Pitt rushed for only 30 yards in its 24-17 loss to Nebraska yesterday at Heinz Field, which is the third time in the past six games the Panthers have rushed for 30 or yards or fewer.

The output yesterday, however, might have been a direct result of bad luck because the Panthers' tailbacks were hampered by a run of injuries.

The situation was so desperate at one point, the Panthers lined up in a one-back formation, and the one back was Justin Acierno, a walk-on fullback from Central Catholic High School.

"We had some injuries in the backfield that really affected our run game," coach Walt Harris said.

"When you rush for 30 yards, that makes it hard, on any quarterback, much less a young one. When you get in long yardage like we had and they are laying their ears back and rushing hard, the quarterback ends up having to shoulder a big load."

The worst injury appeared to be to starting fullback Tim Murphy, who left the game in the first half with an undisclosed leg injury and did not return. He has been hampered by a hamstring injury and missed some practice time over the past few weeks.

Starting tailback Ray Kirkley also was injured. Junior Marcus Furman, who had offseason hip surgery, played some at tailback, but he was held out for several series, too.

That left Acierno, who played sparingly last week in his debut, as the only experienced back. Kirkley returned later, and he and Furman finished the game, but Harris didn't seem optimistic about the situation.

Strange call

Sophomore punter Adam Graessle had a greatgame, averaging 47.8 yards on five punts including two punts which traveled more than 50 yards. Graessle also had a great game kicking off.

Harris praised Graessle, who was one of the top-rated punters in the country coming out of high school, and said he is starting to resemble the star Pitt coaches think he can be. Despite that, Harris called a quick kick by his quarterback, not once, but twice.

The first time came early in the game when the Panthers were backed up near their end zone. Tyler Palko booted a 41-yarder which rolled to the 50.

The situation surrounding the second one was curious.

The Panthers had a third-and-23 at their 20, and Harris had backup quarterback Joe Flacco attempt a punt. The punt wobbled 25 yards.

So why not just run the ball and let Graessle punt in that situation?

"I thought backed up it would have been a pretty good deal," Harris said. "But that looked rather poor, we got a lousy bounce. Also, Joe was clearly surprised when the ball was snapped so it looked bad. We have to work on that."

Flacco plays

The fact that Joe Flacco was in the game late in the third quarter was strange, too. The Panthers' defense had begun to dominate Nebraska's offense, and Pitt's offense was slowly gaining momentum.

But, with the score, 24-10, Harris pulled Palko and put in Flacco for one series. The offense got one first down, then was forced to punt.

Harris said he played Flacco because he needs some experience and because he thought it would be good to give Palko a chance to see the game from a different perspective.

"Joe deserves to play at least one drive for that 'what-if' situation," Harris said.

Quick outs

Defensive end Azzie Beagnyam left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. ... Harris is 2-6 in the second game of the season. ... Marcus Furman's kickoff return for a touchdown was the Panthers' first since Torrie Cox did it against Rutgers in 2000. ... Freshman Darrell Strong, a converted quarterback, had the first two receptions of his career. ... Pitt has not been shut out in 92 consecutive games. ... Pitt's past 10 losses have been by an average of 8.3 points.