Once again, Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy had his way against Navy.
But unlike last year, Navy could not match Pittsburgh’s high-powered rushing attack.
McCoy rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries as the No. 23 Panthers handed the Midshipmen a 42-21 homecoming loss before a record crowd of 37,970 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Saturday.
The win provides Pittsburgh a measure of revenge after Navy upset the Panthers, 48-45, in double overtime last season to overshadow McCoy’s 165 yards and three touchdowns.
But the year, it was all Pitt (5-1). The Panthers’ victory snapped Navy’s three-game winning streak and prevented the Midshipmen (4-3) from defeating two ranked teams in a season for the first time since 1957.
Pittsburgh scored on five of its seven first-half possessions and led 35-14 at halftime. Overall, the Panthers finished with 499 yards of total offense, compared to just 251 for Navy.
Pitt receiver Jonathan Baldwin had three catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, and running back LaRod Stephens-Howling finished with 34 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull completed 15-of-23 passes for 255 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
The downward spiral for Navy began with four minutes, 34 seconds left in the first quarter, when quarterback Jarod Bryant was sacked and fumbled the ball, which Pittsburgh defensive lineman Gus Mustakas recovered at Navy’s 17-yard line. Three plays later, Stephens-Howling scored on a nine-yard touchdown run to give his team a 21-7 lead. Bryant started for the fourth time this season in place of Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who was out with a hamstring injury.
For Navy, slotback Shun White rushed for 70 yards and 10 carries, including a 40-yard touchdown run. Cornerback Rashawn King had a 91-yard interception return in the second quarter, which led to a nine-yard touchdown run by Bryant to pull Navy within 21-14 with 10:22 left in the first half. But the Midshipmen would pull no closer, as Pitt scored 21 of the game’s final 28 points. Backup quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who entered the game late in the fourth quarter, made the game slightly closer as he capped a six-play, 54-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds remaining.
