Adam Helfgott on play-by-play
for WRSU-FM
Charlie Noonan’s Interception
[mp3remote]http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/audio/2010/10/24/pitt1.mp3[/mp3remote]Mike Cruz Touchdown
[mp3remote]http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/audio/2010/10/24/pitt2.mp3[/mp3remote]Brandon Bing’s blocked punt TD
[mp3remote]http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/audio/2010/10/24/pitt3.mp3[/mp3remote]PITTSBURGH—This past week has been a long one for the Rutgers football team as they got set to play a game with heavy hearts and clouded minds.After a first half of inspired football, the Scarlet Knights appeared spent for the second stanza.
Playing to honor Eric LeGrand—who was paralyzed from the neck down last week against Army—Rutgers was able to scrap their way to a 14–14 game at the break.
With 2:12 remaining in the half, Wayne Warren was able to block a punt that Brandon Bing recovered in the end zone.
The special teams touchdown was the last time the Knights would score until the 41–21 game was well out of reach.
But after an emotionally draining week, Rutgers refused to pin the loss on getting too high or too low.
“We just got beat,” safety Khaseem Greene said. “Plain and simple. They came out and they just beat us.”
And Greene wasn’t just referring to the defense—he meant the whole team, as his head coach reiterated.
“We got whooped today in all three phases,” Greg Schiano said. “We struggled again protecting the passer and put them on a short field. Other than the blocked punt, we really didn’t do much on special teams. On defense we didn’t play like we’re capable of playing.”
The offensivive line gave up seven sacks. Punter Teddy Dellaganna struggled—mainly in the second half. The defense didn’t execute the fundamentals.
While Pitt had good coverage downfield, the offensive line shouldered the blame.
“As an offensive line every sack falls on us, so it is on us. We have to take responsibility for it,” center Howard Barbieri said. “It starts with me. I’m the leader of the offense, and of the offensive line as well, so it starts with me and I have to do a better job leading these guys.”
While the defense was missing a leader in LeGrand, it was the missed tackles that cost them.
“It came down to tackling and we didn’t tackle well today,” defensive tackle Charlie Noonan said “As simple as it gets, that’s simple football and we didn’t do it.”
The miscues led to 206 rushing yards and 513 total yards for Pitt.
Despite the lackluster play, it was a tie ball game when Rutgers (4–3, 1–1 Big East) received to start the second half. But the Scarlet Knights lost any momentum they could gain on the second play from scrimmage.
Out of the “Wildcat,” Jordan Thomas took the handoff and gained the first down. The tides turned mid-play as the freshman running back coughed up the football.
Six plays later, Pitt QB Tino Sunseri (21-of-27 for a career-high 307 yards and 3 touchdowns) found his tight end Mike Cruz in the end zone for the 11-yard score. From there, the floodgates opened.
The Panthers (4–3, 2–0 Big East) rattled off 20 more unanswered points before giving up an inconsequential touchdown hauled in by Mark Harrison—his third in as many games—for the 27-yard score.
While the touchdown was irrelevant for the game’s result, Tom Savage—who saw his first action since leaving the Tulane game with an injury, delivered it.
That leaves the door open for a quarterback carousel.
With the impending controversy, Schiano gave the same answer he did at the beginning of the merry-go-round.
“Whatever we think gives us the best chance to win.”
Fortunately for Schiano, he’s got a week and a half to figure that out before the Knights travel to Tampa Bay, Florida to play USF (4–3, 1–2 Big East).
Tune in every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT on WRSU-FM as Matt Sugam co-hosts Scarlet Football Fever discussing Rutgers football as well as the N.Y. Jets and Giants.
