ESPN College Football

Like we did for every week of the regular season, it's time to hit the rewind button and look back on the Big East postseason:

Team of the postseason: Connecticut. The Huskies took out an SEC opponent (South Carolina) in impressive fashion and finished the year with four straight wins. There was no better story in college football this season.

Best game: Pitt's 19-17 win over had all the requisite drama and a game-winning field goal in the final minute. Hard to believe, but it was the only Big East bowl game decided by fewer than 12 points.

Biggest play: Connecticut receiver Kashif Moore's one-handed, 37-yard touchdown grab from Zach Frazer in the first quarter against South Carolina. It was spectacular and set the tone for the Huskies' win.


Best call: Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt's two fourth-down decisions on the winning drive at the Meineke Car Care Bowl. First, he decided to go for it on fourth-and-one from his own 30 with half a quarter left instead of punting and playing defense. Bill Stull converted the quarterback sneak. Then on fourth-and-two from the North Carolina 30 with 1:56 left, Wannstedt sent out the field goal unit but hoped to draw the Tar Heels offsides. That's exactly what happened, and both plays helped Pitt string together an incredible 18-play, 79-yard, 8:47 drive to win the game.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Dion Lewis. How appropriate that the league's offensive MVP and freshman of the year also wins postseason Big Man on Campus honors. He deserves it after his 159 yards rushing on 28 carries and a touchdown against North Carolina.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): The UConn front seven. Can't single out just one guy in a dominating effort by the Huskies up front. South Carolina was shut out until scoring a touchdown with 3:24 left. The defensive line, led by tackle Kendall Reyes, looked fast and determined and was every bit as good as what the Gamecocks saw in the SEC. The linebackers, particularly Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson, made plays all over the field. And almost all of them return in '10.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Pitt's Dan Hutchins missed a field goal early but rebounded to hit four of them, including the 33-yard game-winner with 52 seconds left.

Worst hangover: Cincinnati, and not just because the Bearcats and their fans spent a week roaming the French Quarter. The biggest game in school history turned into possibly the biggest mismatch in a BCS game, as Florida staked a 37-3 lead and rolled to a 51-24 victory at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It will probably be a long time before we see those Cincinnati white helmets again. And it may be a while before a Big East team silences a skeptical public about its national title credentials.

Best timing: Rutgers senior linebacker Damaso Munoz had been kidded by his teammates for being one of the few Scarlet Knights' defenders who had never scored a touchdown. So with 2:18 left against Central Florida, Munoz corralled an onside kick and ran it back 35 yards to paydirt. He dived into the end zone and spiked the ball to cap his career.

Best off-the-field game: The backflip contest between South Florida defenders Jason Pierre-Paul and Kion Wilson before the International Bowl. Pierre-Paul won easily with a dazzling array of flips, and that athleticism is why NFL scouts drool over the still-raw defensive end. You can watch the whole thing here.

Strangest moment: At the end of three quarters, West Virginia tailback Noel Devine had rushed for 168 yards on 16 carries, including a 70-yard gain. And those numbers wouldn't change. Despite closing the gap on Florida State to 23-21 on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers never again gave the ball to their best offensive weapon. It's as if West Virginia coaches thought Devine had already opted to leave for the NFL before the fourth quarter began.

The bad news is there are no more Big East games in the 2009 season. The good news is you won't have to read any game predictions from me for another eight months.

I correctly predicted that the league would go 4-2 in its bowl games this season, but I didn't get all the wins and losses right. Here's a look at how my postseason predictions fared:

St. Petersburg Bowl

• My pick: Rutgers 21, Central Florida 17. I thought this would be a close, defensive struggle. Not so much, as the Scarlet Knights blew out the Knights 45-24.

