here is the SN take on the game FWIW
South Florida (8-3) at Pittsburgh (4-6)
The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 24th, 12:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Heinz Field (65,000) -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Television: ESPN. Home Record: USF 5-1, Pitt 4-2. Away Record: USF 3-2, Pitt 0-4. Neutral Record: USF 0-0, Pitt 0-0. Conference Record: USF 3-3, Pitt 2-3. Series Record: Series is tied, 2-2.
GAME NOTES: The resurgent South Florida Bulls head to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers in a Big East Conference tilt. After starting the season with six straight wins and climbing to a No. 2 national ranking, the Bulls fell on hard times by losing their next three. But they've since come back strong with two convincing wins; a 41-10 victory at Syracuse two weeks ago, and last week's 55-17 trampling over Louisville. A win on the road this weekend in the team's regular-season finale would tie the USF school record, and the Bulls could surpass that mark with another victory in a bowl game. Meanwhile the Panthers, who went winless in four road games this year, are playing their final home game of the season. They were on the wrong end of a 20-16 final at Rutgers last Saturday, and will play at West Virginia next weekend to close out the regular season. The Pitt program has heavy recruiting interest in Florida, with a total of 20 players (including five starters) coming from that state. The head-to- head series is tied, 2-2, though USF won last year's meeting, 22-12
USF freshman running back Mike Ford has really come into his own the last two weeks, racking up a total of 273 rushing yards and now has a freshman school record 10 touchdowns on the season. Ford, the Big East Conference's Offensive Player of the Week, carried 24 times for 140 yards in USF's route of Louisville. He ripped off a 43-yard run on his first carry, then ran for 23 on his third, as he became the first freshman in school history to surpass 100 rushing yards in two straight games. He makes a nice complement to quarterback Matt Grothe, who leads the team with 765 rushing yards on the season. Grothe ran for 67 yards and a touchdown against Louisville, in addition to another two scores and 194 yards passing.
The Bulls lead the Big East and rank seventh nationally in pass efficiency defense. The secondary did an exceptional job last weekend against Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm and the Cardinals' high-octane passing attack. In that game, Brohm was held to just 213 passing yards, and he was intercepted three times (the Bulls came away with four total interceptions). One of those interceptions was returned 64 yards for a touchdown by Trae Smith. Tyron McKenzie led the way with nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Ben Moffitt was also in on nine stops. Those two are one and two on the team in tackles this season. George Selvie is second in the nation with 14.5 sacks, while Williams is tied for third in the conference with five interceptions.
The Pitt offense, to say the least, has struggled to move the ball with any consistency this season. The Panthers rank 104th in the nation in total offense, and they are scoring just 22.4 ppg. Quarterback Pat Bostick went just 7-of-16 for 77 yards in the loss to Rutgers, and he was picked off in the end zone with 11 seconds to play. For the game, Pitt finished with just 13 first downs and 232 yards of total offense. In the running game, the Panthers averaged just 1.8 ypc as a team. LeSean McCoy, the Panthers' biggest offensive threat, was held to 60 yards on 22 carries. Pitt will need to get their star back going this week, as he ranks second in the Big East with 112.5 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone 12 times.
Pitt junior linebacker Scott McKillop, the nation's leader in tackles (12.4 per game), was at it again last week against Rutgers. His final stat line: 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception. In what was perhaps his best game as a Panther, McKillop put his team in position to score its only touchdown of the game by sacking Rutgers quarterback Jabu Lovelace, forcing a fumble and then picking it up. Playing in his first season as a starter at middle linebacker, McKillop heads a Pitt defensive unit that ranks that ranks ninth in the nation in total defense. Joe Clermond is a force in the pass rush, as evidenced by his team-leading 7.5 sacks and six quarterback hurries.
Pittsburgh recently lost to Louisville and struggled to beat Syracuse two weeks ago, a pair of teams that USF blew out in the last two weeks. The Bulls seem to have their swagger back, and should be able to leave Pittsburgh with a win to close out the regular season.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: South Florida 31, Pittsburgh 17
11/21 12:21:19 ET
