Dreaming Big
Pitt Looking To Regain National Spotlight And More
By Joe Bendel

Based on what the pundits and preseason publications are predicting, the Pitt football team is on the brink of greatness. Possibly, big-time greatness.

Some have gone as far to say that these Panthers could be the cream of the country, the class of college football.

Dare they say national champions?

"Why not?" said Lee Corso, ESPN football analyst. "Why can't Pittsburgh run the table?"

Corso is not alone in his thinking. Phil Steele, who puts out an annual college football extravaganza and correctly picked Ohio State as the national champion last season, has the Panthers winning it all for the first time since 1976. Nearly every preseason pollster places the Panthers in his top 12.

"You gotta like what's going on there," Corso said. "It's a solid, solid program."

The mere suggestion that Pitt is capable of contending with college football's elite speaks volumes of a program that doubled as a punching bag for powers such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami only seven years ago.

Some wondered during those doom and gloom days if Pitt could compete at the Division I-AA level, let alone I-A. They wondered if the program was headed for extinction.

Now this.

"I think if they win any less than nine games it would be disappointing," said Beano Cook, a longtime college football analyst. "Nine wins would be good, 10 would be outstanding during the regular season. And I think if they beat Texas A&M on the road in the fourth week, they'll be in the running for the national championship."

National championship? Really?

"I think that Texas A&M game will determine it all," Cook said. "The possibility is certainly there for this Pitt team. This could be their year."

Pressure On Harris

With experts such as Cook and Corso raising the bar for these 2003 Panthers, the pressure will be on seventh-year coach Walt Harris, who's led his team to four bowl games in six years and is gradually earning the reputation as a program revitalizer.

"Hey, if college coaches don't want to be in this kind of position, if they don't want pressure, they can work at Wendy's," Cook said. "Division I-A college football is big-time and it's for big-time coaches. If you don't want to feel the heat, go get a job at a Division III school."

Simply put, Cook feels there is no outlet for excuses, no reason this shouldn't be the year Pitt regains hold of the national spotlight.

He sees an ever-improving quarterback in senior Rod Rutherford. He sees a potential Biletnikoff Award winner in sophomore wideout Larry Fitzgerald. He also sees a surefire early-round NFL draft pick in senior defensive end Claude Harriott, a dominating linebacker in senior Lewis Moore, a 1,000-yard rusher in Brandon Miree and an overall team chemistry that developed last season when they posted a 9-4 record, won the Insight Bowl and nearly upset national runner-up Miami on the road.

Harris, meantime, revealed a knack for having his team ready for big games. The Panthers pulled off a once-unthinkable trifecta by defeating Syracuse, Boston

College and Virginia Tech all in the same season and fought toe-to-toe with Miami until a final touchdown drive came up short in the waning seconds.

Talent And Experience

Sixteen starters return from the 2002 squad, eight on each side of the ball.

"I feel we all grew considerably, the coaches, the players, everybody around this program," Harris said. "We're not happy about losing the games we did, but in those games, we knew we could compete. It's a learning process, another step in building a program. Now, we can't rest on what we did a year ago, because it's going to be challenging. But we can grow from it."

The triggerman is Rutherford, a second-team All-Big East pick in 2002 who began to flourish in Harris' West Coast offense in his first season as a starter. If the hard-throwing lefty continues to progress, things could fall into place for a Pitt team that regains the nucleus of a defense that ranked in the top 30 in six categories last season and an offense that found its balance once Miree asserted himself as a go-to back.

"We expect to win all of our games," said Rutherford, who threw for 2,783 with 22 touchdowns and ran for another 398 with six scores. "We know what it takes now to move it up to the next level. We were right there (last season). It's in our sights."

Added Fitzgerald, who had 69 catches for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns: "We feel good about ourselves. Rod has a year under his belt, Kris Wilson is the best pass-catching tight end in the country, our line is pulling together and Brandon Miree showed that he's a big-time runner. When you add in our talented defense, it makes you think we have a real good chance."

Favorable Schedule

The Panthers couldn't ask for a better schedule. All but one of their toughest games, Texas A&M, Sept. 27, are at Heinz Field. Big East rivals Miami and Virginia Tech come to Pittsburgh, as do Notre Dame and Syracuse.

For years, Cook has identified 2003 as the make-or-break season for the program. That's because Harris' system is firmly in place, he's been able to lure highly regarded recruits and, most important, the big boys are coming to town.

"The schedule is so important," Cook said. "Last year, (national champion) Ohio State had five non-conference games, four were in Columbus and one was in Cincinnati," Cook said. "And they played their tough conference games at home, against Penn State and Michigan. The schedule's the key, and Pitt has the right one. The timing is right. The one they have to worry about is Texas A&M. That's just huge."

The Panthers play the Aggies in Week 4, after starting off against three Mid-American Conference schools, including Kent State and Ball State at home and Toledo on the road. They are expected to come away from those games with an unblemished record, setting up the meeting with Texas A&M.

No Sure Thing

From there, the season could go in any direction. A victory at College Station could be the impetus for a run to the national title. A loss could alter the Panthers' path considerably.

"To be honest, right now I don't think they can win that game on the road," Cook said. "But if they can ..."

If they can, there still are no guarantees. A meeting with Notre Dame follows the trip to Texas A&M, then a crucial visit to Boston College looms Nov. 1. And, there is still the matter of holding off Virginia Tech, a team that will have revenge on its mind after absorbing back-to-back losses to the Panthers, and a Miami team that could compete for another national title.

So, even though the home schedule is favorable, it is far from easy.

"It's not like Notre Dame and Miami haven't played big road games before," Cook said. "They'll be ready."

Talent-wise, Pitt appears to be primed. But there is still the matter of dealing with the accidental offseason death of sophomore wide receiver Billy Gaines. There is no way of knowing how the team will respond, though Harris expects his Panthers to carry on.

"When you deal with a devastating situation, it brings you close together as a family," Harris said. "This team is extremely close and we'll go through the grieving process, then we'll move on together."

The movement could potentially lead to a national championship, provided the pundits know what they're talking about.

Joe Bendel covers the Pitt Panthers for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.