PITT Texas A & amp;M's pass defense will be tested by Rutherford & amp; Company

Pitt is playing at A & amp;M for the first time after losing to the Aggies 14-12 last year.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- They used to be feared as the Wrecking Crew, but these days Texas A & amp;M is a no-name defense trying to plug its leaky alignments.
They'll get a big test today when they play host to No. 17 Pittsburgh, which has one of the best throw-catch duos in the nation with quarterback Rod Rutherford and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush is in the first year of putting together the Aggies defense under coach Dennis Franchione. He has temporarily withdrawn the Wrecking Crew nickname and that's OK with his players -- for now.
"You don't just get to be the Wrecking Crew because of those teams in the early 1990s," free safety Jaxson Appel said. "You don't get to live off what they did. You have to earn it."
The Aggies rank 100th in the nation in rushing defense (197.3 yards per game) and although they are third nationally in pass defense, they haven't been tested as they will be by Rutherford, the national leader in passing efficiency, and Fitzgerald, who leads the country with an average of 149.3 receiving yards per game.
A & amp;M's three opponents have attempted 142 rushing plays and only 78 passes.
"They have as fine a wide receiving corps as I've seen in a long time," Torbush said. "The Fitzgerald kid, he's a highlight film by himself. He's got phenomenal hands, probably catches the ball as well on the deep ball as anybody I've seen."
Pitt's problems
The Panthers have problems of their own following last week's 35-31 upset loss to Toledo. The loss snapped a 22-game Pittsburgh winning streak against Mid-American Conference teams and deflated some of the hype for what looked to be the Panthers' best team in 20 years.
"They have bigger, faster athletes than any other team we have faced so far," Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said. "They perform well in the secondary and have an outstanding player [Appel]. It will be a big challenge."
Pittsburgh is playing at A & amp;M's Kyle Field for the first time after losing to the Aggies 14-12 in Pittsburgh last year. Former A & amp;M assistant coach Dino Babers is the Panthers' running back coach.
Pittsburgh running back Brandon Miree left Alabama when Franchione was coaching there because he wasn't getting playing time. Miree leads the Panthers in rushing with 279 yards on 56 carries.
Aggies quarterback Reggie McNeal has caught Harris' eye.
Dangerous
"You have to stop the run and you have to put a hook on that quarterback," Harris said. "He's fast. The thing that's scary about TV is that you don't look that fast, but he was running away from the players at Virginia Tech. He has speed and deception."
The Aggies are still trying to get their offense rolling. They've played well in the first half this season but they've had second half problems. In last week's 35-19 loss to Virginia Tech, the Hokies blitzed heavily.
"They were blitzing two out of three downs," McNeal said. "They were bringing more than we could block so I'll take the blame for that with my receivers. This week Pittsburgh's probably going to try to do the same thing so we have to adjust and make plays."