Pitt runners usually had much more room to run than in this scrum. Jared Shuster photo.
Today’s Boston Globe headline called yesterday’s 48-7 loss to Pitt a “new low” for BC’s season. That it was.
The previous three losses by the Eagles featured mistakes, missed tackles, lackadaisical play, and more, but they could have been wins. The total points differential in those games was 16. Against Pitt, BC was behind by almost twice that number at halftime (0-31) and there wasn’t even a hint the rest of the game would be competitive.
BC’s fourth quarter against Stanford, in which the Eagles ran a total of six plays for 10 yards, may have been historically bad. BC’s first half against Pitt was comparable.
The Eagles had one first down in each quarter. Total offense for BC was 69 yards for the half, 78 yards through the air. That’s not a typo. That odd statistic was the product of eight rushing attempts resulting in a total of nine yards in losses.
In the first half, the Eagles had six possessions, resulting in four three-and-outs, a turnover on downs, and a fumble. Pitt also had six possessions, punting once.
Obviously, the opponent took advantage. Behind a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start, the Panthers ran 51 plays in the first half, to 25 for BC, and gained 331 yards, 220 passing. They had the ball for more than 21 minutes, compared to fewer than nine for BC. They were four-of-nine in third-down conversions, three-of-three on fourth down. They scored four touchdowns and a field goal.
Pitt was five-of-five in converting red zone possessions for scores. BC didn’t get to the red zone.
In something of a repetition of his comments following the earlier losses, BC Coach Bill O’Brien said, “I take full responsibility for what happened on that field. I’ve got to do a better job. I’ve got to figure out how to coach these guys better, how to get the staff and the players to understand how we want to play.”
The second half was much of the same, just not as much. Pitt scored two more touchdowns and a field goal.
The Eagles did avoid the shutout. With just under six minutes remaining in the game, true freshman Shaker Reisig came in as quarterback for BC. Going three-for-three passing, including one for 45 yards and another for 22 yards, Reisig led a nine-play, 80-yard drive, finishing with a three-yard pass for a touchdown.
Reisig, from Tulsa, Okla., completed all three passes to fellow freshman TE Kaelan Chudzinki, from Needham, Mass. They were Chudzinki’s only receptions in the game.
Pitt ended the game with 503 yards total offense, compared to 216 for BC (80 of them on the final drive). The Panthers had 31 first downs, the Eagles 11 (three on the final drive). After seeming to revitalize their running game against Cal, BC gained only 27 net yards on 24 carries yesterday.
BC falls to 1-4 overall, 0-4 in the ACC.
Highlights (10:24) (BC’s highlight starts at 8:37)
Next up is Clemson, struggling at 2-3. Kickoff Saturday, October 11, is at 4:30 pm PT.
