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When James Conner put Pitt on the one-yard line early in the fourth quarter to bring up 3rd and goal, most Panther fans just wanted them to drop the hammer and they did. Unfortunately, the Panthers' run attempt was stopped and with a 28-23 lead, they were faced with taking a chip-shot field goal to go back up by eight points or to go for it. In somewhat of a surprise move, Paul Chryst went for it. Twitter was calling for more Conner but Chryst called Voytik's number and he delivered. Ball game.
For the second week in a row, Chad Voytik used a QB sneak to turn the tide and instead of a one-score game in the fourth quarter, where Pitt has failed so many times this season, they forced Miami into certain passing mode by going up by 12 points. This made the defense's job that much easier in the final 13 minutes of the game and led Pitt into bowl eligibility.
The decision by Chrsyt to go for it put faith in an offensive line that opened holes all night for Conner, Chris James, Isaac Bennett, and Voytik as well. One thing that has been lost in a disappointing season is that the offensive line continues to get the job done in the running game. When Chryst took the job as coach, he set out to build a front wall up front so that he could do just what he did last night and put the game on their shoulders.
He did that and they delivered.
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