Turnovers prove costly in Pitt loss

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Forget total yards, first downs and time of possession. Saturday’s game… SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Forget total yards, first downs and time of possession. Saturday’s game between Pitt and Notre Dame came down to one statistic: turnovers.

The Panthers committed three turnovers in the second half during a crucial span that increased Notre Dame’s lead from one point to eight and reduced Pitt’s hopes for victory.

“We made some execution mistakes,” Pitt head coach Walt Harris said. “We lost the turnover ratio and that’s the game.”

With four minutes and 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter with the Fighting Irish leading 7-6, Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford was hit by Notre Dame’s Justin Tuck, forcing a fumble recovered by the Irish’s Ryan Roberts at the Pitt 40-yard line.

While the Irish were not able to capitalize on the turnover, going three and out on the possession, it was the beginning of a breakdown for the Pitt offense as the Panthers were unable to secure a first down on their next three possessions.

Then, with 9:28 left on the clock and Pitt still trailing by one, Rutherford tried to run the ball himself and was drilled by Notre Dame’s Glenn Earl, who forced the fumble and then recovered the ball at the Pitt 13-yard line.

“Our defense stepped up, had confidence and made big plays at the right time,” Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham said. “At halftime we talked about being more aggressive.”

With possession deep in Pitt territory, the Irish were not about to fail to execute on another Panther turnover.

Ryan Grant ran the ball 8 yards for the Irish, then carried again for a gain of 3 yards for a first down to bring Notre Dame to the 1-yard line. Pitt’s defense was able to keep the Irish out of the end zone on its next two rushing attempts, but on third and goal, Grant fell in for the touchdown.

The extra point put the Irish up 14-6 and ensured Pitt would need a touchdown and two-point conversion, not just a field goal anymoremcm, to take the lead.

The Panthers received the ball with 2:34 remaining in the game, enough time to orchestrate a drive downfield and put points on the board. Rutherford’s first pass found Marcus Furman for 13 yards before connecting with Larry Fitzgerald for a 10-yard gain. Faced with a third-and-10 after two incomplete passes, Rutherford hit a wide-open Lamar Slade for 24 yards to put the Panthers on Notre Dame’s 33-yard line.

Rutherford connected with Furman for 9 yards to bring up a third-and-one, and Furman ran up the middle for a gain of 3 yards and a first down. Rutherford threw a pass intended for Fitzgerald at the right front corner of the end zone that was broken up by Notre Dame’s Gerome Sapp.

On the next play, Rutherford was forced to run backward, and under heavy pressure from two Irish defenders, threw a desperate pass for the sideline that was intercepted by Preston Jackson, ending Pitt’s chances for a comeback.

“I was trying to get it out of bounds, but he made a great play,” Rutherford said. “We had plenty of opportunities but we found ways to lose.”

The Panthers also didn’t capitalize on Notre Dame turnovers after intercepting passes during the first and third quarters.

Pitt’s Shawn Robinson picked off a pass by Arnaz Battle with 7:31 left in the first quarter, but the Panthers’ resulting drive ended in a punt.

Then, with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter, Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holiday threw into double coverage and was intercepted by Tez Morris. But once again, the Panthers were forced to punt after an unproductive possession.

In the end, it was the Irish who won the turnover battle.

“The bottom line is they make a living off of turnovers and that was the difference in the game,” Harris said. “The turnovers were devastating.”