Pittsburgh Looks To Stay Undefeated Against Rutgers On Friday

NFL News - October 14th, 2009 - Written by Scott

In Big East action on Friday night, Pittsburgh Panthers will look to remain undefeated in conference play as they travel to Rutgers on Friday night. The Panthers will also try to end a four game losing streak to the New Jersey Scarlet Knights. After losing their season opener, Rutgers has won 4 straight to improve to 4-1 and 0-1 in the Big East. They defeated Texas Southern in their last game 42-0. Pittsburgh escaped with a 24-21 win over Connecticut last Saturday.

Pittsburgh has been effective on offense all year. Bill Stull has led their balanced offensive attack and has thrown for 1,256 yards and 13 touchdowns. Getting their running game going will be key against Rutgers. Running back Dion Lewis is 6th in the nation in rushing with 738 yards and 7 touchdowns. Great offensive line play has led to the success of the Pitt offense. Johnathan Baldwin and Dorin Dickerson have been Stull's go-to guys at receiver and have combined for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Pittsburgh has one of the best defenses in the nation and will face a challenge from Rutger's quarterback Tom Savage. They will need to stop the run and force Savage to make plays through the air. Forcing turnovers could be key, but Rutgers has not turned the ball over offensively in their past three games.

Rutgers' true freshman quarterback will be entering his second straight game after suffering a concussion against Florida International. Savage has passed for 693 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has done very well for a freshman and has not turned the ball over this year. The Scarlet Knights live and breathe by their rushing attack. Running backs Joe Martinek and Jourdan Brooks lead their ground game with 647 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tim Brown has been their only real threat at receiver and has 452 yards and 2 touchdowns. The line will need to do a better job of protecting Savage. They have already allowed 14 sacks this season.

The Scarlet Knights bring with them the 6th ranked rushing defense in the country. They are only allowing 65.2 yards on the ground per game. Pitt does have a great passing attack, but Rutgers will need to focus on the Panthers running back Dion Lewis. He is averaging 123 yards per game.

Betus sportsbook has Pittsburgh favored by 3 against Rutgers with an over/under set at 49. This is an important game for both teams as it could have an effect on their conference title hopes.

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