Offense needs big game against Rockets

The Pitt Panthers football team is undefeated. At least, they are when they play teams from… The Pitt Panthers football team is undefeated. At least, they are when they play teams from the Mid-American Conference.

When the Panthers (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big East) welcome the Toledo Rockets (3-1) to Heinz Field on Saturday for the first time in the two schools’ history, they will look to extend that record to a perfect 19-0 against MAC squads. However, the Panthers will have to do so by returning to the three-headed monster that is their running game and letting a true freshman take over their kicking game.

Brandon Miree, Marcus Furman and Raymond Kirkley will share the running back duties once again just two weeks after Miree’s breakout performance against Alabama-Birmingham that earned him the starting job last week against Rutgers. However, an unproductive performance in the first half from Miree has forced head coach Walt Harris to cut back and once again attempt to find a starter to stand out from the rest.

“We just aren’t functioning successfully,” Harris said. “You can’t practice poorly and then go play well in the game. It’s a big reason why we aren’t successful.”

Center Chad Reed believes part of the blame can be put on his offensive line but is confident that the running game can get jump started this week.

“We just aren’t satisfied with total production. We are still gelling as a unit and when one guy is slipping then it’s not going to work,” Reed said. “If we come out ready to go, we can run on anyone.”

Quarterback Rod Rutherford wants to get the running game going as soon as possible because it would relieve some of the pressure that has been put on his shoulders. Although defenses have been able to limit the Panthers in the run game, they have not been able to slow down Rutherford’s improvement.

With each game this year, Rutherford has thrown for more yards and overall has played more effectively. Toledo’s defense has shown many holes so far this year while giving up 344 yards per game and 42 points a contest against teams who don’t come close to having the firepower of the Panthers. However, Rutherford knows Toledo will not roll over for anyone, including the Panthers.

“They have won 10 games a year for the past few years now and are better than the conference they are in. Their defense is up-tempo and gets to the football. We will have to come out, focus and play hard,” Rutherford said. “We want to get the running game started as soon as possible. We need to. It will only help our offense. We just need to have everyone on the same page.”

On the defensive side of the ball for the Panthers, they will face their toughest opposing offense so far this year and will need another performance like last week’s to win. The Rockets are averaging 435 yards per game and 233 of them are on the ground.

William Bratton, a senior tailback, is the core of a group of four running backs that all have over 100 yards rushing this year. Bratton himself has 385 yards on 61 carries, which equates to an average of 6.3 yards every time he touches the ball.

They will run the ball more than 40 times to set up a passing game that has been very successful behind quarterback Brian Jones. Jones is completing close to 70 percent of his passes and is yet to throw an interception. Although Rutgers threw in the direction of Pitt cornerback Torrie Cox many times on Saturday, he thinks Toledo won’t play copy cat.

“The way their scheme is set up, I don’t think they will throw at me that much but if they do, it’s time for me to play football,” Cox said.

Special teams will once again play a big role in this game. David Abdul, the true freshman kicker, will get the nod for all kicking duties. Abdul, who formally shared time with J.B. Gibboney, will increase his load from long field goals and kickoffs to extra points and shorter field goals as well.

Pitt is currently ranked number one in the country in two categories, kickoff return average and pass efficiency defense. Pitt is also one of only two teams in the country, along with Oklahoma, to have not given up a passing touchdown yet this season.

Pitt is looking for its 10th win in its last 11 games while Toledo has won 10 games in each of the past two years, including last year’s MAC championship game and the Motor City Bowl. Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 1:30 p.m. at Heinz Field.