Pitt 3-0 loser in the Sun

January 1, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Kicker Connor Lee missed a 58-yard field goal in the closing minutes against the Oregon State Beavers.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Three points, 20 punts and 10 sacks. Go ahead and say it was unsightly, but Oregon State coach Mike Riley saw nothing short of a masterpiece.

In the lowest-scoring major bowl game in a half-century, the 24th-ranked Beavers shut down No. 18 Pittsburgh 3-0 Wednesday in the Sun Bowl on Justin Kahut’s 44-yard field goal.

“That’s the game we were in,” Riley said. “We played that game. We ended up winning it. Some people will call it ugly, but I can’t.”

The defensive struggle went on all day. Pitt kicker Connor Lee tried a 58-yard field goal in the closing minutes but the ball, helped by a steady wind, dropped just short of the crossbar.

“I had more confidence in a 58-yard field goal try than going for it on fourth-and-8,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I wanted to give out team a chance. I really thought he could kick it.”

Not since Air Force and TCU played to 0-0 standoff in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1959, had a bowl produced so few points. It was also the lowest-scoring Sun Bowl since a scoreless tie in 1940 between Catholic and Arizona State.

“We were three downs and out way too much,” Riley said. “We put a terrific burden on our defense and we put a lot of burden on the punt team. They came through. That’s the game we were in and we played that game. We ended up winning it.”

The Beavers (9-4) improved to 5-0 in bowls since Riley began his second stint as their coach in 2003. Kahut provided the only points with his kick shortly before halftime.

Riley liked the way his team rebounded from a 65-38 loss to rival Oregon that denied Oregon State a Rose Bowl berth.

“Guys sulked for a bit,” Beavers defensive end Victor Butler said. “But in the end you’ve got to get your head in the game. You’ve got to go play football because the other team wants to play and win just as much as you do.”

Riley stood at the interview table and added: “That is well said.”

Pitt (9-4), making its first bowl appearance since the 2004 season and the first under Wannstedt, led the Big East in scoring this season, averaging 29.3 points per game. The Panthers managed just 178 total yards.

“We couldn’t get anything on offense started at all,” standout tailback LeSean McCoy said. “We played horribly.”