Sports

Notre Dame Upends Pitt in 15-12 Decision

For the second time in as many weeks, the Pittsburgh Panthers let a fourth quarter lead go for naught.

This time it was Notre Dame which victimized Pitt.

Pitt held a 12-7 lead with less than seven minutes to go before sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees marched the Fighting Irish down the field for the go-ahead
score.

Rees was 24-41 (including 8-8 on the last drive) for 216 yards.

Pitt played sloppy throughout the game with nine penalties and was not able to attack the Notre Dame defense with their “high-octane” offense.

Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri struggled as he was sacked five times and only threw for 165 yards and one touchdown to Hubie Graham.

Sunseri often checked the ball down to Ray Graham or Mike Shanahan instead of taking shots downfield.

On Pitt’s second possession, quarterback Trey Anderson came in leaving most of Heinz Field thinking that Sunseri was done for the day.

“I liked that Coach (Todd) Graham brought in Anderson for a series, but I kind of wish he would have left him in for the whole game,” Clarion sophomore Matt
McFall said.

“Tino just isn’t the guy meant to run this offense.”

While Pitt’s offense struggled, the defense did a good job at containing the Fighting Irish and standout receiver Michael Floyd.

Floyd, who had all three of his receptions on their opening drive, was kept relatively quiet.

The unit also held Rees in check until the final possession by forcing an early fumble and then an interception by Jason Hendricks, both in the red zone.

For Pitt, this marks two losses in a row as they still look for that marquee victory in the Todd Graham era.

For Notre Dame however, this is their second big victory in a row after losing their first two games.

“We (Notre Dame) shot ourselves in the foot the first couple of games against South Florida and Michigan. Beating Michigan State and then Pitt is huge for the
team’s confidence and should get us back on track for the rest of the season,” Clarion senior Greg Jones said.

Pitt gets ready to open Big East conference play this Thursday, Sept. 29, at Heinz Field against No. 16 University of South Florida. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.

All eyes will be on Sunseri as this could very well be his final game as Pitt’s starting quarterback.