This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's defense and Pittsburgh's inability to attack with balance made Dion Lewis look like an ordinary running back — not a Heisman Trophy candidate — on Thursday night.
Lewis, the Panthers' undisputed star, was limited to 75 yards on 25 carries during the Utes' 27-24 overtime win at Rice Eccles Stadium.
A sophomore, Lewis was held to a career-low in rushing yards, despite going for 18 on his first carry.
Subtract that run on the Panthers' second play of the game and Lewis gained 57 yards on 24 carries.
Ouch.
"We were struggling a little bit early throwing the ball, and we know we have to balanced," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said.
"... Every week they are going to make it very difficult on Dion. We just have to find a way, which we did in the second half, to make some plays in the passing game and balance it out."
Lewis gained 55 yards on 13 carries in the first half, which works out to a 4.2 yard average.
It also means that Pittsburgh's most dangerous offensive weapon managed 20 yards on 12 carries in the second half.
"We wanted to come out and establish Dion," said quarterback Tino Sunseri. "I mean, Dion is a heck of a player. He has to get his carries. But Utah came out with a great scheme. They stopped him a little bit."
More than Lewis' ineffectiveness, Wannstedt bemoaned 15th-ranked Pittsburgh's sloppiness on offense.
The Panthers committed two turnovers — one fumble and a killer Sunseri interception in overtime — as well as 11 penalties.
An illegal shift penalty negated what would have been a 28-yard touchdown pass from Sunseri to Jon Baldwin in the final moments that would have won the game in regulation.
Baldwin "just took off running," Wannstedt said. "I thought he was moving forward, toward the line of scrimmage."
Wannstedt was less understanding about the Panthers' other 10 penalties.
"If we would [have] come up here and played clean and you're not good enough, that's one thing," he said. "... [But] we didn't play good enough to win. We really didn't."
According to Wannstedt, "playing clean" against Utah was a priority in the Panthers' preparation for the first meeting between the two teams since the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.
"We showed up tonight and I don't know if the word is immaturity, a little bit undisciplined or what," Wannstedt said.
"All week long we knew we had to come out here and play clean. Not turn the ball over. Not have penalties. And we had so many penalties tonight ... We did things tonight from a penalty standpoint that give you no chance to win."
Looking ahead — Pitt plays New Hampshire next week before a run of games against Miami and Notre Dame by Oct. 9 — Wannstedt said, "Very disappointing. It's inexperience. And we'll improve and get better. But we have a lot of work to do. We have to grow up in a hurry."
Phenom not so phenomenal
Pitt back Dion Lewis' rushing statistics from last season, compared to Saturday night's game against Utah:
Att Yds Avg Long TDs
2009 325 1,799 5.5 85 17
vs. Utah 25 75 3.0 18 1