Career night for Zastudil

Steve King

September 15, 2008

There's just something about high wind and poor weather conditions while playing at Cleveland Browns Stadium that make Browns kickers and punters have performances that defy logic.

Last year it was Phil Dawson kicking two field goals, including one of 49 yards, against the Buffalo Bills in blizzard-like conditions that included a wind that howled steadily at 32 miles per hour and gusted occasionally at much higher speeds than that..

"That was the greatest kick I've ever seen," Browns special teams coordinator Ted Daisher said afterward of the 49-yarder.

He may be saying the same thing now about punter Dave Zastudil, who is the holder for Dawson.

In Sunday night's 10-6 loss to the Steelers, Zastuidil averaged exactly 53 yards on five punts, believed to be the sixth-highest average in Browns history.

Zadstudil's previous best effort with the Browns was a 45-yard average last year at Baltimore against his former team, the Ravens. His top performance overall came in the third game of his rookie season with Baltimore in 2002 when he averaged 52.5 yards in a home contest against the Denver Broncos.

In addition, his career-best 52.8-yard net average on Sunday is a single-game team record dating back to 1970, when opposing return yards were first recorded by the NFL

"Stats-wise, that was the best game I ever had," Zastudil said Monday as the Browns tried to put the loss behind them and get ready for next Sunday's contest against the Ravens. "If someone had told me before the game that I would do what I did, I wouldn't have believed them because of that wind. I didn't think it was possible. I surprised myself. There was definitely someone looking out for me."

Maybe Ryan Pontbriand was his guardian angel.

"His snaps, as usual, were very accurate, right there where they needed to be," Zastudil said.

He didn't have to go reaching for the ball and disrupting his rhythm.

As you might expect, Zastudil was really worried about the conditions before the game.

"Depending on whether the wind was really blowing or not, I was kicking a 10-yarder, then a 40-yarder and then a 15-yarder," he said. "If you kicked it into the teeth of the wind, it wasn't going anywhere, no matter what you did.

"For whatever reason, every time we were kicking during the game, the wind seemed to slow down for a moment, so we hurried up and snapped the ball to get the punt off before it picked up again."

Zastudil said there's no secret to punting well in wind like that, but there are some general guidelines he follows.

"I move up a couple steps so the snap gets to me quicker and has less time to be affected by the wind," he said. "You hold onto the ball a little longer and keep the nose down. You can't try to over-kick it. You just try to hit a solid ball."

And Zastudil did exactly that again and again on Sunday in what he called one of three most difficult conditions he's ever kicked in, along with the Buffalo game and another contest last year at Cincinnati when it was also extremely windy.

All this from a player who was bothered throughout 2007 by a sternum problem and went into this year with Daisher saying the Browns needed him to do better. It's what the club said to Dawson, ironically, heading into 2007 after he struggled down the stretch in '06.

"I feel pretty good now," he said. "I feel strong."

Zastudil's effort was the best by a Brown in 30 years. The five averages ahead of him, in order, belong to Johnny Evans (58.0 against the Seattle Seahawks in 1978), Sam Baker (56.5 against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960), Horace Gillom (54.75 against the New York Giants in 1954), Gary Collins (54.33 against the Dallas Cowboys in 1965) and Dave Mays (54.0 against the Denver Broncos in 1976).

But while all are obviously noteworthy, only the performances by Gillom (four attempts) and Collins (six) were with a lot of attempts. For instance, Evans kicked just once that day, Baker two times and Mays once.

So by having five attempts -- and by doing it against a wind tunnel -- Zastudil's feat gains in its legitimacy and uniqueness.

In addition, in 10 punts this year, he is averaging 46.8 yards, which would be, by far, the best average of his career if it holds up. In six previous seasons, his tops was 44.0 in 2006, his first year with the Browns after signing as a free agent.

