SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Pitt (8-3) earned the nickname "comeback kids" this season because the Panthers made a habit of coming from behind to win in the fourth quarter or overtime. Of Pitt's eight wins, three weren't decided until late in the fourth quarter and two came in overtime. All five were decided by five points or less.

Conversely, Utah (11-0), which will face Pitt tomorrow in the Fiesta Bowl, has not trailed in the second half of any game and has blown out just about every team it has faced. The Utes' closest margin of victory was 14 points -- a 49-35 win against Air Force -- but Air Force scored with 22 seconds remaining against the Utes' reserves to make the final margin that close.

Utah outscored its opponents, 509-227, and won its 11 games by an average score of 46-21. And the starters rarely have played into the fourth quarter.

According to some of the Utah players, the last time the starters played an entire game was the Utes' 23-6 win against Arizona in the second week of the season.

That disparity in playing tight games begs the questions: Which team will have an advantage if the game is close in the fourth quarter? And will the Utes be able to respond if they find themselves trailing late in the game?

"I don't think it favors us or them," Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko said, "because we just want to win games. We don't think or talk about waiting until the fourth quarter to win them. And you don't win 11 games if you can't handle adversity well. They obviously know what they are doing and what they need to do to win.

"The fact that we have come from behind and won a lot of close games only matters for our confidence because we know we can do it if we have to. That's it."

Utah's players and coaches feel the same as Palko and are confident that, if need be, they could win the game coming from behind. And although the starters haven't played the entire 60 minutes much this year, it is not something that concerns them.

"Conditioning is not an issue for us because we run so much during the season," said linebacker Tommy Hackenbruck. "We're in great physical condition, and I know that there is nobody here on this side that doesn't believe in each other. So if we find ourselves in a tight game, I'm confident we'll respond accordingly."

Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, who will be the head coach next season added: "One thing about this team that people don't talk about is our maturity because of the number of seniors we have and because so many of our kids are a little older than most college kids because they have taken two years off to serve their mission. That maturity can not be overlooked.

"If we find ourselves trailing, I'm sure there won't be any panic and we'll do what is necessary to give ourselves a chance to come back and win the game."

Fitzgerald returns
Former Pitt All-American wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is putting the finishing touches on a wonderful rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals, will serve as the honorary captain for Pitt and will be introduced along with the Panthers' regular captains for the coin toss.

NFL Hall of Famer Larry Wilson, who starred at Utah, will be the honorary captain for the Utes. U.S. Olympic softball standout Jennie Finch is serving as the grand marshal of the Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade and will flip the coin. Pregame activities likely will last 40 minutes

Quick outs
You know it's bad when the kicker is feeling disrespected by the other team. "We're just pumped up and ready to go. They don't think we belong but we want to prove to those guys that we can not only hang with them but that we're every bit as much of a BCS team as they are," Pitt kicker Josh Cummings said of the Utes. ... The pressure might be getting to Utah coach Urban Meyer. Two days after scolding the media for talking to his players (even though it was during the designated time after practice) before he was ready to release them, he closed practice to the media. ... Santaluces High School (Lantana, Fla.) standout linebacker Steve Dell has reaffirmed his commitment to Pitt. However, the Panthers have lost out on Zach Anderson -- the younger brother of former Panthers lineman Bryan Anderson -- as he committed to Akron. Akron Buchtel cornerback Bryan Williams, who previously had committed to the Panthers, now has committed to Minnesota. ... Two academic causalities from the class of 2004 -- former Hopewell standout Craig Bokor, who spent this past semester at Valley Forge Military academy, and running back Rashad Jennings from Virginia -- are expected to enroll at Pitt in January. ... The game is sold out which means a crowd of 73,752 is expected. Organizers said the overwhelming majority of tickets were bought by Utah fans. Pitt sold between 8,000 and 9,000.