Stull’s 2008 season ended with a 7-for-24 performance for 52 yards in a 3-0 Sun Bowl loss to Oregon State. Fans continued to boo him in the 2009 season opener, but he’s been effective and can help Pittsburgh improve to 10-1 for the first time since the Dan Marino-led team in 1981.
Iron-clad mismatch
The big game Auburn (7-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) couldn’t lose has become the one few think the Tigers can win. Alabama (11-0, 7-0) demolished a six-year Iron Bowl losing streak with last year’s 36-0 thrashing.
Now, the Crimson Tide is trying for a title trifecta: state, SEC, and national. Alabama faces No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game next week, with the winner securing a shot at the national title.
First things first.
“This is one of the best rivalry games in football, two great schools in a state that have had the opportunity to play for 100 years now,’’ Tide coach Nick Saban said.
Bearcat duo clicking
Tony Pike to Mardy Gilyard. One of the nation’s top pass-and-catch tandems is on the mend. The strong-armed quarterback is expected to run Cincinnati’s offense when the fifth-ranked Bearcats (10-0) host Illinois (3-7). That could mean another big day for his elusive senior receiver.
“The connection hasn’t gone anywhere,’’ said Gilyard, the Big East’s leading receiver. “All week we’ve been clicking. We’ve got our timing back. My man’s back again. He’s fully loaded and ready to throw.’’
Pike’s return will be the most intriguing element of an out-of-conference game for teams at the opposite ends of their leagues.
Shootout expected
Nevada (8-3, 7-0 Western Athletic Conference) has been on cruise control during an eight-game winning streak, averaging 446 yards on the ground and 52 points per game. The Wolf Pack put up 773 total yards against UNLV, the highest one-game output in the nation this season.
Bad news for the Pack: Boise State, tonight’s opponent, isn’t UNLV - or, for that matter, the rest of the soft WAC that Nevada has annihilated since losing to Notre Dame, Colorado State, and Missouri to begin the season.
Behind Kellen Moore, the nation’s passing efficiency leader with 33 touchdowns, Boise State (11-0, 6-0) leads the country in scoring at 44 points per game.
Runny Egg on tap
This year’s Egg Bowl matchup between No. 20 Mississippi (8-3, 4-3 SEC) and Mississippi State (4-7, 2-5) is a tough one for middle linebackers. Ole Miss features Dexter McCluster, who’s as hard to tackle as smoke. Then there’s Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon, who plays a lot like a runaway dump truck in a bad mood.
