Saturday, December 3
Pittsburgh, Pa.
12:00 p.m.
Syracuse University
5-7 , 1-6
20
at
33
Pittsburgh
6-6 , 4-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Syracuse
7
3
7
3
20
Pittsburgh
17
3
6
7
33
Antwon Bailey leaps into the endzone for a touchdown.
Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Pitt Downs Syracuse, 33-20
12/3/2011 12:39:19 PM | Football
Box Score | Notes
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Pitt jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the opening 2:25 of the game en route to a 33-20 win against Syracuse in front of 40,058 at Heinz Field on Saturday. The Orange ends its season with a 5-7 record, including a 1-6 mark in BIG EAST play.
Senior quarterback Ryan Nassib was 23-of-32 for 225 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions on the day. He finishes the season with 2,685 passing yards, which breaks the SU record for passing yards in a season previously held by Marvin Graves in 1993. The West Chester, Pa. native also tied the Syracuse record for touchdown passes in a season on Saturday.
Senior running back Antwon Bailey had 53 yards on 18 carries, becoming the 15th player in SU history to run for 1,000-yards in a season. Alec Lemon led all Orange receivers with eight catches for 99 yards, moving in into the top ten for most receiving yards in a season at SU. Nick Provo had five catches for SU, breaking the Syracuse record for career receptions by a tight end.
Shamarko Thomas and Dan Vaughan each had eight tackles, while Chandler Jones collected his first career interception early in the third quarter. Jones also had four tackles, moving into the top-ten for career tackles by a down lineman with 147.
Six turnovers and 95 yards in penalties, including four personal fouls, plagued the Orange throughout the contest. Pitt recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and added two more in the third quarter.
Syracuse got off to a rocky start in the first quarter as senior Dorian Graham fumbled a short kickoff, positioning the Panthers on the SU 22-yard line. On the ensuing play, Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri hit Isaac Bennett down the left side for a Pitt touchdown and 7-0 lead.
The Orange's next possession saw Bailey reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season with a three-yard carry on first down. Pittsburgh got the ball right back on the next play as Brandon Lindsey intercepted Nassib on the SU 46-yard line, resulting in a 37-yard field goal from Kevin Harper.
Syracuse responded with a nine-play, 63-yard drive, capped by a 26-yard connection from Nassib to Bailey down the left sideline, helping Nassib tie the SU single-season touchdown record.
Pittsburgh would bring it back to a two-possession game as the Panthers drove down the field on a seven-play, 71-yard drive, highlighted by a 17-yard scamper by Anthony Gonzalez.
SU continued to move the ball after forcing a Pitt punt early in the second quarter, and picked up a big third-down conversion on a Nassib pass over the middle to Lemon, who set the SU record for receptions in a season earlier in the game. The nine-play, 66-yard drive resulted in a 22-yard field goal by Ross Krautman.
The Orange defense kept the deficit at seven with a strong effort following the SU field goal, halting an eight-play Pitt drive following a missed field goal by Harper from 44-yards out. The Panthers would extend its lead on their next possession with a 36-yard field goal.
Jones gave the Orange strong field position early in the second half when he picked off Sunseri on the SU 35-yard line, the first interception of his career, returning it all the way to the Pitt 28. Jerome Smith would make it 20-17 four plays later with his first career touchdown on a powerful 10-yard run on first and goal.
Pittsburgh upped its lead to six midway through the third quarter with Harper's third field goal of the day with a 36-yard kick that ended a 10-play, 36-yard drive. The Panthers then forced another turnover on the ensuing Syracuse drive as Lindsey knocked the ball out of Nassib's hand as he was scrambling for a first down on third-and-eight, placing Pitt at the Orange 38-yard line and setting up a 47-yard field goal from Harper for a 26-17 advantage.
The Orange attempted t piece together a comeback during the fourth quarter, and registered a 19-play drive of more than nine minutes, the longest of the season, concluded by a 23-yard field goal from Krautman.
After forcing a punt that set the Orange back at its own six-yard line, Nassib was sacked and fumbled the ball while trying to hit a receiver on the left side. The ball was picked up by Antwaun Reed and returned 20-yards for a touchdown. On the next play, Nassib was intercepted by Andrew Taglianetti on the SU 36-yard line.,
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Pitt jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the opening 2:25 of the game en route to a 33-20 win against Syracuse in front of 40,058 at Heinz Field on Saturday. The Orange ends its season with a 5-7 record, including a 1-6 mark in BIG EAST play.
Senior quarterback Ryan Nassib was 23-of-32 for 225 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions on the day. He finishes the season with 2,685 passing yards, which breaks the SU record for passing yards in a season previously held by Marvin Graves in 1993. The West Chester, Pa. native also tied the Syracuse record for touchdown passes in a season on Saturday.
