Pittsburgh Panthers vs Maine Black Bears Football Recap

Pittsburgh 35, Maine 29

This is one of those occasions when even a victory can’t hide the dark, black storm clouds gathering over a program. The Pittsburgh Panthers, who endured one of the most miserable offseasons in the 120-team Football Bowl Subdivision, are seeing their worst fears rise to the surface of reality. A program that needed stability and confidence might be 2-0 on the season, but it has no reason to be optimistic as its schedule leaves the realm of Cupcakeville.

Ray Graham ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns to lead Pittsburgh past the Maine Black Bears on Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field in the Steel City. However, the Panthers – playing a Football Championship Subdivision team – were anything but authoritative in their performance or their execution. Games like this, especially in week two and not week one, are supposed to be clean and precise exhibitions against an undersized opponent. While it’s true that Pittsburgh wasn’t seriously threatened in this game – the Panthers did lead by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter – they still didn’t play with the sharpness that coach Todd Graham was hoping for. To add to the Panthers’ woes and concerns, they might have the seeds of a quarterback controversy germinating, and that’s definitely not what they want as they prepare for a visit to the Iowa Hawkeyes and Kinnick Stadium in week three of this still-young college football season.

Indeed, what was notable about this contest is that the visiting Black Bears owned the better starting quarterback. Warren Smith passed for 334 yards and three touchdowns for Maine while receiver Derek Buttles hauled in seven receptions for 148 yards and a score for the Black Bears, who played much closer to the full limits of their capabilities than the Panthers ever did.  

Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri, who was not supposed to be a question mark or a concern for the Panthers, really regressed in this contest to the bafflement of his coaching staff and a worried home crowd. Sunseri threw two interceptions and did not complete a pass beyond 25 yards. before giving way to true freshman Trey Anderson in the fourth quarter. Anderson played with enough confidence and competence to suggest that if Sunseri wobbles against Iowa, Anderson could take over the job for the time being. That’s a crisis Pittsburgh has to avoid in the coming weeks.  

Zach Brown appeared to put the game away with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Pitt up 35-15 with 8:39 to go. However, Maine refused to accept its fate. The Black Bears scored on a 1-yard plunge by David Hood with 3:12 to go and Smith found Maurice McDonald for a 2-yard touchdown with three seconds remaining. Those touchdowns might have been pure window dressing, but they reflected the effort the Black Bears invested in this tussle. It was a lot more vigorous than a worried Pittsburgh fan base ever hoped or expected.

The dark clouds are looming in Western Pennsylvania.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer