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 It wasn't what Pitt expected coming into Saturday's game versus Syracuse, but Pitt's second straight forth quarter rally allowed them to walk away from the Carrier Dome with a 3-1 (1-0) record.  It was a third straight narrow victory, but a win is a win.

The game did not start off too well for the Panthers, whose first drive stalled out in Syracuse territory, settling for a 40 yard Connor Lee field goal to give Pitt the early 3-0 lead.  The lead turned out to be short lived as Michael Holmes returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to put the Orange up 7-3.

The Pitt offense muddled through nearly a quarter and a half, as Syracuse continued to build a lead.  Cameron Dantley capped off an 8 play 55 yard drive with a 27 yard strike to Donte Davis to build a 14-3 lead.

Pitt responed however, with Connor Lee connecting from 43 yards to pull the Panthers three points closer.  On their next possession, Bill Stull and tight end Dorin Dickerson connected from two yards out to cap off a 10 play 79 yard drive, to pull Pitt within a point.

Syracuse answered just before halftime, with Patrick Shadle nailing a 25 yard field goal as the first half expired to give the Orange a 17-13 lead going into the locker room.

The Orange's momentum carried into the second half, as they scored on the first drive of the half, a 36 yard toss from Dantley to Van Chew to build up the lead to 24-13.

The score turned out to be the last for Syracuse.

Connor Lee proceeded to connect on a 44 yard kick to make it a one possession contest, 24-16.

From there, the Pitt offense took over, led by backs LaRod Stephens-Howling and LeSean McCoy, who ran for 71 and 149, respectivly.  It was Stephens-Howling whose nine yard scamper topped off an 11 play 89 yard drive with a touchdown.  Pitt tied the game as Stull and freshman wideout Jonathan Baldwin connected on the two point conversion, 24-24.

From there, the Pitt defense took over.

After stuggling through the first half, Pitt's defense tightened up, with Syracuse's last score coming with over 12 minutes to go in the third quarter.

Connor Lee provided the game winning score, hitting his fourth field goal of the game, a 25 yarder, to give Pitt a 27-24 lead.  His four field goals tied a Pitt record and were good enough to garner Big East Special Teams Player of the Week.  It was the second consecutive week that a Pitt player has brought home the honor, with Punter Dave Brytus winning last week.

The Panthers put the game away for good with a 3 yard Stephens-Howling saunter, to give Pitt a 34-24 win over Syracuse.  

 Here are some of the key questions that determined Saturday's outcome

Will Pitt come out early and establish the line of scrimmage?

Yes, Pitt controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game, especially the second half, with Pitt running for over 200 yards

Will Pitt control the tempo of the game offensively?

Early on, Syracuse dominated, but as the game progressed, Pitt wore down the undermanned Orange.

Will Pitt win time of possession?

Yes, by almost 17 minutes.

Can the Pitt defense get off the field on third down?

Yes, especially in the second half.  Syracuse was 3-9 on third down for the game.  Pitt still needs to work on first and second down defense, as this was where the Orange did most of their damage.

Will Syracuse play with fire, trying to save Robinson's job?

They played well early on, but faltered toward the end.  As Pitt tried to come back, it was almost as if the players said "Here we go again."

Can McCoy run for over 100 yards?

Yes, he finished the game with 149 yards on 28 carries.

Will Pitt look past the Orange?

Early on it appeared so, as Pitt looked a little lackadaisical, but they got their act together.

All in all, a win is a win.  Pitt struggled early, but did what they needed to do to win.  On the positive, Pitt's running game got going as did their defensive line.  But on the whole, the defense still struggled against one of the worst offenses in college football.

Looking ahead to next week, Pitt faces a short week of practice as they travel to Tampa to take on # 10 South Florida this Thursday.  3-1 is certainly better than 2-2, but if Pitt wants to walk out of RaymondJames Stadium on Thursday at 4-1, they must improve in all facets of the game.

For more insight into Pitt Football and national sporting news, tune into my radio show on 92.1 WPTS-Pittsurgh.  It runs from 4:30-5:00 on Wednesday afternoons.  It can be found online at www.wpts.org.