Pitt found out early on what its key to success would be Friday night against Boston College: feed James Conner.
Conner, a massive 6-foot-2, 250-pound sophomore, was dominant from the start and ran for 214 yards on 36 carries to lead the Panthers to an impressive 30-20 road ACC victory that was more lopsided than the final score indicates.
With Conner doing most of the work, Chad Voytik and the Panthers’ passing game got the job done. Voytik threw for just 111 yards, but hit standout wide receiver Tyler Boyd for two first half scores. The Pitt defense allowed 67 yards and a touchdown on the BC’s opening drive, but turned it around to give up just seven points the rest of the way before a garbage time touchdown by the Eagles with under a minute to go.
Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy, a Florida transfer, ran for 104 yards on the ground but struggled through the air, completing just 10-of-28 passes for 134 yards and two interceptions.
The Panthers got on the board early with a 49-yard Chris Blewitt field goal, his first of three from beyond 40 yards on the night. Then, following the Eagles’ score, Conner got going early and often. By halftime he had 130 yards to propel the Panthers to a 20-3 lead.
The second half was more of the same. The Pitt defense – especially the front seven – remained stout and Conner finally got in the end zone with a 9-yard burst late in the third quarter. Following Conner’s score, which widened the Pitt lead to 27-7, the Eagles showed signs of life when Murphy hit Shakim Phillips on a 48-yard score, cutting the lead to 27-14.
The BC defense then forced a Pitt three-and-out, but the Panthers defense forced a three-and-out of its own to quickly squelch BC’s shot to make it a one possession game.
From then on, the James Conner show resumed and the Panthers coasted through the fourth quarter and improved to 2-0 with a win.
Sure it’s early in the year, but Pitt showed that it should absolutely be considered a threat in the ACC Coastal. The Panthers knew that they had two playmakers in Conner and Boyd, but head coach Paul Chryst had to be thrilled with the play of his defense. He’ll look for a similar effort in next weekend’s road matchup at FIU.
Things won’t get easier for the 1-1 Eagles, who will welcome No. 14 USC into Alumni Stadium next Saturday.
For more Pittsburgh news, visit Panther-lair.com. For more Boston College news, visit EagleAction.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Pitt knocks off Boston College 30-20 behind 214 rushing yards from James Conner
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