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PITTSBURGH PANTHERS -2 @ RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
Pittsburgh (1-23) at Rutgers (2-1) @ 8:00 PM EST.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Rutgers Stadium (41,500) -- Piscataway, New Jersey. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Pitt 1-1, Rutgers 1-0. Away Record: Pitt 0-2, Rutgers 1-1. Neutral Record: Pitt 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Conference Record: Pitt 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 19-3.
GAME NOTES: A couple of schools kicking off the Big East Conference portion of their schedules meet in New Jersey this Friday, as the Pittsburgh Panthers tangle with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. After making a BCS Bowl appearance in 2004, there were big things expected from Pitt this season, but a 1-3 start to the year has put a damper on its repeat hopes. The Panthers, however, are coming off their first win of the season, although it came against Division I- AA member Youngstown State (41-0) last weekend. The win put an end to a four- game slide dating back to last season's loss to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. While the 1-3 start may look bad, it is a bit deceiving as Pitt lost one game in overtime to Ohio and another by one point to Nebraska. A break here and there and the Panthers could have easily been on the other side of things at 3-1. As for Rutgers, it posted its second win in a row on September 17th with a 17-3 triumph over hapless Buffalo. It was the Scarlet Knights' first win against a Division I-A team this season and their first on the road.
It terms of the all-time series between these two schools it has been dominated by the Panthers, who are 19-3 versus Rutgers, including wins in each of the past six meetings.
After failing to score an offensive touchdown in their previous two games the Panthers erupted for five touchdowns and 528 total yards in their 41-0 rout of Youngstown State. The offense racked up 221 yards on the ground and an even higher 307 yards through the air. It was quite an outburst by Pitt, which is still averaging a mere 19.5 ppg and 355.8 total ypg for the season. Tyler Palko led the way for the Panthers last week, throwing for 290 yards and three scores on 14-of-22 pass attempts. The effort was certainly Palko's finest on the young season, as he has now thrown for 820 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Greg Lee is clearly his main target and leads the team with 17 receptions for 351 yards and two scores. Lee took full advantage of a less talented YSU club last weekend and pulled in six balls for 143 yards and a score. Raymond Kirkley even got into the mix with 83 rushing yards and a score on 17 carries. Kirkley has done a solid job running the ball this season and heads the team with 253 yards on the strength of his 5.5 ypc average.
While the offense has had it share of problems this season, the same can't be said about the Pitt defense, which is giving up just 16.2 ppg behind a mere 282.2 total ypg. The unit has done an exceptional job in limiting opposing quarterbacks to just 119.2 passing ypg and only two touchdowns. Pitt, however, has struggled to come up with big plays and has forced just two turnovers in four games. Last weekend, the Panthers posted their first shutout of the season while holding the overmatched Penguins to only 152 total yards. The defense did a tremendous job keeping the YSU offense off the field and held it to just 1-of-13 third down conversions. H.B. Blades continued his fast start to the year and led the way with 10 stops. He has clearly been the team's most productive player, as his 46 tackles are 16 more than the next closest player.
The Scarlet Knights have lacked consistency on the offensive side of the ball the past few years, but after three games the team is averaging a solid 28.3 ppg and 392.3 total ypg. The unit is rushing for a decent 136.3 ypg, while airing it out for a healthy 256.0 ypg. Another positive for Rutgers is that it has committed just one turnover through the first three games. In their previous contest, the Knights were limited to just 288 total yards, but that was still enough to claim a 17-3 victory over Buffalo. Brian Leonard has shown he can carry the load and he led the Knights with 121 rushing yards. He has been solid for much of the season and is the team's top rusher with 300 yards and three scores. Leonard is also a threat to catch the ball, as he ranks second on the club with 12 receptions for 138 yards and a score. Getting him the ball is Ryan Hart, who is off to a fantastic start. Hart is completing 60.2 percent of his tosses for 239.7 ypg with five touchdowns against no interceptions. He put together another decent outing against the Bulls, finishing with 143 yards and a pair of scoring strikes.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Knights are giving up a whopping 410.0 total ypg, although it has led to just 14.0 ppg for opposing teams. Still, the 273.3 passing ypg the defense has allowed has to be concerning considering it has come against suspect competition. Against Buffalo, the Knights yielded 349 total yards, but just three points. The defense was on the field for more than 36 minutes and came up with no turnovers. On a positive note, the unit did record four sacks, giving it 12 for the year. Courtney Greene led Rutgers with 11 tackles and now has a team-high 32 stops for the year. Ryan Neill is another player worth noting, as he ranks among the team leaders in TFLs (eight), sacks (three) and quarterback hurries (six).
It should be an entertaining game between a pair of teams that lack explosiveness. Pitt clearly has the better defense, while Rutgers has the more effective offense. The Panthers, however, may have found their rhythm offensively last game and they should put enough points on the board to defeat the Scarlet Knights for the seventh straight time.
