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Pitt upsets No. 23 Cincinnati
PITTSBURGH - With head coach Dave Wannstedt prowling the sidelines, Pitt sports a record with more losses than wins. Coaching from the press box, Wannstedt is undefeated.
And what Wannstedt observed from above during Saturday's 24-17 win over No. 23 Cincinnati at Heinz Field was exactly what he envisioned would happen when he was hired nearly three years ago.
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"It's kind of an interesting perspective because you're not just watching the play and watching the defense, you really get a feel for the sidelines, the bench area and the coaches making corrections," said Wannstedt, who recently underwent surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon and a knee.
"I am going to give credit to the seniors because that's where I think it starts. They did everything they could do to try and win this football game."
Also credit an offensive line that paved the way for LeSean McCoy's 137 rushing yards on 25 carries and LaRod Stephens-Howling's 100 yards on 13 carries. It marked the first time since Nov. 5, 1988 that two Pitt runners each gained 100 yards. The last time it happened, Curvin Richards went for 202 yards and quarterback Darnell Dickerson had 108 during a 20-10 victory over Rutgers.
"That's what Pitt is all about, smash-mouth football," McCoy said. "We want to run the ball and run the ball hard."
Pitt (3-4, 1-1), which moved into a third-place tie in the Big East Conference with South Florida, West Virginia and Louisville, ran 46 times for a season-high 260 yards.
All this came against a Cincinnati defense ranked 13th nationally against the run.
"I attribute two backs running for 100 yards to us playing awful football," Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said. "Don't get me wrong, LeSean McCoy is a heck of a back and LaRod Stephens-Howling played a great game, but at the end of the day, we were poorly prepared and executed at a very low level."
Cincinnati (6-2, 1-2) has its version. Pitt sang a different song.
Not only did Pitt's offensive line block well despite losing starting right guard Joe Thomas to an injury, the receivers blocked aggressively and Stephens-Howling picked up several Cincinnati blitzes.
"When our offensive line blocks like that, you want to go after it," Stephens-Howling said. "We already know before you make plays with the ball, you have to make plays without the ball. It's a main part of our job."
McCoy, Stephens-Howling and a maturing Pat Bostick led Pitt's offense to 14 second-half points and two scoring drives of 10 plays. The latter was led by Stephens-Howling, who rushed for 42 yards on a 61-yard drive. His seven-yard touchdown with 5:03 remaining gave Pitt the lead for the first time.
The defense ensured the lead would remain with Pitt and provided the first win over a ranked opponent since beating West Virginia three years ago.
Pitt's much maligned defense started poorly - Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk ran for 55 yards on the Bearcats' first play - before causing turnovers on three-straight possessions during the fourth quarter.
A week after Navy gouged Pitt for 48 points and 497 yards, the Bearcats went for 358 yards, but only 102 came after halftime.
"Last week was not an indication of our defense," Wannstedt said. "We shut these guys out in the second half and we finally got some turnovers."
The turnovers, in part, can be attributed to a defense that attacked Mauk instead of clogging lanes and sticking to assignments. Pitt had only one quarterback sack but it blitzed regularly and made six tackles for loss.
In addition, Pitt's final 10 points can be attributed to the defense.
Sophomore defensive tackle Tommie Duhart forced a fumble that Eric Thatcher recovered at the Cincinnati 22-yard-line. It led to a Conor Lee field goal that trimmed the Panthers' deficit to 17-16 with 11:10 remaining.
On the next possession, Mauk avoided a safety blitz and shoveled a pass to Butler Benton, who fumbled when Shane Murray tackled him. Kennard Cox recovered and, 10 plays later, Pitt took the lead on Stephens-Howling's touchdown.
The defense clinched the win when Aaron Berry picked off a Mauk pass with 2:48 left. McCoy helped Pitt run out the clock.
"It really was hard work and hustle. We did what we were supposed to do," Duhart said. "All week long, we did turnover drills. Turnover drills, turnover drills, turnover drills. We worked on stripping the ball. What we did in practice showed."