Meineke Car Care Bowl

• My pick: Pitt 24, North Carolina 21. I rightly saw this one as a close game that would come down to the end. Pitt used a late field goal to win 19-17.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

• My pick: West Virginia 27, Florida State 25. I knew the Mountaineers would get a battle from the emotionally charged Seminoles. I didn't realize that they would completely stall after taking a 14-3 lead or fail to give the ball to Noel Devine in the fourth quarter in a 33-21 loss.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

• My pick: Florida 33, Cincinnati 21. My crystal ball was just a little off, as I had the right score for a New Year's Day game involving a Florida school versus the Big East, just the wrong game. Clearly I gave the Bearcats' defense way too much credit in this pick, as they lost 51-24.

International Bowl

• My pick: South Florida 31, Northern Illinois 16. I didn't think the Bulls would have too much trouble in this game. And after being tied 3-3 at the half, they pulled away for an easy 27-3 victory.

Papajohns.com Bowl

• My pick: South Carolina 34, UConn 28. I figured the Gamecocks would take advantage of Connecticut's shaky late-season defense, but instead the Huskies nearly pitched a shutout before giving up a late score in an impressive 20-7 win.

Some were close, some were way off. I'll try to do better next year.

Here's the final tally on 2009 picks from the ol' blog:

Regular season 57-11 (83.8 percent)

Bowl season: 4-2 (66.7 percent)

Total: 61-13 (82.4 percent)

The Big East is 2-for-2, and Pitt's 19-17 win over North Carolina was pretty impressive, considering it came in basically a road game in Charlotte at the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

The big news was that the Panthers notched their first 10-win season since 1981, though that Dan Marino-led team went 11-1 instead of 10-3. Still, it represents progress for Dave Wannstedt's program and gives Pitt something to build upon.

"Ten wins separates you, and I don't think these guys know what they have accomplished here tonight and probably won't for a few weeks or a month or however long," Wannstedt said. "I think that people know that we are back as a program, and you have to go out and prove it. You have to show up and you have to play and you have to win games like this."

On Wednesday, I presented three keys for Pitt in this game: Make North Carolina's offense work to score instead of giving up a special teams or defensive big play; protect quarterback Bill Stull against the heavy Tar Heels pass rush and get tight end Dorin Dickerson involved.

While North Carolina put together a couple of nice drives, its offense finished with just 264 total yards. Stull didn't throw any interceptions and Pitt didn't give up any damaging special teams plays. The Pitt offensive line yielded two sacks, but Stull had plenty of time most of the day and the Panthers won the battle up front. Dickerson had four catches for 21 yards but dropped a touchdown pass early. He just hasn't looked the same the last three games, and you have to wonder if he's fully healthy.

But Mike Shanahan stepped up with five big catches, including some tough ones over the middle, and it looks like he can be the key possession receiver to Jonathan Baldwin's deep threat next season. Combine that with another year from the amazing Dion Lewis, and that's an awfully good start for 2010, even if Pitt has to replace three offensive line starters and break in a new quarterback.

It was good way for the Panthers to end things after they lost their last two regular-season games in the final minute. Of course, they also beat UConn in the final seconds, so the odds probably worked out. This game will long be remembered by Pitt fans for the 17-play, 8:47 drive that led to the winning field goal. To do that against the No. 6 rated defense in the FBS was particularly special.

"The series or two before we came unglued a little bit," Wannstedt said. "We were not lined up, we were hurrying a bit, we had a bad snap, we had a penalty. So our guys went out there and there was no room for error. For our guys to go out there and complete that many plays in a row for the most part successfully says a lot about the focus and discipline of our kids."

Pittsburgh should wind up in the Top 15 and should be ranked to start next season despite some major personnel losses, including Stull, Dickerson, those O-linemen, defensive tackle Mick Williams, linebacker Adam Gunn and cornerback Aaron Berry. Junior defensive end Greg Romeus could opt for the NFL as well. But in addition to the offensive core I mentioned earlier, the Panthers still have rising young talent like linebacker Dan Mason, who grabbed a crucial interception at the goal line.

You have to make Pitt one of the early favorites in the Big East in 2010. Totally different feeling than after last year's Sun Bowl, huh?

