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| Pitt loses late to the Mountaineers
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Nov 27, 2009 | ||
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Pitt Panthers 2009 ... Head Coach: Dave Wannstedt
Pitt Panthers Nov. 27 at West Virginia 19 … Pitt 16 West Virginia got four field goals from Tyler Bitancurt, including the game-winner from 43 yards away with no time left on the clock to win the Backyard Brawl. The Mountaineer offense gained 369 yards with 88 of them coming on an 88-yard Noel Devine touchdown run for a 13-6 lead. Pitt came back and tied it with 2:54 to play on a 50-yard Jonathan Baldwin touchdown grab, but WVU went 42 yards in ten plays to get Bitancurt in a position for the win. Player of the Game: West Virginia PK Tyler Bitancurt hit four field goal connecting from 20, 43, 39, and the game winner from 43 yards away. Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 16-30, 179 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Dion Lewis, 26-155, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 8-127, 1 TD West Virginia: Passing: Jarrett Brown, 19-31, 164 yds Rushing: Noel Devine, 17-134, 1 TD, Receiving: Alric Arnett, 7-71 What It All Means: At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. Pitt wasn’t going to get an at-large BCS bid if it finished 10-2 with a loss to Cincinnati, and it can still get to one of the big money games by beating the Bearcats. The concern, though, has to be that the D line was held in check for long stretches while the offense struggled way too much on third downs. However, Dion Lewis ran well, and he should be in for a decent game against UC, and the defense came up with eight tackles for loss; don’t assume Pitt is going to lose next week. Nov. 14 at Pitt 27 … Notre Dame 22 Pitt got a 36-yard touchdown catch from Jonathan Baldwin and a 50-yard Dion Lewis scoring dash on the way to a seemingly comfortable 27-9 lead, and then Golden Tate took over. The Irish wide receiver scored on an 18-yard pass play and took a punt 87 yards for a touchdown to pull the team within five, but the Pitt defense held thanks to a controversial forced fumble on a sack of Jimmy Clausen. The Panthers were able to run out the clock. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 21 times for 152 yards and a score, and caught a pass for eight yards. Notre Dame: Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 27-42, 283 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Armando Allen, 14-77, Receiving: Golden Tate, 9-113, 1 TD Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 15-27, 236 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 21-152, 1 TD, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 5-142, 1 TD What It All Means: The Pitt skill and talent came through. Dion Lewis had a big game, and until Golden Tate went crazy for the Irish, Jonathan Baldwin was the star receiver on the day with several great plays. Now at 9-1, the Panthers are making a strong case for an at-large BCS bid if they don’t win the Big East outright. This was a splashy win on the big stage, and while the team didn’t close as easily as it probably should’ve, it was an impressive performance that showed that Dave Wannstedt has created a nice team playing at a high level. Nov. 7 at Pitt 37 … Syracuse 10 It took a little while for the Panthers to get rolling, managing just two field goals in the first half, but the defense helped out with Greg Williams returning a pick 51 yards for a touchdown with 1:20 to play before going into the locker room. The offense took over from there with Dion Lewis running for a one-yard score and Cedric McGee flying for a 29-yard touchdown dash as part of a 37-point run. Syracuse finally got into the end zone with just over a minute to play on a one-yard Averin Collier run. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 18 times for 110 yards and a score, and caught two passes for 42 yards Syracuse: Passing: Greg Paulus, 12-18, 120 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Delone Carter, 17-143, Receiving: Marcus Sales, 4-36 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 16-23, 225 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 18-110, 1 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 7-118, 1 TD What It All Means: Everyone is talking about Cincinnati still, but Pitt has a shot to shake up with world with the meat of its schedule coming up. The offense took a little while, but it got the job done against Syracuse with good balance and few mistakes, while the defense forced three turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown until the final minute. Can the O keep up in firefights with Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati over the next three games? It’s going to be fun to see what this team can really do. Oct. 24 at Pitt 41 … South Florida 14 Pitt scored on its first six possessions with Bill Stull connecting with Jonathan Baldwin for a 40-yard touchdown pass and with Mike Cruz for a two-yard score, and Dion Lewis ran for two one-yard scores on the way to a 41-7 lead. South Florida killed itself with several penalties and no offensive pop managing just 212 yards of total offense with a three-yard Mike Ford rushing touchdown before finally getting back on the board with a 20-yard Dontavia Bogan touchdown catch in the final ten seconds. Player of the Game: Pitt QB Bill Stull completed 18-of-25 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. South Florida: Passing: B.J. Daniels, 4-8, 54 yds, 2 INT Rushing: B.J. Daniels, 15-50, Receiving: Sterling Griffin, 1-41 