Graham torched the Bulls defense to the tune of 226 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.  He would also add another four receptions for 42 yards, putting him at 268 total yards on the day.  He would account for more than half of his team’s 523 total yards on the night, as the Panthers made a statement by annihilating the 16th-ranked Bulls by a score of 44-17.

It was a statement game for Todd Graham’s team in from of a national audience.  His running back certainly made a statement of his own, and it earned him “The Stat Line of the Night” for Thursday, September 29, 2011.

Some big shots and good defense down the stretch helped the Pittsburgh Panthers send yesterday’ Big East battle against Louisville into overtime.  An embarrassing gaffe by a male cheerleader of the Cardinals almost sent it into double-overtime.

Trailing by three with less than ten seconds remaining on the clock in the first overtime, Pitt’s Brad Wanamaker missed an open lay-up to cut the lead to one.  The Cards advanced the ball up the court and Kyle Kuric’s slam dunk with only 0.5 seconds remaining appeared to seal the victory for Louisville.  While most fans at the KFC Yum! Center were in celebration mode at that point, one over-exuberant member of the Cardinals’ cheer squad took things a little too far, stepping onto the court and tossing the ball into the air with time still remaining on the clock.

That foolish mishap earned the Cardinals a technical foul, giving the Panthers’ Ashton Gibbs two shots from the line.  He would hit both, giving Pittsburgh one last shot to tie the game.  Gibbs would miss, however, saving the Cards’ male cheerleader from the agony of becoming Louisville’s very own version of  the Cubs’ Steve Bartman.

Following the game, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino joked that this would be the end of the male cheerleader, stating that “it was good while it lasted,” before informing us all that “you could actually lose a game like that.”

We are well aware Rick.  We almost witnessed it right before our eyes yesterday afternoon.

And for those of you who didn’t, here it is.

In a feisty Saturday afternoon affair that saw 43 fouls and three technicals handed out, Pitt prevailed against Villanova, ending the Wildcats’ 46-game win streak at The Pavilion.  As for the turning point of the game, that would come less than four minutes into the second half, after Nova’s Isaiah Armwood connected on a right hook to the face of Pitt’s Nasir Robinson.  Armwood delivered the punch while seemingly attempting to put his arm around teammate Mouphtaou Yarou, but after an official review it was determined to be worthy of a technical foul.

The Panthers would go on a 19-6 run following the punch and never trailed again, hanging on for the 57-54 victory.

The win gives Pittsburgh a remarkable 11-1 record in Big East play, putting them one win ahead of Notre Dame (10-3), and two up on Georgetown (9-3).  When you consider the fact that Pitt remains on top of the Big East Conference, which currently has six teams ranked within the Associated Press’ Top 12, it is hard to believe that they will not be ranked number one come Monday, after former No.1 Ohio State lost its first game of the season.  But with Kansas and Texas both ranked two and three headed into last week, it is unlikely that the Panthers will be able to play leapfrog with the two Big 12 schools.  Although, that doesn’t really seem to matter to them, according to starting guard Brad Wanamaker:

“(W)e want to be in the conversation among the elite at the end of the season, not now. When they start talking about the national championship, that’s when we want to be talked about.’’ [ESPN]

Well the Panthers certainly seem to be on the right path, and it is going to take more than just a single punch to knock them off it.  Armwood tried that already and failed.  You can check it out below.

The #20 Louisville Cardinals were lead by forward Terrence Williams who scored 20 points and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists.  The Cardinals played amazing defense that last 8 minutes of the game holding the Panthers to only 1-16 from the field in that stretch.

“Give them credit, they beat us,” said Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon, after his team turned the ball over a season-high 20 times against Louisville’s full court pressure. “We played well, they played well. They made shots down the stretch.”

The Cardinals who were ranked 20th in the Nation before this game will definitely move up in the rankings.  They beating #12 Notre Dame and now #1 Pittsburgh.  You can expect them to finish the week probably at #13 overall.  The Panthers on the other hand will definitely fall from the #1 ranking as Wake Forest the only other undefeated team in the Nation will likely take over that spot.

A big blow for the Panthers last night we will just have to see if they are really made to be the team that everyone talks about.  A #1 team will put a loss like this behind them and continue on with their goal of making a splash in the NCAA tournament.

Oregon State Beavers vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Sun Bowl Game: Preview

The Oregon State Beavers may be coming into this game with a bitter taste in their mouths, as much as the coaches will try to motivate their team and take their minds off the season finale loss to Oregon it will be difficult. They had an opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl if they had come out of that game with a victory, however, with their star freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers out for that game the Beavers were out rushed 385-89 in the game.

While the Beavers rely heavily on their running back, the Pittsburgh Panthers rely more heavily on their star back.  LeSean McCoy has done everything for the Panthers offense and has been able to disguise their quarterbacks ineffectiveness to make the big play through the air.  The Panthers were a few inconsistencies away from a 1 loss season and possibly playing in a BCS bowl game.

Sun Bowl Game: Prediction

LeSean McCoy will give the Oregon State Beavers fits defensively, as the future NFLer has rushed for over 1400 yards and 21 touchdowns.  The game will come down to which quarterback can make the plays on offense, especially on third downs.  If the game does come down to this key stat, we like the chances of the Oregon State Beavers as Lyle Moevao has proved that he can get the ball down the field as well as move the chains with his legs.

Sun Bowl Game Pick – Oregon State Beavers (-2.5)

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The Pittsburgh Panthers and the South Florida Bulls will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Raymond James Stadium.

Oddsmakers currently have the Bulls listed as 13½-point favorites versus the Panthers, while the game’s total has not yet been posted.

LaRod Stephens-Howling scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and Pittsburgh rallied past Syracuse 34-24 in Week 5.

The Panthers failed to cover the 14-point spread, while the combined score played OVER the day’s posted total of 48.

South Florida scored 31 points in the first half as they ran away with a 41-10 victory over NC State in Week 5. South Florida covered the 10-point spread, and the 51 points made it OVER the posted total of 45.

Matt Grothe completed 20-of-29 pass attempts for 261 yards and one touchdown.

Current streak:
Pittsburgh has won 3 straight games.
South Florida has won 5 straight games.

Team records:
Pittsburgh: 3-1 SU, 0-4 ATS
South Florida: 5-0 SU, 1-3 ATS

Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 4-6
After outgaining opponent are 4-6
When playing within the conference are 4-6

South Florida most recently:
When playing in October are 4-6
When playing on grass are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 6-4

A few trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
South Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
South Florida is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home

Next up:
Pittsburgh at Navy, Saturday, October 18
South Florida home to Syracuse, Saturday, October 18

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