Category: College Football

Pickett throws for 321 yards, Pitt clamps down on Ohio 20-10

Pickett throws for 321 yards, Pitt clamps down on Ohio 20-10
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett deleted most of his social media accounts before the season as a way to help him stay focused amid all the noise. So he didn’t know and didn’t particularly care about the reaction to his uneven performance in an opening loss to Virginia.
Instead, Pickett kept doing what he’s done since the moment he arrived on campus more than 2½ years ago: he kept grinding, confident the protection issues in front of him and the accuracy issues that plagued him against the Cavaliers would work themselves out. For the most part in an orderly 20-10 win over Ohio on Saturday, they did.
Working behind a line that appeared to improve by the snap, Pickett passed for a career-high 321 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown to Maurice Ffrench that gave Pitt (1-1) an early 10-point lead it never came close to squandering. A week after hitting on barely half of his 41 attempts while getting sacked four times, Pickett hit on 26 of 37 passes and was taken down just once.
“I just think we executed better all around, not just me,” Pickett said. “The offensive line blocked great. Receivers got open. Everything was just clicking.”
Ffrench finished with 10 receptions for 138 yards, both career bests. A.J. Davis ran for 89 yards for Pitt and Vincent Davis added 50 on the ground, including his first career touchdown that put the Panthers up 17-0 midway through the second quarter. That was more than enough cushion for a defense that kept the Bobcats (1-1) in check. Defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman finished with three of Pitt’s six sacks as the Panthers never let Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke get going.
Dealing with the after effects of a fever that left him at less than 100%, Rourke hit on 15 of 27 passes for 177 yards and couldn’t make anything happen with his legs. Rourke, who ran for 75 yards in Ohio’s season opener against Rhode Island, finished with minus-43 yards on the ground. The Bobcats punted 10 times, finished with just 12 first downs and produced 212 total yards.
“It was a very, very frustrating game for all of us,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said. “When something like this happens to you, all you can do is go back to work.”
Ohio’s only real push came late in the third quarter when De’Montre Tuggle’s 7-yard touchdown run drew the Bobcats within 10. Ohio would get no closer. The Bobcats managed just one first down over their final three drives and Pitt’s size advantage up front wore Ohio down. The Panthers took over at the Pitt 7 with 7:05 remaining and never let the Bobcats get the ball back, bleeding the clock behind an offensive line that pushed Ohio around until the clock hit zero.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ohio: The Bobcats might be the preseason favorites in the MAC but the secondary could be an issue. Ohio let FCS-level Rhode Island pile up 291 yards through the air in Week 1 and again looked shaky.
Pitt: Even without starting linemen Rashad Weaver and Keyshon Camp — both of whom are out for the season with knee injuries — the defense could still be dangerous. Ohio struggled to generate any rhythm with Rourke under duress most of the day. Twyman’s three sacks were the most by a Panther defensive tackle since current Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald did it against Utah in 2011.
PROTECTING PICKETT
While Pickett tuned out the criticism after Week 1, Pitt center Jimmy Morrissey did not. The senior felt his teammate shouldered entirely too much of the blame.
“We gave up 14 pressures as an offensive line,” Morrissey said. “When you get hit 14 times, I don’t blame him for wanting to scramble. He’s getting hit that many times, what quarterback in the country has to be confident in their o-line after that performance? It was more on us. We should have got more heat than he did.”
READY TO RUN
The Panthers ran for 160 yards on 37 attempts. Three players — A.J. Davis, Vincent Davis and V’Lique Carter — all had at least six carries. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi will continue to spread it around for the time being.
“We’re going to play the hot guy,” Narduzzi said. “It’ll be that way until we find out who ‘The Dude’ is.”
UP NEXT
Ohio: The Bobcats travel to Marshall next Saturday, the return of the “Battle for the Bell.” Ohio leads the all-time series 33-20, including a victory in 2015 in the last game between the two schools.
Pitt: Visits 15th-ranked Penn State next Saturday in the final game of a four-game renewal of the in-state rivalry. The Nittany Lions have won the last two meetings by a combined 84-20.
“I don’t like them one bit,” Morrissey said of the Nittany Lions. “That’s pretty obvious. I play for Pitt.”
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Kentucky State grinds out 13-7 victory over Robert Morris

