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Cincinnati tries to respond to defeat at Pittsburgh

Oct 20, 2007 - 10:38 AM No. 23 Cincinnati (6-1) at Pittsburgh (2-4) 12:00 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Brian Kelly now has to respond to defeat for the first time as Cincinnati's coach.

Kelly's 23rd-ranked Bearcats visit struggling Pittsburgh in a Big East Conference matchup on Saturday.

Last weekend, Cincinnati (6-1, 1-1 Big East) had its nine-game winning streak - briefly the longest in the nation - end with a 28-24 home setback to Louisville.

Ben Mauk threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns with an interception for the Bearcats, who fumbled twice in the red zone and mustered just three points after getting first-and-goal at the 2 in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers (2-4, 0-1) have dropped four straight contests since beating Football Championship Subdivision squad Grambling State on September 8.

Last Wednesday, Pittsburgh lost a 48-45 heartbreaker to Navy in overtime. The Panthers could have kicked a tying field goal on 4th-and-goal from the 2 but embattled coach Dave Wannstedt instead elected to go for the win. However, freshman Pat Bostick could not connect with tight end Darrell Strong, sealing the defeat.

Wannstedt has faced heavy criticism for the decision, especially since freshman LeSean McCoy had rushed for 165 yards and three TDs in the contest.

Pitt, which holds a 6-0 lead in the series, has beaten Cincinnati the past two years, 38-20 here and 33-15 at Cincinnati. They have played for the "River City Rivalry" trophy since resuming their series in 2005.

Pitt is in last place in the conference but just one game behind first-place south Florida and Connecticut.