West Virginia daily

Last season, Pitt's Tyler Palko was the second-team All-Big East Conference quarterback. You couldn't shake the feeling he deserved to be the top guy, ahead of West Virginia's Rasheed Marshall.

This season, Palko almost certainly will be second-team All-Big East again behind Louisville's Brian Brohm. And you are left thinking: It's a good thing the league is so bad.

This season, Pitt is 5-5 and almost a two-touchdown underdog against West Virginia Thursday night at Mountaineer Field in a game it has to win to qualify for a third-rate bowl.

"It hasn't been a good year for me or for us," Palko said recently. "I haven't performed up to my expectations. That's frustrating because I feel like I've let a lot of people down."

It's not all Palko's fault. It's never just the quarterback's fault. (Sorry, Tommy Maddox bashers.) The change from Walt Harris' pass-happy offense to Dave Wannstedt's balanced offense took more time than anyone could have expected and remains an ongoing process.

Pitt often hasn't been able to run the ball the way Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh would like. Wide receiver Greg Lee - a top player in the Big East last season - has had a disappointing year. So has the offensive line, which has allowed nearly three sacks per game.

It's also not as if Palko didn't play well enough at times for Pitt to have a better record. He was good enough in a one-point loss at Nebraska, but kicker Josh Cummings missed a field goal and had two others blocked. Palko gave Pitt a shot at Louisville but was sabotaged by Lee's four dropped passes.

But all of that doesn't change that Palko has thrown nine fewer touchdown passes than a year ago and for almost 60 fewer yards per game. It doesn't cancel the two interceptions he had returned for touchdowns in an embarrassing loss at Ohio University or the fumble he lost and the 21-yard sack he took on a second-and-1 play in an equally embarrassing loss at Rutgers.

"Our offense comes down to how the quarterback plays," Palko said. "We're not going to go out and beat you with a power running game, not yet, anyway. We want to get to that point, but, until we do, I have to play better."

The losing is hard on Palko. He's not sure, but he doesn't think he has played in a total of five losing games in all of his years in football. It's especially difficult because Pitt started the season with such high expectations and a No. 23 ranking, back in the days when he was mentioned as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.

"I have to walk by his jersey every day," Palko said. "Then, I have to look in the eyes of a guy who was an All-American quarterback here" - Cavanaugh - "and has a national championship ring. I definitely feel I have a responsibility to the position at this school. I want to keep the legacy going."

"I wasn't looking for a reaction, for anyone to say, 'Tyler, you were right.' I just wanted our guys to know that we owe it to ourselves to understand that this isn't good enough. It's not acceptable."

Pitt and Palko can salvage plenty with an upset in Morgantown. It wouldn't just mean a winning season for Pitt. It would damage West Virginia's hopes for the Big East title and the BCS bid.

"Going into that stadium to play that team as the University of Pittsburgh and coming out with a win," Palko said, quietly, "would be like going into Notre Dame Stadium and winning."

It's funny Palko mentioned playing at Notre Dame. He threw a record five touchdown passes in Pitt's victory there last season. If that wasn't the best game of his career, the victory against West Virginia 12 days later surely was. He completed four third-down passes on Pitt's late winning drive in a 16-13 victory.

This is cache, read story here