East Roundup : Virginia Recovers From Loss, Beats No. 12 Penn State, 14-6

Shawn Moore threw two first-half touchdown passes to Herman Moore as Virginia upset 12th-ranked Penn State, 14-6, Saturday in a nonconference game at State College, Pa.

Penn State, coming off its first losing season in 50 years, managed only a pair of second-half field goals by Ray Tarasi. The Nittany Lions needed a touchdown and two-point conversion when they began their final drive on their 20. But Penn State stalled at the Virginia 23 on a fourth-down incomplete pass with 26 seconds left.

“I’m disappointed but not discouraged,” Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said. “We’re not good enough right now to beat Virginia.”

Moore completed 14 of 25 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns for Virginia (1-1), which lost to Notre Dame, 36-13, Aug. 31. Herman Moore caught four passes for 73 yards.

Penn State managed only a pair of second-half field goals by Ray Tarasi.

Penn State running back Blair Thomas gained 86 yards in 13 carries in his first game after a one-year layoff for reconstructive knee surgery.

West Virginia 14, Maryland 10--Major Harris and Garrett Ford ran for second-half touchdowns as the No. 17 Mountaineers came back to defeat the Terrapins at College Park, Md.

West Virginia (2-0) trailed, 10-0, at halftime but rallied with an interception and fumble recovery by safety Darrell Whitmore to defeat Maryland (0-2).

West Virginia’s winning touchdown capped an 89-yard, 11-play drive that began after Whitmore recovered a fumble by Maryland’s Barry Johnson.

Harris, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 150 yards and rushed for 64 yards in 14 carries, pulled West Virginia to within 10-7 on an eight-yard touchdown run around right end with 9:08 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was set up by Whitmore’s interception of Neil O’Donnell’s pass. O’Donnell completed 19 of 31 passes for 262 yards.

Pittsburgh 29, Boston College 10--The Panther defense dominated the Eagles as Carnel Smith scored on a 57-yard fumble return and Marc Spindler set up 10 points with a blocked field goal and a forced fumble in a nonconference game at Newton, Mass.

The 23rd-ranked Panthers (2-0) built a 20-0 halftime lead.

Spindler, a safety-tackle, and Smith, an end, ganged up on quarterback Mark Kamphaus. With a third-and-four at the Pitt 38, Kamphaus was hit in the pocket by Spindler. The ball popped out of Kamphaus’ hand, and Smith caught it in the air, running for the 57-yard touchdown.

After Brian Lowe’s 30-yard field goal in the third quarter and Ed Toner’s one-yard touchdown dive 26 seconds into the fourth cut the lead to 20-10, Smith tackled Kamphaus for a safety with 9:06 left in the game.

Spindler also set up Pitt’s first score, a 25-yard field goal by Ed Frazier 10:07 into the game. Spindler blocked Lowe’s 50-yard field goal attempt, and the ball rolled all the way to the Boston College 17, where the Eagles’ Kevin Lyles recovered. Frazier kicked his field goal seven plays later.

Howard 6, Grambling 0--Quarterback Donald Carr scored on a first-quarter touchdown run of 45 yards to lead Howard over Grambling in the 19th annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The game marked normally high-scoring Grambling’s first scoreless game in 119 contests since a 0-0 tie in 1978 against Mississippi Valley State. It was the Tigers’ first shutout loss since a 1976 game against Alcorn State.

Howard (2-0) has two shutouts. Grambling is 1-1.

Ball State 31, Rutgers 31--Kenny Stucker kicked a 51-yard field goal with one second remaining to give the Cardinals a tie with the Scarlet Knights in a nonconference game at Piscataway, N.J.

Stucker’s kick capped a five-play, 33-yard drive that was kept alive when Rutgers (0-0-2) was called for defensive holding on fourth down on the play before the field goal.

Ball State is 0-1-1.

Holy Cross 38, Villanova 17--Tom Ciaccio passed for a school-record 449 yards and two touchdowns in his first start as the Crusaders beat the Wildcats at Worcester, Mass.