Posted on October 12th, 2009 by David Whipkey

By David Whipkey

One thing has become perfectly clear this season for the Pitt Panthers.

Coach Dave Wannstedt has a squad that will not take no for an answer and will fight until the bitter end.

The Panthers earned their fifth come-from-behind victory since the beginning of the 2008 season Saturday with a 24-21 decision over Connecticut. It was not pretty and at times, it seemed like the Huskies were the stronger and more physical team, but Pitt dug deep in the fourth quarter and extracted victory from the jaws of defeat.

Pitt outgained Connecticut 145 yards to six in the game’s final quarter. Simply put, they muscled up and took the game away from a brutish Huskies squad that is better than their 4-2 over record.

The Panthers conditioning is a source of pride Wannstedt and his coaches point to on a regular basis. Strength and Conditioning Coach Buddy Morris was the man behind some of Pitt’s finest teams in the late 1970s and 80s. Wannstedt brought Morris, a 1980 Pitt graduate, back into the fold after the 2006 season, a campaign that saw the Panthers drop their last five games following a 6-1 start.

Pitt’s late 2006 skid was attributed to a lack of conditioning amongst the players. The squad looked especially tired in the second-half of losses to Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville.

Since Morris returned, the Panthers almost always look like the fresher and better conditioned team on the field, especially when the game rolls into the fourth quarter.

Pitt overcame late deficits last year against Iowa, South Florida, Syracuse, Notre Dame and West Virginia to win games. Each time the offensive line assumed control of the line of scrimmage while the defensive front applied pressure and shut down opposing offenses when it mattered most.

Saturday against Connecticut was no different. Pitt faced a 21-6 deficit late in the third quarter after Andre Dixon scored from two yards out.

At the time, Connecticut’s large offensive line was controlling Pitt’s smaller defensive front. But players such as Greg Romeus, Adam Gunn and Myles Caragein stepped up and simply denied UConn the rest of the way. The Panthers limited the Huskies to 106 yards rushing, nearly 90 yards below their season average.

While the defense stiffened, the offense expanded and took over. Quarterback Bill Stull directed three straight 65-plus yard drives in the game’s final 18 minutes.

It was a show of stamina and force that Wannstedt wants his team to demonstrate every week.

On Saturday, he got his wish.

“Late in the game, it was a gut check for us,” said tight end Nate Byham. “We had to look ourselves in the eye and say ‘we have to be able to run the ball or the game is over.’ We had to face adversity and we pushed on. We were tired and we were in pain, but we kept fighting and we made plays.”

Those words were clearly music to Wannstedt’s and Morris’ ears.