After scoring 14 points in the first quarter without Ray Graham, the Pittsburgh Panthers offense began to slow to a crawl. The Pitt defense continued to shut down the UConn offense, limiting the Huskies to just a field goal before the half. The UConn passing attack with Johnny McEntee was completely nonexistent, gaining just 29 yards on the ground on 13 attempts.
The Pitt offense struggled for much of the second quarter but was able to pick up the pace mid-way through and add to their lead. The Panthers scored on just four plays on a drive that went 68 yards. Quarterback Tino Sunseri hit Devin Street for a 21-yard gain, then two plays later Sunseri hit Cameron Sadler for a 40-yard gain setting up the Panthers on the 3-yard line. Running back Zach Brown punched it in from three yards out to put the Panthers up 21-3.
Pitt got the ball back with under two minutes left and went for the jugular trying to tack on another score before halftime. The Panthers hit on a big 28-yard pass and picked up a personal foul that put them within striking distance. With 13 seconds left however, Tino Sunseri was sacked rolling out and the half ended, as Pitt had no timeouts left.
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