Victory in Virginia

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Panther tailback Brandon Miree was left reeling minutes after the Panthers… BLACKSBURG, Va. – Panther tailback Brandon Miree was left reeling minutes after the Panthers pulled off the biggest upset in coach Walt Harris’ tenure at Pitt.

“To tell you the truth, you need to pinch me right now,” Miree said. “I’m still in awe of everything.”

Note to Panther fans: Don’t pinch Miree just yet. Saturday’s 28-21 upset of the No. 3 Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1 overall, 3-1 Big East) came in the unlikeliest of venues against the unlikeliest of odds by means of the unlikeliest method of offensive success for the Panthers so far this season, the running game.

Miree and Pitt’s stable of running backs exploded for 275 yards in front of over 64,000 fans at Lane Stadium – a field the Panthers (7-2, 4-0) had previously never left victorious – to bring the Panthers back from a 21-7 second half deficit against the No. 1 rushing defense in the country.

On a day in which three other previously undefeated Bowl Championship Series contenders fell – No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Georgia and No. 10 N.C. State – Pitt’s victory in Blacksburg may have been the most improbable, considering the way the game started for its special teams and defense.

“They took some things away from us completely,” Harris said. “They dominated us when they had to early [and] we made some mistakes.”

Quarterback Rod Rutherford got the Panthers moving on the first play from scrimmage as he found a leaping Larry Fitzgerald along the right sideline for a 37-yard gain.

After two consecutive rushes from Rutherford and Miree moved the offense another 27 yards, the Panthers found themselves at the Virginia Tech 13-yard line before the game was two minutes old.

The drive, however, stalled before the Panthers could get into the end zone, as a delay of a game penalty and two incomplete passes forced Harris to send kicker David Abdul onto the field to attempt a 28-yard field goal.

The kick, which missed wide right, would be the first of Harris’ many woes in an opening quarter brimming with special teams errors.

After Hokie quarterback Bryan Randall and Rutherford traded fumbles on two consecutive possessions, a breakdown in the Panthers’ special teams led to the Hokies’ first touchdown.

As punter Andy Lee planted his step before punting the ball, Hokie defender Nathaniel Adibi broke through the line and blocked the attempt, which was recovered by the Hokies at Pitt’s 3-yard line.

Running back Kevin Jones, who later injured his left leg and did not return, busted through the Panthers’ goal line wall to skip into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

After three incomplete passes on Pitt’s next possession, Lee fumbled a high snap that resulted in the Hokies regaining possession at Pitt’s 21-yard line.

Lee Suggs punched the ball into the end zone on first-and-goal after a defensive interference call, reinforcing the dependence of the Hokies’ offense on their powerful running attack.

“We’re down 14-0 before you can shake a stick,” Harris said. “Plus, we get down there [to the red zone] twice and come away with nothing.”

The situation was fertile for a Hokies’ blowout. Even though the Panthers had out-gained the opposition 77-13 with four minutes left in the first quarter, the Hokies had established their momentum and 14-point lead in the presence of the rowdy faithful at Lane Stadium.

Rutherford and the offense, however, took that momentum right back on the next possession. Seemingly anticipating the severity of the situation, Rutherford drove the offense 77 yards in five plays for the first Panther touchdown of the game.

After a 25-yard pass to tight end Kris Wilson brought the Panthers to the Hokies’ 31-yard line, Rutherford connected with Fitzgerald on a deep fade to the right side of the end zone, effectively putting Pitt back into the game.

The second half started with a play that could have broken the Panthers’ backs. With the ball at their own 41-yard line, the Hokies handed the ball to Suggs, who broke through the line and sprinted to the end zone for a 21-7 lead.

“As a defense, we had a little adversity right then,” said defensive end Claude Harriott, who finished the game with three sacks. “[There’s] a choice you have to make, do you want to fall apart or do you want to pull it together?”

The defense made their choice for the remainder of the second half, as they yielded no more points to the Hokie offense.

Rutherford and the offense, meanwhile, mounted a comeback that displayed the resiliency and character of this Panther team.

With the aid of a personal foul penalty and another deep completion to Wilson for 45 yards, the Panthers answered the Hokies’ score as Rutherford threw another fade to Fitzgerald in the end zone for his second touchdown catch of the day.

“I think Larry is an outstanding receiver,” Rutherford said. “His raw talent is taking over in a lot of situations.”

After the defense held steady yet again on the next possession, Rutherford directed another brisk and efficient drive that resulted in what might have been Fitzgerald’s most spectacular play of the night.

With the ball at the 10-yard line and pressure mounting in the pocket, Rutherford tossed a lob to the end zone that Fitzgerald inexplicably caught with his back facing the play for his third touchdown of the game. Fitzgerald finished the game with five catches for 105 yards, while Rutherford’s three touchdown tosses were a part of 11 completions out of 26 attempts for a 208-yard day.

The next few possessions were an intense battle for field possession, as both squads were effectively able to penetrate the opposition’s side of the field. No points, however, were yielded until what may go down as the Panthers’ biggest rushing play of the season.

With four minutes left in the game and Pitt just 3 yards short of midfield, Rutherford handed the ball to Miree, who ran off left tackle and rumbled 53 yards to the end zone for the Panthers’ first and only lead of the game.

“[The offensive line] opened the hole and Brandon hit it hard,” Rutherford said.

Miree’s score, which was a part of a 23 carries for 161 yards performance, held for the remainder of the fourth quarter, as Harriott and the defense were able to secure the monumental upset by keeping the Hokies from tying the game.

The defense saw numerous big plays at opportune times as the Panthers muscled back into the game. There was linebacker Lewis Moore’s sack of Randall with the Panthers down by seven in the third. There was lineman Vince Crochunis’ sack of Randall with the score tied in the fourth.

Understated, but not under-appreciated, Gerald Hayes, Brian Guzek and Tez Morris kept the Hokies from effectively throwing and running the ball when the Panthers needed a defensive stand the most.

“You win championships on defense and score points on offense to entertain the fans,” Harris said.

As for the victory that pushed Pitt to its first 4-0 Big East start in school history, Harris could not be happier with the performance his team put on to secure the eventual victory.

“It’s almost more than I can fathom,” Harris said. “I’m just thankful to represent all those other guys [in the locker room].”