BBVA Compass Bowl Preview Capsule

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Ole Miss, which finished 2-10 in 2011, is trying to cap its strong turnaround under first-year coach Hugh Freeze. The Rebels are playing for their first winning season since 2009. Pitt closed its regular season with a win over No. 21 Rutgers and also is playing for a winning season with its first-year coach, Paul Chryst.

KEY MATCHUP

Ole Miss freshman linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche vs. Pitt running back Ray Graham. Nkemdiche leads the Rebels with 78 tackles, including 12 for losses, four forced fumbles and three interceptions. Graham, a 5-foot-9 senior, leads the Panthers with 1,042 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Pittsburgh: Senior quarterback Tino Sunseri threw 19 touchdown passes with only two interceptions. He ranked second in the nation by throwing an interception in only 0.6 percent of his attempts. He passed for 3,103 yards.

Ole Miss: Sophomore wide receiver Donte Moncrief has 334 yards receiving with five touchdowns in his last two games. He had only two 100-yard games in his first 10 games of the season. Moncrief's strong finish left him tied for the Ole Miss record with 10 TD catches.