Senior running back Antwon Bailey had 53 yards on 18 carries, becoming the 15th player in SU history to run for 1,000-yards in a season. Alec Lemon led all Orange receivers with eight catches for 99 yards, moving in into the top ten for most receiving yards in a season at SU. Nick Provo had five catches for SU, breaking the Syracuse record for career receptions by a tight end.
Shamarko Thomas and Dan Vaughan each had eight tackles, while Chandler Jones collected his first career interception early in the third quarter. Jones also had four tackles, moving into the top-ten for career tackles by a down lineman with 147.
Six turnovers and 95 yards in penalties, including four personal fouls, plagued the Orange throughout the contest. Pitt recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and added two more in the third quarter.
Syracuse got off to a rocky start in the first quarter as senior Dorian Graham fumbled a short kickoff, positioning the Panthers on the SU 22-yard line. On the ensuing play, Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri hit Isaac Bennett down the left side for a Pitt touchdown and 7-0 lead.
The Orange's next possession saw Bailey reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season with a three-yard carry on first down. Pittsburgh got the ball right back on the next play as Brandon Lindsey intercepted Nassib on the SU 46-yard line, resulting in a 37-yard field goal from Kevin Harper.
Syracuse responded with a nine-play, 63-yard drive, capped by a 26-yard connection from Nassib to Bailey down the left sideline, helping Nassib tie the SU single-season touchdown record.
Pittsburgh would bring it back to a two-possession game as the Panthers drove down the field on a seven-play, 71-yard drive, highlighted by a 17-yard scamper by Anthony Gonzalez.
SU continued to move the ball after forcing a Pitt punt early in the second quarter, and picked up a big third-down conversion on a Nassib pass over the middle to Lemon, who set the SU record for receptions in a season earlier in the game. The nine-play, 66-yard drive resulted in a 22-yard field goal by Ross Krautman.
The Orange defense kept the deficit at seven with a strong effort following the SU field goal, halting an eight-play Pitt drive following a missed field goal by Harper from 44-yards out. The Panthers would extend its lead on their next possession with a 36-yard field goal.
Jones gave the Orange strong field position early in the second half when he picked off Sunseri on the SU 35-yard line, the first interception of his career, returning it all the way to the Pitt 28. Jerome Smith would make it 20-17 four plays later with his first career touchdown on a powerful 10-yard run on first and goal.
Pittsburgh upped its lead to six midway through the third quarter with Harper's third field goal of the day with a 36-yard kick that ended a 10-play, 36-yard drive. The Panthers then forced another turnover on the ensuing Syracuse drive as Lindsey knocked the ball out of Nassib's hand as he was scrambling for a first down on third-and-eight, placing Pitt at the Orange 38-yard line and setting up a 47-yard field goal from Harper for a 26-17 advantage.
The Orange attempted t piece together a comeback during the fourth quarter, and registered a 19-play drive of more than nine minutes, the longest of the season, concluded by a 23-yard field goal from Krautman.
After forcing a punt that set the Orange back at its own six-yard line, Nassib was sacked and fumbled the ball while trying to hit a receiver on the left side. The ball was picked up by Antwaun Reed and returned 20-yards for a touchdown. On the next play, Nassib was intercepted by Andrew Taglianetti on the SU 36-yard line.,
Team Stats
SYR
PITT
Total Yards
345
333
Pass Yards
225
259
Rushing Yards
120
74
Penalty Yards
95
20
1st Downs
20
20
3rd Downs
6
4
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
32:07
27:53
1st Quarter
SYR 0, PITT 7
PITT - BENNETT,Isaac 22 yd pass from SUNSERI,Tino (HARPER,Kevin kick) 1 plays, 22 yards, TOP 0:08
SYR 0, PITT 10
PITT - HARPER,Kevin 37 yd field goal 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 1:30
SYR 7, PITT 10
SYR - BAILEY, Antwon 26 yd pass from NASSIB, Ryan (KRAUTMAN, Ross kick) 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 5:08
SYR 7, PITT 17
PITT - GONZALEZ,A. 17 yd run (HARPER,Kevin kick), 7 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:14
2nd Quarter
SYR 10, PITT 17
SYR - KRAUTMAN, Ross 22 yd field goal 9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 4:24
SYR 10, PITT 20
PITT - HARPER,Kevin 36 yd field goal 6 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:59
3rd Quarter
SYR 17, PITT 20
SYR - SMITH, Jerome 10 yd run (KRAUTMAN, Ross kick), 4 plays, 28 yards, TOP 1:20
SYR 17, PITT 23
PITT - HARPER,Kevin 36 yd field goal 10 plays, 36 yards, TOP 4:09
SYR 17, PITT 26
PITT - HARPER,Kevin 47 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 0:46
4th Quarter
SYR 20, PITT 26
SYR - KRAUTMAN, Ross 23 yd field goal 19 plays, 83 yards, TOP 9:38
SYR 20, PITT 33
PITT - REED,Antwuan 20 yd fumble recovery (HARPER,Kevin kick)
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
23
TD
1
YDS
225
INT
2
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