Same old story, same tired results

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If Pitt fans thought the heartbreaking losses were over, they got an unpleasant surprise on Saturday.

The Panthers (4-6, 2-3 Big East) suffered a devastating loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-4, 3-3) 20-16 at Rutgers Stadium. It was the fourth game of the season Pitt has lost by seven points or fewer and its third straight loss to Rutgers.

With under a minute to play, down 20-16, Pitt freshman quarterback Pat Bostick threw a jump ball to the left side of the end zone, hooking up with Oderick Turner for what looked to be the game-winning touchdown. But when Turner came down with the ball, a flag for offensive pass interference came down as well.

On the next play, Bostick’s pass was deflected and intercepted in the end zone by Rutgers’ Devin McCourty to put the game away and end much, if not all, of Pitt’s postseason hopes.

“It was a disappointing call,” Pitt senior offensive lineman Mike McGlynn said, referring to the pass interference call. “But we had so many opportunities to win that game.”

The Panthers’ defense forced four turnovers, all at or inside the Rutgers 31-yard line.

But Pitt managed just one touchdown – a 1-yard lob from Bostick to Darrell Strong late in the first quarter.

Junior kicker Conor Lee made three field goals, two off turnovers, but also missed a 31-yarder that would have given Pitt a 13-10 lead after linebacker Scott McKillop picked off a Mike Teel pass at the Rutgers 31. It was the third miss of the year for Lee and just the fifth of his career. Bostick never looked comfortable in the pocket, completing 3 for his 10 passes and being sacked three times in the first half.

At halftime, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt made some changes. He replaced Bostick with redshirt freshman Kevan Smith – who lost his starting job to Bostick earlier in the year after struggling badly in losses against Michigan State and UConn. “I just felt like Pat was struggling,” Wannstedt said. “I thought that Kevan would maybe give us a spark.”

Smith was effective with both his arm and his legs, completing 7 of 11 passes for 81 yards and rushing for an additional 42. He looked comfortable managing the offense, but separated his shoulder late in the fourth quarter – a move that brought Bostick back in the game for the final drive.

“I just wanted to tell him to keep his head in it,” McGlynn said of Bostick. “He responded. He made some passes.”

The defense held Rutgers to a fourth-quarter field goal, bringing the score to 20-16. It gave the offense a chance to win the game. But Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop and the rest of the defense watched helplessly from the sidelines as Bostick’s last pass, a lofted pass over the left shoulder of Strong, who seemed confused by the placement of the pass, was intercepted, and the game came to a close.

McKillop, who entered the game ranking first in the Big East in tackles and second in the NCAA in solo tackles per game, led the defense with 16 tackles. He recorded his first-ever forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception and multiple-sack game.

But even with such strong play, and an offense continuously stalling after strong defensive stands, McKillop refused to point fingers.

“We have to be a team,” McKillop said. “We have to play together.”

Rutgers’ Heisman Trophy candidate Ray Rice, who scored on a 28-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, finished the game with 112 yards on 26 carries. Rice is the first player in Big East history to record two straight seasons of at least 1,500 yards rushing.

Freshman standout LeSean McCoy, who came into the game ranking second in the Big East in rushing behind Rice, finished with just 60 yards on 22 tries. Even with Rice leading the way for the Scarlet Knights, the Panthers’ defense still contained them, holding the Scarlet Knights to just 219 yards – nearly 241 yards below its per-game average of 460.9.

Pitt had more total yards, committed fewer turnovers and out-possessed Rutgers by more than nine minutes. Despite his disappointment in the loss, Wannstedt was happy with the team’s effort – especially on the defensive side.

“We played good enough on defense to win the game,” he said.

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