The Walk Through: New starter at CB?

Hello from Pittsburgh. We're about 45 minutes from kick.

- Cornerback Greg Mabin worked out with strength coach Chris Doyle in the pregame warmups. That usually means that player is questionable at the very least. I talked to Mabin on Tuesday and he seemed fine, but talking isn't running.

This would put a pretty good dent in the Iowa secondary, at least for the first half. You already know that free safety Jordan Lomax is suspended for the first half after last week's targeting penalty. That pushes sophomore Anthony Gair into the lineup.

Last week, sophomore Maurice Fleming played in nickel packages, so I think he would be the guy if Mabin wasn't able to go.

- I had some computer problems and wasn't able to do much scouting in the special teams. I did look up and see Marshall Koehn boom a 55-yarder. It was good. Maybe he's flipped the script.

- KF on radio: Good week of practice. Good energy. Hopefully carry over to the ballgame.

- Offensively, the challenge is everyone being in sync and taking care of their responsibilities. Not anyone area, but have had too mistakes that have stopped them.

- KF on injuries: Brandon Scherff and Drew Ott will go, not in perfect health. Couple gameday decisions. FB Macon Plewa out. Mabin is dressed, going through drills.

- CB Fleming running with the first team. Mabin in with the second. Looks OK, Running OK.

- RB LeShun Daniels and CJB run with the No. 2s.

- WR Derrick Willies with the first team. Not first in, but got reps with the No. 1s.

- Jordan Canzeri is the No. 1 at RB today. Mark Weisman is the No. 2.

- All the other starters are the same.

- Second team OL is Boettger, Simmons, Gaul, Keppy, Boone Myers. Second team D-line: Spears, Bazata, Ekakitie and Hardy.

- Mabin suffered an ankle injury in practice this week. He is officially a game-time decision, but it doesn't look like he goes, at least in observing the pregame.

20 minutes to kick. It's on ESPNU. There is no free livestream.

- Here is why James Conner is football for me; In Pitt's bowl game last season, he played some defensive end. Never mind the fact that Conner had 799 yards and eight TD as a true freshman last season.

- Pitt coach Paul Chryst doesn't sound totally sold on QB Chad Voytik. He did rush for 100 yards last week, something a Pitt QB hadn't done since 1988 (don't ask me when the last Iowa QB did that, no idea).

- Chryst: Iowa can hurt you a number of different ways offensively. Defensively, as good as we've faced. Good players up front. Well-designed schemes, defensively and offensively. Sound special teams. Has always enjoyed playing against Iowa. Everything you get, you're going to have to earn. (Chryst can speak from experience. He faced Iowa for eight or nine years at Wisconsin's OC.)

- This stadium is not close to even being dented. Lots of yellow seats wide open. Yellow isn't the best color for seats, I'm finding.

- Pitt is 3-0 and going for 4-0 for the first time since 2000. And there is no one here. Whatever the announced attendance is, whack it by two-thirds.

- The Pirates are on a great run. This is a Steelers town. Is there room for Pitt? The program won't dig this. I did see a couple of old-school Pitt jerseys, Dorsett and Marino. Those were cool.

- Iowa will be lucky to run 60 plays today. Pitt is all about ball control. Pitt also has scored 60 points off turnovers (that sounds really high, but that's what Ed Podolak said on the radio).

- OK, join me on Twitter for the game.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net