(5) Cincinnati (11-0) at (14) Pittsburgh (9-2)
Saturday, December 5th, 12:00 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked and undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats will battle the 14th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers this weekend at Heinz Field, with the winner earning the Big East's automatic berth to a BSC bowl.
With Pitt's loss to West Virginia this past week, the Bearcats are already guaranteed at least a share of the league title, as they are one game up on the Panthers at 6-0. Cincinnati, which won the outright title last season and advanced to the Orange Bowl, is off to an 11-0 start for the first time in school history. Included in that record is a 49-36 besting of Illinois this past weekend in a non-conference affair.
"This was a great football game," said Brian Kelly, whose program is one of six still undefeated in the nation. "There was a great atmosphere at Nippert Stadium today. It is fun. We played a good football team. At this point, it is about finding ways to win."
Winners of their last 17 regular-season games, the Bearcats are obviously one of the top teams around and with a little lucky and a win this weekend, they could even end up playing for the national title.
As for Pitt, its chances of winning the outright Big East title came to and end last Friday with a last-second 19-16 loss to rival West Virginia in the annual "Backyard Brawl" in Morgantown.
"The only comment that I have looking back, and it's really nothing different from what I said after the game, is that we just didn't make enough plays in some critical situations to give ourselves a chance to win the game in a very tough environment on the road. Its as simple as that," said head coach Dave Wannstedt.
Despite the loss, which snapped a six-game win streak, the Panthers can still complete a terrific regular-season campaign with a win this weekend. A victory would give Pitt its first 10-win campaign since 1981 and its first Big East title since sharing the crown in 2004 and moving on to the Fiesta Bowl.
Pitt leads the head-to-head series with Cincinnati, 7-1, but the Bearcats grabbed their lone win and the "River City Rivalry" trophy with a 28-21 victory at Nippert Stadium last season.
Tony Pike, making his first start since suffering a injury to his left forearm, threw for 399 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a victory over Illinois this past weekend.
"It is awesome to be back," stated Pike, who was injured against South Florida on October 15th and returned in a limited role against West Virginia on November 13th. "I was ready. Sitting for so long, you just want to get back out there and start playing."
A possible Heisman Trophy candidate prior to the injury, Pike is among the top quarterbacks in the nation and despite missing time, he has still thrown for 2,048 yards, with 23 scores and just three picks in eight appearances.
Two weapons at Pike's disposal are wideouts Mardy Gilyard and Armon Binns. The elusive and versatile Gilyard leads the team with 75 catches, 1,032 yards and 10 touchdowns, while the more physical Binns follows with 51 receptions for 755 yards and nine scores. Last weekend, Gilyard was simply sensational, racking up 102 yards and two scores through the air, while also returning a kickoff 90 yards for another touchdown.
In the backfield, Isaiah Pead is the team's leading rusher with 682 yards and eight scores. He is averaging an electric 6.5 yards per carry, but wasn't a factor last weekend after rushing for 175 yards against West Virginia the prior game.
On defense is where Cincinnati has to be concerned, as the unit hasn't played that well in recent weeks following a surprising start to the season. Over the last three games, the Bearcats are allowing 34.0 ppg, which is well above their season average of 18.6 ppg.
Last weekend, Cincinnati's defense wasn't all that sharp either, as the group permitting 476 total yards, including 307 through the air, to Illinois.
"They are who they are," said coach Kelly. "They have to battle. We are grinding out there. We don't help our defense very much on offense. We just want to win. We have an offense; so let them go. We played 21 minutes of offense compared to their 36 minutes."
The defense not only spent an abundance of time on the field, but the unit also failed to come up with a single sack or turnover. That was the biggest surprise from a unit which has notched 32 sacks and 14 interceptions on the campaign.
J.K. Schaffer paced the defense with 14 stops and he now has 81 tackles, to with three picks for the season. Aaron Webster also has three interceptions to his credit, while Andre Revels tops the roster with 96 tackles.
The Panthers were held to a season-low 16 points last weekend, as they dropped a heart-breaker to WVU. Pitt, which is averaging a much higher 32.4 ppg for the season, did receive another big game from Dion Lewis, as he rushed for 155 yards on 26 carries. It marked the eighth 100-yard effort of the season for the freshman sensation, who has now totaled 1,446 yards and 13 scores on the ground in a simply remarkable rookie campaign.
