The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

November 25, 2008

Pitt is a fun team to watch, but ...

By Mickey Furfari

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said Tuesday that Pitt is a fun football team to watch, but he doesn’t know if the Panthers will be a fun team to play because they are very good.

The Mountaineers (7-3, 4-1) and the Panthers (7-3, 3-2) will clash at noon Friday before a capacity crowd of 65,000 at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. ABC will televise the action.

Stewart noted Pitt suffered a heartbreaking 28-21 loss at Big East leader Cincinnati last week and will be battling to get back on the winning track. WVU is coming off a 35-21 win at Louisville, thanks to five turnovers.

“They are at the same ledger we are, 7-3, and they have a fine team,” the Mountaineer coach said at his weekly press conference. “They’re up 60-37-3 (in the all-time series), and for West Virginians, that doesn’t sit well.”

He indicated that neither did last year’s shocking 13-9 setback at the hands of the 28-point underdog Panthers sit well with the WVU faithful.

“Let me assure you, Pitt has Bill Stewart’s and our coaching staff’s attention,” the head man said.

Center Mike Dent (neck) is still week-to-week, according to Stewart, and is not likely to see action. Others are nursing bumps and bruises, as are members of other teams this time of the year.

But Stewart thinks West Virginia is in fairly good physical condition and he expects the Panthers to be, too.

He is impressed by Pitt’s defense. He thinks coordinator Phil Bennett is a great coach and that Scott McKillop, an All-America linebacker, is really special.

“They schemed us very well last year, and I see that same type of scheme and same type of coaching on film that we saw last year,” he continued.

Stewart also praised Pitt running back LeSean McCoy, who rushed 38 times for 148 yards in last year’s contest.

“He ran through us and he’s special,” the coach said. “He’ll be tough to contain. He has balance. You have to hit him and stun him.”

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull has done a tremendous job, he noted.

“He is a great leader, and he has taken care of the ball.”

In talking about the WVU seniors, Stewart lauded long snapper Adam Hughes’ work with special teams.

“We have been blessed here at WVU taking a guy out of Princeton who wanted to play,” he said.

“He gave me film, and we gave him a shot. We have been very fortunate about our long snapping, and I pray we’re just as fortunate Friday. It’s a good success story, and we’ll miss him (after this season).”

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