A closer look…

The Teams: Losers of two straight, the Pitt Panthers (6-3 overall, 2-2 Big East) look… The Teams: Losers of two straight, the Pitt Panthers (6-3 overall, 2-2 Big East) look to end their slide when they head north to play the Connecticut Huskies (3-5,0-3). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

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. 3WS 94.5 (WWSW-FM) will also pick up the action while SIRIUS Satellite Radio will also have the call on channel 119.

The Coaches: Dave Wannstedt is in his second year coaching the Panthers, boasting an 11-9 record thus far. Like last week, he will coach opposite a man who has taken a program from upstart I-AA to formidable foe in a short time. Randy Edsall is in his eighth year with the Huskies (who joined the Big East in 2004), holding a 40-48 record.

Last Time Out: Last year’s 24-0 conquest of the Huskies was Pitt’s first shutout in four years. The Panthers, however, mustered only 192 offensive yards (76 on the ground) on the day, getting a special teams touchdown on a blocked field goal to keep the Huskies at bay. Pitt’s defense picked off three Matt Bonislawski passes on the afternoon.

Making History (The Bad Way): Pitt’s only trip to the beautiful Rentschler Field came back in 2004 and was a loss of historic proportions. UConn led throughout, getting an early pick-six to pave the way for a 29-17 win over the Panthers. The win was the first-ever in the Big East for the Huskies.

Log Jam: Last week’s loss drops Wannstedt’s bunch into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big East conference. Pitt’s 2-2 record is matched by Cincinnati and South Florida, leaving the trio ahead of only the Huskies (0-3) and Syracuse (0-4).

Cool The Engines: Pitt’s 52-7 win over Central Florida back on Oct. 13 was the team’s second 50-point outing of the season. After that win, the Panther offense was averaging a lofty 38 points per contest. Back-to-back one-touchdown outings, though, have thrown this once-potent offense off tilt.

All Good Things Must Come To An End: South Florida picked off three Tyler Palko passes last week, meaning the senior southpaw’s streak of 118 consecutive passes without an interception snapped. Still, Palko ranks third in the nation in quarterback efficiency (170.8), validating the announcement this week that he is a semi-finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Road Rules: A win would give Pitt a 4-1 record on the road this season, the most road wins for a Panther squad since 2004. It would also give the Panthers a seventh win, a total reached in every season since 2000 with the exception of last year. After this week, Pitt will finish the regular season at home by facing No. 10 West Virginia and No. 3 Louisville on Nov. 18 and Nov. 25 respectively.