Pittsburgh @ Akron preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2014 ) Akron 21, Pittsburgh 10

Pittsburgh first-year coach Pat Narduzzi came away with a 45-37 victory against his alma mater Youngstown State last week, but his troops were inconsistent on both offense and defense and lost reigning ACC Player of the Year running back James Conner for the season with a knee injury. With record-setting freshman Qadree Ollison taking over for Conner, the Panthers seek a more even effort and a second straight triumph Saturday when they travel less than two hours west to visit Akron and try to avenge a 21-10 setback last season.

Ollison entered last week’s contest in the third quarter after Conner and backup Chris James both went out with injuries, and he scampered 46 yards on his first carry. He went on to run for 207 yards on 16 carries, setting a school record for the most yards by a freshman in his Pitt debut. “I was obviously excited, but I wasn’t really thinking about, ‘Oh, my first run was (46) yards,’” Ollison said. “I was just doing what I could to help my team win.” Narduzzi, known for his top-flight defenses when he was the coordinator at Michigan State, watched his unit record six sacks against the Penguins – just 13 shy of its 2014 season total - but yield 407 yards without producing a turnover.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Pittsburgh -13

ABOUT AKRON (0-1): Coach Terry Bowden's crew is coming off a 41-3 loss to No. 17 Oklahoma last week. Kyle Pohl was only 6-of-17 passing for 88 yards against the Sooners while fellow quarterback Tra’Von Chapman, a former Panther, recorded a team-high 48 yards rushing on 14 carries. The defense, led by linebacker Dylan Evans and his 13 tackles, allowed 439 yards passing and 539 total yards – 313 more than the Zips offense generated.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (1-0): Conner is out for the season, but the Panthers welcome back star wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who was serving a suspension in the opener. Pitt couldn't put away a pesky Youngstown State team despite three 15-point leads in the second half, as the Penguins had two possessions late in the game down only eight points. The defense will be tested Saturday by Conor Hundley, who ran for a career-high 148 yards on 19 carries in the Zips’ triumph last season while Pohl threw for 193 yards and a TD.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 2-1.

2. Boyd has 163 career catches and needs only 40 more to pass Devin Street (2010-13) for the all-time school mark.

3. Pittsburgh junior QB Chad Voytik didn’t play particularly well against Youngstown State, completing 9-of-14 passes for 72 yards, including a 55-yard “lucky” TD to TE Scott Orndoff that was intended for another receiver.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 28, Akron 24