Pitt comes up big late in win

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – This time, the Panthers’ defense put the nail in the opposition’s… COLLEGE STATION, Texas – This time, the Panthers’ defense put the nail in the opposition’s coffin.

After being the scapegoat of last week’s loss, in which Toledo drove 83 yards for its comeback victory, Pitt’s defense was able to step up at the end of the game and come up with a big play, despite playing without its two best players on defense in the Panthers 37-26 victory over the Texas A’M Aggies on Saturday.

“We are thrilled about winning this game. This is a very challenging atmosphere, and we had a very difficult loss to deal with last week,” Walt Harris said. “A lot of people jumped off the bandwagon [and] didn’t believe in us.”

The No. 17 ranked Panthers (3-1) lost middle linebacker Lewis Moore to injury during the second quarter and defensive end Claude Harriott in the third quarter. Still, the Panthers’ defense was able to come up with big plays.

With Pitt up 30-20 and less than nine minutes to go in the game, weak-side linebacker Malcolm Postell intercepted Texas A’M (2-2) backup quarterback Dustin Long in Panthers’ territory to halt an Aggies’ drive.

“We always have faith in one another,” linebacker Clint Session said. “This game showed our heart – whether we are willing to fight.”

Pitt followed up Postell’s interception with a touchdown, when wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reached back over his shoulder and hauled in a 49-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rod Rutherford between three defenders. With the Panthers leading 37-20, they only had to play defense and run out the clock.

Prior to the end of the first quarter, Pitt’s defense had turned in a stout performance. On their second drive of the first quarter, the Aggies had the Panthers’ backs to the wall, with possession of the ball on the Panthers’ eight-yard line.

Texas A’M faced fourth-and-one, and quarterback Reggie McNeal fumbled the snap, which Moore recovered for his first of two fumble recoveries of the game.

The first score of the game followed up the fumble recovery. Pitt got on the scoreboard when Fitzgerald jumped between two defenders and came down with a 34-yard strike from Rutherford a little more than halfway through the first quarter. Kicker David Abdul’s extra point attempt hit the right upright, making the score 6-0.

But Abdul redeemed himself with a 45-yard field goal later in the first quarter, after Moore stripped punt returner Jason Carter at Texas A’M’s 29-yard line for his second fumble recovery of the game.

The second quarter belonged to the Aggies, as they scored 13 unanswered points. Texas A’M was able to take advantage of its speedy backfield by using the option. McNeal and running back Courtney Lewis combined for 90 of its 119 rushing yards in the first half.

Texas A’M was held scoreless during the first quarter, but opened up the second quarter with a 10-play, 80-yard drive, which ended with McNeal connecting with wide receiver Jamaar Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown, cutting Pitt’s lead to 9-7.

The Aggies drove into Panthers’ territory on their next two drives, but were held to two Todd Pegram field goals, which sent them into the locker room with a 13-9 lead at halftime.

Texas A’M amassed 544 total yards of offense, with 227 coming on the ground and 317 through the air.

“We gave up some yards [and] our defense held them to field goals, [but] it could have gotten out of hand earlier and made it a lot harder [on us].” Harris said.

Pitt had possession first in the second half and switched the momentum back to its side. On third and 20, Rutherford found wide receiver Princell Brockenbrough in the corner of the end zone. Brockenbrough made a diving catch and managed to drag his feet in bounds for the touchdown. The Panthers were ahead 16-13 two minutes, 49 seconds into the second half, and never trailed again.

‘Through all of the adversity, all of the noise, all of the momentum and a bunch of good football players over there at Texas A’M, we found a way to come back in the second half and win.” Harris said.

The Panthers’ defense was not the only side of the ball that was banged-up. Jon Schall had to make his second consecutive start at center, and John Simonitis began the game at right guard; neither Justin Belarski nor Rob Frederick were able to play. Most notably, starting running back Brandon Miree did not play because of a leg injury he suffered against Toledo.

Jawan Walker stepped in at running back and struggled early as the Aggies’ defense held Walker to 15 yards rushing in the first half. But the second half was a different story.

Walker came out on fire in the second half, accumulating 72 yards rushing in the half, and finished the game with 87 yards rushing on 20 carries.

“We ended up running the ball for 195 yards, which is tremendous with a back-up running back in Jawan Walker.” Harris said.

Fullback Lousaka Polite rushed for 38 yards on nine carries, Rutherford rushed for 37 yards on 11 carries, and wide receiver Terrell Allen rushed for 34 yards on two end-arounds, giving the Panthers 195 yards rushing.

Rutherford finished with 14 completions on 28 attempts for 283 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He has now caught a touchdown pass in 10 games in a row.

The Panthers have a bye this weekend and will be back in action on Oct. 11 when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to Heinz Field.