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From the Desk of Jim Snyder
A few thoughts on the football program
Last week Pitt was coming off a come-from-behind win at Temple who had been beaten badly the week before by Bowling Green who is now 4-2. (Both of Bowling Green’s losses were on the road and one was to No. 2 ranked Oklahoma by a score of 40-24). The media’s scrutiny of Walt Harris reached a fever pitch last week and a few Pitt alums were calling for immediate change. In addition, former Pitt players Mark May and Tony Dorsett both went public with criticism of the Pitt program. The media wrote about a vote of no confidence by Pitt Athletic Director Jeff Long.
This past weekend Pitt upset Boston College 20-17 in overtime. Quite frankly they should have won it in regulation when the Pitt defense held BC but a very bad interference call late in the game allowed Boston College to tie the game. The upset shocked most of the “experts” and this writer too. Between Pitt’s upset win and Michigan State hammering Minnesota my Pick Em results are going to be very bad this week. Isn’t that the same Michigan State team that looked so bad in their loss to Rutgers?
Last week Pitt AD Jeff Long and Chancellor Nordenberg were spotted at football practice. Where they there to fire the coach or was this simply a show of support for the football program? Some thing tells me it was the latter. No it was not a long-term statement about the direction of the football program. It may simply have been two men who felt they were being stampeded by the media and some alums into making a decision before they were ready. Should they decide to replace Coach Harris almost all viable candidates are currently under contract to another college or an NFL franchise. It is unlikely any of them will be available until late December or mid-January.
About all I can say with certainty is that Walt Harris will be the Head Coach of the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday when his team takes on Rutgers at Heinz Field.
Last week Bob LaMonte, Walt Harris’ agent, went public. I am not sure what that was all about except that he might be reminding Pitt that Coach Harris has a lawyer and an agent and if you want to say something you know whom to call. If you want to offer some kind of financial settlement we will listen. Most business deals are about money.
Last year expectations for Pitt were very high. A few “experts” made them darkhorse candidates for the national championship. The team under achieved expectations going 8-5. We have talked to parents and others close to the program that indicated that the coaches were stressed out last year as the losses mounted and it was simply no fun playing football at Pitt at that time.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting (in addition to game coverage). Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word” and let’s add to our online family of Panther fans.
From the Desk of Jim Snyder
A few thoughts on the football program
Last week Pitt was coming off a come-from-behind win at Temple who had been beaten badly the week before by Bowling Green who is now 4-2. (Both of Bowling Green’s losses were on the road and one was to No. 2 ranked Oklahoma by a score of 40-24). The media’s scrutiny of Walt Harris reached a fever pitch last week and a few Pitt alums were calling for immediate change. In addition, former Pitt players Mark May and Tony Dorsett both went public with criticism of the Pitt program. The media wrote about a vote of no confidence by Pitt Athletic Director Jeff Long.
This past weekend Pitt upset Boston College 20-17 in overtime. Quite frankly they should have won it in regulation when the Pitt defense held BC but a very bad interference call late in the game allowed Boston College to tie the game. The upset shocked most of the “experts” and this writer too. Between Pitt’s upset win and Michigan State hammering Minnesota my Pick Em results are going to be very bad this week. Isn’t that the same Michigan State team that looked so bad in their loss to Rutgers?
Last week Pitt AD Jeff Long and Chancellor Nordenberg were spotted at football practice. Where they there to fire the coach or was this simply a show of support for the football program? Some thing tells me it was the latter. No it was not a long-term statement about the direction of the football program. It may simply have been two men who felt they were being stampeded by the media and some alums into making a decision before they were ready. Should they decide to replace Coach Harris almost all viable candidates are currently under contract to another college or an NFL franchise. It is unlikely any of them will be available until late December or mid-January.
About all I can say with certainty is that Walt Harris will be the Head Coach of the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday when his team takes on Rutgers at Heinz Field.
Last week Bob LaMonte, Walt Harris’ agent, went public. I am not sure what that was all about except that he might be reminding Pitt that Coach Harris has a lawyer and an agent and if you want to say something you know whom to call. If you want to offer some kind of financial settlement we will listen. Most business deals are about money.
Last year expectations for Pitt were very high. A few “experts” made them darkhorse candidates for the national championship. The team under achieved expectations going 8-5. We have talked to parents and others close to the program that indicated that the coaches were stressed out last year as the losses mounted and it was simply no fun playing football at Pitt at that time.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting (in addition to game coverage). Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word” and let’s add to our online family of Panther fans.
