Utah Utes football: Utes wary of No. 15 Panthers

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's first meeting with Pittsburgh went well — extremely well. The Utes recorded nine quarterback sacks in a 35-7 victory over the Panthers in the Fiesta Bowl a few years back.

On Thursday, the two teams meet again — kicking off the season at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Will the 24th-ranked Utes be as successful the second time around?

Maybe. Maybe not.

"This football team is much more talented than the '04 Pitt team that we played in the Fiesta Bowl," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "There's really no comparison as far as the talent level throughout the roster."

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, he added, has done a great job recruiting.

The 15th-ranked Panthers, who are favored to win the Big East Conference, have several talented players on their roster.

Sophomore running back Dion Lewis headlines the cast. He has rushed for 110 yards or more in eight straight games, finishing last season with 1,799 yards.

Whittingham compares the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Lewis to Oregon State star Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran for 101 yards and a touchdown against Utah in 2008.

"He's got great vision, great balance, and he's a powerful runner relative to his size," Whittingham said.

Utah's defense will be put to the test. The only player in Pitt history to have a better rushing season than Lewis' initial campaign was Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, who had 2,150 yards in 1976.

"(Lewis is) extremely patient. Watching him on film, he'll wait for his blocks to set up and he's very, very slippery," said Utah defensive end Christian Cox. "He's not extremely top-end fast, but he is quick, and he's tough to tackle. It's got to be a rat-tat-tat kind of game where all of us are going to have to hit him one at a time and just pile up on him."

The Panthers have a receiving threat, as well. Junior Jon Baldwin is among the program's all-time leaders in receptions and receiving yards.

This year's starting quarterback, though, lacks playing time. Sophomore Tino Sunseri appeared in just five games in 2009, completing 10 of the 17 passes he attempted.

"I have a lot of confidence in him. He understands what we are trying to do," said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. "He can make the play we need him to make. The only thing lacking, the obvious, is game experience."

Wannstedt added that Sunseri is a winner with great intangibles who will "be ready to go out there and compete Thursday."

The same is expected of Pitt's defense. The Panthers led the nation in sacks last season with 47 in 13 games. Defensive end Greg Romeus, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound senior, made eight of the stops and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Senior left end Jabaal Sheard is also a player of note.

"Pittsburgh's very good," Whittingham said. "That's the bottom line."

The Panthers are opening the season on the road for the first time since 1993.

Utes' season opener

No. 15 Pittsburgh at No. 24 Utah

Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Rice-Eccles Stadium

TV: Versus Radio: 700 AM

e-mail: dirk@desnews.com