I’ve got a bunch of open tabs I need to clear out, and not enough time to do it.
Welcome to our world Mr. Mandel.
By this point in the season, you’d like to think you have a pretty good grasp on how good a team is, particularly when that team is 6-1. But I have to admit, I still have no idea how good this year’s Pittsburgh Panthers are — and I’m not sure they do, either. “Maybe we’re just getting lucky,” joked quarterback Tyler Palko when I spoke with him last Sunday.
We watch them every weekend and don’t have a consistent opinion.
It is blatantly obvious to the most average sportswriter that this is the game of the week in the Big East.
Context, please.
It’s easy to show Pitt QB Tyler Palko‘s rejuvenation with this obvious number: His pass efficiency rating has jumped from 126.7 last year to a nation-leading 188.6 this season. The underlying reason is that coordinator Matt Cavanaugh tweaked his West Coast approach to stretch the field and accommodate a quarterback who throws a nice deep ball. That leads us to a more revealing number going into this week’s key Big East game against Rutgers: Palko is second in the nation with 10.3 yards per attempt–way up from last year’s 7.0. Any offensive coordinator will tell you that number is the most important statistic for a quarterback.
It’s a good number. An interesting number, but I’m not quite sure as to why it is “the most important statistic for a quarterback.” Anyone care to supply the answer?
I like that SI.com considers Palko about the 5th best QB in college football. Now, here’s what I’m wondering. Does anyone actually know what kind of offense Pitt is running versus what it had run under Walt Harris? Look at the comment “…In this, his second year in coach Dave Wannstedt’s pro-style system…”
Excuse me? I thought the passing game for Pitt was now more of a true West Coast from OC Matt Cavanaugh and that Harris ran more of the pro style. Of course, I’ve read it the other way in the past. Honestly, and maybe it’s just because it’s late, but I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure anyone really knows anymore.
While on the subject of Walt Harris, there was this in Stewart Mandel’s mailbag (I saw it Frank, but was going to let it go).
Stewart, Stanford managed just 52 yards of total offense in its Homecoming game, a loss to Arizona. The Wildcats entered the game ranked 118th in the nation in rushing yards and ran for 223 yards against the overmatched Cardinal. Stanford is now 0-7, the fans and players have quit on Walt Harris, and it’s clear that the program has been in complete disarray since Ty Willingham left in 2002. Have you ever seen a case where one coaching change has so drastically crippled a college football program?
— Tony Barber, Mountain View, Calif.No, I have not. The program has gone from being a regular Pac-10 title contender under Willingham to the absolute worst team in the conference by a country mile. The Cardinal was bad under Buddy Teevens, too, but not nearly this bad. And what makes it all the more puzzling is that Stanford showed promise last year in Harris’ first season. As you may recall, they came dangerously close to knocking off Notre Dame in their regular-season finale, which, if they had, would have sent them to a bowl game. Even stranger: This is not a young team. They returned 16 starters, including 10 on offense (though several have been injured).
That said, I knew something was fishy when seven of Harris’ assistants left after one season. Though Harris did an admirable job of turning around Pittsburgh’s long-suffering program, he was generally despised there by the end of his tenure. And now he’s not exactly inspiring confidence in Palo Alto. In addition, the athletic director who hired him, Ted Leland, left the school last year and was replaced by former Iowa AD Bob Bowlsby, who you know is looking forward to the opportunity to make his mark on the program. Cutting ties with a coach after two seasons certainly doesn’t help a program’s stability, but at the same time, I don’t know if it’s possible for the Cardinal to become any less stable than they already are.
This will be a bit of a rant.
Anyone remember Harris’ first year at Pitt? Remember how the team turned around in one season and in one of the greatest Backyard Brawls ever (and the best game I ever saw in-person) beat the Hoopies in Morgantown? Remember the next year when Pitt went 2-9. Losing to Rutgers and Temple? I do. It was my first year as a season ticket holder since graduating. I sat through a bunch of those humiliations. When the team regressed badly. Players were not that good and being shaken out of the program.
I had bounced around for a bit in Chicago, law school — in Ohio when Pitt played and was crushed in the home-and-home with OSU — and generally just not connected to the school and the team. This was pre-net so there was no way to stay aware of what Pitt was doing outside of little box scores in papers and very little info in general. Hackett and then Majors with the assistance of an uncaring administration had nearly destroyed Pitt football.