Instant analysis of Pittsburgh's 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

How the game was won: It was a close, back-and-forth battle as you'd expect between two teams and two head coaches that are in many ways mirror images of each other.

Pitt trailed 17-16 when it took over on its own 5-yard line in the fourth quarter. The Panthers wisely put the burden on their running game and Dion Lewis, who to that point had been shut down in the second half. Lewis rushed for 58 yards on a 17-play, 8:47 drive that resulted in a Dan Hutchins 33-yard field goal with 52 seconds left. The Pitt defense then held off a final Tar Heels' drive.

Turning point: Hutchins lined up for a 47-yard attempt on fourth-and-two earlier in the drive. That was probably out of his range. But North Carolina was whistled for an offsides penalty, allowing Pitt to move closer and to eat up even more time.

Player of the game: Lewis. Despite a costly fumble through the end zone for a touchback in the first quarter, Lewis was still the best player on the field. He finished with 28 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown as he broke Tony Dorsett's freshman Pitt record for rushing in a season. Also credit the Pitt offensive line, which won the battle up front against the Tar Heels' No. 6 rated defense.

Unsung hero of the game: Mike Shanahan. The freshman receiver had five catches for 83 yards, and many of them were in crucial situations. He held onto a 13-yard grab on third-and-seven despite taking a big hit over the middle during Pitt's winning drive.

Best call: Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt often is criticized for being too conservative. But facing a 4th and 1 on his own 30 on that winning march, he trusted his offensive line instead of going the safe route and punting. Quarterback Bill Stull followed that line for a three-yard gain on a sneak.

What it means: Pitt reached the 10-win mark for the first time since 1981 and should finish the season in the Top 15. The victory was a relief after the Panthers lost their last two regular season games in the final minute and saw their BCS bowl chances slip away. Now they have some momentum to build upon for next season, when they should begin the year in the Top 25. And the Big East is off to a 2-0 start in the postseason.

Three keys for Pittsburgh in Saturday's Meineke Car Care Bowl against North Carolina:

1. Make the Tar Heels offense beat you: In other words, don't let North Carolina get points in non-traditional ways, which is one of its trademarks. The Tar Heels have seven non-offensive scores this season, including four interception returns for touchdowns. Their actual offense, however, is pretty pedestrian, ranking 106th nationally in total offense. Pitt quarterback Bill Stull was sure with the ball most of the season, but threw some costly interceptions in the last two games. Special teams have to be stronger than they were against Cincinnati. If it's up to T.J. Yates and the North Carolina offense to march the field continually, the Panthers should be in good shape.

2. Protect Stull: This one seems like an easy category for Pittsburgh to win, since it gave up just 13 sacks in 12 regular-season games. But North Carolina is terrific at rushing the passer, especially with defensive end Robert Quinn, who had 11 sacks on the year. The Tar Heels defensive line, like Pitt's, is athletic and aggressive and doesn't need much help from other blitzers to get to the quarterback. The Panthers need to be physical up front, get the running game going with Dion Lewis and allow Stull time to find his receivers downfield.

3. Get Dorin Dickerson involved: The senior tight end was one of Pitt's best weapons the first 10 games and was on pace for an All-American season. He disappeared in the final two games, catching only two passes total in losses to West Virginia and Cincinnati. Was he hurt, or did the team just forget about him? Without Dickerson's multi-dimensional skills, the Panthers offense becomes a lot more predictable. He'll be needed in this game to keep the North Carolina defense on its toes.

While preparing for Saturday's Meineke Car Care Bowl against North Carolina, Pittsburgh is practicing at Charlotte County Day High School. That happens to be the alma mater of Panthers sophomore linebacker Max Gruder.



When the team first got to the practice field, some high school boosters had signs with Gruder's number and picture waiting to greet them. Gruder's teammates gave him some grief about that, and when he boarded the post-practice bus, a sign and balloons were waiting in his seat.

Gruder's family has since moved to Tampa, but he still needs about 60 tickets for Saturday's game. He's thrilled to be in Charlotte and to see old friends.

