River City Rivalry makes its debut

College football has its storied rivalries: Oklahoma versus Texas, Ohio State versus Michigan,… College football has its storied rivalries: Oklahoma versus Texas, Ohio State versus Michigan, Florida versus Florida State, etc. As of now, Pitt and Cincinnati’s athletics departments hope to change that with the installation of the “River City Rivalry.”

At 2 p.m. this Saturday, the Bearcats and the Panthers will inaugurate college football’s newest trophy-rivalry game. Cincinnati’s off-season move to the Big East meant that Cincinnati and Pitt, schools separated by only 250 miles, will play on a regular basis. Seeking to build the matchup into a lasting rivalry, athletic directors Bob Goin of Cincinnati and Jeff Long of Pittsburgh agreed to initiate the River City Rivalry and create an appropriate trophy for the game.

The introduction of the new rivalry marks only one of a number of “firsts” between the teams. The game will be Cincinnati’s first as a member of the Big East and will also mark their first visit to Heinz Field. The game will also feature two teams in search of their first conference win of the season.

Both teams have struggled thus far to find the momentum that carried them to post-season play last season. The defending Forth Worth Bowl Champion Bearcats come into Pittsburgh with a record of 2-2, their most recent game a 44-16 loss at Miami (Ohio).

The defending Big East Champion Panthers are coming off another heartbreaking loss, this time at the hands of Rutgers. In that game the Panthers fought back from a 27-0 halftime deficit, only to see their rally fall short. The loss was their first in conference play this season and dropped their overall record to 1-4.

The Panthers last started a season at 1-4 in 2001 but rebounded that year to win their final six games, including a Tangerine Bowl victory over NC State, to finish 7-5. Head coach Dave Wannstedt expects his team to rebound in a similar way this season.

“We’ve got to take each game one at a time,” he said on PittsburghPanthers.com “We all know anything can happen, but obviously we can’t look any further than Cincinnati.”

One notable advantage that the Panthers will have over the Bearcats is their experience. Cincinnati is one of the nation’s youngest teams, in terms of returning starters, projected senior starters and lettermen on its two-deep chart. Only two schools nationwide have fewer returning starters than Cincinnati’s eight.

Like Pitt, Cincinnati will seek offensive improvement in Saturday’s game. The Bearcats have averaged just 293.5 yards in total offense and 11.5 points over their last two games. During that span, the Bearcat’s aerial attack has been limited to an average of 168 yards per game.

The Cincinnati offense will utilize numerous formations throughout the game. Thus far, their offensive weapon has been running back Bradley Glatthaar, who has been nearly unstoppable. The sophomore running back has scored a touchdown in each of Cincinnati’s four games this season and looks to extend that streak against Pitt.

Wannstedt and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads hope to halt Glatthaar’s streak and disrupt the Bearcat offense by putting pressure on the quarterback.

“They’ve got an awful lot of football plays,” Wannstedt said. “On offense, they’ll run the option and the power game; they’ve got it all.”

The Panthers’ defense should be up to the test, as they have improved in almost every game since the loss to Notre Dame. The pass defense has moved up to third nationally in rankings, while Pitt’s total defensive rank is currently 29th (316.4 yards per game). The defensive standout thus far has been linebacker H.B. Blades, who leads Big East with 11.2 tackles per game.

One aspect of the defense that needs work is the Panthers’ pass rush.

“We blitzed them [Rutgers] 27 times and got one sack,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got to be more consistent, and when we bring some heat, we’ve got to get there. I don’t care if he gets sacked, but you’ve got to get him throwing off his back foot.”

The Panthers’ once anemic offense seems to be on the mend as well, finishing with its second-straight 300-yard game as the team totaled 371 yards at Rutgers. The game against the Scarlet Knights was also productive for individual Panthers.

Quarterback Tyler Palko had career highs for completions (35) and attempts (58) in the game. Greg Lee achieved his third-consecutive 100-yard game, compiling 130 yards on nine catches at Rutgers. Lee is the active Big East leader with nine career 100-yard games. Wide receiver Derek Kinder (10 catches for 78 yards), and tight end Darrell Strong (four for 59), also put up career highs. The emergence of Kinder and Strong especially pleased their coach.

“Derek’s been very consistent and he’ll only get better,” Wannstedt said. He had similar comments about Strong.

“Darrell’s amazing. The guy’s got great concentration and great hands.”

The Panthers look to establish a consistent running game against the Bearcats, something which has been very elusive this year. The team still does not have a 100-yard rusher, although LaRod Stephens-Howling came close against Nebraska, finishing with 98 yards on 17 carries. Pitt has lost three games this year (Ohio, Nebraska, Rutgers) by a combined 15 total points, games that could have easily gone the other way if the Panthers had possessed a solid ground attack.

The last time the Panthers and the Bearcats played each other was 1981, a game the Panthers won 38-7. Pitt leads the all-time series 4-0.