BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #6 PITTSBURH

October 17, 2008

Has Dave Wannstedt and his Pittsburgh Panther football program turned the corner? Evidence is beginning to suggest they just might have and are now ready to compete for the Big East conference title this season. The Panthers road star running back LeSean McCoy to an impressive 26-21 upset win over the South Florida Bulls in their last outing, October 2nd. McCoy darted his for 142 yards on 28 carried and two touchdowns, including the game winning three-yard score in the closing moments to give Pitt the road upset before a Thursday night national television audience.

The Panthers dominated the game throughout against the Bulls, putting together their most complete effort of the season, moving to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Big East.

There will also be some revenge on the Panthers mind this weekend as they head to Anapolis (MD) to meet the Midshipmen of Navy. Last season, at Heinz Field, Navy stunned Pittsburgh by rolling up over 330 yards of rushing in a 48-45 win. Navy went on to go bowling last year and finish with a 8-5 record. This year, Navy is off to a 4-2 start, having beaten Rutgers of the Big East (23-21) at home and an impressive 24-17 win at Wake Forest already, they will look to try to steal another one. Pitt is coming off 16 days off since their last game and also has a date with Notre Dame on the horizon next...uh oh, the classic 'sandwich' game.

The Panthers should be ok in this one. Navy's offense is still potent, but not as strong as last season while the Panther defense is stronger. The college football odds currently list the Panthers as a 3-pt favorite, and riding McCoy and keeping the defense honest enough with Bill Stull finding receivers Derek Kinder and the emerging Jonathan Baldwin deep should give Pitt enough balance to win a tough one on Saturday.

Prediction:

Pittsburgh 34
Navy 28