Pitt vs. Buffalo: Panthers' offense stagnant in win against Bulls

Pitt came away with a 20-6 win on Saturday, but stylistically, it wasn't all that pretty. In particular, Pitt's offense proved they still could use some improvement.

The Panthers' passing game, which has been mostly solid this season, was virtually non-existent in the first half. In windy and rainy conditions, head coach Paul Chryst opted to utilize his running game. At halftime, quarterback Tino Sunseri had completed only 2-6 passes for a meager 42 yards. The Panthers opened things up a bit more in the second half, but Sunseri still only finished with 17 attempts and 128 passing yards.

And while Pitt relied on the ground game to keep moving the chains, the Panthers didn't find the going much easier there, either. Running backs Ray Graham and Rushel Shell picked up only 109 yards on 32 carries, good for only 3.4 yards.

Pitt managed to score 20 points, but they also did it with a fair amount of help from Buffalo. Pitt's first points of the game came after the Bulls shanked a punt that went a grand total of 13 yards. The Panthers took over on the Buffalo 45-yard line and had to march only 17 yards to get a field goal. Pitt's defense then set up the offense again, helping them to a touchdown. Jason Hendricks intercepted a pass and ran it back to the Bulls' 27-yard line. The Panthers' offense took over and got into the end zone. Half of Pitt's points came as a result of only having to move the ball a combined 44 yards.

None of this is to suggest to that Pitt's offense has been anemic all year long. Both Graham and Shell have had good games running the ball and Tino Sunseri has averaged nearly 300 yards a game entering this past weekend. The Panthers have scored at least 35 points in three of their seven games this season and, at times, have clicked. The problem is the offense has been just as unpredictable in the other four contests scoring no more than 20 in those games.

With only five games to play, Chryst has little time to make the offense a consistent threat.

Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo 2012: Questions surround Panthers despite victory

The Pittsburgh Panthers football program snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday defeating the Buffalo Bulls, 20-6, in a non-conference contest at UB Stadium in Buffalo, NY. The victory helped Pitt (3-4) move three wins closer from becoming bowl eligible, however, it didn't help its fan base feel any better about their team overall.

According to the SB Nation blog Cardiac Hill, the win didn't answer anything, instead, it just created more questions.

So what did we learn about the now 3-4 Pitt Panthers? Not so much, I'm afraid. The weather and the opponent make it hard to draw any rock-solid conclusions, but a win is a win is a win.

On of the reasons for caution is the production of the Panthers' running game, which compiled over 100 yards -- Ray Graham had 74 on 20 carries while Rushel Shell had 35 on 12 attempts -- but needed to work hard to get there.

126 yards is a positive thing, but 32 carries to get it isn't. Graham averaged 3.7 ypc on his 20 carries, but Shell got just 2.9 on his 12, a number that was bolstered by a 16-yarder. Obviously, Buffalo was scheming to stop the run given Pitt's personnel and the weather conditions, but I would hop Pitt's offensive line could do a little better job clearing holes.

The full reaction post from Cardiac Hill can be read here.

Next Saturday, Pitt resumes Big East play when it hosts the Temple Owls. That game is schedule to begin at noon ET and will be broadcasted on the Big East Network.

Pitt vs. Buffalo 2012 final score: Panthers down Bulls 20-6

The Pittsburgh Panthers won an ugly 20-6 affair over the Buffalo Bulls up in western New York on Saturday. The Panthers won rather comfortably despite being out-gained 334-255 in yards.

Pitt (3-4, 0-3 Big East) never trailed, jumping out to a 13-0 second quarter lead before Buffalo (1-6, 0-3 MAC) got on the board with a pair of field goals at the end of the first half.

Pitt scored the only touchdown of the second half on Ray Graham's seven-yard run with 6:29 left in the third quarter. The run capped off a nine-play, 58-yard drive.

Buffalo quarterback Alex Zordich did finish with 244 all-purpose yards (165 passing and 79 rushing), but he was never able to guide the Bulls to the end zone.

Box Score Hero: Not much to choose from here, but Graham had a solid day with 74 yards and a score on 20 carries.

Rankings Ramifications: There were no rankings ramifications for this game.

But Did They Cover?: Pitt was a 9 1/2-point favorite, so they covered.

For More On This Game: Check out the Pitt blog Cardiac Hill. For more on Buffalo, head to Bull Run.

Next Week's Schedule: Pitt hosts Temple at 12:00 p.m. ET. Buffalo will welcome in Toledo at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.

Pitt vs. Buffalo score: Panthers lead 13-6 at halftime

The Pittsburgh Panthers have jumped out to a 13-6 lead at the half over the Buffalo Bulls up in Buffalo.

It's been a defensive struggle so far, with neither team being able to get much going offensively. Pittsburgh has only managed yards 116 of offense, while Buffalo is a bit better at 158 yards.

Pittsburgh grabbed a 6-0 lead after one quarter, thanks to two field goals by Kevin Harper. The first came from 45 yards out and the second was a 22-yard chip shot.

Pittsburgh pushed the lead out to 13-0 on a four-yard run by Rushel Shell with 8:40 remaining in the first half. The score capped off a 27-yard drive that was set up by an interception by Panthers defensive back Jason Hendricks.

Buffalo got to within one score of Pittsburgh late in the half on the strength of Patrick Clarke's leg. Clarke kicked two field goals in the last 4:16 of the half to make the score 13-6.

Pitt vs. Buffalo 2012: Game time, TV schedule, odds and more

The Pittsburgh Panthers look to get back in the win column as they travel to play the Buffalo Bulls of the MAC on Saturday

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