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Miami dominates Pitt to take Big East BCS Bid, 28-14

 Pittsburgh, PA – The Miami Hurricanes (10-2,6-1) dominated a subdued Pitt (8-4,5-2) team in a game that meant at least a tie for this year's Big East championship and a BCS bowl bid for both squads.  The Canes domination cleared out most of Heinz Field by the beginning of Q4 with a 28-7 lead as the Panthers demonstrated all night that they weren't up to blocking or tackling in a game that would have been a step up to a major bowl for them and a farewell message to a team that's dominated the conference for about ten years now.  CFF's morning visit to Gettysburg National Military Park and the river boat ride along the Monangahela to the game were more stimulating than watching this evening's domination by Miami.  Maybe the seven previous weeks of last minute victories have spoiled CFF, but the sleepwalk performance by the Panthers diminished the great expectations of seeing championship caliber play on a night that should have meant a lot to both programs. 

     Pitt scored the first time they had the ball. The 64-yard drive resulted in a nice play action pass where QB Rod Rutherford rolled right and reversed direction to his left to find TE Kris Wilson wide open in the end zone for a 2-yard TD flip.  The Panthers led 7-0, but they seemed to forget that there were 52 minutes left to play football.  Even when things seemed to start going right, they would go wrong.  DB Tyrone Gillard picked off an errant Brock Berlin pass on the next Miami possession to take back over on their won 30.  Pitt seemed to have the momentum, but Miami’s D pushed back “mo”, and Pitt punted from its own 19.  On Miami’s next series, RB Tyrone Moss found a seam in the Pitt line and rambled 35 yards up the gut for his first TD of the game to tie it up, 7-7.  Pitt rebounded quickly as Terrell Allen returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Miami 28.  The hometown crowd was expecting a game.  CFF figured we had seen seven straight games down to the wire, and this one would surely be no different with a championship, pride and big bowl opportunities on the line.  The Panthers netted nine yards on the next three plays.  PK David Abdul’s a 36-yard attempt sailed wide left, and Pitt came up empty. (Whatever happened to his sister, Paula?).

     Miami drove 81 yards on its next series chewing up 5:31 into the second stanza as Moss scored on a run from seven yards away to take the lead, 14-7.  Pitt started next from its 26 and only got to the 49 before punting away, but on two consecutive plays before the punt, the Pitt offense hesitated because like CFF and the fans around us, we heard whistles blowing somewhere.  Nothing was called, but the sounds came from the direction of the field of play.  Miami took over on its 20 and Pitt’s D seemed to regain consciousness as they held Miami to a third and nine.  From there though, Berlin tossed a screen right to WR Jason Geathers who picked up some blocks and went unscathed down the right sideline only to be stopped from behind by Pitt’s streaking DB Shawntae Spencer, who caught him at the one.  RB Jarrett Payton, son of the late, great Walter, swept in from the left for the final yard to widen the Canes lead, 21-7.  Before the half was over, the scoreboards throughout the stadium lost power and time was kept on the field for most of the game.  The first half ended. Miami led and Pitt introduced its senior band members in their final halftime show.  Guest game analyst, Eric, age 8, who wants to be a Pitt drummer of all things, had had a long day touring Gettysburg, riding through snow squalls up the PA Turnpike, eating good Gator Grill pizza in Monroeville, and now coming to the game.  Before the half, he proclaimed he was cold and sleepy and proceeded to take a snooze into Q3 wrapped up in two blankets .  Statistics reflected the score at halftime – Pitt had 72 total yards while Miami racked up 263.  The game became even more of a snoozer in the second half.

