Pitt opens camp today under new coach Todd Graham
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Lofty goals and big numbers have been Pitt coach Todd Graham's talking points since January, when he brought his brand of "high-octane" football to Oakland.
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Pitt defensive end Brandon Lindsey has set 15 sacks as his goal for the season.
Receiver Mike Shanahan does not have an exact number in mind for how many touchdowns he would like to score, but he believes the Panthers can average more than 40 points per game.
Lofty goals, big numbers.
But such things are what Pitt coach Todd Graham's talking points have been since January, when he brought his brand of "high-octane" football to Oakland.
The Panthers will start working toward those goals today when they open training camp at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on the South Side.
PG VIDEO: GRAHAM TALKS ABOUT NEXT SEASONShanahan said the Panthers got a small taste of what the offense can do in 15 spring practices, but he believes the best is yet to come.
"I think it took us a while to be able to run the offense at the speed it needs to be run, but that was what the spring was for and then our workouts in the summer," Shanahan said.
"But we're ready, I think we've really come together as an offense, and we will be able to really get after it from the first day. The thing is, I don't know if we can average 40 points a game or not, but I wouldn't doubt that it is possible.
"The key is going to be turnovers and penalties -- if we can limit both, we can score a lot of points."
University administrators hope Graham can deliver the kind of exciting football he is selling because they have made a huge financial investment in him. Graham is making about $2 million per year and was given a pool of $2 million for his staff. The school has made him the focal point of its marketing campaign, going so far as to create a glitzy website called highoctanefootball.com.
Given Graham's history, there is no reason to believe the Panthers will not post big numbers.
He was the coach at Tulsa from 2007-10, and twice the Golden Hurricane led Division I-A in total offense. They were fifth last season.
First Published August 8, 2011 12:00 am
