Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was hired after the 2004 season with the promise that he would take the program to "the next level".

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Scouting Report

• Matchup: Pitt (2-0) vs. Michigan State (2-0), noon today, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing. Michigan State is favored by 111/2.
• TV/Radio: ESPN; WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (Fox Sports Radio 970).
• Pitt: Has not visited Michigan State since 1958. ... Has not started 3-0 since 2000. ... Freshman TB LeSean McCoy scored his first three touchdowns last week against Grambling and had his first career 100-yard game as well. Today, he is expected to make his first career start. ... Conor Lee needs to make six consecutive extra points to tie an all-time Pitt record of 60 in a row.
• Michigan State: Leads the all-time series, 5-0-1. ... Mark Dantonio was the head coach at Cincinnati last season. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is 2-0 against Dantonio, but 0-1 vs. Michigan State. ... Averaging 41.5 points and 492.5 yards of total offense. ... Four of five starters have returned in the offensive line, and the Spartans rushed for 335 yards against the Panthers in 2006.
• Hidden Stat: Pitt has allowed 6.5 points per game.

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At the time, the administration believed the football program had stagnated under Walt Harris and it needed a shot in the arm. Wannstedt was picked to give it just that. After two seasons of Wannstedt's leadership, the jury is still out.

Wannstedt has recruited well and improved the program in nearly every area -- from fundraising to academics -- but improvement has not shown up on the field. The Panthers are 13-12 under Wannstedt and have not gone to a bowl game.

The Panthers have yet to overachieve and win a game that they were not supposed to under Wannstedt. They have suffered lopsided losses to many of the best teams on their schedule. Last season, they lost games against Louisville, Rutgers, West Virginia and Michigan State by an average score of 38-21.

More telling than the scores are the rushing totals; those four teams combined to rush for 1,202 yards (300 per game) against Pitt while the Panthers managed 217 yards rushing in those four games (54 per game). West Virginia outrushed Pitt, 437 to minus-1; Michigan State outrushed the Panthers, 335-81.

Today the Panthers (2-0) will face their first big test of the season at Michigan State (2-0). It will be the first chance Pitt has had to show if it has improved.

The Spartans are not the best team the Panthers will face nor are they unbeatable, but they play a power-running style that will test Pitt's rebuilt defensive line.

Wannstedt believes his team is much better equipped to handle the Spartans' rushing attack this season, but he understands the scope of the challenge. He said the Panthers had a great offseason of strength work and conditioning, and they are not going to get worn down by the Spartans' offensive front like they did last year.

He also downplayed the idea that, if the Panthers fail to get the job done, it will be a devastating blow. He said the program is headed in the right direction and that the game today is just another big game in a hostile environment.

"Our players are excited about playing this game, and we're excited about coaching in a game like this," Wannstedt said. "This is what college football is all about. We're going to have a nice crowd on a gorgeous day in September, on national TV, and we're going to find out some things about our football team.

"We're going to find a lot out about ourselves and who we are. This is why kids come to school at Pitt, to play in games like this, and that's what makes it exciting."

Through two games, the Panthers' defense has played well, but the opponents were Eastern Michigan and Grambling, so it is hard to determine if the defense has improved. After today, there will be no doubt, one way or the other.

Pitt middle linebacker Scott McKillop was asked if it was fair for people to judge the Panthers' defense on one game.

"Yes, I believe that's fair," McKillop said. "We need to prove ourselves against a team like this, so I can understand why people are waiting to see what we do. [Michigan State] beat us up pretty good last year, and we haven't done well as a defense in some of these bigger games. We should be judged by how we play against Michigan State.

"The first two weeks, we played against teams we're supposed to beat. But this week will be the real test for us to see how good we actually are."

Inside

Forgive West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez if he isn't sure which team he watched Thursday night. For once, the defense carried the load in a victory.

-- Story, Page C-5