Panthers torch Rockets

Several veteran Pitt players were at Toledo’s Glass Bowl in 2003 when the unthinkable… Several veteran Pitt players were at Toledo’s Glass Bowl in 2003 when the unthinkable happened.

Then ranked ninth nationally, the Panthers were torched by the Rockets in a 35-31 defeat that resonated among those players until the two teams met again.

Sophomore defensive lineman Gus Mustakas wasn’t there, but when Toledo came to Heinz Field on Saturday, it sure looked as if he was.

With less than five minutes elapsed in the first quarter of Pitt’s matchup with the Rockets, the Toledo offense found itself pinned inside its own 10. When quarterback Brandon Summers dropped back, Mustakas charged in for the easy sack.

Then he recognized the play and retreated.

“When there’s a screen, you’re supposed to retrace your steps, because they’re not going to let you in [that] easy,” Mustakas said. “I felt [getting to the quarterback] was way too easy, so I looked for the running back, came back and the ball was right there.”

“Screens are a big part of their offensive attack,” Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said after the game. “It was great recognition on Gus’ part. He’s one of the smartest players we have out there. He’s very instinctive. That’s the upside of a player like Gus.”

Mustakas displayed his upside, picked the ball out of the air and lumbered nine yards for his first touchdown since his tight-end days in high school. The Panthers went up 14-0 and never looked back.

“Everybody was really hyped,” Mustakas said. “The offense came out and I think they scored so it got the momentum up.”

The Panthers (4-1, 1-0 Big East) carried that momentum the entire game en route to a 45-3 romping of the Rockets. Toledo tried early to mix up the Pitt defense by yanking Summers for freshman quarterback Alex Opelt. However, the Rockets were down too much too early and failed to leave the launching pad.

“We wanted to take away the things that they like to do,” linebacker H.B. Blades said. “We forced the quarterback to hold the ball longer than he wanted to. We made him scramble and he picked up a couple yards here and there, but that’s not going to beat us.”

In fact, Opelt was Toledo’s leading rusher, accumulating 56 yards on 11 carries mostly on scrambles after being flushed from the pocket.

“When your defensive line is playing well, it opens things up for everyone else,” Blades said.

Pitt’s defensive play also opened up the game for the Pitt offense. Palko came into the game with the nation’s highest quarterback rating and had another efficient day. The fifth-year senior completed 15 of 18 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in only three quarters before sophomore Bill Stull relieved him.

But Palko didn’t get to do everything he wanted in the game. His disappointment came not as a passer, but as a potential blocker.

Late in the third quarter, freshman receiver Dorin Dickerson had the ball on offense for the first time this season. The end-around reverse had Dickerson jaunt up the sideline with an eager Palko leading him — eager for contact that never came.

“I would have liked to have thrown a block for him,” Palko said. “[But it was] a great play call at the right time.”

Dickerson, a West Allegheny High School graduate like Palko, went untouched into the end zone to complete what would be the final score. The highly touted freshman hadn’t seen action until Saturday and was getting anxious.

“My heart dropped a little bit,” Dickerson said, referring to when his play was called. “It got a lot off my shoulders. As long as I can help the team, that’s the best thing I can do.”

While Palko and the Pitt passing game continued producing, the Pitt running game remained ineffective. LaRod Stephens-Howling started the game for the Panthers, but only amassed 50 yards on 18 carries.

“As tough as he is, when you’re that size, injury is always a concern,” Wannstedt said of the undersized Stephens-Howling. Later in the game, Kevin Collier and Shane Brooks replaced the sophomore, and though Collier scored and Brooks scampered for a 44-yard dash, Wannstedt remained disappointed.

“You have to run the football and we’re not running it as much as we’d like to, but we’re going to keep at it,” Wannstedt said.

NOTES – Senior right guard John Simonitis left the game early with a broken leg and will not return this season; freshman Joe Thomas will be the starter…Palko is now Pitt’s third all-time leader in passing yards with 6,784 after passing Rod Rutherford on Saturday…Bruce Gradkowski, Pittsburgh native and Toledo quarterback who threw for 461 yards in the victory against Pitt in 2003, started for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday.