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The message delivered by Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti to their quarterback was a strong one following the 31-3 loss to Miami: Get better, or changes might be made.
Tino Sunseri got the message.
As the Panthers (3-3, 1-0 in Big East) head into their second conference game Saturday against Rutgers (4-2, 1-0), Sunseri isn't the cautious, apprehensive quarterback he was only a month ago. He's improved greatly in a short time, and so has the Pittsburgh offense.
Since being benched against Miami after going 8 of 15 for 61 yards, Sunseri has completed 59 of 86 passes for 722 yards, six touchdowns and one interception during a close loss at Notre Dame and easy victories against Syracuse and Florida International.
''It looks like Sunseri is really starting to feel comfortable in that offense,'' Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. ''Unfortunately for us, it kind of times up right when we are playing them.''
By spreading the ball among eight receivers the last two games, Sunseri is taking some of the pressure off running backs Ray Graham and Dion Lewis to carry an offense that was run-heavy when the season started.
''The most encouraging thing to me is that he's protecting the football,'' Wannstedt said. ''He's getting the ball out quick under a lot of pressure and he's not forcing it. When you can come out of the game and not have any turnovers, we're going to have a chance to win every week.''
Wannstedt cautioned when the season started that Sunseri needed time to settle into the position. The redshirt sophomore threw only 17 passes last season, getting precious little work behind all-Big East quarterback Bill Stull.
Pitt's difficult non-conference schedule didn't help, and the losses to Utah and Miami may have shaken his confidence; Utah won 27-24 after Sunseri threw an interception in overtime.
Sunseri started looking more comfortable while hooking up with Jon Baldwin on nine completions for 111 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame. Sunseri followed that up by throwing for four touchdowns against Syracuse, each one to a receiver who made his first career touchdown catch.
It's the upgrade that Cignetti was looking for after the unsettling loss to Miami. He said then, ''If the guy on the field isn't giving us the best chance to win the game then, hey, changes might have to be made.''
No chance of that now.
Not that there isn't room for improvement. Wannstedt said the Panthers still must work on getting the ball down field more. After his big game against Notre Dame, Baldwin was limited to one catch for 61 yards against Syracuse.
''We really haven't hit the deep balls like we did last year with Baldwin and (former tight end) Dorin Dickerson,'' Wannstedt said. ''Some of it's coverage, some of it's the throws, some of it's timing. It will come. We just need to keep doing it and working on it. Coach Cignetti has addressed it and it's something we know we need to work on and we're improving on it.''
Sunseri started the Syracuse game with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Devin Street, and the offense surged after that.
''Now we've got this thing rolling, we have to keep it rolling,'' wide receiver Cam Saddler said. ''We don't want to lose that feeling. We don't want to go back to what it felt like at Notre Dame.''
