COLLEGE FOOTBALL Pitt opens Big East slate at Connecticut

Pitt will be playing in the state of Connecticut for the first time tonight.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Panthers' close call against Division I-AA Furman last weekend proved something to Connecticut quarterback Dan Orlovsky.
"They were down 14 points and they came back and that's not easy to do," Orlovsky said.
The Panthers (2-1) open Big East play tonight at Rentschler Field. It's the first time Pittsburgh has played a game in the state of Connecticut and marks the first night game at the year-old stadium.
The Panthers are coming off a 41-38 overtime win against Furman, escaping the upset on Josh Cumming's 37-yard field goal.
The Huskies (3-1, 0-1 Big East) are the conference newcomers, and are playing their fifth game in 25 days. There's a bit of a breather ahead, but Orlovsky and his teammates can't focus on that now.
"We need to realize that [Pittsburgh] has the ability to come back. They came away with a win. That was most important," Orlovsky said.
Young Pitt secondary
Orlovsky will be matched up against a young Pittsburgh secondary. Panthers coach Walt Harris starts redshirt freshmen Mike Phillips and freshman Darrelle Revis at the corners and realizes they'll be challenged by Orlovsky, the leading passer in the league.
The UConn senior is averaging 288.2 passing yards a game and is the only signal-caller in the Big East with more than 1,000 passing yards.
"He's a big-time football player," Harris said. "When you're playing against a veteran quarterback who doesn't turn the ball over, that's a big challenge especially when you're playing on the road."
Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko continues to develop for the Panthers. The sophomore was 6-of-19 for 49 yards against Ohio, but completed to 30-of-36 for 380 yards and three touchdowns against Furman.
"You can just see the improvement from week to week," UConn coach Randy Edsall said of Palko. "He's a competitor. He can throw the ball, he can move around the pocket."
Petitti is protector
A big part of Palko's protection is left tackle Rob Petitti, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound pro prospect who has never missed a start at Pitt.
Huskies defensive end Tyler King has watched plenty of film on Petitti.
"We're going to have our work cut out for us," said King, who leads the Huskies in tackles for a loss with seven. "He's rated very highly. I think very highly of him. I'm going to have to play my A-game against him."
UConn had an easier time of it last week, beating Army 40-3 before a short week of preparation.
"Basically you have to take four days of preparation and really put it into three," Edsall said. "You also have to be smart in terms of making sure your kids' bodies are ready to come off that short week and come out and play, which I think they will be."