A closer look . . .

The Teams: Eight days after dismantling Central Florida, the Pitt Panthers (6-1… The Teams: Eight days after dismantling Central Florida, the Pitt Panthers (6-1 overall, 2-0 Big East) return home to play the first of three ranked teams in the next month when No. 19 Rutgers (6-0, 1-0) comes to town. Kickoff for the homecoming game is set for 5:45 p.m.

Coverage: ESPN2 will have the game as a national telecast while SIRIUS Satellite Radio will pick up the action on channel 144. FM NewsTalk 104.7 (WPGB-FM) and Fox Sports Radio 970 (WBGG-AM) and the Pittsburgh ISP Sports Network will also call the action.

The Coaches: Greg Schiano is in his sixth year coaching the Scarlet Knights, holding a 25-39 record that includes a bowl appearance in 2005. With a 52-7 pasting of Central Florida last week, Dave Wannstedt’s record at Pitt bumped up to 11-7, and the team is now bowl-eligible for the first time in his two years.

Last Time Out: Rutgers celebrated the ending of a six-game losing streak to the Panthers with a 37-29 win in Piscataway, N.J., last season. Ryan Hart threw three touchdowns and Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko threw four. Rutgers got 114 yards rushing from freshman Ray Rice and a special teams touchdown to build a 27-0 lead before hanging on in the second half.

Moving Backwards: That game proved to be one of the worst rushing performances in Pitt football history. The Panthers actually finished in the red on the night, netting minus-11 yards rushing in the loss. Palko was sacked five times in the defeat, putting up a career-high 58 pass attempts in the process.

Lethal Weapons: Both teams possess explosive offenses. Rutgers’ is centered around All-American hopeful Ray Rice. The sophomore tailback has already collected 899 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, ripping off 5.5 yards per carry. Two recent breakout games from LaRod Stephens-Howling (563 yards, six touchdowns) have helped Pitt’s rushing attack complement Palko’s strong passing attack. The senior has already thrown 17 touchdown passes to only three interceptions, amassing 1661 passing yards in the process.

Historic: Each team’s strong start has set aside a place in the record books. With a win, Rutgers can move to 7-0 for only the third time in program history. The Scarlet Knights have already become bowl-eligible faster than any other team the school has fielded. Pitt, on the other hand, is off to its best start since Dan Marino led the 1982 squad to a 7-0 start. Both teams have done it with potent offenses (Pitt averages 37.6 points per game, Rutgers 31.7) and stout defenses (Pitt has been allowing 13.3 points per game, Rutgers only 8.3).

Back-to-back?: Pitt leads the all-time series 19-4. Rutgers, despite last season’s win, has never defeated the Panthers in back-to-back seasons. In fact, the Scarlet Knights have only won in Pittsburgh once, a 25-21 victory in Pitt Stadium eight years ago. Pitt won 41-17 the last time the teams met in Pittsburgh.