Q. Why doesn't Pitt recruit in the South in places like Mobile, Ala., South Carolina and Georgia for players like the other schools from the Big East do? I have heard it's because they don't have the connections. That's a bog bowl of trash if you ask me. I've been in the Pitt program and know how recruiting players works in making contacts. Ask Coach that question next time you talk to him.

Richard Ellison

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Zeise: Pitt's philosophy on recruiting is that they don't need to get on an airplane except to go to Florida in order to find enough good players to build a program. They believe there are enough good players in Maryland, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Ohio -- and the head coach believes Pitt has as good of a chance as any to land the top players in all of those states because of its proximity and the ability to get those kids to campus for visits. And they also believe there are enough good players in Florida that there are still a lot of good players left even after the top three programs in that state take their share. The same can't be said of some of the other states in the south where Pitt would have to come from way behind to try and beat, for instance, Auburn and Alabama (not to mention Tennessee and Arkansas) in Alabama. I think if you looked at the other rosters from the teams in the Big East that are in the Northeast, there aren't that many players from the southern states because it is just not cost effective to go there and recruit when you can find lots of good players within driving distances. In fact, even South Florida only has a total of six kids from Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Q: Is there any reason that Pitt couldn't line up both McCoy and Stephens-Howling in the backfield for some plays? That, along with several of their receivers should have defenses in a quandary. Also, has any of the coaches realized that going up the middle 3 times on short yardage usually doesn't work, unless you have a very strong front line?

Candace Straub

Harrisburg, Pa.

Zeise: Pitt has lined up McCoy and Stephens-Howling in the backfield a few times but didn't do much with that particular formation. It could be a good package but right now Stephens-Howling is a little banged up so he isn't seeing much playing time anyway. As for the sequence of short yardage plays -- either you can man up and get a yard or you can't. If you have to start tricking teams -- with running backs like McCoy and Conredge Collins and a left tackle like Jeff Otah -- in order to get a yard then it is time to pack it in. I was a little surprised they didn't try a play-action pass of some sort on second and goal but I have no problem with handing it off three times inside the 1. Again, that is more of an indictment of the offensive line than anything else and it is clear that unit still needs to get better.

Q: Kennard Cox continually misses tackles, makes poor decisions, and blows coverage. It is becoming more evident that other teams are looking to his side of the field as a weakness. Don't we have anyone else that could play that position?

Ryan Sax

Oakland

Zeise: Ricky Gary, Lowell Robinson and Jovani Chappel are the only other three corners (along with Aaron Berry who starts on the other side) who have played in a game. I thought Robinson was going to play a bigger role this year based on what we saw in camp but he hasn't played much. Ricky Gary played well early in the season when he was starting so I suppose he is an option and Chappel has bounced back and forth between safety and corner some and is still working on his cover skills. In other words, it isn't exactly like they have Darrelle Revis waiting in the wings and it has been well documented how this staff feels about players with experience and Cox has by far the most experience.