Bills' Whitner reigns

September 16, 2008

By Anthony Bialy

The best thing about the Buffalo Bills' defense playing generally well is that it's given safety Donte Whitner the chance to play specifically well, as he's excelling this season at his style of vengeful football. Everyone else doing their jobs and holding their ground allows him to be on the prowl, creating nightmares on Sunday afternoons with his instinctual attacks against two offenses so far. The competence of this 2008 edition gives Whitner the freedom to forge a different path thanks to both his and the group’s respective maturity.

He’s managed six tackles in each of Buffalo’s games, but it’s the way he's been ending plays when he wants to and not when the ball carrier does that makes Whitner such a prize. More notably, he’s getting a chance to roam the field like a focused madman, allowing him to truly come into his own. That’s thanks to not only his own development but also because of the fact he has better talent playing alongside him than was deployed as recently as his rookie season. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is finally using Whitner as a wild card with his other face cards in place.

Whitner's presence is clearly helping Youboty and the others, as he is taking on his unique role as a moderately experienced yet still youthful leader with remarkable adeptness. His presence allows the others to play with confidence, as they know he’ll make his way to the right place on the field. A Consumer affairs major at Ohio State, Whitner is ensuring the ticket-buying public remains very happy with his sense for the direction of plays and taste for annihilation. He’s the exception in the Bills’ carefully crafted scheme, namely in that he is being given some latitude partly thanks to his safety title but also because he’s able to diagnose the offense’s actions so well.

He’s either the head zombie or vampire depending on one’s geek film preference, but the important factor is that Whitner is leading his henchmen to glory in part because the talent around him is rising. The question of who benefits from whom is ultimately irrelevant; the important point is that everyone is benefiting.

Whitner's toughness unquestioned

September 15, 2008

By Chris Brown

BEST DISPLAY OF TOUGHNESS: Donte Whitner – After losing his helmet and making a tackle Whitner’s left eye was almost completely swollen shut and needed three stitches, but he came back in the game and finished tied for second in tackles.

Packers' Kampman one of the best in the NFL

September 11, 2008

BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

Green Bay left defensive end Aaron Kampman is one of the best in the NFL. He had a sack Monday night against Minnesota, and two in each of his past two games against Detroit.

"The first thing that jumps out on tape is that he never stops," Foster said. "Anytime you're dealing with a guy like that, talented or not, you've got your hands full. In his case, he's very talented and doesn't give up. So you've got to be on your P's and Q's all the way around. He's going to present a challenge, and I'm up for it."

Asked about putting a rookie on Kampman, Marinelli said: "It's tough."

Zastudil "saved the night" for the Browns

By Tony Grossi

September 14, 2008

Punter Dave Zastudil saved the night by having a career quarter. His gust-busting punts of 59, 42, 55 and 51 yards maintained some semblance of field position for the defense.

Zastudil superb against Steelers

By Mary Kay Cabot

September 14, 2008

Zastudil's zest: Dave Zastudil was superb, uncorking punts of 59, 42, 55, 51 and 58 yards. He managed some of the fabulous kicks despite the rain and a slick ball.

Whitner a respected leader and team spokesman

High expectations are in vogue, but pieces must fall into place

By Jerry Sullivan

September 4, 2008

Three months later, Donte Whitner hasn’t softened his position one bit. You’ve seen him play football. Does he strike you as the sort of guy who would guarantee the playoffs and back down later? If anything, the Bills’ strong safety is more certain now.

“Expectations are out the roof,” Whitner said Monday. “Expectations are right out the roof. And that’s how you want it. You want to have expectations. If you go into the season and don’t have expectations, you’re going to get your butt kicked. I’ll tell you that right now.”

Whitner is only 23, but he enters his third NFL season as a respected leader and team spokesman. If he says this team should make the playoffs, you can be sure his teammates are right there with them, tired of all the waiting and the rebuilding and the excuses and ready to make a serious impact in the league.

And yes, that’s the way you want it. You want a team to expect big things of itself. You don’t hope for success. You expect it. The Bills feel they have earned the right to have high expectations. They’ve put in the work. They’ve been through the tough times. They believe they’re ready.

