PITTSBURGH — The game came down to one play by Pitt's choosing, and maybe the Panthers' season did, too.

A chip-shot field goal sends the Panthers and weary Navy to a third overtime, a handoff to LeSean McCoy may have won it. Instead, a coach desperate to win called, essentially, a desperation play — and lost.

Now, the question is whether only a game was lost, or an entire season was, too.

And what about the coach, Dave Wannstedt, who made the play call? What will he lose as Pitt now appears headed to a third consecutive bowl-less season under him after going to five consecutive bowls from 2000-04 under predecessor Walt Harris?

Joey Bullen kicked a 29-yard field goal in the second overtime and Navy then held as Pitt inexplicably gambled by going for a touchdown on fourth down when a field goal would have forced another overtime, and the Midshipmen upset the Panthers 48-45 Wednesday night.

Pitt (2-4), losing its fourth straight despite freshman LeSean McCoy's 165 yards rushing and three touchdowns in an almost defense-free game, when Navy (4-2) settled for the field goal and the Panthers got the ball back with a chance to win.

But, with Pitt facing fourth-and-goal at the Navy 2, Wannstedt went for the win and freshman Pat Bostick threw too high to tight end Darrell Strong on a fade route in the end zone with Rashawn King in coverage. The play before, Bostick couldn't find starting tight end Nate Byham on a pass play.

"That's our 2-point conversion play," Wannstedt said of the fourth-down play. "We do it all the time in practice and it works perfectly. ... If I had the same situation, I would do it again."

But that's in practice, and this was in an overtime game Pitt badly needed to win after losing to Virginia by 30 points and Connecticut by 20 in its last two games.

"I'm glad they did pass the ball but, no matter what, we were going to stop it and we were going to win the game," Navy linebacker Irv Spencer said. "I don't know how, I don't when, but we were going to win this game."

In the huddle, fullback Conredge Collins and McCoy expected one or the other to get the ball on both third and fourth down. Collins ran for 52 yards on nine carries.

"We were going for the win, it was crunch time and I guess people wanted to go home or something," Collins said. "It just didn't go the way we wanted to go. Do I wish we could have run the ball with me or LeSean? Most definitely, but you've got to respect the play call and that's our coach."

The play itself — one in which Strong went to the edge of the end zone and waited for the ball inches from the out of bounds line — was risky enough no matter the circumstances.

"I can't say much as a player. You always go with the plays they call. ... There's no use pointing fingers at anyone," Bostick said. "We can look at the film and say we could have done many things different."

Like give the ball to McCoy, perhaps?

With former stars Tony Dorsett and Curtis Martin watching, Pitt showed off its next star running back in McCoy, who scored three touchdowns for the second time in his six college games. Navy's Reggie Campbell also had three touchdowns, on a 25-yard pass from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada in the first overtime and a 4-yard run and a 10-yard pass play in regulation.

McCoy had given Pitt its first lead since the second game of the season, a 34-10 win over Grambling State, when he scored from the 2 early in the third quarter to make it 28-21.

Navy, playing its sixth consecutive game in which at least 30 points were needed to win, later took a 35-31 lead when Kaheaku-Enhada scored from the 3.

"It was just a crazy game," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "It looked like whoever had the ball last was going to win, and it didn't turn out that way."

There was plenty of offensive talent in Heinz Field — the honorary captains were former Navy star Roger Staubach and Dorsett, and Pitt honored Martin, the NFL's No. 4 career rusher, at halftime. Fittingly, there was plenty of offense and very little defense as both teams followed their season-long trends.

Navy, No. 2 nationally in rushing with an average of 348 yards, opened leads of 7-0, 14-7 and 21-14 while running for 331 yards, but Pitt answered each time in Bostick's first career start at home. Bostick, who began the season as Pitt's No. 3 QB, went 20-of-28 for 191 yards and an interception even as the Panthers were outgained 497-418.

Bostick looked unsteady at times while playing in relief during a 34-14 loss to Connecticut and a 44-14 defeat at Virginia in which he started, but he and fellow freshman McCoy had no trouble moving the ball against a Navy defense that gave up 138 points in its previous four games. McCoy has 668 yards in his first six college games.

It only gets tougher now for Pitt, which plays No. 15 Cincinnati next week, with No. 5 South Florida, No. 8 West Virginia, Rutgers, Louisville and Syracuse to come. Unless there's a turnaround, Pitt could be headed for its worst season since it was 2-9 under Walt Harris in 1998.

"It's sad because we have great coaches and great players and the results just don't show it," safety Mike Phillips said.