Sunday, October 26, 2003

If the suddenly resurgent Pitt Panthers go on to challenge for the Big East Conference championship, as they and just about everyone else around here expected them to do before their deflating losses to Toledo and Notre Dame, they'll be able to point to the moment when their season turned.

It was late in the first quarter of the impressive 34-14 pounding of Syracuse yesterday at Heinz Field. The Orangemen had just driven 80 yards in 12 plays to take a 14-7 lead. The defense that gathered around defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads on the Pitt sideline looked very much like it was going to be overmatched again.

"It was almost like they did draw a line in the sand," Rhoads said later. "I'm sure they probably were getting fed up with it to a certain extent."

Not just the missed tackles and the blown assignments, but the ridicule and embarrassment that go with being the weak link of a team with big aspirations. The defense was why Pitt lost to Toledo. It allowed quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to pass for a school-record 461 yards. The defense was why Pitt lost to Notre Dame. It allowed tailback Julius Jones to run for a school-record 262 yards. Even in the wins at Texas A&M and Rutgers, the defense gave up more than 500 yards.

Now, Syracuse was rolling.

"We lost the line of scrimmage during that drive," Rhoads said. "We just weren't physical enough. We challenged our front kids and they responded. They won the game for us."

The turnaround was stunning.

Syracuse couldn't make a first down against the Pitt defense on its next nine possessions. It didn't make another first down until early in the fourth quarter -- and even that possession ended with the Orangemen netting minus-5 yards. Defensive tackle Dan Stephens threw quarterback R.J. Anderson for a 5-yard loss and linebacker Brian Bennett sacked him for a 15-yard loss.

There were two points when the Pitt defense had to make especially big stands. One was early in the second quarter, when the score was tied, 14-14, after the Panthers' H.B. Blades blocked a punt only to watch Syracuse's Diamond Ferri pick up the loose ball and run 15 yards for a first down at the Syracuse 42. The Orangemen gained just 2 yards on three plays and had to punt. The other key stop came early in the third quarter after Syracuse intercepted a Rod Rutherford pass to get the ball at the Pitt 41. The Orangemen, who were trailing, 21-14, managed only 1 yard on that possession and had to punt.

Syracuse's Walter Reyes, who came in as the Big East's second-leading rusher averaging 129.3 yards per game, was held to 97 yards on 22 carries. Anderson, who hadn't thrown an interception all season, threw two -- to Shawntae Spencer and Corey Humphries. The Pitt defense harassed Anderson into a 7-for-18, 49-yard game.

"We're starting to put more pressure on the passer," Pitt coach Walt Harris said. "That's what's making the difference."

The Pitt defense even scored the touchdown that gave the Panthers their 21-14 lead. Anderson, running the option, misfired on a pitch to Reyes late in the second quarter. Cornerback Josh Lay picked up the loose ball and ran 20 yards for a touchdown.

"That was one of the most athletic plays I've ever seen," Rhoads said. "It was like he tiptoed over people, scooped up the ball with one hand and then vanished."

Said Harris, "That was huge."

The entire body of work by the Pitt defense was huge, if only because it provided the Panthers with a little legitimate hope for the stretch run of the Big East race, which, after West Virginia's annihilation of Virginia Tech and near-miss against Miami, seems wide open.

The Pitt offense is going to score plenty. Sure, it would be nice if Brandon Miree weren't hurt and the Panthers had a better running game. But Rutherford is a superb quarterback and Larry Fitzgerald is a receiver without match in the college game. They're good for two touchdowns a game. And it's not as if Fitzgerald is Rutherford's only target. Princell Brockenbrough and Kris Wilson combined for seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown yesterday.

But it's the Pitt defense that ultimately will determine how successful the rest of the season is.

"They're growing up," Rhoads said. "They're not necessarily getting older, but they're growing up and getting better. That's what happens in a winning program where there's a culture that demands that excellence."

Rhoads clearly demanded that his players be great during that first-quarter sideline huddle.

For one game at least, they were.

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