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4-1-Zoo: Chryst Names Sunseri Starting QB, Expects Graham Healthy

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) -- Pitt head football coach Paul Chryst named his starting quarterback at the ACC meetings Tuesday and also gave us some insight into running back Ray Graham's health.

Sunseri went up against Mark Myers and Trey Anderson in spring practice and, by all accounts, he was by far the best quarterback. That, combined with two full years of starting experience, probably made the decision an easy one for Chryst.

"He clearly was the best this spring that we had," Chryst said, according to ESPN.com's Big East blog. "You're aware of the history but it doesn't really matter for us. What do you have right now? It's our job to coach them and how can you help everyone get better? He's got a great opportunity."

This is honestly not terribly surprising news. While Myers had high expectations coming out of high school and incoming freshman quarteback Chad Voytik looks to be a stud, Sunseri has a ton of experience and is probably the best option right now for Chryst to build an offense around.

Myers and/or Voytik could be solutions down the road. The best situation heading into the 2012 season is the utilize an experienced quarterback while teaching the offense to his successor.

The decision on Sunseri is also made easier by another thing Chryst said: Graham is expected to be back fully healthy in the fall.

With a running back like Graham keeping defenses honest, Sunseri should have better chances to succeed in the passing game. Chryst has coached many great running backs and likes to base his offenses off the run, so this is a major piece to the puzzle.

Graham led the Big East in rushing last season, averaging 135 yards a game. However, he fell to a knee injury against UConn in October that ended his season.

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Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com

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