Quarterback Bill Stull however, had his worst game of the season last week, completing only 16-of-30 tosses for 179 yards and two picks. He did have a late 50-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 16-16, but he was inconsistent for most of the night. Despite that performance, Stull has managed one of the more balanced offenses in the Big East by completing 64.9 percent of his tosses for 2,229 yards, with 19 scores and only six interceptions.
"Right now, after 11 games, we're statistically in the top ten in the country in a lot of meaningful offensive categories," said Wannstedt. "We're balanced. If you look at the Big East, we're first, second, or third, in almost every offensive category, running or throwing the ball."
Jonathan Baldwin hauled in that long touchdown pass from Stull against WVU and he finished the game with eight catches for 127 yards. One of the top receivers in the league, Baldwin recorded his sixth 100-yard performance of the campaign and is now just 33 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. Dorin Dickerson wasn't a factor last week, but the talented tight end is a threat in the red zone, catching 10 touchdowns for the year.
Pitt's defense had a couple of letdowns last week and they proved costly. The unit first gave up an 88-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter before allowing WVU to drive 42 yards over the final 2:48 to set up a game-winning 43-yard field goal as time expired.
Still, the Panthers only gave up 19 points in the game, so it's kind of hard to fault the defense. Pitt managed only two sacks in the setback and that was really surprising from a team that has registered 42 on the year. If the Panthers are to have any chance of slowing down Cincinnati's attack, they will have to get to Pike on a consistent basis.
Mick Williams and Greg Romeus are two players that have had success getting into the backfield and will surely be counted on to continue their run this weekend. The duo have combined for 25 TFLs and 11.5 sacks and will need to establish their presence early in this one.
This is obviously the biggest game of the season for both programs and a battle is expected at Heinz Field. Cincinnati is enjoying a remarkable campaign, but Pitt has the luxury of hosting this game. The Panthers are clearly the better defensive team, and if their offense can control the clock behind Lewis on the ground, expect Pitt to pull off the upset this weekend.
Predicted Outcome: Pittsburgh 31, Cincinnati 27
Saturday, December 5th, 12:00 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked and undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats will battle the 14th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers this weekend at Heinz Field, with the winner earning the Big East's automatic berth to a BSC bowl.
With Pitt's loss to West Virginia this past week, the Bearcats are already guaranteed at least a share of the league title, as they are one game up on the Panthers at 6-0. Cincinnati, which won the outright title last season and advanced to the Orange Bowl, is off to an 11-0 start for the first time in school history. Included in that record is a 49-36 besting of Illinois this past weekend in a non-conference affair.
"This was a great football game," said Brian Kelly, whose program is one of six still undefeated in the nation. "There was a great atmosphere at Nippert Stadium today. It is fun. We played a good football team. At this point, it is about finding ways to win."
Winners of their last 17 regular-season games, the Bearcats are obviously one of the top teams around and with a little lucky and a win this weekend, they could even end up playing for the national title.
As for Pitt, its chances of winning the outright Big East title came to and end last Friday with a last-second 19-16 loss to rival West Virginia in the annual "Backyard Brawl" in Morgantown.
"The only comment that I have looking back, and it's really nothing different from what I said after the game, is that we just didn't make enough plays in some critical situations to give ourselves a chance to win the game in a very tough environment on the road. Its as simple as that," said head coach Dave Wannstedt.
Despite the loss, which snapped a six-game win streak, the Panthers can still complete a terrific regular-season campaign with a win this weekend. A victory would give Pitt its first 10-win campaign since 1981 and its first Big East title since sharing the crown in 2004 and moving on to the Fiesta Bowl.
Pitt leads the head-to-head series with Cincinnati, 7-1, but the Bearcats grabbed their lone win and the "River City Rivalry" trophy with a 28-21 victory at Nippert Stadium last season.
Tony Pike, making his first start since suffering a injury to his left forearm, threw for 399 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a victory over Illinois this past weekend.
"It is awesome to be back," stated Pike, who was injured against South Florida on October 15th and returned in a limited role against West Virginia on November 13th. "I was ready. Sitting for so long, you just want to get back out there and start playing."
A possible Heisman Trophy candidate prior to the injury, Pike is among the top quarterbacks in the nation and despite missing time, he has still thrown for 2,048 yards, with 23 scores and just three picks in eight appearances.
Two weapons at Pike's disposal are wideouts Mardy Gilyard and Armon Binns. The elusive and versatile Gilyard leads the team with 75 catches, 1,032 yards and 10 touchdowns, while the more physical Binns follows with 51 receptions for 755 yards and nine scores. Last weekend, Gilyard was simply sensational, racking up 102 yards and two scores through the air, while also returning a kickoff 90 yards for another touchdown.
In the backfield, Isaiah Pead is the team's leading rusher with 682 yards and eight scores. He is averaging an electric 6.5 yards per carry, but wasn't a factor last weekend after rushing for 175 yards against West Virginia the prior game.
On defense is where Cincinnati has to be concerned, as the unit hasn't played that well in recent weeks following a surprising start to the season. Over the last three games, the Bearcats are allowing 34.0 ppg, which is well above their season average of 18.6 ppg.
Last weekend, Cincinnati's defense wasn't all that sharp either, as the group permitting 476 total yards, including 307 through the air, to Illinois.
"They are who they are," said coach Kelly. "They have to battle. We are grinding out there. We don't help our defense very much on offense. We just want to win. We have an offense; so let them go. We played 21 minutes of offense compared to their 36 minutes."
The defense not only spent an abundance of time on the field, but the unit also failed to come up with a single sack or turnover. That was the biggest surprise from a unit which has notched 32 sacks and 14 interceptions on the campaign.
J.K. Schaffer paced the defense with 14 stops and he now has 81 tackles, to with three picks for the season. Aaron Webster also has three interceptions to his credit, while Andre Revels tops the roster with 96 tackles.
The Panthers were held to a season-low 16 points last weekend, as they dropped a heart-breaker to WVU. Pitt, which is averaging a much higher 32.4 ppg for the season, did receive another big game from Dion Lewis, as he rushed for 155 yards on 26 carries. It marked the eighth 100-yard effort of the season for the freshman sensation, who has now totaled 1,446 yards and 13 scores on the ground in a simply remarkable rookie campaign.
Quarterback Bill Stull however, had his worst game of the season last week, completing only 16-of-30 tosses for 179 yards and two picks. He did have a late 50-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 16-16, but he was inconsistent for most of the night. Despite that performance, Stull has managed one of the more balanced offenses in the Big East by completing 64.9 percent of his tosses for 2,229 yards, with 19 scores and only six interceptions.
"Right now, after 11 games, we're statistically in the top ten in the country in a lot of meaningful offensive categories," said Wannstedt. "We're balanced. If you look at the Big East, we're first, second, or third, in almost every offensive category, running or throwing the ball."
Jonathan Baldwin hauled in that long touchdown pass from Stull against WVU and he finished the game with eight catches for 127 yards. One of the top receivers in the league, Baldwin recorded his sixth 100-yard performance of the campaign and is now just 33 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. Dorin Dickerson wasn't a factor last week, but the talented tight end is a threat in the red zone, catching 10 touchdowns for the year.
Pitt's defense had a couple of letdowns last week and they proved costly. The unit first gave up an 88-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter before allowing WVU to drive 42 yards over the final 2:48 to set up a game-winning 43-yard field goal as time expired.
Still, the Panthers only gave up 19 points in the game, so it's kind of hard to fault the defense. Pitt managed only two sacks in the setback and that was really surprising from a team that has registered 42 on the year. If the Panthers are to have any chance of slowing down Cincinnati's attack, they will have to get to Pike on a consistent basis.
Mick Williams and Greg Romeus are two players that have had success getting into the backfield and will surely be counted on to continue their run this weekend. The duo have combined for 25 TFLs and 11.5 sacks and will need to establish their presence early in this one.
This is obviously the biggest game of the season for both programs and a battle is expected at Heinz Field. Cincinnati is enjoying a remarkable campaign, but Pitt has the luxury of hosting this game. The Panthers are clearly the better defensive team, and if their offense can control the clock behind Lewis on the ground, expect Pitt to pull off the upset this weekend.
Predicted Outcome: Pittsburgh 31, Cincinnati 27
