BBVA COMPASS BOWL
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
vs.
MISSISSIPPI REBELS
Saturday, Jan. 5 • 1 p.m.
Legion Field (71,594/FieldTurf)
Birmingham, Ala.
Television - WATCH LIVE
ESPN
Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante and Paul Carcaterra
National Radio
ESPN Radio
Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer and Allison Williams
Pittsburgh Radio
KDKA-FM 93.7 (flagship)
THE GAME
Pittsburgh and Mississippi meet for the first time when the schools play in the BBVA Compass Bowl … The bowl pairs a BIG EAST representative against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference … The BIG EAST is 5-1 in the BBVA Compass Bowl with the lone loss coming last season, when SMU was a 28-6 winner against Pittsburgh … The city of Birmingham has a longstanding tradition of hosting postseason college football games — the Dixie Bowl was played in Birmingham from 1947-48; the Hall of Fame Classic (since renamed the Outback Bowl) was housed there from 1977-85 before moving to Tampa, Fla.; and the All-American Bowl took place in the city from 1986-90 … Pittsburgh is 12-2-2 all-time against current members of the SEC, while the Panthers are 1-0 against SEC schools in the BBVA Compass Bowl … Pittsburgh was a 27-10 winner against Kentucky in the 2011-12 game … Ole Miss is 0-1 against BIG EAST opponents in the postseason after falling to West Virginia in the 2000 Music City Bowl … Mississippi regularly played its road games against Alabama at Legion Field between 1965-77, but hasn’t played at the facility since then.
BBVA COMPASS BOWL HISTORY
12-23-06 USF 24, East Carolina 7
12-22-07 CINCINNATI 31, Southern Mississippi 21
12-29-08 RUTGERS 29, North Carolina State 23
1-2-10 CONNECTICUT 20, South Carolina 7
1-8-11 PITTSBURGH 27, Kentucky 10
1-7-12 SMU 28, PITTSBURGH 6
PITTSBURGH (6-6)
Head Coach
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin ’88)
6-6, first season
NOTES
Pittsburgh played its way into the postseason with wins in its last two regular-season games … The Panthers started the season at 2-4, but won four of their last six, including victories against Rutgers and USF to close the regular season … Pittsburgh is making its fifth consecutive postseason appearances and its 29th trip to a bowl game … The Panthers’ best performance of the season might well have been in one of its losses — Pitt dropped a 29-26 decision in triple-overtime against a Notre Dame squad that has since advanced to the BCS National Championship Game … Pittsburgh, which lists Dan Marino, Curtis Martin and Tony Dorsett among its alumni, has a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season for the first time in school history this year … QB Tino Sunseri has thrown for 3,103 yards with 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions … Sunseri has thrown 270 consecutive passes without an interception, which is the longest active streak in the nation … RB Ray Graham was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection after he rushed for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns in the regular season … WR Mike Shanahan and WR Devin Street were both named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team … Shanahan had 58 receptions for 926 yards and five touchdowns, while Street had 66 catches for 892 yards and four TDs … The Panthers have committed just eight turnovers, tying Ohio for the fewest nationally … Pittsburgh ranks 16th nationally in total defense (325.9 ypg) and 21st in points allowed (19.7 ppg) … DE Aaron Donald is an All-BIG EAST First Team choice who has a league-leading 18.5 tackles for loss … S Jason Hendrcks earned second-team honors after he led the conference with five interceptions.
2012 RESULTS
September
1 Youngstown State L 17-31
6 at CINCINNATI L 10-34
15 Virginia Tech W 35-17
22 Gardner-Webb W 55-10
October
5 at SYRACUSE L 13-14
13 LOUISVILLE L 35-45
20 at Buffalo W 20-6
27 TEMPLE W 47-17
November
3 at Notre Dame L 3ot 29-26
9 at CONNECTICUT L 17-24
24 RUTGERS W 27-6
December
1 at USF W 27-3
January
5 vs. Mississippi 1 p.m.
BIG EAST games in CAPS
MISSISSIPPI (6-6)
Head Coach
Hugh Freeze (Southern Mississippi ’92)
6-6, first season at Mississippi
36-13, fourth season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Mississippi earned bowl eligibility in its final regular-season game as the Rebels took a 41-24 win against No. 25/24 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl to finish the regular season at 6-6… Ole Miss went 2-10 last season, but improved by four wins in the first year under head coach Hugh Freeze … Freeze was originally hired at Ole Miss as the Rebels’ Assistant Athletics Director for Football External Affairs in 2005 before joining the coaching staff in 2006 … Freeze spent the 2011 season at the helm of Arkansas State, where he won the Sun Belt title … Ole Miss had dropped 14 straight SEC games prior to this season, but scored three league wins in 2012 … The Rebels are making their 34th postseason appearance, tying for 19th among NCAA Division I schools … Ole Miss is 21-12 in bowl games and ranks 13th all-time in bowl wins … The Rebels have won eight of their last nine bowl games … Mississippi ranks sixth nationally in tackles for loss, averaging 7.7 per game … Ole Miss had just one player recognized on the Associated Press All-SEC Team —LB Denzel Nkemdiche, who was a second-team choice … Nkemdiche leads the team with 78 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three interceptions … QB Bo Wallace has thrown for 2,843 yards and 19 touchdowns with 15 interceptions this season … Wallace also has rushed for 363 yards and eight touchdowns … QB Barry Brunetti, who has played in 11 games, competed in the BIG EAST at West Virginia before transferring to Ole Miss … RB Jeff Scott has rushed for 828 yards and six touchdowns and has 1,049 all-purpose yards … WR Donte Moncrief has 60 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns … The Rebels have allowed three special teams touchdowns this season.
2012 RESULTS
September
1 Central Arkansas W 49-27
8 UTEP W 28-10
15 Texas L 31-66
22 at Tulane W 39-0
29 at ALABAMA L 14-33
October
6 TEXAS A&M L 27-30
13 AUBURN W 41-20
27 at ARKANSAS W 30-27
November
3 at GEORGIA L 10-37
10 VANDERBILT L 26-27
17 at LSU L 35-41
24 MISSISSIPPI STATE W 41-24
January
5 vs. Pittsburgh 1 p.m.
Southeastern Conference games in CAPS
