Pitt falls to Hurricanes, 28-14

Heading into Saturday’s game against Miami, Pitt had the opportunity to clinch a share of its… Heading into Saturday’s game against Miami, Pitt had the opportunity to clinch a share of its first Big East title and a berth in the Bowl Championship Series.

Instead, the Hurricanes (10-2 overall, 6-1 Big East) stormed through Heinz Field and defeated the Panthers, 28-14, sending Pitt (8-4, 5-2) to the Continental Tire Bowl.

However, Pitt was able to keep one streak alive.

With just under three minutes remaining, quarterback Rod Rutherford hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown to make the score look better than it was.

The score marked the 18th consecutive game in which Fitzgerald has caught a touchdown as well as his 12th consecutive game this season with a TD catch, tying a record set by Marshall’s Randy Moss in 1997.

Unfortunately for Pitt, that was about the only thing that went right on this cold night; they were soundly beaten by a Miami team that is no stranger to games with championship implications.

“The best way for me to describe Miami is – I remember a couple of years ago we had a receiver by the name of Antonio Bryant,” Pitt coach Walt Harris said after the game. “He wasn’t even on [Miami’s] radar screen. He came here, responded here, became a tremendous football player here, and won the Biletnikoff. [Miami] didn’t even try to recruit him.”

Miami may have missed out on Bryant, but there were quite a few players on the opposing sideline that Harris likely would love to have, including linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams, who combined for 20 tackles and three of the nine sacks of Rutherford.

“I can’t find the words to describe how we feel as a team,” Rutherford said.

“They wanted the game more than we did, and the results were on the scoreboard,” nose tackle Vince Crochunis said.

Pitt came out of the gate looking like a team that wanted the game. After forcing Miami to go three-and-out on its first drive, the Panthers drove 64 yards on nine plays and took a 7-0 lead when Rutherford hit tight end Kris Wilson for a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Pitt came out in a jumbo set on 3rd and goal. Fitzgerald was blocking on the play, which probably came as a surprise to the Hurricanes, and when Rutherford rolled to his left, Wilson was uncovered in the back of the end zone.

The Panthers had a chance to stretch their early lead a few minutes later, but were unable to capitalize on safety Tyrone Gilliard’s interception of Miami quarterback Brock Berlin.

“It’s hard enough to play against a great defensive team and take three downs to make 10 yards, let alone take three downs to make 15 yards,” Harris said about how Pitt hurt its chances with penalties. “We have no excuse for that. We’re one of the least penalized teams in our league, and we’re playing in a championship game. I can’t understand why we jumped offside.”

Running back Brandon Miree was never able to get on track, and as Pitt fell behind, he was used less. He finished with 27 yards on 10 carries after rushing for a career-high 188 yards the week before.

“[We’ve had] consistent trouble stopping the run and consistent trouble running the ball [all season],” Harris said.

Miami had two running backs rush for over 100 yards, including Tyrone Moss, who ran the ball four consecutive times to finish off the Hurricanes’ first touchdown drive. The capper was a 30-yard scamper in which Moss ran untouched right up the middle of the defense for the touchdown.

Moss finished with 115 yards on the ground, while teammate Jarrett Payton had 131 yards.

Pitt started its next drive on Miami’s 28-yard line after Terrell Allen’s kick return but had to settle for a 37-yard field goal attempt by David Abdul, an attempt that Abdul missed wide left.

The Hurricanes took control of the game from that point on, scoring twice more before the end of the half on runs by Moss and Payton.

Miami put the game out of reach with an interception by Sean Taylor on Pitt’s first possession of the second half. Miami drove 86 yards and scored on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Berlin to wide receiver Roscoe Parrish. Berlin faked a handoff and lofted the ball to Parrish, who had beaten Pitt cornerback Tutu Ferguson down the left sideline.

The Hurricanes also kept Fitzgerald in check all game, holding him to just three catches for 26 yards.

“They played man [coverage] with a safety over top,” Rutherford said regarding Miami’s strategy against Fitzgerald. “It wasn’t anything we haven’t seen; they just did it better.”

The Heisman Trophy candidate was disappointed after the game, but took solace in the fact that Pitt does have one game remaining.

“We wanted to go to the Orange Bowl,” Fitzgerald said. “Our goal from the beginning of the year was to be Big East champions. Unfortunately, we were unable to accomplish that goal.”