West Virginia 24, Pittsburgh 17

11/30/2002

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Avon Cobourne ran 25 times for 105 yards and one touchdown to lead West Virginia to a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh in the 95th annual Backyard Brawl.

West Virginia 24, Pittsburgh 17

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Avon Cobourne ran 25 times for 105 yards and one touchdown to lead West Virginia to a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh in the 95th annual Backyard Brawl. Cobourne now has 1,593 yards on the season which sets a new single-season school record.

Rasheed Marshall completed 5-of-9 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown, while he also caught a pass for 25 yards. The Mountaineers (9-3, 6-1 Big East) have now won four straight and six of their last seven.

Rod Rutherford completed 17-of-30 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns for Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-2). The Panthers also got 121 yards rushing on 25 carries from Brandon Miree, while Larry Fitzgerald caught 11 passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Trailing 7-0, West Virginia answered with the next 10 points. James Todd booted a 42-yard field goal with 7:06 left in the first quarter.

Marshall's 19-yard touchdown run made it 10-7 West Virginia as the first quarter ended. The Mountaineers marched down the field on nine plays covering 66 yards, all on the ground.

The Panthers tied the game on their first possession of the second quarter. David Abdul kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10:01 left in the quarter, knotting the game at 10-10. Rutherford went 3-of-5 for 44 yards and Miree ran four times for 22 yards on the scoring drive.

West Virginia reclaimed a 17-10 lead late in the second quarter on a drive setup by an Angel Estrada interception. After the interception and a pair of rushes, Marshall hit Phil Braxton on a 29-yard pass. Then Danny Embick connected with Marshall on a 25-yard completion, down to the Panthers five- yard line. Cobourne covered the final five yards on a two carries, with the scoring run coming from two yards out with 1:45 left in the opening half.

The Mountaineers extended their lead to 24-10 midway through the third quarter. Marshall hit Braxton on a crossing pattern that Braxton turned into a 79-yard touchdown as he outran the defense.

Rutherford connected with Fitzgerald for another touchdown, this one just 12 seconds into the fourth quarter. The touchdown pass covered 25 yards and capped a five-play, 50-yard drive to make it 24-17.

The Panthers drove 79 yards on 13 plays, but were unable to score on their final possession in the closing moments. Rutherford threw three passes into the end zone from the Mountaineers 14 yard line, but he was unable to connect with Kris Wilson twice and Fitzgerald on his other attempt. Rutherford's final pass was knocked down by Ben Collins to seal the win.

Pittsburgh had taken a 7-0 lead on their first drive. Rutherford hit Fitzgerald with a 32-yard touchdown pass to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive. Miree had four carries for 18 yards and Rutherford completed a pair of passes for 45 yards on the drive.

Game Notes: Amos Zereoue held the old single-season rushing record for West Virginia with 1,589 yards...Rutherford also carried the ball 14 times for 55 yards...Quincy Wilson had 10 carries for 68 yards for West Virginia...Pittsburgh outgained the Mountaineers 447-379 in the loss...The Panthers hurt themselves with four turnovers..Both teams converted 6-of-13 third down opportunities.


NCAA I-A Football Boxscore - West Virginia at Pittsburgh


&nbsp; &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 3 &nbsp; 4 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Final &nbsp;
West Virginia &nbsp; 10 &nbsp; 7 &nbsp; 7 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; - &nbsp; 24 &nbsp;
Pittsburgh &nbsp; 7 &nbsp; 3 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 7 &nbsp; - &nbsp; 17 &nbsp;


1st Quarter
10:53 &nbsp; Pittsburgh Touchdown - 32-yard pass from Rod Rutherford to Larry Fitzgerald. (David Abdul kick).
7:06 &nbsp; West Virginia Field Goal - 42-yarder by Todd James.
0:00 &nbsp; West Virginia Touchdown - 19-yard run by Rasheed Marshall. (Todd James kick).
&nbsp;
2nd Quarter
10:01 &nbsp; Pittsburgh Field Goal - 33-yarder by David Abdul.
1:45 &nbsp; West Virginia Touchdown - 2-yard run by Avon Cobourne. (Todd James kick).
&nbsp;
3rd Quarter
6:55 &nbsp; West Virginia Touchdown - 79-yard pass from Rasheed Marshall to Phil Braxton. (Todd James kick).
&nbsp;
4th Quarter
14:48 &nbsp; Pittsburgh Touchdown - 25-yard pass from Rod Rutherford to Larry Fitzgerald. (David Abdul kick).
&nbsp;


