A closer look…

Final Chapter — The Pitt Panthers football team (2-2, 0-1) is looking for its first… Final Chapter — The Pitt Panthers football team (2-2, 0-1) is looking for its first Big East win of the season in the opening game of the conference farewell tour for the Temple Owls (1-4, 0-0), who are playing their final season as members of the conference. The Panthers won the last meeting of the two teams, 30-16, last November in Philadelphia.

All Eyes on Pitt — Saturday’s game between the Panthers and Owls has been chosen as the Big East/ESPN Plus game of the week and will be broadcast on WTAE in Pittsburgh and on more than 20 other stations on the East Coast.

Clearly Dominant — The Panthers lead the all-time series 25-8-1 and have won five consecutive games. The last Owl victory, 34-33 at Pitt Stadium, came in 1998.

Road Friendly — The Panthers are 12-6 in their last 18 road games, their best stretch since winning 14 straight games from 1980-1982.

Leading the Way — Serving as team captains will be wide receiver Joe DelSardo (offense), nose tackle Vince Crochunis (defense) and linebacker Doug Roseberry (special teams).

Good in the Red — Pitt scored on nine of 12 attempts this season once they penetrated the opponents’ red zone. Five of those nine scores have been touchdowns.

Showing Discipline — A year after leading the Big East in penalty yards per game, the Panthers are among the leaders once again this season. They are second in the conference, averaging just 50.8 yards per game. The Owls lead the Big East, averaging just 45.2 yards per game.

Century 51? — With 129 yards receiving against Connecticut last week, Greg Lee became the 51st player to reach the century mark under head coach Walt Harris.

Run, Pass or Both? — Temple quarterback Walter Washington is not only the Owls’ leading passer, but also leads the team in rushing yards. This season, Washington has passed for 779 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 281 yards and eight touchdowns. He has accounted for 1,060 of Temple’s 1,721 offensive yards on the season.

A New Linebacker U — Temple linebackers Troy Bennett and Rian Wallace have accounted for 51 and 46 total tackles, respectively, to lead the Owl defense. However, that same Owl defense is giving up more than 42 points and more than 350 yards of total offense per game.