Pitt saw its Gator Bowl hopes vanish on its final offensive play of the season when West… Pitt saw its Gator Bowl hopes vanish on its final offensive play of the season when West Virginia linebacker Ben Collins knocked down a Rod Rutherford pass in the end zone to seal a 24-17 upset by the Mountaineers Saturday at Heinz Field.

The pass, which was intended for tight end Kris Wilson, was Rutherford’s third straight incompletion from the Mountaineer 14-yard line after driving the offense 79 yards in 13 plays.

“We had our opportunities, we took our chances and we got the right looks,” Rutherford said. “We couldn’t execute as well as we wanted to.”

Rutherford’s previous attempt saw the ball bounce twice off the fingertips of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald before falling to the ground.

“I feel like I let my teammates down,” Fitzgerald said, who caught 11 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, breaking Pitt freshman records in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Despite the near miss, Fitzgerald’s teammates insist that they haven’t lost confidence in him.

“Larry’s a big-time player and you want to get the ball in a big-time player’s hands,” Rutherford said.

Fitzgerald added that the fade rout, a passing play that the team has run with great success this season, wasn’t an option at the time because of the Mountaineers’ defensive scheme.

“They played cover-two and wouldn’t let me get outside, so I had to work inside,” he said.

The Panthers (8-4 overall, 5-2 in the Big East) drew first blood when Fitzgerald beat three defenders to haul in a 32-yard touchdown strike from Rutherford in the first quarter.

Rutherford finished the day 17 of 30 for 252 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

The Mountaineers (9-3, 6-1) settled for a field goal on the following drive and took the ball back after the Panthers failed to convert on fourth-and-two.

Quarterback Rasheed Marshall’s 19-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive in which the Mountaineers didn’t attempt a pass.

Marshall finished five of nine for 123 yards and also threw one touchdown.

The Mountaineers amassed 232 rushing yards against a Pitt defense that allowed 97 rushing yards per game going into the contest.

Pitt tied the game on its first drive of the second quarter when freshman David Abdul converted on a 33-yard field goal attempt with 10:01 remaining. The Panthers wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter.

West Virginia took a seven-point lead later in the second quarter when an interception by strong safety Angel Estrada set up a two-yard touchdown scamper by running back Avon Cobourne.

Cobourne led the Mountaineers’ rushing attack with 104 yards on 25 carries.

In the third quarter, Rutherford fumbled the ball deep in West Virginia territory when his attempted pitch to the tailback bounced off the helmet of fullback Lousaka Polite.

Collins recovered the fumble for the Mountaineers, setting up a 79-yard touchdown pass from Marshall to wide receiver Phil Braxton with just under seven minutes to go in the third quarter.

“In the games we’ve lost, we’ve been our own worst enemy,” Pitt head coach Walt Harris said. “You can’t turn the ball over and we turned it over four times.”

The Panthers would cut the lead in half with Fitzgerald’s second touchdown catch, a 25-yard reception at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but it wouldn’t be enough.

Panther tailback Brandon Miree notched his third 100-yard performance of the season, collecting 121 yards on 25 carries. All of Miree’s 100-yard rushing games have come against nationally ranked opponents.

With the loss, the Panthers finish third in the Big East Conference and will play in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 26 in Phoenix. Their opponent will be announced on Sunday.

“We have one more opportunity to play,” Harris said. “We have to improve on our details and our execution and I believe we will.”