CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt claimed a week ago he was taking the offense "back to the drawing board" because of the unit's lack of productivity, and he made several key personnel changes to try and generate a spark.

After watching his defense get shredded by Virginia Saturday night in the Panthers' 44-14 loss, he might need to get that drawing board out again.

And a second poor performance this season means the coaching hot seat is resting beneath defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads.

Pitt has given up 78 points in the past two games and the defense has struggled to force turnovers or come up with big, game-changing plays.

Virginia's statistics weren't overwhelming -- it had 342 total yards -- but that's mostly because the Cavaliers had several short fields in which to work. But for the second consecutive week, the defense failed to make stops on third-and-long. Virginia converted on each of its first five third-down attempts and was successful in six of its first eight.

But the shorter fields weren't the reason Virginia scored so quickly. The Panthers' defense provided very little resistance and looked virtually powerless to stop the Cavaliers. Virginia scored touchdowns on its first four drives and a field goal on its fifth.

The Cavaliers, who built a 30-0 advantage, were content to play conservatively for a few series until the Panthers scored a couple of touchdowns to pull to 30-14 early in the fourth quarter.

At that point, the Cavaliers put their foot back on the gas and scored touchdowns on two consecutive drives.

Wannstedt said he isn't certain what has happened to the defense the past two games, but the unit must play much better given the offense's limitations at this point. He also said the defense's inability to force a turnover is puzzling and frustrating.

"I think this was the first night that we missed some tackles," Wannstedt said. "We missed tackles and didn't get off of blocks. Was it us missing or was it their speed? It was probably a combination of both. I don't know why we can't come up with a turnover. We are struggling to come up with one."

The Panthers have 10 days until their next game -- against Navy -- and the coaches will use it to try and get the team headed back in the right direction.

But the Midshipmen run a triple-option offense, which means the defense will be put to the test again.

The defense started slowly last week in the Panthers' loss to Connecticut as well, but the Huskies began their first drive on the Panthers' 6 after an interception.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers began their first drive on the Pitt 39 after an onside kick to open the game failed. Virginia needed only four plays to score a touchdown from there and it was clear the Panthers' defense, which looked a step slow, was in for a long night.

"We can't make excuses, we can't complain about short fields and say we were in a bad spot," middle linebacker Scott McKillop said. "We have to go out and make stops, we have to execute what we're supposed to do, we're supposed to shut the other team down, that's our job. As the leader of this defense, it is up to me to lead by example, to take the field and do a better job of getting us going."

The decision to attempt an onside kick was curious because Wannstedt had said all week that he wanted to make sure he gave his defense a chance by not putting them in bad positions. But he explained after the game that Virginia lined up 15 yards off the ball creating an opportunity and that particular onside kick has been highly successful for Pitt in the past.