Re: The BIG BEAST PITT facing scrub pac-10....*PRE-GAME* thread
Tony Greco
Pantherlair.com Senior Writer
<script language="javascript">document.write("<div id=contentcontainer style='font-size: " + currentsize + "pt;'>");</script> Talk about it in
Between Fifth And Forbes
Pitt will make its first bowl appearance in almost four years tomorrow when the Panthers take on Oregon State in the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso. Here is a collection of notes, numbers, and notables heading into the game.
Silver bowl appearance
Pitt's trip to the Sun Bowl will be the program's 25th bowl game all-time. In the previous 24 games, Pitt is 10-14. In its last six bowl appearances dating back to 1997, Pitt is just 2-4. Of the 24 matchups all-time, seven have been against Pac-10 teams, with Pitt going 3-4. Here is a look at Pitt's all-time bowl results:
1927 Rose Bowl - Stanford 7 Pitt 6
1929 Rose Bowl - USC 47 Pitt 14
1932 Rose Bowl - USC 35 Pitt 0
1936 Rose Bowl - Pitt 21 Washington 0
1955 Sugar Bowl - Georgia Tech 7 Pitt 0
1956 Gator Bowl - Georgia Tech 21 Pitt 14
1973 Fiesta Bowl - Arizona State 28 Pitt 7
1975 Sun Bowl - Pitt 33 Kansas 19
1976 Sugar Bowl - Pitt 27 Georgia 3
1977 Gator Bowl - Pitt 34 Clemson 3
1978 Tangerine Bowl - N.C. State 30 Pitt 17
1979 Fiesta Bowl - Pitt 16 Arizona 10
1980 Gator Bowl - Pitt 37 South Carolina
1981 Sugar Bowl - Pitt 24 Georgia 20
1982 Cotton Bowl - SMU 7 Pitt 3
1983 Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State 28 Pitt 23
1987 Bluebonnet Bowl - Texas 32 Pitt 27
1989 Sun Bowl - Pitt 31 Texas A&M 28
1997 Liberty Bowl - Southern Miss 41 Pitt 7
2000 Insight.com Bowl - Iowa State 37 Pitt 29
2001 Tangerine Bowl - Pitt 34 N.C. State 17
2002 Insight Bowl - Pitt 38 Oregon State 13
2003 Continental Tire Bowl - Virginia 23 Pitt 16
2004 Fiesta Bowl - Utah 35 Pitt 7
2-0 in the Sun Bowl
Pitt's two previous trips to the Sun Bowl - both victories - have seen record-breaking performances from both the passing game and running game. The result is two former players (Alex Van Pelt, Tony Dorsett) and a coach (Johnny Majors) named to the "Legends of the Sun Bowl." The two previous Pitt teams to play in El Paso took completely different paths the following season.
Pitt's trip to the 1975 Sun Bowl against Kansas resulted in the Panthers' second-ever bowl win, and its first in nearly 40 years. Dave Wannstedt began his coaching trek that year, as it was his first year as a grad assistant under Johnny Majors. The Panthers saw a running performance that hasn't even been close to being duplicated. Three different players rushed for 100 yards in a 33-19 win. Tony Dorsett ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, but was joined by quarterback Robert Haygood (101 yards, 14 carries) and fullback Elliott Walker (123 yards, 11 carries). That set the tone for 1976, when the Panthers went on to win the national championship.
In the 1989 Sun Bowl, Pitt did it through the air, as freshman quarterback Alex Van Pelt threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Van Pelt brought the Panthers from behind, throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Henry Tuten with two minutes remaining. Pitt finished that season with eight wins, and wouldn't see another eight-win season for 13 years. They wouldn't see another bowl game for another eight years.
Pitt-Oregon State
Pitt is 1-0 all-time against the Beavers. The only meeting between the two teams came in the 2002 Insight Bowl, which resulted in a 38-13 win for the Panthers. Both teams were under different coaches at the time and both are now under former NFL coaches. Wannstedt of course had head coaching stints with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Mike Riley was a head coach for the San Diego Chargers. Riley is 4-0 in bowl games at Oregon State.
