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UConn hosts Pittsburgh in battle of star running backs

Dec 6, 2008 - 11:16 AM (23) Pittsburgh (8-3) at UConn (7-4), 12:00 pm EST

EAST HARTFORD, Connecticut (Ticker) -- Saturday's regular-season finale between Connecticut and No. 23 Pittsburgh will be a showcase for the top two running backs in the Big East Conference.

UConn's Donald Brown, the school's all-time leading rusher, enters the contest pacing the Football Bowl Subdivision with an average of 144.1 yards per game.

With 1,633 rushing yards this season, he needs only 97 to surpass the total of Iowa's Shonn Greene, who leads the nation with 1,729. The Hawkeyes have completed their season.

After a blistering pace in which he rushed for at least 107 yards in each of the Huskies' first eight games, the junior has been held under 100 yards in two of his last three contests.

Brown ran for 96 yards on 28 carries in the Huskies' last game, a 17-13 loss at South Florida on November 23.

On the other sidelined will be Pittsburgh sophomore running back LeSean McCoy, who rushed for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in last week's 19-15 win over rival West Virginia. McCoy increased his season total to 1,308 yards, good for 11th in the FBS.

McCoy is tied with Ball State's MiQuale Lewis for second in the FBS with 20 rushing touchdowns - one behind Michigan State's Javon Ringer.

The Panthers (8-3, 4-2) won last weekend's "Backyard Brawl" for the second straight year but had already been eliminated from the Big East Conference race.

Pittsburgh is aiming for only its second nine-win season in the last 25 years. The Panthers have not reached that mark since going 9-4 under Walt Harris in 2002.

Both the Huskies (7-4, 3-3) and Panthers will be looking to improve their bowl positions, with Pittsburgh eyeing either the Gator or Sun Bowl.