Pitt (4-1) will play at Navy (4-2) this weekend in a game that no doubt will test the patience of the Panthers and their fans.

That's because the Panthers and Midshipmen both aim to possess the football and keep the other team's offense on the sidelines.

That is especially true with regards to Pitt, which found out the hard way last year that Navy is capable of holding onto the ball for 10 and 12 plays at a time and will do so without making many mistakes. Navy upset Pitt, 48-45, in two overtimes at Heinz Field, and a big reason was the inability of the Panthers' offense to avoid mistakes.

"Every possession counts," said Pitt quarterback Bill Stull. "We are going to have to try and make a lot of long drives -- those drives that take six or seven minutes. We want to try to take away what they are doing and use that extra time to keep our defense off the field and resting.

"I think if we are doing that, it means we are protecting the ball, we are executing, we are driving and scoring and we are not turning the ball over -- and that's a big deal for what we're trying get done."

Navy plays a very conservative style of defense, one that will emphasize keeping the Panthers in front of it and one that won't give up many big plays. Stull said this means the Panthers will have to be patient, but he noted that the Midshipmen's style of defense doesn't mean they aren't aggressive.

"They'll come up and hit you in the mouth, that's for sure," Stull said. "We are going to have to bring our "A" game. They are very disciplined, they are not going to make many mistakes and they are going to hit you. They are aggressive, but they are smart with it. They are very aggressive with their tackling. It will be about executing."

Pitt has not played in Annapolis since 1987, but Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt has plenty of experience playing road games against Navy. Pitt and Navy played every year from 1961-1979. Wannstedt was a varsity player for the Panthers from 1971-73 (he played on the freshman team in 1970) and an assistant coach from 1975-78.

In that time, the Panthers made trips to Navy four times -- 1972, '74, '76 and '78 and Wannstedt said every trip to the service academy is memorable because of the atmosphere and the pageantry surrounding the game.

"That is where Tony [Dorsett] broke the NCAA rushing record; I was on the sidelines [as a coach]," he said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm [at Navy], the noise level was always high and there was a lot of excitement there.

"The one thing I really remember from playing Navy ... when you got done playing [any of] the [service] academies, you were as sore physically as you were all year long. They were always physical games ... and that hasn't changed."

Wannstedt said yesterday outside linebacker Shane Murray, who will miss the Navy game with a knee injury, could be facing surgery. Murray met with the doctor yesterday, and Wannstedt said they are going to wait to make a decision about his future until after they check the results of an MRI. "They are going to re-examine it, do an MRI and decide if something needs to be done now or later," Wannstedt said. ... Pitt has one player -- redshirt junior Josh Novotny -- who has some insight into life at the Naval Academy and its football program. Novotny, a walk-on from Carmichaels, played for the Midshipmen the past two seasons, but transferred to Pitt and is sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules. "He's given us a little bit [of insight]," Wannstedt said. "He is an offensive lineman. So, he has talked a little bit about what they do with some of their techniques and schemes, so it has been helpful. But I don't know how much we'll change, but he's been helpful." ... Although the Oct. 25 Pitt game against Rutgers will not be televised, it will be streamed live online at ESPN360.