Gorillas fall to Mavericks in overtime
Josh Letner
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Sports
Nebraska-Omaha quarterback Greg Wunderlich threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns including a six-yard touchdown in overtime to lift the UNO Mavericks over the Gorillas 31-28.
The game featured two playoff teams from last year that were both rebuilding after the graduation of several key seniors.
"It was a pretty well-matched game," PSU offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "You had a couple of 5-4 teams that were both in the national playoffs last year, both quality programs and great football history, but maybe not as good teams this year."
For the second week in a row, the Gorillas posted a 100-yard rusher, but Terrance Isaac's 172 yards were eclipsed by freshman tailback Levi Terrell's 199-yard performance for the Mavs.
The Gorillas out-rushed the Mavs as a team 283-221, but were out-produced in through the air 244-158. The offensive statistics were almost even, however, the Gorillas turned the ball over twice on a fumble by quarterback Jeff Smith in the third quarter and an interception thrown by Smith in the fourth.
Despite the miscues, the Gorillas had an opportunity to escape Omaha with a win, but Smith's pass to Kendall Fisher in the end zone fell incomplete, and Pitt was forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Jared Witter to send the game to overtime.
"We had our chance at the end of regulation to maybe win the game and we just didn't quite get it done. It was a tough loss because we feel like we had our chances to win it," Beck said.
The Gorillas took the lead with under a minute to play in the first half on a one-yard plunge by Terrance Isaac.
"We went into halftime feeling pretty good about things," PSU defensive coordinator Dave Wiemers said. "Then, we gave up a couple of big plays that ended up costing us in the end. We feel like we played well for a while, but ultimately we didn't make enough plays to get a win."
The biggest difference in the game was the efficient play of Wunderlich. The senior signal caller finally got his chance to start this season after backing up Zach Miller for three seasons.
The game featured two playoff teams from last year that were both rebuilding after the graduation of several key seniors.
"It was a pretty well-matched game," PSU offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "You had a couple of 5-4 teams that were both in the national playoffs last year, both quality programs and great football history, but maybe not as good teams this year."
For the second week in a row, the Gorillas posted a 100-yard rusher, but Terrance Isaac's 172 yards were eclipsed by freshman tailback Levi Terrell's 199-yard performance for the Mavs.
The Gorillas out-rushed the Mavs as a team 283-221, but were out-produced in through the air 244-158. The offensive statistics were almost even, however, the Gorillas turned the ball over twice on a fumble by quarterback Jeff Smith in the third quarter and an interception thrown by Smith in the fourth.
Despite the miscues, the Gorillas had an opportunity to escape Omaha with a win, but Smith's pass to Kendall Fisher in the end zone fell incomplete, and Pitt was forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Jared Witter to send the game to overtime.
"We had our chance at the end of regulation to maybe win the game and we just didn't quite get it done. It was a tough loss because we feel like we had our chances to win it," Beck said.
The Gorillas took the lead with under a minute to play in the first half on a one-yard plunge by Terrance Isaac.
"We went into halftime feeling pretty good about things," PSU defensive coordinator Dave Wiemers said. "Then, we gave up a couple of big plays that ended up costing us in the end. We feel like we played well for a while, but ultimately we didn't make enough plays to get a win."
The biggest difference in the game was the efficient play of Wunderlich. The senior signal caller finally got his chance to start this season after backing up Zach Miller for three seasons.
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