The Pittsburgh Panthers host the Connecticut Huskies in a mid-week battle of Big East teams with identical 3-4 records.
Pitt has lost four of their last five, with two-game losing streaks bracketing a Thursday night win over South Florida in late September. The Panthers are led by junior running back Ray Graham, who ranks second nationally and leads the Big East with 134.1 yards per game. Graham is just 61 yards away from becoming the school's fifth 1,000-yard rusher in five seasons, a feat the Panthers offense has not accomplished since the mid-1970s, when 1976 Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett was in the Panthers' backfield.
Despite the two-game losing streak, the Panthers defense has limited opponents (Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Utah Utes) to an average of 261 yards per game this month. Sophomore defensive tackle Aaron Donald is tied with the Big East lead with five quarterback sacks.
After opening the Paul Pasqualoni era with a win over Fordham, Connecticut had lost four of five before beating South Florida on October 15. With 705 yards rushing and five total touchdowns, redshirt freshman running back Lyle McCombs has been the Huskies' main offensive weapon this season. Senior defensive tackle Kendall Reyes has 26 tackles and a team-high 11 tackles for a loss and four quarterback sacks.
Game date, time: 8pm ET, Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV channel: ESPN
Spread: Panthers are favored by 10 points
Series history: Huskies lead the series, 4-3
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Pittsburgh blog Cardiac Hill and Connecticut blog The UCONN Blog. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.