Interceptions lead Pitt to victory, Sun Bowl

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. ‘- With representatives from the Sun Bowl in attendance and the bowl… EAST HARTFORD, Conn. ‘- With representatives from the Sun Bowl in attendance and the bowl implications clear, the Pitt defense provided the spark that punched the Panthers’ ticket to El Paso. The Panthers intercepted five Connecticut pass attempts while surrendering just six total Connecticut completions on their way to a 34-10 win Saturday on the Huskies’ senior day. Between two quarterbacks, Tyler Lorenzen and Zach Frazier, the Huskies went 6 of 31 in the passing game. Saturday’s win gave Pitt (9-3, 5-2) its first nine-win regular season since 1982. It also secured a trip to the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Dave Wannstedt’s first bowl game as Pitt’s head coach is a prestigious one. After the game, Wannstedt credited his players for playing ‘like champions all year.’ He also highlighted the importance of the victory for the program. ‘Us [winning] nine games and [topping] it off with an invitation to the Sun Bowl, it’s a great day for Pitt football,’ said Wannstedt. However, the game wasn’t always as certain as the final score would indicate. At halftime, both teams were knotted up in a defensive struggle with a 3-3 score. They remained tied until Pitt tailback LeSean McCoy broke free on a 47-yard touchdown run through the heart of the Connecticut defense. ‘It was a big play to kind of give us a spark,’ said McCoy. ‘The [offensive] line did some great blocking today, especially on that run. It was wide-open, I think anyone could have ran and made that touchdown.’ Pitt didn’t surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. Linebacker Greg Williams intercepted a Lorenzen pass and returned it inside the Connecticut 10-yard line on the next drive, setting up a Conor Lee field goal. The Huskies responded with a 57-yard touchdown run by the NCAA’s leading rusher, Donald Brown, cutting Pitt’s lead to three. Brown finished the game with 189 yards on 34 carries. Despite Brown’s production, Pitt quarterback Bill Stull came alive in the second half. He helped widen the lead with touchdown strikes to receiver Derek Kinder and tight end Nate Byham. Although the play of both running backs has been strong throughout the year, Wannstedt said he had a feeling the game would be decided through the air. ‘Donald Brown is a great player and LeSean McCoy is a great player,’ said Wannstedt. ‘We knew that both of those guys would make plays. I thought the difference in the game would be the two quarterbacks and who made plays in the passing game.’ Stull attributed his success in the second half to coaching and determination. ‘It was just sticking to the game plan, and we had some awesome schemes,’ said Stull. The Huskies made several attempts to get back in the game but were foiled by interceptions from Jovani Chappel, Dom DeCicco and Aaron Berry. ‘We had a lot of folks who made plays today,’ said linebacker Scott McKillop. When Williams intercepted his second pass of the game with seven minutes left in the forth quarter and returned it for a touchdown, it made the score 34-10 and dispelled any notion of a Connecticut comeback. Now, after a 5-7 record last season, the Panthers will vie for their 10th win this year. Wannstedt gave Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson and Chancellor Marc Nordenberg game balls, crediting them for the program’s turnaround. ‘When you see some of the things that are happening around the country, if our chancellor would have responded like some of [the other administrators] do, I’d be coaching in the NFL now or playing golf in Naples,’ said Wannstedt. Senior center C.J. Davis summed up what this season’s success has done to improve the image of Pitt football as a whole. ‘We proved this year that we’re not the same old Pitt Panthers,’ said Davis.