In their second consecutive trip to the Continental Tire Bowl, the Virginia Cavaliers will face off against a Pittsburgh Panther team that was one win away from a BCS bowl bid. Led by Big East offensive player of the year Larry Fitzgerald, the Panthers will no doubt be looking to end the season on a high note after a late season loss to Miami took away a Big East title and New Year’s Day bowl.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, will look to continue a late season winning streak that includes big wins over Georgia Tech and rival Virginia Tech. While a win over the Hokies was like a bowl win for many fans, as it was the first in five seasons, another Continental Tire Bowl victory would be a big boost for the Cavaliers going into the offseason and their preparation for an ACC title run in 2004.
The experience will be a familiar one for the Cavaliers, as they traveled to Charlotte last season and blew out another Big East team, West Virginia, 48-22 in front of a packed house. While they won’t get to experience a new bowl city, Virginia was looking forward to their second Christmas stay in North Carolina.
“We had a real good time last year,” senior quarterback Muffin Curry said last week. “And we know that we are going to enjoy the trip again. It was a real good experience and all of the guys are looking forward to having a good time. We’ve still got to go down and win the football game. Picking up the win is our number one priority.”
The Pitt Offense
To pick up that win against a solid Pittsburgh team, Virginia will have to be able to stop their high-powered offense. The Panthers finished second in the Big East in total offense in 2003, only one yard per game behind Boston College. They were also quite good at putting the ball in the end zone, as they scored 31.1 points per game.
Many of those points and yards came in the hands and on the feet of Heisman finalist Larry Fitzgerald, who has scored a touchdown in every game this season. Fitzgerald, only a sophomore, is widely considered the best wide receiver in the nation, giving the Panthers a strong vertical passing game.
“He is a guy that can get deep on a team and beat you down the field,” Jamaine Winborne said last week. “He is a great player, and we are going to have to work hard to stop him. I don’t think you can shut down a player like that, but it will be important keep him from putting up big numbers.”
The Cavalier secondary will have their hands full, as Fitzgerald has torched some of the better cornerbacks in the league this season in putting up amazing numbers. The sophomore has caught 87 passes for 1595 yards and 22 touchdowns in 12 games. His greatest asset is his ability to stretch the defense vertically, as he averages 18.3 yards per catch.
There have been several plays during a game this season when Ron Rutherford, Pitt’s starting quarterback, will throw a jump ball up to Fitzgerald, and most of the time he is able to come down with the ball for a big gain. The Cavaliers will have to pay plenty of attention to the sophomore wideout this Saturday if they hope to slow the strong Pittsburgh offense.
Delivering the ball to Fitzgerald will be All-Big East standout Rod Rutherford, who also had a terrific year for the Panthers. Rutherford headed a passing attack that averaged 291.7 yards per game, easily leading the Big East conference by more than 60 yards per game. Walt Harris’ offense is one that passes first and runs second, as most of their big weapons are part of the passing game.
The All-Big East quarterback put up big time numbers, completing 229 of 387 passes for 3433 yards and 35 touchdowns. Rutherford threw only 13 interceptions, as his receivers rarely let a defensive back easily come down with the ball. The senior is a big (6-3, 225), strong signal caller, who has surprising speed and agility for a big quarterback. He was able to gain over 456 yards on the ground throughout the season.
“They have a really talented quarterback,” defensive end Chris Canty said to reporters last week. “He has a great arm and the ability to lead his team. He can also get away from a pass rush with his feet, so he is a tough quarterback to bring down. There offense has been tough to stop all season, and we are going to have to play well if we are going to keep those guys from putting up a lot of points.”
Senior tight end Kris Wilson is Rutherford’s second big target on offense, with 42 catches for 589 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wilson, who will often line up in the slot as a wide receiver, is yet another vertical threat for Rutherford. Wilson is a big (6-3, 250) target who has surprising speed and the ability to get by corners and safeties.
Lining up in the wide receiver slot opposite Fitzgerald will be Princell Brockenbrough, who has quietly had a terrific season in the shadow of Fitzgerald. The Richmond, Virginia native has come up with 31 catches for 563 yards and three touchdowns this year, but more importantly, he has been a deep threat when Fitzgerald has been doubled covered, as he has averaged 18.3 yards per catch this season.
While the passing game has clicked on all cylinders all season, the rushing offense has not been Pitt’s strong point. Averaging only 115.2 yards per game, the Panther running game was ranked last in the Big East this season. Senior Brandon Miree will be Pitt’s feature back, and he has been solid at times this season, averaging 92 yards per game, and five yards per carry when he has been healthy enough to play. The senior has only played in five games this season but figures to get most of the carries on Saturday. Jawan Walker and Lousaka Polite both will get some carries, but neither has been as effective as Miree when he was healthy.
