A closer look…

The Teams — The Pittsburgh Panthers (0-1) will try to rebound from their… The Teams — The Pittsburgh Panthers (0-1) will try to rebound from their season-opening loss when they visit the Ohio Bobcats (0-1) tonight in an ESPN2 national telecast. The Panthers dropped from the Top 25 polls last weekend after losing 42-21 to Notre Dame. The Bobcats fell on the road to Northwestern, 38-14, in their season opener.

The Coaches — Both teams feature first-year coaches in search of their first win. The Panthers’ Dave Wannstedt and the Bobcats’ Frank Solich are both well known in the profession and are in the position to take their programs to the next step.

Last Meeting — The Panthers and Bobcats last met early in the 2004 season with the Panthers winning 24-3. Tyler Palko connected with Greg Lee for one score while Malcolm Postell returned an interception for a defensive touchdown in the victory.

Easy MAC — The Panthers are 23-1 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference. They are 7-0 against Ohio all time.

First Timers — This will be Pitt’s first visit to the home of the Bobcats, Athens, Ohio. The previous seven meetings had all been played in Pittsburgh, including the series’ first game in 1902.

Not so Defensive — The Panthers defense struggled in their debut against the Irish, allowing 502 total yards. The Panthers pass defense allowed 227 yards while the Irish rushing attack racked up 275 yards on exactly 50 rushing attempts.

Grounded Run Game — After a training camp that featured a highly anticipated battle at running back, the Panther run game got off to a poor start against the Irish. Four running backs carried the ball for the Panthers including freshman and starter Rashad Jennings, who finished with 29 yards on just seven carries. As a team, the Panthers ran the ball 31 times for just 103 yards.

Defending the Title — Panther wide receiver Greg Lee started the 2005 season off with a bang when he hooked up with Tyler Palko for a 39-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. Lee is part of a long line of successful wide receivers at Pitt that have led the Big East in receiving yards per game in seven of the last eight seasons. Lee led the conference in 2004, averaging 108.1 yards per contest.

All-Purpose Player — Bobcat wide receiver Scott Mayle recorded 210 total yards in Ohio’s first game, the third-highest single-game total in college football. He caught four passes for 100 yards, returned four kicks for 97 yards and rushed two times for 13 yards.