     Pitt opened the second half by finally completing a 6-yard pass to invisible, Heisman candidate Larry Fitzgerald.  Miami DBs Alfonso Marshall and Sean Taylor kept him warm on this frigid eve near the confluence of the Steel City where they covered him like a blanket.  A play action pass from Rutherford to WR Greg Lee then seemed to put Pitt back in business with a long completion to the U of M 14.  The crowd smelled comeback.  CFF did, too.  The barn-burner was about to ignite!  But FS Taylor picked off his 9^th INT of the year tying him for second in that category nationally, and Pitt’s threat dissolved.  Starting from the 14, the Ibis’s boys battled to the Pitt 45 where Berlin hooked up with WR Roscoe Parrish for a 28-7 Miami lead.  The crowd sensed the game was over and started heading for the exit ramps.  The invisible clock wound down as Miami chewed up time and some yardage while Pitt would punt back after three plays.  Fans encouraged Pitt Head Coach Walt Harris with shouts of “Shot gun! Shot gun!” But the coach known for his passing offenses never went with it and never got the ball to reliable No. 1, Larry Fitzgerald, when his team needed a spark.  It was cold, Eric was sleepy, the game was dull, and at the beginning of Q4, CFF took the long roundabout journey down the ramps from level 500 catching glimpses of inept action on the way down.  With about 50,000 other people of the 60,486 that showed up for championship caliber football leaving the Miami fans and a few close friends and relatives of the Pitt players behind in a sea of empty, yellow seats, we stood in a long line awaiting the arrival of a riverboat to take us back to Station Square down the Monangahela.  We heard the radio team confirming what we’d seen, inept blocking and tackling by the Pitt Panthers.  We also heard the echoes of cheers inside the stadium when Larry Fitzgerald finally scored with 2:43 left.  We wonder if prior cheers were for the shotgun formation?  The final score of 28-14 was not indicative of how these two teams played.  Miami dominated as they typically do.  Their CFF record is now 7-0.  Pitt bumbled the opportunity to take this program to the BCS level, where Miami (10-2, 6-1), at No. 10, will represent the Big East again and for the final time.  Pitt (8-4, 5-2) will play in the Continental Tire Bowl against 7-5 UVA, ho-hum.  That’s quite a letdown for a team with lofty expectations before the 2003 season.  Losses to Miami, WVU, ND and Toledo has dropped them out of the Top 25.

Extra Points:  Credit Miami HC Larry Coker for seeming to harness  his “attitude problem”.  Only one pass was thrown to TE Kellen Winslow, self-proclaimed “soldier”, who evidently blocked well.  CFF noted no strutting or antics typically witnessed during televised games.  Had he done so, this crowd was waiting to let him have it, but nothing controversial ever happened.  Not that his pass-catching was needed this evening, but the Coach must have sent him a message.  For a while, we didn’t even realize he was in the game.  He had one grab for nine yards.  We’re anxious to see how he behaves in Miami’s upcoming bowl game.

Miami’s Payton and Moss ran for 131 and 115 yards respectively.  They’re good, but Pitt seemed to miss multiple tackles on many plays. We also saw Kevin Jones of VT have a record-breaking day against the Pitt defense last time we were at Heinz.   Fitzgerald was only the 3^rd leading receiver on Pitt this night with 3 catches for 26 yards.  Alfonso Marshall played him tight.  He scored from 18 yards out to keep his game-scoring streak alive at 18 consecutive games.  He’d probably be willing to forgo his streak for the win instead.  Berlin had 12 completions for 195 yards, 124 coming on the screen to Geathers and the TD pass to Parrish.

     In between quarters, Pitt introduced senior players, band members, cheerleaders, dancers, water boys, parents and everyone else making their final appearance ever for Pitt.  It was Miami, however, who made the lasting impression in their final game at Pitt – final Big East game, final Big East win, final Big East championship, etc, etc.  They should have introduced each Hurricane to the crowd as well.  Surely a warm reception was given to them at the end of the game since only their fans remained at the final gun.  This was CFF's final game there this year, too.

     The riverboat rides to and from the game were convenient.  We met Rich and Laurie Williams who stayed at the Sheraton in Station Square who came in for the holiday to watch this game and the Steeler-Bengal game the next day.  You disembark the boat by ramp at the foot of Heinz Field.  It’s a short ride.  There are only 3 entrances to the stadium, however, which is inconvenient if you haven’t been to the stadium already.

      On the way, CFF took a side trip to historic Gettysburg.  There at 8 am, we toured for a while on our own before viewing the electric map depicting troop movements during the three-day battle 140 years ago.  Despite my trepidations, Eric elected that we walk the High Watermark Tour until he realized how bone chilling the winds were.  We then toured by car, which let us cover the entire battlefield, and got out to see interesting monuments and landmarks.  Climbing the observation deck on the Confederate side was a thrill for Eric in the cold, high winds.  We walked around Little Round Top and saw Devil’s Den. We toured around a little near the woods where the 20^th Maine turned back several attacks on the Union flank as shown in the movie, “Gettysburg”.  We stood at the “copse of trees” where Pickett charged.  Through binoculars, you look across the field, and note what a long way it is across open fields.  It’s just amazing to me that so many guys were willing to march and charge such a long way through shot and shell.  You respect those men on both sides for their bravery that day and throughout the war, but the way they fought it is confounding with all those trees and rocks in the surrounding area.  I guess somebody had to come out at some time.  CFF wants to go back there to spend more time, maybe next year,  maybe on a long weekend after a game at State College.  You think of our history, and this is a place you have to see!