Boston College and ACC Football Week 10: How We Did
By Joe Micik
Sep 27, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Chris Blewitt (12) kicks a 34 yard field goal from the hold of punter Ryan Winslow (18) against the Akron Zips during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Akron Zips won 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
ACC Football Week 10: He Blewitt (But So Did Others)
In double overtime, the #24 Duke Blue Devils somehow outlasted the Pittsburgh Panthers, 51-48.
The main story to come out of this game is going to be the one centering around Pittsburgh kicker Chris Blewitt, the young man whose unfortunate last name writes its own jokes and sells them at his expense.
Of course, he probably should not have missed a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter with the score tied, 38-38. That’s the sort of kick a Boston College kicker would miss.
Yet, Pittsburgh also probably should not have found a way to lose when they had almost 600 yards of offense. They should not have given up a 99-yard kick return touchdown in the fourth quarter to put them in a precarious position. They might have also tried squeezing out 25 more yards in double overtime as opposed to zero, or not letting Duke go 75 yards in 1:17 to tie the game with a touchdown.
Much of the blame is going to be directed at Blewitt, and it is not wrong to give him a thumbs-down for missing an easy kick, but it’s not like Pitt played an airtight game. Duke has shown that they’re getting pretty good at this football thing after years of neglect, and you cannot give them any wiggle room because they will make you pay for it.
Duke is the best team in the ACC Coastal right now, while Pittsburgh wasted a 263-yard game from James Conner and will struggle to make a bowl with a few road games yet to come.