Kentucky State grinds out 13-7 victory over Robert Morris
MOON, Pa. (AP) — Israel Fields scored on his first career carry, Jaylen Myers threw for another score and Kentucky State defeated Robert Morris 13-7 on Saturday.
Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter gave the Thorobreds (1-0) their first lead and Kentucky State’s defense took it from there, holding Robert Morris (0-2) to 20 yards in the fourth quarter.
Myers, a redshirt sophomore, hit Brett Sylve on a 4-yard TD pass with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. After the extra point was no good Robert Morris held a 7-6 halftime lead on the strength of Teren Stephens’ 1-yard TD run in the first quarter.
Neither defense allowed 300 yards. Kentucky State relied on its running game, rushing 51 times for 214 yards. Myers was 4-of-10 passing for 70 yards. Sylve was the game’s leading rusher with 20 carries for 87 yards.
Stephens led the Colonials with 69 yards rushing and George Martin completed 7 of 16 passes for 70 yards.

Hines, Parr lead Duquesne in 44-3 rout of D-II Walsh

Hines, Parr lead Duquesne in 44-3 rout of D-II Walsh
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A.J. Hines and Daniel Parr each accounted for a pair of touchdowns and Duquesne beat Division II member Walsh 44-3 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
Duquesne, which won its fifth Northeast Conference title and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs for the first time in program history last season, forced three Walsh turnovers and held the Cavaliers to just 73 yards of offense.
Hines had 102 yards rushing on 12 carries that included scoring runs of six and 57 yards. Parr was 13-of-21 passing for 173 yards. He tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Thieman and a 62-yarder to Davie Henderson.
Chad Mirolo kicked a 27-yard field goal for Walsh late in the third quarter.
Duquesne won its 12th-straight home opener in the first meeting between the schools.

Clifford’s 4 TDs lead No. 15 Penn State over Buffalo 45-13

Clifford’s 4 TDs lead No. 15 Penn State over Buffalo 45-13
By TRAVIS JOHNSON Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Sean Clifford turned in an all-around performance in another lopsided win for Penn State.
Clifford threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns and ran 11 times for 51 to lead the No. 15 Nittany Lions back from a halftime deficit to beat Buffalo 45-13 on Saturday night.
“Sean’s able to make plays with his mind, he’s able to make plays with his arm and tonight he made plays with his feet as well,” coach James Franklin said.
Clifford, the Lions’ first-year starter, opened the scoring with a 28-yard pass to Jahan Dotson on Penn State’s second drive. He tossed a pair of TDs to tight end Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter after cornerback John Reid’s 37-yard interception return put Penn State up for good.
Noah Cain added a 2-yard TD run to give Penn State’s a 35-13 lead heading into the fourth.
“We weren’t executing in the first half,” Clifford said. “I take the blame for that. We pulled together and talked through some things and got it going in the second.”
The Nittany Lions (2-0) trailed 10-7 at half after the Bulls (1-1) had dominated time of possession to that point.
Quarterback Matt Myers hooked up with tight end Julien Bourassa for a 5-yard score late in the second quarter. Alex McNulty kicked a pair of field goals for the Bulls.
“They played really hard, competed really well for the first 30 minutes,” Buffalo coach Lance Leipold said. “Came out in the second half and, obviously, a big switch in momentum.”
Jaret Patterson led Buffalo (1-1) with 75 yards on 23 carries while Myers finished 16 for 31 for 236 yards.
BIG PICK-SIX
Franklin called Reid’s interception the turning point in the game. Players along Penn State’s sideline erupted when the fifth-year senior stepped in front of Antonio Nunn’s route, snagged Myers’ underthrown pass and sprinted untouched down the sideline.
It was the second straight game with an interception for Reid who’s just over two years removed from a serious knee injury that cost him all of 2017.
“It was huge,” Clifford said. “For us, on offense, we feed off that energy. The crowd gets back into it.”
RETURN TO FORM
Freiermuth, arguably Penn State’s most dangerous red zone target, finished with eight catches for 99 yards a week after he was knocked out of the game against Idaho with an apparent head injury.
Freiermuth, who led the team with eight touchdown catches last year, missed some practice time this week to heal up.
TOUGH INJURY
Buffalo punter Evan Finegan was carted off after suffering what appeared to be a serious right leg injury following a partially blocked punt in the third quarter. Reserve quarterback Kyle Vantrease handled punting duties the rest of the way.
THE TAKEAWAY
Buffalo: The daunting environment didn’t seem to bother the young Bulls. They controlled the pace in the first half, running 46 plays for 27 yards to Penn State’s 20 plays and 82 yards.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions’ strength is their defensive line and Buffalo’s offensive front did a good job neutralizing Yetur Gross-Matos and his teammates for most of the first half. In the meantime, Clifford and his receivers were able to create some chemistry.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Penn State cleaned up its mistakes at halftime, won going away and shouldn’t be penalized for its slow start.
UP NEXT
Buffalo plays at Liberty Saturday.
Penn State hosts Pittsburgh Saturday.
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Scarlett scores both TDs, Stanford tops Pitt 14-13 Sun Bowl

