April 6, 2007

      PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh's first football game with Navy in 18 years will be a national ESPN telecast on Wednesday, October 10, it has been announced.

      Originally scheduled for Saturday, October 13, at Heinz Field, the contest was moved to Wednesday after ESPN officials expressed an interest in making the Pitt-Navy game an exclusive national broadcast, kicking off four consecutive days of college football programming by the network.

      The game will kick at 8 p.m., and be the only college football telecast by the network that evening.

      "We are pleased and excited that ESPN has provided us with the opportunity to renew the Pitt-Navy series in front of a national television audience," said Pitt Athletic Director Jeff Long. "Playing the national college football showcase game on Wednesday night allows us to take advantage of an opportunity for national exposure without compromising our desire to not play on Friday nights out of respect for the traditions of Western Pennsylvania high school football."

      "This is a real win-win for us," Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We're getting a nationally televised game, which is always great for our program and recruiting. The date change also gives us a week-and-a-half to prepare for two consecutive opponents in October (Navy and Cincinnati) which we hope to use to our advantage."

      The Panthers' remaining six home games will all be played on Saturdays. Additional television games are expected to be announced in the future.

   Pitt and Navy last met during the 1989 season. The Panthers hold a 20-12-3 lead in the series that dates back to 1912. Navy went 9-4 last year and received an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, where it lost to Boston College, 25-24. The Midshipmen have advanced to the postseason each of the last four years.