Pitt football escapes conference play for the last time this season as it travels to Central… Pitt football escapes conference play for the last time this season as it travels to Central Florida for a Friday night showdown on ESPN at 8 p.m. It will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The Panthers (5-1, 2-0 Big East) defeated conference foe Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Saturday, 21-11. The last time Pitt started 5-1 was 2002, when the Panthers finished 9-4 and won the Insight Bowl.

In last week’s victory, Pitt running back LaRod Stephens-Howling rushed for 221 yards, the most by a Panther runner since 2000. The sophomore doubled his previous career best of 101 yards that he set against Syracuse last season.

Quarterback Tyler Palko threw for 177 yards, completing 20 of 24 passing attempts. Palko leads the Big East this season with 1,489 yards passing and 15 passing touchdowns.

After collecting 10 tackles, senior linebacker H.B. Blades moved into eighth on Pitt’s all-time career tackles.

The Central Florida Golden Knights (2-3, 1-1 Conference USA) squeaked out a 23-22 victory at Marshall Wednesday. The Golden Knights only other win this season came against Division I-AA Villanova in their first game of the season.

Central Florida already met its first Big East opponent of the year on Sept. 16, when South Florida defeated the Golden Knights 24-17.

Another Ankle Injury

Free safety Eric Thatcher needs surgery, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt told reporters Monday. His ankle injury occurred in practice, when a teammate fell on him.

“It’s an ankle injury that can be mended quicker by surgery than by just getting it time to heal,” Wannstedt said. “Hopefully, they’re saying he’ll be back in six weeks, who knows.”

Thatcher joins the growing list of Panthers with severe ankle injuries, as defensive end Doug Fulmer and right guard John Simonitis both required surgery for similar ankle ailments.

Redshirt junior Mike Phillips will replace Thatcher Friday night, starting in his place for the second straight week.

“Mike needs to play,” Wannstedt said. “He got hurt last year in the Nebraska game.

“[He] was limited in training camp [this year] and it takes some time to come back from those types of injuries, so I expect him to be better this week than he was last.”

Quarterback Shuffle

Central Florida head coach George O’Leary expects to play senior starting quarterback Steven Moffett and his junior backup Kyle Israel Friday. The duo combined for 213 yards passing, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown in the Golden Knights’ win last Wednesday.

“We were able to use both quarterbacks and that is something I’ll continue to do,” O’Leary said in last Wednesday’s press conference. “I think we need to do things like that so we have two guys that can call signals and make big plays.”

Moffett takes the majority of the snaps, having thrown 146 passes so far this season to Israel’s 11. Moffett has tossed six touchdown passes and three interceptions.

“You’ll see [Moffett] on the bootleg and the sprints,” Wannstedt said. “We did not do a good job of [stopping quarterbacks running] last week at Syracuse.

“We have to do a better job up front at getting the quarterback on the ground.”

Two-Headed Monster

Central Florida features two tailbacks capable of breaking any game open. Senior Jason Peters and sophomore Kevin Smith both average 4.7 yards per carry.

The two have 640 rushing yards and three touchdowns between them.

“These kids were both highly recruited kids,” Wannstedt said. “They’ve got a lot of speed.”

Pitt’s defense allows 115 yards per game against opponents’ rushing attacks. The Panthers have allowed five running touchdowns this season while limiting opponents to 3.5 yards per carry.

Palko on O’Leary’s Radar

Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko ranks 10th in the nation in passing yards, sixth in touchdown passes while throwing only three interceptions. Not to mention he’s only been sacked four times all year.

“He is a very smart guy [who] can hurt you, not always with his arm, but with his feet,” O’Leary said. “We’ve seen quarterbacks like him, but this kid is more efficient [than] all the ones we’ve seen.

“He rarely takes a sack — he is going to get rid of the ball before he does that. He’s ranked second in the country in pass efficiency for a reason.”

Central Florida ranks among the lower tier in Conference USA when it comes to pass defense, allowing 265 yards per game in the air. The Golden Knights’ opponents complete 63 percent of their passes.

Quick Hits

Pitt’s opponents this year hold a combined record of 14-21. Michigan State, responsible for Pitt’s only loss this season, has lost three games in a row since winning at Heinz Field.

Friday’s game will be played at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the site of Pitt’s 2001 Tangerine Bowl 34-19 victory over North Carolina State.