Colleges: Pittsburgh
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Pittsburgh will face SMU in its second straight trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl.
Bowl officials announced the matchup Sunday for the Jan. 7 game at Legion Field.
Pittsburgh beat Kentucky 27-10 last season in the first game after coach Dave Wannstedt was forced to resign. Now, his replacement, Todd Graham, must replace three assistants who have left the program to pursue other jobs, including co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee.
Pittsburgh is making its fourth straight postseason appearance out of the Big East while coach June Jones has led SMU to three bowls in a row.
The two teams have split their first five meetings, 2-2-1. SMU, out of Conference USA, won their only other postseason matchup 7-3 in the 1983 Cotton Bowl.
Baylor has selected veteran Phil Bennett as its new defensive coordinator, Bears’ head coach Art Briles announced Friday.More to come on ESPNDallas.com
Bennett, respected nationwide for his experience and defensive mind, was appointed interim head coach at the University of Pittsburgh after last month’s departure of Dave Wannstedt and will coach the Panthers in Saturday’s BBVA Compass Bowl game in Birmingham against Kentucky before heading to Waco.
“I am extremely honored and excited that Phil is ready to begin his journey and continue ours at Baylor University,” Briles said. “He brings a proven track record to Baylor, and enjoys tremendous respect nationally for his work on the defensive side of the ball. But aside from that, Phil is a great man, a great professional and is very loyal to the people and the profession.”
A native of Marshall, Texas, Bennett is a 32-year coaching veteran who has served as defensive coordinator at seven schools and was head coach at SMU for six seasons. He has coordinated defenses in the Big East, Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and Big Eight.
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Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Stars and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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