East Roundup : Bruce’s Opener Is the Pitts: a 59-10 Defeat

Coach Earle Bruce knew a year ago he’d be in for a game at Pitt Stadium. He just didn’t know it would be this weekend or this kind of game.

Darnell Dickerson threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another and Adam Walker ran for 148 yards and 2 scores as Pittsburgh routed Northern Iowa, 59-10, Saturday night, ruining Bruce’s debut at the Division I-AA school.

Walker scored on an 89-yard run on the first play of the second half--the longest by a Pitt back in 71 years--to key a 31-point Pittsburgh third quarter.

Bruce was fired at Ohio State last year despite an 81-26-1 record in 9 seasons. Ohio State plays at Pitt on Sept. 17.

“Really, Pitt took it easy on us,” said Bruce, noting the Panthers didn’t score in the final 18 minutes. “We killed ourselves with mistakes, the kind you can’t make against a well-coached team like Pitt.”

The loss is the worst by a Bruce-coached team since Nebraska beat Iowa State, 52-0, in 1975.

West Virginia 62, Bowling Green 14--Sophomore quarterback Major Harris passed for a touchdown and ran for another as the 16th-ranked Mountaineers rolled to the win at Morgantown, W. Va.

Syracuse 31, Temple 21--The Orangemen extended their unbeaten string to 14 games, the longest in Division I, with the victory at Syracuse, N.Y.

Wake Forest 31, Villanova 11--Sophomore Tony Rogers ran for 101 yards and a touchdown at Villanova, Pa., to lead the Deacons over the host Wildcats in Villanova, Pa., who played a Division I opponent for the first time since 1980.

Holy Cross 49, Rhode Island 7--Reserve fullback Joe Segreti scored 3 touchdowns, one on an 84-yard kickoff return at Worcester, Mass., to lead the Crusaders to their 11th straight win.

Navy 27, James Madison 14--Backup quarterback Gary McIntosh, a transfer from Maryland, ignited the Midshipmen with a 37-yard touchdown run late in the first half that keyed a come-from-behind win at Annapolis, Md.