Football: Hutchins named Big East player of the week

Down by 15 in the second half, the Pittsburgh Panthers scored 18 unanswered points to win their… Down by 15 in the second half, the Pittsburgh Panthers scored 18 unanswered points to win their conference home opener against Connecticut.

The final three points came from junior place kicker and punter Dan Hutchins as time expired to give Pitt (5-1 overall, 2-0 Big East) a 24-21 victory. The field goal was Hutchins’ third of the game and accounted for nine of his 10 points in the game.

He was 3 for 3 in field goal attempts and connected on his only extra point attempt.

For his performance against Connecticut, Hutchins was named the Big East special teams player of the week.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt said that Hutchins’ performance wasn’t expected, but he’s glad to see the new kicker perform under pressure.

“Hutch got a chance to kick the winning field goal at the end. Sometimes that is taken for granted. We have a new snapper, holder and kicker,” Wannstedt said after the game. “As a coach, you don’t take those things for granted.”

Along with nailing field goals of 42, 19 and 18 yards, Hutchins also averaged 43 punting yards on three attempts. Two of his punts pinned the Huskies inside their own 20-yard line, including one that was downed inside the 10.

Hutchins’ 42-yard field goal and 10 points were career highs.

For the year, he is 7 for 7 in field goal attempts and is the Panthers’ second-leading scorer with 45 points. Hutchins is averaging 41.5 yards per punt and has downed 11 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

The Panthers will play at Rutgers (4-1, 0-1) on Friday before returning home for three-straight games. Kickoff for the Scarlet Knights game is set for 8 p.m.