usa today

[smazza]

SYRACUSE

INSIDE SLANT

Was that the Four Tops that could be heard on the Syracuse bus as the Orange left Wake Forest on Saturday?

Same old song?

That was a headline in the Syracuse Post-Standard Sunday after the Orange, looking for bigger and much better things after losing the last 10 games of last season, fell to Wake Forest, 20-10.

Before this battle with an ACC team was even played  and you know how Syracuse, snubbed by that league, likes to play well against its teams  the Orange players were talking about how last year was last year. Well, Saturday, last year quickly became this year, and another loss.

The Orange ran up a dreadful 136 yards of offense, the worst showing by the group since the 103 recorded in last year's opener against West Virginia. There was an 86-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter Saturday, and the Orange gained 65 yards on 42 plays the rest of the game.

Syracuse was a woeful 1-of-11 on third-down conversions.

Quarterback Perry Patterson, who had been looking forward to something better in his senior season, was just 5-of-18 for 45 yards, 1-of-5 in the second half.

More? There were two fumbled snaps between center Marvin McCall and Patterson, one leading to a huge turnover. "That was ridiculous," Patterson said.

The quarterback, playing his first game under new offensive coordinator Brian White, was under siege for most of the game, his receivers ran the wrong way and fell down. The Orange had 11 first downs.

This is better?

Than what?

More bad news: No. 16 Iowa invades the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: LB Kelvin Smith  He had 16 tackles, including 13 solos, which was as many as any three of his teammates combined.

KEEP AN EYE ON: WR Rice Moss  Even though he did drop a pass early, the junior caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Perry Patterson for Syracuse's only TD of the opening loss at Wake Forest.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "That turnover was a huge play. After we get a turnover in their territory ... we turn right back and ... we have a (sigh) ... anyway. That was very frustrating to me because I thought right here, here we go. It's 10-10 and we're going to get them. It didn't turn out that way."  Syracuse coach Greg Robinson after a fumbled snap cost the Orange a big chance at the Wake Forest 30-yard line this past Saturday.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: It's tough to pick anything good out of another loss, but safety Joe Fields, who finished last season as the starting quarterback, made eight tackles in his first game on defense.

P Brendan Carney  It's said when your punter is your best "offensive" player, but Carney averaged 43.3 yards a boot, his 53-yarder on his first try the 200th punt of his fine career.

LB Kelvin Smith had a career-high 16 tackles, his 13 solos as many as any three teammates combined.

DB Tanard Jackson had an interception that could have been a big one if the Orange had not fumbled the ensuing snap from center at the Wake Forest 30.

RB Curtis Brinkley  The sophomore got the start and gained 43 yards on five carries.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Just about everything. For one thing, you can't have your quarterback going 5-of-18 for 45 yards and expect to win any football games. Perry Patterson is a senior and the Orange faithful has to hope he gets it together  and No. 16 Iowa might be a tough place to start.

ROSTER REPORT: Punt returner Bruce Williams, who broke his right thumb two weeks ago and required surgery, tried to practice with a cast but couldn't make the game. He was replaced by 5-4 walk-on Max Meisel, who handled a pair of punts cleanly.

No game injuries were reported.

_____________________________________________________________

WEST VIRGINIA

INSIDE SLANT

Last year, Steve Slaton was a surprise  even to the West Virginia coaching staff, which had the talented freshman on the bench at the start of the season.

This year, Slaton is no longer surprising to anyone.

He's just great.

Slaton, who capped his freshman year by setting a Sugar Bowl record with 204 yards rushing, ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as the No. 5 Mountaineers disposed of in-state foe Marshall, 42-10, in the season opener for both teams.

"The line and I had a good game plan coming in and we just executed," Slaton said after the win. "I have been here a year and now know better what the coaches want. I make reads better and I recognize defensive schemes and what they are trying to do to stop me."

Marshall certainly couldn't stop Slaton or any other part of the West Virginia spread in the opener. The Mountaineers ran for 312 yards on 54 carries and Patrick White chipped in with 10-of-14 passing for 168 yards and two scores.

Scary note  if this passing game keeps coming on, watch out! "He's seeing the field very well," said WVU coach Rich Rodriguez. "Pat's got a great feel for the game. He's always had that. And as he continues to grow, I think he's going to get even more explosive in the passing game."

As we said, a scary thought.

