Football: Boyd, fellow freshmen show poise beyond their years in big win

When Tyler Boyd came down with the football, which Tom Savage had heaved toward the end zone seconds earlier, the clock expired for halftime, and the crowd appropriately and raucously reacted.

Such a desperate pass is referred to as a “hail Mary” for a reason — a player chucks the football as prayers for it to land safely in the hands of a teammate ensue. A completed hail Mary evokes awe and astonishment.

And such was the case at Heinz Field, the site of Pitt’s 49-27 walloping of New Mexico on Saturday afternoon. The yellow seats, particularly the ones slotted in the Panther Pitt, became bedlam as fans jumped and roared in surprise of Boyd’s snag.

Nearly everyone was shocked — that is, nearly everyone except the quarterback who threw the touchdown. Savage, a senior, has become immune to Boyd’s freakish athleticism, crediting the wide receiver for his uncommonly poised demeanor as a true freshman.

“He just gets it,” Savage said. “There are some kids like that, and he’s one of them. You get into a game, and he just knows how to come down with the ball. He does it nonstop at practice, so I wasn’t surprised at all when he made that play.”

In that case, Boyd’s day was chock-full of boring plays. In full stride, he hauled in a 51-yard pass from Savage — while drawing a flag for defensive pass interference, no less — to set up Pitt’s first score of the day.

About eight minutes later, Boyd scored in style, diving toward the end zone pylon after reversing around the line of scrimmage, taking the handoff and scurrying through the Lobos’ defense for 33 yards.

Then, of course, came the half-ending, leaping grab, which was made possible when Boyd saw his quarterback scrambling and decided to break downfield.

His day ended with 195 all-purpose yards — 134 receiving, 39 rushing and 22 returning a kick — and two touchdowns.

Head coach Paul Chryst was in the same lightly populated crowd as Savage.

“I’ve learned not to be surprised by Tyler,” Chryst said. “I think he can still be better. I certainly appreciate the way he approaches the game and competes and plays. He’s fun to be around.”

Boyd, who scored his first collegiate touchdown and became the first true freshman to record a 100-yard receiving game for Pitt since Oct. 18, 2008, said, “I just wanted to spark [the offense] for my team. I wanted my team to have my back and know that I had theirs.”

Searching for evidence that Boyd’s teammates followed suit by bursting big plays and having each other’s backs?

Just look at Boyd’s class.

Look at fellow true freshman James Conner and his 119 rushing yards and two scores, or freshman tight end Scott Orndoff whose first career touchdown opened the Panthers’ offensively potent afternoon or Chris Blewitt, a rookie kicker who nailed all seven of his extra points.

In fact, Pitt’s first 35 points were posted by true freshmen, a stretch that led Conner to say, “The future’s bright.”

Conner is a big part of that future and the inspiration for Savage to tell reporters after the game that they’re “in for a treat for the next four years.”

Junior running back Isaac Bennett also provided entertaining offense, bulldozing defenders and often shoving his way into the end zone. Bennett picked up two touchdowns and 101 yards on 14 carries, his first career outing, which evidently eclipsed the century mark in yardage.

Though Savage deflected the spotlight to his younger teammates and role players such as Bennett and the members of the offensive line, his final stats certainly merit attention, too. The Panther gunslinger tossed two touchdowns and completed 13-of-17 attempts for 236 yards. His day started roughly when he threw an interception on the team’s first play from scrimmage, but brightened once his teammates picked him up — on and off the field.

“Our whole team [encouraged me],” Savage said. “And that’s what’s really unique about this team this year. After I threw [the first interception], I was kind of disappointed. I was like, ‘Man, that’s not a great way to start off the game,’ but the whole team came up and just rallied me.”

He credited Boyd and redshirt senior receiver Devin Street for making his job easier. But even in a game when Street surpassed former Panther great Larry Fitzgerald for third on the school’s all-time receptions list, the afternoon belonged to Boyd, still just a teenager who spent his high school career at Clairton starring in at least four positions.

To that effect, Savage is at least slightly surprised with one aspect of Boyd’s game: his advanced approach at receiver after not having manned the position full-time as a prep player.

“After the first game, I thought he did better than what I expected he was going to do,” Savage said. “After this game, it’s clear he’s just a football player, and he knows how to play the game. He’s the type of kid who you just need to put the ball in their hands and let them work and sit back and have fun watching.”