Houston Cougars vs Pittsburgh Panthers Box Score on Jan 02, 2015

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 2, 2015

Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34: Greg Ward Jr. threw for three touchdowns and the decisive two-point conversion pass with 59 seconds left as the Cougars scored 22 points in the final 3:41 to rally from a 25-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Panthers in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kenneth Farrow scored from 8 yards out with 10:43 remaining to make it 31-13 and end a run of 24 consecutive points for Pittsburgh (6-7), which got a short field goal with 6:14 to go to extend its lead to 21. Deontay Greenberry’s 8-yard scoring catch with 3:41 left allowed Houston to recover two consecutive onside kicks, leading to Demarcus Ayers’ 29-yard grab with 1:58 to go and Greenberry’s second TD catch 59 seconds later.

Ward found Greenberry yet again as the Cougars opted to go for the two-point conversion to complete their 29-point fourth quarter and Houston (8-5) was able to stall the Panthers’ desperate rally at midfield. Ward threw for 244 of his 274 yards in the second half while ACC Player of the Year James Conner finished with 90 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Pittsburgh.

The Panthers pulled ahead early in the second quarter on a 15-play, 92-yard drive when Conner scored on a 1-yard plunge. The Cougars answered with a 2-yard TD run from Farrow midway through the quarter, but Pittsburgh used a 12-yard scoring run from Isaac Bennett and a bowl-record 52-yard field goal from Chris Blewitt over the final 1:27 of the half to take a 17-6 lead into the break.

Chad Voytik threw a 16-yard strike to J.P. Holtz for the lone score of the third quarter and Conner capped Pittsburgh’s surge early in the fourth on a 5-yard run before Farrow powered his way into the end zone from 8 yards out for his second touchdown. Houston countered Blewitt's second field goal with Greenberry’s first TD catch, setting up the wild finish.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Both teams were playing with interim coaches as Houston defensive coordinator David Gibbs served as the interim coach to replace the fired Tony Levine while Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph did the same for the departed Paul Chryst, who took the coaching job at Wisconsin. … The Cougars failed to force a turnover for the second straight game after recording at least one takeaway in 34 consecutive contests. … Farrow ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns while Pittsburgh WR Tyler Boyd finished with nine catches for 112 yards.