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Q: Isn't the biggest reason for low attendance the fact that the team plays on the other side of town from where the student body is, and, by the same token, in a building that holds no nostalgic pull on the vast majority of alumni?

Joe Fiorill, Washington, D.C.

ZEISE: No. That is an absolute myth and one which is kept alive by a vocal minority who every so often want to whine about the stadium not being on campus. That's ridiculous and the numbers bear it out. Pitt has done far better at Heinz Field in terms of attendance these first seven or eight years or whatever than it did for the last 15 years at Pitt Stadium. And while some of that has to do with losing seasons in the 1990's -- let's consider these facts: Pitt's best average attendance? 2003 -- (yep, in Heinz Field) -- 59,197. In 1980, Pitt had the No. 2 team in the country (No. 1 in the New York Times poll), finished 11-1 and had what some consider to be the best college football team of all time in terms of talent and played in Pitt Stadium and averaged only 48,542 fans. To put that into perspective -- last year Pitt averaged 49,352 and in 2001 the Panthers averaged 48,915. That means three times in eight years at Heinz Field, Pitt has averaged more fans than it did with arguably its greatest team. And this year it could get that high depending on how the attendance is for the last three games. By the end of this season, Pitt will have averaged 40,000 or more fans in eight times in nine years at Heinz Field. The Panthers did it twice in the entire decade of the 1990's. The move to Heinz Field, if anything, has helped attendance because it is far more accessible than Pitt Stadium, there is better parking and better facilities in terms of more restrooms, concession stands, etc., etc. The idea that an off-campus stadium -- particularly one which is only 4?? miles away and easy to get to from campus -- is ridiculous and just another excuse that doesn't hold water because the facts don't back it up. If Pitt wins and plays good opponents, the attendance is going to be fine no matter where the games are. If Pitt doesn't win and plays bad opponents, the attendance would be horrible even if the stadium was located at Panther Hollow.

Q: Bill Stull's improvement this year has been impressive. Can you talk about what has made him so much more successful this year?

Andy Seitz, South Park

ZEISE: Three things -- Confidence, improved offensive line and skill position players and play-calling. His confidence is high right now because he had a little success and built on it and then had a little more success. He's also healthy and that has helped his confidence as well because he can physically make the throws he needs to and he is standing in the pocket a little longer and delivering the ball. But his line is giving him a lot of time to throw the ball and I think it cannot be stated enough -- the development of Jonathan Baldwin and Dorin Dickerson as complete receivers (as opposed to fast guys who were raw and learning how to run routes last year) has been a huge part of this as well. All of that, plus Frank Cignetti's creativity has helped Stull become a much better player than he was last year.

Q: Obviously the offensive line is doing very well with the addition of Tony Wise as their coach. My question is with the second team offensive line (many of which will be starting next year). How are they progressing?

Chris Bruno, Alexandria, Va.

ZEISE: I think the second team line has two players --- Chris Jacobson and Greg Gaskins who are going to be good players as starters and who are good enough to play right now if needed. A third guy, Ryan Turnley, is probably one of the most pleasant surprises in recent years in terms of a kid who wasn't highly regarded coming out of high school but has developed into a serviceable player who looks like he has even more upside. Those three will contribute and likely become starters in the near future. If you talk to coaches, however, the younger group -- the true and redshirt freshman -- seem to have really progressed this year. That group has a few guys who coaches think could become real players down the road, so the offensive line seems to be in good shape for the future.

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