This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt gave his quarterback, Tino Sunseri, a vote of confidence this morning on the Big East teleconference. There are a lot of concerns as to how Sunseri, who was a backup last year, will handle the pressure of being Pitt's starter in Utah's hostile atmosphere. Wannstedt called Sunseri, who played in five games last year, 'a winner,' and said he had all the intangibles to be successful. "He has won before," Wannstedt said. "He comes from Central Catholic high school and won a state championship. I like the makeup of him as a person as well as his ability level. He understands the plan and knows what his role is." Not sure how much a high school championship game can prepare a player for Division I football. I still suspect the Panthers are going to use the run as much as they can to give Sunseri a chance to settle into the game. Interestingly Wannstedt said he liked opening with Utah rather than it being the second game due to the long travel involved. He also liked the focus it made his team have in camp because Utah has a good reputation of being a tough team to beat, particularly when playing at home. "That is a lot of incentive for your football team," he said. "It gives you something to shoot for in training camp. Training camp came with a sense of urgency for the coaches and the players." A couple links for you. One is a look at the man behind Sunseri, the other is catching up with some Pac-10 developments in the Mercury News.

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