Saturday, September 25, 2004
The Division I-AA team threw a scare into Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH (AP) --Josh Cummings kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtime and Pitt needed 21 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to beat Division I-AA Furman, 41-38.
Furman (3-1) got the ball first in overtime but Scott Beckler missed a 37-yard field goal attempt. Cummings made the game-winner after the Panthers gained six yards on three running plays.
Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko completed 30 of 36 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Raymond Kirkley rushed for 108 yards on 26 carries for the Panthers.
Furman has lost 13 of its last 14 games against Division I-A opponents.
Fourth-quarter rally
Pitt (2-1), which fell behind 31-17 in the third quarter, forced overtime with three touchdowns in the last 11:33 of regulation.
The Panthers were trailing 31-17 when Steve Buches caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Palko.
After Pitt drew within a touchdown at 31-24, Furman used a gimmick play to score. Isaac West took a handoff on an end-around and threw a pass to a wide-open Brian Bratton for a 43-yard touchdown.
The Panthers came right back, using a 40-yard flea flicker from Palko to Greg Lee to get down to the Furman 1. Kirkley then scored from a yard out to cut the lead to 38-31.
Pitt tied it with 3:44 left when Palko threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Buches to cap an 83-yard drive. Coming into the game, Palko had completed just 43.8 percent of his passes this season.
24-straight points
After Malcolm Postell returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, the Paladins scored 24 straight points.
Daric Martin caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Ingle Martin to tie the score, and caught a 75-yard score in the second quarter to put Furman up 21-14. Beckler kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 24-14 at the half.
The Paladins took advantage of two personal foul penalties on the Panthers, one coming after an incomplete third-down pass, on their first drive of the second half. Jerome Felton capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Pitt scheduled the game after Virginia Tech and Miami left the Big East for the ACC, leaving two openings on the schedule.
The Panthers couldn't fill both dates with two I-A opponents, giving Furman yet another chance to knock off a better-known major college program. The Paladins had a series of wins against North Carolina State in the 1980s and a 28-3 upset at North Carolina in 1999.
The Paladins cruised during victories over Presbyterian, Samford and Gardner-Webb behind a quarterback with Division I-A roots. Ingle Martin started four games for Florida last season but, unhappy after being benched, transferred to a I-AA school so he could play immediately and not have to sit out a season.
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