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As Ron Cook wrote in today's editions of the Post-Gazette -- Pitt's victory over South Florida last night was the biggest win of the Dave Wannstedt era and was in some ways even more important than that win over West Virginia at the end of last season. Yes, that win propelled Pitt to a great offseason of positive press and recruiting success, but this win puts the Panthers in play for both the Big East title and a BCS bowl.

It also erases or at least eases some of the pain of losing that opener to Bowling Green. Once that game was lost, the natural reaction was to look down the schedule to find a game that the Panthers could win that maybe they weren't expected to in order to get back on track towards securing a winning season. I thought in general Pitt has proven these last four wins that it is not going to blow anyone out, but it is a resilient team and a team that is slowly but surely learning how to win. It isn't always pretty, that's for sure, but coming back to win three games in a row is nothing to sneeze at, no matter what the competition is.

In fact, the more this season goes on, the more this team is starting to remind me of that 2004 team that some how, some way, found itself in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the season. If you remember that season, the Panthers started out slow, lost a ridiculous game early (the famous "slide play" at Connecticut), and needed everything in their power to come from way back to beat Furman and Temple but kept plugging away, kept getting better and then won some big games down the stretch over Boston College, West Virginia and Notre Dame.

However, that 2004 team, in terms of being gritty and resourceful and playing without fear, was as good as any team I've covered at overcoming adversity and fighting until the end of each game and finding ways to win. But they weren't that good in terms of talent -- look at the starting wide receivers, the starting defensive line, the backfield. This year's team has a chance to be special: It is gritty, it has heart, it has a fight-to-the finish kind of mentality, and it has a lot of talent and a lot of players who are still just scratching the surface of their potential. It will be interesting to see if this group can now continue to move forward in this journey or if they'll start to read their headlines, get complacent and fall off the pace.

OK, here is a quick review of last night's game:

The Good: LeSean McCoy was "that guy" last night. He ran with confidence, he ran with power, he finished his runs and he made a lot of yards on his own just by making people miss and breaking tackles. That's the kind of effort he needs to give every week. And like we had said earlier this week, he got most of his yards between the tackles (ESPN had a stat on that late in the broadcast, he had like 110 of his 142 yards between the tackles).

The offensive line again came up big and that unit has improved every game. There were still a few busts in pass protection but for the most part, Bill Stull had enough time to throw the ball. As for Stull, what he does isn't always pretty but it is effective, particularly when the game is on the line and, frankly, he is this team's leader. Jonathan Baldwin needs to be in the starting lineup and become an even bigger part of the offense. South Florida had no answer for him as evidenced by the pass interference calls he kept drawing.

The defensive line -- twice they missed on chances to tackle Matt Grothe but for the most part they kept Grothe in the pocket and controlled the line of scrimmage. The two young safeties, Elijah Fields and Dom DeCicco, played well as both were on the field for most of the game and both were basically asked to cover receivers the entire night. I thought Phil Bennett called a very good game. He didn't blitz much but when he called for one it usually got home.

And finally, for the second game in a row -- outside of a few unnecessary uses of the Wildcat, Matt Cavanaugh did an excellent job of sticking to the game plan of McCoy, McCoy, McCoy and mixed in a variety of safe passes that play to Bill Stull's strengths. He also took enough shots down the field to keep South Florida's defense off balance and guessing a little bit. The special teams had a mixed night but for the fourth time in five games, Pitt blocked a kick and last night's block of a field goal was a huge one. And then there is Conor Lee.

The Bad: It is hard to find much fault with what Pitt did last night, but it is abundantly clear that the two outside linebackers are still swimming a little bit and trying to figure things out. Both had some good moments, but they also had some moments when they were searching.

Although taking some shots down the field was a refreshing change, it will be a great day for Pitt when the Panthers not only take them but can convert them. The Panthers did hit the one to Jonathan Baldwin but Stull misfired twice badly trying to get the ball to Cedric McGee, then a third time McGee dropped a pass going towards the sidelines and there were at least two others that really didn't have much of a chance. LeSean McCoy's fumbling issue also resurfaced again and the Panthers also gave up a long pass play for a touchdown for the second week in a row.

