Early fumbles down Panthers in homecoming game

It was the script coming out party that few saw coming.

Sporting new script “Pitt” logos on their helmets in their homecoming game against Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC) Saturday, the Panthers (4-4, 2-2 ACC) couldn’t recover from a historically poor offensive start in an embarrassing 56-28 loss.

To start the contest, Pitt tied an FBS record for most fumbles in a quarter of play with five fumbles, four of which came in Pitt’s first six plays.

The Yellow Jackets converted each of their takeaways into seven points, and less than halfway through the first quarter, they led 28-0. Minutes later, online sports website Deadspin published a post headlined “The Pitt Panthers Are Desecrating The Game Of Football” in response to the combination of rotten luck and poor play.

To make matters worse, Pitt star running back James Conner hit the ground awkwardly after a run with under eight minutes to play in the first quarter. Conner lay near Pitt’s sideline, where he received treatment to his right knee, for minutes. Some 44,734 in attendance sat in dead silence until Conner was helped off the field and into the locker room.

“It was just the way my foot hit the turf. I took the wrong step,” Conner said after the game.

When Georgia Tech got the ball back and approached Heinz Field’s closed end zone, nearly every member of Pitt’s student section and the other remaining Pitt fans were too dejected to stand.

But Pitt forced a punt, and Conner emerged from the locker room and began to use a stationary bike.

With Pitt’s offense surging deep into the Yellow Jackets’ territory, Conner neared the sideline. Head coach Paul Chryst gave him the nod to return on third and goal, and Conner pushed his way to the goal line, recording Pitt’s first points.

Conner added after the game that his knee is “OK now.”

Pitt cut Georgia Tech’s lead to 28-14 at the half, and the Panthers’ lack of early second half turnovers provided hope. But Pitt couldn’t overcome the 42 points Tech scored from its turnovers. The Yellow Jackets’ 56 points set a Heinz Field record for a Pitt opponent.

“I was pretty disappointed. I’m still pretty disappointed,” senior safety Ray Vinopal said. “Guys were not in the spots they were in all week at practice. That’s how you get beat, and we got beat bad.”

The Panthers did not come within 14 points of the Yellow Jackets in the second half.

“There were a couple times when I thought we had a chance to get back in it,” Chryst said. “They made the play on third down, and we didn’t.”

Conner scored two more touchdowns on the day, finishing with 119 yards and an average of 12 yards per carry. It was Conner’s fifth game this season with at least 100 yards.

Quarterback Chad Voytik completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards in the effort, but he left the game in the fourth quarter and could not speak to reporters afterwards because he needed to be evaluated for injury.

Tyler Boyd caught nine of Voytik’s passes for 137 yards. With 129 receptions, Boyd moved into tenth place on Pitt’s all-time receptions list in the game, passing Jon Baldwin.

With the win, Georgia Tech moved into first place in the ACC Coastal Division. The Jackets were previously tied with Duke and Pitt. Duke is off this week and will play at Pitt Saturday.