“I’ve heard that you judge a man’s worth by the amount of adversity he’s overcome,” Whitner said. “It’s the same with a team. Last year, we faced more adversity than any team in the NFL. We’ve been through it, but we’re still here. And we’re going to be a good football team.”

Evidently, he’s not alone. The Bills have sold more than 54,200 season tickets, the most since 1991. The Toronto venture has something to do with it. But fans believe this team is ready to compete for its first postseason berth since the 1999 season.

Likable Smith treats players, others well

By Terence Moore

September 10, 2008

Who knows whether Mike Smith will succeed or fail as Falcons head coach since he is in his first season as an NFL head coach, period?

This is what we do know:

You pull for him.

You hope for the best.

You wonder why other football coaches can’t be as affable as this guy with the quickest smile in the league.

And, now, after Smith’s first game ever as an NFL head coach, he is 1-0. Granted, the Falcons’ opponent on Sunday at the Georgia Dome was a toothless bunch of Detroit Lions, but you still have to applaud the Vince Lombardi lookalike.

Or, if you prefer, Smith is a younger clone of Steve “wild and crazy” Martin, especially since the 49-year-old Smith said somebody once chased him down an airport concourse thinking he was the 63-year-old comedian.

Smith is a welcomed sight around Flowery Branch since the Dan Reeves era ended with Reeves’ firing in 2003. He was respected and likeable as a veteran coach who owned a down-home style, straight from his native Americus.

That was opposed to his successor, Jim Mora who owned a highly suspicious style, straight from paranoia.

Speaking of paranoia, Bobby Petrino was the king of it before bolting the Falcons last year with three games left to play. He replaced the fired Mora before the 2007 season, and to hear Falcons players tell it, Petrino treated them as kindergarteners in shoulder pads.

If Smith is paranoid, he hides it well. He also treats his players and everybody else like grown ups.

What a concept.

Just hope it continues.

Roaming time for Bills' Whitner

Improved pass rush will benefit Bills safety

By Allen Wilson

September 10, 2008

Donte Whitner looks at how Pro Bowl strong safeties like Bob Sanders of Indianapolis and Troy Polamalu of Pittsburgh are used to maximize their impact and wonders, “Why can’t I do the same thing?”

He’ll get his chance this season.

The new additions on the Buffalo Bills’ defense will mean a new, expanded role for Whitner.

With proven run-stuffing defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, versatile defensive tackle Spencer Johnson and solid veteran linebacker Kawika Mitchell strengthening the front seven, Whitner will have more freedom to improvise than he’s ever had before.

“I’m excited,” said Whitner, who had six tackles and a pass breakup during the Bills’ season-opening 34-10 rout of Seattle. “My packages have expanded as far as me blitzing and showing one thing and doing another. I’ll have an opportunity to roam back there, have opportunities for some interceptions and big hits and get guys lined up. I’m enjoying it.”

Entering his third season, Whitner is already established as one of the top strong safeties in the NFL. He has been consistently productive, topping 100 tackles in each of his first two years.

What he hasn’t been is a big-time playmaker in the mold of Sanders and Polamalu, both of whom have the latitude to freelance and wreak havoc all over the field.

Whitner has only two interceptions, six pass breakups and no sacks in his brief career. Those numbers are expected to increase in his new role, where he’ll be near the line of scrimmage on one play and in deep center field on the next.

“When we initially drafted Donte, I wanted him to understand the fundamentals and principles of the defense,” defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “He’s been in this system for two years now, so as he grows I want to allow him to grow within our defensive system. He’s a very talented young man, so I can take advantage of his talents by moving him into multiple positions and doing different things that enhance our ability to be aggressive.”

The Bills wanted to turn Whitner into an all-purpose defensive threat last season. Fewell wanted to put Whitner in situations where he and free safety Ko Simpson would be interchangeable.

