The Pitt Panthers ended their spring football season with the annual Blue-Gold Game on a blustery Saturday afternoon before approximately 6,500 hearty souls at Heinz Field. Pitt’s defense, which comprised the Blue squad, had their way with the Gold side as they romped to a 62-24 win.

As was expected, the defense showed they were well ahead of the offense. But that is to be expected this time of the year, since the coaching staff did not install much of an offensive game plan for both quarterbacks Tino Sunseri and Pat Bostick.

Sunseri, a redshirt sophomore, appears to have a firm grip on the starting job heading into the fall. He finished the day with nine completions in 17 attempts for 82 yards and one rushing touchdown. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic product displayed a strong arm and escapability from the rush.

Bostick, a redshirt junior, completed six of 13 throws for 59 yards. He was sacked twice and threw one ugly interception to second team safety and former quarterback Kolby Gray. Bostick clearly is the team’s second option behind center but does have game experience with wins over West Virginia and Notre Dame in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Jonathan Baldwin made one highlight reel catch, an 11-yard one-handed grab of a poorly thrown Susneri pass in the first quarter. He led all receivers with four catches for 37 yards. The junior also took advantage of some coaching from former Panther and current Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who returned to Heinz Field to take in some of the action.

Fitzgerald was one of many former Panthers on hand Saturday afternoon. He stayed all day and chatted with several recruits in the hallway next to the Panthers locker room.

Offensive tackle Jason Pinkston had a solid afternoon, walling off all-Big East defensive end Greg Romeus much of the day. Pinkston could take comfort in his performance, knowing if he could handle Romeus, he should overpower all other defensive ends he will face this year.

Pitt’s linebackers showed they have big play capability. Sophomores Manny Williams and Dan Mason were all over the field. Williams made five tackles and one interception while Mason spent much of the day in the offensive backfield.

Converted quarterback Greg Cross and tight end Mike Cruz showed they could add to the receiving weapons for Sunseri this season. Cross seems to have gained confidence playing the position as was evidenced by a nice 15-yard grab of a Bostick floater in the second period while Cruz hauled in a 20-yard bullet from Sunseri in the third.

Sophomore running back Dion Lewis broke off a 52-yard run in the first quarter, showing he is ready to make a run at 2,000 yards this season. He finished with 74 yards on five totes.

But the day belonged to the defense. Pitt’s defensive line garnered five sacks and controlled play all day, putting a large smile on defensive line coach Greg Gattuso’s face much of the afternoon.

Notes: Romeus was named to the watch list for the 2010 Lott Trophy, which is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football. Last season, he garnered 8 sacks and 43 tackles, 11.5 of which were for a loss. He was named Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year along with teammate Mick Williams.

Pitt’s season opening contest at Utah will take place at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. It will be broadcast nationally on Versus.

Former Pitt Panther Larry Fitzgerald makes an insane catch in the Insight.com Bowl against OSU

Pitt true freshman tailback Dion Lewis added to his impressive list of honors earlier this week by being selected to the 2009 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team.

The 28-player team was selected by an 11-person panel of nationally prominent college football writers led by Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News Sentinel. True freshmen and redshirt freshmen are both eligible for the team.

This is the latest honor for Lewis, the most decorated freshman in all of college football in 2009. His other noteworthy honors include:

Selection as the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, the first time a player has won both awards in the same season since Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999. Lewis was also named Unanimous First Team All-Big East, the first Pitt freshman to accomplish that feat since 2002 when receiver Larry Fitzgerald, now a perennial Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals, earned the honor.

· Recognition on no fewer than seven All-America teams, including The Associated Press, Sporting News, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Phil Steele, Rivals.com and Scout.com.

· Unanimous Freshman All-America status.

· Most Valuable Player honors for the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl after he rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown in Pitt’s 19-17 victory over North Carolina.

· Selection as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year.

Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]) rushed for a Pitt freshman-record 1,799 yards on 325 carries (5.5 avg.), surpassing the 36-year-old mark held by the legendary Tony Dorsett (1,686 in 1973). Overall, Lewis’ total is the second-highest single-season rushing mark in Pitt history, trailing only Dorsett’s 2,150 yards in 1976, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy and the Panthers won the national championship with a 12-0 record.

Lewis additionally totaled 18 touchdowns (17 rushing) for a Pitt freshman-record 108 points, breaking the prior frosh record of 90 points set in 2007 by tailback LeSean McCoy, now of the Philadelphia Eagles.

With its bowl victory over North Carolina, the Panthers finished with a 10-3 record, their winningest campaign since 1981.

LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy rushed for 48 yards on nine carries in Sunday’s 27-13 playoff-clinching win over San Francisco. His fourth-quarter touchdown run helped put the game away.

Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer intercepted Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb late in the first half of the Niners 27-13 loss in Philadelphia.

Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee boomed four punts for an average of 42 yards per kick in Sunday’s loss at the Eagles. He had two punts downed inside the Philly 20 and launched one punt 60 yards.

Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald finished with four receptions for 36 yards in Arizona’s 31-24 win over Detroit. His one-yard scoring grab in the first quarter sent the Cards on their way as they clinched their second-consecutive NFC West title.

Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis shut down another prolific receiver this past Sunday as he held Atlanta’s Roddy White to four catches that totaled 33 yards. The Jets could not overcome themselves and lost to the Falcons 10-7 in a snowy, windswept Giants Stadium.

Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah helped pave the way for Carolina’s rushing attack in the Panthers 26-7 upset over NFC North champion Minnesota. The Panthers ground out 126 yards rushing in the win.

Hank Poteat: Browns cornerback: Poteat made a strong return to the NFL with a resounding four tackle, one sack performance against Ben Roethlisberger and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland sacked Roethlisberger eight times in their 13-6 win over Pittsburgh last Thursday.

Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis nabbed one interception and shut down Buccaneers receiver Antonio Bryant in the Jets 26-3 win at Tampa on Sunday. Revis has six interceptions on the season and is a sure-fire selection for the Pro Bowl.

Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session logged six tackles in Sunday’s 28-16 win over Denver. The Colts remain undefeated after 13 games and have clinched home-field advantage in the post-season.

Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer rose to the challenge in Monday night’s contest against Larry Fitzgerald and the rest of the Arizona Cardinals. Spencer led a secondary that held Fitzgerald to two catches and the rest of the Cards passing attack to 160 yards in their 24-9 win.

Gerald Hayes: Cardinals linebacker: Hayes had five tackles in the Cards 24-9 loss at San Francisco on Monday night.

LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy gained 54 all-purpose yards in Philadelphia’s wild 45-38 win over the rival New York Giants. The Eagles are now in the driver’s seat for an NFC East division title.

Lousaka Polite: Dolphins fullback: Polite paved the way for the Dolphins running attack Sunday at Jacksonville. Miami rushed for 146 yards and outmuscled the Jaguars in their 14-10 win. The win kept their slim chances for an AFC East title alive.

Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee averaged 38 yards per punt and pinned two of them inside the 20 in San Francisco’s 24-9 win over NFC West leader Arizona.

Three Panthers recently received top Big East player awards for their performance on the field this season.

Freshman running back Dion Lewis was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while junior defensive end Greg Romeus and senior defensive tackle Mick Williams shared the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award.

Lewis set the conference ablaze with 1,640 yards rushing to go with 17 touchdowns. He leads the Big East and is third nationally in rushing yards per game (136.67 avg.). The Albany, N.Y. native is the most prolific freshman ground gainer in conference history. He stands 46 yards shy of Tony Dorsett’s 1973 mark of 1,686 yards rushing. Lewis’ 102 points is the new record for points scored by a freshman, overtaking LeSean McCoy’s 90 points set just two years ago.

Former Pitt receiver and current Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald earned the conference’s offensive player of the year award in 2003.

Romeus led Pitt’s fierce defensive line with 40 stops, including 10.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks. The Coral Springs, Fla. native also has two forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

Williams was a dominant force in the middle. The senior from Monessen is second in the conference in tackles for loss with 15. He also has three sacks and three forced fumbles to with his 39 total tackles.

Former Pitt linebackers H.B. Blades (2006) and Scott McKillop (2008) also garnered conference defensive player of the year awards.

The Panthers also had 10 first-team all Big East selections overall. In addition to the unanimous selections of Lewis, Romeus and Williams, other Panthers included on the first team were sophomore receiver Jonathan Baldwin, senior cornerback Aaron Berry, senior tight end Dorin Dickerson, senior linebacker Adam Gunn, senior offensive guard John Malecki, junior offensive tackle Jason Pinkston and senior quarterback Bill Stull.

Second team all-Big East included senior tight end Nate Byham, junior safety Dom DeCicco, junior placekicker Dan Hutchins and senior defensive tackle Gus Mustakas.

Notes: Three members of Pitt’s coaching staff were selected as finalists for the FootballScoop.com Coaches of the Year award. They are offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, offensive line coach Tony Wise and Director of Football Operations Chris LaSala.

Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald dominated Sunday night’s contest against the powerful Minnesota Vikings with an eight catch, 143 yard, one score performance. Arizona thumped Minnesota 30-17 and brought the Cards one step closer to their second consecutive NFC West title.

Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session’s breakthrough season continued Sunday against the red-hot Tennessee Titans. Session led the Colts defense with 13 tackles and one forced fumble in Indianapolis’ 27-17 win over the Titans.

Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah dominated the right side of the offensive line as he paved the way for Carolina’s ground game against Tampa Bay. The Panthers rushed for 157 yards in their 16-6 win over the Bucs.

Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee’s push for a Pro Bowl spot continues. He averaged 43 yards per punt and launched one kick 56 yards in the Niners 20-17 loss at Seattle.

Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis held Buffalo’s Terrell Owens to three catches for 31 yards Thursday night in the Jets 19-13 win over Buffalo.

Antonio Bryant: Buccaneers receiver: Bryant was Tampa Bay’s lone offensive bright spot Sunday with a five catch, 116 yard performance against Carolina.

Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald is continuing his stellar season with an eight-catch, 87-yard, and one touchdown performance. Arizona defeated St. Louis 21-12 and strengthened their hold on the NFC West.

LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy’s impact Sunday night at Chicago was undeniable. The rookie rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown, a 10-yard scamper; late in the fourth quarter as the Eagles beat the Bears 24-20.

Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session continues to be a force in the middle of the Indianapolis defense. He finished with seven tackles in Indy’s 17-15 win at Baltimore.

Lousaka Polite: Dolphins fullback: Polite was a force on Thursday night, plowing the way for Ricky Williams’ 119-yard, two touchdown evening in Miami’s 24-17 win at Carolina.

Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer had eight tackles in San Francisco’s 30-24 loss at Green Bay.

Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah’s play on the offensive line helped pave the way for Carolina’s running game, which gashed the Dolphins for 182 yards on the ground on Thursday night against Miami. The Dolphins outlasted the Panthers 24-17.

Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee continues to make a push for the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. He averaged 42 yards on five punts in the Niners loss at Green Bay.

Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis held New England’s Randy Moss to five catches and 34 yards receiving in New York’s 31-14 loss at New England.

Pitt freshman tailback Dion Lewis has been named one of 15 “Players to Watch” for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, it was announced today by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Lewis is the only freshman on the Walter Camp list and one of just four running backs. The list will be pared down to five finalists on December 2, with the 2009 winner announced on December 10 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

Pitt boasts three previous winners of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, including running back Tony Dorsett (1976), defensive end Hugh Green (1980) and receiver Larry Fitzgerald (2003).

This is the latest recognition for Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]), who is also a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back) and Maxwell College Football Player of the Year Award.

The 5-foot-8, 195-pound freshman is also poised to become the first player since Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999 to be selected the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

Lewis is first in the Big East and sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (129.1 avg.). Overall he has 1,291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 224 carries (5.8 avg.). He has scored 14 total TDs on the year.

Lewis needed just eight games to reach 1,000 yards, matching Dorsett’s Pitt freshman record set in 1973. With three games remaining, he trails Dorsett’s Pitt freshman rushing record of 1,686 by only 395 yards.

“I love watching the kid,” said Dorsett. “It brings back a lot of memories for me. I’m really happy for him that he has been able to excel. What I like most is he has no ego. He just runs the ball.”

Lewis is also ready to become the most prolific freshman rusher in Big East history. He is just 37 yards away from matching former Pitt tailback LeSean McCoy’s Big East frosh mark of 1,328 yards set in 2007.

Ranked No. 8 by The Associated Press and No. 9 in the USA Today coaches poll, Pitt has its highest November rankings since 1982. The Panthers moved up to ninth in this week’s Bowl Championship Series ratings, their highest BCS listing ever.

Pitt achieved its lofty rankings after winning six consecutive games to improve to 9-1 on the year, its best start since the 1982 Panthers, led by quarterback Dan Marino, also started 9-1.

The Panthers have a bye this week before putting their undefeated Big East record (5-0) on the line at West Virginia (7-3, 3-2) on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Pitt will conclude its regular season against Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0) at Heinz Field on Dec. 5. Kickoff for the de facto Big East title game will be at noon and be televised nationally on ABC.

Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald clinched Arizona’s 31-20 win over Seattle on Sunday with an 18-yard scoring reception that put the Seahawks away. He finished his afternoon’s work with seven grabs for 73 yards.

Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah helped pave the way for Carolina’s devastating ground attack. The Panthers rushed for 185 yards in their 28-19 win over Atlanta.

Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee averaged nearly 34 yards per kick on five punts and was able to pin one inside the Bears 20 yard line during San Francisco’s 10-6 win on Thursday night.

Lousaka Polite: Dolphins fullback: Polite was a battering ram in Miami’s offense, clearing the way for 199 yards rushing in the Dolphins 25-23 win over Tampa Bay.

Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session notched 8 tackles in the Colts thrilling 35-34 win over New England on Sunday night.

Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis notched 5 tackles in the Jets 24-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.