Mark Weisman ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, as the Iowa Hawkeyes rallied for a 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in a non-conference action from Heinz Field.
Weisman carried 22 times to help the Hawkeyes (3-1) emerge victorious in their road opener, as starting quarterback Jake Rudock was benched in the third quarter.
The Panthers (3-1) came up short in their bid for their first 4-0 start since 2000, despite 155 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries from James Conner. Chad Voytik completed 19-of-29 passes for 250 yards, with 153 of those going to Tyler Boyd, who finished with a game-high 10 catches.
Pitt got on the scoreboard first with a 14-yard touchdown run by Chris James at the 4:15 mark of the opening quarter.
Iowa responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Rudock's 13-yard scoring strike to Henry Krieger Coble.
The Panthers regained the lead midway through the second quarter when Conner scored on a one-yard plunge to finish off an 18-play drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock.
Chris Blewitt tacked on a 33-yard field goal just before the half as Pitt went into the locker room with a 17-7 advantage.
The Hawkeyes struck first after intermission when Weisman scored on a 10-yard scamper, capping a seven-play, 94-yard drive.
Blewitt (29 yards) and Hawkeyes kicker Marshall Koehn (52 yards) then traded field goals as the third quarter ended with Pitt on top, 20-17.
Weisman found the end zone again on a one-yard run with just under seven minutes to play, as Iowa regained the lead following a 13-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes. The Hawkeyes defense held strong the rest of the way.
Iowa managed to win despite being outgained in total yardage by Pitt, 435-311.
[SportsNetwork.com]
