in the first scrimmage yesterday -- the defensive line is deeper and more talented than it has been in a long time and the offensive line has a long, long way to go.

The defensive line dominated the offensive line most of the day and, not coincidentally, the defense dominated the offense as well. The offense had only one sustained touchdown drive, although the touchdown came when a defensive back fell down. The defense recorded six sacks, intercepted two passes and limited the offense to 81 yards rushing on 38 carries.

"I thought our defensive line was exciting with what they did today," Wannstedt said. "I thought our second group made as many plays as the first group. I was very pleased with Mick Williams and Tommie Duhart today, both made a lot of plays.

"Offensively, we have a ways to go. I was disappointed with our first three or four series because we didn't get much going."

Quick hits

The center-quarterback exchange problems surfaced again yesterday, and Wannstedt, losing his patience with the issue, said, "I can't even talk about it right now." ... As much as the offense struggled, it was a juggernaut compared to the special teams, which Wannstedt called "ridiculous." The Panthers had a field goal blocked, fumbled a punt, saw an extra point sail wide left and Dave Brytus had a poor day punting. "I was very disappointed with our special teams. What happened today is inexcusable," Wannstedt said. ... Wannstedt was very pleased with the play of cornerback Lowell Robinson, who has solidified his position as the third cornerback. ... Several players, including defensive ends Greg Romeus and Chris McKillop, were held out for precautionary reasons. ... The highlight for the offense was a 56-yard touchdown pass from Kevan Smith to Marcel Pestano.