SATURDAY
Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Kentucky (6-6), Noon (ESPN)
Line: Pittsburgh by 3 1/2.
Series Record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Pittsburgh is attempting to put a positive finish on a disappointing season that led to coach Dave Wannstedt’s forced resignation. Wannstedt will not be on the sideline for the game, though he was with the team during bowl practice. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, the former SMU head coach, will serve as interim coach for a program that soon will have its third coach in two months. Pitt hired Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, only to fire him after he was jailed in Indiana on a domestic violence charge. Kentucky is trying to finish with a winning record after losing three of its last five regular-season games under first-year coach Joker Phillips.
KEY MATCHUP
Pittsburgh’s pass rush against Kentucky QB Morgan Newton. Pitt, which ranks 24th in the nation with 2 1/2 sacks per game, will pressure Newton, a sophomore filling in as the starter after Mike Hartline was suspended following an arrest on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Newton started eight games as a freshman but has thrown for only 54 yards this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Pittsburgh: DE Jabaal Sheard has 19 1/2 sacks, including nine this season, when he was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He also forced four fumbles and had one recovery this season.
Kentucky: WR Randall Cobb already is Kentucky’s career leader with 37 touchdowns in 35 games. He’s had at least one rushing, passing or receiving in 11 of Kentucky’s 12 games this season. He ranks first in the SEC and second in the nation with 182.7 all-purpose yards per game, and leads the SEC with 79 catches for 955 yards and seven touchdowns.
FACTS & FIGURES
Pittsburgh is playing a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time since beating Tennessee 13-3 in 1983. Pitt is 8-1-2 against current SEC teams. … The Panthers, who closed the regular season by winning at Cincinnati, will try to win back-to-back games for the second time this season. … Kentucky is extending its school-record streak of consecutive bowl seasons to five. This is the Wildcats’ 15th bowl appearance. … Kentucky’s 6-6 season included a win over South Carolina one week after the Gamecocks upset then-No. 1 Alabama. … Kentucky has a plus-seven turnover ratio in wins and a minus-11 in losses. … Kentucky LB Danny Trevathan leads the SEC with 130 tackles.
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