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PITTSBURGH PREVIEW coaches over the past three seasons, it's now Paul Chryst's turn to transform the Panthers into a competitive team once again. When Dave Wannstedt resigned in 2010 STARTING OVER … AGAIN F Panthers seek stability under first-year head coach Paul Chryst BY WES MORGAN or a program in desperate need of sta- bility after going through four head coordinator — had his work cut out for him. A season-opening 31-17 loss to Foot- after six seasons at the helm, Pitt hired former Notre Dame offensive coordina- tor Mike Haywood in December of that year. Roughly two weeks later, he was fired after being arrested on domestic vio- lence charges. Those charges were eventu- ally dropped, but the Panthers moved on and brought in Todd Graham, who bolted to Arizona State following a 6-6 season (prior to Pitt's loss to SMU in the Com- pass Bowl). Judging from the first half of the 2012 campaign and the team's 4-4 record, Chryst — the former Wisconsin offensive ✦ GAME FACTS SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (24-10, third season), Date: Nov. 3, 2012 Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795) Kickoff: 3:40 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on schools, with Notre Dame leading the all-time series 46-20-1. The Irish have won three of the last five, including two straight. Pitt — Paul Chryst (4-4, first season). Series Facts: This is the 68th meeting between the two ball Championship Subdivision foe Youngstown State was a major setback. But a 35-17 victory over Virginia Tech in game three, and back-to-back wins over Buffalo and Temple most recently are an indications that Chryst's way of doing things is starting to take hold in Pittsburgh. "Pretty much everyone on the ros- ter, with the exception of a couple true sophomores that Graham really got, a lot of these guys were recruited to play in a pro-style offense," said Sam Werner, who covers Panthers football for the Pitts- burgh Post-Gazette. "At least theoretically, they're better suited for it. But at the same time, every offense is different, and de- fense, too, for that matter. "Anytime you have a whole new coach- ing staff coming in and installing their ter- OCT. 31, 2012 minology and their general philosophies, there's going to be some growing pains. Pitt has definitely experienced that this season." Fifth-year senior quarterback Tino Sun- seri has benefited from a change back to the pro-style offense, throwing for 2,199 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has com- pleted 69.2 percent of his passes with just two interceptions. In 2011, the 6-2, 215-pound Steel City native had 11 inter- ceptions compared to 10 touchdowns. "He's being asked to do a lot less than he was last season," Werner explained. "Last year, Graham's offense relied a lot on Tino reading the play as it's happening or immediately before the snap. Whereas this year, he's able to get comfortable, rely on the running game and maybe take a couple shots downfield on play action." The Panthers have two running backs averaging more than 60 yards per game in Tino Sunseri was plagued by turnovers in 2011, throwing 11 interceptions compared to 10 touchdowns, though his 247 completions tied a single-season school record. This fall, Sunseri has thrown for 2,199 yards and 13 touchdowns with just two picks on 162-of-234 passing. Defense — Redshirt junior safety Jason Hendricks leads a secondary that ranks 29th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (198.9). The 6-0, 180-pounder leads the team with 54 tackles and four interceptions. For The Record: Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst Prime Personnel: Offense — Fifth-year senior quarterback Chryst, who served as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2005-11, is Pitt's fourth head coach in three seasons. PHOTO COURTESY PITT spent eight seasons at Wisconsin (2002, 2005-11), mostly as the Badgers' offensive coordinator … In 2011, Wis- consin finished 11-3, played in the Rose Bowl and broke several offensive school records, including points per game (44.1), total offense per game (469.9 yards), total rushing in a season (3,298) and passing yards in a season (3,280) … The future of the Notre Dame-Pitt rivalry, at least on a yearly basis, is unclear once the Irish begin playing five ACC teams a season per the stipulations of its recent acceptance into the league in all sports other than football and hockey … The Irish and Panthers, who will join the ACC next season, have squared off nine times since 2001, but the ACC will determine Notre Dame's five conference opponents each season on a rotating basis moving forward.