But those plans changed when Simpson was lost for the season with a broken ankle in the opener. Injuries also diminished depth at cornerback, linebacker and on the defensive line.

Because of the Bills’ struggles in stopping the run, Whitner had to play a lot at the line of scrimmage like an extra linebacker. He even lined up as the nickel cornerback on some passing downs.

“Because of all the injuries, we just didn’t have the pieces in place to do the things we wanted to do,” Whitner said. “I played in the box maybe more than I would have if we had all our guys on defense.

“I started at nickel back last year. There are not too many strong safeties you can put at nickel back. We were very limited in what we could do because we didn’t have the bodies.”

Now that the defense is healthy and upgraded with talented reinforcements, the Bills are ready to unleash Whitner by putting him into a position to make the kind of game-changing plays for which Sanders and Polamalu are known.

“I definitely think he has all the attributes to do what Sanders and Polamalu do,” Fewell said. “As I study those guys and different teams throughout the season I view him in that light. If you’re asking do I see Donte’s game expanding to that type of capability, yes, definitely.”

Whitner, who said his expanded responsibilities are similar to what he did at Ohio State, believes he and the rest of the secondary will benefit from the Bills’ improved front seven.

Stroud’s presence up front should make defensive ends Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay more dangerous rushing off the edge. Fewell’s playbook also includes myriad packages designed to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks from all angles.

“If we have tremendous pressure, the quarterback can’t throw the football accurately with all those guys in his face,” Whitner said. “It’s only a certain number of guys who can do that consistently. Other guys are going to have overthrows, low throws, tipped balls, things that come from having a good front seven.

“We’re looking forward to those guys applying a lot of pressure, which gives us an opportunity. Now we don’t have to be perfect. You can maybe take a chance here and there to get a ball.”

Whitner is looking to have the kind of season that leads to Pro Bowl recognition for him and some of his defensive teammates.

In the AFC, Sanders and Polamalu owned the strong safety spots in Hawaii for years.

But if Whitner has the kind of impact season the Bills expect, he might just break up that monopoly.

“The coaches are doing a good job of putting me in position to make things happen,” he said. “My job is to make the most of those opportunities.”

Kampman "brings intensity, tenacity"

Cook crams extra hard for Kampman

By JUDD ZULGAD

September 5, 2008

As the Vikings prepare for their season opener Monday night in Green Bay, much of the focus has centered on Artis Hicks substituting for the suspended Bryant McKinnie at left tackle.

The reality is the toughest matchup for the Vikings line might be on the opposite side. That's where right tackle Ryan Cook will face Packers Pro Bowl left end Aaron Kampman. Cook is no stranger to the damage Kampman is capable of inflicting.

Cook was making only the second start of his rookie season two years ago when he went against Kampman in a late-season game at Lambeau Field. Kampman finished with three sacks, including two on bull rushes, and four hurries in a 9-7 victory. He completed that season second in the NFL with 15.5 sacks.

"He's just a big technique and effort guy," Cook said. "He plays all out on every play, and if you don't match that intensity he can definitely take advantage of certain situations and make plays."

Entering his second full season as the Vikings' starting right tackle, Cook is far from a finished product, but he is considered a much more complete player than the guy Kampman abused in December 2006.

In two games against Kampman last season, Cook gave up a sack and four hurries. Darrell Bevell, the Vikings offensive coordinator and former quarterbacks coach with the Packers, knows just how difficult Kampman can be for linemen to handle.

"I think the one thing he has to make sure that he does is he has to match Aaron Kampman's intensity," Bevell said of Cook. "That's the one thing that Aaron brings. He brings intensity. He brings tenacity. He brings effort. He finishes every play.

"He plays with great technique. He knows the opponent's weakness. So that's a big challenge for Ryan Cook to make sure he matches that intensity. He can't think that he is going to ease into a street fight. He is going to have a fight on his hands from the first play until the very last play."

Cook gets his next test Monday night at Lambeau Field. Kampman's 27.5 sacks over the past two seasons are second-most in the NFL to San Diego's Shawne Merriman (29.5).

