http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pitt/questions/qaform.asp

Q: Is there any realistic way that Pitt could lose this game [to Syracuse]?

Gerald Maheen, Ebensburg

Zeise: You are joking right? I mean, this isn't a serious question is it? Have you paid attention at all to this outfit over the past three years? This is a team that lost at home to Bowling Green a few weeks ago. This is a team that lost to Ohio a few years ago. There is no question Pitt could lose this game. And I say that knowing full well that Syracuse is embarrassingly bad -- so much so that the athletic director basically announced to the world this week that it would take a miracle for the coach to save his job. For one thing, it is a conference game on the road, which is never easy. For another, Pitt has struggled at times in the Carrier Dome. There is no question Pitt should win this game and I think the Orange are the worst team the Panthers play this year. But this team has made a habit of losing to teams it should beat or is favored to beat so there is no "gimme's" for it right now.

Q: Do you think we may see more of LaRod Stephens-Howling today if LeSean McCoy doesn't get his ball security issues under control?

Greg Turner, Allentown, Pa.

Zeise: Yes, there is no question if McCoy keeps fumbling he'll find himself on the bench. And Stephens-Howling might get a few more touches today anyway just because he had such a great game the last time Pitt played up there on the fast surface (it is turf). A guy who is as quick and fast as Stephens-Howling (I think of the two, he has quicker feet and changes directions better) is even more dangerous. Like It is too early to give up on McCoy because he is clearly a star in the making -- but he'd better get it together here rather quickly if he wants to achieve his goals and remain the team's go-to player.

Q: Does Matt Cavanaugh or Dave Wannstedt have the final say on the plays called?

Bob Fitzmaurice, St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Zeise: The buck stops with the head coach, but he obviously doesn't micro manage every play call. He does, however, have veto power and occasionally uses it but the discussions on game day are more about what he wants. That's why some of the criticism of Matt Cavanaugh's conservative play calling is not fair because he is, after all, just following orders.