Pitt quarterback Sunseri breaks out vs. Orange
Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y.
All it took was one play for Tino Sunseri to get a dose of the confidence he needed.
Devin Street caught a short bubble screen pass from Sunseri on Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage and raced 79 yards for a touchdown, one of a career-high four scoring passes for the sophomore quarterback, and the Panthers beat Syracuse 45-14 on Saturday.
It took Street just 16 seconds to stake the Panthers (3-3) to that important early lead in their Big East opener.
“Confidence is all on how well I do. If I go out there and throw a bunch of incompletions, it’s a different game,” Sunseri said. “Every time we step on the field, whether it’s a game or practice, we want to start fast. That’s become our team motto. As soon as you start fast, you put pressure on the opposing team. That means they have to start making plays.”
On this day, Syracuse (4-2, 1-1 Big East) didn’t make any when it had to and saw its three-game winning streak end.
Syracuse, which has struggled for the past five seasons, had built most of its solid record on wins over two FCS teams and another over Akron, one of the worst FBS teams in the nation. But a comeback win a week ago at South Florida, a team that had beaten Syracuse handily five straight times, made this the most important home game in nearly a decade. A victory against a Pitt team that was ranked in the preseason and picked to win the conference title was important in keeping second-year head coach Doug Marrone’s program on track.
The Panthers had other ideas, and Sunseri executed them perfectly. He was 17 of 24 for 266 yards as Pitt went to the air to take control and vanquish a longtime rival, converting six times on third down and limiting Syracuse to 77 yards rushing.
“As aggressive as they were in trying to stop the run, we felt we had to throw the ball,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said.