Miami interim coach Larry Scott isn't asking for much. “I'm just thankful that I woke up this morning,” he said Tuesday. Beyond that?
He has high expectations for his Miami team that meets Pitt on Friday at Heinz Field in the final regular-season game for both teams. So far, Hurricanes players have met all the criteria he set forth when he was promoted from tight ends coach to replace Al Golden, who was fired Oct. 25.
After the 58-0 loss to Clemson cost Golden his job, making him the first of two ACC coaches fired before the end of the season (Syracuse's Scott Shafer is the other), Miami has won three of four games under Scott.
“We're still fighting and we're still playing football here at the University of Miami for all the right reasons,” he said. But his shelf life is unknown, especially to himself, despite what close friend Kevin Patrick, the defensive line coach at North Texas, told the Palm Beach Post.
“He's got Hurricane in his DNA,” said Patrick, who was an assistant at South Florida when Scott played there. Asked if he has caught himself thinking about keeping the job, Scott said his focus is stuck on the next practice, Friday's game and the bowl. “All I've been doing each and every day is laying out a plan for ourselves and the staff here and making sure we're executing that plan to the best of our abilities,” he said.
“I love what I do. As long as you love what you do and you're putting your time and your effort into the kids, that makes our business work.” Pitt has had plenty of experience with interim coaches over the previous five seasons — three of them led the Panthers to bowl games after Dave Wannstedt was fired and Todd Graham and Paul Chryst left.
Pitt was 1-2 in those bowls, but senior cornerback Lafayette Pitts said the uncertainty in the coach's office didn't hamper the team's efforts.“You come together closer as a team,” Pitts said, “and just try to get a win for (the interim).”
Coach Pat Narduzzi said working under an interim coach shouldn't change anything. “The interesting thing about us coaches, we never even get to make one play,” he said. “We just stand there on the sidelines with our arms crossed. Sometimes you yell a little bit. “But players play the game and we just get to coach it. So I don't think the interim or head coach has anything to do with it.”
Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem has been a part of three staffs where the coach was fired before the end of the season. In 1996, Purdue beat ninth-ranked Michigan after Jim Colletto resigned; Eastern Michigan won two of its last three games in 2003. Salem said the situation is not difficult to overcome. “It's November and all of a sudden, the coach is not there,” Salem said, “so go play. “Kids are still kids and players are still players.”
Notes: Narduzzi said offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty got into “a little scrap” at practice Tuesday. “Which was nice to see in the 12th week of practice because you don't want to take any crap from the defense,” Narduzzi said. ... Defensive end Ejuan Price was named the AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
He has high expectations for his Miami team that meets Pitt on Friday at Heinz Field in the final regular-season game for both teams. So far, Hurricanes players have met all the criteria he set forth when he was promoted from tight ends coach to replace Al Golden, who was fired Oct. 25.
After the 58-0 loss to Clemson cost Golden his job, making him the first of two ACC coaches fired before the end of the season (Syracuse's Scott Shafer is the other), Miami has won three of four games under Scott.
“We're still fighting and we're still playing football here at the University of Miami for all the right reasons,” he said. But his shelf life is unknown, especially to himself, despite what close friend Kevin Patrick, the defensive line coach at North Texas, told the Palm Beach Post.
“He's got Hurricane in his DNA,” said Patrick, who was an assistant at South Florida when Scott played there. Asked if he has caught himself thinking about keeping the job, Scott said his focus is stuck on the next practice, Friday's game and the bowl. “All I've been doing each and every day is laying out a plan for ourselves and the staff here and making sure we're executing that plan to the best of our abilities,” he said.
“I love what I do. As long as you love what you do and you're putting your time and your effort into the kids, that makes our business work.” Pitt has had plenty of experience with interim coaches over the previous five seasons — three of them led the Panthers to bowl games after Dave Wannstedt was fired and Todd Graham and Paul Chryst left.
Pitt was 1-2 in those bowls, but senior cornerback Lafayette Pitts said the uncertainty in the coach's office didn't hamper the team's efforts.“You come together closer as a team,” Pitts said, “and just try to get a win for (the interim).”
Coach Pat Narduzzi said working under an interim coach shouldn't change anything. “The interesting thing about us coaches, we never even get to make one play,” he said. “We just stand there on the sidelines with our arms crossed. Sometimes you yell a little bit. “But players play the game and we just get to coach it. So I don't think the interim or head coach has anything to do with it.”
Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem has been a part of three staffs where the coach was fired before the end of the season. In 1996, Purdue beat ninth-ranked Michigan after Jim Colletto resigned; Eastern Michigan won two of its last three games in 2003. Salem said the situation is not difficult to overcome. “It's November and all of a sudden, the coach is not there,” Salem said, “so go play. “Kids are still kids and players are still players.”
Notes: Narduzzi said offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty got into “a little scrap” at practice Tuesday. “Which was nice to see in the 12th week of practice because you don't want to take any crap from the defense,” Narduzzi said. ... Defensive end Ejuan Price was named the AutoNation National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
