Pittsburgh Panthers 2015 spring game: Top Five Storylines to Watch

Sep 13, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive linesman T.J. Clemmings (68) takes a drink on the sidelines in the fourth quarter in a game against the FIU Golden Panthers at FIU Stadium. Pitt won 42-25. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

4. How will the offensive line deal with the loss of T.J. Clemmings?

The quarterbacks last season had the benefit of playing behind a pretty good offensive line, and James Conner also benefited from that pretty well. Conner ran for 1,765 yards and Voytik was sacked just 20 times. Now however Pittsburgh loses its best lineman in T.J. Clemmings to the NFL, where he is projected to be a second to third round pick.

The good news for Panthers fan’s are that the line should not drop off very much if at all despite losing Clemmings. This group should play with some power and an edge in them, which is part of what made them so successful with the ground game.

The spring game will be a good judge to see how far they have come and will be a good indicator of how the line will adjust to the loss of Clemmings. If the line struggles and the defense makes some plays then people will be questioning the scheme and what is wrong with the offensive line.

The Panthers have numerous options to replace Clemmings and all of them have been well-groomed for this opportunity and they shouldn’t disappoint.

Next: Will Pat Narduzzi be able to improve the defense?