No. 11: Pitt, 2009
June 22, 2010 11:02 AM | General
July 20, 2010
These Backyard Brawls sure have a way of creating its heroes. For the graybeards it was Bill McKenzie’s kick in 1975 that beat the 20th-ranked Panthers 17-14 on the game’s final play.
For those from the younger generation, it was Zach Abraham’s 60-yard touchdown catch that gave West Virginia a come-from-behind 47-41 victory over the Panthers in Pittsburgh in 1994.
Fifteen years after Abraham's game-ending heroics, Tyler Bitancurt's name was added to the list. It was his 43-yard field goal on the last play of the game that gave West Virginia a 19-16 victory over the eighth-ranked Panthers.
Thank God they still give scholarships to kickers.
"That was a heck of a football game," said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart.
It sure was, coach.
Bitancurt also made field goals of 20, 43 and 39 yards to give West Virginia its first victory over a Top 10-ranked team since beating third-ranked Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. It was also the highest ranked Pitt team the Mountaineers have ever beaten, and the first Top 10-ranked regular season victory since a 28-7 triumph over No. 3-ranked Virginia Tech on Oct. 22, 2003.
Bitancurt’s four field goals matched his season-high made in the opener against Liberty.
West Virginia relied on a stout defense that picked off the nation’s fourth-most proficient passer, Bill Stull, twice, and limited the Panthers to just 325 total yards.
After a first half that more closely resembled a siege, the game finally opened up in the third quarter when the Mountaineers scored the game’s first touchdown on a Noel Devine 88-yard run.
West Virginia made it a two-score game with 10:05 remaining when Bitancurt converted his third field goal of the game; Bitancurt's kick was set up by Robert Sands’ interception at the Pitt 46.
Then Pitt’s offense came alive, driving 33 yards in seven plays to the West Virginia 19 where Dan Hutchins made a 36-yard field goal.
Pitt got the football back at its own 25 with 4:08 left in the game. Stull hit Jonathan Baldwin for 15 yards to the 40 and then 10 yards to Mike Shanahan to the 50. Stull’s third pass down the near sideline was a beauty to Baldwin, running two steps behind safety Sidney Glover for a 50-yard touchdown. Hutchins’ PAT tied the game at 16 with 2:54 left on the clock, setting up Bitancurt's game-winning FG.
Cornerback Brandon Hogan credited the off-week as a major factor in the team's upset victory over the Panthers. Stewart agreed.
"The off-week was huge, colossal," said Stewart. "We were able to do things we could't have if we played the week before. We mended our wounds. We needed time."