Bills' Whitner a locker-room leader

By Mark Gaughan

September 4, 2008

Draft for character

Overall, the Bills have a better track record than most teams for avoiding players who get into trouble.

Donte Whitner is one of many examples of the Bills looking for a locker-room leader.

Whitner was the No.‚8 pick in 2006. The Bills stuck to their draft board in taking Whitner No. 8 in 2006, even though defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (now with Baltimore) arguably may have filled a bigger need.

"Besides the football talent, he had great intangibles," Modrak said. "He has a great work ethic. He kept his own notebook on each team they played against at Ohio State. He had the ability to cover man [to man] out of a safety position. He was a relentless player. He kind of clicked off all the right things, including the kind of person he was, and that position is a leadership position."

While Ngata is a force now for the Baltimore Ravens and the Bills recognized his talent, they simply did not think he fit Jauron's defensive scheme. Ngata is a stay-at-home run plugger.

"We wanted Donte a little more," Modrak said. "It wasn't a negative on Haloti. There would have had to have been some adjustments for Haloti. He's not a run-and-chase kind of guy."

The Bills scouting staff has a clear view of what the coaching staff wants, which speaks to the next principle, perhaps the biggest the Bills are trying to embrace.

Tragedy, loss, success help Bills' Whitner mature on, off field

By Tim Graham

September 2, 2008

Donte Whitner helped rock Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson's world in a game last season. His philosophy: "I just want to force teams to pay attention to me on the field. I want those guys to have to game plan for me."

Chad Johnson's teammates kneeled in prayer. The Cincinnati Bengals receiver writhed delicately on the cold Ralph Wilson Stadium turf. He was in too much pain to thrash.

His problem? He made a mistake. He made himself vulnerable in Donte Whitner's neighborhood.

Johnson, arms out, dove for a sinking pass in the closing minutes of a Nov. 4, 2007 loss to the Buffalo Bills. A torpedo screamed for Johnson's ribcage. Whitner, the Bills' bone-jolting strong safety, blasted him.

You can't spell "detonate" without the D, O, N, T or E.

"When a guy gets that football in his hands, you get an opportunity to do something we can't do in public," Whitner said. "If we did, then we'd all be locked up. I try to be as violent and as fast as possible. I've always liked it. It's an adrenaline thing."

Johnson failed to do something Whitner, at an early age, learned nobody should forget to do.

Look both ways.

A near-fatal accident when Whitner was 4 years old drove home that lesson. Then, as he got older, he encountered a series of discouraging episodes that constantly reinforced another truism.

Grow up fast.

Those concepts have combined to make Whitner who he is, and have established his reputation as an emerging NFL star mature beyond his years.

The fast track is the only path he has known. He graduated high school early and left Ohio State early. He's entering his third NFL season, but he didn't turn 23 until the day the Bills reported to training camp.

And this is the year he plans to blow up.

"I just want to force teams to pay attention to me on the field," Whitner said. "I want those guys to have to game plan for me.

"Any player who wants to be disruptive or be a good player in this game, they should want the same thing. I really want to be the best safety in the game of football, and if you don't want to be the best at your position, there's really no reason to be playing. When I come away from this game, I want to be considered one of the best."

Those closest to him don't doubt he's capable.

Whitner not only has the physical skills; he also is known as one of Buffalo's classiest, most dedicated players. He's a leader and highly involved in the community through his Team 20 Foundation.

"I don't like to compare young players to anybody else, but he's a special guy," said Bills assistant George Catavolos, who has coached NFL defensive backs since 1984. "He can do whatever he wants with his future."

That would have been difficult to foresee for Deborah Robinson 19 years ago. For three months she carted her son around their Cleveland neighborhood in a wagon. Little Donte (he has his mother's maiden name) was in a body cast, multiple fractures in both legs. Doctors cautioned Deborah he might not be able to walk normally.

