Utah 26, Pittsburgh 14
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 15, 2011
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Temperature:
54°
Head Official:
Mike Batlan
Attendance:
43719
By SportsDirect Inc.
Coleman Peterson kicked four field goals, and Utah rallied from an early 11-point deficit to top host Pittsburgh 26-14 in a battle of offensive futility.
Derrick Shelby's 21-yard interception return for a touchdown in the closing minutes sealed it for Utah (3-3, 0-3 Pac-12), which improved to 3-0 all-time against Pitt and 9-0 against current Big East members.
It was the second straight miserable game of quarterbacking for the Panthers (3-4, 1-1 Big East). After being picked off four times in last week's 34-10 loss at Rutgers, Pitt starter Tino Sunseri and freshman backup Trey Anderson went a combined 9-for-29 for 40 yards.
The teams combined for more punts (16) than Pitt first downs (12), and Utah held the Panthers to a meager 120 total yards -- 36 in the second half.
John White IV matched a season high with 174 yards on 35 carries for the Utes, but even their lone offensive score wasn't pretty: Jon Hays connected with Luke Matthews on a 33-yard touchdown pass that was tipped by a Pitt defender.
The Panthers' two scores came via special teams and gave them a 14-13 halftime edge. After Utah grabbed a 3-0 lead, Buddy Jackson took the ensuing kick 98 yards for Pitt's first kickoff return touchdown since 2006.
The Panthers made it 14-3 when Andrew Taglianetti blocked a punt deep in Utah territory and Antwuan Reed returned it 10 yards for the score. It was the sixth blocked punt of the junior defensive back's career.
Peterson matched his total of four field goals in Utah's first five games.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Utah |
|
Pittsburgh |
John White IV
|
Player |
Ray Graham
|
36 |
Attempts |
12 |
171 |
Yards |
46 |
4.8 |
Avg Yards |
3.8 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Utah
|
251 |
124 |
127 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
5.0 |
0 |
Pittsburgh
|
120 |
70 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5.0 |
1 |