Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Tino Sunseri threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 41-21 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a Big East battle at Heinz Field.
Sunseri completed an efficient 21-of-27 passes under center to pace Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-0 Big East) in the win, while Dion Lewis led the rushing attack with 130 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Ray Graham added 56 yards and a score of his own on the ground as well for the Panthers, while Jon Baldwin caught five passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
It was a miserable day under center for the Scarlet Knights (4-3, 1-1), as Tom Savage and Chas Dodd combined for just 108 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Joe Martinek ran for 52 yards and a touchdown, while Mohamed Sanu caught four passes for 46 yards.
The Scarlet Knights struck first in this one, as Joe Martinek found the end zone following a one-yard run early in the opening period of play.
The Panthers tied the contest late in the frame, as Sunseri found Mike Cruz with a three-yard strike.
The Panthers then took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter following a 13- yard run by Graham.
But the Scarlet Knights managed to knot things up again with just over two minutes remaining in the half, as a blocked punt was recovered in the end zone by Brandon Bing.
The Panthers reclaimed the lead early in the third quarter with an 11-yard scoring strike from Sunseri to Cruz.
The Panthers made it 24-14 late in the stanza with an 18-yard Dan Hutchins field goal.
Hutchins added a 34-yard kick early in the final period of play to give the Panthers a 27-14 advantage, while a 45-yard toss from Sunseri to Baldwin just minutes later made it 34-14.
The Panthers pulled even further ahead midway through the frame, as Lewis hit pay dirt following a 22-yard scamper.
The Scarlet Knights added a 27-yard scoring toss from Savage to Mark Harrison with just over a minute remaining to account for the final score of the contest.