Marshall coach Mark Snyder, talking about West Virginia, said, "West Virginia is a top-10 team. Their total depth is better than ours."

It's better than MOST.

The Mountaineers are all but certain to make it 2-0 next week with a win over visiting Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference  a 56-17 loser at Oregon State in its opener Thursday night.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Steve Slaton  Last year's freshman star followed his record 204-yard Sugar Bowl by running for 203 yards and two touchdowns in West Virginia's 42-10 win over Marshall.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Patrick White and his passing game  WVU coach Rich Rodriguez says White's passing is getting better and a 10-of-14 start in the opener is a step in the right direction.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The biggest thing was to get the win. It was a nice win at home. We had new guys starting and we had less unknowns this year than last year."  West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez after his team's opening victory.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The balance of the West Virginia offense  No, the Mountaineers didn't play a national power Saturday, but they did pile up 312 yards rushing and Patrick White threw for 168 more, tossing a pair of TDs to senior Brandon Myles. If this team can maintain anything close to that balance, it will at least live up to its No. 5 ranking.

RB Steve Slaton  After setting a Sugar Bowl record with 204 yards rushing to cap a 19-touchdown freshman season, the sophomore ran for 203 and two scores in the opener. It was the 17th time a West Virginia runner had gone for 200 yards in a game.

Redshirt freshman B Quinton Andrews  He picked up an interception in his first game.

Backup QB Jarrett Brown  Getting playing time in a blowout, he had a seven-yard TD run late in the game.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The Mountaineers were guilty of 11 penalties for 120 yards in the opener, something that can be costly against better competition.

WVU coach Rich Rodriguez wants to use more players in coming games. "We need to play more people on both sides of the ball," the coach said. "That's something we definitely need to correct."

ROSTER REPORT: Starting OT Damien Crissey sprained his left foot on the second drive of the game. "His foot is not broken, but they're worried about ligament damage," said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. "He couldn't put any weight on it."

Freshman FB Maxwell Anderson, who parked cars at West Virginia games last season, debuted and had a catch for five yards.

Around the Big East

CINCINNATI

INSIDE SLANT

There was no reason for anything but optimism concerning the Cincinnati program coming out of Saturday night's 31-0 win over 1-AA Eastern Kentucky.

OK, so there were only 18,792 fans at Nippert Stadium and the goal is clearly more than that. That's going to take some time in a pro-oriented town, but a game like this can be a step in the right direction.

It was the first shutout by a Cincy team in 123 games  dating to a 16-0 win over Virginia Tech on Sept. 16, 1995. It also marked the first time in 79 games EKU had been blanked.

"Just keeping them out of the end zone is a big thing," said Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio. "We can build on those types of things. That's a very special defensive unit."

And it will be put to a much tougher test next week, when the Bearcats host Pittsburgh and talented quarterback Tyler Palko in the conference opener for both teams (Pitt blasted Virginia on Saturday night).

Getting this opener in the books is huge for the Cats, who have to go to No. 1 Ohio State and No. 17 Virginia Tech after facing Pitt  and also has road games on the slate against No. 5 West Virginia and No. 13 Louisville. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Dantonio used both of his quarterbacks in the win over Eastern Kentucky  Dustin Grutza playing the first and third quarters (and one play in the fourth) and Nick Davila getting the second and fourth. "It worked out great," said wide receiver Bill Poland. Both of them completed passes and made the right reads and got the job done. If it continues to be like this, more power to both of them. It just makes our offense that much stronger."

Grutza was 9-for-15 for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Davila went 10-for-19 for 121 yards. Total interceptions? Zero.

But this night really belonged to the Cincy defense, which held EKU's three offensive stars in check to pitch the shutout.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: Tough one, but we're going with the entire Cincinnati defense.  These guys recorded the program's first shutout in 123 games, dating back to 1995. Yes, Eastern Kentucky is a 1-AA team  but the Colonels have offensive firepower and it was absent Saturday night.

