Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Syracuse Orange Recap

For nearly two full quarters on Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Panthers weren't playing the Syracuse Orangemen. Fortunately, a terrifically gifted squad woke up in the final two-plus quarters, and stopped dreaming of future conquests in a 2009 season that's just getting started.

It's improbable, but real: Only now does the fun begin for coach Dave Wannstedt's crew. Nine games into their scheduled slate, the Panthers - albeit in impressive and welcome fashion - have mowed down eight foes to move to 8-1 on the year, and set up a boffo box-office backstretch of Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati that will define their season. As soon as last year's offseason began, the Notre Dame and West Virginia tilts were circled in red on the calendar, and when Cincinnati made a splash this September, the Dec. 5 date with the Bearcats loomed as a five-star throwdown. Everyone in the Steel City was getting excited about the coming weeks, and quite understandably. Championship football in Pittsburgh is usually confined to the pro realm, but as November arrived, Pittsburghers were reveling in the ascendancy of the college kids who were storming the gridiron at Heinz Field.

It was all so giddy. So perfect. Such cause for enthusiasm and anticipation.

Except for one thing: Before getting to Notre Dame on Nov. 14, and the beginning of the good stuff, Pitt had to dispose of Syracuse this past Saturday.

Yeah, that was just one minor detail Wannstedt's roster needed to deal with, and for 28 minutes and 40 seconds, it was clear that the Panthers just couldn't help themselves against the feeble and flailing Orange, who have been racked by inconsistency, ineptitude, and even some player revolts this season.

Pittsburgh, pardon the expression, should be able to beat Syracuse in its sleep, but with the first half about to end at Heinz Field this past weekend, the Panthers were taking that figure of speech far too literally. Pitt, up by a 6-3 score, was sleepwalking against the Cuse, as a daydreaming group of offensive players - with visions of Notre Dame dancing in their heads - just couldn't get themselves to focus on the task at hand. Someone needed to wake up a somnambulant squad that was going to play the Fighting Irish in seven days... but could only beat Syracuse, and no one else, on November 7, 2009.

That someone was linebacker Greg Williams.

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With 1:20 left in the second quarter, Williams watched Pitt teammate Jabaal Sheard tip a pass thrown by Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus. Williams then snagged the odd-shaped piece of leather and took it 51 yards to the house. The pick-six didn't just give Pitt a 13-3 lead and a scoreboard cushion; the play energized the Panther sideline and allowed the home team to come roaring out of the gate in the second half. Mentally liberated and no longer thinking about Notre Dame, Pitt pounded Syracuse after halftime, romping to a 37-3 lead before Syracuse tacked on a garbage touchdown in the final 65 seconds.

For a while, it seemed as though the Panthers were going to remain stuck in a sleeping spell. Greg Williams might not be a fan of fairy tales, but his pick-six was the equivalent of a kiss to the lips of Sleeping Beauty. As a result, a great awakening occurred in Western Pennsylvania, and now, at long last, the blockbuster finish to Pitt's season can begin in earnest.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer