A closer look…

The Teams: Fresh off its first bye week of the season, the Pitt Panthers (6-2 overall,… The Teams: Fresh off its first bye week of the season, the Pitt Panthers (6-2 overall, 2-1 Big East) visit the South Florida Bulls (5-3, 1-2) tomorrow afternoon. Kickoff is set for noon.

Coverage: ESPN Regional (WTAE-TV channel 4) will pick up the action as the Big East Game of the Week. FM NewsTalk 104.7 (WPGB-FM) and Fox Sports Radio 970 AM (WBGG-AM) will have the local radio call while SIRIUS Satellite Radio will also have the call on channel 107.

The Coaches: Dave Wannstedt is in his second year coaching the Panthers, boasting an 11-8 record thus far. Jim Leavitt is trying to get the Bulls bowl-eligible in his 10th season at South Florida, needing only one win to do so. He has been a huge part of the team’s successful transition to Division I-A, holding a 66-42 mark as USF’s head coach.

Last Time Out: Pitt got three touchdown passes from Tyler Palko to erase an early 10-0 lead and hold off the Bulls 31-17 in last year’s meeting. The Panthers held the Bulls’ Andrew Hall to 79 yards on 19 carries, although the now-departed halfback did catch a 76-yard touchdown pass.

Road Warriors: Wannstedt’s Panthers are 3-0 on the road this season with the legitimate prospects of finishing unbeaten on the road for the season. After this week, Pitt will head north to take on Connecticut, bidding for the program’s first 5-0 road season since 1981.

Stat Killer: Pitt’s 20-10 loss to Rutgers was by far the team’s worst offensive game of the season. Pitt had been averaging well over 37 points per game before the Scarlet Knights, who boast the best scoring defense in the nation, kept the Panthers’ high-powered offense in check all game. Still, Pitt is putting up 34.1 points per contest to USF’s 24.2 average.

Bowl-Bound: Every team in the Big East has at least three wins so far this season. In addition, Pitt, Rutgers and West Virginia are all already bowl-eligible. With one more win, USF and Cincinnati are also going bowling.

Turnover Turmoil: Despite losing the turnover battle against the Scarlet Knights, Pitt still ranks ninth nationally with a +9 turnover differential. The Panthers are also ranked 20th in turnovers forced, including 11 forced fumbles and nine interceptions.

Run All Over: Four teams have failed to amass 100 yards rushing against the Panthers this season. Cincinnati (35), Virginia (52), The Citadel (53) and Syracuse (92) didn’t reach the century mark. Rutgers, however, rushed for more yards than the four teams combined, rushing for 268 yards in their win. Sophomore stud Ray Rice shouldered the load, gathering 225 yards on 39 carries.