University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Football Wins Season Opener Against Villanova
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 5, 1998
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Matt Lytle threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Latef Grim, as Pittsburgh beat Division I-AA Villanova 48-41 Saturday afternoon despite a team-record 428 yards by the Wildcats' Brian Westbrook.
Westbrook scored on a fake punt, and 89-yard kickoff return and two passes from Chris Boden for the Wildcats, now 0-5 against Division I opponents. He broke a 48-year-old Villanova yardage record set by Pete D'Alonzo, who had 322 yards against Duquesne.
Villanova had late touchdowns on Westbrook's 5-yard catch and Ducarmel Augustin's 3-yard run to make the score close.
Pittsburgh, playing against a I-AA team for the first time in 10 years, overcame Villanova's 20-13 second-quarter lead to score the next 28 points.
Villanova was on the schedule as part of athletic director Steve Pederson's effort to soften the schedule under second-year coach Walt Harris. The Panthers also play Akron at home this year and are scheduling fewer highly ranked regulars such as Ohio State and Notre Dame. Pitt does play No. 13 Penn State at home Sept. 19.
Lytle, a 1996 starter who was replaced by Pete Gonzalez as the starting quarterback last year, completed 23 of 36.
Grim, a transfer from San Joaquin (Calif.) Junior College and one of 19 transfers on the Pittsburgh roster, caught eight passes for 192 yards and compensated for the loss of Terry Murphy, last year's leading receiver, to a shoulder injury. Grim's 38-yard touchdown in double coverage and 4-yard score helped Pittsburgh to a 27-20 halftime lead before 36,543 at Pitt Stadium.
Trailing 13-0 late in the first quarter, Villanova called a fake punt on fourth-and-2. Punter Chris Birch and the rest of the punting team went right while Westbrook took the short snap and went left for a 48-yard touchdown without a defender laying a hand on him.
Westbrook then caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Chris Boden, and Roger Harriott, a transfer from Boston University's disbanded team, broke three tackles on a 17-yard touchdown run to give Villanova a 20-13 lead. Pittsburgh tied the score at 20 on Kevan Barlow's 60-yard touchdown catch.
Hank Poteat, a former running back who with quarterback D.J. Dinkins was moved to the defensive secondary last year, set up a touchdown with an interception forced by a blitz by the 6-foot-4 Dinkins. Poteat's 57-yard kickoff return set up Barlow's 1-yard scoring run in the second half.
