Month: September 2010

Big East Football Previews- New Hampshire Wildcat @ Pittsburgh Panthers

Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 11   1 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.

Wildcats@ Panthers Lines by 5Dimes.com
Pointspread: Panthers – 24

‘Over/Under’ OFF

The New Hampshire Wildcats out of the 1AA Colonial Athletic Conference step up in class this Saturday afternoon when they take on the Pittsburgh Panthers out of the Big East.

New Hampshire opened their 2010 season with a convincing 33-3 win over Central Connecticut State, who is out of the IAA Northeast Conference. The Wildcats ran back the opening kick on their way to a 26-3 lead at the half and then called off the dogs in the second half in a game that amounted to nothing more than a brisk workout.

The Wildcats only passed the ball for 84 yards, but amassed 313 yards on the ground as they ran up and down the field against the outmanned Blue Devils. RB Dontra Peters did most of the damage running for 197 yards on just 19 carries.

Pittsburgh’s head coach Dave Wannstedt is still trying to figure out how his team let their season opener against Utah slip away. The Panthers came into the game as the No. 15 ranked school in the country, but a three point road dog to the Utes. The game ended in a push with Utah pulling out a 27-24 win in overtime.

Pitt drew first blood on RB Dion Lewis’s three yard  touchdown run in the first quarter but found them self trailing by seven heading into the fourth. They rallied to tie the game at 24 on Dan Hutchins’ 30 yard field goal near the end of regulation, but could not muster a score in overtime. QB Tino Sunseri was not spectacular, but he did complete 16-of-28 passes for 184 yards and one TD. Lewis finished the day with 75 yards on 25 carries.

The Wildcats are coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a lopsided 46-7 loss the Villanova in quarterfinals of the IAA playoffs. Those Wildcats went on to win the title. New Hampshire has a quality program that has compiled a 14-4 record over the past two seasons in a very competitive conference so stepping up to play a IA school is not that much of a stretch for this team.

The Panthers are 7-3 straight up in their last 10 games and are 6-3-1 against the spread. They are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS at home over their last five games. If not for a heartbreaking one point 45-44 loss to Cincinnati as a 1 ½ point home dog in the last game of the 2009 regular season, they would be defending Big East champs.

Pittsburgh has to be looking for someone to take out its frustrations on after last week’s loss but New Hampshire is not necessarily the team to do it against. The Wildcats are solid on both sides of the ball and more that capable of hanging in there against the big boys. The Panthers get the win but it will not be as easy as expected.

The Pick: New Hampshire +24

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David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.