KEEP AN EYE ON: This quarterback situation  Can it work with two? The old saying is, "If you have two No. 1 quarterbacks, you have none." But Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila combined to go a respectable 19-for-34 for 282 yards, a score  and no picks  in the opener.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "A shutout is a great thing for us. That shows how much our defense has improved from last year. We would get tired at the end of games, but our backups showed that we do have depth. That's great for building a defense."  Cincinnati defensive back Haruki Nakamura after his team blanked Eastern Kentucky in the season-opener, 31-0.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The Cincinnati defense stood out in the 31-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky, the Bearcats' first shutout in 11 years. The Colonels had minus-11 yards of total offense in the first quarter and had gained 60 by halftime before running up some late yards  the total of 250 the fewest allowed by a Cincy defense since the 2004 Ft. Worth Bowl, when Marshall had just 134. UC had three picks and limited EKU quarterback Josh Greco (last year's Ohio Valley Conference offensive player of the year) to 177 yards.

QBs Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila  Sharing the loaded, the two-headed QB monster was 19-for-34 for 282 yards, one touchdowns and no interceptions. "We came out and we were making plays, and then in third quarter we put the numbers up," said Grutza, the starter.

TE Brent Celek  Another big game for this special player, who hauled in six passes for a career-high 81 yards.

WR Dominick Goodman  Making the move from quarterback, the sophomore caught four passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

DBs Haruki Nakamura, Dominic Ross and DeAngelo Smith  All three had interceptions in the victory.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio can't be thrilled with 10 penalties for 106 yards. But when that's basically the only thing you can complain about, you've had a good night. "You can't argue with a shutout," said Dantonio.

We still think the QB position might need work  namely in coming up with a No. 1  but that has to be worked out.

ROSTER REPORT: No injuries were reported.

A total of 13 Bearcats played in their first college games in the opener against Eastern Kentucky.

_____________________________________________________________

CONNECTICUT

INSIDE SLANT

You would think a 52-7 victory in the opening game would be enough to make any coach smile  even if the win was recorded over a 1-AA team. Right?

In Randy Edsall's case, wrong!

"I thought our secondary play vs. the option was very, very poor," the Connecticut coach said after watching the films the day after his Huskies routed Rhode Island, their former Yankee Conference rival, in the season opener for both teams. "I thought they lacked the discipline and the focus that you need to have to play against an offensive team like that.

"I'm very disappointed in them. I didn't think our linebackers read their keys the way they should have. We've got a lot of work to do. We've got a lot of work to do defensively."

Edsall didn't pick on his offense. How could he? The Huskies ran up 567 yards against the overmatched Rams, 418 of them on the ground.

Hearing Edsall's comments, one can't help but think he's just trying to keep his guys motivated  not allowing them to think they're world beaters after they beat Rhode Island and with Wake Forest next on the schedule. After the Aug. 31 opener, the Huskies don't play again until Sept. 16, so the coach also needs something to hang his practice hat on.

But the Rams had 293 yards of offense, 198 on the ground  including five plays of 18 yards or more in the first half.

Offensively, Edsall watched quarterback D.J. Hernandez, the winner of the QB Derby, have a strong game. He saw his star running back, Terry Caulley, have a strong opener  and he saw 5-foot-6 junior Larry Taylor run all over the field. Taylor had 42 yards and a touchdown through the air, rushed for 62 yards, 52 of them on one scamper, and had 49 yards on a pair of punt returns.

"I thought we were efficient on offense, most especially in the first half," Edsall said after the game. "We were taking the ball and making plays. I wish we could have maybe held the ball a little longer to give our defense a break and a breather, but I'm not going to complain when we're putting points on the board."

Caulley, the real key to the offense, ran for 95 yards and a TD on 12 carries, moving into second place on the school's all-time rushing list. His 2,608 yards are just 18 shy of No. 1, Wilbur Gilliard. Lou Allen chipped in with 83 yards and a score on 15 carries and redshirt freshman Donald Brown had 118 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries when the game was in control.

UConn led 31-7 by the second quarter.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: WR Larry Taylor  All 5-6 and 165 pounds of him. After missing the second half of last season with a knee injury, Taylor had 42 yards and a touchdown through the air, rushed for 62 yards, including a 52-yarder, and had 49 yards on two punt returns.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Redshirt freshman RB Donald Brown  Playing in a mop-up role, Brown romped for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. With Terry Caulley now a senior, this guy could be the future in Storrs.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "This isn't the 2005 defense, or the 2004 defense. This is the 2006 defense and you've got to go out and earn your stripes. They haven't earned their stripes yet. I think they think they had their stripes already earned before they went out and played. I think that

[bulls96go]

where is USF?

[smazza]

usf is on main board

[smazza]

Around the Big East

CINCINNATI

INSIDE SLANT

Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio was talking about his football team heading into its game against Pittsburgh and stated the obvious.