In a decision similar to the one Ocho Cinco lamented last autumn, Whitner dashed after a ball without looking both ways. He ran into the street. A car ran him over.

That wasn't the worst of Whitner's childhood.

He had to become the man of the house when he was 12. His father, Lindsey Robinson, served six years in the Mansfield Correctional Institution for attempted robbery. Whitner, his little brother and his mom lived with his grandmother and three cousins on Cleveland's dodgy East Side.

"I hate to say it, but a lot of his determination, I feel, comes from the anger and resentment and absent love in his life," Lindsey Robinson told the Dayton Daily News shortly after his prison release in 2003. "He took that to heart and put it to something positive."

Look both ways. Grow up fast.

Whitner was a blue-chip recruit at Glenville High, where he played with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Troy Smith, Miami Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and New England Patriots linebacker Pierre Woods.

Whitner graduated several months early to enroll at Ohio State. He was 17, in Columbus and competing for a starting job with the Buckeyes while his Glenville classmates still were horsing around in study hall and drinking their lunchtime milk out of 8-ounce cartons.

He developed a reputation at Ohio State as hard hitter, a relentless worker, a leader. He played three years and left after his junior season. The Bills selected him eighth overall in 2006. Whitner was 20.

"He has a lot of the characteristics you want in a safety," Catavolos said. "He's intense. He's hard-hitting. He's good against the run. He can cover. He can play strong safety, free safety and nickel and he doesn't bat an eye."

Whitner established himself as an NFL talent straight away. He started 14 games as a rookie, and before the flu sidelined him for the meaningless 2007 season finale in Philadelphia, he was the only Bill to play every defensive snap. His 102 tackles ranked third on the team.

"I see a very passionate player," Bills receiver Lee Evans said. "He plays with high energy. He plays downhill. He slides all around the field, and he's kind of the spark plug of that defense."

Whitner certainly sparked discussion before training camp, when he guaranteed the Bills will make the playoffs this year.

Young players are supposed to keep their mouths shut. In light of the Bills' 7-9 finish last season -- the eighth consecutive campaign without a playoff berth -- Whitner's guarantee sounds foolhardy.

Many rolled their eyes.

Now Whitner intends to roll some heads.

"We're going to make the playoffs," Whitner reiterated. "I'm not backing down from that guarantee. I feel even stronger about it now than when I made it.

"We'll see what people say at the end of the day."

Whitner knows his guarantee will make him a target for criticism every weekend this fall.

"Scrubs don't make predictions like that," Whitner said. "You have to be an impact player in the league to even open up your mouth and say something like that."

He insisted he's ready for the extra attention because he sees how the Bills' Tampa 2-style defense is morphing with such acquisitions as defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, and the return of middle linebacker Paul Posluszny from a broken forearm.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what you have on the football field," Whitner said. "And with the guys coming together, it's more of a brotherhood than a football team.

"This is the time when it all happens, when you get all the pieces around you, all the players get better and everybody can make plays. We have those pieces in place."

What has Whitner jacked up is that, with a revamped line, the defense can be more aggressive. That means he should have the chance to be a more versatile weapon.

Whitner, who is 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds, doesn't have an NFL sack yet. That might be surprising to those who watched him at Ohio State, where he recorded five sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

"We're going to be a pressure football team," Whitner said. "The way the coaches got me around the football in practice, I'm loving it.

"We feel we can go with man coverage and bring some of those safety blitzes and zone blitzes. You might think I'm coming or I'm not coming. We're doing a lot of things to make plays and be a good defense."

That might keep opposing receivers up at night in the days leading up to a Bills game.

"He's a tough matchup," Dolphins receiver Derek Hagan said. "He's a young guy, but he comes to play. When you see a small safety you expect to run right through him, but he's got a lot of power and he brings it.

"Whenever I'm on the field I'm watching out for the safeties, but he's one of those guys that you know, when you watch film, he'll come up and hit you. He's made his mark on being physical. He's not afraid to hit."

