Preseason hopes are one thing; winning the Big East Conference is another. If the Pitt Panthers are to do that, they must fill a huge void in the middle of their offensive line, created by the graduation of center Robb Houser and guards John Malecki and Joe Thomas.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said the line is one of the few units with some uncertainty. He has faith in the players he has recruited, but he will not feel comfortable until he sees more consistent play from the interior linemen.

"We have some issues on our team we need to address, football-wise, right off the bat," Wannstedt said. "In the spring, Jack Lippert moved to center, we had Chris Jacobson working at left guard and Greg Gaskins working along with Ryan Turnley at right guard, so there is some good competition going there.

"But I don't think any of us really walked away from the spring and said we are locked in at any one of the three positions, so that is a good thing because it means we will have competition and so we need to get that solidified."

The good news is that the two tackle spots are solid. Senior Jason Pinkston (left) and junior Lucas Nix (right) return as starters, and are more than capable of earning all-conference honors.

The Panthers may have the best tandem of tackles in the Big East and, considering that the strength of the tight ends is blocking, Pitt should be able to protect the passer and create running lanes on the outside.

The line should benefit from the commitment of the running backs to become better pass-blockers. Pitt might feature the best blocking fullback in the nation in Henry Hynoski.

"We know who our tackles are, and that is a start and there are a lot of other players, not just the line, involved in pass protection," offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. "We now need to identify some of those interior guys, and that is a process but what we do have on our side is Tony Wise, who is as good of an offensive line coach as there is around."

Of the three open interior-line spots, the most solid appears to be left guard. Former Keystone Oaks star Jacobson will be the starter, barring an injury to someone else which could force him to move to another position.

Jacobson, a redshirt junior, was one of the highest-rated linemen recruited by Pitt, but his career has been slowed by injuries and inconsistency.

He said he has put the past behind him and is ready to become the dominant lineman he was expected to be coming out of high school. He started last year in the Panthers' Meineke Bowl win against North Carolina, played an excellent game which likely solidified his spot in the starting lineup.

"It is my time right now, this is my time -- I have two years to play and I want to take full advantage of them," Jacobson said.

"I think I've learned a lot and I've played behind some great players so, yeah, I really want to be a part of the solution and I think people will be surprised by our line.

"It was a great thing for me to [start and play the whole] bowl game because it helped with my confidence, and it showed that I am ready and capable of playing and helping the team."

Lippert, a redshirt freshman, will battle Alex Karabin for the starting center spot, but he has a long way to go because he was a defensive lineman last year.

Right guard is redshirt junior Gaskins' to lose, but he will face stiff competition from redshirt sophomore Turnley. The two battled in the spring, but neither distinguished himself. Their competition will be closely monitored.

Wannstedt also has some concerns about the interior of the defensive line and cornerback. But he said that, unlike the interior of the offensive line, there are players at both positions who made things happen during spring drills.

"Myles [Caragein] is going to be a very good player for us, but we have to develop depth at the interior defensive line," Wannstedt said.

"And our two corners -- we graduated both starters last year, but Antwuan [Reed] is going to be a great player for us at one spot and then we have Saheed [Imoru] who transferred in from junior college, and Ricky Gary who has a lot of experience and Buddy Jackson who has been around here for a few years.

"So, from a position standpoint, [offensive line, defensive line depth and cornerback] are the three areas we need to get cleaned up and put together during this training camp."

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