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The Panthers have gone light the last few days, which is probably a good thing because Saturday's scrimmage was pretty physical. The coaches will take the team to the movies tomorrow and then will hold their third and final scrimmage of camp on Wednesday. This scrimmage is important because it is the final evaluation for all the players. Starting Wednesday, the team will begin to look ahead to Eastern Michigan, even though camp doesn't officially break until Saturday. The depth chart will be done tomorrow night and while it isn't etched in stone, the amount of reps given to the first and second team will no longer be divided evenly.

As for the scrimmage, well, you read the reports -- LeSean McCoy was special that day and if he plays like that it won't be long before he's getting 25 carries a game.

Q: Kevin Collier seems to be getting lost in the shuffle at running back because of McCoy -- how do you think it will affect his brother's recruitment?

Erik Wirtner, Las Vegas

ZEISE: Well, you do the math. Averin Collier wants to play running back. Assuming health and whatnot is not a factor -- Pitt has Larod Stephens-Howling for one more year (after this year). LeSean McCoy for three more years. His older brother for two more years. Shariff Harris for three (four if he redshirts) more years and a pretty solid commitment from Chris Burns, who will be a freshman next year. In other words, the position is pretty jam-packed and a lot of the players who would be ahead of him are young. So in essence, I don't think that McCoy passing Collier is the issue -- the issue is the position is loaded for bear right now and it is going to be hard for any tailback coming in to get on the field in the next year or two.The bottom line is kids want to play and if a kid is dead set on playing a position -- Pitt coaches would like to play him on defense -- he's going to go where he thinks he can have the best opportunity to play the position he prefers.

Q: Is McCoy running all over Pitt's defense a sign that we are going to get the same old horrible Pitt defense against a talented back?

Frank Stosic, Munhall

ZEISE: Good question, and that's one that we really won't know the answer to until they play Michigan State the third week of the season. But the run defense has stuffed the offense pretty much the entire camp and I really think this team is better up front, so I don't expect every play to be an adventure and every decent back look like Walter Payton every week, either. The thing about what McCoy did is a little different than what the typical back has done to Pitt -- McCoy got a lot of his stuff on his own talent. It wasn't like the D-line was dominated or overpowered, as has been the case in the past. Again, only time will tell but I am starting to think this defense is going to be better than it has been for a few years.

Q: Why are so many national publications picking Cincinnati ahead of Pitt in the Big East?

Rob S., Oakland

ZEISE: Well, considering Cincinnati finished ahead of Pitt last year -- by two games -- and the fact that the Bearcats went to and won a bowl game last year, why is this a surprise? Further, Pitt has so many questions at so many key positions, why would anyone think they should be picked higher than sixth? They might ultimately be better than Cincinnati, but the Bearcats finished ahead of them last year and have a ton of returning players - albeit with a new coaching staff -- so it would only seem to be reasonable to suggest that the Bearcats would finish ahead of Pitt again this year.