Walt Harris brought Pitt back to respectability (that and a job in Youngstown that made trips to the ‘Burgh an easy thing). Slowly. Surely. There were steps back. There was also progress. There were times when it was thought he might leave. Alabama. Ohio State. They sniffed. Whether he or they were serious, nothing came of it other then some extensions, raises and some nervousness by fans at the time.
When Harris left Pitt/was forced out, I was torn. Harris had probably reached the end of the line with Pitt. There was something of a plateau. He had alienated a lot of people. If he had stayed, it is very likely he could have done harm to Pitt.
At the same time, I felt like I owed Coach Harris. I owed him a debt. This, despite not knowing the guy. Never meeting him. At times being as eager as anyone else to throw him over.
Walt Harris brought me back to caring and following Pitt and college football. I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I wouldn’t be writing for AOL on college football. None of that, if it hadn’t been for what Walt Harris did to bring Pitt back into mainstream Division 1-A college football.
So I hope he turns the corner at Stanford. Just as he did in time at Pitt. Rebuilding doesn’t come easy at all places. I know not everyone feels the same way. That’s fine. My view is just that. My view. Just don’t expect me to revel in his struggles.
Under the Cav offense, it looks like the read occurs at the line based on the defensive setup, because it’s a LOT quicker, and there always seems to an outlet in the flat.
Just my opinion, I really know nothing.
I’ve voiced my opinion about Harris enough on the Blather not to go into it in lengthy detail again. But, I will say his attitude regarding the school, the city, and local football community toward the end of his time here made it very easy for people to grease the skids for his way out. Over the years I’ve kept in close touch with very successful PITT alumni (big donors) who have stated, in no uncertain terms, that Harris’ arrogance and disdain for the city and local football traditions was apparent early on.
Its one thing to be successful on the football field, and another thing all together to be put in a position to effect all of your surroundings in a positive way – and not do it. Maybe because I’m older and lived through the terrible PITT teams in the late 60s and the wonderful ones of the 70s, come from a multi-generation PITT family legacy, and care about the city and the University, is why I can’t get real excited about Harris’ won-lost record. When I’ve lived in Pittsburgh I went to all the school’s games I could, regardless of how they were doing or who was coaching.
So, let’s not get confused in saying Harris brought PITT back to respectability – his effect was on the football program only. The University itself was never in disrespect.
My gut tells me his successor will impact all the areas I mentioned in a positive and lasting way. I just think Coach W has more of an interest in his players – both on and off the playing field, the Alumni, the Pittsburgh area communities and the University itself, and I can see him having a long and productive time here at PITT.
My time at Pitt covered 2000-2005, so I had a front row seat for the bulk of the Walt Harris Era, and with the exception of my freshman year when they went to the Insight.com Bowl, at no time did I feel like the team was playing up to its talent level.
Do you guys not remember how we used to waste timeouts, take a plethora of stupid false start and illegal motion penalties each game, consistently fail to alter the game plan, regardless of the opponent or our own personnnel, etc? And this was a supposed offensive guru!
While he did turn the program around (with the aid of a major upgrade in the facilities), I think people are forgetting how many missed opportunities there were under Harris, and really, just how frustrating and ugly Pitt football was while he was here. Really, even when they were winning, they were not an entertaining team to watch.
I’ve since moved out of state, and I only get to watch the national games anymore, but this season, the improvement is obvious. One of the compliments everyone has been paying them in their 6-1 start this year is that “they’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat.” The reason for this clearly is that they’re not shooting themselves in the foot at every turn now with stupid penalties, sloppy play, and failed gameplans.
End of rant. For now.
Just a sidenote speaking of memorable games. The first game I went to as a student was when we knocked off Miami on the Thursday night, the nationally televised espn game. That was the game that really made me a fan for life.
As for Walt Harris–always liked Walt, wish him the best–regret that we could never get the linemen that we needed to have a top program with him at Pitt. Looks like Wannstedt is making that a priorityj–and I am optimistic about the future for Pitt with freshmen such as Thomas.
Thank you. That helps. It makes a lot of sense when explained. That is why I was annoyed. No explanation or contxt, just saying it’s important doesn’t make it so.
It was nothing more than an urban legend that was started. They knew damn well that Pitt football dropping in classification would be taking an entire athletic program that was on life support and pulling the plug.
As for Harris, if he was so great for Pitt football why in the hell are we in year two of YET ANOTHER rebuilding mode? Harris is a teenager with an IQ of 136 that gets C+’s in school. It’s a passing grade but you wanna smash him in the face because you know he’s capable of a lot more.
