Gardner-Webb Vs. Pitt 2012: Cardiac Hill Reacts

The Pitt Panthers clobbered the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb by a score of 55-10 on Saturday. This was a victory that Cardiac Hill, SB Nation's Panthers community, says was not entirely expected.

Certainly, Pitt fans expected to beat Gardner-Webb, a team which is now 0-4 on the season. But to win by a 45-point margin was a bit surprising to many considering Pittsburgh's recent history.

"I've got to admit, while I expected them to win, 55-10 isn't what I had in mind. I figured the Panthers would win by two, maybe three touchdowns, but to go all 49ers-Bengals on us? Man.

Pitt hasn't scored that many points in more than a decade."

Pittsburgh fans are also, as expected, still reeling from an opening-week loss to FCS squad Youngstown State at home. But yesterday's offensive performance has given fans cause for optimism heading into conference play.

Suddenly, games against teams like Temple, Syracuse, UConn, and even South Florida, look more winnable ... [T]he Panthers are getting better, not worse.

For more on Pitt football, check out SB Nation blog Cardiac Hill.

Gardner-Webb Vs. Pitt: Panthers Exceed Expectations With Win

Be honest, you thought about Youngstown State at least once today, right?

I expected Pitt to come out and not overlook Gardner-Webb after that disappointing opening-season loss to the Penguins. But what I didn't expect is that the Panthers would be so dominant on offense, as the team won, 55-10.

Before you get too excited, just know this - Gardner-Webb is a bad team. A very bad team, actually. They're 0-4 on the season and have lost all of their games by at least 20 points. Even when you account for that, though, it was still hard to imagine Pitt putting together this type of effort.

The Panthers scored more points than they have in a decade. Even in the Todd Graham 'high octane' era, they couldn't figure out a way to find the end zone so often.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri not only had his best game of the season statistically, but one of the best of his career - and he didn't even need a full game to do that. Pulled early in the fourth quarter with a large lead, the oft-maligned Sunseri racked up 344 yards passing and three touchdowns. He completed 75% of his passes and added three touchdowns against no interceptions. He has his detractors for sure, but when you add it up, Sunseri has played fairly well in three of Pitt's four games this year.

The game plan changed a bit after Gardner-Webb was able to keep Pitt's successful running game largely in check. Ray Graham broke off a 78-yard touchdown run, but ended up with only 16 more yards after that. Isaac Bennett added some yards late in garbage time, but all in all, the Runnin' Bulldogs did a good job against Pitt's stable of impressive backs. Pitt took to the air, perhaps a bit unexpectedly, and things worked out just fine. The Runnin' Bulldogs clearly were concerned about the Panthers' running attack and wide receivers were not only open, but wide open in many instances.

And as good as the offense looked, the defense was just as impressive keeping Gardner-Webb's offense to only three points. They also forced three turnovers and the lone touchdown scored by the Runnin' Bulldogs came from a Ray Graham fumble return for a score. Gardner-Webb had a paltry 127 total yards on offense and had trouble doing much of anything against Pitt.

The big win hardly means that Pitt is 'back' per se. But having seen the offense score points in bunches in the last two contests, fans should feel a whole lot better about Paul Chryst's system.

For more on Pitt football, check out SB Nation blog, Cardiac Hill.

Gardner-Webb Vs. Pitt 2012 Final Score: Panthers Rout Runnin' Bulldogs, 55-10

Senior quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 18 of 24 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to propel the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 55-10 rout of Gardner-Webb at Heinz Field. The victory was Pitt's second straight and helped improve its record to 2-2 on the season, while the Runnin' Bulldogs, a Football Championship Subdivision program, remain winless at 0-4.

Pitts' senior running back Ray Graham carried the ball eight times for 92 rushing yards and one touchdown, a 78-yard burst that helped Pitt take an early 7-0 lead with 3:23 to go in the first quarter.

After a late first-quarter field goal form Gardner-Webb cut the Panthers lead to 7-3, Pitt used a 20-point second quarter to take a 27-10 lead into halftime. Freshman running back Rushel Shell and wide receiver Devin Street each scored touchdowns in the second quarter.

The Panthers cemented the game by scoring 28-unanswered points in the second half, the last two coming on rushes from sophomore running back Isaac Bennet who scored from three and 11 yards out in the fourth quarter. Bennett's two scores followed two third-quarter touchdown passes from Sunseri to senior wide receiver Mike Shanahan.

Shanahan finished the game with five catches for 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the last being a 77-yarder that helped give Pitt a 41-10 lead with a minute to play in the third quarter.

For more on Pittsburgh football, visit Pitt blog Cardiac Hill, plus SB Nation Pittsburgh. And Big East Coast Bias, for the time being.

Gardner-Webb Vs. Pitt Score: Panthers Lead Runnin' Bulldogs, 27-10, At Halftime

Senior running back Ray Graham has already compiled 82 rushing yards and one touchdown, a 78-yard first-quarter burst that has helped the Pittsburgh Panthers claim a 27-10 halftime lead over Gardner-Webb in a non-conference contest at Heinz Field.

Pitt (1-2) tallied a pair of touchdowns and field goals in the second quarter to take the commanding lead on Gardner-Webb (0-3), a Football Championship Subdivision program. Kicker Kevin Harper has nailed kicks from 41 and 22 yards, freshman tailback Rushel Shell tallied a 1-yard rushing touchdown, while senior quarterback Tino Sunseri threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Devin Street.

Three of the scores come on consecutive offensive possessions in the second quarter. Shells' touchdown was set up by a fumbled kick return by the Runnin' Bulldogs that the Panthers recovered at the Gardner-Webb 39-yard line. Six plays later, Shell scored and helped give Pitt a 17-3 lead with 11:27 to go in the half.

Gardner-Webb's lone touchdown came on the defensive side of the ball -- a 65-yard fumble recovery ran in for a touchdown by Kamar Morrison, who scored with just 1:10 to go in the half. Morrison scooped up a fumble from Pitts' Graham, who caught a pass from Sunseri but then was stripped.

Overall, Sunseri is 13-for-18 with 204 passing yards and one touchdown.

For more on Pittsburgh football, visit Pitt blog Cardiac Hill, plus SB Nation Pittsburgh. And Big East Coast Bias, for the time being.

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