Navy Midshipmen

Trevor Replogle

Mid-Atlantic Sports

Roger Staubach (Navy), Tony Dorsett (Pitt) and Curtis Martin (Pitt) were in attendance on a cool, rainy Wednesday night, as the Navy Midshipmen invaded Heinz Field and came away with a 48-45 double-overtime victory over the host Pitt Panthers.

In the extra frame, Pat Bostick's fourth down pass was off the mark in the end zone at the end of the second overtime, sealing Navy's win over Pitt.

Joey Bullen, who came up short on a 48-yard field goal try in the closing seconds of regulation, booted one from 29 yards in the second OT to give the Midshipmen (4-2) their third straight win.

Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada completed 9-of-12 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns and also ran 25 times for 122 yards and a score for Navy.

"We were due to win one like this, I think," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "Our other two overtime games had ended on flukes; a missed extra point and a fumble on the first play. I wasn't sure what way this one was going to go for most of the night, but I had all the confidence in the world that my players would come through once we got them to fourth-and-two in the second overtime."

LeSean McCoy rushed 32 times for 165 yards and three scores for Pittsburgh (2-4), which dropped its fourth in a row. Bostick completed 20-of-28 passes for 191 yards with a TD and was picked off once for the Panthers, who have allowed 126 points over their last three games.

Navy seemingly held the Panthers to three points in the first overtime, as Conor Lee made a 35-yard field goal. However, Nate Frazier was whistled for being in the neutral zone, and the extra five yards gave Pitt a first down. Bostick then scored on a one-yard sneak.

The Midshipmen needed only one play to knot the game at 45-45 as Kaheaku- Enhada found Reggie Campbell in the right side of the end zone.

Navy settled for a 29-yard field goal from Bullen in the second OT, and the Panthers were faced with a fourth down at the two. After a couple of timeouts, head coach Dave Wannstedt decided to go for the win. Bostick threw a pass to tight end Darrell Strong on a fade pattern to the right side of the end zone, but the ball was knocked away as both Rashawn King and Strong were going out of bounds.

"They went at me earlier in the game, so I thought they might test me," King said. "As a cornerback, you're always thinking pass first so I was ready to react. Darrell Strong is a big receiver so when I saw where they lined him up, I knew I would just have to man up and make a play."

Campbell scored on a four-yard run for Navy in the first quarter, but Conredge Collins countered with a two-yard run to the left side to leave the score at 7-7 going into the second.

Kaheaku-Enhada's 10-yard scoring toss to Campbell moved Navy to a 14-7 lead less than two minutes into the second, but McCoy ran up the middle to the end zone from two yards out up the middle with 9:04 left until the half.

The back-and-forth battle continued with Adam Ballard scoring on a two-yard run for Navy, only to have Pitt counter with a five-yard TD pass from Bostick to Oderick Turner in the left side of the end zone, tying the game at 21-21 with 40 seconds left in the half.

McCoy ran up the middle for a two-yard TD less than five minutes into the third quarter, but Shun White plunged up the middle from a yard out to tie the game again midway through the period.

Lee's 23-yard field goal moved Pitt ahead, but Kaheaku-Enhada ran three yards to the end zone with 19 seconds left in the third, putting Navy ahead 35-31.

McCoy found a hole up the middle and ran 21 yards to the end zone to give the Panthers the edge again with 10:45 remaining, but Bullen's 36-yard field goal with 4:57 left tied the game at 38-38.

The Panthers were forced to punt on their ensuing possession, and Bullen had a chance to win the game for the Midshipmen but he was short on a 48-yard field goal try in the final few seconds.