Football Falls to Boston College
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 14, 1998
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Mike Cloud broke the Big East season rushing record with his ninth 100-yard game this season and Scott Mutryn passed for two touchdowns in Boston College's 23-15 victory over mistake-riddled Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Cloud carried 37 times for 179 yards, including a 9-yard scoring run, as the Eagles (4-6, 3-3 Big East) ended a six-game losing streak and dealt Pittsburgh (2-7, 0-5) its fifth consecutive loss and seventh in eight games.
Cloud has 1,547 yards in 10 games - he was held below 100 yards only by Miami - to break Chuckie Dukes' school record of 1,387 yards in 1992 and Amos Zereoue's year-old Big East record of 1,505 yards for West Virginia.
Cloud needs 87 yards Nov. 21 at West Virginia to surpass Troy Stradford (3,504 yards from 1982-86) as Boston College's career rushing leader.
Pitt, which trailed 23-7 until Matt Lytle's 14-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Ketchen with 14 seconds remaining, has beaten only one Division I-A opponent, Akron. Its only other victory was over Division I-AA Villanova.
If the Panthers don't upset either Miami or West Virginia, it will be the first season since 1971 they will have beaten only one major-college opponent. Coach Carl DePasqua was fired after that 1-10 season and replaced by Johnny Majors.
In a microcosm of their season, the Panthers committed three turnovers, drew a safety and twice drove to the Eagles 20 without scoring.
After Mutryn threw a 17-yard scoring pass to Anthony DiCosmo and Lytle responded with a 20-yard TD scramble for a 7-7 tie in the first quarter, the Panthers lined up to punt on fourth-and-6 from their 22.
Center John Parker's snap sailed over punter Greg DeBolt's head and into the end zone, where DeBolt batted the ball out of bounds to prevent a possible touchdown recovery.
The Eagles, turned away at the goal line in the closing seconds of a 31-26 loss to Notre Dame last week, needed six plays after the safety for Mutryn (10-of-23 for 106 yards) to find Dedrick Dewalt on a 30-yard scoring pass that made it 16-7.
The Panthers had a chance to draw close after driving to the Eagles 5 in the final minute of the first half. But Brandon Williams was stopped for no gain on third-and-3 and Nick Lotz, the third kicker tried by coach Walt Harris this season, sliced a 22-yard field goal attempt wide right.
Harris went with Lotz, who hadn't previously attempted a field goal, rather than senior Chris Ferencik, who was 5-of-6 and hasn't missed inside the 40 this season.
Williams, a freshman, was stopped again for no gain on fourth-and-32 from the Eagles 32 early in the third quarter. Later, after Pitt punted out of its end zone, Cloud scored from the 9 to finish a 35-yard drive.
Pitt stalled again at the 20 in the fourth quarter before driving 99 yards on its final possession, but Boston College fielded the ensuing on-side kickoff and ran out the clock.
Lytle was 22-of-43 for 307 yards and two interceptions.