The future of Pitt football will be on display tonight as heralded freshmen Pat Bostick and LeSean McCoy start together in the backfield for the first time in their short careers when the Panthers play Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.

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Scouting Report

• Matchup: Pitt (2-2) vs. Virginia (3-1), today, 7 p.m., Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va. Virginia is favored by 6.
• TV/Radio: ESPNU; WWSW-FM (94.5) and WBGG-AM (Fox Sports Radio 970).
• Pitt: Is on a two-game losing streak. ... Defeated Virginia, 38-13, to open last season. ... Is 62-64-2 against Atlantic Coast Conference schools. ... Have only played in Charlottesville once -- in 1953 -- and won, 26-0. ... Freshman LeSean McCoy is fourth in the Big East Conference in rushing. He is averaging 104.2 yards per game. ... Freshman quarterback Pat Bostick is expected to make his first career start. He will be the third quarterback to start a game for the Panthers this season. ... MLB Scott McKillop leads the Big East with 10.4 tackles per game.
• Virginia: Is coached by former New York Jets coach Al Groh, who is also an alumnus. ... Beat Pitt, 23-16, in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl. ... Has a winning record yet has been outscored by opposition. The Cavaliers are averaging 19.2 points per game but they have given up 19.8 points per game.
• Hidden stat: Virginia has given up 241 yards passing per game this season.

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Pitt coaches are hoping the two give the Panthers, who enter the game reeling from a two-game losing streak, a much-needed spark. McCoy, a tailback, has already had an impact, ranking fourth in the Big East Conference in rushing (104.2 yards per game).

Bostick, from Manheim Township High School near Lancaster, Pa., was one of the highest-ranked high school quarterbacks in the country and was considered one of the stars of the Panthers' recruiting class. Coaches were hoping to bring him along slowly this year, but an injury to starter Bill Stull and a lack of production from second-stringer Kevan Smith have forced their hand.

Last week, Bostick played the second half of the Panthers' 34-14 loss to Connecticut and showed some flashes of his talent as he completed 27 of 41 passes for 230 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Bostick was put into the game when the Panthers were trailing by 20, so he passed a lot and did so against soft coverages, but he demonstrated command of the offense.

Coaches are handing the ball to Bostick tonight against the 3-1 Cavaliers, hoping he will build on the confidence he gained against the Huskies.

"I think it is going to be very interesting, it could be very fun," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "I'm excited to see how this works out, especially with Pat. We know what LeSean can do, we have seen some good things from Pat. Like I've said, it is going to be one of the most interesting games I've been a part of because you just don't know. We have a lot of confidence in Pat, but he's a true freshman so you just never know."

It might be unrealistic to expect two true freshman to carry the lion's share of the load for any team, but Pitt coaches need only to look to West Virginia to see an example of what can happen when talented freshmen are given an opportunities.

That's because in the 2005 season the Mountaineers handed keys to their offense to quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton. All they did was lead the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record that included a Big East championship and a victory against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Both were named to a variety of freshman All-American teams that season, and Slaton was the conference's rookie of the year.

Wannstedt said he saw enough good things from Bostick last week to know that his future is bright, and he will get better with more experience.

"Pat made some pretty good decisions, and he got rid of the ball a lot quicker than I thought he would," Wannstedt said. "Your biggest concern with young quarterbacks is the speed of the game compared to practice. When you're out there, everything's happening so fast, and they're changing coverage and there's a rush coming after you. You worry about him holding the ball, making a wrong decision, looking down a receiver too long and forcing a pass in there for an interception. I think he handled that pretty well; now, let's see if he can take the next step."

Wannstedt also said he would have preferred for Bostick's first start to come at home, but the bottom line is the Panthers (2-2) are running out of time if they want to make a run at a bowl game.

One thing the Panthers will have to do is protect Bostick from the Cavaliers' formidable pass rush from its defensive front seven. The unit, which has 13 sacks through four games, is led by All-American defensive lineman Chris Long, son of Fox analyst and former Raiders star Howie Long.

"[Long] is the best collegiate defensive lineman I have seen on tape since I took this job," Wannstedt said, "and they use him at every position and move him from side to side. so we'll have to account for him on every play."