Easy victory over Rutgers turned into tough road win

Rutgers was just what the doctor ordered.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ At least for a half.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘… Rutgers was just what the doctor ordered.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ At least for a half.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After last week’s effort — or lack of it — in a loss against Notre Dame, and the loss against Toledo two weeks prior to that, the Panthers needed a boost to launch them into the second half of their season, where opponents the likes of Miami and Virginia Tech await.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And what a boost Rutgers was to the Panthers during the first half of Saturday afternoon’s game.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Quarterback Rod Rutherford passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Jawan Walker rushed for 70 yards, including a 55-yard run, and two touchdowns.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The defense was equally impressive in the first half. Rutgers was held to 154 total yards and only four first downs and the Panthers defense caused three fumbles and recovered two.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ For the Panthers to play as dominantly as they did against Rutgers in the second quarter was impressive. The offense marched down the field easily, drive after drive, and the defense stopped all but one Rutgers drive.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The first half ended with the Panthers leading Rutgers by a score of 42-7, and it looked like the Panthers’ team that was supposed to compete with the best teams in the Big East this season was coming through on that promise, even if slowly and against a team like Rutgers. But the question was being asked — are the Panthers that good or is Rutgers that bad?

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When the second half began, the team that scored 42 points and held its opponent to seven points was gone, replaced by the flat Panthers team that took the field against Notre Dame. They failed to make adjustments and struggled to do everything at which they are supposed to excel.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Panthers scored zero points, had only 67 yards and two first downs and possessed the ball for only 10 minutes. Rutgers, on the other hand, scored 25 points, had 410 yards of offense to out gain the Panthers 516-494, possessed the ball for 20 minutes and made 21 first downs.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Now, the question is being asked: Is Rutgers that good or are the Panthers that bad?

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ What should have been a blowout on Saturday became a game where the Panthers showed just what kind of a team they are. They showed that, while hurting on the offensive line and from the loss of running back Brandon Miree, Pitt is not only undeserving of all the national champion talk of the summer, but of even having a ranking in the top 25.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ More surprising than the team almost losing to Rutgers — and almost losing badly — is the way the team is handling wins like these.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After Saturday’s game, defensive lineman Claude Harriott said, ‘We played physical and gave 110 percent, but something wasn’t right. They outcoached us in the second half by making adjustments. We came out and put the pressure on the quarterback. We had some interceptions. Things are getting better. We know our mistakes and we just have to capitalize. ‘hellip; It’s not a different problem [every week]. It’s the same thing. It’s just staying focused.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s good to hear a player like Harriott recognize that something isn’t right, that having Saturday’s game end the way it did is cause for alarm. But it’s distressing that the same player also said the problems they faced against Rutgers are the same problems with which they’ve been dealing.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This is a team that had the potential to compete for a national championship — mistakes shouldn’t be dealt with, they should be fixed. To hear things like the problems affecting the team one week are the same as in previous weeks is more than a cause for alarm — it’s cause for wondering where the heads of the players and coaching staff are.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After six games, the national championship talk has evaporated, as has Pitt’s ranking in the top 25. And deservedly so. If this team can’t destroy teams like Rutgers and Toledo and beat decidedly a team like Notre Dame, it shouldn’t be ranked.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And for a team that might be looking for a new conference when the Big East folds — which is by far still a certainty — they shouldn’t be looking at a conference like the Big Ten. That’s too lofty.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The way this team’s playing, only Conference USA could offer the same amount of mediocrity this team has played with during the past few weeks.

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Dante A. Ciampaglia is a sucker for mediocre football. That’s why he watched the Steelers.