Pittsburgh (1-23) at Rutgers (2-1) @ 8:00 PM EST.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Rutgers Stadium (41,500) -- Piscataway, New Jersey. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Pitt 1-1, Rutgers 1-0. Away Record: Pitt 0-2, Rutgers 1-1. Neutral Record: Pitt 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Conference Record: Pitt 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 19-3.
GAME NOTES: A couple of schools kicking off the Big East Conference portion of their schedules meet in New Jersey this Friday, as the Pittsburgh Panthers tangle with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. After making a BCS Bowl appearance in 2004, there were big things expected from Pitt this season, but a 1-3 start to the year has put a damper on its repeat hopes. The Panthers, however, are coming off their first win of the season, although it came against Division I- AA member Youngstown State (41-0) last weekend. The win put an end to a four- game slide dating back to last season's loss to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. While the 1-3 start may look bad, it is a bit deceiving as Pitt lost one game in overtime to Ohio and another by one point to Nebraska. A break here and there and the Panthers could have easily been on the other side of things at 3-1. As for Rutgers, it posted its second win in a row on September 17th with a 17-3 triumph over hapless Buffalo. It was the Scarlet Knights' first win against a Division I-A team this season and their first on the road.
It terms of the all-time series between these two schools it has been dominated by the Panthers, who are 19-3 versus Rutgers, including wins in each of the past six meetings.
After failing to score an offensive touchdown in their previous two games the Panthers erupted for five touchdowns and 528 total yards in their 41-0 rout of Youngstown State. The offense racked up 221 yards on the ground and an even higher 307 yards through the air. It was quite an outburst by Pitt, which is still averaging a mere 19.5 ppg and 355.8 total ypg for the season. Tyler Palko led the way for the Panthers last week, throwing for 290 yards and three scores on 14-of-22 pass attempts. The effort was certainly Palko's finest on the young season, as he has now thrown for 820 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Greg Lee is clearly his main target and leads the team with 17 receptions for 351 yards and two scores. Lee took full advantage of a less talented YSU club last weekend and pulled in six balls for 143 yards and a score. Raymond Kirkley even got into the mix with 83 rushing yards and a score on 17 carries. Kirkley has done a solid job running the ball this season and heads the team with 253 yards on the strength of his 5.5 ypc average.
While the offense has had it share of problems this season, the same can't be said about the Pitt defense, which is giving up just 16.2 ppg behind a mere 282.2 total ypg. The unit has done an exceptional job in limiting opposing quarterbacks to just 119.2 passing ypg and only two touchdowns. Pitt, however, has struggled to come up with big plays and has forced just two turnovers in four games. Last weekend, the Panthers posted their first shutout of the season while holding the overmatched Penguins to only 152 total yards. The defense did a tremendous job keeping the YSU offense off the field and held it to just 1-of-13 third down conversions. H.B. Blades continued his fast start to the year and led the way with 10 stops. He has clearly been the team's most productive player, as his 46 tackles are 16 more than the next closest player.
The Scarlet Knights have lacked consistency on the offensive side of the ball the past few years, but after three games the team is averaging a solid 28.3 ppg and 392.3 total ypg. The unit is rushing for a decent 136.3 ypg, while airing it out for a healthy 256.0 ypg. Another positive for Rutgers is that it has committed just one turnover through the first three games. In their previous contest, the Knights were limited to just 288 total yards, but that was still enough to claim a 17-3 victory over Buffalo. Brian Leonard has shown he can carry the load and he led the Knights with 121 rushing yards. He has been solid for much of the season and is the team's top rusher with 300 yards and three scores. Leonard is also a threat to catch the ball, as he ranks second on the club with 12 receptions for 138 yards and a score. Getting him the ball is Ryan Hart, who is off to a fantastic start. Hart is completing 60.2 percent of his tosses for 239.7 ypg with five touchdowns against no interceptions. He put together another decent outing against the Bulls, finishing with 143 yards and a pair of scoring strikes.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Knights are giving up a whopping 410.0 total ypg, although it has led to just 14.0 ppg for opposing teams. Still, the 273.3 passing ypg the defense has allowed has to be concerning considering it has come against suspect competition. Against Buffalo, the Knights yielded 349 total yards, but just three points. The defense was on the field for more than 36 minutes and came up with no turnovers. On a positive note, the unit did record four sacks, giving it 12 for the year. Courtney Greene led Rutgers with 11 tackles and now has a team-high 32 stops for the year. Ryan Neill is another player worth noting, as he ranks among the team leaders in TFLs (eight), sacks (three) and quarterback hurries (six).
It should be an entertaining game between a pair of teams that lack explosiveness. Pitt clearly has the better defense, while Rutgers has the more effective offense. The Panthers, however, may have found their rhythm offensively last game and they should put enough points on the board to defeat the Scarlet Knights for the seventh straight time.