Chances are that Pittsburgh will need their running game to be effective if they hope to put up some points against Virginia, as there is no question that the Cavalier defense will focus on Fitzgerald and Wilson. The Cavalier defense should be able to have some success against the Panthers.
The Pitt Defense
Walt Harris’ team struggled at times on the defensive side of the ball, giving up 399 yards per game this season, which ranked seventh in the Big East, ahead of only Temple. Their biggest struggle came against opponents’ rushing games, as they had trouble stopping almost everyone on the ground.
This was especially evident in the last game of the regular season, when Miami rushed for 280 yards on 52 carries against the Pitt defense. The Panthers also gave up 241 yards rushing to Virginia Tech’s Kevin Jones. That has been the problem for much of the season, as Pitt has given up 184 yards per game on the ground, giving the Virginia coaches an obvious plan of attack. The Panthers will need their front four to step up big on Saturday if they hope to keep the Cavaliers from frequenting the end zone.
That front four consists of three seniors and one junior in the form of Claude Harriot, Vince Crouchunis, Dan Stephens and Thomas Smith . The group has played well at times this season, but none of the group is near the top of the team in tackles, showing that running backs are able to get past the first line of defense more often than not.
Crouchunis leads the defensive line in both tackles and sacks, coming up with 51 tackles and 2.0 sacks this season. Stephens and Thomas are right behind them, as they have combined for 11.5 tackles for losses and 2.0 sacks during the regular season. Marriot was able to get in on 33 tackles, seven of which were for losses and two of which were quarterback sacks. The play of this group could go a long way to determining how well they play on defense.
“We have to be able to run the ball when we go up against Pittsburgh,” Virginia offensive lineman Elton Brown said last week. “They are a good team, but we have to be able to set the tempo and move the ball on the ground. It will be important for the offensive line to open up some holes for our backs.”
Head coach Walt Harris will rely on his linebackers to step up and contribute against the run on Saturday. Senior Lewis Moore should be up to the challenge, as he leads the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. The senior middle linebacker has 126 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season. Moore will have to make his way to quarterback Matt Schaub on Saturday, as the rest of his team has had trouble pressuring the opposing signal callers. The Pitt defense has only come up with 19 sacks this season, which ranks seventh in the Big East.
Brian Bennett and J.J. Horne have manned the two outside linebacking spots during the regular season. Bennett is second on the team behind Moore in both tackles and sacks with 118 and 3.0 respectively. Horne’s numbers have not been quite as good, but the junior linebacker has shown sparks of strong play.
The strength of the Pittsburgh defense lies in its secondary, which has only allowed 215 yards per game through the air this season, ranking second in the Big East behind only Miami. There are two seniors manning the two cornerback positions, as Shawntae Spencer and William Ferguson have both had strong seasons. The two players have combined to pick off four passes, break up 15 passes, and force two fumbles.
Spencer has a nose for the ball, ranking fourth on the team in tackles, and has played a major part in forcing turnovers on defense all season. Both players will have a tough time against 2002 ACC Player of the Year Matt Schaub, who is looking to finish his career with a strong game.
At the two safety positions, senior Corey Humphries and junior Tyrone Gilliard have both played well against the pass. Gilliard spends much of his time up near the line of scrimmage, ranking fifth on the team in tackles, and has come up with 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Humphries has had a solid season, especially in pass coverage. He will have to keep a look out for Virginia’s star tight end, Heath Miller, who loves to roam the middle of the field. It will be important for the Cavaliers’ wide receivers to take some pressure off Miller and open up the field.
“It is a big game, and we have to go out and make some big plays,” Ottowa Anderson said of the Cavalier receivers. “We are all excited to go out and show what we can do.”
Pittsburgh will likely try to turn the game into a field position battle, as Walt Harris has the best punter in the country in Andy Lee (44.0 yards per punt). The Panthers lead the Big East in punting, and Lee punts a ball that gets both a lot of hang time and distance, which could be a weapon on Saturday.
The Low Down
First and foremost, the Cavaliers must be able to keep Larry Fitzgerald under control. It is next to impossible to keep Fitzgerald from catching a good number of passes and getting down field, so Virginia must limit the amount of big plays that they give up against the big-time wide receiver. As defense is not the strength for either team, there is a good chance that a lot of points will be put on the board Saturday, and the team that can stay away from giving up the big plays will likely come out on top.
On offense, Virginia must be able to run the ball. Even though it has not necessarily been a strength this season, almost every team has had success against the Pitt rush defense. If the Cavaliers can continually pound the ball on offense, and keep Rutherford and Fitzgerald on the sideline, they could dominate the game, much like Miami was able to do in the last game of the season. If Pitt can stop the Cavaliers’ rushing attack, it could be a long day, because it is almost a given that Pitt will be able to put some touchdowns on the ball. Either way, it is a big game for both teams as they try to end their seasons on a good note before the offseason preparation begins for 2004.