“It sets the tone for the season,†the coach said. “We’ll see what we’ve got come Friday.â€Â

What he’s got is a 1-1 record as the Bearcats followed a big season-opening win over I-AA Eastern Kentucky with a 33-15 Big East loss to visiting Pittsburgh.

The 1-1 record is the good news. Cincinnati now must travel to face Ohio State and Virginia Tech, the start of a series of four road games against Top-25 teams that sits on this murderous 2006 schedule.

The Bearcats fell behind, 23-0, Friday night, made a run, got to within a big fourth-and-1 play of really making it a game, but failed – missing another chance to try to capture the hearts of a Cincinnati sports base that has the Reds in the middle of a wild card chase and the Bengals ready to open up the NFL season.

It's safe to say Friday night college football wasn't a big hit in Ohio.

The Bearcats drew 20,611 –- certainly not big-time college football numbers -– and you can only wonder what a victory in this Big East opener might have done for the program.

Now, Cincy is likely to return for its next home game –- Sept. 30 against Miami (Ohio) –- with a 1-3 record.

Think the locals will be charged up about that?

The Bearcats produced just 35 yards rushing on 30 carries, gave up three sacks and had 10 plays for negative yards in the Pitt loss.

“We just can’t make those types of mistakes next week at Ohio State,†said tight end Brent Celek, who dropped two passes, one a big one on third down in the second quarter.

Dantonio again went with two quarterbacks -– Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila –- but Grutza handled every snap in the first half and may have won the starting job when Davila delivered nothing on three second-half drives.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Dustin Grutza -– He didn’t win the game, but he may have won the starting job after going 21-of-35 for 189 yards and a touchdown while also shaking off sacks to net 22 rushing yards on six carries. He threw two interceptions but was clearly the better of the two quarterbacks in this conference loss.

KEEP AN EYE ON: WR Dominick Goodman had another big game, pulling down eight passes for 70 yards after catching two TD passes in the opener.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We cannot hurt ourselves. Pitt made some nice plays, but we cannot hurt ourselves. We gave up too many sacks, we were unable to run the ball in the second half. We got behind because of turnovers and had to start throwing it to get close at the end.†–-Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio after the Big East loss to Pitt at home Friday night

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: WR Dominick Goodman has emerged as a key offensive threat for the Bearcats. After catching two touchdown passes in the opening win over Eastern Kentucky, the former quarterback had a career-high eight catches for 70 yards in the loss to Pittsburgh.

QB Dustin Grutza -– His effort against Pitt, and the inability of Nick Davila to perform when he had the chance, probably put some separation between the two, making Grutza the clear leader in the early clubhouse. Grutza came up short on a fourth-and-1 late that could have changed the final outcome.

The Cincinnati run defense -– Granted, Pitt was missing starting running back LaRod Stephens-Howling, but giving up 90 yards on 35 rushing plays is not the kind of thing that loses football games.

STILL NEEDS WORK: Morale. We know the schedule won't change. Cincy coach Mark Dantonio can do all the work he wants in practice this week. He can correct the mistakes his team made in the loss to Pitt – and then the Bearcats have to go out and play the No. 1 team in the country, and then go to Virginia Tech. This schedule is a monster.

ROSTER REPORT: Cincinnati’s Brian Steel had a career-long 64-yard punt return.

_____________________________________________________________

CONNECTICUT

INSIDE SLANT

Having spent a week working on its own roster, Connecticut can now prepare for Wake Forest, which comes to East Hartford without its quarterback and having just barely survived a game against ACC doormat Duke.

UConn coach Randy Edsall, though, isn’t worried about Wake. He’s thinking more of his own team, and what it has to do to improve after a 52-7 rout of 1-AA Rhode Island in the opener.

While the final score indicates the differences between the two former Yankee Conference rivals, Edsall wasn’t thrilled with the way his defense handled the URI option offense. Basically, he called his defense out – and now the group will get a chance to respond against an ACC opponent as the Huskies look to go to 2-0.

