The good, the bad and the ugly

Perhaps Panther receiver Lamar Slade said it best: “It was kind of ugly, but we pulled it… Perhaps Panther receiver Lamar Slade said it best: “It was kind of ugly, but we pulled it off.” Such were the sentiments shared by many following Pitt’s 27-14 victory over Ohio University on Saturday.

Quarterback Rod Rutherford and the Pitt offense came out looking sharp. On their first possession, the Panthers (1-0) put together a nine-play, 51-yard scoring drive capped off by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Rutherford to Slade.

Slade caught four passes for 57 yards to lead the Panthers in receiving.

The Panther offense got the ball back after an interception by cornerback Torrie Cox. However, Rutherford was unable to duplicate his first drive success, taking a 9-yard sack on the first play from scrimmage and throwing an interception to Ohio’s Rob Stover on the next. Stover’s 41-yard return gave the Bobcats (0-1) the ball at the Pitt 12-yard line.

Then, the defense took over. Linebacker Gerald Hayes sacked Ohio quarterback Dontrell Jackson for a 12-yard loss on the third down. Linebacker Lewis Moore blocked the Ohio field goal attempt that followed.

Hayes shined in the win, amassing 11 total tackles and picking up his first career interception in the second quarter.

Jackson would finish the day 2 for 10 for 16 yards. He also threw four interceptions.

Pitt engineered a second quarter scoring drive in which running back Brandon Miree rushed for 35 yards on eight carries. Rutherford’s 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Raymond Kirkley gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead.

Rutherford finished 9 of 22 for 97 yards. He threw two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Kickers J.B. Gibboney and David Abdul both scored their first career points on field goals of 37 and 40 yards, respectively, to add to the Pitt lead. The Panthers went into the locker room up 20-0 at the half.

Though the Panther lead never shrunk below 13 points, the continued offensive struggles began to draw boos from the home crowd in the second half. The Panthers punted five times and scored on just one of their seven second half possessions.

“We were inconsistent,” Pitt head coach Walt Harris said after the win. “I thought we should have ran a lot better than what we did.”

The Panthers rushed for 96 yards as a team with five different players carrying the ball six times or more each. Miree led the running attack netting 62 yards on 15 carries.

“It’s hard to say exactly where some of the breakdowns were going. A lot of times I think that we need to just start playing more together,” Panther center Chad Reed said.

The Bobcats put their first points on the board with 4 minutes, 34 seconds to go in the third quarter when running back Chad Brinker scored on a 6-yard touchdown run.

Brinker finished with 119 yards on 24 carries.

Pitt’s fourth quarter touchdown was set up by cornerback Shawntae Spencer’s 48-yard interception return, giving the Panthers the ball at the Ohio 2-yard line. Fullback Lousaka Polite then carried the ball into the end zone for what would be the final Pitt score of the day.

Spencer’s interception was his second of the game. He finished with three to tie a school record. Cox also had one interception as the Panthers finished with five pickoffs for the day.

“I really thought our defense played good. Their quarterbacks were evasive, good option guys,” Harris said. “It’s a style that is difficult for us to give them a good look.”

On Ohio’s next possession, backup quarterback Fred Ray finished off a 42-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run. Ray would prove to be more effective than Jackson, finishing 7 for 13 for 86 yards and one interception. Ray also ran for 77 yards.

“It’s a good feeling to get the first one out of the way,” Rutherford said.

The victory improves Pitt’s overall record to 5-0 against Ohio and 18-0 against opponents from the Mid-American Conference.

Pitt’s next game will take place Saturday at Heinz Field against Texas A’M. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

“Coach Harris just said [to us] great teams improve the most between their first and second games,” said Reed, “it’s going to be a character check to see where we go from here.”