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Cameron Scarlett scored on a 1-yard run and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a second score to lead Stanford to a 14-13 victory against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Monday.

The Cardinal (9-4) finished on a four-game winning streak, much the same way they did two years ago when Stanford won the Sun Bowl for a season-ending six-game streak.

The Panthers (7-7) lost their fourth straight bowl game and sixth in the past seven after falling to playoff championship finalist Clemson in the ACC title game. The past three losses have been in four years in under coach Pat Narduzzi.

Pitt, which had a 10-7 halftime lead and was up 13-7 early in the fourth quarter, was led by tailback Darrin Hall, who had 16 carries for 123 yards and a score.

Stanford’s offense, which had struggled all day, finally got going in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal were 0 for 8 on third downs before K.J. Costello hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside for a 12-yard completion. A 49-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside followed, and Scarlett recovered Costello’s fumble for the go-ahead score on the next play with 11:28 left.

Scarlett had 91 yards on 21 carries in place of tailback Bryce Love, who decided to skip the bowl game to rehab an ankle injury ahead of the NFL draft. Love was the second Stanford back to do that in the past three Sun Bowls.

In 2016, Christian McCaffrey skip the game, was drafted eighth overall by Carolina and just finished sixth in the NFL in rushing in his second season.

THE TAKEAWAY

Stanford: Arcega-Whiteside entered the game needing one touchdown catch to break the school season record of 14 he shared with Hall of Famer James Lofton. But the senior was limited to three catches without a TD. Still, the Cardinal won for the first time this season without forcing a turnover. Stanford had been 0-4 in such games.

Pittsburgh: The game was the final one for the 1-2 rushing punch of Qadree Ollison and Hall, the first duo in program history with at least 1,000 yards apiece in a season. Ollison, who was injured in the first half and didn’t return, had 1,213 yards. Hall finished with 1,144 yards.

UP NEXT

Stanford: The Cardinal have been able to reload each year under head coach David Shaw, who is 82-26 overall (55-17 Pac-12). Shaw has never won less than eight games in a season, and his Cardinal have played in four Pac-12 title games (3-1). Stanford opens at home against Northwestern on Aug. 31.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers are coming off their first ACC Coastal Division title under Narduzzi, who with 28 wins is second in program history to Jackie Sherrill (39). Pitt will open against an ACC opponent to be determined, probably on Aug. 31.