Pitt-Rutgers game has new meaning

The Panthers have been all smiles recently, and for good reason. The team’s 52-7… The Panthers have been all smiles recently, and for good reason. The team’s 52-7 annihilation of Central Florida last weekend improved its record to 6-1, Pitt’s best start since 1982. If that wasn’t enough to get the Panthers pumped up for their upcoming game this Saturday, then the fact that they will be playing a conference foe on national television (ESPN2) for their homecoming game should.

“We’re playing a ranked team this week and that’s exciting,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said in his weekly preview press conference. “That’s why our players came to Pitt, to play in these types of games.”

Pitt has flown mostly under the radar thus far this season, largely because of a weak schedule and the fact that the best team the Panthers played, Michigan State, beat them badly, and hasn’t won since. The Panthers also haven’t defeated a team with a winning record. Despite all of that, however, the Panthers can very feasibly achieve a spot in the nation’s top 25 with a win Saturday. The only thing standing between Pitt and national accolades is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. That’s correct. Believe it or not, Pitt would acquire national legitimacy with a win against Rutgers.

For longtime Pitt fans, this seems like a joke, because for all of the 1990s and early 2000s, Rutgers was the definition of futility, especially against Pitt. Since the series began in 1981, Pitt has won 19 games to Rutgers’ four, and Pitt is 11-1 against the Scarlet Knights in the Steel City. The Scarlet Knights won a total of four Big East games from 1999-2004 and had a 25-conference-game losing streak that extended from 1999-2003.

All that changed a year ago, however. Not only did Rutgers beat Pitt 37-29 at home, but also qualified for its first bowl game in decades while snapping a streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons.

Undefeated through six games this season, Rutgers has only gotten better. After a convincing 34-0 victory at Navy last week, the Scarlet Knights moved up five spots to No. 19 in the AP Poll to crack the nation’s top 20 for the first time since 1977.

“There’s probably not a football team that’s been in the news, talk radio or national TV since the beginning of the season more than Rutgers,” Wannstedt said. “They’re playing with an awful lot of confidence and they’ve showed up and played and backed it up. This is going to be a good challenge for us, we look forward to it.”

It’s safe to say, then, that in no way does this Rutgers team resemble those that Pitt beat six times in a row from 1999-2004. Much of the credit for the turn-around goes to head coach Greg Schiano, a man familiar to Pitt’s head coach. Schiano served as defensive backfield coach and defensive assistant to Wannstedt during his head coaching tenure for the Chicago Bears from 1993-1998.

The only knock against Rutgers is similar to that against Pitt — it has yet to play a worthy opponent. Although the Scarlet Knights have won most of their games by large margins, their victories have come against teams like Ohio, Howard and Illinois — not exactly the cream of the crop.

Even still, Rutgers has its share of athletes. Its running back-fullback tandem of Ray Rice and Brian Leonard may be the nation’s best. Currently, Rice is the fourth leading rusher in the nation and Leonard is considered the top fullback. The two have combined to rush for more than 1,000 yards this season and were a big reason the Scarlet Knights were able to rush for 203 yards against Pitt last season. The Panthers have struggled in the past few years to stop the run, and Rutgers’ ground attack, averaging 194.2 yards per game, could pose a problem for Pitt.

The Knights’ defense, which currently leads the country in scoring defense, isn’t too shabby either.

“They pressure you a lot,” Wannstedt said. “They mix up their defense probably as much as anybody we’ve played the last few weeks.”

The unit is lead by senior defensive tackle Ramel Meekins, who last week was named the Division 1-A National Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Week. Meekins recorded a career-high 12 tackles, posted two sacks and forced three fumbles in Rutgers’ shutout victory over Navy.

Like the Scarlet Knights, the Panthers have also achieved some early season success, yet many fans remain skeptical. This is because Pitt has gained a reputation over the past few years as a team who continuously fails to win the big games, especially at home. The Panthers last defeated a ranked foe on Nov. 25, 2004, in a 16-13 decision over No. 21 West Virginia at Heinz Field. Yet, Pitt has been on the losing side more often than not, with painful recent losses to Miami, Notre Dame and the Mountaineers still fresh in memory. The Panthers need this victory not only for themselves, but for the fans as well. Wannstedt acknowledged as much at his weekly press conference,

“We know that it would be a big win for us. Our players understand that and that’s the great thing.”

Fortunately, things are looking bright. Last weekend, the team could do no wrong and led from the opening kickoff which Lowell Robinson returned 97 yards for a touchdown. Pitt went into the locker room at halftime up 38-0 and never looked back.

“The best thing that really came out with last week’s game was confidence,” Wannstedt said. “There were a lot of opportunities to get distracted.”

In that contest, the Panthers put up 52 points — their highest total of the season. The high-flying offense has outscored its last four opponents by a combined score of 169-27, or an average of 42.3 to 6.8. Much of the credit is due to a much-improved running game led by LaRod Stephens-Howling and veteran quarterback Tyler Palko.

Against Central Florida, Stephens-Howling had his second consecutive 100-yard game, piling up 135 yards and adding three touchdowns. The Panthers will need a healthy Stephens-Howling on Saturday against the defensive line of Rutgers. Last season, Pitt had a pathetic minus-11 yards rushing against the Scarlet Knights.

Palko also continued his stellar play against UCF while completing 11 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Palko’s pass efficiency improved to 188.6 for the season — the best rating in all of college football.

“He’s preparing himself extremely well and taking nothing for granted,” Wannstedt said of his quarterback. “He’s playing very, very unselfish right now.”

Although Palko and the offense are playing well, the biggest improvement from last year is that the offense is taking much better care of the ball this season. Pitt ranks second nationally in turnover margin with a 1.43 margin per game.

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers rank first nationally with 20 forced turnovers. Much of that credit is due to play-making linebacker H.B. Blades, who had a game-high 10 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles last week. Through six games, he ranks sixth nationally and first in the Big East with 11.33 tackles per game. CBSSportsLine.com has recognized his efforts and recently named him to its “Halfway All-America Team.”

Aside from forcing turnovers, Blades is the leader of a Pitt defensive unit that ranks in the top 25 in four additional categories, including scoring defense, total defense and pass defense. Of all these categories, coach Wannstedt has been most pleased by the forced turnovers.

“That’s huge. Compared to where we were a year ago, we were horrible,” Wannstedt said.

Additionally, Pitt is yielding just 13.3 points per game on the season, but in its only major test of the season against Michigan State, the defense allowed 335 yards rushing. MSU’s offensive line had its way with Pitt’s young defensive line that faces an even better running back-fullback combination this weekend. Despite being manhandled against the Spartans, Wannstedt did not seem overly concerned about his defensive line.

“We haven’t made many mistakes,” he stated. “Half the stuff was mental against Michigan State.”

It was not long ago that Panther fans could confidently pencil in a “W” on their calendars next to the Pitt’s annual matchup against Rutgers. Times are changing, but despite their recent play, the Scarlet Knights remain one of the Big East’s most futile football programs with a lot to prove. A win for the Panthers would help silence the critics, propel them into the top 25 and put the team in prime position to compete for the Big East title and its ultimate prize, a BCS bowl bid.

“I think we’re right where we need to be,” Wannstedt stated. “We’ll find out.”