Pitt rushes back, topples Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ‘- The Pitt football team stormed into the Carrier Dome on Saturday, looking to… SYRACUSE, N.Y. ‘- The Pitt football team stormed into the Carrier Dome on Saturday, looking to pounce on a struggling Syracuse team that had been outscored by 67 points in four games. But the Panthers were forced to fight through an early strike by Syracuse’s special teams and came back from two 11-point deficits to top the Orange, 34-24. Pitt (3-1, 1-0 Big East) scored 21 unanswered points, including 18 in the fourth quarter to win its third straight contest after losing in the season opener to Bowling Green. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said that he expected the game to be a fight. ‘Anybody who thought it was going to be different than it was this afternoon has no clue about young athletes and coaches and trying to win,’ said Wannstedt. Despite falling behind, 14-3, in the first quarter, the Panthers stuck to their familiar running game to beat up and wear down the Syracuse defense. Running backs LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling combined for 220 of Pitt’s 241 rushing yards. McCoy tallied his first 100-yard game of the year, achieving 149 yards on 28 carries, while Stephens-Howling added 71 yards on 13 rushes and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. ‘It was our [offensive] line against their line, and our line was pushing them down the field the whole time,’ said Stephens-Howling. The Pitt offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, leading to Pitt’s control of the time of possession. The Panthers had the ball for 38:20. Still, Pitt received quite a scare from the Orange (1-4, 0-1 Big East) through the first three quarters. Syracuse running back Curtis Brinkley carried 16 times for 119 yards, and Cameron Dantley threw for two scores in the losing effort. On the game’s first drive, Conor Lee kicked the first of his school-record-tying four field goals. It was a 40-yarder that gave Pitt the lead. But Mike Holmes returned the ensuing kickoff untouched for a 90-yard touchdown, pumping some life into the dormant Syracuse crowd of 27,549. ‘The thing that happened in the first half [was that] they hit the kickoff return,’ said Wannstedt. ‘I think that put us on our heels a little bit.’ Syracuse extended its lead to 14-3 after Dantley found Donte Davis for a 27-yard score. Pitt charged back, scoring on its two second quarter drives. Lee kicked a 43-yard field goal, and Dorin Dickerson hauled in a two-yard score for his first career touchdown catch to cut the deficit to one. The Orange tacked on a field goal as time expired before halftime and put more pressure on the Panthers on the opening drive of the second half. Holmes broke a second long return, this time reaching his own 44-yard line. Five plays later, Dantley lobbed a perfect pass to freshman Van Chew for a 36-yard touchdown and a 24-13 lead. Lee kicked a 44-yard field goal on Pitt’s next drive to cut it to 24-16. The following drive swayed the momentum in Pitt’s favor for good. Panther freshman receiver Jonathan Baldwin made his first career catch on a screen pass, setting up a crucial fourth-and-one. Quarterback Bill Stull ran a sneak up the middle to earn a new set of downs. McCoy finally broke loose, running down the sidelines for a 34-yard gain. Pitt then went to Stephens-Howling, who ran 20 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter and added a nine-yard touchdown on the next play. Wannstedt chose to go for the two-point-conversion to tie the game. Stull threw a shaky lob to Baldwin in the end zone, but he pulled it down to make it 24-24. The defense held again, and Lee notched his fourth straight field goal, this one from 25 yards out, to give Pitt its first lead since early in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, defensive end Greg Romeus broke into the backfield and sacked Dantley, forcing a fumble. With the ball tumbling on the turf, Jabaal Sheard leapt over a fallen offensive lineman and pounced on it. ‘I think the defense knows we need to step up at the end of the game,’ said Romeus. ‘We put that on our shoulders. [Syracuse] was making big plays all game. Everybody on the defensive line made plays at the end of the game.’ The Panthers ran the ball eight straight plays after the fumble, and Stephens-Howling put the game away with a three-yard touchdown run. Pitt has a short week and will face No. 10-ranked South Florida on ESPN on Thursday night.