Adjustments helped in win over BC

If there was a key to the Pitt football team’s 24-13 victory against Boston College last… If there was a key to the Pitt football team’s 24-13 victory against Boston College last Saturday, it was the adjustments they made.

Quarterback Rod Rutherford adjusted and took what the Eagles’ defense would give him, throwing for 156 yards to his running backs alone.

The Panthers adjusted their offensive game plan by running more sweeps to the outside which not only softened up the middle of the field for running back Tim Murphy, but also set up one of the game’s biggest plays – a 35-yard halfback option pass from running back Jawan Walker to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for the game’s final touchdown.

Defensively, Pitt overcame a shaky first drive to hold Boston College to just one touchdown and 186 yards passing.

All in all, it was a pretty good day to be a Pitt Panther at Alumni Stadium, something which hasn’t been said in awhile.

“It was very exciting for our football team to be back on that campus, on that field, with a different result,” head coach Walt Harris said.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing to be taken away from the game was the running game, which continues to try to produce yardage without starting running back Brandon Miree.

“The toss-sweeps spread everything out more,” guard Dan LaCarte said. “[Those plays] set up the big play to Larry.”

Harris praised the work of his offensive line. He also pointed out that his receivers made several key blocks downfield, most notably on Walker’s 47-yard touchdown catch.

Harris was also impressed with the work of his secondary players, who almost intercepted Eagle quarterback Quinton Porter on three occasions. As for that shaky first drive, which ended with three points for Boston College, Harris placed some of the blame on technology.

“On the opening drive, our defensive coaches lost our phones,” he said. “We lost communication.”

While Pitt has exorcized some demons the last two weeks with wins at home against Syracuse and at Boston College, it will be the Panthers’ opponent this week that will be looking to reverse a trend.

Despite being underdogs in every game, the Panthers are 3-3 against the Virginia Tech Hokies under Walt Harris and have won two straight in the series, including last season’s 28-21 victory in Blacksburg, Va.

The Hokies feature a deadly running attack, which is led by running back Kevin Jones.

Jones has run for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns this year and, along with Fitzgerald, is a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Harris knows the importance, and the difficulty of containing Jones and the Hokie ground attack.

“We don’t have anyone that runs as fast as [Jones] does,” he said.

Pitt may catch a break this week, with Virginia Tech defensive back and punt returner DeAngelo Hall suspended for the first half of the game as punishment for his ejection against Miami last week. Still, Harris knows that the Hokies present a challenge on special teams.

“We have not been successful, like a lot of teams, against the kicking game of Virginia Tech,” Harris said.

Pitt will try to make it three in a row against the Hokies in front of a sold-out crowd and on national television. To top it off, ESPN’s College GameDay will make its first-ever appearance at a Panther game.

Harris is thrilled about the excitement surrounding the game but knows that it is up to his team to take care of business on the field.

“I think all the peripheral things are nice. It will help recruiting, but we got to play good,” Harris said. “We’ve played in front of a couple of sell-out crowds here and haven’t gotten the job done.”