SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 1, 2012
Pittsburgh 27, South Florida 3: Ray Graham rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns and the defense forced four turnovers as the visiting Panthers became bowl eligible by trouncing the Bulls.
Tino Sunseri went 19-of-25 for 211 yards and a touchdown and Mike Shanahan made nine catches for 116 yards for Pittsburgh (6-6, 3-4 Big East), which finished up the regular season with two straight wins to meet the threshold for a bowl berth.
Matt Floyd passed for just 93 yards and was intercepted three times for South Florida (3-9, 1-6), which managed a total of six rushing yards on 20 carries and did not get on the board until Maikon Bonani’s 26-yard field with 9:40 left in the game.
The Bulls turned the ball over on their first three possessions, and Graham turned one of those into a 1-yard touchdown run to get the Panthers on the board in the first quarter. A pair of short field goals by Kevin Harper sent them into the break with a 13-0 advantage.
Graham busted through for another touchdown with 8:46 left in the third quarter and Floyd was picked off again on the ensuing possession. Sunseri turned that into another score when he found J.P. Holtz in the back of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown and a 27-0 lead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: South Florida is 4-16 over its last 20 games, beginning with a 44-17 loss to Pittsburgh last season. The Bulls were No. 16 in the country going into that game. … Sunseri (3,103) and Graham (1,041) became the first quarterback and running back combination to go over 3,000 and 1,000 yards, respectively, in the same season in school history. … South Florida RB Demetris Murray was held to 13 yards on 12 carries.