“It hurt, but we take it as a challenge, when he gets on us like that,†defensive tackle Rhema Fuller said after hearing his coach’s words. “Whenever your coach points your unit out as the weak link of the team, you’ve got to take it as a challenge.â€Â

The Huskies came out of the opener in good physical shape, and now face Wake with the chance to make noise for the Big East against the ACC – in what amounts to a second opener for UConn because of the strange off week following the opener.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: The schedule maker –- The Huskies got a rare off week in the second week of the season after opening on a Thursday night. That gave them 15 days between games one and two.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB D.J. Hernandez –- The survivor of the battle for the position, Hernandez played well in the opener, but that was against a 1-AA team. Now, he has to face an ACC defense in Wake Forest.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think, if we come into the game, especially a home game, with the mentality of coming out pumped up like it’s the first game, I think good things can happen. When you have that adrenaline, when you have that crowd behind (you), it’s an amazing feeling and that’s how we’re going to approach it.†–-UConn RB Terry Caulley on having the home-crowd advantage.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: The UConn offense ran up 567 yards of total offense in the opening win over Rhode Island, 418 of those yards coming on the ground against the overmatched Rams.

RB Donald Brown -– Getting the chance to make his debut in the blowout, the redshirt freshman ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder. He later thanked starter Terry Caulley for helping see him through his debut.

DE Cody Brown –- Starting for the inured Jason Ward, he had six tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks, in his debut, earning the defensive game ball from his coach.

QB D.J. Hernandez -– Winning the starting job, he proved he belonged in the opener.

STILL NEEDS WORK: UConn coach Randy Edsall called out his defense after the opener, saying he wasn’t happy with the way it responded to the Rhode Island option attack. Now, UConn prepares for Wake Forest, which is without QB Ben Mauk, who broke his arm in that team’s opener.

ROSTER REPORT: TE Brent Murray will miss at least one more game with a sprained ankle –- UConn is hoping he can return for Indiana, Sept. 23.

“He’s progessing,†said Edsall. “He’s doing more and more each day in terms of the training room and things. He’s making progress but he’s not going to be ready for Wake Forest.†Murray was injured Aug. 21.

DE Jason Ward remains out with a broken bone in his foot, the injury suffered Aug. 7.

_____________________________________________________________

LOUISVILLE

INSIDE SLANT

We all knew how much Louisville was going to miss Michael Bush after the All-American broke his leg in the opening game of the season.

Everyone knew the running attack would suffer, that it would take away from quarterback Brian Brohm’s effectiveness because people just didn’t have to watch the run as closely with Bush gone.

Well, after one game, it’s clear the Cardinals are in serious trouble, right?

We were all wrong.

At least, that's how it looked against Temple, the first test Louisville faced after losing their star back. Life after Bush, though, was a roaring success as the No. 13 Cardinals ran away and hid in a 62-0 rout of what could be the worst team in I-A football.

“I think they’re pretty confident,†Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said after his replacements for Bush ran for six touchdowns. “They’ve played a lot of football games. It’s not like it’s new to them. We’re going to rotate them in and keep them fresh. They all do some good things.â€Â

George Stripling and Sergio Spencer (he didn’t even play in the opener against Kentucky) ran for two scores each and Kolby Smith and Deriontae Taylor both had one (as did guard Kurt Quarterman) as the Cardinals ran Temple off its own field – Louisville first shutout in two years. The running backs by committee had over 300 yards on the ground.

Last year, with Brohm and Bush, the Cardinals had 56 points or more four times. Now, they’ve done it – one with Bush, for a half – and once without the star in both games this season.

But the fun and games of facing also-rans Kentucky and Temple end this week.

A major challenge, No. 17 Miami, calls Louisville this week. The Hurricanes are a different kind of animal, especially on defense.

And Louisville suffered another key injury in this win - CB Rod Council breaking his left ankle. The Cards’ best cover corner will be out a month.

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: The Louisville running game –- With Michael Bush gone for the year, George Stripling and Sergio Spencer both scored twice and Kolby Smith and Deriontae Taylor had one apiece in the 62-0 rout of Temple. We'd be remiss not to mention OG Kurt Quarterman also scored on a one-yard burst.

KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Brian Brohm –- Miami’s coming. This won’t be Kentucky or Temple, as Brohm will be put to a severe test when the Hurricanes blow into Papa John's Stadium next Saturday.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We’ve got a lot of guys who know the system and can run the football real hard. (That) combination of guys will help us keep a strong running game.†–-Louisville QB Brian Brohm talking about the group trying to replace injured star Michael Bush

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: Just about everything in a 62-0 blasting of perhaps the worst team in 1-A football. The Cardinals ran up 671 yards of total offense, the second-most in the Bobby Petrino era -– and recorded the program’s first shutout in two years. “We came out and dominated the whole game,†said linebacker Nate Harris. “I told my teammates to dominate who you’re supposed to dominate.â€Â

QB Brian Brohm –- He threw for 307 yards and a touchdown, a 57-yarder to Mario Urruitia.

