Panthers crush Orangemen

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Walt Harris can no longer say he’s winless against the Orangemen.

The… SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Walt Harris can no longer say he’s winless against the Orangemen.

The Panthers’ last win at the Carrier Dome no longer happened 20 years ago, but two days ago. The quarterback was not Dan Marino, but Rod Rutherford.

The Pitt football team picked up a huge win Saturday by defeating Big East rival Syracuse 48-24, snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Orangemen and silencing a Homecoming crowd of 39,947.

“We played tremendously and exorcised a bunch of demons,” head coach Harris said about his team’s first victory at Syracuse since 1982. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Rutherford continued to impress as he led the Panthers to 48 unanswered points after the Orangemen put a quick three points on the board following an interception. Rutherford, who was 10 of 15 for 279 yards, engineered a drive downfield capped by a 27-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald to put Pitt up 7-3.

The Panthers dominated from that point on, as running back Brandon Miree found the end zone twice and David Abdul kicked a 23-yard field goal to give Pitt a 24-3 advantage entering halftime.

“We stayed focused and had a great game,” Rutherford said. “They challenged us to throw the ball and we had to throw.”

Pitt put 24 more points on the board in the third quarter beginning with Lousaka Polite’s uncontested 34-yard run to the end zone. The defense continued to apply pressure, as it had all day, when Syracuse backup quarterback Troy Nunes had a pass blocked, which he then recovered but fumbled. It was picked up by Lewis Moore who took it in for the touchdown.

Abdul notched a 19-yard field goal before Rutherford threw an 82-yard pass to Roosevelt Bynes to give Pitt the 48-3 lead.

“The receivers did a nice job to get open,” Harris said.

He then decided to give a number of starters a rest later in the game.

“It’s a good feeling when you know you don’t have to play in the fourth quarter,” Rutherford said.

Nunes threw a touchdown pass to David Tyree and the Orangemen added two rushing scores to make the final margin closer than it had been for most of the contest.

William Ferguson led the defense with 11 tackles and a sack and punter Andy Lee averaged 52.5 yards per kick. The kicking game, which has been suspect all season, was perfect, converting all field goal and extra point attempts.

The win improves Pitt’s record to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in the conference and lifts a great weight off the shoulders of the players and coaching staff.

“In the past we’ve played tough and found ways to lose,” Harris said. “[The win] is something special for us.”

With the loss, Syracuse falls to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the Big East and has to be concerned after starting quarterback R.J. Anderson completed just 3 of 10 attempts for 11 yards. Walter Reyes led the rush with 84 yards on 13 carries while Jared Jones caught four balls for 59 yards.

The Syracuse crowd, which is known as being especially loud because of the dome, was silenced early on and many Orange fans left during the game. The section of Pitt fans clustered in the corner of one end zone could be heard through the stadium with chants of “Let’s go Pitt.”

For the Panthers, the victory is a great way to begin the toughest part of their schedule, which begins next week with a trip to Notre Dame to face the undefeated Irish.

“It’s a big motivational tool, winning on the road in a place that can get loud,” Rutherford said.

“This is where it starts,” cornerback Torrie Cox added. “I feel real good, 5-1 football I like to see.”