Lee earns respect at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ‘- Sometimes it’s hard to understand the importance of a good kicker. But… SOUTH BEND, Ind. ‘- Sometimes it’s hard to understand the importance of a good kicker. But anyone watching Pitt’s 36-33 win over Notre Dame on Saturday should have a much, much better idea. Conor Lee’s 22-yard field goal in the fourth overtime ended the longest game in either school’s history and capped off a monumental comeback that catapulted Pitt into bowl eligibility. But any of the 80,795 fans in attendance would agree that it wasn’t easy. Minutes before kickoff, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt announced that sophomore quarterback Pat Bostick would be replacing Bill Stull, who suffered a concussion last week in a loss to Rutgers. The announcement started the feeling that Pitt, which dropped out of the Top 25 last week, would struggle offensively. That feeling was right. But after Pitt tailback LeSean McCoy basically tossed the offense on his shoulder pads in the second half and carried it to overtime, Lee had a chance to make history. He began overtime by trading three field goals with the Irish’s Brandon Walker. But Walker, who knocked down a 48-yard field goal a few minutes before to tie the game, missed a 38-yarder wide left, giving Pitt a shot at the win. McCoy then ran 18 yards to the Notre Dame six, setting up the 22-yard try from Lee. Moments later, Lee knocked it through, giving him his first game-winning field goal of his career and sending Pitt out of South Bend with one of its biggest wins in recent memory. ‘The entire team will be recognized and remembered for this for the next 25 years,’ said Wannstedt after the game. ‘All the legends are made in games like this.’ It was the kind of game Pitt would have lost a year ago. And it’s a game that easily could have gone either way. After Pitt’s first offensive possession ‘mdash; in which Bostick attempted only one pass ‘mdash; the coaching staff called upon third-string quarterback Kevan Smith. An incompletion, a short run and a sack later, Smith jogged off the field. Without Stull, the Pitt offense was a mess. Still, Lee hit the first of his five field goals. And after a defensive stand, Smith came back for another shot at moving the offense. The highlight of the drive? An incompletion to one of Pitt’s tuba players, who stood about eight yards out-of-bounds. It was that bad. The Panthers ended the quarter with six total yards and 4:35 of possession. Bostick reentered, and it didn’t get much better the rest of the half. Pitt entered halftime trailing, 17-3. It had only five first downs and 71 total yards, while the Irish had 12 first downs and 240 offensive yards. Bostick was throwing balls high and missing targets. He even tripped and fell immediately after one snap. At the same time, Aaron Berry and the rest of Pitt’s secondary were struggling in coverage against the Irish’s young receivers, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, while Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen looked sharp. Pitt looked helpless. But somehow, a different Pitt team emerged from the locker room after halftime. On its first possession of the second half, Pitt took advantage of a personal foul on Notre Dame’s Harrison Smith that gave Pitt a key first down. Three plays later, on fourth-and-1, Bostick hit receiver Oderick Turner on a short route that Turner took 37 yards. Tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling scored on the next play. Then the defense did its job, holding the Irish to just 4:09 of possession and seven total yards in the third quarter. McCoy took over from there. He lined up in nearly every formation imaginable. He lined up at quarterback, tailback and receiver. He made runs that made him look like he was playing high schoolers and never once appeared winded. He scored with just over eight minutes remaining in the game to help knot the score at 17. Pitt defensive tackle Mick Williams said that entering the fourth quarter, he and his teammates had more confidence than ever. ‘It’s a credit to our coaches, our conditioning,’ said Williams. ‘We always feel like we can get the job done when its late.’ Wannstedt agreed. ‘We felt like if we could take this game into the fourth quarter we could win it,’ said Wannstedt. But it took more than just the fourth. After a Notre Dame touchdown, Bostick threw his only touchdown pass of the game to Jonathan Baldwin, sending the game to overtime. That just meant more of McCoy and even more of Lee, who said he remembers watching in 2004 when ex-Pitt kicker Josh Cummings hit a game-winner in South Bend. ‘It’s a dream come true,’ he said. ‘I just always wanted to do that.’ He added that no matter what the situation is, he stays calm and takes it one kick at a time. That’s what he did on Saturday. And in the end, it was Lee who helped Pitt (6-2) take down Notre Dame in the palace of college football. In the situation with the most pressure, the team depended on Lee and his right foot to win the game ‘mdash; as it will continue to do all year. And no one wants that pressure more than Lee.