18 Jan 11 Miami Hurricanes Favored at Pitt

Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesCollege football kicks off this week with a marquee match-up between the No. 19-ranked Miami Hurricanes and the Pitt Panthers on Thursday night. Both teams have had two weeks to prepare for this important non-conference showdown. Miami enters the game with a 1-1 record with their loss Minnesota Vikings
coming at Ohio State 36-24. Pitt lost a heartbreaker at Utah in their opener, but picked up their first win of the young season versus New Hampshire. The college football lines show that Miami is a four-point favorite on the road.Miami has showed signs of returning to national prominence under Randy Shannon, but cannot seem to turn the corner. Too many mistakes were made at Ohio State to pull off the key win on the road. Star quarterback Jacory Harris was intercepted four times in his 39 pass attempts, which ultimately decided the game. The junior is completing 63 percent of his passes for 442 yards and four touchdowns. Cutting down on the turnovers is going to be a must if the Canes want to contend in the wide open ACC. Damien Berry leads the team in rushing with 139 yards on 22 carries. He is averaging over six yards per attempt and is still looking for his first touchdown. Lamar Miller and Mike James have each scored once out of the backfield. Miami features an explosive group of wide receivers that can change the outcome of games. Leonard Hankerson has gotten off to a fast start with 13 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Harris and Hankerson form one of the better combinations in the nation. Travis Benjamin and Aldarius Johnson have pitched in with eight catches for over 100 yards. Miamidefense allowed over 400 yards of total offense to the Buckeyes and struggled equally against both the run and pass. They will need to focus on slowing down Pitt running back Dion Lewis.Suffering a loss in Week 1 is not ideal for any team, but ground can be made up throughout the season. Pitt will get a chance to do exactly that against a strong Miami team. Sophomore running back Dion Lewis has slumped through the first two games, averaging under 3 New England Patriots jersey
yards per carry. Lewis has 35 attempts for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He is being keyed on by opposing defenses making room to run much tougher to come by. Ray Graham has done a nice job in relief of Lewis, gaining 115 yards on nine carries and scoring twice. A big question mark for the Panthers was at the quarterback position coming into the season. Tino Sunseri won the job and has played ok early on. He has thrown for 459 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. At times in the Utah game Sunseri looked loss, but he almost brought them back in a rowdy environment. Wide receiver Jon Baldwin is an All-American candidate that will likely be a first round draft pick in the NFL. The 6-5 junior has snagged ten passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Mike Shanahan has seven receptions for 89 yards. Pittdefense will be without talented defensive end Greg Romeus.This will be the first meeting between these two schools since Miami left the Big East in 2003. The Hurricanes won six straight prior to theirNew Orleans Saints jersey
departure and have outgained Pitt by an average of 185 yards in five of their past six games. Miamispeed has trumped the physical style of play Pitt relies on. Four points is a good number to get in a game that should be tightly contested. Take the points in this one. Play: Pitt +4Donwait to sign up for premium football picks from Jimmy Boyd and company! No site gives our more winners than Locksmith Sports Picks.