 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
|
By Brian Nowicki The Toledo Rockets travel to Pittsburgh this Saturday to take on the Pitt Panthers out of the Big East conference. The series is tied at 1-1 with Pitt defeating Toledo 37-19 in Pittsburgh in 2002 and the Rockets defeating Pitt 35-31 at the Glass Bowl in 2003. Pitt was ranked 9th in the country coming into that game in 2003. Toledo became the first MAC school to defeat Pitt. Gametime is scheduled for Noon EST. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Dave Armstrong will have the play by play with Mike Tomczak as the analyst. Unfortunately ESPNU is not carried on Buckeye Cablesystem. The game can also be heard on WSPD AM1370 with Mark Beier doing the play-by-play, former UT quarterback AJ Sager as color analyst, and Brad Fanning on the sidelines. Pregame on WSPD begins at 10:00am. After last Saturday's 41-7 victory over McNeese State, the Rockets improved to 36-2 in their last 38 home games. Head coach Tom Amstutz is 47-20 since becoming the head coach at Toledo in 2001. With one more victory he will tie the legendary Frank Lauterbur for 3rd on the all-time victories list at Toledo. Dan Simrell is second with 50 victories and Gary Pinkel is first on the list with 73 victories. Pittsburgh Game Comments Coach Amstutz: On Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt - "He's a very experienced coach and I am gonna try and get his autograph before the game." On what stands out about Pittsburgh - "They are a football team that has a lot of team speed. It's really going to be a huge challenge and a very tough game for us." On the Pitt defense - "I watched their defense and they fly around the field. They have outstanding skilled players. They have HB Blades, an All-American linebacker. Their defense is fast and they are very physical." On the Pitt offense - "Offensively you have to start with Tyler Palko, their quarterback. He leads the nation in passing percentage. He's really hot right now and he is a very experienced quarterback. They have outstanding receivers that make big plays." On playing on the road against a BCS team - "It's always a challenge whenever you go on the road. We are going into their territory on their field. We need to get into a rhythm and stay close early in the game and see if we can have a chance at the end." On the status of QB Clint Cochran - "He practiced yesterday and we will evaluate him all week long." On the status of FS Tyrrell Herbert - "He's back and ready to go." Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |