NCAA Football
2013-01-05 - Pittsburgh Panthers at Mississippi Rebels
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NCAA Football
Saturday 5 January 2013 - Kick Off 1pm
6pm (British Time)
Preview
These two teams come into this Bowl Game with different recent histories. The Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6) are playing in the same Bowl Game for the third season in succession, while Ole Miss Rebels (6-6) are playing in the post-season for the first time since 2009.
Pittsburgh were a disappointing 3-4 in Big East Conference play before they leave to join the ACC, but they have felt confident coming into this Bowl Game that things are falling into place having gone 2-1 against ranked teams this season. Their only loss came in triple overtime against Notre Dame as they came as close as anyone to knocking off the Fighting Irish this season.
The Mississippi Rebels won't be any less confident than Pittsburgh as they had a much improved season having gone 2-10 last season with 8 straight losses in the SEC. This year, they went 3-5 in Conference play which is a big improvement under Hugh Freeze's guidance for the first year.
One key to the game could be whether Bo Wallace is healthy enough to Quarter Back the Rebels in this game with his status set to questionable. Wallace has thrown 19 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions this season, while he also added a team high of 8 touchdowns on the ground.
Wallace would have a tough match up anyway as the Pittsburgh Defense is giving up less than 200 yards per game through the air, while the Offensive Line has struggled to keep him upright. Pittsburgh should be able to generate some pressure on the Quarter Back and that could lead to turnovers for the Ole Miss Offense.
To try and help out the Offensive Line, Ole Miss will give the ball to Jeff Scott and hope he can get the running game established. The Rebels have average 169 yards per game on the ground, but the Panthers have been pretty stout against the run while only giving up 3.8 yards per clip.
If Bo Wallace is out, this could be a real problem for Ole Miss and it will be up to the Defense to step up and try and make life difficult for the Pittsburgh Offense.
Tino Sunseri is the Quarter Back for Pittsburgh and he does seem to have a good match up in this one- he has thrown 19 touchdown passes this season and only 2 interceptions to have a career season this year. He is up against a Defense that has allowed 250 yards per game through the air, but Sunseri will still have to be a little careful.
That is because his Offensive Line has really struggled at times this season and they are now up against a Rebels Defensive Line that does get a lot of pressure on the Quarter Back. Sunseri will need to hand the ball off to Ray Graham and get the Running Back going to slow down any pass rush he faces and to keep him out of third and long situations.
Graham has 11 touchdowns on the ground this season and is considered one of the top Backs in the nation. He has helped Pittsburgh secure 137 yards per game on the ground and they should be able to at least reach that mark in this one. With Graham establishing a rushing attack, Pittsburgh should be able to move the chains from short yardage situations through Sunseri.
Head to Head
This is the first time Ole Miss will play Pittsburgh.
Prediction
The SEC teams have been a mixed bag in the off-season so far with some decent wins and some disappointing losses.
This looks like a really close game, and the edge could really go to Pittsburgh if Bo Wallace does not get to play the whole game.
However you look at it, being given more than a field goal looks a touch too much and I'll back the underdog Panthers to keep this close.
The Pick :
Mississippi Rebels 23-20 Pittsburgh Panthers