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 18-25, 245 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Dion Lewis, 23-111, 2 TD, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 6-144, 1 TD What It All Means: Red hot, Pitt is on a four-game winning streak with a nice offensive balance and an improvement from Bill Stull. He’s not just throwing for nice yards; he’s keeping the chains moving with good throws on third down. Getting help from a back like Dion Lewis helps, and now, the Panthers are one of the nation’s “it” teams. The real tests come after next week’s game against Syracuse with Notre Dame, at West Virginia, and Cincinnati to finish up. Oct. 16 Pitt 24 … at Rutgers 17 Dion Lewis ran for scores from one and 58 yards out, but the defense had to hold on to give Pitt the win. Rutgers didn’t get its running game going, but QB Tom Savage had a big day and threw well enough to get the team back in the game. His 19-yard touchdown pass to Tim Brown in the fourth cut the lead to seven, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t get any closer. Pitt outgained Rutgers 223 yards to 38 on the ground. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 31 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns Pitt : Passing: Bill Stu11, 16-24, 153 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 31-180, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 6-42 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 23-39, 248 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Mohamed Sanu, 4-29, 1 TD, Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, 8-63 What It All Means: While it was a while before Pitt put the game away, it was one of the team’s most effective offensive efforts of the season. Dion Lewis showed once again why he’s a special back to revolve the offense around, while Bill Stull didn’ t make any mistakes and was terrific on third downs. The defense was a brick wall vs. the Rutgers running game, allowing just 38 yards while coming up with three sacks. The D will have to be even more physical next week against an athletic South Florida offense. Keeping mistakes to a minimum will be the key. USF will do its part to screw up, and Pitt has to take advantage. Oct. 10 at Pitt 24 … Connecticut 21 Dan Hutchins nailed an 18-yard field goal to complete an impressive comeback for the Pitt win. Panther QB Bill Stull was awful early, throwing an interception to Robert Vaughn that was returned for a score, but he got hot late as he hit Jonathan Baldwin for a 26-yard score and Dorin Dickerson for a 27-yard touchdown as part of the 18 unanswered points for the win. UConn got in the end zone first on a 79-yard Marcus Easley touchdown catch in the second quarter, but the offense sputtered and stalled in the fourth quarter. Player of the Game: Pitt QB Bill Stull completed 21-of-31 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Connecticut: Passing: Cody Endres, 17-23, 197 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Andre Dixon, 16-95, 1 TD, Receiving: Isiah Moore, 4-36 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 21-31, 268 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Dion Lewis, 24-158, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 8-104, 1 TD What It All Means: As poor as Bill Stull was at times, when he was able to pull the Panthers out of the fire to get the win he cemented himself as the leader of the team the rest of the way. The secondary is going to be a problem all season long, evidenced again by allowing Cody Endres to complete 17-of-23 passes. Surviving at home against UConn was one thing, but the big games are coming up with South Florida the nasty date coming after next week’s game at Rutgers. The team will have to be far tighter and far more efficient. Oct. 2 Pitt 35 … at Louisville 10 Pitt was in a battle, down 10-7 at the end of the first half, and then the floodgates opened. The Panthers scored 28 unanswered points as Bill Stull connected with Dorin Dickerson for a 37-yard touchdown, Dickerson’s second scoring grab of the game, and Jonathan Baldwin took a pass 71 yards for a score. Louisville committed ten penalties for 98 yards. Player of the Game: Pitt QB Bill Stull Louisville: Passing: Adam Froman, 18-30, 166 Rushing: Vic Anderson, 12-51, Receiving: Vic Anderson, 4-24 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 16-23, 242 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 21-87, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 4-105, 1 TD What It All Means: It’s not like the much-maligned Pitt defense was a rock, but it held up in the second half and didn’t give up any points after melting down last week against NC State. Offensively, there weren’t any big mistakes to give the Cardinals a shot at getting back into the game, and Bill Stull and the passing game were explosive and effective. If the Panthers can put up points early next week against UConn, they should be able to hold up against a punchless Husky passing attack. Sept. 26 at NC State 38 … Pitt 31 Down 31-17, NC State roared back with 21 unanswered points as Russell Wilson threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Williams and a seven-yard scoring pass to George Bryan to tie it, and Toney Baker ran for a two-yard touchdown in what would be the game-winner. Pitt marched deep into NC State territory with a chance to tie, but an errant snap ended the final chance. Bill Stull threw two third quarter touchdown passes for the Panthers, highlighted by a79-yarder to Jonathan Baldwin, but Wilson was too much throwing four touchdown passes and running for 91 yards. The two teams combined for 20 penalties with NC State committing 12 of them. Player of the Game: NC State QB Russell Wilson completed 21-of-35 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns, and he led the team with 91 rushing yards on ten carries. Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 12-23, 206 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 19-95, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 4-52 NC State: Passing: Russell Wilson, 21-35, 322 yds, 4 TD Rushing: Russell Wilson, 10-91, Receiving: Darrell Davis, 4-47 What It All Means: Pitt’s defense has all of a sudden gone into the tank. After looking so good early on, the Panthers couldn’t handle Navy’s running game two weeks ago and got ripped apart by Russell Wilson and NC State. This is a better team than it’s been showing, but the running game sputtered and stumbled, gaining just 94 yards, and the passing game didn’t keep the chains moving converting just 2-of-10 third down conversions and holding on to the ball for 22:53. As bad as this collapse was, it wasn’t in Big East play. The Panthers have to regroup to be ready for a trip to Louisville. Sept. 19 at Pitt 27 … at Navy 14 Pitt held Navy to 129 rushing yards and got a good day from Bill Stull and the passing game on the way to the good win. The Panthers held a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter helped by touchdown runs from Ray Graham and Dion Lewis in the second quarter, and a six-yard Oderick Turner catch in the first. Navy only managed a one-yard Ricky Dobbs touchdown run before finally getting back on the board in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Marcus Curry run. Pitt put the game away with Dan Hutchins’ second field goal of the game. Player of the Game: Pitt QB Bill Stull completed 17-of-24 passes for 245 yards and a score, and he caught a tipped pass for 23 yards. Navy: Passing: Ricky Dobbs. 6-21, 89 yds Rushing: Alexander Teich, 12-80, Receiving: Mike Schupp, 2-24 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 17-24, 245 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 23-79, 1 TD, Receiving: Jonathan Baldwin, 6-111 What It All Means: Bill Stull actually had a great game. The much-maligned Pitt passer was stead, consistent, and he kept the team moving, but the real story was a Pitt run defense that stuffed the Navy rushing game and never let it get going after the first quarter. Somewhat quietly, the team is playing extremely well just when it needs to get hot with three road games in the next four. If the defense can keep playing this well, and if Stull can stay as efficient, the Panthers should be able to get by NC State next week. Sept. 12 Pitt 54 ... at Buffalo 27 Bill Stull connected with Dorin Dickerson on three touchdown passes from 10, 23, and nine yards out in the first half on the way to a 27-7 lead, but Buffalo kept fighting back with Zach Maynard, who threw for 400 yards, hitting Naaman Roosevelt from 54 yards out and 67 yards away in the second quarter. Four Buffalo turnovers turned into 27 points including a 50-yard Greg Williams fumble return for a score in the third. Dion Lewis put the game away with an 85-yard scoring dash late in the fourth. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 24 times for 190 yards and two scores, and he caught six passes for 46 yards. Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 21-30, 172 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 24-190, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 8-71, 3 TD Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 24-35, 400 yds, 4 TD Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 14-49, Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 12-149 What It All Means: The Pitt offense is exploding. Dion Lewis is a keeper at running back, able to catch and run equally well, while Bill Stull came up with a nice day to get the Panthers up early. The defense struggled against the Buffalo passing game, giving up too many midrange passes for big plays, while the D came up with the turnovers needed to stay comfortably ahead. Next up is Navy, and the key will be to get up early again. Sept. 5 at Pitt 38 … Youngstown State 3 The Pitt defense allowed just 159 yards of total offense and gave up a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter, while the offense was all about Dion Lewis, who tore off 129 yards and touchdown runs from one and 16 yards out. Bill Stull threw two touchdown passes, including a three-yarder to Lewis, as the Panthers took a 21-3 halftime lead and coasted from there. The Pitt defense came up with six sacks including two from Adam Gunn. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 20 times for 129 yards and two scores, and caught two passes for ten yards and a score. Youngstown State: Passing: Brandon Summers, 11-22, 113 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Kevin Smith, 17-47, Receiving: Donald Jones, 4-34 Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 11-16, 123 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Dion Lewis, 20-129, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 4-26, 1 TD What It All Means: The Panthers, after losing last year's opener to Bowling Green, appeared to take this game very, very seriously and played a tight game with a nice day from Bill Stull and the passing game and a great day from the defense. Dion Lewis might not be LeSean McCoy, but he played like he's ready to be a major focal point of the offense. With Buffalo and Navy coming up before going to NC State, the Panthers have a shot at a hot start if they play like this and can be as consistent and as focused. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||