The #17 Miami Hurricanes crushed the Pitt Panthers 31-3 on Thursday, while the #2 TCU Horned Frogs handled SMU 41-24. But there was a world of difference in defensive performance.
Both teams had to overcome two interceptions by their quarterbackes, Jacory Harris and Andy Dalton. But Miami's D dominated from start to finish while TCU's looked vulnerable to the run, allowing 139 yards from SMU's Zach Line. Miami shut down Dion Lewis though Ray Graham did finish with an even 100.
The Horned Frog defense came up with a big interception return TD to seal the game, but overall they didn't look like a top five defense, nor did TCU make a great case for being in the national title game should they go undefeated.
If their defense continues to play like they did against Pitt, Miami appears to have a good shot at the ACC title and therefore a BCS bowl. Pittsburgh didn't lose any ground in the Big East for the loss, but they need to find some offense or they will have zero chance of winning the league.
In short, Miami's stock went up, and maybe SMU's too, while TCU's fell a bit and Pitt's took a dive.
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