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WVU
at Pittsburgh - November 16, 2006
by: VIP.com
The annual ‘Backyard
Brawl’ as it is known, sees two of the oldest
rivals in the NCAA squaring off, with bragging
rights very much at stake.
The game between these Big
East neighbors dates back to 1895, and is always
among the most intense on the college football
calendar. West Virginia comes into the game as
11 point favorites after having a successful season
overall at 8-1, and 3-1 in the Big East.
However, the Mountaineers
are still hurting following a 44-34 loss at Louisville
two weeks ago. That game likely cost them a chance
at a berth in the national championship game.
The Mountaineers bounced
back from that loss last Saturday, putting on
an impressive offensive display to down Cincinnati,
42-24. Against a highly-ranked defense, the Mountaineers,
second in the nation in rushing, piled on 313
rushing yards and ran in five touchdowns.
As has been the case all
season, standouts for West Virginia were quarterback
Pat White and running back Steve Slaton, who combined
for 241 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The win showed that Coach
Rich Rodriguez still has his troops focused on
a strong finish to the season, even though their
hopes of playing in the national championship
game have been greatly reduced.
Pittsburgh (6-4, 2-3 Big
East) looked set for its best season in many years
with wins in six of its first seven games. But
it’s all fallen apart in recent weeks, and
the Panthers are staring down the barrel of a
fourth straight loss.
Only last weekend, the Panthers
went down 46-45 to Connecticut in double overtime.
Hopefully, the team isn’t still dragging
their feet tonight after letting this vital game
slip through their fingers.
Pittsburgh has already qualified
for a bowl game, but they have lost their way
on defense, conceding 88 points in their last
three games. That is a far cry from the aggressive
defense that saw them let in just 93 points in
their first seven games.
And with their final two
games against West Virginia and Louisville, coach
Dave Wannstedt needs to regain that winning formula
in a hurry.
The good news is that senior
quarterback, Tyler Palko has already thrown for
2,223 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Tailback
LaRod Stephens-Howling led the team in rushing
last season and is well on his way to do it again
with 801 yards and eight touchdowns.
Summing
Up: On paper, the Panthers aren’t
that far behind this powerful West Virginia outfit,
but they have clearly lost all momentum and confidence
over the past three weeks. The Mountaineers are
“Bowl Bound” and looking to finish
on a high note.
For all College Football
betting lines, visit VIP.com
Posted by miker at November
16, 2006 09:08 AM
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