Pitt stumbles early but takes FIU, 42-25

Pitt Head Coach Paul Chryst

It was just one of those games. Every season, Pitt seems to have them. Pitt comes out flat and has to claw back. Today, after stumbling in the 1st half and trailing 16-0 at one point, the Panthers climbed back to pull out 42-25 win at Florida International University in Miami, FL.

A game that was marred by a lightning delay for over 30 minutes and three very bizarre safeties, Pitt looked very sluggish in the first half that was played in over 80 degree heat and extreme humidity.

The first safety came on a Jeremiah McKinnon blitz in which he sacked Pitt QB Chad Voytik in the end-zone and put the FIU Golden Panthers up 2-0 early.

This was followed by a 3 yard TD scamper by FIU QB Alex McGough to extend the Golden Panthers lead to 9-0 at the 3:22 mark of the first quarter.

Later, McGough found a wide open WR Glenn Coleman for a 57 yard TD strike and FIU took a commanding 16-0 lead.

Pitt had its moments, though, in the first half. It started with redshirt sophomore Pitt QB Chad Voytik escaping a broken play and reeling off a long gain to inside the FIU 10 yard line. Moments later, as Pitt was about to score, Voytik had trouble with a hand-off to RB James Connor and the ball was fumbled over to FIU near the goal line.

Voytik finished the day 9 for 17 for 89 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT but was inconsistent all day in the passing game, particularly on the deep throws. He did, however, make plays with his feet and kept several drives alive.

Later in the second quarter, Pitt once again drove inside the red zone. This time, Connor had the ball stripped by FIU junior Richard Leonard. It was ruled a fumble although it looked as though Connor’s knee was down.

Connor did make Pitt history today by rushing for 177 yards, 3 TDs on 31 carries. By rushing for 544 rushing yards in his first three games to open a season, he broke Pitt legend Tony Dorsett’s 1973 school record in the process. Dorsett, as a true freshman, ran for 487 yards against highly-ranked Georgia (on the road) as well as Baylor (at home) and at Northwestern at the time. Connor, a true sophomore, earned his totals at home versus Delaware and at Boston College and FIU.

Pitt would ultimately fight back in the game when Voytik ran for a 32 yard score at the 6:54 mark and later hitting Tyler Boyd on a 18-yard TD pass at the 2:52 mark of the 2nd quarter. Boyd would finish the day with a modest 4 catches and 50 yards.

Trailing 16-14 at half, the Pitt defense forced an FIU safety at the 10:34 mark of the 3rd quarter and followed that up with a 3 yard TD run by Connor and a 34 yard field goal by Chris Blewitt at the 3:51 mark. Pitt at that point led 26-16.

Blewitt by the way has been very impressive in the early season knocking most of his kick-offs for touchbacks and making all of his field goals so far.

After FIU tacked on a field goal of their own to pull the score to 26-19, the Pitt defense forced a second safety to put the Panthers further ahead 28-19 at the 12:46 mark of the 4th quarter.

With Pitt facing 4th and 1 from the FIU 41 yard line, Connor broke a run off-tackle for a score and Pitt basically sealed the game 35-19 at the 5:49 mark of the 4th quarter.

FIU added a Jonnu Smith 12 yard TD pass from McGough in garbage time at the 3:18 mark of the 4th but the two point conversion failed on a questionable draw play.

Connor would pad his numbers minutes later with his third score of the game at the 2:35 mark of the 4th on an 11 yard TD run to seal the victory for Pitt, 42-25.

Next up: home versus Iowa, Sat 9/20, 12pm Noon EST on FoxSports 1