[Careless Whisper]

Tartans Start Slow, Tormented Again in Steel City Rivalry
Pitt got off to a 21-0 start after 15 minutes and picked up its eighth straight win in the series


Pitt runningback LeSean McCoy had plenty of room to maneuver against Carnegie Mellon. (Michael Welch / Getty Images)

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Needing a quick start to keep pace with its Steel City rivals, Carnegie Mellon did the opposite of that as it fell behind Pitt, 21-0, and ultimately fell by a 42-16 score this evening from Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh (2-1) needed just 1:38 to get on the board against Carnegie Mellon (0-3), and that set the tone for the remainder of the contest. The Panthers would find paydirt three times in the opening 15 minutes, then took advantage of a fumbled kick return to start the second half, scoring another touchdown to swing momentum fully in their favor.

“We can’t afford a slow start against (Pitt),” said third-year head coach John Elliott. “They’re too talented on both sides of the ball, and eventually they’ll get theirs. Even though we were able to move the ball on the ground pretty well with Jim (Manning) and Justin (Keyes), that early hole was too much to dig out of.”

The Tartans rushed for 227 yards as a team, led by sophomore Jim Manning’s 109-yard performance. Justin Keyes added 80 yards and a score on 13 carries, offsetting another inconsistent performance throwing the ball (12-23, 91 yards, 2 INT).

The Panthers didn’t miss usual starting runningback LaRod Stephens-Howling, as LeSean McCoy accumulated 154 yards of scrimmage and four touchdowns on 23 touches. Bill Stull threw for 258 yards and four scores on 15-of-25 passing, and T.J. Porter torched the CMU secondary with 100 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.

“LeSean (McCoy) was unbelievable,” said Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt. “He really set the tone early and is one of the most talented backs in the nation. Having him and LaRod (Stephens-Howling) is a luxury, and while we’re missing LaRod and will love having him back next month, LeSean is showing here that he can make a huge difference on the ground and in the passing game.”

Freshmen David Brown and Chris Hill each netted a sack for the Tartans, while sophomore Hayden Temple picked off an errant Stull pass in the second quarter.

Carnegie Mellon enters Mid-American Conference (MAC) play next week when it hosts Buffalo on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Pittsburgh Panthers
Sep 20, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (0-3)	0	6	3	7	16
Pittsburgh Panthers (2-1)	21	0	14	7	42

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PITT
13:22	(PITT) LeSean McCoy 2-yard run (Conor Lee kick)	0	7
6:43	(PITT) Bill Stull 70-yard pass to T.J. Porter (Conor Lee kick)	0	14
0:08	(PITT) Bill Stull 6-yard pass to LeSean McCoy (Conor Lee kick)	0	21
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PITT
5:48	(CMU) Justin Keyes 1-yard run (XP blocked)	6	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PITT
14:18	(PITT) Bill Stull 15-yard pass to LeSean McCoy (Conor Lee kick)	6	28
7:26	(CMU) Jon Foster 28-yard field goal	9	28
3:07	(PITT) LeSean McCoy 15-yard run (Conor Lee kick)	9	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PITT
10:42	(CMU) Jim Manning 2-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	16	35
5:43	(PITT) Bill Stull 19-yard pass to T.J. Porter (Conor Lee kick)	16	42

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 12/23 91 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 19 109 5.7 1 Justin Keyes 13 80 6.2 1 Korey Harper 4 23 5.7 0 Nate Satele 4 14 3.5 0 Tramon McCollum 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD David Young 4 38 9.5 0 Pete Carlson 4 32 8.0 0 Kevin Cousins 2 13 6.5 0 Stephen Carter 2 8 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Aaron Crosby 5 0 0 0 Mark Toth 5 0 0 0 David Brown 4 1 0 0 Chris Hill 4 1 0 0 Hayden Temple 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 1/1 1/2 4 28 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Brad Jones 5 220 44.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 4 93 23.2 0 Pete Carlson 2 39 19.5 0

Pittsburgh Panthers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Bill Stull 15/25 258 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD LeSean McCoy 19 103 5.4 2 Kevin Collier 1 4 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD T.J. Porter 4 100 25.0 2 Oderick Turner 4 76 19.0 0 LeSean McCoy 4 51 12.7 2 Nate Byham 1 29 29.0 0 Aundre Wright 1 2 2.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Michael Toerper 9 0 1 0 Greg Romeus 6 1 0 0 Shane Murray 6 0 1 0 Justin Hargrove 5 0 0 0 Jabaal Sheard 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Conor Lee 0/0 6/6 6 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lucas Stone 3 158 52.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Oderick Turner 3 144 48.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Oderick Turner 5 49 9.8 0