Virginia stampedes Pitt, 44-14; Panthers lose third consecutive

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – First, there was the botched onsides kick to start the game.

Then… CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – First, there was the botched onsides kick to start the game.

Then Virginia manhandled Pitt.

Virginia pummeled Pitt into submission in the first 14 minutes of Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium, eventually crushing the Panthers, 44-14.

It was the newest installment in the ongoing unraveling of Pitt football.

“I don’t believe we’re as bad a football team as we’ve shown the last two weeks,” Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said.

“But – and there’s a big ‘but’ – we are what we are.”

Pitt (2-3) has been outscored 78-28 in its last two contests and lost three in a row.

In the first two losses of the current streak, the defense kept Pitt in the games as well as it could. It was the offense that looked shell-shocked, inexperienced and overwhelmed.

In this third loss of the slide, the defense barely stood a chance. Before the maniacal 60,888 fans even took their seats, Virginia had a 30-0 lead.

The offense didn’t have any time to salvage any shred of respect.

“We are doing everything in practice and in preparation that championship teams do,” Wannstedt said.

“When we get into the game, particularly early on, we have not been able to keep it together. I wish I could give you a reason why.”

At the game’s outset, backup placekicker Cody Sawhill bounced an onsides kick to the right side.

At the 39-yard line, a Pitt player altered the ball’s travel.

Penalty flags flew, and while it appeared as though Pitt had recovered the risky kickoff, the referees were already huddled.

The penalty – illegal touching of the ball prior to its traveling the required 10 yards on a kickoff – started Virginia’s first offensive series on Pitt’s 39-yard line.

Four plays and three first downs later, Virginia led, 7-0.

“I thought it would be a way for us to steal a possession,” Wannstedt said.

“If there ever was an opportunity to make that play, it was tonight.”

Instead, Virginia started its first series that much closer.

Pitt’s response never got traction.

Freshman running back LeSean McCoy gained 2 yards on his first carry of the game, but the first of many false starts pushed Pitt into a difficult second-and-13.

McCoy regained 12 of those yards, but Wannstedt elected to punt, trusting his defense to handle the pressure again.

That’s when the carnage began.

Virginia’s ensuing drive, a five-play, 51-yard trip during which the Cavaliers’ offense looked like a well-oiled machine, pushed Virginia ahead, 13-0.

Pitt kickoff returner Lowell Robinson fumbled on the following kickoff, and Virginia only needed two minutes to score its third touchdown.

Virginia added another touchdown five minutes later.

Before freshman quarterback Pat Bostick, who started his first collegiate game, had attempted a pass, Pitt trailed, 27-0.

“For us to win with a true freshman quarterback, we’re going to have to run the ball and play good defense and special teams,” Wannstedt said.

But the running game never got going. Not because of a lack of success on carries by McCoy or fellow tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling – the two combined for 125 rushing yards – but pre-snap penalties crumbled every foothold the Pitt offense grasped.

Pitt lost 139 yards to 11 penalties.

“We had officials, Big East officials, every day last week throwing flags [in practice],” Wannstedt said.

“We had noise in practice. We added the 25-second clock at practice to help with the young quarterback. The only thing that I do know is that we will just continue working hard. We will continue to stress the things that we are not doing well enough to win.”

Bostick completed 18 of his 31 passing attempts for 181 yards and a touchdown.

But, at times, Wannstedt’s lack of confidence in having a freshman quarterback taking the snaps resulted in conservative play calling that left Pitt short 11 times in 16 third-down conversion attempts.

Pitt failed to convert any of its third downs in the first half, and that’s where Virginia did most of its damage.

But, after a 23-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, Virginia’s offense slowed down to a near stop.

With a 1-yard touchdown run, McCoy capped a 22-yard drive that came off a recovered fumble on a punt return.

Pitt only allowed 29 yards over nine plays on Virginia’s next drive and forced a punt before running the second-quarter clock out.

Pitt trailed, 30-7, at halftime.

“Once we got the initial storm in the beginning, we settled down,” Wannstedt said. “I thought after halftime we were going to come out [well], and our defense was ready to play.”

Pitt did start the second half strong, keeping Virginia scoreless in the third quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bostick delivered a 2 yard touchdown toss to Oderick Turner to cut Virginia’s lead to 30-14.

Virginia responded with the game-breaking scoring drive, a two-minute yard-gobbler finished by a 13-yard run by Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman.

That, Virginia’s final offensive touchdown of the game, effectively stifled any hope of a Pitt rally.

“Every dog has his day,” Wannstedt said.

“We’ve got young kids. Young kids are eager to play. And we have a good group of seniors. One of these weeks I’d really like to find out what type of team we have.”