PITTSBURGH — It wasn't exactly the performance Kevan Smith was hoping for.

But the University of Pittsburgh's redshirt freshman quarterback made his last possession his best one.

After throwing two interceptions at Pitt's spring football game Saturday at Heinz Field, the Seneca Valley graduate completed five of seven passes for 66 yards on his final drive, which culminated in Smith's 21-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Marcel Pestano.

Smith ended the day completing 11 of 22 passes for 113 yards.

He and junior signal caller Bill Stull are battling for the Panthers' starting quarterback spot in 2007.

Stull finished 8-of-18 for 89 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

"I think I came out a little excited," said Smith. "This was my first time playing at Heinz Field. But toward the end, I just tried to calm down, read the coverages and I was happy that we ended with a touchdown."

The game, which pitted the Panthers' offense (Gold) against the defense (Blue), ended in a 62-48 victory for the Blue.

A modified scoring system was used in which the defense was awarded points for tackles behind the line of scrimmage, forcing and recovering fumbles, etc.

Only 10 passes were completed to wide receivers, with Smith accounting for four completions for 45 yards to wideouts.

"Both quarterbacks played OK," said Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt. "We weren't able to throw the ball as we would have liked.

"With Kevan, it's just a question of consistency," Wannstedt added. "And Bill's one interception, he was just trying to throw the ball away, but it ended in a turnover. That tells me we still have some work to do."

After Stull led the Gold to a touchdown on the first possession of the game, Smith's third pass attempt was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Elijah Fields and returned 72 yards for a touchdown.

"They switched coverages," Smith said of the play. "I thought I had it read, but he (Fields) just followed my eyes the whole time."

Smith later had a pass picked off by sophomore linebacker Dorin Dickerson.

He also experienced problems with his footing and handling the snap from redshirt freshman center Scott Corson, which resulted in two fumbles.

"The grass was kicking up a bit," Smith said. "But I'm not going to make excuses. I'm not going to blame anything on that."

"The fumbles on the exchange between (Smith and Corson), you know, you have two young guys out there and those things are going to happen," said Wannstedt. "But the interceptions, we won't tolerate that. Those will get us beat."

Smith had a touchdown pass dropped on his next to last drive when Austin Ransom couldn't haul in what would have been a 5-yard touchdown reception.

But Smith found sophomore running back Shane Brooks three times for 42 yards on the next drive, setting up the touchdown pass to Pestano.

"Coach (Matt Cavanaugh) is always talking about, if things look cloudy, get the ball to the backs and let them do the work," said Smith.

Whether it's Smith or Stull that leads the Panthers next fall, he will have big shoes to fill after the graduation of Tyler Palko.

Last season, Palko threw for 2,871 yards, 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He was voted as Pitt's Most Valuable Player on offense.

And while Smith and Stull realize there's room for just one starting quarterback, they insist the rivalry is a friendly one.

"Yeah, I notice what he's doing," Smith said of Stull. "But there's no grudge between us. It's not an issue where I'm thinking, OK, I did this and he didn't. We're just pushing each other and making each other better."

"Coach Cavanaugh said that Kevan and I shouldn't be worried about the depth chart," said Stull. "We just have to worry about ourselves."

Wannstedt said the naming of the team's starting quarterback could come as late as 10 days before Pitt's opener, which is a Sept. 1 home contest against Eastern Michigan.

"I just have to keep working hard and busting my tail," said Smith. "Hopefully, things will work out for the better."

Note: It was announced after Saturday's game that Smith received the Panthers' Spring Academic Award for his dedication in the classroom.