Pitt's annual Blue-Gold spring game will have a different look to it today, and not just because Tyler Palko won't be there to direct the offense.

Unlike recent years, it won't be a game between a blue squad and gold squad. Instead, the format will be offense against defense and the coaching staff has devised a scoring system for the defense to earn points.

	Blue-Gold game at a glance What: Pitt's annual Blue-Gold spring game. When: 1 p.m. today at Heinz Field. Radio, Internet: WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.com Tickets: $5. Students with valid ID and children under 2 admitted free. All fans must enter Gate A. Gates open at noon. Parking: $5 per vehicle in Gold Lots 1 and 2. Lots open at 10:30 a.m. Format: The game will pit offense against defense as opposed to dividing into two squads.

The defense will get 12 points for scoring a touchdown, five for creating a turnover and three for blocking a field goal or if the offense misses a field goal, three for stopping a fourth-and-1, two for each sack, any fourth-down stop inside the 50 and any unsuccessful two-point conversion and one for forcing a fumble (that is recovered by the offense) and a tackle for loss.

The offense can earn points in traditional ways -- touchdowns, field goals and extra points (or two point-conversions) -- and for converting first downs and long runs or passes. If the score is tied at the end of the scrimmage, there will be a playoff at the goal line.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said he made the change to make the spring game more enjoyable for the fans.

"We're going to add a scoring for the defense this year. That's going to make it a lot more exciting," Wannstedt said. "It will be offense vs. defense, [not] blue, gold. And we'll keep the scoreboard running, and hopefully it will be a little more exciting for our players and a little more exciting for our fans as well.

"The only special teams we will do is we'll punt and we'll cover kickoffs."

Wannstedt said the scrimmage will last about 90 minutes and he hopes to get a good look at some players who don't have much game experience, which is much of the defense given the number of players who will be held out because of injury.

"The good thing about these scrimmages and spring game is you get a chance to see guys play at full speed, which is the only real way to evaluate some things," Wannstedt said. "I'm looking for guys who are going to make plays and I want it to be a clean, crisp scrimmage. By clean, I mean in the quality of their play. I don't want to see things like penalties and turnovers. I want to see us play good, winning football on both sides of the ball."

Fans who attend the game probably will watch the quarterbacks closely and both will have ample opportunity to run the first-team offense. Wannstedt has said junior Bill Stull is slightly ahead of redshirt freshman Kevan Smith, but neither is close to earning the job.

One interesting twist involving the quarterbacks is that, unlike past years, they will be tackled.

Quarterbacks have traditionally worn the green -- hands off -- jerseys during the spring at Pitt and, because of that, their performances have been hard to evaluate.

Another wrinkle the Panthers fans might notice is that the defensive staff has added a variety of safety blitzes to the pressure packages. Last year, Wannstedt was reluctant to blitz because he wasn't comfortable with the ability of his safeties.

"What can I say. Desperate times call for desperate measures," Wannstedt said when asked about the safety blitzes. "We're looking at a lot of different ways to help our run defense. Getting the safety involved with blitzing is one of those that we haven't done much of and it's something that we're taking a look at this spring."

Several younger players also may warrant a look this spring, starting with sophomore right tackle Jason Pinkston, who has had a fabulous spring. Sophomore cornerback Aaron Berry is stepping into the starting "shutdown" corner role left vacant by Darrelle Revis.

Also, sophomore safety Elijah Fields is a big-play threat and redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Romeus has tremendous athletic ability. This also will be the debut of heralded sophomore Dorin Dickerson at linebacker.