Scott McKillop walked off the field after Pitt's scrimmage Tuesday visibly frustrated and in no mood to joke around with his teammates.

Someone asked, "What's wrong Scott?"

"I only got to play like 12 plays," McKillop said, shaking his head. "And, on one, I missed that tackle, it bothers me because I should have made it."

McKillop, the Panthers' All-American middle linebacker, isn't perfect, but that little post-scrimmage exchange offers a good indication that perfection is what the fifth-year senior strives to achieve. That drive is a major reason he went from a little-known reserve to one of the nation's best defenders in one season.

"There is a right way to do things and a wrong way," McKillop said. "I have just always believed that, no matter what I have done -- you do things the right way, you do them the way they're supposed to be done and you work hard until they are perfect. And in sports there is no such thing as perfect, you can always be better, you can always improve and you can always learn something, every single day.

"That's why I was so frustrated the other day after that scrimmage. I understand why I am playing limited plays. Coaches talked to me about it, and they are right -- we don't need me to get injured in camp. But, at the same time, it goes against my nature to sit out, and I don't like it. I feel like every play, every rep in drills, is an opportunity to get better and I'm missing out on those chances to improve myself."

McKillop said that he was not just bothered by the fact that he didn't get to play a lot of plays in the scrimmage, but that tackle he missed -- on tailback LeSean McCoy -- is one of those plays which haunted him all night until he had the chance to get on the field yesterday and redeem himself.

"After I missed that tackle on Shady [McCoy] it was on my mind the whole, entire day," McKillop said. "It was one of those things that I just kept thinking that 'I have to get better, I can' t miss those tackles.'

"I'm just like that, I love to play football and I am a perfectionist and, to me, hard work and repetition is the only way I'll get better. If you want to be a good linebacker, a great linebacker, you just can't make any mistakes, you have to get it right."

McKillop's drive is not limited to football. He describes himself as a "borderline OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder]" because everything in his world has to be in their perfect and proper place, from shoes and clothes to books and anything else.

Not surprisingly, he is an excellent student who has graduated with one degree (bachelor's in business-marketing) and is putting the finishing touches on a second (administration of justice). Combine McKillop's desire to do things the right way and his athleticism with his feel for the game, intelligence and work ethic, and it is easy to see why he is being hyped by so many different national publications as one of the best players in the country. He has been named a preseason All-American by numerous publications and, if he stays healthy, he should duplicate the season he had last year when he was named first-team All-Big East.

McKillop, who led Division I in tackles (12.58 per game) and was second in solo tackles (8.17 per game), started every game for the Panthers last season and was the centerpiece of the defense from the outset.

It was an amazing rise, considering it was his first season as a starter and his first season of extended playing time. He spent his first three years (including his redshirt season) behind former All-American H.B. Blades.

Given the numbers he put up, the accolades he has received and his unchallenged starting job, McKillop could have rested in the offseason, coasted through training camp and waited until the week of the opener against Bowling Green to get himself ready. But that's not McKillop's style. He understands the responsibility of being the defense's leader, and that's why he made sure he has pushed himself to work hard this offseason.

"I am willing to take all that responsibility on as a team leader; you can't get all the accolades and not produce," McKillop said. "But it isn't just about me producing. If I have all those tackles again and our defense isn't good, then I haven't done my job. I have to do my job and try to make this team better on every play, and so the challenge is for me to try and take things to the next level. It is my responsibility as a team leader to make sure I do whatever I can to help get Pitt back to the top where it belongs."

NOTES -- Freshman receiver Cameron Saddler (knee) missed practice yesterday and was on crutches. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said Saddler, who injured his knee Tuesday, was due to have an MRI last night. ... Starting tight end Nate Byham and starting linebacker Shane Murray were knocked out of practice with shoulder injuries, but Wannstedt said they aren't serious. "We're in the middle of training camp," Wannstedt said. "Everybody is hurt, everybody is sore, everybody is beat up, and, if you let your mind control your body you can be soft. So, we'll keep pressing. This is when you build mental toughness.". ... Quarterback Bill Stull (ribs) and tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling were held out of the scrimmage Tuesday, but they returned yesterday, although Stull was the only quarterback wearing a red (no contact) jersey.