Dave Brytus's pass on the fake punt had no chance -- and that's a shame because the play would have likely worked, though a procedure penalty would have wiped it out. I thought it was great timing because South Florida wasn't expecting it, but the execution by Brytus was not very good.

The Ugly: Greg Cross was recruited to be the guy in the Wildcat, it is a package that was supposedly installed and developed for him. So naturally, the Panthers finally use the formation twice -- and the direct snaps go to LeSean McCoy. The first one, he should have called a timeout before the snap because it was clear they were rushing and scrambling to try and get it organized and when he got the snap it was not a great snap and he never fully tucked the ball in and that led to the fumble. The second time he runs it the ball is centered over his head for like a 20-yard loss. It makes no sense when you have a guy running so well in the conventional offense to try and get tricky.

The blocked punt for a touchdown was ridiculous because the first time Brytus punted South Florida flooded the one side and nearly blocked it. So naturally there wasn't an adjustment made and they ran the same kind of punt rush and got there. I wasn't a big fan of the spread-punt formation when they were installing it because it seemed to have disaster written all over it and that's because it seems like it would be easy to overload with rushers.

Q: I'm baffled that you still continue to justify why Bill Stull should be the QB. If we are running the West Coast offense, doesn't the quarterback need to be somewhat accurate? You compare Stull and Pat Bostick but that was Bostick from last year. A year under his belt he has to be better than Bill "sail em over the receiver's head" Stull.

Lavon Smith, Germantown, Md.

ZEISE: There is more to being a quarterback than making pretty passes and rolling up gaudy passing statistics. It is the most important position on the field because that guy is the leader, that guy has to play without fear, that guy has to be the one who people look to when the pressure is on and know he's not going to quiver or blink, he's going to stand in there and make a play. That's why Bill Stull is the quarterback of this team -- he's a leader. He's a guy who is blue collar in every sense of the word, a guy who isn't going to make anyone go "wow" when he throws the ball but a guy who seems to have a knack to make plays when it is time for plays to be made. He can struggle and struggle for three quarters, but when the money is on the line, he comes up with that big throw to Oderick Turner.

Those intangibles are invaluable and while I agree that Pat Bostick is probably a better passer, there is something to be said for a guy who straps on his helmet and goes out there and plays without fear. That's not to say that Bostick can't or won't be a great leader -- it is just that right now this team seems to respond to and want to follow Stull.

Q: I think I know what Dave Wannstedt's problem is after watching this game. In the big games, Wannstedt lets it all hang out and takes chances, and in the games he should win he plays conservative not to lose. Do you agree with this assessment?

Carl Meyers, Harrisburg

ZEISE: There is some truth to that. The game plan against Bowling Green was ridiculously conservative and it reflected in the way the Panthers played -- scared. The last few weeks, when Pitt really had nothing to lose in the eyes of some, the Panthers have thrown caution to the wind and played more loose as a result of it. But conservative isn't always a bad thing, mind you. I mean, last night it was clear Pitt's path to win was putting the ball in the hands of McCoy and letting him run between the tackles because the offensive line was coming off the ball. I think every coach struggles to find that balance between playing aggressively and playing stupid and taking too many chances. Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh seem to be loosening up a little bit, but again -- now that the season is back on track and they'll likely be ranked soon and likely start feeling the pressure -- will they go back into that conservative shell? It is a good question and one we won't know the answer to until it plays out.

Q: Paul, after the USF win, can we put a moratorium on publishing the "These coaches are too conservative!" cries coming from Panther faithful? Last night I saw the coaching staff call several shots down field, a fake punt, a wild cat formation, some risky shovel passes, and a change of pace series with Greg Cross. What more can you ask for?

Ken Shamus, Dearborn, Mich.

ZEISE: Well let's see -- you are talking about sample size and right now the sample size supporting your point of view is about two games worth while the opposition can counter with, well, the other 38 since the start of the 2005 season. It is clear that there seems to be an effort to throw some caution to the wind and take some more chances, but like I just wrote, will this trend continue now that every game is crucial again? I do like the fact that they are taking shots down the field in the passing game because that seems to be loosening up things for McCoy and also for the underneath routes as well. As I said in my open, it was a tremendous game plan and Pitt made a lot of great plays so you do have to tip your cap to Matt Cavanaugh, which I know is something that is not always popular among some of the Panther faithful.