Across the Ute sideline: Scouting the Pitt Panthers

SALT LAKE CITY - It wasn't February 2nd, but last Saturday must have felt a lot like Groundhog Day for the University of Utah.

After committing five turnovers in their first Pac-12 home game against Washington, the Utes had a repeat performance the following week, turning the ball over five times in a 35-14 loss to Arizona State.

Through its first three games, Utah was +9 in turnover margin, but in the last two it was -9.

"We'll start winning games when we stop turning the ball over," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said.

"That's the bottom line. Until that happens, it's going to be a long road so that's our biggest issue right now."

Utah now takes its 2-3 record on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in Heinz Field. It marks the first trip to Pitt for a Pac-12 team since 1995.

Utah (2-3) at Pitt (3-3)

Series Snapshot
Utah's 2-0 series edge includes a 35-7 win over the Panthers in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., and a 27-24 overtime victory in Salt Lake City last September. This year's rematch will mark the first time Utah has played a football game in the state of Pennsylvania and it is also Utah's first-ever road game on Oct. 15.Game 6 Notes

• Utah (2-3, 0-3 Pac-12) at Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-1 Big East)
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011
• Time: 12:00 p.m. ET (10 am MT)
• Site: Heinz Field (65,050/Grass) Pittsburgh, Pa.
• TV: ESPNU
• Radio: ESPN700, SIRIUS/XM 85
• Series Record: Utah leads 2-0
• Last Meeting: 2010 (Utah 27-24/OT)
• Kickoff Weather: Occasional showers possible. Temps in the mid 50s

Here is an inside look at Pitt and some of the key players to watch on Saturday.

Season to date

Pitt (3-3, 1-1 Big East) shocked the Big East in late September, defeating the then No. 16 South Florida Bulls 44-17. Running back Ray Graham ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers routed the undefeated Bulls to get back on the winning track after two tough losses against Iowa and Notre Dame.

The Panthers had a 17 point with just over 12 minutes left against Iowa, but they couldn't hold off a fourth quarter rally by the Hawkeyes, surrendering 21 straight points and falling on the road, 31-27.

The fourth quarter troubles continued against the Fighting Irish the following week, as quarterback Tommy Rees threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Eifert with less than seven minutes to go to lift Notre Dame to a 15-12 win over Pitt.

But Pitt followed up their big win over South Florida with an embarrassing 34-10 loss to Big East conference foe Rutgers. "We absolutely played our worst game of the season," Pitt head coach Todd Graham said after the game.

Coaching Staff

Todd Graham is in his first season as the head coach of the Pitt Panthers. This is the third head coaching job for Graham, who also coached at Tulsa and Rice.

In his first season as a head coach, Graham led Rice to its first bowl game in 45 years and earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors.

After moving to Tulsa the following year, Graham compiled a 36-17 record, and had at least 10 wins in three of his four seasons. He was also 3-0 in bowl games with the Golden Hurricane.

Offense

Great teams are consistently able to run the football, and Pitt has the No. 2 running back in the nation.

Junior Ray Graham ranks second nationally and tops the Big East in rushing with an average of 149.8 yards per game. Graham leads the country in total rush yards with 899, the most by a Pitt player after six games in school history, surpassing the legendary Tony Dorsett's 892 in 1976, the year Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy and led Pitt to the national title.

"They have an outstanding tailback," Whittingham said, "maybe the best in the country. He is a great back. He is doing a lot of good things for Pitt."

Graham has rushed for over two hundred yards twice this season, rushing for 201 yards against Buffalo and 226 yards against South Florida.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri has struggled in Coach Graham's offensive system, holding on to the ball too long, allowing opponents time to pressure him and come up with an NCAA-worst 28 sacks. Sunseri has also thrown more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (5).

It doesn't help that the Panthers have lost two of their best offensive lineman due to injuries. With little to no time for Sunseri to throw the ball, Graham also leads the team with 27 receptions.

If Utah's defensive line can't get any pressure on Sunseri, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to pressure a quarterback the rest of the year. Utah's toughest test will be containing Ray Graham. Pitt is 0-2 this season when Graham isn't able to hit the 100 yard mark on the ground.

Defense

Under new head coach Todd Graham, Pitt has transitioned to a 3-4 defense, something Utah didn't see in the teams' previous two meetings.

But with transition comes adversity, and Pitt has given up its fair share of big plays as players adjust to the new defensive scheme, including blowing two fourth-quarter leads this season.

Anchoring the 3-4 is linebacker Max Gruder, who is Pitt's leading tackler with 51 total stops. Gruder ranks second among Big East defenders with 8.5 tackles per game.

The Panthers' defense is dominant at the start of the game, holding opponents to just 10 total points in the opening quarter, with the only touchdown coming on a short field because of a turnover.

Senior defensive end Brandon Lindsey leads the team in sacks with four. The Panthers rank 33rd in the country, averaging 2.3 sacks per game.

Jon Hays will need a similar game plan used against Arizona State - short, quick passes that get playmakers the ball in space. Utah's line will have their work cut out for them trying to open holes for John White IV as the Panthers do a decent job of stopping the run, holding opponents to 120.2 rushing yards per game.

Special Teams

Pitt had complete personnel turnover in its kicking game for 2011. The Panthers are fielding new starters at placekicker, punter, long snapper and holder this year.

After missing his first two field goal attempts, junior placekicker Kevin Harper has made 10 of his last 12. He is third in the Big East in field goals made per game at 1.67.

Punter Matt Yoklic wasn't used very often through Pitt's first five games, punting the ball only 11 times. But last week against Rutgers, Yoklic was called on to punt nine times. Yoklic averages 41.8 yards per kick.

Email: rojackson@ksl.com

Twitter: @rojackKSL

Related topics