A closer look…

The Teams: Fresh off a 51-6 spanking of I-AA The Citadel, the Pitt Panthers (3-1… The Teams: Fresh off a 51-6 spanking of I-AA The Citadel, the Pitt Panthers (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big East) play the final of three consecutive home games tomorrow when the Toledo Rockets (2-2 overall, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) land at Heinz Field. Kickoff is set for noon.

Coverage: The game will be a national broadcast for ESPNU and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, which will have the game on channel 107. Additionally, the game will be aired on FM NewsTalk104.7 and Fox Sports Radio 970 AM.

The Coaches: With the win over the Bulldogs last week, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt (8-7 at Pitt) went over the .500 mark for the first time at Pitt. Toledo coach Tom Amstutz hasn’t had to worry about that in a long time; he is 47-20 as he heads the Rockets’ sideline for the sixth season.

Last Time Out: Panther fans may consider the last meeting between the two the beginning of the end of a promising 2003 season. A 2-0 Pitt squad lost its leading rusher, Brandon Miree, to an injury in a sputtering 35-31 loss to the Rockets in Toledo’s Glass Bowl. Rocket quarterback Bruce Gradkowski had a huge day, completing an absurd 49 of 62 passes for 461 yards and three touchdowns to key the upset and jumpstart his eventual illustrious career. Gradkowski is set to take over the starting job for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week for the injured Chris Simms.

Shootout Saturday?: Another shootout might be on the horizon, given that both teams come in with formidable offenses, averaging more than 30 points per game. The Rockets, behind a 41-point outing last week and a 37-point game the week before, boast an offense that averages more than 32 points per game. That won’t even make them the best unit on the field tomorrow, though, as the Panthers’ unit is averaging a lofty 36.2 points per contest.

Palko the Passer: With a career-high 313 passing yards in last week’s route of The Citadel, senior quarterback Tyler Palko recorded his eighth career 300-yard passing game. He is two away from tying former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart’s mark of 10 in a career. Should he throw for 113 yards tomorrow, he’ll move past his predecessor, Rod Rutherford, into third place in school history for passing yardage.

Setting the Pace: Palko is also the nation’s most efficient passer with a quarterback rating of 187.25. Additionally, he is tied for the national lead with 12 passing touchdowns while landing himself in fourth place for passing yards with 1,140.

Cardiac Kids: Despite only being four games into the 2006 season, Toledo has been on the field as long as anyone this season. The Rockets opened the season with a triple overtime loss to Iowa State, where a failed 2-point conversion gave the Cyclones a 45-43 win. Two weeks later, the team needed two overtimes to get past Kansas, 37-31.