Football: Pitt beats Cincinnati 28-10

On a snowy Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati, the Pitt football team clinched its third… On a snowy Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati, the Pitt football team clinched its third consecutive winning season with a convincing 28-10 win over the same Cincinnati team that ended their BCS Bowl hopes each of the last two seasons.

“These guys have got us a couple years in a row and ruined our season,” senior safety Dom DeCicco said in a news conference. “It was nice to beat them.”

The Panthers used the conditions to their advantage and used a dominant rushing attack to seal the win. With Ray Graham dealing with an injury, Dion Lewis stepped up and finally showed the game-changing ability that led many to name him as an early season Heisman contender. He tallied a career-high 261 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries.

“We got Dion rolling today,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I told [him] to get ready for 35 carries today.”

At halftime, the Panthers might have been experiencing a little déjà vu because of the incredible similarities this game had to last year’s epic finale. Just like last year, the entire game was played under a heavy snow. Just like last year, Pitt ran out to an early double-digit lead. And just like last year, Lewis was on his way to a career-high in rushing yards.

But unlike last year, Pitt didn’t collapse in the second half this time. Of course, these were two completely different teams than the ones that took the field at Heinz Field almost exactly one year ago to the date.

Cincinnati didn’t have Mardy Gilyard or Tony Pike to provide a miraculous comeback for the defending Big East champions. And while Pitt might not have as good a record as last year either, the team showed why it will go to a bowl game and the Bearcats (4-8) will spend the holidays at home.

Entering the second half with a 21-10 lead, Pitt’s defense completely shut down the prolific Cincinnati offense which was leading the Big East in several different categories.

“The defense played as good today as they did all year long against a very potent offense,” Wannstedt said.

The Panther defense, led by Max Gruder and Dom DeCicco, forced four Cincinnati turnovers, including two in the first half that ended Bearcat drives inside Pitt territory. The Pitt offense then converted both turnovers into Lewis touchdowns.

“[Turnovers] are just taking advantage of opportunities,” DeCicco said. “We really stressed that all week.”

The win gives Pitt a final regular season record of 7-5, with a 5-2 record in the Big East.

“I’m very happy for our football team, especially for the seniors, to end the season this way,” Wannstedt said.

Even though Pitt finished the season with a share of the Big East title, their losses to West Virginia and Connecticut mean they won’t receive the Big East’s automatic BCS berth.

The Panthers will learn their bowl destination later this weekend