Big East brawl pits Scarlet Knights against 17th-ranked Panthers
Sports Network | October 22, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Big East Conference foes will collide in the Steel City on Saturday afternoon, as the Pittsburgh Panthers play host to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers is fresh off a hard-fought Homecoming victory over UConn by a 12-10 final. That win was just the second of the season for the Scarlet Knights, who are 2-5 overall and 1-2 in conference. Generating offense has been the biggest problem for the club, as it has generated fewer than 20 points in three straight outings.
As for Pittsburgh, it has put together five consecutive victories since losing the season opener to Bowling Green. The most recent triumph for the Panthers came last weekend by a 42-21 final over Navy. They are 2-0 in Big East play and figure to enter Saturday's clash with a great deal of confidence.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series with Rutgers by a 19-6 margin, but the Scarlet Knights posted a 20-16 victory over the Panthers last season.
As mentioned above, Rutgers has had trouble generating offense this season, as the club is only averaging 16.7 ppg and 314.9 total ypg. Last season, Ray Rice led a powerful ground attack for the Scarlet Knights. Rice has taken his game to the NFL, and judging by the fact that Rutgers is currently averaging a mere 3.4 yards per rush, it appears that the record-setting tailback is sorely missed. Jourdan Brooks leads the Scarlet Knights with 305 rushing yards and five touchdowns. As for the passing game, Mike Teel has taken almost every snap as expected, but he has thrown only three touchdowns against seven interceptions. Kenny Britt has 46 catches despite missing one of the seven games, and he has racked up 571 receiving yards.
It is hard to give the Rutgers' offense too much credit for the win over UConn last weekend, as the Scarlet Knights managed only one touchdown which capped a 37-yard drive. Rutgers only finished with 294 yards, but the team did not commit a single turnovers, and the fact played a major role in the win. Teel completed 17-of-30 passes for 192 yards.
The defensive unit of Rutgers has kept the team close in most games, as opponents are averaging a modest 19.7 ppg to go along with 327.4 total ypg. Foes are gaining 3.8 yards per rushing attempt, a credit to the run defense of the Scarlet Knights. Unfortunately, they have yielded seven passing touchdowns and 13.9 yards per pass completion with only two interceptions. Clearly, the fact that Rutgers has four takeaways in seven outings isn't acceptable. Keep an eye on Pete Tverdov, as he has nine TFLs thus far.
The Scarlet Knights were outstanding defensively against UConn last weekend, limiting the Huskies to 10 points. Sure, Rutgers did allow some big plays through the air and failed to come up with a single takeaway, but the team sent UConn away scoreless on two of its three trips to the red zone.
Pittsburgh racked up 499 yards of total offense against Navy last weekend en route to 42 points. The Panthers scored 35 of their points in the first half and featured a tremendously balanced approach. Star tailback LeSean McCoy was sensational as usual, as he carried 18 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns. As for quarterback Bill Stull, he completed 15-of-23 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown. On a down note, Stull was intercepted twice, and the Panthers were guilty of three turnovers. Obviously, the mistakes must be eliminated, but the offense still has to feel good about its effort.
Pittsburgh had committed nine turnovers through the first five outings, so the carelessness against Navy can't be considered an isolated incident. McCoy is clearly one of the nation's best tailbacks, and he has racked up 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Stull has thrown for 1,283 yards and four scores with five interceptions.
Navy was able to score three offensive touchdowns against Pittsburgh, but the Panthers only yielded 12 first downs and 251 total yards in the clash. Clearly, the Midshipmen favor the ground attack, and they had 47 rushing attempts against only eight passes. Pitt yielded 4.1 yards per rush and three scores on the ground, but the defense certainly played hard and managed to contain Navy. Scott McKillop made a team-high nine tackles in the victory, and Jabaal Sheard posted a pair of TFLs, including one sack.
On average, Pittsburgh is yielding just over 21 points per game thus season and has been solid against both the run and the pass. McKillop has 61 tackles already with nine TFLs and three sacks. With talented teammates such as Greg Romeus in the fold, there is plenty of room for improvement.
