Tino Sunseri named Big East Player of the Week

Perhaps no player in a Pittsburgh Panthers uniform has been under more scrutiny than Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri over the past couple of seasons.

September 15, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri (12) reacts on the sideline against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Panthers won 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

While a lot of the criticism is well deserved, Sunseri took a big step towards silencing his critics, at least for one week, with an outstanding and gutsy performance in a 35-17 upset win over then-No. 13 Virginia Tech.

Sunseri’s performance, in which he

completed 68 percent of his passes (19 of 28) for 283 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, gained him some notice around the league as he was named Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

He was a big part of Pitt gaining 537 yards in total offense, their highest single-game output since 2000, snapping the Hokies 13-game road winning streak in the process.

On the year Sunseri has completed 65 percent of his passes (62 of 95) for 800 yards, with five touchdowns and only two interceptions. Throughout the Panthers’ struggles for the first two games, Sunseri has been much more efficient throwing the football, which is a good sign for first-year head coach Paul Chryst’s team.

Sunseri is also climbing the Pitt career statistical charts and now ranks sixth in all-time passing yards (6,102) and seventh in total offense (6,276).

Consistency has always been a question mark for the senior signal caller and this gives him a good game to build off of as Pitt hosts Gardner-Webb this Saturday at Heinz Field (3:30 p.m.).