Orange game has appeal for Pitt

Every team in college football can point to one game on its schedule that will define its… Every team in college football can point to one game on its schedule that will define its season – a contest that will either be a validation of what it has accomplished thus far or a simple revealing of the sober fact that a team isn’t clear on which direction it is heading.

More often than not, that game is Pitt’s annual matchup with Syracuse, and Saturday appears to be no different, as the Panthers leave Heinz Field for the first time in a month to take on an Orange squad that is playing its best football in years.

Pitt is riding a two-game winning streak of its own, playing well in blowout wins over The Citadel (51-6) and Toledo (45-3) that have pushed the Panthers’ record to 4-1 on the season. Syracuse is riding a three-game winning streak of its own, the first of its kind in two years. Combine those streaks with the recent history between the two, and it is easy to see how big this game is for both teams.

Last year, the Panthers took advantage of a struggling Orange squad by forcing several turnovers in climbing to .500 for the first time on the season. In 2004, Syracuse upset Pitt in double overtime, making the Orange the only team to beat the Panthers after September, aside from the team’s loss in the Fiesta Bowl. In 2002, Pitt won inside the Carrier Dome, snapping a 10-game losing streak there.

Even in 2001, when Syracuse pummeled Pitt 42-10 at Heinz Field, the Panthers rebounded to win their next six games, including a Tangerine Bowl triumph.

Even though this is only his second season heading the Panther sidelines, head coach Dave Wannstedt realizes the magnitude of the game. He also hopes that his team hasn’t gotten too comfortable at home.

“This will be a whole different adventure for us,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said at his weekly press conference. “Number one because it’s a conference game, and number two because of us being on the road. We haven’t played on the road in a few weeks.”

Three of Pitt’s four wins have come at home, allowing the Panthers to seek their first 5-1 start since 2002 and first 2-0 start in conference play in three years.

Neither will happen unless the Panthers can get past one of their oldest rivals, and that rival, Syracuse, is playing its best football in years.

Much like the Panthers, the Orange (3-2 overall, 0-0 Big East) have taken care of business at home, winning their last two there and almost pulling off a miraculous upset the week before. Back on Sept. 9, the Orange took nationally ranked Iowa to two overtimes before an incredible goal-line stand from the Hawkeyes left Syracuse on the wrong end of a 20-13 score.

Since then, Syracuse has disposed of Illinois, Miami (Ohio) and Wyoming, forming the first winning streak of head coach Greg Robinson’s career. The Orange, much like the Panthers, used a very simple formula for victory – generate turnovers and hold onto the ball when you have it. Robinson’s team has nine interceptions and four fumble recoveries thus far while his offense, a year older and light years better than that of last year’s 1-10 team, has only given the ball away five times.

“They’ve got experience back there,” Wannstedt said of Syracuse’s secondary. “Two seniors, two juniors. Two of them were starters for the past two years, one corner and one safety. It’s an experienced group.”

Syracuse has also sacked the opposing quarterback to the tune of 25 times, an astounding five-per-game clip. Jameel McClain leads the unit with seven thus far, meaning Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, the nation’s most efficient passer, will only be able to think twice before he throws if the Orange’s line lets him.

“The surprising thing, they have two sacks by corners,” Wannstedt said of the Orange’s sack-happy defense. “I think the safety has a sack or two. The linebackers have a few. For the most part, and this is what we have to be aware of, it’s been their defensive linemen. Those guys, they’ve gotten a lot of sacks just by rushing three. They’ve got sacks by rushing four. They’re not blitzing all the time when they come up with their sacks.”

That stout defense has given confidence to an offense that was shaky at best last year. Senior quarterback Perry Patterson has already tied a career high with seven touchdown tosses and only two interceptions. Last year, he threw 11 picks as the Orange lost its last nine games after a 1-1 start.

Curtis Brinkley and Delone Carter have formed a very formidable tandem in the backfield to fill in for the departed Damien Rhodes, combing for 629 rushing yards and five touchdowns to give the Orange attack something it didn’t have a year ago – balance.

“The quarterback has another year in the system,” Wannstedt said. “Very similar to Tyler. They were doing everything for the first time last year. They’ve got a good offensive line. They’ve got two or three running backs that rotate in there. They’ve got a lot of talent. They can all run, they can all make plays. So I think it’s a combination of the talent and that they feel comfortable with what they’re doing.”

Top it all off with one of the noisier crowd environments in the Big East and there is the potential for this to be a trap game for the Panthers, who are still not into the meat of their 2006 schedule.

“It will be a factor. We’ve got to deal with it,” Wannstedt said of the noise. “As coaches, we can do some things to help that a little bit. We need to make sure that we’re aware of obvious surroundings and the circumstances. I think that having an experienced quarterback is the most important thing to have when you go into an environment like that.

“We obviously feel good that Tyler’s been up there before, he knows what to expect.”

What they can expect is a tight contest between two teams currently playing their best football of the season. The true meaning of this game might not surface until later in the season, though, when the Panthers will either be coasting or stumbling into matchups with nationally ranked Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville.

Still, come noon tomorrow, Pitt will have a better idea of where their season is headed.