November 12, 2009

David Fox
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

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Weis had the upper hand Sept. 3, 2005, with Notre Dame defeating Pittsburgh 42-21 that day. Weis would go on to coach Notre Dame to two BCS games, while Pitt missed the postseason each of in Wannstedt's first three seasons.

When Notre Dame and Pittsburgh meet Saturday for the third time in the Weis and Wannstedt eras (Pitt beat Notre Dame 36-33 in quadruple overtime last year), Wannstedt will have the top-15 team with BCS aspirations while Weis will be the coach facing criticism.

"We found out very quickly that we had work to do," Wannstedt said of the first meeting with Notre Dame. "I think we had good leadership then, but we were probably just a little bit ahead of ourselves. I was trying to figure out who could do what."

When the teams meet Saturday, it could be just as important a measuring stick for Pittsburgh as the 2005 opener.

Stepping out of Big East play likely won't affect Pitt's BCS chances one way or another, unless a BCS game is contemplating the unprecedented step of inviting an at-large Big East team to its bowl. The only guaranteed way for Pitt to play in a BCS game is to beat West Virginia on Nov. 27 and Cincinnati on Dec. 5.

But this game certainly will affect the prestige of the 8-1 Panthers and the Big East as a whole, even if Notre Dame is coming off a loss to Navy. If Pitt does not land in the BCS, the game could affect both teams' bowl status. Notre Dame is part of the Big East's bowl lineup.

"Our kids are excited about playing in front of a good crowd and on TV, but we've done that this year. I'm going to go back to the leadership of our team," Wannstedt said. "We've got a very mature team. We had a good talk with the team. We're going to keep our feet on the ground. It's not going to be the people in the stands. It's not going to be the TV people. It's going to come down to blocking and tackling."

Keeping Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen in check also will be a key. The Panthers have been vulnerable to the pass this season, allowing NC State quarterback Russell Wilson to throw for 322 yards and four touchdowns in Pitt's only loss. Buffalo also topped 400 passing yards against the Panthers.

The secondary has clamped down since then. In its past two games, Pitt has held USF to 90 passing yards and Syracuse to 141 while intercepting three passes in each game. Leading the nation in sacks hasn't hurt the pass defense, either.

"Really, it's fundamentals," Wannstedt said. "There's nothing that changed with our defense at all that would lead to those numbers [changing]. The kids are coachable and we're playing better."

While Wannstedt could receive some Big East coach of the year attention, Weis is on "hot seat" lists after losing to Navy for the second time in three seasons. The Irish are 16-18 in the past three seasons.

"As far as I'm concerned, [Weis has] done a great job with us this year," Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate told IrishIllustrated.com. "I don't think it's fair the way they put him on the hot seat. He didn't play the game. We had a bunch of key turnovers. We were in the red zone many times. At that point, we've got to make plays."

KEY MATCHUP: West Virginia RB Noel Devine vs. Cincinnati's run defense. Undefeated Cincinnati's run defense is not impenetrable. Fresno State's Ryan Mathews (145 yards, touchdown) and Connecticut's Jordan Todman (162 yards, four touchdowns) have showed us that. West Virginia isn't a grind-it-out, blue-collar team like the Bulldogs or Huskies, but Devine still is one of the nation's top running backs. Devine left West Virginia's 17-9 win over Louisville last week with an ankle injury, but he should be healthy for Cincinnati.

ON THE SPOT: Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe. Kragthorpe's overall record at Louisville (14-19 overall, 4-14 in the Big East) isn't particularly impressive, but his record against Syracuse (0-2) really stings. If the Cardinals lose to Syracuse for a third consecutive season, it would guarantee a second consecutive losing season and it could mean a winless season in conference play. It also could mean the end of Kragthorpe's tenure.

NUMBERS GAME: Rutgers allows Big East opponents to rush for 166.3 yards per game, compared to 71 yards per game for non-conference opponents. The Scarlet Knights played Howard, Florida International, Maryland, Texas Southern and Army out of conference.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"If Tony [Pike] is healthy, he's our starter. The issue is that this becomes day-to-day. ... If that's not an issue, if it's what Zach Collaros did over the last three weeks and his body of work - which was outstanding - and you take Tony Pike's body of work, Tony Pike's our starter. There's not even a question about that." -- Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly

"[The fans] may be upset with things I've done and they may not like me. And that's OK. What I would like our fans to do is come support these players." -- Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe, on falling home attendance

"I'm thrilled for them and their success, but if I was at the Saints right now, I would wish that I was here. I'm thrilled for them, but this is exactly where I want to be." -- Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, who was the offensive coordinator last season for the now 8-0 New Orleans Saints

"Have I done something in my life and someone's getting back at me? I asked my wife, 'What have I done?' I've given more money to the Catholic church. I'm a good husband and father. Someone in this family must have done something. I asked the coaches what they had done." -- Marrone, to The Syracuse (N.Y.) Post-Standard on the numerous key injuries Syracuse has sustained this season

"Their offensive line had a lot of hype going into the game, but they're second in the Big East in giving up sacks. They don't handle stunts and pressure very well, so hopefully Coach [defensive coordinator Joe] Tresey will be aggressive with the play-calling, and have our defensive line do a lot of stunting and a lot of blitzing and hopefully we'll be able to get pressure on the quarterback." -- USF LB Kion Wilson, to the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, on Rutgers' offensive line

ETC.: While there were no league teams in the preseason AP and coaches' polls, the Big East has four teams in this week's BCS standings: No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 12 Pittsburgh, No. 23 USF and No. 24 West Virginia. ... Devine and WVU QB Jarrett Brown returned to practice this week after both were hobbled by ankle injuries against Louisville. WR/RB Jock Sanders rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries subbing for Devine last week. ... USF DE George Selvie has not recorded a sack or a tackle for a loss in three USF losses to Rutgers. USF WR Carlton Mitchell will not play against Rutgers because of a high ankle sprain. ... Syracuse star DT Arthur Jones and starting OT Jonathan Meldrum will miss the rest of the season with knee injuries. Syracuse's injury situation has forced the Orange to play offense vs. defense in practice rather than having each unit play against the scout team. Marrone also has limited the amount of plays in practice. ... Connecticut is off this week.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.