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Pitt falls short in comeback
Nebraska
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review
Nebraska
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review
Eight seconds ... 7 seconds .. 6 seconds... and then, a circus catch by freshman wideout Darrell Strong at the Nebraska 14-yard line.
"At that point, I'm thinking, 'Maybe it can happen,' " senior left tackle Rob Petitti said.
Five seconds ... and a spike by quarterback Tyler Palko to stop the clock.
"We really thought we could do it," Palko said. "Why not?"
Four seconds ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Palko got chased out of the pocket, planted his feet and sent a high-arcing pass to the end zone with two Panthers and three Cornhuskers waiting. Thud!
Nebraska cornerback Titus Brothers batted the ball to the ground in front of Pitt's Joe DelSardo and Erik Gill, sending the Panthers to a 24-17 loss in front of 40,133 at Heinz Field.
"I thought Tyler did a nice job to scramble and throw it up there to give us a chance for a tip," said Pitt coach Walt Harris, who did not have the 6-foot-5 Strong on the field for the play. "We weren't trying to throw a rebound pass from that part of the field."
The play was a designed post pattern, but the Nebraska pass-rush -- which haunted Pitt all day -- foiled the plan. Nevertheless, the Panthers (1-1) came a fortuitous bounce away from sending a game that once looked like a blowout into overtime. Nebraska improved to 2-1.
"What you saw at the end said a lot about the guys around here," Petitti said. "We slowly grew into a good football team today."
Time will tell if Petitti's assessment is correct, but this much we know about the Panthers: They struggled on offense and special teams in the first half (three of their four turnovers led to 17 Nebraska points and a 24-10 deficit); they played stellar defense (265 yards allowed against a team that was averaging 528.5); and they remain an enigma.
The Panthers managed just 30 rushing yards and 258 total. They were called for 11 penalties, turned the ball over four times, yielded three sacks and punted seven times. On the plus side, the defense did not allow a second-half point, forced an interception that led to a score and held Nebraska to 123 rushing yards (185 below its average).
"You could have questioned our ability before, but not now," said Petitti. "We are ... a good football team."
Not good enough to win the big ones, though. At least not yet. That became evident when Palko (22 of 45 for 228 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions) threw a pick on Pitt's sixth offensive play that was returned to the Panthers 4. The defense held tight, but a field goal gave the Huskers a 3-0 lead.
Before you could blink, it was 10-0, the result of another Pitt turnover. Palko threw into the arms of Huskers defensive end Wali Muhammad, who returned it to the Nebraska 2. Tailback Cory Ross scored one play later.
Then, seldom-used Pitt tailback Marcus Furman took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to cut the margin to 10-7. The electric play stirred the Heinz Field crowd, but it didn't last long. Freshman punt returner Allen Richardson misplayed a punt and Nebraska recovered at its own 6. One play later, Huskers quarterback Joe Dailey (11 of 22 for 142 yards with a touchdown and interception) connected with Ross Pilkington for a score and a 24-7 lead. Palko responded by rapidly driving the Panthers downfield for a field goal to end the half
Palko, who was benched for freshman Joe Flacco for a series in the third quarter, cut the margin to 24-17 with 4:45 remaining with a 34-yard scoring strike to Greg Lee, who made a fingertip catch between two Nebraska defenders.
The defense held on the ensuing possession and Pitt took over at its 24 with 1:16 remaining. Palko revved up the two-minute offense, but his last-ditch pass got knocked away.
"We lost and it didn't feel good," Petitti said. "But I saw our young guys grow up today against a great Nebraska team. We'll be OK."
