Pittsburgh Panthers vs Iowa Hawkeyes Match Player Stats On Sep 17, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 17, 2011
James Vandenberg’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Kevonte Martin-Manley with 2:51 left helped Iowa complete a 17-point second-half comeback as the Hawkeyes defeated Pittsburgh 31-27 Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa trailed 27-10 with 12:09 left in the fourth quarter before scoring on all three of its fourth-quarter possessions. The Hawkeyes, who had two turnovers and a pair of missed field goals in the game, scored on their final four possessions overall.

Vandenberg, a junior, completed 31-of-48 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns – three passing and one rushing – to lead the Hawkeyes (2-1), who forced three Pittsburgh turnovers including an interception with 1:41 left to seal the victory.

Tino Sunseri completed 23-of-33 passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Pittsburgh (2-1), which lost for the first time under new head coach Todd Graham. Sunseri had a 66-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Devin Street to set the tone early, as the Panthers built a 24-10 halftime lead.

But Iowa, behind Keenan Davis and Marvin McNutt -- who had 129 and 112 receiving yards, respectively -- helped the Hawkeyes get back into the game.

Davis’ 14-yard touchdown reception pulled Iowa within 27-17 early in the fourth quarter before Vandenberg hooked up on a pair of late touchdowns passes to Martin-Manley in the game’s final 6:19.

Street finished with 138 yards on seven catches for the Panthers, who were seeking their first 3-0 start since 2000. With the win, Iowa improved to 5-5 all-time against Big East opponents and 2-3 against Pittsburgh.