Fitzgerald’s TD catch sets record

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – For 13 games, Larry Fitzgerald fought through double and triple… CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – For 13 games, Larry Fitzgerald fought through double and triple coverage to catch at least one touchdown in each contest.

On Saturday, all Fitzgerald had to do was make sure he did not drop the ball.

With just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Pitt’s 24-13 win over Boston College, Rod Rutherford pitched the ball to running back Jawan Walker. After running towards the sideline and looking to cut up-field, Walker slowed down and lofted a pass over a stunned Eagles’ defense.

Thirty-five yards later, a wide-open Fitzgerald, who snuck behind Boston College’s secondary, trotted into the end zone for the score and a spot in the record books all by himself.

For the 14th consecutive game, the sophomore wide receiver scored a touchdown, breaking the NCAA record he shared with Michigan State’s Charles Rogers for a week. Rogers set the record last season while playing for the Spartans.

“It’s quite an accomplishment,” Fitzgerald said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s something I’ll be able to look back on in about five or 10 years.”

Fitzgerald now has 28 touchdown catches in his career, breaking the NCAA mark for scoring receptions as a freshman and sophomore, set by Florida wide receiver Jabar Gaffney during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

After catching seven balls for 156 yards and a score, Fitzgerald has 60 receptions for 1,174 yards this year. And, with his 16th touchdown of the season, he tied Julius Dawkins’ Pitt record for scoring receptions in a season.

But for more than three quarters, it looked as if the streak might be broken.

“He wouldn’t tell you, but he was frustrated,” Rutherford said of Fitzgerald, who had been kept out of the end zone by Boston College.

Fitzgerald was not without his chances.

In the first quarter, with Pitt trailing 3-0, Rutherford found Fitzgerald streaking down the sideline towards the goal line. The pass hit Fitzgerald in stride, but strong safety Paul Cook kept the receiver from getting into the end zone, shoving him out of bounds at the 5-yard line.

“I tried to kick it into second gear,” Fitzgerald said, “but I couldn’t kick it into [second gear] and the safety got over there.”

Fitzgerald had two more chances on the drive.

On the next play, Rutherford lofted the ball into the corner of the end zone, but the officials ruled that Fitzgerald caught the ball out of bounds. Two plays later, it looked as if he had broken the record to the back judge, but the sideline official disagreed.

“The ball was over my back shoulder,” Fitzgerald said. “The defensive back got his hand in there. I caught it between my legs, but the referee [that made the call], I had my back to him.”

After four receptions of more than 10 yards in the first half, Boston College shut down the big play capability of Pitt’s offense, taking Fitzgerald out of the game and forcing Rutherford to dump the ball off to his stable of running backs.

“A lot of teams have been giving [us] big plays,” Rutherford said. “Boston College made a conscious effort to take that away.”

In order to keep the streak alive, the Panthers needed to put a wrinkle into their offense.

“Every time we practiced [the halfback-option pass], I was wide open,” Fitzgerald said. “I just executed my assignment; you just do what you’re coached to do. I saw [the cornerback] bite and I knew I had it.”

“[Walker]’s going to have to practice as our third or fourth team run quarterback,” head coach Walt Harris joked. “You have a tendency to squeeze that baby and it comes sputtering out, [but] it was a tremendous throw.”

With the win and Miami’s loss to Virginia Tech, the Panthers enter the final third of their season with a legitimate shot at winning the Big East Championship. According to Fitzgerald, that’s all that really matters.

“I was excited, just like everybody else was,” he said. “[But] honestly, I’m just trying to go out there and win.”