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| "Man I miss my visor. Next year it's Florida or bust." (Pic by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss athletics) |
I'm getting you ready for the Pitt Panthers with the "need to know" info.
Record: 6-6 (3-4 Big East)
Coach: Paul Chryst 6-6 (1st year as a head coach).
Season Summary: Pitt's a hard team to figure. It opened with a loss to FCS team Youngstown State (not supposed to happen); Took Notre Dame to 3 OT's (Notre Dame is the current No. 1 team in the BCS); and smoked a 9-win Rutgers team 27-6, knocking the Scarlet Knights out of a BCS bowl. Pitt finished the season playing its best football, but had some duds during the season, including a 24-17 loss to Connecticut on November 9.
Record against SEC: Pitt is 12-2-2 all time against SEC teams, but has never faced Ole Miss.
Top Performers: Quarterback Tino Sunseri (3,103 yards, 19 TDs, 2 INTs, 66.5% completions). Receivers Mike Shanahan (58 receptions, 926 yards, 5 TDs) and Devin Street (66 receptions, 892 yards, 4 TDs). Running back Ray Graham (1,042 yards, 11 TDs). Defensive lineman Aaron Donald (18.5 tackles for loss.
Weakness: Ole Miss should be able to generate some offense against the Panthers. Pitt ranks 2nd to last in the Big East in sacks (23) and allows teams to convert 44.7 percent of their 3rd down conversions attempts.
Strengths: Pitt has a good passing attack (263.0 ypg) featuring a seasoned senior quarterback and two All Big East receivers, not to mention a reliable 1,000-yard running back. The Rebels could have their work cut out for them defensively.
What to Watch: Pitt prepared for the Compass Bowl without defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable, who left for the same job with N.C. State in mid-December. Chryst relied on other assistants to fill the role rather than hiring a new defensive coordinator. Keep an eye on Pitt's D to see whether losing their defensive leader impacts the game.