WR Mario Urrutia -– The aforementioned pass catcher grabbed five, for 110 yards and that score.

The RBs -– Take your pick, George Stripling and Sergio Spencer led the way with two TDs each.

K Art Carmody –- He kicked a career-best 51-yard field goal, topping his old best by four yards.

OG Kurt Quarterman -– The Fridge II? He scored his fourth career TD with a 1-yard run.

STILL NEEDS WORK: The ground attack  The numbers have been nice, but this group is still a group that doesn’t have Michael Bush and Miami has to be intent on showing them that.

ROSTER REPORT: After losing Michael Bush for the season in the opener, the Cardinals lost Rod Council, their best cover corner, for a month to a broken left ankle.

“We can’t lose any more,†said Petrino, who will use Gavin Smart, Bobby Buchanan and Travis Norton to get the job done there. “I don’t know what’s going on. We’ve been healthy most of the time since I’ve been here, knock on wood.â€Â

â€â€RB Kolby Smith, who had 86 yards and a TD while in the game, left with a minor wrist injury. He's expected to play against the Hurricanes this week.

_____________________________________________________________

PITTSBURGH

INSIDE SLANT

Dave Wannstedt had a feeling his second Pitt team would be better than his first.

Wannstedt said he and his coaching staff learned a lot about their players. As last year wore on after a tough start, he said the players also got to know the coaches better.

The whole picture was brighter.

And after two weeks, the Panthers, who started out 1-4 last year, are 2-0.

Heck, they’ve even done something last year’s team didn’t do all year -– won a game on the road.

Michigan State visits this week, when Pitt has a chance at the program’s first 3-0 start since 2000.

“You can’t win three games unless you get two,†Wannstedt said after Friday night’s 33-15 Big East win at Cincinnati. “This sure beats a year ago.

“Our defense was outstanding. We came up with a couple of turnovers, the big stop at the end. We got tired out there but we found a way.â€Â

The Panthers, who beat Virginia handily in Week 1, built a 23-0 lead in this one and then had to hold off the determined home team, the “big stop†was stuffing Cincy quarterback Dustin Grutza on a fourth-and-1 as the Bearcats were hoping to get to within three points late in the game.

Last year, on the road, the Panthers probably would have been burned by that play – and more. This year, so far, anyway, has been different.

Pitt yielded just 35 net yards on 30 carries, the best defense against the run by a Panther team since Oregon State netted just eight yards in the 2002 Insight Bowl.

The Panthers, who survived despite committing three turnovers, went into Cincinnati for this nationally-televised game without lead runner LaRod Stephens-Howling (ankle) and still managed to do something they couldn’t do last year –- win on Friday night (0-2 last year).

NOTES, QUOTES

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Tyler Palko –- OK, the percentage wasn’t great  Palko going 11-of-21. But playing without his starting running back, the lefty threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns and led the offense to a 23-0 lead. He has six TD passes in two games, and his 80-yarder to Derek Kinder tied Palko’s career best.

KEEP AN EYE ON: The Pitt defensive front. “We played nine guys up front again, and they all made a lot of plays,†said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. “It is a real good group, but the exciting thing is they are all just going to get better. We’ve given up less than 100 yards rushing in two games and we talk a lot about the speed on defense, but those linemen are making plays and, when our linebackers don’t have to make every tackle, it means you are playing better run defense.†The Panthers yielded a net rushing total of only 35 yards on 30 carries, with three sacks taking 16 yards off the actual ground total.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “That was a heck of a win for us. Our guys never quit. The heart of this team is what you are looking for, but I told them [that if] you turn it over three times next week against Michigan State, we’ll get run out of the stadium.†-– Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt after his team’s win at Cincinnati.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

LOOKING GOOD: QB Tyler Palko needed to have a big senior season with his own future and that of the program on the line. He threw three more touchdown passes in the win at Cincinnati, hitting seven different receivers for 267 yards passing. After two interceptions in the opener, he had none this week.

WR Derek Kinder -– Maybe there’s nothing to worry about with this group of pass catchers. Kinder caught an 80-yard TD pass