MIAMI, Fla. -- When considering whether Pittsburgh has a chance to upset Miami this week, you first have to talk about Pitt's balanced offensive attack.

Any team that wants to run the ball and have success against the Hurricane defense has to have a legitimate threat in the passing game, and the development of quarterback Rod Rutherford has probably been the biggest surprise this year for the Panthers.

Pitt coach Walt Harris is known for his sophisticated passing scheme, but many wondered how good this year's team could be in that area. The veteran offensive line boasts 131 combined career starts and running back Brandon Miree is a transfer from Alabama, so the Panthers knew they could run the ball. The concerns were in the aerial attack.

Spotlight Players

Pitt WR Larry Fitzgerald A freshman who is already a big-time player and go-to guy, Fitzgerald had three touchdown catches in the upset win at Virginia Tech. The ability of he and and the rest of the Pittsburgh wide receivers to make plays will be huge in terms of setting up the running game. The Miami secondary Four new starters? No problem. The 'Canes have the best pass defense in the country and shutting down the Pittsburgh passing attack will allow Miami to gang up on running back Brandon Miree and the Panthers' experienced offensive line.

But Rutherford has improved his decision-making throughout the year and Larry Fitzgerald has taken over for the departed Antonio Bryant as the big-play receiver. Fitzgerald has 46 catches for 684 yards and eight touchdowns, and ranks up there with USC's Mike Williams as the best freshman receivers in the country.

His ball skills are as good as anyone in the country. Harris was around receivers like Terry Glenn and David Boston at Ohio State, and he feels Fitzgerald's ability to go up and adjust to the ball is as good as anyone he has ever seen.

Throw in the the experience of Lamar Slade and the speed of Roosevelt Bynes and Rutherford has three good receivers to throw to.

Fitzgerald's success, and that of the entire passing game, will be key to Pittsburgh's success. Even though Miami's defense has been vulnerable against the run, the 'Canes are as good as they want to be when they set their minds to it.

They have the physical talent, but what hurt them against teams like Florida State and West Virginia was their attitude. Miami didn't feel challenged or threatened in those games and it showed. The Panthers' success in this game is not as dependent on what it does as it is on what Miami brings to the table. If the Hurricanes show up determined, they are tough to beat. But if Miami doesn't bring an attitude to the game, the Panthers have a chance.

This is a Pittsburgh program that is still growing in its sixth year under Harris. Even though competing for a Big East championship is new territory, the Panthers have been making strides every year. Things like making two straight bowl appearances and playing Notre Dame on national TV have not happened in a long time at Pittsburgh.

Wins against teams like Virginia Tech and NC State over the last couple of years are helping Harris to get his players to believe they belong in these situations. The Panthers are still getting acclimated.

Thursday's game is just one more piece of the foundation for Harris, as he tries to return Pitt football to college football's upper echelon. The Panthers feel they can come into this game and compete, and they won't be intimidated at all by the atmosphere at the Orange Bowl at all.

Question answered
The Miami secondary was a big question mark at the start of the season after losing its top five defensive backs from a year ago, but despite breaking in four new starters the Hurricanes still lead the nation in pass defense at 106.8 yards per game.

Defensive backs coach Mark Stoops, brother of Oklahoma coaches Bob and Mike Stoops, has done a great job getting guys like Kelly Jennings, Antrell Rolle, Maurice Sikes and Sean Taylor ready to step up. Their play against the Pittsburgh passing game will probably be the biggest key to shutting down the Panthers.

Because of its experience, Miami's defensive front seven is even more physically talented than the group that won the national championship last year. The same is true for most of this team. The only thing that slows Miami down at times is Miami.

The 'Canes have to guard against complacency because when a team is as dominating as Miami is, there's a tendency to forget the hard work and preparation that got it there. The Hurricanes sometimes let their guard down when they don't feel threatened.

Meanwhile, the team on the other side is playing its heart out because it has a chance to take down the defending national champs. Miami has to be willing to match that for four quarters in order to avoid the upset.

Pick your poison
On the other side of the coin, Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Paul Rhoades likes to get eight guys up to the line of scrimmage and attack. The problem in defending the exceptional balance of Miami's team, though, is that the 'Canes don't give their opponents tendencies to exploit.

	Willis McGahee has rushed for 1,224 yards this season.

Teams can't say "Okay, 1st-and-10 is a running down." Opponents are at the mercy of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's play calling because Miami has so much talent and the defense must find a way to stop both the run and the pass.

One of two things can be done against the 'Canes offense: load up the line of scrimmage, take them out of their game plan and take some chances by leaving the secondary in one-on-one coverages, or sit back and play conservatively, giving up rushing yards in hopes of getting Miami into the red zone and making a play there.

Knowing Rhoades and the confidence Pittsburgh has in its secondary, the Panthers will stack the line and try to take away Willis McGahee and the Miami running game. They will try to stop at least that aspect of the Hurricanes attack and go from there.

The Panthers will then try to get pressure on Ken Dorsey and take its chances on the outside. It's a gamble, but at least its an aggressive gamble and they won't be doing it all night. Pittsburgh will mix up their coverages between man and zone to try and set the tempo in their favor.

And as much as Miami is known for Ken Dorsey and his 35-1 record as a starter, the 'Canes will tell you that their identity is in the running game. They have to be able to get McGahee going and let everything else feed off that.

What makes Miami dangerous when the passing game is cranking is the number of receivers Dorsey has at his disposal. He can drop back off play action and throw to tight end Kellen Winslow. He can get it to Andre Johnson, Roscoe Parrish and Ethenic Sands on the outside. McGahee and fullback Quadtrine Hill are terrific targets out of the backfield.

There are just so many weapons to defend in that multi-dimensional attack that the best plan is to try to take away one facet. That's why it will be important for Pittsburgh to slow down the rushing attack.

The bottom line
Miami has to show up ready to play. The Hurricanes have to bring the same intensity they had in games earlier this season at Florida and Tennessee, when they felt their status as one of the best teams in the country was being questioned. Miami arrived to prove a point in those game and if they can maintain that kind of attitude, everything else will take care of itself.

The 'Canes have to make sure McGahee gets off to a good start and then maintain their balance with the passing game, but it's still about the attitude. When they show up with their A game there is not a team in the country that can play with them

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, needs to have some success early to get themselves believing they can win. This is a high-profile game and will get a lot of attention, and the longer the Panthers can hang around, the better their chances of coming out on top after four quarters. The last thing Pittsburgh wants is to get off to a slow start and start doubting itself. Confidence will be one of the things the Panthers need most.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN's Thursday Night Football as well as ESPN College GameDay.