Walker and Pitt defeat BC

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Pitt running back Jawan Walker had a career day at Alumni Stadium on… CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Pitt running back Jawan Walker had a career day at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, scoring three touchdowns in three different ways – running, receiving and passing, leading the way to a 24-13 victory over Boston College.

With the win and the Miami loss to Virginia Tech, the Panthers now control the fate of the Big East.

Walker ran the ball into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Panthers up 10-3 early in the second quarter.

Then, with 13:39 left in the game, quarterback Rod Rutherford dropped back and threw a screen pass to Walker, who caught the ball, then ran freely down the sideline and into the end zone to put Pitt up 17-13.

Five minutes later, Walker took the handoff from Rutherford. The secondary for Boston College bit on the run fake, and Larry Fitzgerald, who sold the run with a block, ran free down the field. Walker stopped in the backfield and threw a high, towering spiral, which Fitzgerald caught and ran into the end zone.

With that catch, Fitzgerald moved into the ranks of the elite. He now holds the NCAA record of 14 consecutive games with a touchdown reception. Also, with that touchdown, Fitzgerald broke Jabar Gaffney’s NCAA mark for most touchdowns caught in freshman and sophomore years. Fitzgerald now has 28 touchdowns in his first two years.

“It’s probably the most wide-open I have been,” Fitzgerald said of the touchdown.

Even though the stat sheet has Walker’s name next to all three touchdowns, credit has to be given to the rest of the players on the team.

“[It was a] hard-fought football game,” head coach Walt Harris said. “We had a lot of unsung heroes in the game – mostly the offensive line.”

Pitt (6-2 Overall, 3-0 Big East) ran for 124 yards and the offensive line allowed the Boston College defense to sack Rutherford only once. The protection allowed Rutherford to complete 24 of 37 passes for 329 yards.

“Our line has stepped up big-time,” Rutherford said.

The offensive line also provided protection for Walker’s halfback pass and had several key blocks downfield that sprung Walker on the screen pass.

The Pitt offense kept the Panther defense off the field by controlling the clock, holding the ball for 36:13, while Boston College had it for only 23:47.

“I’m very excited about the time of possession,” Harris said.

With 6:01 left in the game, the offensive line led the way to two Panther first downs. The drive burned 4:19 off the clock.

“It’s a great feeling to run the clock out,” left tackle Rob Petitti said. “[The offensive line is] finally starting to play as one.”

Boston College (5-4, 1-3 Big East) received the ball first and moved 62 yards using the run. Running back Derrick Knight ran the ball on Boston College’s first three plays for a total of 38 yards. Quarterback Quinton Porter ran the ball for seven yards on the fourth play.

After a few more runs, Porter’s third-down throw was deflected by Pitt’s nose tackle Vince Crochunis, stopping the Boston College drive at the Pitt 17-yard line. Sandro Sciortino kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Boston College the early 3-0 lead.

The ensuing Panther drive was halted by an interception. Strong safety Larry Aman caught a ball that deflected off the helmet of Panther tight end Kris Wilson. Wilson was running his pattern but did not turn around to see the pass come from Rutherford.

Boston College did not take advantage of the turnover, and punted the ball back to Pitt.

After a few drives ending in punts on both sides, Pitt compiled an eight-play, 83-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal by David Abdul that tied the game at three.

Before the field goal, there was a questionable call made on a pass thrown to Fitzgerald in the end zone. Pitt had the ball on the 10-yard line, and Fitzgerald lined up in one-on-one coverage on the wide side of the field. Fitzgerald ran out for the pass, but it was a ball thrown low and too far inside and the referee called it an incomplete pass.

“The referee that made the call, I had my back to him,” Fitzgerald said, suggesting that the referee did not have the positioning to see him make the catch. “I felt it was [a touchdown].”

The corner stepped up to make a play on the ball and deflected it. The ball fell into the body of Fitzgerald who said he caught the ball with his legs.

Pitt forced the Eagles to punt after three plays on their next drive, and the Panthers started their next drive at their 49-yard line and would score with Walker’s rushing touchdown.

Boston College struck back on its next drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Horace Dodd. It was his ninth on the season.

The Eagles started the drive with great field position after a 41-yard kickoff return by Will Blackmon. Dodd ran wild on the drive, with six carries for 38 yards and one catch for 10 yards. The touchdown tied the game at 10 with 10:37 left in the second quarter.

With 6:09 left on the clock in the second quarter, Boston College started a drive that began at its 8-yard line. The Eagles faced third-and-11 on their 7-yard line, and Porter hit wide receiver Grant Adams for a 69-yard gain.

Adams broke away from the corner and caught the long pass around the 50-yard line. He juked one Pitt defender, and ran for about 25 yards before free safety Corey Humphries made the touchdown saving tackle at the Pitt 24-yard line.

The Pitt defense stood up and held the Eagles to just a field goal. Sciortino’s 23-yard field goal put Boston College up 13-10.

Pitt squandered two opportunities to tie the game with a field goal. Abdul, who has had a dismal season, missed two field goals, one late in the second quarter, and one late in the third.

The one before the half was a 44-yard attempt, and the one in the third quarter was a 27-yard attempt. Abdul has now hit only 7 of 15 field goals this year.

“We need to score every time we are down there,” Harris said.

Despite the missed field goals, the team came together and scored two touchdowns to come away with another Big East win.

The Pitt defense held Boston College to 186 yards passing, and the Eagles were 2-for-13 on third down and were forced to punt eight times.

The Panthers now look to Virginia Tech, whom they will play at Heinz Field on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.