Apologies for not getting this out any sooner. Saturday night was the bachelor party for one of us, and that is all I can say on the matter.
The game was alternatingly frustrating and predictable. Pitt came out in the first half and were sleepwalking on both sides of the ball. No spark. No energy. Ball St. was not rolling over for them. At the end of the half, the score was 14-14; and there were boos in the stadium for the performance.
The 3rd quarter was different. Pitt showed some spark and pride. The defense shut down Ball St. and Pitt put 21 unanswered points on the board. Ball State added a 4th quarter touchdown to keep more fans from breaking for the parking lot early — and insure that there would be no chance to cover the spread — on a mild, overcast day.
Ultimately, Pitt won the game with ease; and there are plenty of excuses for being so sluggish and even looking past Ball State to the game against Texas A&M in 2 weeks. Still, there is that upcoming game against the Toledo Rockets in the Glass Bowl. Toledo just came off a great win against Marshall in Huntington. Toledo may actually give them more of a battle than expected.