PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
at
SYRACUSE ORANGE

Carrier Dome (49,262/FieldTurf)
Syracuse, N.Y.
Friday, October 5 • 7 p.m. • ESPN

Television - WATCH LIVE
ESPN — Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore and Jemele Hill

Pittsburgh Radio 
KDKA-FM 93.7 (flagship) 
Sirius 85; XM 85 

Syracuse Radio
WTKW-FM 99.5 (flagship)
Sirius 91; XM 91

THE GAME
The Pittsburgh-Syracuse rivalry dates to the 1916 season and the schools have met 67 times since then … The Panthers hold a 34-30-3 series lead and have won seven straight against the Orange, whose last win was a 38-31 double-overtime decision in 2004 … Pittsburgh was a 33-20 winner last year in the regular-season finale at Heinz Field.

PITTSBURGH (2-2, 0-1 BIG EAST)
Head Coach
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin ’88)
2-2, first season

NOTES
Pittsburgh enters Friday’s game as the winner of two straight, which has offset a two-game slide to start the 2012 season … The Panthers scored a combined 27 points in their first two games, but have scored 35 and 55 points, respectively, in their last two … Conversely, Pittsburgh had allowed 65 points in its first two, but has surrendered just 27 combined points in its last two outings … Pitt had 626 yards of offense in its win against Gardner-Webb and had 537 yards the previous week against Virginia Tech, marking the first time since 1999 that the Panthers had back-to-back 500-yard games … The Panthers are led by seniors at the skill positions, with RB Ray Graham averaging 90.5 rushing yards per game and QB Tino Sunseri leading the BIG EAST in pass efficiency (166.8) … Sunseri has thrown for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions in 119 attempts … WR Mike Shanahan is second in the BIG EAST in receiving yards (92.0 ypg) and has turned in back-to-back 100-yard games and back-to-back career highs … LB Shane Gordon has a team-high 28 tackles, while S Jarred Holley has 26 stops … S Jason Hendricks leads the BIG EAST with three interceptions.

SYRACUSE (1-3)
Head Coach
Doug Marrone (Syracuse ’91)
18-23, fourth season

NOTES
Syracuse enters Friday’s game on the heels of a 17-10 setback at Minnesota Sept. 22 … The Orange have played one of the nation’s more challenging schedules in the early season — Syracuse’s first four opponents are a combined 17-3 … Syracuse leads the BIG EAST in total offense (487.5 yards per game) …The Orange had scored at least 28 points in each of their first three games before finishing with 10 points in the loss to Minnesota … QB Ryan Nassib enters Friday’s game as the BIG EAST leader in passing, averaging 341.8 yards per game … Nassib has thrown for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions … WR Marcus Sales is the league leader in receptions (6.8 per game) and receiving yards (95.5 ypg) … WR Alec Lemon, meanwhile, is third in the BIG EAST in receptions (5.3 per game) and is Syracuse’s career leader in that category (145) … RB Jerome Smith has rushed for 227 yards this season, while RB Prince-Tyson Gulley has 182 rushing yards with two touchdowns … LB Dyshawn Davis has a team-high 26 tackles, while LB Siriki Diabate and LB Marquis Spruill have 25 tackles each … CB Keon Lyn has a team-leading five pass breakups.