The Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers will face each other in Sunday’s Super Bowl XL in Detroit, and opinions about the game differ around campus as Seahawk fans and Steelers fans emerge.Entering the game, the Seahawks are 15-3 while the Steelers are 14-5.
Despite being a No. 6 seed, the Steelers made history by defeating the top three seeds in the playoffs, becoming the first No. 6 seed to make it to the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks enter the game as the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
In some cases, the answers differ as to whom students think will win, as opposed to whom they will be rooting for.
“I’m an AFC guy, so I’ll be rooting for Pittsburgh,” Eddie Werdann, business junior from New Jersey, said. “I think Seattle is going to run all over Pittsburgh and win the game though.”
Derek Szush, health and physical education junior from Thibodaux, believes the opposite.
“I want Seattle to win, but I think the Steelers are going to win,” Szush said. “Pittsburgh has been playing a playoff-style game since week 14. They’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
Seattle’s road to Detroit included wins over the Falcons, Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Texans, Giants, Eagles, Titans, Colts and Cowboys. In the playoffs the Seahawks scored wins over both the Redskins and Panthers.
Pittsburgh’s regular season included wins against the Browns, Titans, Texans, Chargers, Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Bears, Vikings and Lions; playoff wins were against the No. 3-seeded-Bengals, No. 1-seeded Colts and No. 2-seeded Broncos.
Terrence Grandpre, broadcast journalism junior from New Orleans, said Pittsburgh will win the game because they have dealt with a tougher schedule.
“Seattle played in an easier division, so they got six easy wins right there,” Grandpre said. “The Steelers are more of a dominant team and had wins over tougher teams.”
Offensively, the Seahawks have the edge. Matt Hasselback ended the 2005-2006 regular season with 3,469 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. NFL MVP Shaun Alexander carried the ball for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Bobby Engram and Joe Jurevicius lead the team in receiving. Engram finished with 778 yards and three touchdowns, while Jurevicius finished the year with 694 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger compiled 2,385 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing nine interceptions.
The leading rusher for the Steelers is Willie Parker, who has 1,202 yards and four touchdowns.
Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, in his 13th and possibly final season, leads all Steelers rushers with nine touchdowns, but only 368 yards.
Receiving-wise, the Steelers have two leading receivers. Pro Bowler Hines Ward ended the 2005-2006 campaign with 975 yards and 11 touchdowns. Second behind Ward is Antwaun Randle-El, who grabbed 558 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, however, the advantage goes to the Steelers. The defense known as the “steel-curtain” finished 2005 as being ranked fourth in the NFL. Seattle’s defense finished the season at No. 16.
James Farrior and Larry Foote led the Steelers in tackles this season. Farrior’s 119 total tackles with two sacks, with Foote’s 102 total tackles and three sacks, carried the Steelers defense all season.
Lofa Tatupa and Michael Boulware lead the Seahawks on defense. Tatupa finished the 2005 season with 104 total tackles; Boulware had 73 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions.
Sunday’s game is the first Super Bowl appearance for the Seahawks, but the sixth for the Steelers. The Steelers last went to Super Bowl XXX in 1995, which they lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
