Palko's passing rallies Pitt in fourth quarter, Cu

[bullwark]

Sunday, September 26, 2004

By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When Josh Cummings' 37-yard field goal sailed through the uprights in overtime yesterday it not only provided the Pitt Panthers with a come-from-behind, 41-38 victory against the Furman Paladins, it also might have saved the season for a young team in search of an identity and confidence.

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Cummings' kick capped a game that, at the very least, was entertaining for the 35,121 at Heinz Field as the teams combined for 902 total yards, 79 points and 62 passes.

Pitt's sophomore quarterback, Tyler Palko, completed 30 of 36 passes for 380 yards. Three went for touchdowns, with two to tight end Steve Buches capping long drives in a 21-point fourth quarter for the Panthers. He threw no interceptions.

There were beautiful plays like a one-handed grab by Pitt's Joe DelSardo and ugly ones like a snap by Panthers long snapper Steve Buches that sailed over the head of punter Adam Graessle. There were two trick plays (one for each team) that worked perfectly and a dramatic comeback that ranked as one of the Panthers' best in at least a decade.

But two questions lingered. What did the victory mean to Pitt? And how good are the Panthers?

For the second week in a row, they showed heart, character and a never-say-die attitude, only this time it paid off in a victory. The offense showed signs of life, the quarterback showed flashes of the star he might become and the defense often played well again, making key late stops when they were needed most.

But what about the competition?

Furman, a Division I-AA team, nearly pulled off an upset.The Paladins were 1-12 in their previous 13 games against I-A schools, and nine of those 12 losses were by more than two touchdowns. Pitt coach Walt Harris dismissed the idea that Furman's status as a Division I-AA program diminished the Panthers' accomplishment.

"I give a lot of credit to the fight and the no-quit attitude of our football team," Harris said. "The bottom line of that victory is that we wouldn't quit, and it was bleak for a long time. It was bleak. Whether or not you think it was a good victory, or a slappy victory, the bottom line for us is I thought it was a good game against a competitive opponent. I'm not trying to pump our victory, trust me.

"I know when we beat someone who isn't very good and I know when we beat someone who is competitive, and they were competitive. We are real proud to have the victory because it looked like it was going to be real tough."

The going was tough for the Panthers early on as they had trouble containing the Purple Paladins' offense. Pitt built a 14-7 lead on a 30-yard touchdown pass on Palko's 30-yard pass to DelSardo and a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Postell.

But Furman scored the next 17 points, took a 24-14 lead into halftime and padded its lead to 31-14 five minutes into the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerome Felton.

Cummings pulled the Panthers to within 31-17 with a 27-yard field goal late in the third quarter. Palko connected with tight end Steve Buches on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 11:33 to play.

But as quickly as Pitt got back into the game, the Paladins pushed back, responding with a 43-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Isaac West to wide receiver Brian Bratton on an end-around option that made it 38-24 with 10:47 left.

Palko and the Panthers' offense, however, came back for a seven-play, 69-yard drive that ended with Raymond Kirkley's 1-yard run. The Panthers' defense then forced Furman to punt, and Pitt tied the score with 3:44 remaining on Palko's 38-yard touchdown pass to Buches.

Furman got the ball first in overtime, but three plays yielded five yards, and Scott Beckler's 37-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right. Pitt took possession and ran three times before Cummings kicked the winning field goal.

Palko said the Panthers' ability to rally against Nebraska last week was a step in the growth process and helped them mount their comeback yesterday.

"They didn't stop us on offense and we knew they weren't going to. We knew they were really getting tired out, and they lost some key guys. At the end, there were guys on that team who didn't want to tackle some of our guys because they were tired of getting banged around. But that's what football is about, that's what it means to play physical.

"We knew because they couldn't stop us, it was only a matter of our defense coming up with a couple of stops and we'd get right back in the game. Our defense came through for us, and that gave us a chance to come back and win the game."

[bulls96go]

hope they do not get any better by year's end