Team Statistics
&nbsp; &nbsp; West Virginia &nbsp; Pittsburgh &nbsp;
First Downs &nbsp; 17 &nbsp; 25 &nbsp;
Rushes-Yards &nbsp; 53-231 &nbsp; 45-195 &nbsp;
Pass Comp-Att-Yards-Int &nbsp; 6-10-148-0 &nbsp; 17-30-252-2 &nbsp;
Return Yards &nbsp; 42 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp;
Punts-Avg &nbsp; 4-23.0 &nbsp; 2-43.5 &nbsp;
Fumbles-Lost &nbsp; 0-0 &nbsp; 2-2 &nbsp;
Penalties-Yards &nbsp; 3-27 &nbsp; 2-10 &nbsp;
Time of Possession &nbsp; 28:27 &nbsp; 31:33 &nbsp;


Rushing Statistics
West Virginia &nbsp; Att &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Avg &nbsp;
Avon Cobourne &nbsp; 25 &nbsp; 104 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 4.160 &nbsp;
Quincy Wilson &nbsp; 10 &nbsp; 67 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 6.700 &nbsp;
Rasheed Marshall &nbsp; 15 &nbsp; 30 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 2.000 &nbsp;
Travis Garvin &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 30 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 15.000 &nbsp;
Phil Braxton &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; .000 &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Pittsburgh &nbsp; Att &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Avg &nbsp;
Brandon Miree &nbsp; 25 &nbsp; 121 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 4.840 &nbsp;
Rod Rutherford &nbsp; 14 &nbsp; 49 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 3.500 &nbsp;
Lousaka Polite &nbsp; 4 &nbsp; 17 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 4.250 &nbsp;
Jawan Walker &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 8 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 4.000 &nbsp;
&nbsp;


Passing Statistics
West Virginia &nbsp; Comp &nbsp; Att &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Int &nbsp;
Rasheed Marshall &nbsp; 5 &nbsp; 9 &nbsp; 123 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp;
Danny Embick &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 25 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Pittsburgh &nbsp; Comp &nbsp; Att &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Int &nbsp;
Rod Rutherford &nbsp; 17 &nbsp; 30 &nbsp; 252 &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 2 &nbsp;
&nbsp;


Receiving Statistics
West Virginia &nbsp; Rec &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Avg &nbsp;
Phil Braxton &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 108 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 54.000 &nbsp;
Toby Brown &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 4 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 2.000 &nbsp;
Rasheed Marshall &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 25 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 25.000 &nbsp;
A.J. Nastasi &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 11 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 11.000 &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Pittsburgh &nbsp; Rec &nbsp; Yds &nbsp; TD &nbsp; Avg &nbsp;
Larry Fitzgerald &nbsp; 11 &nbsp; 159 &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 14.455 &nbsp;
Kris Wilson &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 35 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 17.500 &nbsp;
Brandon Miree &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 32 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 16.000 &nbsp;
Lamar Slade &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 20 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 20.000 &nbsp;
Lousaka Polite &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 6 &nbsp; 0 &nbsp; 6.000 &nbsp;
&nbsp;


Kicking Statistics
West Virginia &nbsp; XPM &nbsp; XPA &nbsp; FGM &nbsp; FGA &nbsp; Long &nbsp;
Todd James &nbsp; 3 &nbsp; 3 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 42 &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Pittsburgh &nbsp; XPM &nbsp; XPA &nbsp; FGM &nbsp; FGA &nbsp; Long &nbsp;
David Abdul &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 2 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 1 &nbsp; 33 &nbsp;
&nbsp;


Attendance: 66731

1st Quarter
10:53		Pittsburgh Touchdown - 32-yard pass from Rod Rutherford to Larry Fitzgerald. (David Abdul kick).
7:06		West Virginia Field Goal - 42-yarder by Todd James.
0:00		West Virginia Touchdown - 19-yard run by Rasheed Marshall. (Todd James kick).

2nd Quarter
10:01		Pittsburgh Field Goal - 33-yarder by David Abdul.
1:45		West Virginia Touchdown - 2-yard run by Avon Cobourne. (Todd James kick).

3rd Quarter
6:55		West Virginia Touchdown - 79-yard pass from Rasheed Marshall to Phil Braxton. (Todd James kick).

4th Quarter
14:48		Pittsburgh Touchdown - 25-yard pass from Rod Rutherford to Larry Fitzgerald. (David Abdul kick).

West Virginia 24, Pittsburgh 17

West Virginia 24, Pittsburgh 17

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