After the first three weeks of the season for the Pitt Panthers, it might be fair to say the running game is firing on all cylinders. The Panthers are fourth in the NCAA in total rushing yards (1,033) and rushing average per game (344.3), and only Arkansas has better numbers among BCS conference teams.
A combination of outstanding play by the Panthers offensive line, and the workmanlike efforts of sophomore James Conner, have made the Pitt rushing attack an unstoppable force. Conner leads the NCAA in rushing yards (544) and touchdowns scored (8) and suddenly Conner is being mentioned as a possible dark horse candidate for the Heisman trophy.
We all know that in order for Conner to have any realistic chance of being in the mix for college football’s most prestigious award, the Panthers will need to continue their winning ways. Off to their first 3-0 start since 2009, the Panthers will face a much more difficult task at home against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Though the Hawkeyes come to Heinz Field with a 2-1 record, they struggled to beat Ball State and Northern Iowa at home, and lost in heartbreaking fashion to hated rival Iowa State last weekend at Kinnick Stadium.
However, if the Hawkeyes have an strength after the first three weeks the season, it is their rushing defense. Though the competition has been shaky, the Hawkeye rush defense is ranked ninth nationally, giving up a mere 57 yards per game. Season statistics can be skewed due to many teams playing easier non-conference tilts early on, but regardless, the Hawkeyes have proven to be tough against the run so far.
With a passing attack that is still developing under first year quarterback Chad Voytik, it seems likely the Hawkeyes will make every effort to stop Conner and company. After a three week stretch so impressive that it broke the great Tony Dorsett’s record for most yards over a three game span set in 1973, it will be interesting to see if the Hawkeyes can limit Conner.
This will be Iowa’s first road test of the season, and with the physical Conner, along with an offensive line that is starting to solicit comparisons to the outstanding lines at the University of Wisconsin, the rushing defense of the Hawkeyes will have their hands full.
If Conner can put together another type of game like his last three, the “Conner for Heisman” talk might get louder, and the Panthers might just crack the top-25 rankings.
