Football Notebook: Despite similar records, Wannstedt and Weis headed in different directions

Wannstedt and Weis

Four years ago, Dave Wannstedt and Charlie Weis made their respective… Wannstedt and Weis

Four years ago, Dave Wannstedt and Charlie Weis made their respective collegiate head coaching debuts. The Fighting Irish drubbed the Panthers 42-21, and the two teams went in opposite directions from there.

On Saturday, the two coaches will meet again, and it appears like the teams are on divergent paths once more. But this time, No. 12 Pitt is on the rise, and the Fighting Irish are struggling.

During his Monday afternoon press conference, reporters asked Wannstedt what the major difference was between his program now and when he first took over five seasons ago.

“We’ve got better depth now,” he said. “We thought we were a heck of a lot better than we really were [in 2005]. We found out really quick that we had work to do.”

So far, the Panthers have gone 33-24 under Wannstedt. Notre Dame has a similar record of 35-24 with Weis as the head coach.

Yet, despite the comparable overall records, distinctly different sentiments swirl around the two programs.

Wannstedt has Pitt 8-1 for the first time since 1982, when Dan Marino was tossing the ball around Pitt Stadium.

Things aren’t so great for Weis, after losing to Navy for the second straight time at home, Notre Dame is 6-3 and the temperature of Weis’ seat is growing.

Taking that into consideration, Saturday’s game becomes even more significant. Wannstedt will look for a victory in order to push his team further onto the national stage, while Weis will be attempting to save his own job.

Amid the success and attention, Wannstedt is remaining grounded considering the three difficult contests ahead of the Panthers.

“[The rankings are] a neat thing for our program. It’s not going to help us win this Saturday against Notre Dame,” Wannstedt said. “It’s good for recruiting and, hopefully, good for alumni support.

“We’ve got three games left. [The rankins don’t] have any bearing on anything that we have to do Saturday. But it’s good for the program.”

Efficient Arms

Saturday’s contest will match two of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football.

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull will enter the game ranked fifth nationally in passing efficiency with a 161.6 rating. On the other sideline, Irish signal caller Jimmy Clausen is the nation’s third-rated passer with a 162.9 rating.

A side-by-side comparison of the statistics heavily favors Clausen, in part because of Notre Dame’s pass-happy offense.

Through nine games, Clausen has completed 209 passes for 2,770 yards and 20 touchdowns. Stull has completed 148 passes for 1,879 yards and 17 scores.

Both quarterbacks have been successful, however. Consider that Clausen has completed only 10 fewer passes than Stull has even attempted (219). Clausen’s 308 pass attempts are evidence of the Irish philosophy of throwing the football.

Clausen’s numbers certainly have one person’s attention — Dave Wannstedt.

“I think Jimmy Clausen is playing as good as any quarterback around. He’s much improved in all aspects of the game,” he said.

It’s safe to assume that Clausen will try to exploit a Pitt secondary that was picked on earlier in the season. The Panthers gave up 433 receiving yards against Buffalo and 322 receiving yards in their loss to North Carolina State.

Still, Wannstedt believes the secondary has made strides and is playing better than it was earlier in the year.

“I know we’ve got better,” he said. “We’ve settled in a bit more as the year has gone on, defensively. I think our players have a little bit more confidence. [Notre Dame] will be a real test.”