Teel, Rutgers stun Panthers

After five consecutive victories, Pitt (5-2, 2-1 Big East) was attempting to win its sixth in a… After five consecutive victories, Pitt (5-2, 2-1 Big East) was attempting to win its sixth in a row for the first time since 1983. But it never led after scoring on its first possession, and Rutgers ran away with a 54-34 win at Heinz Field on Saturday. Pitt quarterback Bill Stull was taken off the field on a stretcher with his neck immobilized after an odd collision with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter. He had been down for 10 minutes before he was carted off. The No. 17 Panthers couldn’t recover from Stull’s injury, however, and they gave up a record-breaking day to Rutgers senior quarterback Mike Teel. Teel finished with 361 passing yards and six touchdown passes on only 14 completions. Five of those touchdowns came in the first half, which made him the first quarterback in conference history to accomplish that in a Big East game. Teel also broke the Scarlet Knight record for touchdown passes in a game. After Pitt scored the game’s first touchdown, Rutgers (3-5, 2-2 Big East) tallied 20 straight points on play-action passes. Pitt got as close as three points down in the third quarter but never tied the game. LeSean McCoy paced Pitt’s attack with four touchdowns and 146 yards rushing. Jonathan Baldwin caught five passes for 81 yards, and T.J. Porter added 109 receiving yards. Despite the disappointing upset, the Panthers and coach Dave Wannstedt were more concerned about the health of their quarterback. Wannstedt said that the initial tests done on Stull indicated that he is fine, but for precautionary reasons he was taken to UPMC Presbyterian to stay over Saturday night. ‘The big concern was the neck,’ said Wannstedt. ‘He was moving everything initially, and he was conscious initially. I thought our doctors and paramedics did a great job of not taking any chances.’ Stull was hurt midway through the third quarter. On a third-and-12 from his own 27, he was rushed by Rutgers’ defensive back David Rowe. Stull released the ball in a hurry but was hit as he threw. His neck snapped back and hit McCoy. ‘You don’t like to see that happen to anybody,’ said linebacker Scott McKillop. ‘I was worried. To see his thumbs up was definitely uplifting.’ ‘Billy is our leader,’ said McCoy. ‘That’s something he’s established here. I was definitely scared.’ Stull was having an effective game before the injury. He was 16 of 22 for 279 yards. But the offense couldn’t make up all of the points given up by the defense. ‘This is the most disappointing defensive performance we’ve had since I’ve been here,’ said Wannstedt. ‘We didn’t get much pressure in the first half, and they ran it right by us.’ McCoy started the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game. Only a minute later, Teel hooked up with Tim Brown on the first play-action touchdown of the day, a 60-yarder. Pitt looked to have the momentum when Aaron Berry intercepted Teel at the Rutgers 48 on the next drive. The Panthers moved to the 20-yard line, but the drive stalled. On fourth-and-one, Pitt tried a fake field goal, but Andrew Janocko’s pass to Dorin Dickerson fell incomplete. The very next play, Kenny Britt outran Berry on another play-action, for a 79-yard touchdown catch to put the Scarlet Knights ahead, 14-7. Pitt never led again. Conor Lee’s 45-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright on Pitt’s next drive, and Rutgers scored on its next possession to go ahead, 20-7. McCoy rushed for two more touchdowns by halftime, but the Panthers were still down, 34-24. Pitt seized the momentum at the onset of the second half, forcing Rutgers’ first three-and-out, and McCoy grabbed his fourth touchdown on the ensuing drive. The defense held strong again, rushing Teel into incompletions, forcing another punt. But Pitt’s next mistake would prove to be the final blow. Berry hauled in the punt and had a lane downfield. But he was stripped of the ball after only five yards, and Rutgers recovered. One play later, Teel found Brown again for a 36-yard touchdown and a 41-31 lead. ‘We had some space on that one too,’ said Wannstedt of the punt return. ‘We’re going to get the ball at the 40-yard line and in my mind go down and take the lead.’ Stull was hurt on the next possession and was replaced by sophomore Pat Bostick. Bostick marched the Panthers down the field in his first drive, leading to a third-and-one at the Rutgers 17. Bostick rolled to his left, opposite of his natural throwing motion, and he looked for an open Baldwin. But he was hit as he threw and the pass wobbled in the air, landing in the hands of Rutgers linebacker Kevin Malast. Malast returned the interception to the Pitt 8-yard line, and Kordell Young ran for a touchdown on the next play, cementing the Rutgers victory.