Southern Methodist @ Pittsburgh preview

BBVA COMPASS BOWL STORYLINES

1. Pittsburgh enters without head coach Todd Graham, who left to take the reins at Arizona State. Pitt defensive coordinator Keith Patterson will serve as interim head coach.

2. SMU and Pittsburgh have split their previous five matchups, 2-2-1. The two schools have not played since the Mustangs eked out a 7-3 victory in the 1983 Cotton Bowl, the lone meeting between the two since 1948.

3. Pittsburgh is playing in the BBVA Compass Bowl for the second straight year, having defeated Kentucky 27-10 last season. SMU is playing in its third consecutive bowl game after going 25 years without a postseason appearance.

TV: ESPN. LINE: Pittsburgh -3.5.

ABOUT SOUTHERN METHODIST (7-5, 5-3 C-USA): The Mustangs have lost four of six since a 5-1 start, dropping their final three road games by a combined score of 102-17. A major part of the slide has been SMU's inability to take care of the football. SMU ranks dead last among FBS schools in turnover margin (minus-1.42), with 31 giveaways overall. Making matters worse is the loss of junior RB Zach Line, who had 1,244 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending toe injury. Senior WR Cole Beasley (79 rec., 954 yards) paces a solid air attack.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (6-6, 4-3 Big East): The Panthers have been a Jekyll-and-Hyde outfit all season long. QB Tino Sunseri has been erratic, throwing 10 interceptions against 10 touchdowns, but a porous offensive line can shoulder plenty of the blame. Pittsburgh has allowed 57 sacks this season, one of the highest single-season totals in FBS history. Defensively, the Panthers are nearly as adept at getting to the quarterback, ranking fourth nationally with 3.25 sacks per game. Sophomore DL Aaron Donald leads the team with 10 sacks.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 19, SMU 16 -- Even without Graham on the sideline, the Panthers should be able to grind out a win against a mistake-prone group of Mustangs playing without their top offensive threat.