Monday, October 13, 2003

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Pitt was expected to be one of the top 20 teams in NCAA Division I-A and a contender for the Big East Conference championship and an automatic BCS berth.

After five games, the Panthers have the look of a team that will struggle to win seven games and earn a lower-tier bowl bid. In fact, if the Panthers don't correct serious flaws exposed by Notre Dame in a 20-14 loss Saturday at Heinz Field, they might struggle to win at least one more game the rest of the season.

That means the pressure is on coach Walt Harris to revitalize the team or face the prospects of being at the helm of one of the biggest disappointments in school history.

Here is an analysis of the Panthers (3-2) as they head into their conference schedule, beginning Saturday at Rutgers:

Five reasons for hope:

Larry Fitzgerald -- This sophomore receiver has been the best player on the field in all five games, and his ability to make plays is something the Panthers have been able to exploit. He was held in check by the Irish, yet still scored two touchdowns. Fitzgerald should continue to put up big numbers and still could finish in the top five of Heisman balloting.

Rod Rutherford -- On Saturday, he fumbled in a crucial situation before the half and completed only 12 of 30 passes. But he did throw for two touchdowns and didn't have much of a chance because the Irish pressured him most of the game.

Also, four of his were dropped by Princell Brockenbrough in key situations. He needs to play better than he did Saturday, but overall he has played well.

Lousaka Polite and Kris Wilson -- Both players have talent and can help ease some of the pressure on the line as well as on Rutherford and Fitzgerald to constantly make big plays.

Adam Graessle and Andy Lee -- Graessle has neutralized opposing kick returners because of his ability to kick the ball into the end zone for touchbacks. Lee is one of the top punters in the NCAA, which is good given the Panthers' defensive struggles.

History -- Harris often has thrived in the underdog role and when nobody expects much of his team. Now that they've dropped out of the rankings, their bandwagon is back to being half empty and the Panthers are no longer considered a legitimate contender in the Big East.

But for any of that to matter, the Panthers will need to become more consistent in these areas:

Offensive line/running game -- The Panthers' running game has been almost nonexistent, except for one half against Texas A&M. Brandon Miree might have helped against the Irish, but the way the line was dominated it probably didn't matter. Sophomore tailback Jawan Walker was hit 2, 3 yards behind the line almost every play. And Rutherford was sacked eight times and was forced out of the pocket on countless others. This is a problem that might not be easy to fix because the five starting offensive linemen are likely the best five the team can put out there..

Defensive line -- Defensive end Claude Harriott was billed as an All-American candidate, but he has yet to resemble one. He played hurt against the Irish, but even before that he had only one sack in four games against pedestrian competition. But he isn't getting much help as opposite end Thomas Smith hasn't made many plays, either, although he was fairly active Saturday. And while the tackles are serviceable, they were handled by the offensive lines of their previous three foes. The Panthers need to impose their will physically up front on defense.

Tackling -- This is a problem that just won't go away. Notre Dame's Julius Jones ran for a school-record 262 yards against Pitt and many of those came after he was initially hit. On his 49-yard touchdown run, he was stopped for about a 2-yard gain, but shed two tacklers and sprinted to the end zone..

David Abdul -- At one point last season, he was nearly automatic on field goals. But he has made only 4 of 8 attempts this season and has missed an extra point as well. His two misses against the Irish were crucial as one would have given Pitt a lead and the other would have tied the score. Pitt needs to be able to score points when teams take away its big plays and Harris needs to have confidence in Abdul from beyond 40 yards.

Coaching -- On game day, the Panthers have looked confused and that has led to mental mistakes, poor use of timeouts and an endless string of delay of game and procedure penalties. And the defense's problems have been blamed on poor alignment before the snap.

Looking ahead, the Panthers really have no margin for error if they are going to win the Big East. But there isn't much margin for error even if they want to just duplicate their eight wins of a year ago.

Assuming Pitt can handle Temple and Rutgers, it must find three more wins against Syracuse, Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and West Virginia. The Hurricanes and Hokies visit Heinz Field, but both are undefeated and ranked in the top five. That means Pitt must win at West Virginia and Boston College, and it hasn't won in Chestnut Hill since 1989.

The Panthers have the talent to come together and salvage its season, but the clock is ticking and time is running short.

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