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FACTS & STATS: Site: Rutgers Stadium (52,454) -- Piscataway, New Jersey. Television:ESPN. Home Record: Pitt 3-0, Rutgers 3-1. Away Record: Pitt 2-1, Rutgers 1-0. Neutral Record: Pitt 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Conference Record: Pitt 2-0, Rutgers 0-1. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 19-7.

GAME NOTES: A pair of one-loss teams hook up in Piscataway this Friday, as the Pittsburgh Panthers clash with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a key Big East matchup.

Pittsburgh enters the contest on a high note, using a last-second field goal to cap a 24-21 come from behind victory over UConn this past weekend. The win was the second in as many Big East games for Pitt, which is off to a 5-1 overall start for the fifth time this decade. The Panthers, whose lone loss came to NC State, are on pace for a highly successful campaign, especially since a majority of their remaining games will be played at home.

As for Rutgers, it has won four consecutive outings following a season and league opening defeat to Cincinnati (47-15). Two of the team's wins however, have come against FCS members, including a 42-0 blanking of Texas Southern this past weekend. It marked the program's 600th all-time win, as the Knights have now recorded at least one shutout in four straight seasons.

Rutgers and Pitt are meeting for the 27th time this weekend, with the Panthers holding a 19-7 edge in the series. The Knights, however, have won the past four meetings with Pitt, including a 54-34 triumph last season.

The Panthers scored the last 18 points of the contest, as they rallied from a 21-6 third-quarter deficit for a 24-21 win over UConn this past weekend. Quarterback Bill Stull threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson midway through the fourth quarter and then converted a two-point try to tie the game at 21-21. The gunslinger than led the team on a 13-play, 74-yard drive over the final 6:14 to set up a game-winning 18-yard field goal by Dan Hutchins as time expired. Stull was picked twice in the game, but stepped up when he needed to and finished with 268 yards and two scores on 21-of-31 tosses. It was a gritty performance by Stull, who has thrown for 1,256 yards, with 13 touchdowns against a mere three picks on the season. Jonathan Baldwin has been one of his favorite targets with a team-high 532 receiving yards on the season, but Dickerson has also been utilized and he paces the club with seven touchdown catches. Dickerson caught his lone pass for a touchdown last weekend, while Baldwin led the way with eight receptions for 104 yards and a score of his own. In the backfield, Dion Lewis ran wild against UConn's stingy defense, racking up 158 yards on 24 carries. Lewis continues to provide stability to the ground game, which is averaging 166.5 ypg, as he has rushed for 738 yards and seven scores on the year.

Pittsburgh's defense gave up a long 79-yard touchdown pass early in the game, but aside from that, the unit was stout in the team's win over UConn last weekend. The Panthers allowed just 303 total yards, below their season average of 335.8 ypg, and recorded three sacks and one takeaway in the win. More importantly, the defense didn't allow a single point in the fourth quarter and has permitted just 28 points in the final period all season long. Adam Gunn paced the team with 10 stops and Max Gruder added eight tackles in the win. For the season, Gunn has 33 tackles to go with five sacks for a defense that has recorded an eye-popping 26 sacks already. Greg Romeus has played a big part in the team's ability to bring down quarterbacks, as he heads the squad with seven sacks, including one last weekend.

As expected, the Knights had their way with Texas Southern over the weekend, gaining 417 total yards in a blowout win. Rutgers, which is averaging 183.0 rushing ypg on the year, dominated up front and gained 253 yards on the ground in the win. True freshman De'Antwan Williams showcased his talent with the game out of reach and led the team with 132 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown run. Joe Martinek added 52 yards and a pair of scores on eight carries and he continues to lead Rutgers with 411 rushing yards on the season. At quarterback, Tom Savage got the start and threw for 150 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-21 pass attempts. It was a nice effort by Savage, who hasn't put up big numbers, but has thrown four touchdowns against no interceptions. Tim Brown is clearly the go-to-guy in the passing game and he has 21 catches and 452 receiving yards on the year. Last weekend, Brown went for 94 yards and a touchdown behind six receptions.

Rutgers owns one of the top defenses in the Big East and that unit was at its best last weekend, limiting Texas Southern to a measly 126 yards of total offense. The Knights held Texas Southern to negative-25 yards on the ground and they are now giving up just 65.2 rushing ypg on the season. The defense even came up with four takeaways, one of which was an interception return for a touchdown, and seven sacks in the shutout. Rutgers has been able to make big plays on this side of the ball and has registered 16 turnovers (eight INTs) and 18 sacks thus far. Jonathan Freeny leads the Knights in sacks with 6.5 and that includes 2.5 last weekend. He has recorded multiple sacks in three of five games this season.

This is shaping up to be a typical Big East battle between a pair of teams with good defenses. The Knights have the edge playing at home and should be able to come out on top behind their ground game and stingy defense.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Rutgers 24, Pittsburgh 20