Pitt has its own problems

If Iowa can put Saturday's triple-overtime loss to Iowa State in the rear-view mirror, it will see a Big East team headed to Kinnick Stadium that wasn't exactly a ball of fire over the weekend itself.

Pittsburgh muddled through a 35-29 win over FCS Maine Saturday at Heinz Field. Quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 21 of 35 passes for 224 yards and two interceptions. He was booed by some in the crowd of 41,230.

Sunseri was replaced in the fourth quarter by Trey Anderson, who led the Panthers on their final touchdown drive, but Pitt won't be changing starters this week.

"We just didn't play good," first-year Pitt Coach Todd Graham said. "We made a lot of mental errors, and I'm not going to make excuses for anything and I'm going to tell you who is responsible for that -- it is the guy you are looking at. Period."

Penn State played a good team Saturday in State College. And got drubbed. It was Alabama 27, Nittany Lions 11.

Penn State has "sideline/booth dysfunction" too often according to David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot-News. The Nittany Lions' 27-11 home loss to Penn State Saturday only added to the Lions' startlingly poor record against elite teams over the last six years.

Jones writes:

The problem lately with Penn State football is, those fans keep showing up wanting to really cut loose, wanting to believe that it could be like it was in the '80s or '90s when elite brand-name teams came in here and had to fight for their lives for a win.

It really hasn't been that way in a long time. But just recently, it's been most apparent that such a feeling is absent. Just since 2006, Penn State is 6-12 against top-25 opponents. Not bad. But it is 1-8 against top-12 opponents, the type of teams with elite players and championship potential.

And that's what I think PSU fans find continually disheartening about the last decade plus. Anyone who comes into State College will eventually figure out whatever the coaching staff cooks up. And then it's just a matter of superior athletes winning out.

Iowa is at Penn State Oct. 8 in the Hawkeyes' Big Ten opener.

Iowa State plays at Connecticut Friday night. The Cyclones aren't running into a team that is sky-high after a big win. UConn lost at Vanderbilt Saturday night, 24-21.

Huskies quarterback Johnny McEntee had three interceptions against the team that may be the worst in the Southeastern Conference.

"The coaches are going to try to be nice about it and the players are too because they're good people but I singlehandedly lost us the game and my teammates don't deserve that," McEntee said.

UConn's defense put up good numbers, though. The Huskies had seven sacks, returned a fumble for a touchdown after one of those sacks, and forced eight punts.

Wisconsin didn't need the help from Oregon State's punter, but got it anyway in the Badgers' 35-0 thumping of the Beavers in Madison.

A punt that went minus-4 yards. Repeat, minus-4 yards.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Michael Hunt is admiring what he's seeing from the Badgers so far.