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2 0 1 7 K I C K O F F S P E C I A L read an all-out blitz and found Jackson on a crossing route. Jackson proceeded to outrace Hill, his high school team- mate, to the end zone to give us the lead for good. Pitt didn't go down without a fight. Trailing 16–7 but with the wind now at his back, Marino drove Pitt inside our 5- yard line early in the fourth quarter. Pitt couldn't punch the ball into the end zone, and Fazio went the conservative route, opting for a field goal that cut the lead to six points. We went three-and-out on our next series, but Ralph Giacomarro saved the day with a booming 51-yard punt into the wind. Pitt came right back and had a first down on our 37-yard line with six minutes left in the game. Our resilient de- fense held, and Pitt missed a long field goal. Our final possession started on our own 30-yard line. This drive needed to be a run-oriented, time-consuming effort. Pitt knew it. We knew it. Everybody in the stadium knew it. We had to eat clock while going into the wind against a de- fense ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, surrendering a stingy 82 yards per game. We would not be denied. Curt Warner, Jon Williams, and Joel Coles all ripped off huge gains behind the very same offensive line that had been labeled a huge question mark at the beginning of the year. We eventually drove the ball inside Pitt's 15-yard line, and with less than a minute remaining, Nick Gancitano put the game on ice with a chip-shot field goal to make it 19–10. For the second time in two months, delirious fans stormed the field to tear down the goalpost in the south end zone. Exiting the field with your uniform intact proved to be difficult (somewhere, some- one has my elbow pads), but it was a nice problem to have, especially since the win solidified our hold on the No. 2 spot in both major polls. Our defense ended up limiting Pitt to one offensive touchdown. It was only the second time in Marino's final three seasons that his offense scored fewer than 14 points. On paper these Panthers may have possessed more raw talent, but our second-straight comeback win over our bitter, in-state rivals rein- forced the old adage that our sum was indeed greater than Pitt's individual parts. TODD BLACKLEDGE'S TAKE All I re- member was the wind. As a quarterback I would rather play in snow, rain, sleet, or hail rather than wind. Nothing affects throwing or kicking the ball like a strong wind. Nothing affects the mind of the person throwing and even more so the person kicking a ball like gusting winds either. This game was a bruising battle between two very physical football teams that completely swung in our favor in the third quarter – when we had the wind at our backs. ■ Sandwiches • Salads • Spuds • Soups • Sweet Tea HUB-Robeson Center • On-Campus mcalistersdeli.com he ic w nd a S • s ad al S • s u o S • s ud Sp T t ee w S • s p u a e T

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