Pitt-Oregon State ties
Both schools recruit in completely different areas. While over 60 percent of Pitt's roster is from the state of Pennsylvania, Oregon State cannot say the same for its own state. Interestingly, the Beavers have more players from the state of California (39) than any other. 32 of OSU's players are from Oregon, followed by 14 from Hawaii. Pitt has 63 players from Pennsylvania.
Pitt has 14 players from Florida, while Oregon State has two. The Beavers also have two players from Ohio, while the Panther have five. Steve Dell and Cedric McGee are both natives of Fort Lauderdale, as is Oregon State's Chris Johnson. That is the lone tie between both rosters.
Scott Turner, Pitt's offensive graduate assistant, also served in the same capacity under Mike Riley at Oregon State in 2005.
Texas ties
This is Pitt's second trip to the Lone Star State this decade. The last time, a trip to Texas A&M in 2003, resulted in a win. In 10 previous games played in the state of Texas, including three bowl games, Pitt is 5-4-1. Here is a look every game the Panthers have played in Texas:
Nov. 3, 1951 - Rice 21 Pitt 13
Oct. 22, 1960 - Pitt 7 TCU 7
Sept. 29, 1962 - Pitt 24 Baylor 14
Sept. 26, 1970 - Pitt 15 Baylor 10
Dec. 26, 1975 - Pitt 33 Kansas 19 (Sun Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1983 - SMU 7 Pitt 3 (Cotton Bowl)
Dec. 31, 1987 - Texas 33 Pitt 27 (Bluebonnet Bowl)
Sept. 16, 1995 - Texas 38 Pitt 27
Sept. 13, 1997 - Pitt 35 Houston 24
Sept. 27, 2003 - Pitt 37 Texas A&M 26
While there are no players on Pitt's roster from Texas, Pitt's coaching staff does have extensive ties to the state.
Dave Wannstedt spent the first four seasons of his NFL coaching career as defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. He also recruited in Texas when he was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (1979-81), his first college gig after he left Pitt. Offensive line coach Tony Wise also coached in that same capacity with the Cowboys from 1989-92.
Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett is a native of Marshall, Texas, and played his college football at Texas A&M. He had two coaching stints as an assistant at TCU and Texas A&M, as well as a head coaching gig at SMU. Bennett's final college game was a win over Florida in the 1977 Sun Bowl.
Linebackers coach Joe Tumpkin previously served as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State and SMU before coming to Pitt this season.
Notable Pitt bowl records
Rushing yards: 202 - Tony Dorsett, 1976 Sugar Bowl
Rushing TDs: 2 - Tony Dorsett, 1975 Sun Bowl
Passing yards: 387 - Matt Cavanaugh, 1977 Gator Bowl
Passing TDs: 4 - Matt Cavanaugh, 1977 Gator Bowl
Longest Pass: 89 - Pete Gonzalez to Jake Hoffart, 1997 Liberty Bowl (also ranks as the second-longest passing play in school history)
Receptions: 10 - Gordon Jones, 1977 Gator Bowl
Receiving Yards: 163 - Gordon Jones, 197 Gator Bowl
Receiving TDs: 3 - Elliott Walker, 1977 Gator Bowl
Most Points Scored: 18 - Elliott Walker, 1977 Gator Bowl
Most Points Scored by a kicker: 13 - Dave Trout, 1977 Gator Bowl and Eric Schubert, 1979 Fiesta Bowl
Pitt opponent bowl record
Rushing yards: 145 - Robert Wilson, Texas A&M (1989 Sun Bowl)
Rushing TDs: 3 - Woody Green, Arizona State (1973 Fiesta Bowl)
Passing Yards: 368 - Brett Stafford, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl)
Passing TDs: 4 - Alex Smith, Utah (2004 Fiesta Bowl)
Receiving Yards: 242 - Tony Jones, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl)
Receiving TDs: 2 - Chris Anthony, Iowa State (2000 Insight.com Bowl), Tony Jones, Texas (1987 Bluebonnet Bowl), Paris Warren, Utah (2004 Fiesta Bowl)