October 17, 1998

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Mike McMahon threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter after Rutgers fell behind by 14 points and the Scarlet Knights shut out Pittsburgh in the second half to win 25-21 on Saturday.

Rutgers, a 21-point underdog, entered the game 0-9 in Pittsburgh and losers of 13 straight road games dating back to 1995. Rutgers had been 2-13 against Pittsburgh.

McMahon, who played high school football in Pittsburgh, found Bill Powell on a go-ahead 63-yard scoring pass yard and Chris Hutton on a 2-yarder in a span of 2:01 after Pitt (2-4, 0-2 Big East) scored three second-quarter touchdowns to lead 21-7.

McMahon finished 14-of-24 for 208 yards and an interception to outplay Pitt's Matt Lytle, who was 17-of-32 for 180 yards and three interceptions.

Reggie Stephens also scored his third defensive touchdown of the season as the Scarlet Knights (3-3, 1-3) won for the second time in three games. Prior to beating Army on Sept. 26, they had lost 16 in a row to Division I-A teams.

The Knights also reached .500 for the first time so late in a season under coach Terry Shea, who was 4-23 at Rutgers entering the game.

Rutgers' Steve Barone also kicked field goals of 39 and 42 yards, the second coming after McMahon was sacked for a 19-yard loss by Julian Graham on third-and-4 from the Pitt 6 and the Knights leading only 22-21.

The defeat was the most unexpected at Pittsburgh for second-year coach Walt Harris, whose Panthers have lost four of five since barely beating Division I-AA Villanova 48-41 in their opener. Harris took Pittsburgh to a surprise bowl appearance last season.

Rutgers, a 55-48 overtime loser to the Panthers during an 0-11 season last year, led 7-0 after Stephens returned a Kevan Barlow fumble 67 yards for a TD. Stephens scored twice on interception returns earlier in the season.

But Pittsburgh scored on its next three possessions: a 1-yard Barlow touchdown run, Lytle's 4-yard TD pass to Terry Murphy and Latef Grim's 15-yard run on a reverse that made it 21-7 at 5:12 of the second quarter.

But Pitt's offense suddenly shut down after that, finishing with 417 yards after rolling up 299 in the first half. The Panthers' final opportunity to regain the lead ended when Jabari Moore intercepted Lytle's pass with 18 seconds to go - Moore's second interception of the game.

Barlow had 95 yards in the first half and appeared headed for Pitt's first 100-yard game of the season, but carried only once for a yard in the second half.