"It's great to be back here," he said.

The question is, are the rest of the Panthers as excited as Gruder to be there? Pittsburgh, after all, was ranked in the Top 10 with two weeks left in the season. It had a 31-10 lead against Cincinnati in the regular-season finale with a BCS bid on the line.

But the Panthers (9-3) ended the year on a two-game losing streak. Instead of the Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl, they find themselves playing the day after Christmas against an 8-4 ACC team. The players insisted this week, though, that they're not down in the dumps.

"We were all very disappointed knowing that we had an opportunity to go to a BCS game and experience that," offensive guard John Malecki said. "But you can't dwell on the past. We're pretty much past all those negative feelings, and everybody is having a good time down here this week."

Dreams of a Big East title and BCS game slipped away. But Pitt still has the chance to finish with 10 wins, something the program hasn't done since 1981.

"Our only goal now is to get 10 wins," Gruder said. "That would be a great accomplishment. If we did that, you couldn't call this year a disappointment in any way."

To get there, Pitt will have to win a game that might feel a bit like an intrasquad scrimmage.

The Panthers' Dave Wannstedt and North Carolina head man Butch Davis coached together for 11 seasons at various college and NFL stops, and they work from mostly the same blueprint. Each runs a 4-3 defense predicated on the defensive line getting pressure on its own, and a pro-style offense. Pitt has had more dynamic offensive playmakers this season, while the Tar Heels have one of the best defenses in the country, statistically speaking.

"The similarities help a little bit when you're preparing, when you compare some of their players to our guys," Malecki said. "But you still have to go into the film room and try to pick up as many little tendencies as you can."

One similarity Pitt doesn't want to see is anything resembling last year's bowl game. In their first postseason appearance under Wannstedt, the Panthers produced a stink bomb while losing 3-0 to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.

"That stuck with us all offseason," Gruder said. "We cannot do that again."

So Pitt does have some reasons to be motivated for this game. Perhaps some more balloons on the pre-game bus ride could help some, too.

Previewing Saturday's Meineke Car Care Bowl between No. 17 Pittsburgh (9-3) and North Carolina (8-4):

WHO TO WATCH: Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis. North Carolina ranks ninth nationally in rush defense and has held nine of its 12 opponents to under 100 total rushing yards. Can Lewis and the Pitt offensive line break that trend? The superb freshman won Big East offensive MVP honors by running for 1,640 yards and 16 carries this season, including 207 yards on a whopping 47 carries in the season finale against Cincinnati. Lewis holds the key to Pitt's entire offensive game plan.

WHAT TO WATCH: The Tar Heels' defense has spectacular stats, ranking sixth nationally in total defense, third in tackles for loss and leading the nation in interception return yardage. But Pitt had the best offensive line in the Big East this season and averaged 33 points a game with dynamic weapons like Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin and Dorin Dickerson surrounding quarterback Bill Stull. Can Pitt hold off North Carolina pass rusher Robert Quinn and can Stull avoid turnovers? If so, the Panthers should score enough points to win against a Tar Heels offense that doesn't have a lot of big-time playmakers.

WHY TO WATCH: These two teams are mirror images of each other, as Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and North Carolina's Butch Davis are both defensive-minded Jimmy Johnson disciples. You'll see two pro-style offenses and attacking, 4-3 defenses with plenty of future pros on the field. Both teams spent several weeks in the Top 25, with North Carolina peaking at No. 19 and Pitt cracking the Top 10. And last year's Meineke Car Care Bowl featuring the Tar Heels and a Big East team (West Virginia) was one of the most entertaining games of bowl season.

PREDICTION: Pitt wins 24-21. The Panthers just have more offensive options than North Carolina and a good enough offensive line to slow down the Tar Heels' terrific defensive front. And the Pitt D-line, led by Big East co-defensive MVPs Mick Williams and Greg Romeus, should use speed to its advantage against North Carolina's big but slower offensive front.