As a burgeoning leader would, Whitner always is looking for ways to stimulate team cohesiveness.

Last year, he played host to Thursday-night film sessions in the basement of his Hamburg, N.Y. home. He brings in a chef and a masseuse. The turnout's always strong.

Not many 23-year-olds would take it upon themselves to do something like that. Or start a charitable foundation. Or buy his mother and grandmother a new house far removed from the gritty city. Or make a haughty guarantee.

"A lot of guys are good at this game, but it's people who aren't scared to take the next step that want to be great," Whitner said. "You have to hold yourself up to high expectations and know what you want and go out and get it."

Bowling Green Coach Brandon orchestrates win over #25 Pitt

Bowling Green Pulls a Few Tricks Before Springing an Upset

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 31, 2008

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A whistle sounded prematurely, stripping Bowling Green of a possible winning touchdown against No. 25 Pittsburgh, but it was not long before the Falcons got a second chance.

Tyler Sheehan ran 11 yards for a touchdown on a quarterback draw early in the fourth quarter, two plays after Pittsburgh’s fourth turnover, and Bowling Green rallied for a 27-17 victory against the No. 25 Panthers.

The Falcons (1-0), who beat Minnesota in their opener last season, earned their second win over a Bowl Championship Series conference team in two years by bouncing back from a 14-0 deficit. It was the first victory by a Mid-American Conference program at Pittsburgh; Pitt previously was 25-2 over all against the MAC, including 24-0 at home.

“Unless you study the game, you don’t understand the implications of a win like that,” Bowling Green Coach Gregg Brandon said. “We’re not supposed to beat these people.”

Falcons linebacker John Haneline and several teammates said they had read earlier in the week that no MAC team had won at Pitt.

“Everybody just said, ‘Why not us now, why wait?’ ” Haneline said.

Anthony Turner scored on an 8-yard run set up by quarterback Sheehan’s 22-yard completion to tight end Jimmy Scheidler, who earlier scored two touchdowns, to give Bowling Green its first lead at 20-17 with 3 minutes 53 seconds left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bowling Green defensive back Kenny Lewis caused Cedric McGee to fumble, then scooped up the ball for an apparent 67-yard scoring return with 13:30 remaining.

An inadvertent whistle brought the ball back to the Falcons 35, and Bowling Green was forced to punt. But on Pitt’s next possession, cornerback Antonio Smith forced another fumble and Angelo Magnone returned it six yards to the Pitt 11.

Sheehan, who was 24 of 40 for 163 yards, scored two plays later.

Pitt rushed for only 46 yards in the final three quarters after outgaining the Falcons by 137-6 in the first quarter.

“We made so many mistakes today and the defense had my number,” Pitt running back LeSean McCoy said. “I’m sure the team is hurt. I’m sure nobody expected this. It’s tough.”

McCoy ran for 1,328 yards last year, the best freshman season by a Pitt runner since Tony Dorsett in 1973, but he was held to 71 yards on 23 carries against Bowling Green. He did not have a run longer than 12 yards.

Pittsburgh, a 13-point favorite, had a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter after McCoy scored on an 11-yard run and Derek Kinder caught a 4-yard pass from Bill Stull (29 of 51, 264 yards).

McCoy’s fumble at the Falcons 48 late in the second quarter led to Scheidler’s 3-yard touchdown catch. The score came on a misdirection play on which everyone except Scheidler pulled right as he broke open in the left flat.

Bowling Green also relied on gadgetry to tie the score, with wide receiver Freddie Barnes lining up at quarterback to throw a 3-yard pass to Scheidler.

Conor Lee’s 36-yard field goal gave Pitt a 17-14 lead on the final play before halftime, but only after Pitt passed up the chance to go for a touchdown.

McCoy did not seem pleased with the conservative play-calling, which came after Pitt punted from the Bowling Green 35 and 34 early in the game.

“It would have been nice to get a touchdown but, you know, we follow the leader,” McCoy said of Coach Dave Wannstedt.